#i have had this idea in my head since before we had a proper design for rezra

[holeguard]

or in rezra’s case, the most vulgar shit she has ever heard in several lives

[temiizpalace]

Ahhh ok I love your page so far and this is my first time making an ask so I hope it’s ok. I’ve been craving a little drama for a bit and I had this idea a bit ago and I just wanted to share it :)

Cater, Leona, Riddle taking their s/o home for a Holliday/school break. Reader is sweet & respectful but isn’t afraid to put someone in their place, even royalty. A lil bit of fluff at the end would also be nice. You have creative liberty, it’s your story after all :) don’t forget to eat and drink water, and feel free to ignore this if you want <3

☆┆KNOW YOUR PLACE!

SUMMARY: your partner takes you to his hometown for the break, but you run into someone who thinks they’re a head above the rest..

CHARACTERS: RIDDLE, CATER, LEONA

GENRE: fluff

ROMANTIC

WARNINGS: people are asses

NOTES: i love this idea!! it was a lot of fun to write and i appreciate the request 🫶🫶 hopefully this was up to your standards and you enjoy!

reader is g/n, implied to be yuu

🌹┆RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

“are you sure you’re okay with this..?”

riddle asks hesitantly, standing by the mirror as he fiddled with his fingers. since you had no place to go to over the break, riddle had invited you to his hometown. granted, he was quite nervous in asking you thanks to the relationship with his mother, but the excitement was immeasurable once you agreed to join him.

“of course i am.” you smile, taking his hand gently. “i understand how difficult it is for you to go back, so i want to be there with you.” riddle blushes at your words of kindness, unused to such affections (especially at NRC). he clears his throat and squeezes your hand. “i-if you insist.. we best be on our way then. mother expects us to be there by 8:30 on the dot.”

riddle leads you into the mirror, holding your hand the whole way through. as you stepped into the queendom of roses, you take in the breathtaking sights of the small village in front of you. “i live close by, have you gotten your gift prepared?” he asks, strolling past the various shops and bakeries.

you pause in your tracks, tensing up at the question. “we needed gifts..?” you ask, feeling part of your soul leave your body. riddle stares at you with a dumbfounded expression, utterly shocked at the fact you had come unprepared. he sighs, taking a deep breath. “thank goodness we’re by the shops. on any other occasion i would have your head..” he mumbles, causing you to awkwardly laugh and walk inside the store.

it was a small store selling small things, like purses. however, it’s not the expensive name brand purses that’d cost both your arms, it was cute and little cozy handmade bags that screamed home just by looking at them. you were in awe at the intricate stitches made onto the bag, not to mention impressed by such a simple design. “do you think your mother would like this?”

riddle turned to look at the bag, examining it thoroughly for any rips, tears, or stains. he smiles softly before nodding, holding it up to get another proper look. “i’m sure she’ll love it..”

as you both walk over to the line, chatting away at what you both were going to do on your visit, you had accidentally bumped into a woman covered in jewelry and what seemed to be designer clothing. you can see where this is going, right?

“ah, im sorry.” you quickly apologize. the woman gasps offendedly, looking over to where you had bumped into her. “excuse me? do you know what you just did? you had just RUINED my new designer jacket.” she exclaims, putting the fur jacket near your face. “do you know how much this had cost me? how do you expect to clean this up?”

riddle’s eyebrow twitched, staring at the supposed mark you had left. there wasn’t even a trace of such thing, she was just lying to make extra cash. “actually, i think you had bumped into them.” he answers, trying to be as calm as he physically can. “i wasn’t talking to you, little girl. buzz off.” she angrily glared at riddle before shifting her attention back to you.

as you glanced back at riddle, you could see him seething with anger. he grit his teeth and clenched his fists, not to mention his face was completely red. “ma’am, i in no way have damaged your jacket. you had bumped into me, and what you had said was uncalled for. please do not talk to us again, we are done here.”

you walk away, squeezing riddle’s hand as a way to calm down, but the woman wouldn’t give up. “how dare you defy me.. you little brats!” she grabbed onto your shoulder, trying to pull you back. instinctively, riddle drew his magic pen, but you signaled him not to use it. you push the woman off your shoulder and look at her with disgust laced in your eyes.

“don’t EVER lay your hands on me like that. do that again and i’ll be more than happy to call the authorities.” you had raised your voice, the entire shop looking at the scene. as the woman looks around, she mumbles something before leaving the store. you sigh, not expecting such ignorance from people so soon. “i’m sorry about that, riddle.”

“no, you didn’t do anything. i could’ve used my unique magic on a civilian if you hadn’t stopped me..” he murmurs the end part, but smiles at you nonetheless. “are you going to be alright?” he asks, caressing your cheek. “yeah, ill be fine. it wasn’t anything serious.” you smile back at him, feeling a ray of sun hit both of your figures in the middle of the shop.

“now cmon, let’s purchase this gift for your mother and get outta here.” you laugh, taking his hand and pulling him toward the register.

“..yeah.”

🦁┆LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

“why’d you have to tag along..”

leona grumbles, leading you up to his room for your stay. “because i know you’d skip out on the dinner if i didn’t.” you retort, knowing damn well he appreciates your company.

“pssh.. why does that bother ya?” he murmurs as he opens the door for you like a gentlemen, despite his contradicting remarks. “no reason, i just want you to show more respect for your family is all.” you mention, walking into the large room. it was definitely bigger than his dormitory, and arguably larger than all of ramshackle. but it was nice.

“..do what you want. settle in, im takin’ a nap.” leona strides over to his bed, yawning while stretching his arms. you frown at him as he turns his back to you, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back. leona lets out a surprised grunt before facing you with a scowl. “what the hell was that for-“ he starts before looking at your piercing gaze.

“you’re getting ready for dinner. now.” you demand, standing your ground. he stares at you, no longer having a snarky comment to each word you say. he clicks his tongue before grabbing a nearby outfit and changing in the bathroom. he gave up easier than expected, but at least that means less work for you. speaking of which, you decide to get ready yourself in preparation for the night.

sitting at the table, tensions were high. you expected it just to be leona’s family, but it appears to be a whole system of royals lined up inside the palace. even leona himself was shocked, but he also wasn’t one to keep up on his family events..

the dining hall was incredibly loud. sounds of laughter, bickering, and natural conversation can be heard from every corner. “told ya you shouldn’t have attended.” leona whispers, causing you to raise a brow. “it’s crowded, but i know you’re just trying to find an excuse to leave.”

he frowns before picking at the lettuce on his plate. “you should eat that.” you comment, seeing as the entire steak was gone but the salad was practically untouched (not including him picking at it). “hm? wanna eat it for me instead?” he smirks, about to push the salad onto your dish.

“no way!” you laugh keeping the plate away from him. the night continues, playful laughter exchanges between you both. suddenly, the banter comes to a stop when leona was bumped on the shoulder, and it wasn’t on accident. a snobby looking royal looks back and gives leona a disgusted look.

“my mistake, kingscholar. I didn’t realize second-sons were invited to such a grand event.” the royal chuckles, expecting a groundbreaking reaction from leona. all leona did was furrow his brow before speaking. “yeah well here i am in all my glory. now put a sock in it and get lost.”

the royal flinches, changing the subject to you. “and who might this be? a partner of yours? i had not realized you had one. i never thought you’d get one with such a nasty scar and attitude..”

leona scowls, clenching his fists before suddenly feeling your hand atop if it. “i believe you should show more manners. he may not be king, but he’s royalty just as you are. if you just came to bother him with disrespectful remarks, then i think it’s best you just leave us alone.” you state, leona’s cheeks turning a slightly darker shade.

“who are you to tell me this? you don’t look like royalty, not to mention you reek of no magic. you too attend night raven college don’t you?” he continues, causing your blood to boil. “were you too rejected from royal sword academy? how saddening it is to see.”

you want to punch him, and want to punch him bad. however, you contained yourself and decided to respond respectfully. “acting so snobbish is much more saddening. if royals like you are ruling kingdoms, then i fear its only a matter of time before it falls thanks to a poor king. how about you get your act together and show respect to your peers.” maybe it was a little less respectful than you thought.

“tch. this is not the last of me, kingscholar.” the royal gives up, walking away from the two of you. you smile, looking back at leona, who was a little flustered as you came to his rescue. “i didnt need you to defend me.” he murmurs before averting his eyes to the side. you open your mouth to speak, but get cut off as he suddenly ruffled your hair. “but you got guts.”

you knew this was his way of saying thank you. you laugh. unsure as to why, but something about his awkward ways with affection were definitely charming. “what’s so funny?” he asks, lifting his hand and raising a brow. “ahh, it’s nothing.”

♦️┆CATER DIAMOND

“i have so many things for magicam now!”

cater exclaims, laying out his new props and figures onto the table. after he insisted on you joining him to his hometown, cater took you on a date across town so you can see all the wonderful places the Shaftlands has to offer. you smiled as he already began to take pictures, not hesitating to join in. “they’re adorable, cater! i really like this figure right here.”

you picked up said figure and smiled admiringly at it. cater took in your expression, feeling entranced before snapping out of it. “welll, if you like it so much you can have it!” he exclaims, causing you to shake your head. “no, no! you bought it, it’s yours. i just thought it was nice is all.” you protested, but he wasn’t going down easily.

“well i’d do anything to make my partner happy, so if you like it, it’s yours. no take backs ☆!” he giggles, causing you to pause. “..thank you, cater.” you flash him a smile before watching him take out his phone for a quick photo. with little to no time to react, he had already snapped a photo of you with a huge grin on your face. “hm.. you’re so photogenic, yknow?”

you feel your cheeks get warm at his words, but you came to your senses once you realized you both were in public. “we should pack up the things and get ready to go.” you suggest, cater already being a step ahead of you by packing everything back into its packaging and bag.

a man walks oddly close to the table, but you had decided not to question it. suddenly, in a swift movement one of the expensive props were gone, the man dashing away. “HEY!” you shout, cater looking at you with a look of confusion. “[MC]? is someth— WOAH!” before he could finish, you sprinted towards the thief. the culprit looks back, seeing your angry and annoyed face before turning forward.

“shit..” he mutters trying to pick up the pace. cater follows behind you, feeling tired from running and carrying the bags. “S-SLOW DOWN!” he shouts, but you had one goal in mind. you charged at the mystery thief, a yelp escaping him as he hit the concrete floor. “Give it back.” you stated sternly, pinning his hands behind his back and keeping him in place.

cater catches up, running out of breath as he walked towards you. “hey, what was that about— WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” the culprit struggles, trying to get up off the ground. “LET GO OF ME, FREAK! I DIDN’T DO NOTHING!” you furrowed a brow at him before grabbing the loose stolen item off the ground. “don’t lie. you tried stealing from us. i’m reporting you to police so no poor soul has to deal with you.”

cater looks at you with a puzzled expression before realizing one of his props WERE missing. “i guess i’ll call police then..?” cater awkwardly adds, pulling out his phone to dial the number.

the police eventually show up, taking in the culprit to discover this has happened more than once. he sells these stolen goods for drugs. cater looks at you, a hint of admiration and a little fear could be seen in the glint of his eyes. “hm?” you hum, noticing his staring.

“remind me not to ever steal from you.” he states, replaying the scene back in his head. “you didn’t need to tackle him, it was just one figure!” you shrug before taking his hand in yours gently. “i guess i didn’t want him stealing from you. especially since it was one of the more expensive props.”

“..you’re such an angel.” he states with a look of awe, causing you to laugh. “definitely not, but thank you.” suddenly, an arm pulls you in. your arm comes into contact with caters as he leans in and snaps a quick selfie of you two. he adds the caption before hearing your phone get a notification.

it reads: “my heroic partner ❤️❤️❤️”

you feel your heart beginning to beat faster and your stomach starting to do backflips. just cater doing the bare minimum was enough for you to feel this way. “isn’t it perfect?” he asks, chuckling as you get pulled out of the trance. “..yeah.”

“i like you being my hero.” he smiles, planting a quick kiss on your cheek before tugging your hand. “now cmon, i know this totally adorbs café on the next block and i’ve been dying to take you!”

A/N: WRITERS BLOCK ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME WITH THIS ONE, NOT TO MENTION THE EXAMS UGGGGHHHH

date published: 5/12/24

© temiizpalace — don’t steal or copy my work!

[vividsmashing-exploration]

So, I was watching a Youtube video on how Humans came to be Human. It never really clicked that the other species that died out while we survived were... well, Human too. Homo-Erectus, Neanderthal, Denicovin, all humans, but we are the survivors, Homo-Sapiens.

But what if this wasn't the case for alien species? They may have come together in mind, with the same goals, but their biology never homogenized. The multiple species that made up the intelligent life on a planet coexisted, or at least didn't outright murder one another. Would these species find our existence sad? Or maybe they'd be fascinated by that.

Credit where it's due, this is what I was watching: https://youtu.be/wzwXGD_C4P0

In any case, it inspired me to write my first entry to the Humans are Space Orcs Category. Enjoy.

