#i guess..? this one’s the sunniest

[charmac]

TIL JFK Airport has a modern advertisement for Sunny and they’ve decided to go with Season 8 promo

[tw1l1te]

𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖘𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖔- 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖓𝖊

ᨒ↟ ⋆｡°

Hyrule was no more.

That's what the elders told you, at least.

The sacred fields and forests of the kingdom have been blanketed with white snow for a millennia, the sun only behind the clouds. The population of Hyrule has dwindled over time, making this era lonely and full of decay.

Truly an era that should be forgotten.

An era that didn’t deserve a place in the historical archives. 

An era that was doomed to begin with.

Looking out onto the cold, dreadful expanse of Hyrule, you wonder what your life had come to. Being alone for a significant portion of your late teens and constantly on the run wasn’t your idea of a good life. A life where you got to be happy. But, no one really got to have that anymore, everyone lived to survive. They’ve all accepted that in this life, you lasted as long as you could, and that was that.

You felt a stinging cold brush of air against your cheek, instinctively causing you to bundle your scarf tighter around your face. An old habit.

It was about to snow soon. That’s all that Hyrule did anymore: snow. There were no more seasons or days of clear skies, the sunniest the fallen kingdom got was a gloomy gray sky, a white orb just barely being seen amidst the gray blanket. 

Getting up from the rock you sat on, you made your way downhill, back to the run-down village you called home, or the closest thing to that. The elders did their best with the limited resources they had, as after the Reawakening, there was hardly anything left.

The village was small, you could walk the entirety of it in just under five minutes. Being located South of central Hyrule, you were lucky enough to be shrouded in thick forests, protecting your little village. 

Walking through the main pathway, you wave to a few people, a small smile under your scarf. These people were the closest thing to family, as yours had been forgotten about long ago. It was for the best.

You walk up to the main entrance of the meeting house, knocking twice on the wooden door. You open the door and walk inside, making sure to latch the door behind you so the wind wouldn’t blow the damn thing inward. 

“Another storm comin’, aye?” 

You look behind you to see Arden, one of your closest friends and comrades. He was a few years older than you and taller, with shoulder-length black hair that was begging to be trimmed.

“Yep, second one this month and it's only the third week. Make sure your mother stores her plants in the cellar, her herbs are crucial to us.”

He nods, walking to the table in the middle of the shack. The table was littered with half-torn maps and old trinkets, most of them collecting dust.

“...Anything new?” he asks, arms crossed over his form. You knew what he was asking about. Your memories.

“Bits n’ pieces, they’ve been kind of blurry lately, its hard to even understand what’s happening.”

He nods, satisfied with your answer. 

“Well, at least you’re not having constant nightmares, I couldn’t even imagine the horrors you saw.”

You look away from him, recalling your last nightmare. Though so much of it was in fragments, you remember it being so vivid and… real. As if you were him.

“I haven’t had one in a bit, which is nice… I guess. Haven’t gotten any answers to our main issue though. Her.”

“Have you tried writing down what happens in your dreams? Maybe connect the dots after you’ve taken some notes?”

You shake your head, mentally tired from talking so much. After your journey a year ago, you’ve gotten so used to not talking for days or weeks at a time that even a few sentences makes you exhausted. 

“I see. Well, the others are supposed to meet us here-”

There were rapid knocks on the door, sounding impatient and frantic. Looking at Arden, you go to unlatch the door, curious as to what the disruption was about. You were surprised to see Colin, another comrade of the team, standing there looking worried, eyebrows creased.

“Y/n, Arden… I think you should follow me. You need to see this.”

You turn to look back at Arden, giving him a curt nod. Your meeting could wait.

ᨒ↟ ⋆｡°

You and Arden walk with Colin, the lack of information eating away at your brain. What could have possibly worried Colin so much? Did something happen?

You all walk up to the large tent where you kept most of your supplies and food, the thick canvas fabric flapping in the wind. You could hear talking in the tent, several people already residing ithin.

Colin turns to you, muttering “Y/n, they might recognize you based on your clothing. I’d suggest concealing your face a bit, we don’t know their intentions. Could be some of her’s.”

Taking in the tone of his words, you wrap the scarlet scarf around your face, making sure only your eyes were visible. Your hood was already up, so you didn’t have to worry too much about them seeing more of you.

“Thanks.” you murmured, already walking towards the entrance of the tent, hands balled up into fists.

“Be careful, Link.”

ᨒ↟ ⋆｡°

Immediately after walking into the tent, you halt at the number of people in the room. Including two of your other team members, there were twelve people in the room. All of their focus was on you.

Dusk, one of the women of your team, walks up to you.

“We found them while scouting the back woods. They’re armed, but not hostile. They say they’re the heroes of Hyrule, whatever that means.”

You nod curtly at her words, eyeing the group. Their eyes are glued to you, each one with varying degrees of frustration, confusion, or curiosity across their faces. Then it hits you.

It is them. Each one, from each era.

But all together? This is a first.

You wonder why they’re staring at you so much, but then you remember you are wearing the hero’s garb. Same green hat, full green getup. An obvious indicator to them.

You groan internally, you should've changed.

The blonde man with the blue scarf stands up and walks over to you, hand out for a handshake.

“You’re a Link, aren’t you? Pleasure to meet the hero of this era.”

You look at his hand, then back up at him. 

Is he serious?

You snort under your scarf, the casual interaction being so alien to you. The last thing you were interested in doing was being acquaintances with the past heroes.

Seeing your lack of response makes him pull back his hand, face full of confusion. What was up with this era?

The one-eyed hero from behind him suddenly stands up and makes his way to you. His good eye bores down at you before speaking.

“My apologies for my Captain’s forwardness. My name is Link, but we all go by monicker’s to diffuse the confusion. I go by Time, and the others will introduce themselves at a later time. We happened to stumble into your woods and are currently trying to find out where and when we are located.”

You raise an eyebrow at his statement.

When? Meaning… they time traveled?

Dusk beat you to the chase answering, “We don’t exactly count years, but based off of the last era counted, we are about 10,000 years after the Era of The Wilds.”

Time takes a moment to process the information, seemingly doing some mental calculations. He looks back down at you.

“And it’s safe to assume you’re the hero of this era?”

You nod slowly.

He takes a hesitant breath before continuing, “... what happened in this era? From what we’ve briefly seen, its the most destroyed time period we’ve seen.”

Dusk walks up behind you, saving you from the interrogation.

“Our country destroyed itself. No monarchy, no kingdom, barely anything left.”

His brows furrowed, “Ganon’s doing?”

You still at the name. You should have been prepared to answer this question. After all, it was inevitable.

You shake your head.

“Ganondorf?”

Again, you shake your head.

“Then who?”

You look at Dusk, silently pleading her to not tell them of your fate. This was something that needed to be eased onto them slowly. After all, most of them were devout to Hylia in one form or another.

Seeing your desperation, Dusk sighs.

“It’s better if you follow us back to the Resistance Headquarters. We have more information there.”

“And why would we do that? For all we know, this could be an ambush,” the pink-haired male responds.

Dusk rolls her eyes, sending you a smirk, “Because it would be way too much work to clean all the blood and guts up, plus, we don’t have the resources nor luxury to do that.”

You lightly shake your head, not knowing how her sense of humor was still intact after everything. In other circumstances, you would’ve scolded her, but you weren’t up for chatting at the moment.

Tossing a glance over your shoulder, you lead Arden, Dusk, and the heroes back to the headquarters. This was going to be a long day.

ᨒ↟ ⋆｡°

“So yer tellin’ me you’re Wild’s descendant? Surprised yer not feral or somethin’,” Twilight mutters, earning an elbow jab from the one referred to as “Wild”.

They seem… brotherly.

Wild turns to you, holding his chin, “Do you… still have the Sheikah Slate? It might be too old now in your era, but-”

You nod, taking out the slate from under your poncho. It was in much worse condition than Wild’s, but it had alterations and had been through a few thousand years.

He hesitantly picks it up from your hands, almost worried that the Slate would wither away from how fragile it felt.

“It looks… different, changed. Does it have new functions?”

Arden points at the screen, “Yeah, Link added a few alternate functions like a more expansive map and the ability to communicate with others.”

“Communicate?”

“A couple other groups across Hyrule have a similar type of slate, though they can only use it to communicate. It’s good for fast and quick communication.”

He nods, examining the slate some more. He shuts it off, handing it back to you.

 You choose to ignore the warmth coming from his fingertips.

“It seems you’re advanced in technology, and yet, so rural and primitive. Is there a reason for that?”

Arden looks at you while he speaks, “Well, technology was advancing right up until the Reawakening, and quickly declined after that. We managed to salvage a few things during the event, though a lot of it looks ancient now. Still works, though.”

He shoots you a lop-sided smile, “You should totally see Link’s snowbike though, that thing is a beast.”

Wild raises an eyebrow, “Snowbike? Like the Master Cycle Zero?”

You nod. You forgot he had one of those.

Time buts in, seemingly preoccupied with something else.

“As much as I am curious about your modern advancements, I believe we have more pressing matters at hand. Primarily, why we’re here in your era.”

You nod again, eyeing Arden and Dusk. You needed the room.

Arden walks up to you, murmuring “You sure? I don’t trust them.”

You place a hand on his arm, nodding. He looks down at your hand, eyes flicking between your hand and your eyes. He wanted to say something, but decided to bite his tongue. He wordlessly nods, and both him and Dusk leave you with the group, latching the old door behind him.

You ignore the strange interaction between the both of you, deciding to check up on him after.

You adjust your scarf, pulling it downward so your entire face is visible. The scarf muffled your speech and you were starting to get a bit suffocated with the fabric over your mouth.

“Y-you’re-”

“A female?”

The group seems to go silent at that, emotions ranging from confusion, shock, disbelief, even some excitement from a couple.

Arm over your chest, you kneel on one knee, your head bowed. Taking a small breath, you raspily introduce yourself:

 “My name is Link, the Forgotten Hero.”

ᨒ↟ ⋆｡°

[honeylikesfanfic]

Batting eyes

Lilia Vanrouge x reader

Most of Y/n's days were spent hiding in their cottage in the woods, as being a human wasn't fully welcomed in Briar Valley. Whenever Y/n had to enter Briar Valley, they would put on fake pointed ears to try to pass as one of them, and so far, they hadn't been noticed. 

One day, while walking through the woods to gather fruits from nearby trees and brush, Y/n found an injured bat. Feeling pity for the poor creature, they decided to take it home to patch it up. Y/n let the bat stay with them while it recovered, and everything was as normal as it could be for Y/n. However, one day something unexpected happened...

-

I woke up from my peaceful sleep and realized that the little bat I rescued was missing. There was a spot in my room where the injured bat used to rest and sleep. It was under the canopy at the top of my bed, which blocked the sun, even on the sunniest days. 

I thought, "Maybe he woke up early." I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and went to the kitchen, hoping I'd find the little guy there. I was also looking forward to making some breakfast. 

When I reached the kitchen, I noticed that my coffee maker had already made coffee, and it was still hot. I knew I hadn't made any coffee last night, so who did? The clock showed that it was 6:00 AM, which was earlier than my usual wake-up time.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, which I often called my reason to live. "It doesn't seem to be tampered with, so I guess it's safe to drink," I thought to myself. As I sipped my coffee, I realized that I was almost out of food, and I needed to head into town to buy more. The thought of wearing my heavy coat and fake ears made me groan inwardly. 

Suddenly, I heard the sound of my front door opening. I panicked, wondering how someone had found me. After all, no one should have known about my secret hiding place.

As I stumbled to find a place to hide, a man who was about the same height as me walked into the room. He had long, dark hair with a few reddish streaks that peeked through as his hair was pulled into a high ponytail. His crimson eyes scanned the room before they landed on my disheveled form. I probably looked pathetic sitting on the ground after I fell. I was wearing only a long black shirt, my cup of coffee had fallen with me, spilling on the floor.

"Who... Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?"

My attempt to sound assertive failed miserably as my voice cracked a bit. As the man stared down at me, almost as if he was as shocked as I was, I couldn't help but notice his pointed ears. Those pointed ears... He's a Fae!

My body instinctively reacted with either the urge to fight or flee. I jumped up from the wooden kitchen floor and rushed towards my dimly lit bedroom, quickly shutting the door behind me. I sprinted to the window, but the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching made me panic. Just as I reached the window, the door burst open, and I was forcefully dragged backward into the room.

“NO! PLEASE WA-”

“Shut up or you’ll attract the attention of the guards patrolling nearby.”

He put his right hand over my mouth, his left hand kept me close to him as we both lay on the floor. He glared at me as the sound of men walking and talking outside grew louder. Then he stood up, pulling me up with him. He dragged me over to my closet and sat me inside.

"I'll take care of this. Be silent," he said as he closed the closet doors.

I was left in the dark and cramped closet, wondering how he had found my cottage deep in the forest. It takes two hours to walk to the town, so how did those guards discover this place? Who was this man, and why wasn't he turning me in?

Sure the war between the Fae and humans was over, but living together wasn't easy. Only a few humans had managed to earn the trust of the Fae and live beside them without any issues.

Suddenly, muffled laughing broke my train of thought. I couldn't hear what was being said, but after a while, the two guards left—a few minutes passed before he returned to let me out of the closet.

The light shining through my window hurt my sensitive eyes as the man opened the wooden closet doors. "It's clear, don't start screaming again," he said and extended his hand to help me up. I accepted his offer cautiously, and as I inspected my arm, I noticed a red spot that looked like a burn and stung. I must have burnt my arm on my coffee when I fell. The man also noticed this and inspected it before leaving my room and guiding me over to the kitchen sink. He gently ran cool water over the burn.

"Stay here; I'll get the medkit," he said before leaving me by the sink. I wondered how he knew where the medkit was and who he was. He returned shortly after with a translucent plastic box in his hand and gently applied some antibiotic cream on the burn before wrapping it up.

"I... Who are you? Why are you helping me?" I asked him. He let out a short chuckle before finishing the wrap, pulling down his top collar to reveal bandages on his left shoulder.

"I am Lilia Vanrouge, also known as General Vanrouge," he said. I was surprised to hear that. Was I in trouble? "I am helping you because you helped me. Also, because I am the one who scared you, it's the least I can do."

"What do you mean?" I asked. Suddenly it all made sense. This man not only knew where my house was, but he also knew where the medical kit was. The bandages on his shoulder matched the ones I had used to wrap an injured bat. "Wait, were you the bat that I found injured in the forest?"

"Yes, I was," he confirmed. "Thank you for helping me. I had wanted to tell you about it today, but you woke up earlier than usual." He finished packing the medical kit and said, "I made you coffee this morning before I left. I was alerted that some guards had entered the fairy ring."

"I can't believe it! Did you put a fairy ring around my house?" I exclaimed in surprise. He smiled and raised an eyebrow as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, how else was I supposed to protect you and your home while I was injured?" he replied and walked away to store the kit. It suddenly dawned on me that he had been protecting me this whole time. I wondered how I had not noticed the fairy ring before. And then it hit me, "Wait... Did a Fae just give me his full name?!"

---

This was poorly written but lmk what you guys think, I'd love to hear feedback!

[runningupthatvecna]

the law of seat partners

alrighty so ya gurl had a dream about eddie last night and here i am trying to use that to base the following something off of.

part 2

cw/tw: eddie munson being a slightly touchy precious bean. a slight bit of angst. feeling left out/mentions of feeling unwanted if you squint. otherwise, none that i could think of, just my silly brain fluff. if you find something else, please let me know yaaa. no mentions of y/n.

summary: you're going on a high school field trip with your friends. and thankfully, a long haired metalhead is also there to keep you company and ease the pain of being around obnoxious children.

side note: this is literally the first fic thing i've written in literal YEARS (also in English) and first ever time writing for Eddie, so bare with me here, i've gotten quite rusty i guess so i truly apologise if it's rather bad. don't mind me and please reblog/leave me comments if you did enjoy this pure fluff something!

------

It was the sunniest May morning the town of Hawkins had ever seen. The bluest sky above the forests and fields, downtown, the infamous trailer park and the parking lot of Hawkins High.

You sighed as you placed your car in parking mode before opening the door and sliding out, just so you could grab your belongings - a rather big bag filled with all sorts of items that you were certain you were going to need for surviving the next week - out from the backseat.

A field trip with students with an age range from bloody twelve to the wise years of nineteen, well, twenty to be specific, was on your agenda in the almost last month of your last year of high school, and thankfully you were not gonna be stuck in some forest next to Lake Superior alone by yourself.

Being forced to exist around screaming twelve year olds who were about to enter puberty was your least favourite part of the whole expedition, which made the presence of your group of best friends so much more valuable.

There was one person whose attendance you'd specifically been hoping for. And yes, of course you and your friends had been talking about the trip months ago so it would be clear who would join in the fun, but with Eddie's tendency to be flaky when it came to decisions like this, one could never be fully sure.

I mean yeah, certainly you were looking forward to spending this week by the lakeside with Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan and the younger kids in freshmen year, but nothing could make the thought of being stuck with a group of middle schoolers and teachers more bearable than being stuck there with the one guy who you - to put it frankly - had a thing for.

You couldn't really say that you were as close with him as you were with Steve or Robin, you never really spent time with him outside of the group hangouts. But that didn't mean that there was any weird distance between the two of you when the lucky occasion of hanging out did come around.

Eddie Munson was a metalhead. Through and through. Tough exterior, soft baby cow personality but could turn stone cold when necessary. When people tried to shame him for being different, for example.

You were also very certain that his love language was touch, based on the times he would throw his arm around you when casually walking you to your next class or the way he would playfully wrestle Dustin or Lucas in the cafeteria during lunch break to show he didn't hate them.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here!"

Max had spotted you in line and apparently didn't feel too much guilt for cutting it just so she could hop on the bus together with you.

You mumbled the same thing back to her, wondering if you were the first or last ones of your party to go through Miss Kelley's check-in.

She greeted the both of you with a toothy smile before she turned her focus onto the sheet with students' names. Your eyes wandered over the rows of seat pairs, and since you had arrived at the parking lot, let's say not late but also not early either, most of them were already filled with loudly chatting kids.

"Hopefully the others saved us a seat", you heard Max say from in front of you. Unlike you, she already had a pre-determined seat buddy. "Oh please, it's obvious that Sinclair kept one for you", you quipped back, silently hoping you could potentially be sitting next to Steve or at least Robin.

And even if Eddie was going to join you, he'd probably be sitting with Chrissy. Or Gareth.

"That might be true, but I'm sure you'll be just fine with where you'll end up."

Max stepped further into the bus after she gave you a wink and a slight grin.

Did she know more than you?

Good boy Steve was rather easy for you to spot. With that amount of hair peeking out above the sea of headrests? No wonder. In fact, most of your friends were already seated further in the back of the one-story bus.

A slight hint of disappointment clouded your brain at the sight of Steve and Robin sharing a seat pair, with Nancy and Jonathan right behind them. Your fear of being the one left out and behind was creeping out from the back of your mind, acting up.

People had always been kind enough to endure you, but no one ever really chose you. Or at least made you feel like you belonged.

Lucas indeed had the seat next to him reserved for Max, to where she continued her strut down the aisle to plop down, while Dustin and Will had agreed to share theirs.

Surprising they made it out of bed this early.

You took a few more steps towards the back of the bus. A wide grinned Erica was seated amongst her friends in the center of the very back row, your eyes scanning the seats until they landed on the wild dark mane of a certain metalhead, who was occupying the pair of seats right behind the stairs down to the back door.

He was practically lying in the window seat. Head resting against the glass, staring out to observe the students who hadn't set foot onto the bus yet. Parents who were lecturing their kids one last time before letting them go.

Was he daydreaming? What could possibly be going on in that pretty head of his?

Your heart jumped and your stomach fluttered when he shifted his gaze to the aisle where you were standing. The widest smile spread over his face at the sight of you, and you hated to admit to yourself that it did not leave you unaffected.

The seat next to him was empty.

It took Eddie a few seconds to remember what his initial plan was. As if something in his brain clicked, as if a bolt of lightning had hit him, he straightened himself and got up.