======================================

Field Medic Dana Ortigez was finishing up a report in the crew mess hall of the GFS Tortuga. Her meal had long gone cold as she considered how to write her statement in a way that would be translated favorably for other species to read. A few more agonizing minutes thinking on that sent her off to the Engineering wing. Since she still had difficulty remembering proper grammar for Rhyashaz, perhaps talking through it with one of her nonhuman crewmates could help.

The Tortuga was a human designed research vessel, made for deep space exploration and experimentation. As one of the newest races, the humans had no end of alien coworkers to help man the ship. Conversation was still spotty at times, but there was a certain harmony that overcame these obstacles. The alien Dana was looking for now was a Cryys-Tretchan, a bipedal insectoid species that had also come from a Death World.

Arriving in the center of the ship, Dana confidently strode through an automated door and bumped into a small group of Engineers she had wanted to find.

"Oh- Hi, sorry. Do you um... know where Tchyyk is?"

They were all Cryys, but each one had a tweaked morphology, beyond small changes like height or build. The clicking and chattering coming from their mandibles forced Dana's translator to take a moment, but after a few seconds, the conversation began flowing.

"Xey are... nearby. Xe can tell you, but xe have a question that must be answered." The statement had come from the smallest of the Cryys, a ladybug-adjacent creature with a vibrant, metallic purple carapace. Dana looked down at the Cryys, internally panicking, trying to remember a name. Nothing was coming. She smiled awkwardly, a tight-lipped, toothless affair as she nodded.

"Alright, I guess I have time for that. What do you want to know?"

The chittering comes through, and the translation follows close behind. "Where are the rest of you?"

Dana blinks slowly. "I don't think I understand."

"We were told much of humans, like that they were different shapes and sizes and colors. But all of you look the same. Some different color, all the same."

Dana's confusion only grew, until it dawned on her. Her Medical briefing had touched on how the Cryys were a multispecies spacefaring part of the Federation. Her heart sank.

"You mean, why aren't there more kinds of humans?"

The bug's clacking mandibles clearly signaled confirmation of her statement. "Yes. Do they have special roles in Human colonies?"

Dana shook her head. "No. We don't have them anymore. We're the only species of human."

"Anymore? What happened to them?"

Dana could feel her cheeks redden in shame as she considered the best answer.

"We don't know. There were many different kinds of humans once, before farming was ever an idea in our mind. Neanderthals are the most well known, but there were at least four other species. We have theories on how they disappeared. Everything from natural selection, to our species murdering them. We just... don't know."

The translation took a few seconds. The curious chirping and chittering gave way to cryys noises of shock and awe... as well as disgust.

"How did you come this far?"

To that, Dana smiled sadly.

"Because we're too stubborn to die. Because we overtook everything. Because war. There are so many possible factors, and there could be things that we don't know about today. What we do know is that we were close enough biologically to reproduce. We still have a large percentage of their DNA swimming around inside us. That's all that's left of our sibling species."

The chittering had long gone quiet, allowing Dana to finish to a silent hallway. Clearing her throat, she nodded to the smallest Cryys.

"So, uh, where's Taaniks?"

----

When human-Dana finally walked away, Dres-Gryyk clicked Xer mandibles together slowly, indicating xer sadness.

The smallest Cryys, Roniks-Maar, looked back to Dres with a confused posture.

"What is wrong, Dres-gryyk? Biologist Dana answered your questions."

"She did. It makes me wonder if we had the kinder death world... to think they killed their sister species."

"Humans are odd. She was likely making her kind sound more ferocious, it is nothing to worry about."

In truth, though, it worried Roniks greatly. Xey would be writing a report to Xer superior about it soon.

[brooke0297]

Make You Feel My Love (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Plus Sized Female Reader

Summary: “I will tell you everyday how much I love you and how perfect you are to me. If you can’t believe it for yourself, I’ll believe it for both of us.” When the reader is having trouble loving herself, Bucky tries to remind her.

Warnings: Angsty beginning with happy ending; talk about gaining weight/slightly negative body talk; slight allusions to smut (blink and you'll miss them); mentions of past injury (gsw, passing out).

Author's Note: For me, being plus sized can be great and sometimes not so great. So I wrote this story for me and I hope that you like it. Comments and reblogs always appreciated!

************************************************************************

“I’m not going!”

Bucky leaned his head against the door to the bathroom and sighed.

“Doll, please come out so we can talk?”

“No! Bucky I’m not going so can you please leave?”

“Baby, please I just want to talk to you.”

Bucky waited, and he could feel his heart cracking when he heard the muffled sniffles coming from the bathroom. He glanced over to the doorway into his room and shook his head at Steve and Wanda, who were peering into the room. They slowly backed away as he continued to knock on the bathroom door. 

There was a September Foundation gala happening in just over four hours and the compound was buzzing with preparations. Tony had been at the tower all week, waltzing around and telling a team of interns and designers to move decorations three inches to the left (with Pepper following close behind to move them back to their proper place). The team was in full glam mode with stylists and makeup artists running from room to room.

Which is why when he’d heard the slam of the door to Y/N’s room and a personal stylist huffing angrily down the corridor, he had poked his head into her room to see what the matter was. Only to catch the tail of her robe disappearing into her bathroom. He’d knocked, only to be denied entry with a firm refusal to open the door. Which is where he was now, standing barefoot in front of her bathroom begging her to let him in.

“Can you at least tell me if you need me to track down that stylist and put the fear of God in them?” he tried.

“Please don’t, Bucky.” Y/N whimpered and Bucky sobered immediately. 

“Baby, please let me in because I’m starting to panic and I will break down this door if I have to. Especially if someone hurt you.” he said gravely.

“No one hurt me, Buck! Please I just need you to leave me alone!” she insisted. Bucky sighed, turning from the door to sit beside it. He was trying really hard to not let the rejection sting, but there was a part of him deep down that was still bothered.

He and Y/N had been together just a little over 8 months. She had started working at the compound a few weeks after he’d joined the Avengers as an analyst and had become an integral part of the team. He’d never known mission briefings to be as interesting as they were once Y/N had come aboard. They had flirted, a glimmer of the old Bucky breaking through the trauma and insecurities, and he’d been toying with the idea of asking her to dinner.

But then a mission in Versailles threw a wrench in the plans. It was supposed to be a quick in and out reconnaissance mission: Steve and Nat with Bucky for backup. But Y/N needed to also come to decrypt the files Nat was retrieving from the museum. Nat was on lookout, but the guards were too quick and before she could take them all out and before he had reached the threshold of the office, one had gotten off a shot. Dr. Cho had told them later that a millimeter closer and it would have severed Y/N’s carotid. Instead it had fractured her collar bone and sent her careening into the window behind her, shattering the glass. Bucky had felt a glimmer of the old soldier, long dormant since Shuri’s reprogramming had been successful, take over and the remaining guards were dead before they could draw another breath. Steve ordered him to provide cover as the four of them escaped and flew home as fast as they could. All Bucky remembered from that night was holding Y/N’s hand as she sobbed in pain and whispering assurances in her ear until she passed out from the pain and blood loss.

He hadn’t left her side the two days she was in the med bay. When she woke up after surgery, he was there. He had tried to leave her once, to give her space, but she had already tugged him closer and pulled his lips down to meet hers in a gentle but passionate kiss.

“Sorry it took me so long, but getting shot will do that,” she’d murmured. He’d laughed and kissed her again. And he hadn’t stopped for 8 months.

Now though, he worried that something had happened. Maybe she had finally realized the Soldier and his actions were too much to excuse and she couldn’t bring herself to break it off gently? Maybe she’d found someone with less baggage?

“Y/N. I just…I just need you to know how much I love you. You are the most important thing in the world to me and your happiness is priority number one for me. I…I would not be alive now if it wasn’t for you and you are the reason that I wake up in the morning.”

He heard some shuffling and then he could feel her body lean against the door. He got up and rested his head against where he knew hers would rest.

“I love you too, Bucky.” she whispered. Bucky felt the hole in his heart mend itself and he sighed in relief.

“Baby, I know you might not want to talk about it and if you really don’t want to go tonight, I will respect that. But I really do need you to open the door. Please, because I never want you to feel like you have to shut me out. We’re partners and when something bothers you, it bothers me.”

“I know Buck. It just…ugh I hate this feeling!” she groaned. She sniffled again and Bucky waited.

“My dress doesn’t fit.” she whispered. Bucky felt his heart skip and he sighed in defeat.

Y/N was plus sized. She was a beautiful, confident woman who embraced her curves and never let archaic societal expectations get in the way of loving herself. Bucky was enamored with her confidence and considered her the sexiest woman he’d ever met. But there were days where clothes fit tighter or sitting in a theater was uncomfortable, and Y/N was reminded that the world was not created for people who looked like her. Bucky would try to listen to what she needed in the moment: space, righteous anger, ect. And he was always sure to worship her body when they were alone. He loved all of her, every single part, and he tried everyday to tell her.

The stylists had received strict instructions from Nat and Pepper (and him) to provide more than enough dresses in her size to give her a wide range. She’d had a ball trying them on and modeling them for the girls and she’d promised him that he could have his fun getting her out of the dress (with a slight preview that night).

“Baby,” he murmured sadly.

“I know that I haven’t been eating super well and my shoulder was bothering me so I haven’t been to the training gym in a couple weeks but… I just thought… it hasn’t been that long! And the dress wasn’t snug the last time I tried it on…” she sniffled again.

“Y/N, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved that dress.” he said into the door.

“It’s dumb,” she said, tearfully. “I shouldn’t be crying over a stupid dress but…it’s just one of those things, y’know?”

“It’s not dumb, Y/N.” Bucky said, vehemently. “Nothing you feel is ever dumb. And you never have to minimize what you’re feeling, especially with me.”

“I know, baby. And I love you so much. I just…I don’t want to feel like this. I’ve worked really hard to love my body and all it takes is a stupid dress for it to all come crashing down.”

Bucky stood silent for a moment, wishing he could take away the hurt she was feeling. Even for a moment.

“Doll? Can you open the door for me? I want to see you.” he murmured gently. He heard Y/N sigh before the lock twisted and the handle turned. He waited as she gently swung the door open.

The dress was a cobalt blue, tea length dress with pleats in the skirt. The bust had molded cups and was held up by thin spaghetti straps. Bucky’s eyes ran up the dress to meet Y/N’s frustrated glance. Her eyes were swollen from crying and she looked frazzled and defeated.

“It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn, and it won’t freaking zip,” Y/N grumbled, turning and showing Bucky the gaping back. Sure enough, the clasps of her strapless bra and the top of her shapewear showed from between the teeth of the zipper.

“The stylist tried three times to get that zipper to work and they finally gave up. Bucky, this is humiliating!” Y/N’s lip trembled and her eyes began to glass over with tears.

“Hey, hey look at me,” Bucky insisted. He took her face in his hands and met her gaze intently.

“First thing is: I love you more than anything on this earth. You are the single most important thing in my life.” he began. Y/N choked back a sob as Bucky pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“The second is…” he turned them to face the full length mirror sitting in the corner of Y/N’s room. Bucky’s arms wrapped around her waist and he rested his head on her shoulder. He could feel the smooth fabric of the dreaded dress in his flesh hand and the warmth of her skin underneath. How many times had he held her this way, reveling in the feel of her surrounding him? How many times had he traced patterns on her soft skin? He didn’t think he would ever tire of it.

“The second is that you are perfect no matter what you wear. You could be wearing the most haute couture outfit or my old t-shirt that mysteriously keeps finding its way into your laundry basket and you will still be the most beautiful, most radiant woman that I have ever had the honor of calling my partner.”

Y/N bit her lip to push back the tears as her arms came up to cover his around her waist. He could feel her melting into his embrace and he kissed her shoulder beside the loose strap of her dress.

“I know that there will be other days like this ahead, and while I wish that there won’t be, all I can do is promise to always tell you all the ways that you are so much more than the dress size you wear. You are sweet and kind and smart and hilarious. You never let Sam and Tony get away with the bullshit and you are fiercely loyal to the people you love. And I have never seen someone be able to reconnaissance a three floor HYDRA warehouse faster than you can. You are the glue that holds our team together, Y/N. You have saved our lives more times than I can count. 

“And there are still days that I can’t believe you even glanced in my direction, let alone chose me to hold your heart. You saw through the darkness and destruction in my soul and you helped me let the light in. I will spend everyday making myself worthy of your love, but you never ever have to shrink yourself to a box to make others love you.”

Y/N turned in his arms and pulled him down to meet her lips in a searing kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck to tangle in the hair at the base of his neck, and his hands traveled from her hips and around her back to pull her closer.

When they pulled away, lips swollen and breathless, he cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb across her face.

“If you don’t want to go to this gala, I will happily tell Tony to fuck off and we will do whatever you want to do,” he promised. Y/N sighed, looking away briefly.

“I want to go so badly, but the dress…”

“...has arrived!” came a voice from the doorway. They turned to see Nat and the stylist from before striding in with a garment bag slung over their shoulder. Bucky remembered suddenly that their name was Zo.

“What?” Y/N asked, confused. “What are you talking about? I’m currently wearing the dress and it does not fit.”