"Uh hi there. I, uh, kept you a seat if, uh, in case you'd like to sit with me."

Eddie the freak Munson. Had thought of and would be willing to sharing seats for a 10 hour bus ride. With you, of all people?

In the light of the sunlight flooded bus, you could see his cheeks adjusting to the colour of your own. Flushed pink.

And you just couldn't help the wide grin that was pulling at the corners of your mouth.

Now both of you were standing in the aisle facing each other.

"I would love to, Munson."

Quickly you took out the essentials for the journey from your bag: headphones and your walkman, your tape collection that you wouldn't leave the house without, a novel, some water and a tote bag with your carefully selected snacks.

Eddie waited patiently for you to get comfortable, standing there in the aisle in his signature leather jacket and denim dio vest, while leaning against the backrest of his own seat, watching your every move.

Once you swung yourself around into your seat, Eddie plopped down next to you with an equally wide grin plastered across his face while pointing his ringed index finger at the snack bag.

"You know, you're gonna have to share those with me."

You turned your head around to face him, eyebrow raised.

His chocolate brown doe eyes were so so softly looking at you. If you didn't know better they'd melt you on the spot.

"Oh really, do I?"

"Yeah, it's the unspoken yet official law of seat partners, sweetheart."

You chuckled at his silliness and the pet name, the nervousness which you had gotten from the thought of him very obviously thinking of you when it came to the decision of who to sit next to, all gone.

He wanted to be physically close to you.

He wanted to spend that time on the bus around you.

He chose you.

After Steve, Robin and all the others from your group had acknowledged your presence as well with genuine smiles, and the last few kids had found their seats, it was time to leave Hawkins.

The bus hit the highway towards Chicago pretty soon after departure.

Eddie let you sit in the window seat, which eventually led to him conveniently using your shoulder as a pillow. And no, you didn't mind the weight. It was Eddie.

Hell, you were having a hard time keeping yourself from wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer.

"Does this also fall under the law of seat partners?", you asked curiously, placing a hand on Eddie's head and slightly scratching his scalp.

The only thing you got in return was a satisfied, sleepy "mhm" and a squeeze and rub of his warm hand over your thigh, but it was enough for your mind to drift off, wondering which other of Eddie's love languages and further details of his ridiculous seat partner law you'd come to discover on this trip.

-----

tagged: my beloved ellen @josephfakingquinn <3

[kozumesphone]

› 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐏𝐄 𖤓

╰ 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✩ . . .

⊹ ࣪ ˖ a/n ☆ oh em gee!! I absolutely loved writing these (I wanna become an emercy hcs writing specialist, like, full-time) 🤍 hope you like them too heh <33

▸ there’s no such thing as ‘percy’ or ‘emma’ on the argo ii. there’s only ‘emercy’. everyone literally calls out ‘emercy’ as if it’s the name of a person. can’t find your sword? “ask emercy!”

▸ from the day you entered the group of seven and made it eight, there hasn’t been a single bad day. monsters coming? you sensed it already. luck about to go bad? you’re there to turn it around. every other demigod (especially percy) considers you their good luck charm

▸ also!! you’re telling me there’s 2 daughters of aphrodite on board, and you don’t see my vision of fashion crises, makeup fixes, and tea spilling sessions?

▸ out of them all, you’re closest to percy, piper, will, and frank (aka you five are the sunniest group of kids EVER)

▸ on game/trivia nights on the ship, it’s always you, percy, piper, will, nico, frank, and leo against annabeth, jason, hazel, thalia, and reyna (can you guess which team wins the trivia nights, and which one wins the game ones 💀)

▸ as everyone starts turning in for the night, and it gets late, leo, percy, and you are the only three remaining. you’re playing a deadly last match of uno, and the odds are not in your favour at all; but fear not, bc percy swaps cards with you right before he wins, giving you the winning cards

▸ emercy = “what are you staring at?” / “art.” trope

kozumesphone © 2024 | don’t repost my works onto other platforms, or edit and post them even on tumblr, without asking me first • don’t steal my works, steal my heart instead • reblogs and comments are more than appreciated !

[fairy-heart-magic]

More Dragon Slayer Headcannons

Uhh holy shit the last one blew up like crazy, so here I guess have more dragon slayers being creepy.

Because they have more air in their lungs they can hold their breath for a stupidly ridiculous amount of time, they’re also excellent swimmers.

They have really dense bone structure but hollow air filled bones so they’re all extremely sturdy, they also have much denser muscles which leaves them unnaturally strong.

The more they use their dragon slayer magic, the more dragon like they become both in physical appearance and personality as over time it starts to slowly show up in their personalities, they become territorial and protective of what they deem to be ‘there’s’, they growl at people as a warning to back the fuck off, they bear their teeth as a sign of aggression, as for the physical their eyes will take on an unnatural glow, Natsu’s becoming orange like embers glowing in the darkness, Laxus’s become electric yellow, Gajeel’s become like brownish rust red and so on, their teeth become longer even the way they walk and carry themselves becomes more inhuman, they way they fight becomes like that of a beast only not wild, extremely intelligent and cunning to a frightening degree.

They naturally seek out their own element, almost like a honing instinct, Laxus tends to travel towards storms, while Natsu often travels as much as he can to hot places where fires are likely to start, Gajeel always visits a city’s junkyard, Rogue always finds his way to dark, pitch black caves while Sting always climbs to the highest sunniest peaks he can to bathe in the light, Wendy frequently visits high up or isolated mountains to be closer to the sky.

Dragon Force effects more than just their magic, it also effects their personality and they can become almost completely different people entirely retaining only their base most present thoughts from before hand with their instincts often telling them to do one thing only; defeat whatever enemy is in front of them.

They’re also in part nocturnal which is both inherited from their magic and because it was how they where raised, while it varied from dragon to dragon, most preferred to hunt and move at night-time due to the fact less humans where active at night and they could see perfectly well in the dark which made avoiding humans easier. Both Laxus and Erik are also semi-nocturnal because of this and most dragons slayers find it difficult to sleep at night as their brains are hard wired to be active during the period most humans are sleeping. The only acceptation to this is Sting who while he can use his magic in the dark, it doesn’t work nearly as well as it does in the day time.

They heal at an incredible fast rate, almost double the spend of a normal human. Though they can’t regrow limbs or anything like that, this incredible healing ability makes it easier to survive severe injuries and wounds. Laxus however using electricity can stimulate the cells in a particular area to heal even faster than other dragon slayers however overusing this technique leaves him severely exhausted and if he used it too much he’ll overload his entire nervous system and just collapse.

That’s about all I can think of for now, I hope you guys like them and feel free to use or reblog if you want.

[jolapeno]

happy valentine's day, jo ❤️ for the #mmvalentinesevent can i request "carding your fingers through your lover’s hair after a bad nightmare" with ghost and helen please? love you, babes!!

sometimes, i dream

simon ‘ghost’ riley x f!reader [helen!reader]

Some nights, he falls asleep dreaming of nothing.

In others, the black space behind his eyes comes alive with all the failings—the blood, the loss, the sights. Sometimes they’re accurate depictions, a flashback, a reminder; sometimes they’re heightened, a lie created by the fears he carries.

He never knows when they’ll come, when they’ll crash into him, and when they do…

Nightmares pull Ghost under. The mask he applies so perfectly is yanked from his face, leaving him exposed—leaving him with Simon.

Simon has scars that are different to the ones Ghost has. Ones that aren’t on skin level, but far beneath the surface.

They choke him. They force strangled noises passed his lips as the darkness wraps around his throat. It unfurls inside of him. Needing to wake, needing to escape—

“Simon…”

It drips into his ear, calls to him: her voice.

An outline of her stepping like the brightest light into the peripheral of his dream. It’s something, but not quite enough. Needing more, internally pleading with her.

Save me. Help me.

“Shh, Simon. I’m here.”

She’s more corporeal. Pushing through the shadows of his guilt, trying to reach him, desperately fighting against memories and failures and—

“Baby, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Her nails brush through his hair as he dances between dreams and being awake. He knows them so well. A feeling he treasures and craves.

Her fingers, those healing hands, push past his slightly-too-long hair. Likely feeling the damper parts from his nightmare. Her nails occasionally scrape against his scalp, cementing him here and not wherever his mind keeps trying to take him.

Ghost flicks his eyes open. His sight meeting darkness, but not the same type his mind had conjured. This darkness has familiar shapes and calming shadows. It has outlines that make him relax.

It’s why all he does is stare.

Finding her eyes, even in the dark of the night. Needing them, having them guide him back to normal breathing.

He should admit it—tell her—that the mere whisper of his name had yanked him free of his nightmares hands. That when she repeated it again, it unlodged the grip around his lungs; untangled the knot in his stomach, and allowed his heart to thump again.

But when she called him baby... when her beautiful lips let those four letters slip out into the air—it had pulled him back to her.

Pulled him from sandy deserts, where there were screams of people he could have saved and his palms soaked with blood that wasn't his.

It’s why he stares at her like she is the sun. Because she is his sun. She lights him, both his world and his skin. She spreads warmth, even amongst the places he never thought he’d feel it again. Her smile, similar to the sunniest of days—makes everything okay, even when it couldn’t be further from it.

She has cloudy days, thunderstorms and rain, too. He knows she does. Has pulled her from them and brought her close to him.

He guesses she's returning the favour. Pull him close to her, feeling his panicked breath on her chest until he soothes and coats her skin in quick thank yous.

He will, thank her. For now, he slides his hand over her forearm, squeezing—letting her know he’s back, he’s here. A silent gratitude, one she must hear loud and clear because she drops the softest, sweetest kiss to his brow.

“Would you still love me if I was a rock, Simon?”

And he feels it before he acknowledges it: a smile.

The way it spreads like wildfire across his face. The way his mind wants to articulate some sarcastic comment, letting go of the last tendrils of his nightmare with ease.

She’s good. He thinks quickly—almost tempted to slide his palm up and feel her smirk. Using distraction.

“I’d carry you in my pocket. Maybe throw you at Johnny when he’s pissin' me off.”

She laughs the most beautiful sound, one which lulls him without trying. “You wouldn’t need to aim, either. I’ll always find the spot to hurt him. Just for you.”

He grips her arm a little tighter, thumb brushing in swipes. “S’why you’re too good for me,” he whispers, the words barely kissing the air.

“One day you’ll believe we deserve one another.”

He snorts, imagining the smile she's wearing at his grunt.

He just feels the most comfortable silence fall over them. Enough to make him close his eyes as her head meets his shoulder. Warmth spreads over him as her skin touches his.

He’s almost not afraid to try and sleep again.

Not with her by his side, his lips brushing her forehead, his hand remaining on her forearm—rooting himself with her.

an: i know this was supposed to be sweet and romantic, @halfmoth-halfman so i hope this is okay that i took it a little… angstier. loves ♥️

[acourtofthought]

Eluciens: Elain said she needs sunshine and Lucien is heir to the Day Court. It makes sense.

Elriels: Elain can actually get all the sunshine she needs in the Night Court with Azriel, and there's no proof Lucien will ever take over the Day Court. So, sorry, I guess 🤷‍♀️

Me: Elain can get all the sunshine she needs in the NIGHT Court with Azriel, who prefers the shadows? 🤦‍♀️ There's no proof that Lucien is the heir of Day?

Lucien: One of the reasons my brothers abused me was because I have the signs of a future High Lord.

Feyre, after hearing how Lucien spent his childhood and youth: That sounds very much like a High Lord.

Feyre in acowar: Lucien is Helion's son and quite possibly his only child. This means Lucien is more than likely Helion's heir.

ALLLLLL of that. Truly, I think they're just struggling to grasp Sarah's writing and the literary devices she uses. There were stars and a night sky in the Spring Court yet Feyre taking comfort while looking at the night sky and painting stars on her drawer were foreshadowing for her ending up in the Night Court, not staying in Spring. The NC being a place associated with Night and Stars. Did Feyre need to be in the Night Court because she's a night owl? A stargazer? Should Sarah have forced her character to remain in Spring because it also had night and stars and that should have been enough for her? There is a bigger meaning behind Sarah using references to sunshine and stars and the night sky beyond temperature and time of day.

We're not saying Elain needs sunshine 24 / 7 that is X amount of distance away from the equator else she'll die from an insufficient supply of Vitamin D. I do think she isn't the biggest fan of winter considering it's written that she misses the flowers during that season but it's about what sunshine represents metaphorically just as it was about what darkness and the stars represented for Feyre and Rhys and their court. The Night Court to many represents a court that is lethal, that is darkness and shadows, that is cruelty. Of course we know the IC are considered the good guys when it comes to Velaris but they don't have that same reputation to others. Feyre left the Spring Court, a land of flowers and eternal Spring and embraced the darkness inside of her, the willingness to burn down everyone who dares stand in her path to protect those she loves. She admits that she became a monster to do so, to embrace the darkness after staring at it for so long. There is imagery to the NC and the way it's described that matches the personality of Feyre, of Rhys, of Nesta, of Az, etc.

Just as there is imagery associated with courts like the Day Court, Spring Court. Courts who are not notorious for being quite so lethal, so cruel, etc. That's not to say the HL's aren't all capable of becoming "beasts" to protect their lands however they do not have the reputation that the NC does, they are not known for the same sort of cruelty. It's not just about the reference to Sunshine for Elain, it's how "any bit of darkness was abhorrent" for her. How "the cruelty of the Hewn City troubles her". (the NC is KNOWN for it's cruelty and it's spymaster brutally tortures people in a symphony of pain). Every single thing the Night Court is known for the author has gone out of her way to address how it goes against Elain's aesthetic. Night Court black? It sucks the life out of her. So many try to attribute this to the style of her dress but it specifically mentions the color. Illyrian leathers? Elain refused them. Az's dagger? Elain gave it back "and didn't look back." There was no, "hey can I have lessons?" No, "Elain thanked Az and returned it." It was very pointed how the author added she did not look back. Mor offering Elain a drink? Elain declined and took up a spot by the sunniest of windows (typical). Sure, Elain made friends and sure Elain has a purpose but those things had ALWAYS made Elain special. What is not a fit for Elain is being surrounded by warriors who have no issue taking out brutal revenge against others when she is in canon known for her kindness and is bothered by cruelty, who does not want revenge, who did not even want to take credit for what she did to the king. Of course these are all the good guys but the NC and those in the IC represent a darker, morally gray version of good, the lethal side of things, the colder edge of someones personality. Sunshine isn't just about the bright burning ball in the sky, it's about light and warmth and life, it's about what sunshine represents. Both Lucien and Elain's personality are more symbolic of the sun than that of the night and stars. They are good and kind and they are the peace makers of the main cast of characters. They at times struggle to pick one side and hold fast because they don't want to disappoint anyone, they often see both sides to a situation. They don't seek revenge, they both are openly affectionate and go out of their way to make amends for their mistakes. Elucien's don't think Elain will end up with Lucien because he's the literal sun (though he will also have that too), they think she'll end up with Lucien because her sunny disposition is a better fit for the sunnier disposition Lucien also has over the cold, icy rage of someone like Azriel. Az is the Night Court, he embodies everything those outside the NC fear. Lucien is very different from that just as Elain is very different from her sisters (who are a fit for the NC).

Yes, Elain would probably be happier in a court that has more sunshine just as many Hawaiians are probably happier living in Hawaii than Alaska because they prefer the climate there but that's such a tiny part of the point we're making. Elucien's call them a "golden couple" for their personalities and the aesthetic that matches that would be a place like the Spring Court or the Day Court, not the Winter Court or the Night Court. Not because the Night Court is lacking sunshine but because the Night Court is a whole lot of things that Elain and Lucien are not. To your other point, I don't even know what to say when people try to downplay Lucien's heritage. Sarah retconned his father, he's now a person of color as a result, yet some people want to still sit there and claim it's not going to be important to his future arc? That his Autumn powers are all that will matter because those are the main powers we've seen him wield before his book? In the novella we're reminded that Helion being his father is still a secret that Feyre has not shared. In SF we're shown how he used dominance that only a HL can use on others. But sure, Sarah is going to decide to make that all a moot point for his story, where he's just not going to inherit anything from Helion outside spell-cleaving, how he's not going to have any reason to explore his Day Court heritage, how he's probably not going to be a HL (or in some position of extreme power) even though she's ALREADY shown us the markers of a HL heir. The funniest thing is, Lucien didn't even need to be Helion's son to be right for Elain. His personality alone (regardless of his powers) was what surprised Sarah when she realized he and Elain would be right for one another. It was after Sarah realized that he and Elain would be mates that SHE rewrote Lucien to be Helion's (the sun personified) son and it was after she made Elain and Lucien mates that Sarah really went hard on Elain needing Sunshine, sitting by the sunniest of windows, being bothered by cruelty, refusing the leathers, and so on. Sarah unknowingly then knowingly crafted Elain and Lucien to be a perfect compliment to one another so the whole argument about "sunshine" and how the NC also has it, how Elain isn't a plant therefore it shouldn't matter how much sun she's getting are ridiculous. Elain was able to make a home for herself in the Night Court as she was able to do in the human lands even during poverty but that doesn't mean the author hasn't told us all we need to know about how neither the Night Court or Az will be her destiny.

[gaviicreates]

Sky Blanket 2024 - Q1

Hi crafty friends! I am incredibly overdue on sharing an update on my sky blanket for 2024. If you are new to this project, some things to know:

This is my version of the temperature blanket this year - one row a day. Except instead of temperature, I am using "what is the sky doing today?" as my scale. The palette is all blues and greys based on how sunny or cloudy it is, going all the way from turquoise blue for the sunniest of sunnies to a dark grey for thunderstorms.

It's based on the year between two dates, not the start of the year. So my Q1 actually begins mid-October '23 and ends mid-January '24. So I am only a month behind sharing. I blame it on the weaving in of ends.

I am actually staying decently caught up! I don't always do the rows right away, but they are fairly quick to work up so I'm finding I can bring myself to current just within a single Sunday if I need to. The harder part has been making sure I record the weather, and there have been more days than I'd like to admit where I barely had a chance to go outside at all. I've been using timeanddate.com if I need to check dates I might have missed to make my best guess for cloud cover.

In Q1 - 92 days total:

Sunny - 30%, 28 days Partly Cloudy - 27%, 25 days Mostly Cloudy - 15%, 14 days Overcast - 12%, 11 days Rain - 13%, 12 days Snow/Ice- 2%, 2 days

I have not yet had a chance to use my granite colorway for thunderstorms. Meanwhile, the cream border will always be around every square. Admittedly in different number so I can get the month to the same consistent 33 rows.

Pattern: Toni Lipsey's/TLYarnCraft's linen square stitch pattern The Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK

The pattern The yarn

(yes I still love the colors of the sky... even though it forces me to weave in too many ends to count)

[dsireland86]

There is Beauty in the Pain: Chapter 4 Pt.3

"Cause your love is fire warm I'll be the calm babe, before the storm You got me fallin' in love, in this bad dream" -bad dream- Nerve

TAGS: @lma1986 @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @missduffsblog @bngurngheart @thatamazingvampirestory

Folio:

“That hit her pretty fast. Do you think she’s okay?” Noah brushed the hair out of Sophie’s face. He was holding her still body, as they sat on the floor where she fell waiting for the situation to calm down. Noah nodded and kissed the side of her. “She’ll be okay,” he affirmed, giving me a half smile. I knew she would be, but still, watching someone go through something so intense as a panic attack was crazy when you don’t fully understand it. I didn’t, but I knew Noah did. When the events happened with Sarah a few years back, I didn’t think he was going to pull through, yet here he was. So I guess he was right; Sophie would be okay.