“You’re currently wearing that version of the dress,” Zo said, unzipping the garment bag to reveal an identical dress to the one Y/N was wearing. Y/N stared at it, dumbfounded.

“I was told this was one of a kind,” she murmured, reaching out to feel the fabric.

“Well as far as the stylists knew, it was. But I know this designer and she is working on expanding her plus size brand, so I had a hunch she had some sample sizes stashed somewhere. All it took was a quick phone call, a police escort thanks to Tony Stark, and now you have your dream dress that I will happily tailor to you. But I am not a miracle worker so say buh-bye to your hunky arm candy and let us work our magic! We only have three and a half hours to make you dazzling.”

“She already is,” Bucky interjected strongly. Zo rolled their eyes and motioned to Natasha, who grabbed Bucky and began hauling him out the door.

“Hang on a second!” he protested, pulling out of her grasp. He turned back to a bewildered Y/N and kissed her deeply. 

“Could I at least help you out of this one?” he teased cheekily. Y/N laughed as Nat groaned in disgust and pulled him away.

“I swear to God I will kick your ass, Barnes,” Nat grumbled, “Now go get yourself pretty while we pamper your girl.”

She promptly launched him out of the room as a team of makeup artists and stylists filed in and slammed the door behind her. Bucky grinned and made his way back to his room to put on his tux and grab the surprise he’d been waiting to give Y/N.

Three and a half hours later, he was back waiting in front of Y/N’s door. His short, dark hair was styled back, and the cobalt blue pocket square tucked into his classic black tuxedo jacket matched the color of Y/N’s dress perfectly. His vibranium hand, encased in a black glove, fiddled with the box in his pocket and he tapped his shiny polished dress shoes nervously. Just as he was about to knock, the door flew open and Zo appeared, looking positively giddy.

“She is a masterpiece!” they declared, ushering him inside. When Bucky made it through the door, he froze at the sight of Y/N’s figure in front of the mirror.

The dress, now zipped and tailored perfectly to her body, seemed to shimmer in the light as it accentuated her curves before flowing from her waist, around her hips, and stopping at the middle of her calves. She wore two inch high, black block heels and her hair was styled down and loose around her face. Her makeup made her skin look luminescent and her eyes bright. When her gaze caught Bucky’s, she smiled widely and Bucky knew the storm had passed. 

She was absolutely ethereal.

“What do you think, Y/N?” Zo asked, moving past Bucky’s prone form to pick imaginary lint off of the dress. Y/N smiled brilliantly at them and took their hand.

“It’s perfect. And I cannot thank you enough for everything, Zo. I feel…”

“Gorgeous,” Zo finished, squeezing her hand. Y/N nodded and Zo discreetly stepped aside as Bucky’s breath returned to him.

When he took a step towards her, Natasha’s hand flashed out to stop him. She had changed into her figure hugging black gown with a sweetheart neckline and long side slit and it made her look even more dangerously beautiful than she was in her widow suit.

“If you even think about messing up her makeup, I will take you down. Behave.” she murmured. Bucky rolled his eyes. He had been to enough events with Y/N that he knew to never kiss her directly on the lips or cheek when her makeup was that flawless.

Instead he approached her and took her hand in his, stooping down to plant a gentle kiss to her knuckles. He heard Zo and the other stylists swoon behind him, but he only had eyes for Y/N.

“Hey handsome. You clean up nice,” Y/N teased. Bucky stood up straight and pulled her closer.

“Ни на одном языке нет слов, чтобы описать, насколько ты прекрасна,” he whispered in her ear. Y/N shivered and he grinned. He knew how much she loved hearing him speak Russian.

“I love you, моя любовь” he murmured fiercely. Y/N smiled and smoothed her hands across his lapels.

“I love you too,” she murmured back. He chuckled and she cleared her throat, remembering their audience.

“Shall we?” she asked. She moved to step around him before he gently pulled her back.

“One second. I was waiting to give you this until tonight.” He handed her the box as Natasha herded the stylists out of the room. She glanced up at him in confusion before opening the top of the box. She gasped in surprise and delight.

“Oh Bucky,” she breathed. Bucky reached in and pulled the necklace out, letting it shimmer in the light.

“The sapphire is from an old brooch of my ma’s that Steve helped me track down. My dad saved for a year to buy it for her and she wore it to church every Sunday. And I had it set with a couple of the diamonds from your mom’s ring.” Y/N reached out and held the pendant of the necklace in her hands.

The sapphire was set in the center with two oval diamonds on either side. They touched at the bottom before fanning out away from the sapphire.

“I remember that brooch from a picture you showed me. Bucky, this is the most amazing gift you could have ever given me! Thank you, my love,” she said, reaching up to kiss him. She turned and let him place the necklace around her neck and fasten it before he pressed another kiss to the clasp at the nape of her neck. She turned back to him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Bucky smiled.

“For what? The necklace?” he asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

“Well that, of course. And for loving me when it’s really hard to love myself.”

“I meant what I said,” he insisted. “I will tell you everyday how much I love you and how perfect you are to me. If you can’t believe it for yourself, I’ll believe it for both of us.”

“Back atcha, baby.”

With one last quick peck, she turned and took his hand to lead him into the hallway. They made their way through the hallways until they reached the main elevator.

“Wait…weren’t there two sapphires on that brooch? What are you going to do with the other?” Y/N asked as they entered the elevator. Bucky grinned.

“I have something special planned for that one,” he said slyly, pressing a quick kiss to her left hand ring finger.

************************************************************************

“Ни на одном языке нет слов, чтобы описать, насколько ты прекрасна,”= “There are no words in any language to describe how beautiful you are.”

"моя любовь" = "My love."

Thank you everyone for reading! Let me know what your thoughts, feelings, ect.

[orqheuss]

My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway

(Ominis Gaunt/Sebastian Sallow/F!Reader FLUFF)

Summary:

Sebastian pushed away from the wooden column, making his way towards the pair of you, before reaching out his hand in your direction and speaking with the most ridiculously strong posh accent he could muster. “May I have this dance?”

You laughed, squeezing Ominis’ hand, letting go and going along with the brunette’s theatrics. You bowed dramatically in his direction, placing your hand delicately in his and adopted the same vernacular that he used.

“Of course, m’lord. It would be an honor.” *** With the Founders Ball announced, you realize two things. Firstly, you have no idea how to ballroom dance, and secondly, you didn't know how you could go to the ball with both of your crushes at once. *** Title is from "Rise to Me" by the Decemberists

Word Count: 8k

AN: I’m moving all of my fics over from Ao3 to make them more accessible! These are my fics.

Have this repost from Ao3 while I finish writing the smut I'm working on :) This one is a personal favorite of mine.

“The Founders Ball,” said Professor Weasley, “Is a grand occasion meant to unite the four houses of Hogwarts under our vivacious founders.” 

The Professor paced up and down the large room, glancing every so often to each of the different students lining the walls. Bleachers had been placed around for everyone to sit, each group separated by their house. The heads of the houses sat at the far left of each section, some more pleased about the news than others. In particular, Professor Sharpe looked like he would rather drink a drought of living death than continue to sit and listen to his colleagues speech. 

“On Christmas Eve, we will all gather in the great hall for a night of fun, frivolity, and lighthearted dancing. Each head of house will teach you the basic steps of dances like the waltz, the tango, and other forms of ragtime.” Weasley gestured for each of the heads to stand and make their way to the center of the room. “I expect you all to act like proper young lads and ladies in the name of Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Now, please split off into pairs of two and await further instructions from your designated Professor.” 

Each eager student from the four houses stood rapidly from their seats, making their way down and stepping around those who were more hesitant to participate. You were one of the few who remained seated, leaning back on your elbows and resting on the bench behind you. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go to the ball, the idea of it seemed lovely in all honesty. Who would turn down an opportunity to dress up and get absolutely sloshed with your friends? Of course someone would spike the punch— your money was on Garreth. The problem was that you had only ever heard of two people going together as a couple, and you couldn’t necessarily ask both of your crushes to go with you. You’ve had feelings for the both of them since your untimely admittance to Hogwarts, and as much as you knew that it would be easier to just pick one of them and stick with your decision, you couldn’t bring yourself to do so. You cared for them both in vastly different ways, and you needed them both by your side. You thought about what it would be like to go to the ball with them both, see them both dressed up to the nines and feel their hands on your hips as they led you through dance after dance. You already felt hot at the image of them in their pressed three piece suits— their sleeves rolled up to their elbows and their ties undone when they began to sweat from your copious amount of dancing and fun. You could almost taste their lips, leaning down and kissing you breathless, their teeth nipping at your bottom lip and their tongues sliding deliciously against yours after the festivities are over. Rosy pink hues made their way across your cheeks at the thought, and you coughed lightly to clear your now very parched throat before leaning back further in your seat, fighting against the embarrassed expression trying to tweak your lips into a frown. The two boys flanking each side of you were in similar spots; Ominis leaning with his chin in his hands and the bend of his arms atop his knees, a tired expression decorating his face, and Sebastian with his leg crossed over his thigh and his hands resting in his lap, a wayward smirk on his lips and a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. 

The more elated of the two leaned closer to you, stretching his neck slightly towards your ear and murmured, “Five galleons Sharpe trips over his cane.” 

You snorted to yourself, turning your head towards him and smirking. “You’re on, Sallow.” 

The brunette leaned over towards the other boy now, repeating the bet, and asked his opinion of the odds. “Ominis, are you in?” 

The blond sighed heavily, rolling his eyes at the whole rigmarole around him and drawled out of the corner of his mouth, “Ten galleons that he calls the whole thing off and tells us to teach ourselves.” 

Sebastian barked a laugh, catching the attention of the few students still milling around the trio, and stretched out his hand towards his companion. “I’ll take those odds.” 

Ominis simpered in his direction, grabbing the boy's hand before taking yours and doing the same. The brunette took the other and the three of you shook on it. 

“There’s no way he would just abandon his house; he’s too intimidated by Weasley.” 

“We’ll see.”

The three of you then turned towards the commotion on the floor, watching with enraptured intrigue as Professor Sharpe was surrounded by a mob of excitable teenage girls and a few of the more flamboyant boys. You could see the crease of his brow from your vantage point and pointed it out to your friends. Sharpe stood stoic in the center of the chaos, his cane resting in front of him with both of his hands crossed at the top, a thoroughly annoyed look adorning his features as the squacks of students got louder in his ears. He loudly tapped the end of his cane on the ground, silencing the masses and drawing the attention of the more meek of the bunch, and regarded them all with contempt. 

“I will be returning to my chambers. If you wish to learn about those infernal dances you may ask the other house heads for assistance, or have a friend teach you. I wash my hands of it. You are dismissed.” 

Groaning, the Slytherin’s surrounding the pragmatic Professor dragged their feet towards where the other students were already being instructed, a few sticking around long enough to grumble some choice words at his slowly retreating form. 

Sebastian sat with an expression similar to eating a lemon, digging into his cloak pocket and muttering to himself while pulling out his coins for the blond. You caught some of his grumbles, things like “stupid git,” and “blasted Gaunt sixth sense,” flying from his tongue. You did the same, laughing to yourself and shaking your head at the childishness of your brunette friend. Ominis pocketed the money, smirking to himself in a feat of barely concealed smugness. 

“Pleasure doing business with you both.” 

With a huff, the freckled boy stood from his slouched position, desperately trying to hide the fact that the confidence and cocky energy of his roommate made him want to scramble across their seats and snog him silly, and jumped down to the next rung of bleachers, spinning on his heel and facing his two friends. His mood seemed to do a complete one eighty, mischief swimming in his chocolate eyes yet again and a plan hiding just behind his teeth.

“So what are we to do now? I know I don’t know any of the dances, do either of you?” 

You scoffed, your chin pointed towards the ceiling and your limbs stretched in front of you in a lax position. You gestured lazily towards your ensemble, a slightly wrinkled white button down, paired with your house tie and a set of trousers, as well as the general lack of interest in your body language. “Do you really think I’d be trained in ballroom dancing?” 

Sebastian made a noise in his throat that seemed to say “fair enough,” before turning to their quiet counterpart. Ominis could feel the both of your eyes on him and he fought against the blush slowly creeping up the back of his neck. He huffed with indignation, resting his chin on his hand in a show of laissez faire attitude. 

“I unfortunately do. It was a requirement of my schooling before I came here. All the Gaunt children had to take dance lessons for the plethora of galas we were invited to, especially me. Couldn’t have the blind boy looking blind and embarrassing the family.” Your eyes burned through the back of his head while Sebastian’s burned through the front, meeting in the center of his brain and sparking together like a show of fireworks. The boy could feel his friend's excitement at the prospect of him possibly teaching them shed from their auras in waves of glee. He sighed, “I suppose I could teach you both, but you have to do everything I say exactly. No funny business, got it?” 

You quickly sat up, meeting the eyes of the brunette standing opposite of the pair of you before sliding them over to your other friend. Raising two fingers to your forehead, you mock saluted the blond to your left, watching Sebastian do the same out of the corner of your eyes. 

“Sir, yes sir.” 

Ominis slid his hand over the front of his face, raising the other to do the same and grumbled into his hands. 

Something in him told him that he would come to regret this decision. 

***

The three of you slid through the doors of the Room of Requirement, leaning out briefly to check for any signs of life in the desolate hallway, before shutting it quietly behind you. You all shucked your bags to the ground, you and Sebastian dropping your cloaks over the pile of supplies while Ominis gently hung his on the coat rack by the door. The school assembly had been after dinner, so by the time your motley crew made it to your secret hideaway the sky was already glittering with constellations and curfew was right around the corner. You made your way to the center of the room where a large ornate rug decorated the floor and plopped yourself down in the center; your gaze drifting upwards towards the large skylight at the center of the domed roof. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, each star shone brilliantly against the stark blackness of space. You traced your finger along one particular cluster of stars that appeared every winter night, The Pleiades. Each brilliant light aligned with a birthmark on your blond companion's cheek, sprinkling across his face like a captivating piece of sheet music— it was your favorite. You could almost trace the marks, matching them to quarter notes and triplets like a beautiful bluesy shuffle. You sighed to yourself, resting your hand across your stomach as the other went behind your head as a makeshift pillow. 

“The stars are beautiful tonight.” You fancied, your eyes never leaving the glass dome above. 

A cynical voice came from the couch a few feet away, sarcasm lacing his tone. “Oh yes, indubitably.” 

You turn your head slightly towards Ominis and cringed slightly, forgetting about his lack of sight. “...Sorry.” 

Sebastian jumped into the middle of the rug, haphazardly placing his feet at either side of your hips and facing towards the blond. You quickly dart your hands outward and grasp on to his ankles, holding him still and hopefully preventing him from losing his balance and toppling over on top of you. A blush rouged the tips of your nose and ears as your pupils flicked over his body above, eyes widening slightly at his closeness. He looked lovely from your angle on the ground— maybe him falling wouldn’t be such a travesty. 

Shaking the unseemly thoughts from your mind, you flick your eyes once more upwards towards his face, only to see that he was already gazing at you, similar thoughts of how enticing you looked underneath him swimming behind his eyes. The brunette smirked down at you, winking and twiddling his fingers in a humorous wave. 

Cheeky bastard. 

You averted your eyes, focusing back on the other boy sitting on the couch to your left. Sebastian chuckled at your reaction, before also turning towards Ominis again and crossing his arms, speaking with authority. 

“Alright, how are we going to do this?” 

Ominis sighed again— his default setting— before lightly slapping his knees and standing up. He began to unbutton the cuffs of his starched shirt, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows and sticking one of his hands in his pocket while pulling out his wand with the other. His wand glowed a faint red with the location charm pulses as he surveyed the room for the optimal dancing space. You glanced around the room yourself, wincing minutely at the mess strewn around every surface and some parts of the floor. There really was no good spot currently, leaving you few options for where you could practice. Ominis seemed to come to the same conclusion, his brows furrowing in thought and pondering where you all could go. They could always go to the Undercroft, he supposed, but with the winter freeze just outside he was sure that the stone walls and floor would be terribly cold, and there wasn’t a fireplace in the large space. 

A lightbulb flickered on in your mind, an idea forming along with the delighted sound leaving your throat. Both boys turned to you in intrigue, eyebrows raised in surprise at your small shout and taking in the grin stretching across your face. 

“There’s some flat ground in Atlas’ vivarium, we could use that!” 

Sebastian blinked at you, his face twisting into an incredulous smile. “Your thunderbird, Atlas?” 

You nodded ecstatically, grabbing both boys by the hand and pulling them in the direction of your vivariums. Ominis stuttered loudly in protest, digging his heels into the hardwood floor and pulling at your arm. The idea of seeing, or in his case sensing, a thunderbird was one thing, but meeting one? That was a whole other thing entirely. He could already hear the loud cracks of thunder in the distance, causing the nervous frown on his face to deepen. Laughing at the blond’s hesitation, you dragged them through the different areas of the large room, smells from your potion station filled your nose and the gentle ticks of your assorted magical instruments were like music to your ears. Sebastian went along for the ride, allowing you to pull him along and his steps animated at the prospect of seeing the gorgeous bird in action. Honestly, he’d let you drag him anywhere if you never let go of his hand. Streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the lush fields of flowers just beyond the intricately carved archway of the enclosure and cast a glow across your face, a smile pulling at the corners of your lips. The freckled boy froze, eyes softening as they flitted around your visage in enraptured awe. Your smile was his favorite thing about you— a radiant bonfire under a softened night sky.  Every time you looked at him with that sweet, sanguine smile, it was like his heart was suddenly being warmed by a homey hearth— like everything wrong in his life would right itself with just a simple grin. He quickly looked away from your profile, color covering his cheeks as he reached his hand behind his head, rubbing at his neck in embarrassment. 

The smell of the storm brewing across the field circled around you like a pleasant hug, relaxing all the tightness in your body and giving way to the feeling of bliss. You loved the smell, and the sound, of storms; that was why this was your favorite vivarium to escape to. It was just Atlas behind the door, so you kept him company whenever you could, having not found him a mate yet in your “travels,” or as one would normally call it, your pillaging of poacher camps. Thunderbirds were incredibly rare in these parts, so the fact that you had found him locked away meant that he had traveled a great distance. His wing had been clipped slightly, the feathers bunched up together around a nasty scar stretching from his coracoid to his metacarpus, and you had felt a red hot anger seep through your veins like an infection at the pain emitting from the poor, beautiful bird. That was the most ruthless you had ever been with a group of the pillaging bastards, and you didn’t regret it in the slightest. You and Atlas had grown exponentially closer since that day, and you loved him the most out of any of your beasts— not that you’d tell any of them that. 

Ominis leaned against the wall next to the vivarium entrance, panting slightly in exertion, and sent a withered glare in what he assumed was your direction. Giggling at his miffed expression, you squeezed his hand and walked into the dimension before you. The blond’s scathing look pittered away to an enamored, but small, smile; his eyes softening to two gentle bubbling blue brooks instead of the angered sea during a storm they once were. He loved your laugh, it was truly his favorite sound. You had the poor boy wrapped around your finger with that simple, joyful noise. 

The pseudo-sun of the enclosure warmed the bones of the three students, shaking the freezing cold of the winter from their shoulders and wrapping them in a warm blanket. You led them to the grassy knoll at the top of the hill, a skip in your step at the sudden happiness that flooded your system at the feeling of the beautiful nature around you and the warmth of your companions hands in yours. Atlas flew high above your heads, swirling his body around in circles like he was a ring around the sun itself, and released a great caw into the air in joy at seeing his favorite human. You waved at the effervescent creature, watching him as he flew farther into the never ending sky, disappearing out of sight and taking the storm clouds above with him. You would bring both of the boys back one day to properly meet him, but today was about dance lessons. 

You finally stopped at the very top of the hill, reluctantly releasing both Slytherin’s from your grasp and turning to face the trained dancer of the two. You bit your lip around the smile starting to form, clasping your hands in front of you in an absolute tizzy of anxious, tumultuous happiness. Ominis turned to face the both of his friends, his hands tucking themselves away in his pockets once again as he pondered their next move. 

“Alright, this will work for now. Who would like to go first?” 

Sebastian and you stood entranced by the boy before you. The sun shone off of his hair in brilliant locks of golden silk, glittering in the soft summer breeze that floated around the vivarium space. Color still danced on his cheeks, giving him a lovely youthful glow that stood out against his normally porcelain skin tone and highlighted the star-like dots decorating his face. The luminous sun cascaded down on his form, catching his opalescent eyes just right and making them look like beautiful pools of dew. He looked strong with his rolled up sleeves; not muscular, but confident, strapping, sturdy, like he was in his absolute element. In that moment, Ominis Gaunt was the picture of elegance and grace, something extraordinarily serendipitous. You couldn’t help but look at him— take him in in all of his glorious verisimilitude. 

The blond cleared his throat, slight agitation lacing his tone. “I can feel you both staring at me. Are you going to putter about like muppets and waste valuable time, or are you going to learn these dances? As you both know, I wouldn’t do this for just anyone.” 

The both of you were shocked out of your revelry at his voice, color flooding both of your cheeks at your obvious admiration. Sebastian shook off the embarrassment first, leaning towards you and whispering in your ear before confidently stepping towards the lithe boy. 

“I do quite like it when he’s rude.” 

You stifle your laughter behind your hand, watching the both of your boys bow to each other and get into the proper position. Ominis raised his hands into the air, arms draped elegantly like he was about to take flight, and directed Sebastian to do the same. 

“Now, put one hand on my shoulder and place the other in mine.” 

The brunette furrowed his brows. “What if I wanted to lead?” 

“I just assumed with your proclivity to strong, powerful friends, you’d lean more towards submitting rather than domineering.” The blond quipped with a smirk. 

Sebastian sputtered with bashfulness, a dark rouge coloring him from the tips of his ears to the ends of his collarbones. Ominis could feel the heat radiating off of his dance partner like a fireplace in winter. He chuckled at his obvious flustered state— the boy could surely dish it out, but he couldn’t take it in return. 

“Alright, I will teach you how to lead. Place your hand on my waist.” 

Gathering his nerve once again, Sebastian simpered in return, “My my, Ominis. How very crass of you; if you wanted my hands on you all you had to do was ask.” 

“Shut up, Sallow, and do as I say.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

You watched the brunette do as he was told, placing his hand on the small of the blond’s waist and grasping his hand in his before pulling him closer until they were chest to chest. Ominis cleared his throat bashfully, ignoring the warmth flooding his body from the furnace of a man against him, and began directing him through the movements of a basic waltz. Birds tittered from the trees just beyond the hill, filling the air with a natural melody. You smiled as you watched them both, fumbling like a mother doe teaching their newborn fawn how to walk for the first time. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Sebastian knew what he was doing and was just acting like he didn’t. One moment he would perform a perfect spin just for him to step on Ominis’ foot as hard as possible the next. You couldn’t blame him, in all honesty— you were just as eager to be that close to the blond you both harbored feelings for. 

The Gaunt boy couldn’t help but get distracted at the feeling of being in Sebastian’s arms— his breath brushing against his lips and cheeks, his chest pressed deliciously against his, their hearts beating in tandem as they moved from step to step. There was something about his brunette companion that sent his mind into a tizzy, like a spare lacewing fly crawled through his ear and was buzzing around in his skull, smacking against his limbic system and setting his veins aflame with affection. He kept the pair of them in a small four step square, not quite used to the distance around them with his wand tucked securely in his pocket. Sebastian was oddly adept at the waltz, only making small mistakes here and there. If Ominis didn’t know better, he would say that the brunette took him up on his offer just because he wanted to be closer to him. What a preposterous thought, he mused to himself. There was no way his friend returned his feelings. 

All thoughts were unanimously wiped from his mind at that moment when his dance partner decided that it was the perfect time to dip him. 

Ominis felt sickeningly weightless, his knee bent to keep his stability while the other was thrown haphazardly into the air. He could feel Sebastian’s knee at his outer bicep, his face even closer than before. Hot, minty breath fanned across the apples of his cheeks and blew against his long eyelashes, causing his unseeing eyes to flutter around with anxious, flustered agony. The hand at his waist somehow felt even hotter than before, like it was the sun itself and he was burning. The brunette chuckled, leaning impossibly closer and brushed his lips against the conch of the blond’s ear.

“Did I sweep you off your feet, Professor?” 

Ominis turned a color similar to a cherry tomato, his words stuttering out of his throat like a broken gramophone. “R-right. You did very well, Sebastian.” He cleared his throat, willing his breathing and heartbeat to get back under control. “Now, will you please release me?” 

Sebastian smiled against the blond’s ear, sending a shiver up the other boy’s spine, before teasingly whispering once more. “As you wish.” 

The brunette then let go, dropping his companion to the floor with a ceremonious thump.

You giggled from the sidelines at their antics, highly amused by their obvious affection for each other but also lack of self awareness to express it, nay, realize it. You began to feel anxious, very much aware of the fact that both of the people you were heavily crushing on had dancing experience and talent while you had none. You feared making a fool of yourself in front of them. There was something different about the setting of a ball that made your heart hurt and your head spin at the thought of embarrassing yourself— vastly different than the multiple times they had seen and heard you mess up spells in the Undercroft. The first time you had tried bombarda, you had singed off your eyebrows much like they both did when first casting confringo. Sebastian didn’t let you live it down for weeks, even after the hair had entirely grown back and you could stop drawing them in with pencil. You really didn’t want to give them more ammunition against you, and you also wanted the night to be special. 

Ominis stood up from the earthy ground, brushing the orange clay dust off of his shoulders and back while turning a heated glare to his giggling friends. 

“Yes, very funny, Sebastian. Thank you for that.” 

Sebastian seceded, walking over and helping the blond brush the rest of the dust and small pebbles from his body and hair. He grasped him by the shoulders, slightly shaking him once before releasing and moving to stand next to you once again.

“Well, you did ask me to let you go.” 