“Will you go grab some chocolate? I think Jolly left a bar on the kitchen counter." "Sure. What for?" "It helps calm the brain cells and the blood pressure." “Alright,” I agreed, walking away in search of what he needed. My head was reeling with so many questions and wondering if and how Sophie was going to pull through this. My head and my heart were being pulled into two different directions at this point and I didn't know how to feel about any of it. “This should work,” I said, grabbing the chocolate bar Noah was talking about. I took it back, sighing with relief when I saw Sophie sitting on the couch. “Will this work?” handing the chocolate to Noah. Sophie’s eyes met mine and I was glad to see they were less strained with worry. I smiled at her and my heart fluttered when she softly smiled back and reached for my fingers, lightly caressing their tips. It was just enough to ease the tension in me. “I’m okay,” she assured me. I shook my head. “No you’re not, but that’s okay. Like I told you before, I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here.” She knew what that meant, and by the smile that finally reached her eyes, I knew she believed me. 

Sophie:

I hated myself. I should’ve had a much better grip on my anxiety. Perry was right when he said it would always make me weak. I cradled my head in my hands. Even though I felt a little better from the small bites from the chocolate Folio gave me, I still couldn’t shut my brain off. And I didn’t know how much worse it was about to get. 

Jolly handed me my phone and reluctantly I turned it on. The anticipation of knowing what I would find ate away at me, because like all the times before, I was sure Perry had called me or at least texted. He always did. He would apologize and later fill my apartment with flowers. It was nothing but a sick game that he loved to play. 

The missed call icon appeared at the top of my phone, standing out like a dark cloud on the sunniest day of the year, confirmed my fear. I thought I was prepared to face the truth, but I wasn’t, and the sudden feeling of falling ten thousand feet into nothing came over me like a tidal wave. Twenty-seven times he called me. Twenty-seven times he attempted to continue playing his sick, twisted game, but this time it was possible that I might have found the ending to it. But just the same, my eyes welled up with tears and I clenched my teeth together as I breathed slowly in and out through my nose to keep calm, refusing to let the anxiety take over me again. But I was weak, just like always, and eventually the demon took control. The phone fell out of my hands as Noah’s voice grew distant with the ringing in my ears growing louder. My demon had won again and was dragging back down to hell.

Noah:

I was very familiar with anxiety attacks like the one Sophie experienced. Anxiety was a fucking demon that had no sympathy. It had the power to bring anyone to their knees and make them believe they weren’t worth saving That's what happened to me. The constant loop of reminding myself my thoughts weren’t facts and anxiety always lied to me grew exhausting as I was trying to be stronger than I felt. This is what I was seeing with Sophie. She was fighting a battle she was never going to win unless she had help. I wanted to be that help.

Sitting calmly in the aftermath, Sophie was putting on a good front out of habit. But inside the battle was still raging on, hiding inside her mind in an effort to regain some sense of stability. Folio brought over the chocolate, giving her a piece and I watched the way she gravitated towards him. I don’t know why but I felt jealous when she reached for his hand. The way they looked at each other and the things I heard Folio say to her made those voices in my head scream loud. Breathing in deeply, I remembered what my therapist said about jealousy; “It’s a form of hatred built upon your insecurity.” I had no reason to be jealous of Nick or feel insecure in any way. He was my friend, my brother. I trusted him with my life. I should trust him that he’d respect the feelings between me and Sophie, as he would mine. The connections we both shared with Sophie were very different, but yet the same; we both deeply cared for her.

Jolly handed over her phone and she unlocked it. But from the moment she did, I knew something was wrong. Her body stiffened and a tear fell, softly sliding down her cheek. “Sophie, what is it?" But I had lost her. The anxiety came faster and the panic attack hit her quicker than before. “Just breathe Sophie,” I encouraged her, rubbing her back as she rocked back and forth gasping in between desperate gasps. “Noah, this is bad,” Nicholas pointed out, picking up her phone just as teardrops hit his hands. He paused, taking a moment to stare at them. He slowly looked up at Sophie and his face softened in a way like I’d never seen. “Hey, Sophie, there’s a good girl,” he said, grinning. “Can you hear me enough to listen to me?” Sophie slowly nodded. Nicholas’ voice was soothing, slowly working a magic that I never knew he had. “You’re okay. You’re safe; you’re protected. You know that, don’t you?” She nodded quickly. “Good. Can you take my hands?” Sophie gave Nick her shaky hands, exhaling a quivering breath. Nick massaged the tops of her hands, rubbing small circles on the skin, as he continued talking to her, carrying her through the attack. I sat back in amazement, never knowing he had it in him. 

“See, everything is okay. What's on the phone doesn't matter. What does matter is in this room with you.” Jolly handed Nicholas some tissues which he used to dry off Sophie's face, smiling at her as he did. “You're strong Soph. You're not weak. You have to believe that you are to fully work through all of this mess.” Sophie nodded, blowing her nose. Now that she was done crying she turned her face towards me and my heart shattered. She looked exhausted, worn out still from everything. Whatever she saw on my face was enough to make her tear up again as she fell into my arms and curled herself up into me. “Noah, you should see this,” Nicholas insisted after picking up Sophie’s phone and checking to see what triggered her, and then handed it to me. “He called me twenty-seven times, Noah. Who does?” Sophie muttered against my chest. I tensed, checking the phone to see that she was right. “I don’t understand why he just doesn’t leave me alone. Why does he love torturing me so much?” She began to cry again so I just wrapped my arms around her and held her tight while she clung to me and cried. The vibration of her phone still in my hand startled me and I almost dropped it, but the sound made Sophie spring up off me as if I were a burning hot coal or something. Her face filled with fear. “Hey it’s okay,” I told her, rubbing her arm. “It’s okay. I’ll check it okay?” She nodded, relaxing a little, putting her pin in when I handed it to her. She quickly handed it back like it was burning her hand. 

The text message icon was in the top left corner. Sophie had two new messages. The phone vibrated again. Three new messages; with Perry’s name and number attached to all three. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw tight, reluctantly pulling the bar down and opening the messages. The first one was a picture of him and Sophie together. I cringed the moment I saw him with his hands all over her. Even though this was a past photo, it enraged me to see them together. The message read

“This was us, baby. And I miss us.”

I wanted to vomit. The second one was a picture of just Sophie. But instead of her sweet, pretty face, there were bruises, a black eye, and a busted up bloody lip. Groaning, I knew what had happened moments before this picture was taken. Her eyes were closed, but the outside around them was moist. I was glad they were closed. I didn’t want to see the pain and fear that I knew were lingering in them. Peering down at Sophie, she had nestled back into me, but was wide awake and staring into nothing. I went back to looking at the messages.  

“Do you remember this? I do. It was the night I promised I'd never hurt you again. I lied.”

The last message was too hard to read.

“I hope you understand that everything I've done to you, you've deserved. I hope you understand that there were so many times I showed you mercy and didn't discipline you like I should have. Sophie, all the harsh punishment you've ever received was because you disrespected me. I won't be disrespected and you will come to know this; no matter the cost. Come back to me, my love, come back and I'll do better. I love you. I still want you. No matter what you do.”

“Holy shit, motherfucker,” I cursed. “What?” Sophie sat up, wiping her face and drying her eyes I didn't want her to see the last message and thought about deleting it, but that wasn't going to protect her from anything. It would only be lying to her, and I wasn't going to lie to her. Sophie stared at me, waiting for me to answer. Instead I just handed her back the phone. As she was reading, I got up and went to the kitchen, needing something to drink. Folio followed me.

“How bad is it?” I filled a cup with fridge water and drank the entire thing. “That motherfucker deserves to burn in fucking hell for what he's done to her Nick. Not only did he hurt her physically, but he took pictures and sent them to her.” Folio hung his head, shaking it in disappointment. “Animal,” I railed, hitting the counter top with my fist. “And that's just half of it. He told her she deserves what he does to her; that it's because she is disrespectful to him and that’s what makes him do what he does to her. The man is fucking sick. He’s deranged!” I balled my hands into fists again and closed my eyes. Hoping the anger would pass, I rubbed my neck, rolling my head, from side to side, trying to work out the tension. “Hey, Sophie’s out there crying,” Jolly stopped himself after one look at me. “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” I shook my head, instantly burying the rage inside me once I heard Jolly say Sophie’s name. “What’s going on with her?” Jolly stared at me, skeptically. “She’s crying and asking for you.”

I didn’t wait to hear anymore. I walked out of the kitchen only feeling angrier. “Sophie, what’s wrong?” “He sent another message; a video” She held up the phone for me to see and I snatched it out of her hand a little harder than I meant to. It was a graphic short clip of Perry fucking another woman and he was looking right at the camera as he did. I shifted my eyes to Sophie. Her head was buried in her arms, shoulders shaking from her quiet sobs. Seeing her that way triggered the rage I thought I’d buried. Raising my arm, I howled in anger, about to throw the phone against the wall. “Wow, hey, Noah, don’t!” Nicholas yelled, grabbing my arm just in time. “Dude, what the fuck,” he said, grabbing Sophie’s phone from my grasp. I was breathing heavily, trying to calm down. Sophie was watching me and she was in shock. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” running my hands through my hair and squatting down eye level with her. “I’m sorry, okay. It just pissed me off seeing that clip.” “Why?” Her forehead creased with confusion as if she really didn’t understand why I was so angry. “What do you mean why? He shouldn’t have sent it to you. It’s disgusting and a fucked up thing to to do to someone.” She shrugged, looking away. “I’m used to it.” “Yeah, well you shouldn’t be.” “But I am, Noah. I am; I have been for a long time. I have to be,” she snapped, glaring at me.

“Besides, he’s right. I do disrespect him; a lot.” “I’m sorry, what?” I wasn’t sure I heard her right. “I have been really disrespectful to him, Noah. I shouldn’t have set him off back at the apartment. He only came to apologize, but I was stubborn and hard headed. I didn’t hear him out. He deserved better.” Sophie hung her head, sniffling back the tears. “You’re fucking joking, right? Please, tell me you’re joking.” She slowly shook her head. “Just drop it, Noah okay. Forget about it.” I stood to my feet, looking over at Nicholas. “No. I’m not gonna drop it, Sophie.” Jolly and Folio joined us once they heard the commotion. “Is she for real right now,” I said to Nick, motioning to Sophie with my hands. “Why is she protecting a monster?” Her sudden behavior change was infuriating. 