With a scoff, Ominis turns to face you and raises his hand in your direction, a small amused smile dancing on his lips— his eyes soft like the clouds in the sky, a brilliant white against baby's breath blue. Your breathing stutters in your chest. 

“Alright, it's your turn.” As if sensing your nervousness, he moves to reassure you, his eyebrows creasing in concern. “I promise I won’t drop you like that buffoon did.” 

You were stuck in place, your feet refusing to move from the timidness rocking through your body. Sebastian turned to look at you, an eyebrow raised in questioning until he saw the pretty rose hue crossing over the bridge of your nose and speckling across your cheeks. You were entirely enamored by the blond boy in front of you. He laughed, placing a hand between your shoulder blades and shoving you closer to the outstretched hand of his friend. 

Gingerly, you grasp Ominis’ hand in yours and let him lead you towards the middle of the patch of land. He frets for a moment, moving your hands to the correct positions and making sure you’re comfortable with the proper stance before pausing and preparing to go through the motions again. The sweet breeze blew through the pasture again, catching on your hair and clothes and filling the blind boy’s nose with the most lovely scent he had grown attached to since you’d joined their little motley crew— bergamot, vanilla, and something unidentifiable but so uniquely you. He was spellbound for a moment, eyes locked on yours and breath catching his throat. Much like with Sebastian, the feeling of you in his arms was something he never wanted to give up. While the brunette felt like a burning pyre on a chilly winter night: exciting, nostalgic, and warm to the point of burning, you were a candle on his bedside with a nice cup of tea and a good book: comforting, tranquil, and homey. He loved how the both of you felt against him, how you both made him feel in his very soul. How he lived without the both of you before coming to Hogwarts, he had absolutely no idea. 

You stiffened slightly under Ominis’ heavy stare, his milky irises swirling with something unidentifiable but so warm all the same. You felt trapped where you were, unable to move— not wanting to move from his heated gaze, but feeling quite bashful with him looking at you like that. Something had just happened in that brilliant mind of his, and who were you to not make a joke out of a suddenly serious moment?

Your smug voice broke him out of his stupor, a laugh dancing dangerously at the precipice of your lips. “Please stop staring at me, you’re making me nervous.” 

He huffed, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Need I remind you that I’m blind, my dear?” 

The term of endearment stopped you in your tracks, all feelings of humor completely gone and replaced with scatterbrained lightheadedness. Even Ominis seemed shocked at the words that came from his mouth, his chin shyly dipping down towards his chest and color returning to the tips of his ears and nose. My, what a lovely color that was. If it was any other time you’d poke fun at the blond boy, push him further into embarrassment just to see more of that beautiful hue cross over his features, but, the intimacy of your stance was not lost to you. Your heart skipped a beat in your chest, singing along to his wonderful tune— my-dear, my-dear, my-dear. Never had two words struck so deeply before. 

You cleared your throat, stopping him from speaking the clear apology that was dancing on his tongue. “Well, lead the way, my dear.” 

A loud, boisterous voice broke the both of you out of your haze, slightly grating in your ears. “Oh come on, you two! Who are you, Mr and Mrs. Gaunt? Stand a little closer!” Sebastian jeered from the sidelines, a wayward smile stretching across his cheeks. 

You threw your head back with laughter, missing the way Ominis’ gaze melted at the sound, looking at you like you put all of the stars in the sky, and kicked at the brunette just out of reach, sending rusted orange dust in his direction and staining his pristine white shirt. He shouted indignantly, his own laughter bubbling just under the surface as he tossed a small rock in your direction, watching it bounce harmlessly against your calf. Relenting, you stepped closer to the blond, just barely pressing your chest to his, hoping he couldn’t feel how fast your heart was beating at that very moment. Little did you know, he was hoping the very same thing.

Still smiling softly, Ominis began to teach you the basics like he did with Sebastian. He twirled you around in a circle, listening to your startled giggles and hushed heavy breathing like it was his favorite concerto. Each step forward from him sent one back from you, his left foot pushing against your right as you waltzed in a square. You fought to keep your eyes on your shoes, making sure that you weren’t stepping on his toes while also listening to his direction. 

Ominis tisked lightly, his tongue tapping against the roof of his mouth thrice like a mother scolding a child. “Keep your eyes on me, not on your feet. You won’t hurt me, I promise.” 

You gulped, looking back up and meeting his unseeing gaze. He pulled you closer to him, now pressing your body fully against his, before sliding one of his legs between yours and moving his hand to rest open across the small of your back.

“I’m going to dip you now. Hold on to my shoulders, if you would, please.” 

You did as you were told, letting him spin you slightly to the side and dip you towards the ground. The quick movement sent a rush to your head, everything around you blinking out and only your blond boy’s face shining in the darkness. All you could stare into were his eyes, now shielded from the harsh light above but still glowing with just as much starlight. It looked like whole constellations were trapped there. You could see Draco wrap around his pupils, Cassiopeia stream across his cornea, Orion’s Belt glitter in his irises, and finally Polaris, the bright north star, was there to guide you home. There was a French word for those eyes— astre: something not from this world, something celestial, something born of stars. You couldn’t breathe at how close his face was, one small move and you could press your lips against his and finally claim him as your own. For a moment, it looked like Ominis wanted just the same as you, his warm breath fanning across your lips as he moved just slightly closer before reconsidering and helping you back up to your feet. 

Sebastian cleared his throat to your left, leaning against the post that Atlas enjoyed resting on. He had a grin on his face, his eyes looking like pools of melted amber under the afternoon sun. He couldn’t remember the last time his heart felt as full as it did watching the both of you dance together. He didn’t feel any jealousy, any anger at the fact you both obviously had feelings for the other. He was just happy to be with you both— if both his best friends fell in love he’d consider it a blessing. Besides, he could take the absolute piss out of you both if you started dating, and how could he possibly turn down a rousing bit of debauchery? 

“Enjoying yourselves, are we?” He simpered. 

Sebastian pushed away from the wooden column, making his way towards the pair of you, before reaching out his hand in your direction and speaking with the most ridiculously strong posh accent he could muster. “May I have this dance?” 

You laughed, squeezing Ominis’ hand, letting go and going along with the brunette’s theatrics. You bowed dramatically in his direction, placing your hand delicately in his and adopted the same vernacular that he used.

“Of course, m’lord. It would be an honor.” 

With that, Sebastian squeezed your hand and you were off. He swung you around like a madman, your feet grazing the ground and sending clouds of dust around the large bit of land. Your laughter rang out like church bells, sweeping into the summer air and being blown away like the fluff on a dandelion. You opened your eyes to watch the beautiful brunette in your arms, seeing his large toothy grin just inches from yours and counting the freckles that littered his closed eyelids. If Ominis was the stars, Sebastian was the earth— strong, resolute, constant, yet always surprising you with new and titillating things. You could see the life-giving dirt in the color of his hair, see maps criss-crossing his face in his freckles, each one standing for a different landmark, mountain, coast, anything that could be jotted down by a cartographer. You wanted to follow along those freckles and travel wherever they led until there was nothing more there— no more sights to see. In his veins you saw the rings of a tree, each line and circle telling story after story of their life, their adventures on this planet you call home. He opened his eyes and looked down at you and oh. You could see whole worlds in those eyes. It was like time froze inside of them, like each tiny earth-like dot in his irises were still and asleep until the day came where he was dead and gone. Little flecks of sage sprinkled around his pupils like mounds of four leaf-clovers at the edge of a babbling brook. You couldn’t help but stare. 

In your distraction, you didn’t notice the wing beats of Atlas returning to your little corner. Lightning streaked across the sky, casting a soft purple and blue glow on the fields of flowers swaying in the wind around you. Ominis lifted his head from where it rested in his hand, a love-struck smile on his face at the sound of not only your joy, but also Sebastian’s, and sniffed at the air. The smell of petrichor was heavy with the feeling of a storm brewing once again. He turned his eyes to the sky, calling out to his two friends across the square from him.

“Hey guys—” 

Still in your little world, you didn’t hear the blond boy to your right. Catching your gaze, Sebastian began to lean closer towards you. For a moment you thought he was moving in for a kiss, but his lips brushed against the skin of your cheek and made its way to your ear. He held you closer to his body as he whispered to you, his lips tantalizingly close to your neck.

“I know how you feel about him.” 

Your breath stilled in your throat, nervous confusion filling your voice. “Who?” 

He breathed a laugh, the soft brush of his sigh raising the hairs on your skin to attention. “Ominis, of course. I know how you feel about him. I think you should go for it, it’s obvious he feels the same.” 

You protested weakly, Ominis’ voice calling out at the same time. 

“Sebastian, I—”

“Guys, I think it’s going to rain—”

Thunder loudly rumbled above, and a torrential downpour of water fell from the sky. 

You screamed in alarm, your clothes suddenly becoming drenched and sticking to your skin. You looked up towards the sky, watching the large droplets of rain fall around you and tap against your face with little, lovely kisses. The boys around you reacted similarly, Ominis quickly standing from the ground and reaching for his wand, shivering lightly around the sudden cold, while Sebastian took a step back from you in shock, his hair plastering itself to his face and sending drops of water into his eyelashes and down his cheeks. A laugh startled them, drawing their attention back to their friend. You stood in the center of the square, arms raised at your sides, elbows bent with hands stretched out to collect the raindrops. You were laughing with delight, joy bursting from your heart at the sudden storm brewing around you. You looked truly at peace in that moment, surrounded by your friends in a wonderful little rainstorm. 

The two Slytherin’s took in the sight before them, the sound of your elated giggles and the sheer happiness that radiated from your being, and both smiled, beginning to laugh themselves. 

Hearing their own chuckles, you quickly shuffled over to your friends and grabbed their hands, pulling them into the center with you once again. The three of you looked up at the sky, feeling the droplets of water splatter against your faces and refreshing your skin with energy. You began to spin the three of you in a circle, all of your hands connected like a ring of daisies tied together into a crown. Laughter filled the vivarium, three voices ringing out together in blissful mirth. You all danced together in the rain, pompously bowing and curtsying to each other in humor before clasping hands and galloping along in a lighthearted two step. Your heart filled with merriment at the sound of your boys having fun. You so rarely got to act like kids these days, so many pressures pressing down on your shoulders putting a damper on basically everything you enjoyed. At that very second, you all were simply students enjoying their time in the rain. No sick sisters, no ancient magic, no abusive families, just a little bit of rain and a little bit more fun. 

In that moment, you were a little bit in love with the both of them.

You break apart from your dance partner, Ominis, you deducted from the sound of his light giggles, and looked back up towards the falling rain, running your hands through your hair and smoothing it away from your face. You felt a surge of courage run through your body, completely content in the storm and filled with a youthful delight. Tilting your chin back down towards your boys, your lovely, lovely boys, you took both of their hands into yours once again and spoke the words you’d been holding in for so long. 

“I think I love you. The both of you.” 

The two boys stilled at your words, heads whipping in your direction with incredulous expressions decorating their faces. You all stood in silence for a moment, the both of them processing your words while you worried at your lip with your teeth. Ominis was the first to speak, a loud shout leaving his throat in a very unlike-him fashion.

“WHAT?”

Sebastian nodded his head, coming back to his body after it felt like his whole being was catapulted into space. “Yeah, what?!” 

You laughed at their disbelieving countenances, stepping closer and raising their hands to your chest, your thumb rubbing across their knuckles gently and your eyes clouded with amorous love. 

“I said, I love the both of you. I have for some time, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. After today, I knew that I needed to say it before it was too late— before I couldn’t anymore. You both have bewitched me, body and soul. You fill my mind at every moment of the day: at breakfast, in History of Magic, when I’m studying in the library, all the way until I fall asleep, and even then you’re in my dreams.” 

Your boys continued to stare at you, mouths opening and closing like a fish without water.

“I thought you liked him!” They both shouted in unison, the hands not connected to yours raising and pointing at the other boy. You laughed again, affection flooding your whole body.

“You both have been so kind to me, my absolute best friends since day one. I came to this school with no one besides Professor Fig, no one my age to talk to about how alone I felt— new to the world of an ancient magic that wished to swallow me whole. Ever since that first day in Defense Against the Dark Arts I have been completely, and totally enamored with the both of you. In this battlefield of a school, your presence is my Versailles. I would follow you both to the ends of the earth and then jump if you were there to catch my fall.” 

You closed your eyes, a heavy breath inhaling through your mouth and sighing out into the still air, the noise being swallowed by the pitter-patter of the steady rain. “Here I am, presenting you with my heart like the fool that I am, and asking you both if you feel the same. Nothing has to change if you don’t, I completely understand that this was very sudden—”

In a sudden burst of movement, Ominis cut off your grand speech with a kiss. It wasn’t good or coordinated in any sense, more teeth than lips, but it was yours . You quickly corrected the boy, slotting your lips against his and raising your arms to drape around his shoulders while his drifted to your waist. He kissed you like he had been waiting for this very moment since he was born— maybe he had been. Maybe you were the other half, or in this case the one third, of his soul that he had been searching for. You both separated, air rushing into your burning lungs from the near suffocating kiss. Taking the open chance, Sebastian took your face into his hands and turned you towards him, pressing his lips to yours after all these years of pining. His kiss was different than Ominis’, a bit more skilled, more controlled. He was gentle in his movements, cradling your face and stroking your cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. You melted into it, raising your hands from where they had rested, raised at your sides after your initial shock, and ran them through his hair, deepening the kiss and pouring your love into every movement you made. 