“I’m not protecting a monster, Noah. I’m protecting myself,” Sophie yelled at me, jumping to her feet. “You will never be able to understand how I feel, how I’m afraid all of the time.” “Then make me understand, Sophie!” “I can’t. I don’t know how to,” she sniffed, wiping away the tears that were falling. I scoffed, turning my back to her. “I don’t understand how you can’t explain it to me.” Sophie growled in frustration. “Why are you so freaking impossible, Noah.” The room went silent as we all stood in a somewhat of a circle, staring between each other and the floor. “Look, Noah, I already told you to drop it; implying I don't want to talk about any of it anymore, yet you keep insisting.” “That’s because I fucking care about you, Sophie!” “Yeah, well I didn’t ask you to care, did I?” I winced, stung by the words that just fell from her lips. It felt like she had just slapped me across the face, it hurt that bad. I didn’t know how to react or what to say for fear of hurting her, so I just stood there, speechless. “This isn’t about you, Noah. This is about me and my fucked up life that I’ve drug you and your friends into. None of you deserve this mess I’m in.” Sophie looked around at all of us, her tone and expression somber. The sadness I heard tore my heart. “I shouldn’t have gotten any of you involved in this. I’m sorry.” She lowered her head while taking a deep breath to try and compose herself before coming over to me. “Thank you for caring enough though,” she said softly, laying her forehead into my chest. I laid my hands gently over her neck and kissed her hair. “No one ever has because I have no one to care. My parents are both dead and I was their only child. Alex is the closest thing to family that I have, but he had his own life. That’s why Perry means so much even though he shouldn’t. He loves me in his own, fucked up, messed up way. And I need that love, Noah.” I pulled Sophie back to look at her. Hooking my finger under her chin, I raised her face and let my eyes wander over all the bruises of what she thought was love. I traced it lightly with my fingers, feeling the way she pushed into my touch, making my heart race. “But that’s not love, Sophie; that’s abuse. He knew exactly what he was doing to you. He just didn’t give a fuck. His reasoning, his excuses, his words,” I paused as she finally look into my eyes, “his actions, none of it was love; just heavy fucking manipulation that you endured because you had no other choice. Now you do, and it’s in this room with you.” My voice was soft, but my face was stern. I needed her to really understand that I wasn’t about to bail out and abandon her. I was in this with her now; we all were. “He doesn’t have a clue how bad he fucked you up, Sophie, and even if he did, I don’t think he would care,” Folio added. “But we do,” Jolly confirmed, giving her a soft smile. Sophie’s emotional wall broke again and she fell into my chest crying. “He abandoned me, over and over again,” she cried, raising her fists to my chest. “He ignored me and hurt me, only to come back and tell me how much he loved me. I just wanted him to really love me, not fucking destroy me!” Her small firsts pounded into me, and even though it didn’t hurt, I could feel the angst, the hurt, the pain she was releasing. And I was more than willing to take it all if it meant she would feel better. “People don’t abandon people they love. People abandon people they’re using, Soph,” Nicholas affirmed her, caressing her hair. “I know. I know,” she agreed, raising her head and breathing deeply. “I just, I don’t know. I was just wishful thinking the whole time I guess.” She let out a little sarcastic laugh. 

Cupping her face in my hands, I gently dried her eyes with my thumbs, noticing the way the feeling made her wince, but she smiled anyway. "I don't have any answers for you," I began, shaking my head as hair fell over my eyes. Her small hand reached out and sweetly brushed it away, trailing her fingers down the side of my face as she did and I placed a small kiss on her wrist. "And I'm not going to lie to you and tell you everything's going to be okay because I don't know if it will be. You have a lot to deal with; you have a lot of choices to make."

Sophie's head fell, but I wasn't going to let her linger in her thoughts alone. I lifted her head with my finger under her chin to look into her eyes. "But you won't be doing it alone. Whatever happens, whatever you're going to face, I'll be, we’ll all be here to help you face it." The hesitation to not believe me was there; the apprehension was clearly visible. “Don’t play with me, Noah. I don’t trust easily.” I shook my head, giving her a soft smile. “I’m not playing with you, Sophie. I’m one hundred percent serious.” “When I tell you “I trust you”,” she stopped. Inhaling deeply, Sophie closed her eyes, then exhaled. “Please, don’t make me regret it, please don’t make me regret showing you my brokenness.” When she reopened her eyes, they were glistening with tears, but she refused to let any of them fall. I took a moment to allow her words to sink in. I understood what she was asking of me and I knew, in times, it would prove to be difficult. But I was willing to try. Sophie needed me to try. Since the day Sarah left me the way she did, I’d been looking for a reason to love someone the way I loved her. But I never found that reason; until now. That reason was standing in front of me, begging me to not give up on her. And I wasn’t about to. Taking her face in between my hands I made her this promise; “If you promise to stay, I promise to never leave. I don’t want to fix you. I know I can’t heal you, but I can help you see how beautiful your brokenness is even if you don’t think so. Each little cracked piece fits into the masterpiece of who you’re becoming, but also who you are right now. And, right now, I see a beautiful soul; your soul, Sophie. I won’t make you regret trusting me if you won’t regret believing in me.” I thought I was going to feel pangs of regret saying those words, but I didn’t. Instead I felt the opposite. Sophie looked at me even more confused than before. “I know absolutely none of this makes any sense, but that’s okay. It doesn’t have to. Just trust me when I say I won’t hurt you, okay?” She nodded then fell into me, curling herself into my arms. I was becoming aware of how often she did this and I was growing to deeply love each time she did. I held her close to me, putting aside my own fears and worries for the time being. I could deal with my shit later. Right now, my goal was to help Sophie get better, and I knew I wasn’t alone. 

He leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes fixed on me and Sophie. I’d known him long enough to know that he didn’t fall easily or get hooked by a girl simply because he thought she was pretty. No, when he was interested, he was all in; no matter the cost, no matter the pain that would come if rejected, no matter if he gave her all of his heart only to have it shattered. I saw the way he looked at her; like she was the best thing to walk into his life. I knew exactly how Folio was feeling; because I felt the exact same way.

CHAPTER 5 PT.1

[gingerslapnotion]

what if i was an unstoppable force and you were an immovable object and we were both boys 😳

or, why you should vote for AOHINA in the @hqrarepairtournament!

if you want my shortest possible argument, it's right there in the title: the expectation-defying romance of the speediest, jumpiest, sunniest and smiliest Ultimate Decoy versus the stony-faced, silent, seemingly impassive Iron Wall of Date. don't you just love it? i sure do <3

but just because I see it doesn't mean you do. if everyone saw it, it wouldn't be a rarepair, would it?

for my second-shortest argument, see here. aohina is sugawara-approved!

and if that's still not enough to convince you, buckle up for the long, LONG argument

before the first karasuno vs datekou match, aone doesn't pay hinata much mind, and hinata is TERRIFIED of aone, as many are. but once the match begins...

well, aone sure notices hinata now.

if you ask me, this match would be where aone's feelings for hinata first began. here's the handshake page again for good measure:

aone makes the first move, acknowledging hinata as a worthy opponent. also, just look at aone's facial expressions? he looks nervous. it's so cute. i love him

we don't see aone again until the spring high, when he first runs into hinata - where else? - at the bathroom, when hinata is already trapped between iwaoi and ushijima.

aone clearly already sees hinata as an acquaintance worthy of greeting (and also does not care at all about the seijoh-shiratorizawa beef and i love him) and hinata... well, he's still easily startled, but once he's realized who it is, he bows back - and thus begins a beautiful tradition.

during karasuno's match against johzenji, aone becomes defensive of hinata to futakuchi -

and not only do his teammates recall the friendship he formed with hinata at the interhigh, they note that this is one of the few times they've ever heard him speak. and it's because of hinata.

and after karasuno wins against johzenji...

aone asks his teammates to go on ahead so he can wait outside the gym and issue a challenge... not to karasuno, not to asahi, but to hinata. and hinata challenges him back. AND AONE SMILES.

and then once aone has left, hinata starts blushing and shouting nonsense because he has gay ADHD. this would be where hinata's feelings began, i think. he feels singled out and special, and it gets him fired up. he can't wait to face aone again! (also note, hinata doesn't get startled by aone anymore after this point.)

...but alas, things don't go their way, thanks to seijoh.

and after datekou's loss, when kogane claims he'll train harder to be able stop any attackers, no matter how "big and strong" they are, aone tells him this:

like. cmon. you can't deny. this is pretty damn gay!

we don't see aone at all during karasuno's matches against seijoh or shiratorizawa, or during the ball boy arc (though i'm pretty sure koganegawa does mention at least once during the training camp that aone respects hinata :3c). but he makes his return for the karasuno vs datekou practice match!!

hinata is finally totally comfortable around aone off the court, no longer jumpy and nervous. this match is also where the sugawara seal of approval makes its appearance!

i guess you could argue this also counts as evidence for futakuchi/hinata, or koganegawa/hinata, but they're not in this tournament, are they.

and god, just LOOK at all these other panels:

epic gay staring contests, with a corresponding anime screenshot for good measure;

hinata chipping away at aone's shell the Iron Wall;

aone delivering an incredibly powerful serve and hinata reacting with a flush while the lighting in the panel singles him out (gay awakening much?)