Their kisses tasted like home— like a finally. 

You separated from the brunette, heaving breaths into your lungs yet again as you looked to your two loves. They both looked thoroughly flustered, the rain splashing against their ruby cheeks and rolling down towards their bruised, kissed lips. You smiled at the sight. 

Sebastian cleared his throat, wringing his hands in front of him with nerves. “I don’t think I can put it as eloquently as you did.” A chuckle left his tight throat. “I was so confused by how I felt at first. I had been in love with Ominis since second year when he first asked to ‘see’ what I looked like, but then you came in our fifth year and suddenly everything was one big jumble. How could I love the both of you? How could that work? I felt—”

“So selfish!” Ominis finished for him, his eyebrows furrowing at how stupid he had been. “I felt so bloody selfish for wanting the both of you to be mine. It’s no secret that my family is not a caring one. I hadn’t felt true, unencumbered love until I met the both of you. I have wanted you both more than I’ve wanted anything else, and it felt dangerous— forbidden, absolutely, abhorrently dotty.” 

Sebastian took the blond’s hand, pulling him closer until he could wrap his arm around his waist. They both leaned closer to each other, breaths mingling in the space between them, and finally pressed their lips together after over half a century of waiting. 

Ominis separated from the brunette after a long, much needed moment, pressing a light kiss to the tip of his nose in fondness before speaking once again, a laugh dangling on each of his words. 

“How foolish the three of us have been.” 

The relief was palpable around the three of you, laughter filling the air once more as you all took in everything that had just occurred. You took both of their hands in yours once again, pulling them out of the now very muddy square and towards the soft grass of the hill nearby. Your trio sat down, the sweet smell of the earth during a rainstorm permeating your senses and washing you with comfort as you leaned back and watched the storm clouds roll across the sky above. The boys did the same, one on either side of you, their hands still clasped in yours. You breathed a soft sigh, truly content for the first time in a very long time. 

“Will you both go to the Founders Ball with me?” 

Sebastian laughed to your left, his chest rumbling and sending vibrations down your arm. “I’d have to think about it. I was planning on asking Professor Garlick.” 

You smacked him on the chest, launching more laughter from his throat as he rolled away from your sudden onslaught of violence before grabbing your hand again and encircling your fingers. 

“Kidding, of course. Yes, I will go with you.” 

On your right, Ominis raised your conjoined hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to your wrist before letting your bundle of limbs drop to his chest, eyes closed in pure unfiltered bliss. 

“I thought that was already the plan, to be honest. There was absolutely no way I was going with anyone else, that’s for sure.” 

You sighed again, closing your eyes and letting the sweet infinity of their love surround you. 

“Good, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

***

like what you read? here's more!

[quaranmine]

ranking fire lookouts i visited last week

i didn't expect to see like...any on this trip. most of them snuck up on me LOL and yet we were able to find FIVE of them! who knew all I had to do was go to national forests in a different state? here there are ranked from highest to lowest

1. The Probable Federal Crime

this one was the coolest! i climbed this one! It's 100 ft with a 7'x7' cab up top. It was in service until 1987 but it still serves as a radio repeater. There are several buildings at the bottom, one of which clearly had the sound of machinery behind the door. It had signs of recent maintenance even though it has been decomissioned. It had spectacular views, with no towns or human settlements visible in any direction:

2. Rich Mountain Lookout

I could have broken into this one but I did not. I withheld my desire to commit a crime. My dad mocked me for not crawling under the fence LOL. This one has a proper catwalk and was possibly a live-in one. A whole family lived here in the 20s when it was first built, but this version is a replacement from the 50s, so I have no idea what it looked like before them. It is approximately the height AND style I have been imagining in my AU so I was delighted to see it. It is slightly taller than the one in the Firewatch game, but a remarkably similar design other than being steel instead of wood.

3. Devil's Knob Lookout

Not in good repair at all. Missing the ladder at the bottom and the final flight of stairs. We saw two deer. My dad climbed it anyway because he's an idiot

4. The Occupied State One

we spotted this one from the main road and turned down the next side road to hunt it down. We ended up driving along the wildest road of FANCY vacation houses, mostly still under construction. A few of these houses had the steepest driveways I've ever encountered in my entire life. Eventually we found the correct turn off for the lookout, drove straight past the no trespassing sign with confidence, only to immediately turn around because there was a guy there despite it being the holiday. Later I learned this is one of the few still in operation in the state. Unsure why it might be manned in November since there is a lower risk of wildfire in fall/winter, but it is in operation so maybe that guy was working.

Bonus:

the tire shop pulled this out of our tire the next day after we went poking around the vacation home construction site. miraculously this did not ruin the tire and they didn't charge us for a patch!

5. Supposed Former State Forestry Lookout

This one has basically no workspace up top and I'm interested (mildly suspicious) of its history since it seemed out of the ordinary. Clearly it was used as an observation tower but as a regular, everyday job? unclear

Also, I had to break into this one too. I jumped the fence. This was because the quarter-fed turnstile did not work. It was $1 per person but we put $4 into it and it only started turning once. Then it stopped turning immediately and briefly trapped me in the middle of that metal cage. Fortunately it turns freely in the opposite direction so I could escape and was not, in fact, trapped forever in its bars. Although the moment it stopped did put the fear of God in me a little before I realize I could still get out. Thus I did not feel bad for climbing the fence. We actually overpaid.

Bonus:

devil's head lookout, you are still #1 in my heart

[totesnothere04]

From Heartbreak to Harmony: Alternate Ending

Tsu'tey x F!Na'vi!Reader

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the fanart, screenshots, or gifs.

Warnings: Rejection, and fluff. (In this version the RDA learned from the first time they fucked around and found out so they don't return😁)

Original Post

Even after the war, you couldn't bring yourself to accept Neytiri and Jake after their betrayal. They had gone behind your back and made the bond without you present. It broke your heart that Neytiri would do this to you after you had courted eachother for 4 cycles. At the end of the day, you will be Eywa's voice in the future, and all grudges you hold must be let go. That does not mean that you forgave them for their actions. They still held rank in the clan but none of importance. Tsu'tey resumed his position as Olo'eyktan, even before his wounds healed, and not long after the war, Mo'at made an important decision.

"It is time for the two of you to mate before Eywa." Mo'at says and you bow your head. Tsu'tey places a comforting hand on the small of your back, and looks up with determination on his face.

"I would like to court her properly for a short time before we mate. After she provided such a caring and watchful presence for me during my healing, it is what she is owed. I would like to show her that I deserve to be her mate, as she has shown me that she deserves to be mine." Tsu'tey says and Mo'at gives a small smile.

"This has nothing to do with events that happened before the war?" Mo'at asks him.

"It does but only to an extent. She has been wronged and I want to show her that she can trust me." Tsu'tey says and you smile lightly at him. "I would like to start with this." Tsu'tey takes a necklace resembling his own from his bag and presents it to you. It's green in color and you smile at the gesture he had prepared for this specific conversation.

"Thank you Tsu'tey. It is beautiful." You say quietly and turn your back so he can put it around your neck. He does and once it's sitting in its rightful place you run your fingers over it gently. "I did not prepare anything for you." You say sadly and he takes your hand in his.

"Your consistent presence for my healing process was gift enough." Tsu'tey says and you frown more.

"As tsakarem, it is my duty to stand by your side." You say and decide you will prepare a proper courting gift for him.

"It is decided, and I give you the time of 60 eclipses to court before you mate." Mo'at says and leaves the two of you be. That conversation began the long arduous task of creating an intricately designed bow, fitting for an Olo'eyktan. For you, it didn't matter if he used it just that he liked it. However, you weren't going to go in blind. So you recruited his parents to help you come up with the design, and his mother especially was excited for your upcoming mating. You spent many early mornings and many late nights in their kelku as you carved him a new bow from the wood of the new Hometree. The first to be created with it, and it's fitting that it will go to the Olo'eyktan. The design resembled Eytukan's bow, but you carved three feather-like prongs from each end. When you got close to finishing it you frowned as you looked over it. You had been working on this bow for weeks, as you and Tsu'tey went on walks, and flights, ate meals together, and prayed together. So you felt something was missing from this design since you felt more for Tsu'tey than friendship now.

"Something is missing." You tell his mother who looks over at the bow.

"It is beautiful, and he will love it ma'ite." She says but you naw on your lip in thought.

"What if I add a natural glow to it?" You ask her and she becomes interested. "I can go gather some algae and moss and grind it into a paste so I can paint it to accentuate it."

"I like this idea. And you still have plenty of daylight to gather it today." She says and you nod and put the bow back in its hiding place in their home. You make your way out and start to gather as much moss and algae as you can find. However, you're approached by the two people you have not been interested in seeing for a while now.

"(Y/n) can we talk to you please?" Neytiri asks and gesture for her to continue talking as you go about your task.

"We wanted to apologize again and to ask you to join our mating." Jake says and you look up from the moss you just placed in a bowl.

"I do not hear this apology you both speak of frequently." You said and Jake looked like he'd been slapped.

"We're very sorry and we regret not waiting longer to pursue mating." Jake says and you wade into waist deep water with the bowl in hand.

"Yet you do not regret mating with each other?" You ask and Neytiri looks guilty.

"I'm sorry (Y/n). If I had known he was who you wanted to suggest as our third I would have waited." Neytiri says and you scoff.

"The Great Mother speaks to those who listen, yet you remain closed off to her mostly. For this, it will be your downfall and I will not accept your offer. I need a mate who understands my connection to the Great Mother and embraces it as I do." You say with finality. "I am busy so please leave me be." Jake and Neytiri sulk away and you continue your task. You get back onto the shoreline of the river and find a rock to grind the moss and algae into paste. You sneak back to Tsu'tey's parents kelku as best as you can with the bowl in your hands. When you enter Tsu'tey is standing there talking to his parents.

"Have you seen her today? I wanted to ask her to join me for a hunt." Tsu'tey says and his mothers eyes cast to you.

"Ah there you are (Y/n). Thank you for gathering this for me, you're such a sweet and caring tsakarem." His mother says as she takes the bowl from your hands and Tsu'tey relaxes when he sees you.

"You made glowing paste? For what?" Tsu'tey asks his mother and she waves her hand nonchalantly.

"We have been working on crafts for a few days and we wanted to add something special to them." His mother says and Tsu'tey seems to accept this and moves to your side.

"I wanted to know if you would not mind joining me for a hunt?" Tsu'tey asks and you smile. It had been a long time since someone had offered to take you hunting.

"I want to warn you I might not be the best hunter anymore." You tell him and he scoffs.

"You have been hunting since we were children. I do not believe that you will be bad at it now." Tsu'tey says.

"I would like to know when you would like to go hunting. I was just going to finish this project with your mother." You tell him and he nods.

"Would tonight be alright?" Tsu'tey asks.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you for inviting me." You tell him and he bows his head and then leaves. When you're sure he's out of earshot his mother becomes giddy.

"You can present him with your gift before you go hunting." She says excitedly. "It will be dry by then." You get the bow from its hiding place and you got to work. The paste was blue when in the light, but the light would give it the energy to glow at night. When you finished painting the accents around the edges you set it on Ateyo's bow stand with his permission. Both of his parents looked over the design with happy smiles and Artsut(his mother) set her hand on your shoulder.

"You will be a good mate for our son, as he will be a good mate for you." Artsut says and Ateyo nods.

"Artsut will ensure that. There will be none of the same nonsense that Neytiri pulled on you." Ateyo says and your ears pinned back at the thought of your former courtship partner.

"She and Jake followed me into the forest this morning. They tried to convince me to bond with them but I rejected their advances." You tell them and Ateyo makes a face of disgust while Artsut just clicks her tongue in disappointment.

"Let us not think of them and allow us to enjoy a late second meal." Artsut says and starts to cook some meat while you cut the fruit.

You spent the remainder of the early afternoon with Tsu'tey's parents talking, eating, and waiting. To say his parents were excited was an understatement. They were ready to be grandparents and had been since he was originally promised to Sylwanin. They knew the love he held for her and refused to force him into mating with someone else. This was why they were so happy when he willingly accepted being promised to you. Though it made you wonder if he only agreed because he pitied you, so you left your worries unheard as you went back to your kelku. The bow was hard to keep out of the eyes of The People since they were watching you and Tsu'tey form a bond. Tsu'tey stopped by your home before you left for the hunt, and you smiled at him when you saw him.

"Come in Tsu'tey." You offered and he fully came into your home. "I have a question for you before we go." His ears perked forward in interest and you knelt on the ground and he followed suit.

"Is everything alright?" He asks and you exhale a weary breath.