AND THE FINAL BOW!! THE DRAMA! THE CINNAMON TOPOGRAPHY!

in a way this bow is aone's curtain call - iirc, this is his final interaction with hinata in canon. but that doesn't mean he's not still around - datekou keeps an eye on karasuno throughout their battles on the nationals stage.

just look at that gay little sparkle. (also please appreciate what a bitch futakuchi is. i love him so much)

at this point i've pretty much caught up to where the anime has left off and i don't wanna spoil anyone who hasn't read the manga, so i'll stop here and make an even longer version later but know this: aone will keep watching hinata til the very end.

the Unstoppable Force: Hinata Shouyou, the protagonist of Haikyuu. on his team the second-shortest, the speediest, the one whose jumps make you think of a bird taking flight. the smiliest, sunshiniest, sometimes the scariest. he's never going to stop reaching for the top of the world of volleyball, no matter how many times he stumbles. a monster in the making, a friend to all. The Ultimate Decoy.

the Immovable Object: Aone Takanobu. the keystone of Date Tech's volleyball team, renowned for their incredible blocking technique. an eyebrow-less, stony-faced, silent, impassive, brick shithouse of a 16-year-old boy. terrifying even to those players older than him, he prides himself on not letting a single spike through, and shattering the will of many of the greatest aces in the prefecture. The Iron Wall of Date.

a study in contrasts. two competitors, skills perfectly matched to counter each other, personalities in stark contrast, are able to build a friendship built upon mutual respect for each others' abilities.

and they were both boys 😳

[chrisevansonly]

Mean Voices & Soft Comforts 🦋 (Harry’s Angel au)

pairing: harry styles x female reader (angel)

summary: some of harry’s fan base can be horrible with their words and malicious attacks, but Harry’s right there to lift you up and fill your heart with love

warnings: slight angst, mentions of insecurity, toxic fans, harry being the sweetest sweetheart ever

a/n: just a lil angsty but cute fic i wanted to do, I feel like this may be bad because I've put a pause on writing but I hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for the support and all the love 🫶🏻

word count: 860

If you were being honest with yourself, on top of the number of changes with your pregnancy mixed in with the strange amount of hate you’d been receiving, your patience and mental health were wearing quite thin. You don’t know exactly what started it, but within the last few shows of tour, you had to watch from backstage in worry of verbal abuse or things being thrown your direction, which Harry was not impressed with at all. You knew dating him and marrying him would come with its ups and downs, but the amount of chaos being sent your direction, unprovoked and unannounced was just completely unacceptable. Harry had seen you become more reserved, turning in on yourself, opting to stay at the hotel, looking at the new cities through the hotel windows, you weren’t yourself and it pained him every day to watch you go through that.  

It was raining in Seoul, South Korea where Harry’s next show was taking place. You were in bed, the soft comforter pulled up over you, lounging in some shorts and one of Harry’s sweaters, thankfully your bump was still small enough to be hidden with oversized shirts and sweaters. That was a new concern for not only you but Harry, the safety of your unborn baby as well as yours was a major top priority. Watching the rain hit the floor to ceiling windows you were unaware of Harry’s presence now in the room, having come back from the gym, two smoothies in his hand, knowing they were one of your cravings now. It wasn’t until he knelt down in front of you that you seemed to notice he was there 

“Hey baby, how you feeling?”

You shrugged, not being able to find the right words 

“Okay I guess”

Your voice was soft, meek, and almost afraid, Harry hated that you’d dimmed your light around him, he knew he needed to help in any way you would let him 

“I brought you a smoothie, figured we could just stay here today, have a cuddle, watch some movies...?”

“Sounds perfect H”

He smiled leaning forward to press a kiss to your forehead before placing a hand under the blankets and onto your stomach, leaning down to say good morning to baby styles 

“Morning baby, it’s your daddy, hope you’re being kind to mummy this morning, I love you”

Watching Harry interact with your future child was enough to open the floodgates, tears gently falling down your cheeks, your sniffling catching his attention

“Aw m’angel, it’s okay, c’mere” 

He made quick about changing into some comfier clothes before taking his spot beside you in bed, instantly taking you into his arms, your head resting on his chest, a hand rubbing circles on your back 

“I-I’m sorry”

“Hey now, you’ve got nothing to apologize about y/n, it’s been a rough couple weeks, lean on me, let me help”

Shaking your head in defiance he took your chin between his fingers, locking your eyes on his 

“I know it’s hard to let me in sometimes, and I know you’ve been hesitant to let me in, but m’not going anywhere, I’m handling the situation with the hate you’re receiving, and making sure we get on top of that, because no one gets to treat you like that” 

Pausing he let out a soft sigh before letting go of your face so you could lay on his shoulder, your breathing starting to slow down

“I love you so much, you’re m’whole world, you and baby styles, you are the sunniest and brightest light to be around, you make my days better, hell even my entire team’s day better. I don’t want you to focus on anything else other than how much I love you, and how much those around you love you y/n. I know it’s been eating you alive, but I promise you m’not going to let anything happen to me.”

He stopped once more 

“You are enough for me, you matter, you are important, and you are so fucking loved angel, you hear me? I’d go to the ends of the earth for you if you asked, we’re gonna get through this together, no matter what.”

“Promise…?”

You held your pinky up, a small smile finally showing on your face which made Harry’s heart soar 

“Cross m’heart, I promise”

“I love you H”

Leaning up to press a gentle kiss to his lips, he smiled when you pulled away 

“I love you more angel, always and forever”

He watched you intently as you settled back down, getting comfortable before falling asleep a few moments later, there was no one else in the world made for him, you were his whole life. When you were hurting so was, he, and he hated every second of your pain, wanting and needing to do anything he could to make it go away. Harry knew he couldn’t control every aspect of what people said on the internet, but he did know one thing, and that was that he would always protect his family. He’d continue to keep you and your little one safe and comfortable no matter what it took. 

[grapejuicegay]

Thai BL Favorites List Tag Game

I was tagged by @feralmuskyscentedhoepran @casualavocados @waitmyturtles (look guys! I'm actually getting to a tag game relatively fast this time!)

Favourite bl:

Could it be anything but Bad Buddy? It's my first ever bl, it changed my life, I met some of my favourite people on here because of it and it just destroys me every single day just be existing. It got me with a flying kick in the chest and I have never let go since

Favourite pairing:

I joined at such a great time in bl and I've had an absolutely wonderful amazing 2 years with so many great pairings. But I love Ink with my whole entire heart and I love both of them and just their very existence as a pairing is Such a Big Deal in the industry as a whole that it can't be anything but

My girls!!!! I have nothing more to say

More underrated actor:

I think it's a toss up between Sing Harit and Aou Thanaboon. I'm excited every time Sing has any sort of role in any show I watch. He's brilliant and SO good. Just like with Neo, he's great at comic relief and effortlessly funny but also SO GOOD in a serious role. And Aou just showed up like a year ago and maybe I'm biased because I'm obsessed with Mes and I love him as Max but I just want to see more of him.

Favourite character:

Feral. Musky Scented. Hoe. Baby Boy. King of Repression. Menace. Dimples. Pran Parakul Siridechawat. I love him so much.

Favourite side character:

Wat "you are what you eat. what you take builds who you are" Wasuwat. Just making movies and looking out for his friends and being their voice of reason in the face of the impossible pressure on all of their shoulders.

Favourite scene:

The Eclipse ep 6 beach scene!

Not just because it's such a good scene but also because it's the reason @casualavocados and I finally started talking after months of lurking around each others' blogs. Julian ily never forget the big meta 💖💖

Favourite line:

I've already yelled with @dribs-and-drabbles and @dimplesandfierceeyes how absolutely insane "I'm tired of pretending to hate you while your face has taken over my heart" is.

But also, "I can't change the world but the world can't change me either"

It's such a powerful line delivered in the sunniest of settings. It's validating and empowering and comforting. It's as big a hug as Uncle Tong gives the boys when they say goodbye.

Most anticipated bl and why:

Only Friends and 23.5 Degrees. I don't think I need to explain

Healthiest relationship in a bl:

They snipe and snark at each other constantly but the only reason it works is because they know each other inside and out. They look out for each other, they fight but they figure it out, they talk about everything. They love each other not despite of their flaws but because of them (it's literally canon!). They make me want to tear my hair out with how much they love each other.

Most toxic relationship in a bl:

I've been very very lucky so far to have watched only great to average shows. I know they exist, but not for me they don't 🥰

Guilty pleasure series:

I don't think I really have any?? Largely because guilty pleasure is usually assigned to shows that are cheesy and/or pulpy shows that you don't like to admit to enjoying because you don't want to admit to watching them at all. I just enjoy enough objectively bad media (fast and furious franchise my beloved) to not really feel guilty over anything I like anymore.

Bonus! Most underrated series:

Agreeing with both @casualavocados and @waitmyturtles on Triage and He's Coming to Me. Both of them absolutely fantastic and DEFINITELY need more attention.

This was fun! I don't know who to tag that hasn't done this already! I guess I haven't seen one yet from @dimplesandfierceeyes @respectthepetty @lost-my-sanity1 @jemmo. If anyone else wants to do this, consider yourself tagged too!

[pardalote]

Hi! Your work is very beautiful ♥️ Can I ask what you use for photographing your embroidery? I really struggle to take good pictures of mine, the small detail makes my camera go absolutely bananas.

Thank you! I usually just find the sunniest room in my home, put my work on some white cardboard somewhere in the room out of the direct sun. I use my iphone (6!) to take photos, I usually take 10 or so I guess, and choose the ones I like. Sometimes I adjust the colour cast in a photo app if things look a bit yellow or a bit blue. That's about it for my cheap and dirty photo set up :D

[kristannafever]

A Sky Full of Sun

Kristanna Modern AU Rated: M  WC: 2032

~This is 1000% self-indulgent and all fluff 

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

Kristoff smiled at the sundog in the sky.  It was only on the coldest, sunniest of mornings that you got to see such a neat phenomenon.  He hastily fished his phone out of his jacket pocket to take a quick picture for his Ma.   She enjoyed stuff like that.  He did too.  It was breathtaking, and she had always told him growing up that it was a good omen for his day.  

“This fucking cold snap is something else.” Sven came up to him, dramatically rubbing his arms trying to warm up, his breath coming out in white vapour as he talked.

“It certainly sucks to work in.” Kristoff slipped his phone back into his Carhart jacket.  In all honestly the cold wasn’t too big a deal to him. Being a construction framer, they worked in all kinds of weather and he was rarely bothered by it.  Except when frigid temperatures brought nasty wind chills, then it was a nightmare and he would go home and have the hottest of showers and sit on the couch with his big blanket, thick wool socks on, and a blazing fire in the wood stove.

“So… about Mexico-”

“I don’t know, Sven. I’m not really a beach kind of guy.”  They started off trudging trough the deep snow to where a lift sat waiting for them to haul materials onto and get to work. “I don’t like sand and I hate that it gets everywhere.”

“It’s not just the beach though!  There are pools, and a bar, and fishing, and quads, and sunset cruises, and Ixtapa island, and of course Zihua has a lot to offer.”

“Zihua?”

“Zihuantanejo, you know what I mean.  From Shawshank Redemption, like I said.”

“I know, Sven.  I just wasn’t sure you were so familiar all of the sudden.”

Sven made at face at the smirk Kristoff was giving him and the proceeded to load wood onto the lift. His friend had been on it for days on end.  He even went so far as to rent a four-bedroom condo for two weeks and now he was trying to find someone to help with the cost of the place.

“What about Ed, he’ll go with you.”

“Ed?  Fuck you, Kris.  Really.”

Kristoff laughed in his friends face as they loaded the plywood.  Ed was nice and a good worker, but the guy was impossible to take in anything but small doses.  Couple times he tagged a long for a beer after work and most of the guys at the table wanted to tape his mouth shut, he was so crass.  

“It’ll be sunny and thirty-plus degrees every day down there!  Come on, Man.  You’re by BFF.”

Kristoff snorted.  “I know I am, and that means you should know that beach vacations just aren’t my thing.”

Sven pouted at him. The man really pouted, and Kristoff decided he could throw him a bone.  It had been a long time since he’d been anywhere besides camping for a vacation.

“Fine, fine.  You’ve officially worn me down.”  Sven grinned like an idiot and opened his mouth to comment, but Kristoff stuck a finger in his face.  “But I’m bringing a bunch of books and I am doing my own thing, you got that?  If I don’t want to go to the beach, you leave me alone.   If I don’t feel like going out to any night clubs you’ve been talking about taking Liz to, you leave me alone.”  Kristoff resumed loading wood, then added, “I don’t feel like being a third wheel the whole time anyway.”

There was a silence then and Kristoff’s stomach twisted.  Damn Sven.  Damn him, because Kristoff knew was about to come out of his friend’s mouth.

“Well, Liz invited a friend too because there are four bedrooms-”

“For fuck’s sake, Sven!”

“No, no, listen!  It’s actually great because she initially asked this other couple we know, but between you, me and the outhouse, they are insufferable dickheads who always try and one-up ya, you know?  But they dropped out due to some family drama bullshit or whatever so Liz has this new work friend who… you know... could use a friendly group of people-”

“People my ass!” Kristoff felt his cheeks getting hot. “Let me guess, she’s single.”

Sven hesitated. “Well, yes.  But-”

“You’re seriously trying to set me up on my fucking vacation?”

Sven’s hands went up in surrender.  “No, seriously dude!  That’s not what this is.  Not at all! We’re honestly just trying to get people to fill rooms, but we’re having a hard time finding takers to help with the cost.  I don’t even think we’re going to be able to fill the fourth room.  I mean we already paid for the whole thing after all.”

“I’ve never known you to over-commit on something.” Kristoff managed with a serious face.

It took Sven a half a second to recognize the joke and he burst into a huge smile.  “You’re still in then?”

Kristoff looked back up to the sun dog in the frigid air, making his decision final despite his sudden reservations about a stranger joining them.  “Yeah, yeah,” he said through a sigh.  “I’m due for a vacation anyway.”  

They jumped onto the lift and started to bring it up then Kristoff turned to Sven, and gave him a firm look.  

“But I’m not going to play nice if you all try to gang up on me and make me do shit I don’t want to do.”

“Oh, I believe you, you grumpy asshole.”

Kristoff nodded, comment aside and they got to work.

 Two Months Later

A ringing phone woke him up.

Kristoff rolled over to grab his cell of the nightstand, wondering who the hell was calling him at this hour, whatever hour it was, he had no idea.  He went to bed at nine in the anticipation of getting up early to catch his plane to Mexico.

“Yeah?” he groaned, as he sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

All he heard was hacking on the other end.  Kristoff pulled the phone away from his face to look at the screen and realized it was Sven.

“Sven?  You okay?”

After the sound of a flushing toilet and some clearing of a clearly hoarse throat, he spoke.  “I’m sorry Dude, I really am.  I am a as sick as a dog.  Gotta be food poisoning or something.”

Kristoff let his head fall between his shoulders.  “You’re not making this plane, are you?”

“Unless I can stop puking and shitting myself, that would be a no.”

He felt for his friend, he really did, but that meant he now had to board a plane by himself, go to a condo he didn’t rent in his name, and supposedly meet someone who Liz had invited to stay with them.  It was too much, he would have to cancel, money be dammed.  It was too awkward.  

“I told you that gas station sushi was a bad idea,” Kristoff huffed.

Sven groaned in response.

“I’m sorry, dude.  It sucks you’re sick.”  

“I’ll get my ass down there,” he mumbled.  “It just won’t be tomorrow.  Or today? What the fuck time is it?”

Kristoff pulled the phone from his face to look at the time.  “Quarter after three.”

Sven wretched again and Kristoff hung up.  That was something he didn’t want to listen to, so he texted his friend he hoped he felt better and to keep him posted on how he was doing and when he might be able to catch another flight down.

Sleep was impossible after that.  

He had to be up at six anyway, it wasn’t anything to him to kill a couple of hours cleaning his small house for when he got back.   He was a little anxious what it was going to be like without his friends there for a buffer, but he was trying his hardest to take things as they came lately, no matter how much they infringed on his comfort zone.  

*******

Anna could not keep the smile from her face.    She was so excited to head somewhere warm for two weeks with nothing on the agenda but rest and relaxation.   Liz and Sven would have to join them later – poor Sven and his food poisoning – but at least she wouldn’t be alone.  She was going to meet a new friend!

There was no way she figured she be able to pick him out in an airport full of people waiting to board planes, but there he was, right in front of her when she cleared security and walked into the terminal.  Just as described, he was blond, tall, broad chested and ruggedly handsome, although she wasn’t sure why Liz had even added that last little tidbit since she assured Anna this was not a set up or anything like that.  They just needed help paying for the Condo.  

Anna felt a pull to go up and talk to him then, except he was eating breakfast and that was hardly the right time to introduce yourself to someone.  Not only that, she needed to grab some food for herself.  There wasn’t much open in the terminal so early and she had to admit that the sub he was eating looked pretty good.  Anna got in line at Subway to get herself one and by the time she got it with a mind to maybe sit at his table, he was gone.

Not that it bothered her, she was looking forward to fun and sun and getting away from the frigid cold weather.  Even if the guy was a jerk, all the rooms had their own bathrooms and she could put herself in her own space when she was in the condo and not be bothered by anyone. She was no stranger to doing things by herself.

Anna ate her sub and walked around the terminal a bit, stopping at the place to load up on snacks despite the highway robbery prices.  Then she made her way to the gate and happened to see the blond guy again, arms crossed and leaning against a wall nearby, bag tucked between his feet, idly watching people pass by.  

If there was ever a time to introduce oneself before a flight and vacation space they were to share together, now would be it, she figured.  She also liked the idea that he was standing.  Anna decided it would be good for her too to get as much standing in a possible too before being seated on a plane for five hours.  It wasn’t such a big deal for her, she was small, but this guy clearly needed some leg room and would probably be itching to get off that plane by the time it landed.

Anna approached him and his gaze swung towards her direction then stopped when their eyes met.  She wasn’t sure what to make of first impressions based on facial expressions but his lips parted slightly and his eyebrows twitched up as she approached him.

“Hey, are you Kristoff by any chance?”

“I am, yes.”  His demeanor shifted towards being guarded rather than looking bewildered like a moment before.

“I’m, Anna!  Liz’s friend.  I guess we’re headed to the same place!”  She stuck out her hand.

The tall blond looked down at her hand a moment before slowly reaching forward with his own and shook it.  His hand was warm and… so big.  How tall was he anyway?  At least six-two.  Maybe six-three.  

“Nice to meet you,” he mumbled.

“You too!  I’m looking forward to soaking up some sun.  How about you?”

“Um…” His hand came up and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Sure, yeah.”

Well at least he appeared friendly.  If anything, Anna figured he was probably a quiet person, which suited her just fine. As long as he wasn’t a dickhead, she’d be able to enjoy herself.

“Well, it was nice to meet you!  I’m not sure where you’re sitting on the plane but let’s meet up at the cab stand when we get there and split a ride, okay?”

He nodded, ghost of a smile on his lips.  “Sure, sounds great.”

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Next 

[fizzingwizard]

Today in Reasons Why I Spilled Dirt All Over My Floor: I was trying to repot my flower and some dirt got on my glove in a way that made it look like some fat salamander with black beady eyes, and I freaked myself out x'D even though I like salamanders.

I'm really torn up about this flower. It's been dying since the day I got it and I don't know why. It's a blue daisy, which is supposed to not need a lot of water. The florist told me not to water it every day, only when the soil felt dry, but to give it a good amount those times.

But almost immediately the flower just shriveled up. If I give it water, it wlts. If I don't give it water, it wilts. I tried no water for a week, then just a little on the weekend, then another week... it got no better. Then today I gave it water before I went out - came back four hours later and the leaves had turned brown and brittle. They hadn't looked healthy, but they weren't completely dead.

So obviously the flower doesn't want water, but if not what the heck does it want?? I tried not watering it and nothing happened, but watering made it worse. Today the reason I went out, among other things, was to get tools to repot it. I got a bigger pot and some fresh soil and I brushed off as much of the old soil as I could before moving it. I really have no idea if this will work. I also got a spray mister, because one site said that if the problem is the pot was too small, it may be that the roots weren't actually getting any water, and to try misting the leaves themselves. But the leaves look sooooo bad that I'm afraid to try. I'm afraid to do anything with this pant afgkldfhght

The other possibility I thought about it is, I realized my apartment doesn't ever get direct sunlight. No matter where the sun's shining, it's never facing my apartment somehow. So maybe that's why. I put it in the sunniest window, but there's so many buildings around us blocking the light. Maybe there's just no way this sort of plant can live in my apartment. In that case I want to get a different plant, but I'm not sure what kind could survive.

Another possibility, I guess, is that this plant was raised in a greenhouse (I'm certain it was because it was winter when I bought it), and not equipped to actually live in real weather, at least not till April or May. I thought, since it was being sold, it'd be fine if kept indoors, but... maybe not.

I really liked this plant so I'm bummed :/

Also bought a fake flower so I can at least pretend I don't suck at gardening. It's cute. Fake. But cute.