"This morning Neytiri and Jake followed me into the forest and tried to get me to mate with them, but I rejected them. But I want to know if you were willing to be promised to me if you pitied me." You said and he frowned.

"No. I may have lost my first love as she was returned to the Great Mother, but I have always felt close to you in some way. You were a safe space where I was allowed to seek comfort without being judged after Sylwanin's death. Because you were happily promised to Neytiri I never wanted to show my interest in being your third mate. It would have been expected of me to also provide Neytiri with children, but she reminds me too much of Sylwanin. You are different. Where Neytiri and Sylwanin were headstrong and willing to fight, you are spiritually strong and constantly finding new things to learn to help heal people comfortably. For that I admire you." Tsu'tey says and you wiped your eyes from the gathered tears.

"I do not expect you to love me as you did Sylwanin. Your bond was created by the Great Mother herself, but I thank you for trying to create a bond between us." You tell him and he reaches over to you taking one of your hands in his while his other hand gently rid your cheeks of the running tears.

"You are beautiful, strong, independent, and very smart." He says and you take a deep breath to stop your emotions from taking the form of happy tears. "But I would be a fool not to love you." And just like that you were crying and he was holding you. Allowing you to release your pent-up emotions. After a few moments, you calmed down and stood up.

"Before we go hunting I have a gift for you." You tell him and grab the bow. You present it to him and his eyes held shock as he gently took the bow from your hands.

"Is this the crafts you were working on with my mother?" He asks and you nod.

"It is my courting gift to you." You tell him and he seems genuinely touched by your gift.

"It is beautiful, yawne. Thank you." He says with a hand gently taking yours in his. At that moment something snapped into place for the both of you.

"I am ready to mate with you, yawntu." You whisper and his features soften even more. He puts his arrows on his new bow and puts it on his back. He helps you up from your seated position and you become confused.

"Where are we going?" You ask him and he smiles st you.

"We're going to the Tree of Souls so that we can mate before Eywa." Tsu'tey says and you happily follow him to your ikrans. Flying through the night with your soon-to-be mate was freeing. Knowing it wasn't just duty for the both of you felt very good. When you landed and approached the tree he offered his hand to balance you while you went up the raised roots. You both knelt infront of the tree and offered your tswins to eachother. As they embraced you were bombarded by feelings and thoughts that were yours and his. You felt his past heartache, his admiration for you, and his newfound love he held for you. In turn, he felt your former heartbreak, your recently discarded insecurities, and your love for him. The atmosphere quickly turned intimate and you consummated your bond that night.

When you returned the next morning came and you both returned smiling and holding hands, Mo'at gave you a knowing look. During first meal she announced your and Tsu'tey's recent mating. Neytiri and Jake deflated when the news was delivered but picked themselves up and moved on.

You discovered you were with child when you started showing the symptoms. Morning sickness, strange cravings, and lastly your breasts became tender. You strode off in search of Tsu'tey and found him speaking with Takuk and Jake about the next day's hunt. You waited until you believed the conversation was done and you gently set your hand on Tsu'tey's arm.

"Ma'yawntu." You say and he turns his attention to you.

"Is everything alright yawne?" Tsu'tey says and Jake crosses his arms with an annoyed look on his face.

"Everything is alright. I come baring news." You tell him and his ears perk forward. "I'm with child." Tsu'tey and Takuk reacted with happiness and excitement while Jake's arms fell limp and his face dropped in shock. A celebration was held for the conception of your child the next night.

As days dragged into months you birthed your first son, who you named Tsayet te Rengola Tsu'tey'itan. One child turned into two, and two years later when you brought Atseya te Rengola (Y/n)'ite, your daughter, to the world. A year later it became four when you adopted Spider and he was gifted the name Spider te Rengola Tsu'tey'itan. The same year you welcomed your second daughter Kitvea te Rengola (Y/n)'ite into your family. Tsu'tey and Spider got along surprisingly well given Spider's origins, but Tsu'tey only saw Spider as his own person. He did not see the tie he held to his birth father but as Spider got older he spoke with Norm about the possibility of Spider getting his own avatar. He wanted his son to beable to appreciate the world around him the way all Na'vi do. When Spider was 15 cycles he got an avatar and he passed through the eye of Eywa and returned to his permanent body.

He then sat as the eldest of your children but did not want to take the title of Olo'eyktan of your firstborn son. But Tsyet protested and asked Spider to train alongside him to give him the same opportunity he was given.

Mo'at passed away peacefully in her sleep during the 18th cycle of peace and the title of Tsahík was passed to you. Naturally you had been training your daughter to be tsakarem for this day, but she was more of a hunter than she was a healer. So you allowed her to choose if she wanted to continue her training or if she wanted to become a hunter. She chose to become a hunter and now your eyes turned to the potential mates of your eldest sons. You realized early on the connection Spider held with Kiri, Jake and Neytiri's eldest daughter. While Tsyet had set his sights on Ninat's daughter, and her only daughter out of 6 children. Then it was time to wait for one of them to make a move to start courting.

Inevitably you took both girls under your wing and nurtured both of their connections to Eywa. Though you started noticing Tsyet was drifting more into hunting. Then came the inevitable talk between you and your mate, and your eldest sons. Where Tsyet confessed he did not want to be Olo'eyktan and had seen Spider becoming Na'vi as a sign to pursue his dream of a simple life. Spider originally felt like he pushed his brother away from his birthright, but Tsyet quickly squashed that fear. Once again saying that he had wanted a simple life since he reached 13 cycles. When the time came Tsu'tey announced Spider as the next Olo'eyktan, Tsyet settled into the simple life he wanted with Ninat's daughter, Atseya became one of the clans best hunters, and Kitvea became a healer with Kiri and Ninat's daughter.

Spider and Kiri mated when Spider reached 25 cycles and the clan celebrated for weeks after. As the cycles continued you watched your family flourish and you and Tsu'tey couldn't be more proud of the life you created for your children. The humans never returned and Eywa'eveng was safe and peaceful.

Permanent Taglist(message me if you want taken off of it): @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed, @kenzi-woycehoski.

[rosiegirlie]

Press Your Number: John Egan x OC

word count: 4.8k a/n: I couldn't resist trying my hand at a John Egan story even though I'm nervous about it lol. As will probably be my usual this isn’t as researched / historically accurate as it should be so sorry in advance. I'm really just going off the vibes tbh ! read on AO3

The sun was setting with only the smallest bit still hanging on above the tops of the surrounding trees. It would soon be too dark for Jacqueline to continue working but luckily she’d reached a comfortable stopping point. She climbed down her ladder and stepped away from the plane to look up at her work. Oddly enough Jacqueline felt more proud of her pinup girl on the side of the plane than any of the pieces she’d shown back in Paris. 

Normally Jaqueline painted nature scenes. She hadn’t painted a person since university and had been nervous when Corporal Ken Lemmons told her what they wanted. But she had to admit that she’d done good. The painted blushing blonde looked full of life with her lips red and open in a playful pout. Jacqueline had worried whether or not the outfit was too risqué but she liked how the blue two piece swimming costume stood out against the plane’s sheet metal. It was eye catching. She hoped the men liked it just as much as she did. It still seemed like some sort of joke that she was getting to paint again. When she’d overheard Ken bemoaning having to paint designs on the planes she’d jumped at the opportunity before even introducing herself. She never thought that she’d be able to do this sort of thing when she transferred out to Thorpe Abbotts.

Jacqueline figured she still had a couple minutes of light left and climbed back up on the ladder with her paintbrush and palette in hand. The shading along the cleavage didn’t seem right no matter how many times she touched it up. She ached for proper paint but knew to keep her complaints to herself. She’d find a way to make it work, she always did. 

“Now that’s a view worth writing home about.”

The voice came from behind Jacqueline and in her surprise she jerked forward and had to stretch out her hand to brace herself against the plane to steady herself.

“Take it easy now.” The voice was louder, closer. Whoever the speaker was, he was probably right below Jacqueline. She pushed off from the plane and steadied herself on the ladder. 

“I’m good.” she assured him. After taking a breath she finally looked down. 

The man she didn’t recognize had moved up closer to the plane to get a better look at her work. A quick study of the man had Jacqueline wishing she’d met him in different circumstances when she wasn’t wearing coveralls three sizes too big, hair all tucked up into a sweat stained hat, and hands covered in paint. He was tall with broad shoulders. He was wearing a white sheepskin jacket instead of the ones every one else seemed to prefer. His hair looked thick and Jacqueline’s fingers itched to run themselves through it. She thought she saw a mustache. She needed to get a better look at him. 

“Do you like it then?” She asked, gesturing to the pinup with her head even though he wasn’t looking at her to see the gesture. Jacqueline thrived off of hearing what people thought of her art. She was greedy for any possible crumb of praise.

“She’s beautiful. Modeled off your broad back home?” 

“No, I just dreamed her up.” 

“It’s damn realistic to be something you just dreamed up, you must have practice at this sort of thing.” 

“I don’t have a lot of practice in painting half naked women, no.”

“Could’ve fooled me!” The man stepped away from the plane and Jacqueline finally got a better look at him. 

He was gorgeous. Jacqueline really wished she looked more presentable. She pushed her feelings aside and joked, “It’s the naked women we practice on, not clothed.”

“I knew it! You must be some sort of professional artist.” 

“Oh no, please.” She shook her head. “I hate that idea. If you ask me there’s no such thing as a professional artist.” She knew she should stop there but instead continued, “Art is something you engage with, a conversation with something you tap into. An artist should always be open to continual growth and learning. An artist is a student, not a professional. Or at least if they’re a proper artist they wouldn’t consider themselves a professional.” Jacqueline let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry,” She raised her free hand not holding her paintbrush and palette and scratched at something on her cheek and along her jaw. She shrugged. “You were trying to pay me a compliment, it was rude of me to ramble. Thank you.”

When Jacqueline shifted to look back at the man she immediately met his eyes causing her to blush. His eyes were wide and after a brief moment of intense eye contact left her face to trace down her body. She felt his gaze as it went down to her hands in her lap. She burned as he worked his way back up to her face. It had been a while since a man had studied her like this and she hoped it turned into something as foolish as she knew it was to want. It was like his energy had changed completely and she didn’t know why. But she didn’t mind. 

He smirked up at her, causing Jacqueline’s heart to skip a beat, and said, “It wasn’t rude no. Trust me, I love a good ol’ fashioned ramble.” He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “I’m just realizing I was seriously misled on some key details.” 

Jacqueline did nothing but stare at him, confused. He continued before she could figure out a response. “They said your name was Jack. I didn’t realize that was a nickname.”

Instinctively she tisked, “I told them to stop calling me that, it makes me sound like a boy. I hate nicknames.” 

“If it’s not Jack then what’s your name?” He prodded. 

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” She challenged with a smile. 

“You can call me Bucky.” “Your mother named you Bucky?”

“My mother named me John but—”

“Lovely to meet you, John.” She stuck her free hand out and smiled wider when he took it in his own. “I’m Jacqueline.”

____ 

The officer’s club was full of laughter and music and men working off the restless energy that came with surviving another day. Normally Bucky would be right there with them, right in the thick of it. But he’d flown his first mission that day. He’d gone up and it hadn’t been anything like he thought. He couldn’t even remember what he thought it would be like. Bucky studied the glass in his hands. His hands had done terrible things that day, his hands were nothing like her’s. Nothing like Jacqueline. 

For some reason Bucky hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. He’d never felt like this before, focused so much in on one woman. But he kept thinking about how delicate her paint stained hands looked and the way her scratching at a wayward piece of hair on her face made him realize that she was a woman and not a man like he’d been expecting. Bucky felt ridiculous for being so worked up over a broad’s hands but here he was, a mess. It had only been a couple of days but his thoughts kept coming back to the woman he hadn’t been able to find since meeting on the hardstand. The endless meetings with Colonel Huglin and various other staff hadn’t given him the free time he wanted to search for Jacqueline but at least that afternoon he’d worked out that she wasn’t a mechanic. His mistake had been assuming that her getup had been her uniform. Now he was back to square one. 

A loud cackle broke through over the general noise of the crowd and Bucky couldn’t help but look for the source. There was a group of women by the corner of the dance floor and they looked like they were trying to contain one of them. Bucky watched and took in the view as they joked amongst themselves. The redhead, whose back had been to him, stepped out of the way and Bucky got a better look at the rest of the women in the group. Immediately his eyes jumped to the woman closest to the dance floor, the one with one hand on her hip while the other fanned at her face. She was wearing a rich blue dress that complimented her chestnut hair falling loosely around her face. He’d always liked the color blue but now he knew it was his favorite. She wasn’t wearing red lipstick like the rest of them but Bucky didn’t mind. She seemed to be entertaining her friends and making them laugh; he could tell from all the way across the room that she’d be the life of the party by his side. She was beautiful and Bucky needed to talk to her, needed to dance with her. Anything at all. He was a man starved.

But before he could make a move Lieutenant McDaniel was by his side and Bucky knew he was trapped. By the time he managed to get away from the conversation he’d lost her. Bucky kept his eyes peeled as the night went on, always looking over his shoulder. He’d catch glimpses but then she’d be gone before he could reach her. He couldn’t focus. He blamed his poor darts performance on the booze and joked that he’d come back around once he cleared his head. He wandered back over to the bar defeated. First he’d lost Jacquline and now he’d lost this mystery woman. If any of his guys found out he’d let them slip through his fingers they wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. Bucky’s reputation would never recover. He needed to pull himself together. He downed the last of his drink in one go and asked for another. As he waited for his drink he turned to lean against the bar top and look out over the room. His heart skipped a beat. 

There she was in the middle of a group of women settling down around a table across the hall. She sat down in the seat against the wall, the only one facing him directly. A wave of desire rushed over him, an overwhelming sense of longing that had Bucky feeling like a kid with his first crush. 

“Major.”

Bucky turned around and accepted the drink the bartender was offering him. “Thanks.” He lifted the glass in a cheers motion then turned back around with his eyes immediately going back to the woman. 

Something one of the girls said made her throw her head back in laughter again and Bucky instantly felt himself smiling along with her. The woman was a vision; Bucky wanted to have his way with her. She grabbed her hair all in one hand and pulled it up and away from her face. She fanned herself with the other, still laughing with her friends. When she pulled her hair back the woman had exposed the side of her face and neck so Bucky could now take in her full profile. He almost dropped his drink when he realized he knew that jawline. It was Jacqueline. He’d been eyeing Jacqueline all night and didn’t even realize. He could practically hear Buck in his ear teasing him for being such a fool. 

Without thinking Bucky set his drink on the bar and headed straight for Jacqueline. One of her friends, the redhead, saw him first and elbowed Jacqueline in the side to get her attention. John felt something settle in him when she met his eyes; it felt so right to have her looking at him. He’d always loved attention but never had it hit so right than now. 

“Jacqueline.”

“John.”

He reached out a hand. “Dance with me, doll?” 

“Doll?” she cocked an eyebrow at the endearment but before Bucky could worry about being turned down she was pushing her chair out from the table and standing up. “I can’t promise I’m a good dance partner. I’ll probably step on your toes.”

“A worthy sacrifice to have you in my arms.” He pulled her onto the dance floor and twirled her around, smiling when she giggled as she spun. 

“Smooth talker, are you?” Jaqueline said as she settled into his arms and followed his lead as they started to dance. 

“I’m whatever I need to be when the situation calls.” he boasted.

Jacqueline laughed. “Spoken like a real American.” 

Bucky looked down at her confused but defensive. “What’s wrong with speaking like an American?”

“Nothing at all! Just that you lot tend to act before thinking and seem to think you can handle everything on your own.” 

Bucky was quick to heat with anger but took a second to consider what she’d said. “Where are you from, then? Because your accent sounds an awful lot like mine.” 

“Alright, you got me.” Jacqueline winked at Bucky like she was letting him on a secret. “I’m a Yank like you.” 

“Do you not consider yourself American?” He watched Jacqueline chew on her lip while thinking how to answer. Now that he had her up close Bucky was grateful Jacqueline had forgone the red lipstick for something closer to her natural lip color. He was having a hard enough time keeping his cool as it was. if her full lips were fully painted up Bucky wasn’t sure he had the self control to stay respectable.

“I spent most of my life over here.” She finally answered. “I can’t even remember the last time I was in the States.” she took another moment to think. “It was probably when my mother passed. No, it can’t have been that long, I had to have been back since then. But maybe… no. Hmm… Wow.” she blushed, probably embarrassed at her rambling, and shook her head. “I guess I haven’t been back in nine years? Almost ten.” 

“That’s a long time to be away from home.” 

“Not if it never felt like home to begin with.” Jacqueline said with an unbothered shrug. 

“I can’t wait to figure you out.” Bucky said without thinking first. He quickly turned to look away from Jacqueline to hide his face in case he really was blushing like he felt. 

“It’s still early days.” Jacqueline mused. “We’ve got time.” 

The song ended and the pair separated to join in the applause for the band. A slower song started up and Bucky was quick to pull Jacqueline back against him before she could escape. She didn’t resist him and settled into his arms, leaning her head on his chest. The thing that had settled into him before dug itself deeper. He hadn’t felt like this since his first days learning to fly. 

They danced without talking for a while until Bucky leaned down close to Jacqueline’s ear and whispered, “I looked for you, you know.” 

“You looked for me?” she pulled slightly away stared at him with a look of bewilderment. “What do you mean? Why?” 

“Because I wanted to see you.” he said honestly. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” 

Jacqueline mouth dropped open in surprise. She seemed to be lost for words and Bucky loved that. He loved throwing people off their game. He stared at her mouth and took note of the slight smudge of pale lipstick on the corner of her mouth. He wanted to kiss it. He cleared his throat and pushed down his instincts that were begging him to wrap Jacqueline fully in his arms and give into all temptation. He was going to take a page from Buck’s book and be a gentleman about this. 

_____

Jacqueline was already at the bar when the Major came through the doors. A couple of cheers went up at his entrance and she couldn’t help but smile into her drink at the reaction. She loved the theatrics. But she’d done her research and she couldn’t believe she’d been so informal around someone with such a high rank. It didn’t make her want him any less, but it did intensify her nerves. Rank implied status and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get back into the world of status. She watched as he wove his way through the crowd. He didn’t stop talking for a second. Jacqueline wasn’t sure why she was so endeared by his working the room. 

The couple next to her left the bar leaving more than enough room for him to come up next to her. Jacqueline set her glass down on the bar and tried to straighten herself up. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him. Should she wait for him to say something first? She was awful at intentional flirting. Jacqueline glanced over her shoulder and then whipped her head back around. He was almost at the bar and Jacqueline knew he was going to come up next to her. This was it. 

But then he didn’t recognize her. Didn’t even spare her a glance. Jacqueline wanted to laugh she was so mortified but held it in. Based off of the rumors she really thought he’d at least look at her even if he didn’t start flirting. She took a deep drink of her gin and tonic as she listened to the Major order a pint and make small talk with the airman on his other side. Her body felt like it was on fire she was so hyperaware of her surroundings. She felt beyond silly for getting her hopes up that he would want to talk to her again. It had been such a brief thing; they’d barely talked. It didn’t matter how nicely she tried to put herself together, it didn’t matter how long she’d spent on her hair and makeup. Her first impression had come and gone. She’d lost her chance to blow the Major away.

“Another round? Gin and tonic, right?” The bartender asked as she finished off her drink. 

“Please. Thank you.” She said with a smile but barely met the bartender’s eyes. As soon as she had her new cocktail she slipped away from the bar and into the crowd. 

Her original plan of doing something — admittedly she hadn’t gotten far enough along to actually plan anything, she’d been counting on John to do most of the doing — was useless now so she figured to hell with it. She was going to enjoy her night with her girls. Her closest friends and coworkers, Ginny and Elizabeth, cheered when she returned to them. Jacqueline thanked her past self for not telling them about meeting the Major. She knew they would tease and end up repeating the stories that had started spreading through the base. It didn’t do her any good to think about all of the women John had slept with. Maybe it was for the best that Jacqueline was forgettable. She needed to keep thinking about him as the Major, not as John. He was just a nice man she’d met and that was that. 

An hour later and her friends were all sitting around a table, laughing at Ginny’s imitation of their old supervisor. Jacqueline pulled all of her hair back from her face, twisted it around in her hand and held it up at the back of her head. With her other hand she fanned at her face. She’d worked up a sweat dancing and her hand was doing nothing to help her cool down. Jacqueline had just made up her mind to go out and grab some air since she was so hot, maybe she’d even turn in for the night, when Elizabeth elbowed Jaqueline in the side. 

“What was—” Jacqueline’s voice broke off when she followed Elizabeth’s line of site and saw the Major walking towards them. He was looking right at her and when she met his eyes he grinned. The other girls at their table turned to see what Jacqueline and Elizabeth were staring at and the conversation had died by the time John reached their table. 

“Jacqueline.” 

She felt butterflies when he said her name. 

“John.” She replied with a smile. Then she’d taken his offered hand and followed him out to dance floor. 

She’d spent the rest of the night wrapped up in John’s orbit. Even when they weren’t dancing John had kept her close, a warm presence that Jaqueline didn’t mind despite hating the heat. Normally Jacqueline was only good at being lively and social at the beginning of the night, more often than not she would slip out early to sooth her introverted nature begging to be alone. But somehow she loved being constantly surrounded with John by her side. It was easy to maintain a smile and keep up with the jokes being thrown around with the weight of John’s arm around her waist. 

Time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and too soon John was walking her back to her hut, the perfect gentleman despite the rumors. Jaqueline wondered if this was what flying felt like; oddly enough she felt weightless with her arm wrapped around John’s. 

“When can I see you again?” John asked when they were almost at her hut. 

“It’s a small base, I’m sure we’ll run into each other.” she said coyly. Jacqueline didn’t have a lot of experience with men but she knew with men like John she had to hold her ground. “I’m sure you could find me if you really wanted.”

“Is that a challenge?” He sounded excited, like Jacqueline had given him some sort of gift. 

“You think you can manage finding me?” 

“I’ll manage it all for you, whatever you ask.” 

John’s words were what Jacqueline had always wanted to hear from a man but she knew to be wary. “You should be careful saying things like that to a girl. She might get her hopes up.” 

“And if I want her to?”

That took Jacqueline by surprise. She spluttered, “Then you should show her you care. Talk is useless if it’s just that.” 

“Good thing I’m a man who acts.” And with that John twisted Jacqueline towards him. His hand went right to the side of her face and he cradled her jaw as he pulled her in for a kiss. 

Jacqueline didn’t even pretend to be respectable. As soon as John’s lips were on her’s she was desperate for more. She pulled her arm out from being trapped between them and wrapped it around John’s back to bring him closer. It was clear he hadn’t expected Jacqueline to escalate the kiss but he was quick to match her energy. He moved his hand into the thick of her hair and Jacqueline couldn’t hold back her moan when he tugged at it to bring her closer to him. 

Her moan seemed to snap John out of it and he ripped himself away from Jacqueline, breathing hard. He took a couple of steps back leaving Jacqueline standing there looking like some strung out floozy with slick lips and wide eyes. She figured she should be embarrassed by how scandalous she was sure to look but she couldn’t seem to care when John seemed to be just as out of sorts. They looked at each other in silence, their heavy breathing the only noise between them. And then they both started to laugh loudly into the night. John came back to Jacqueline’s side.

“I’ll come find you.” He promised with a kiss to the top of her head. Another to her forehead. 

“I’m looking forward to it, Major.” She gave him a wave before entering her hut. She waited a minute until she let out a giggle and danced around the empty hut like the teenage girl she was feeling like. 

Jacqueline spent the next day on edge waiting for John to pop up at any moment. She meant what she said: Thorpe Abbotts wasn’t a big base. There were only so many places one could hide and she wasn’t even trying to hide. But to her dismay John never showed. She felt like such a fool for getting her hopes up. Her mood the following day went from bad to worse when the forts started rolling in after the mission. Lieutenant McDaniel’s fort, the one John was flying on, hadn’t come back. John was gone.

That afternoon Jacqueline was lost in thought staring out the minuscule window. The forest around the base reminded her of the years spent in Switzerland even though the two looked nothing alike. She had been such a child back then; the world had been so big back when she was young and now Jacqueline felt so small standing in the corner of the switchboard room. She felt so naive for losing herself over a flyboy so quickly, especially one she barely knew. Her cousin had joked that Jaqueline would find herself a pilot and finally have one of those romances that inspired great art. Even her aunt had commented on the possibility of her work leading to producing something she never thought possible. But just because the first world war and her various lovers had inspired her aunt to write didn’t mean Jacqueline was the same. Jacqueline was nauseous thinking about using her heartbreak as inspiration. Maybe this was why she couldn’t consider herself a proper artist.

The sound of her coworkers arguing pulled Jacqueline from her thoughts. It was no surprise they were talking about her. Nor was it a surprise they would do so openly in front of her without care. After all the time they’d spent together the three of them didn’t hold anything back. 

“At least she got out quick.”

“Bloody hell, Ginny. That’s awful to say.” Elizabeth dropped her nail file on the ground as she looked up scandalized.

“I’m just saying!” Ginny defended herself. “You can’t tell me that the heartache would be the same if they’d been together for ages. She’s better off this way!”

Elizabeth bent down to reach under her chair. She picked up her nail file and pointed it accusingly at Ginny. “But you don’t need to say that!”

“It’s important to see the bright side!” 

“It’s also important to have more than a couple of hours to process losing someone. You of all people should know better.” Elizabeth chastised. 

Ginny’s face went red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. “I was just trying to help.” She pouted, bitter that Elizabeth had poked at her sore spot.  “It’s okay, Ginny.” Jacqueline stepped away from the window and turned back around to face her friends. She gave them a weak smile in an effort to assure them but she could tell from their faces it didn’t work. 

Their office was small, enough room to maneuver around their chairs but not much beyond that. It felt as cramped as their switchboards looked. But luckily the girls knew how to make the space work, having worked together for almost two and a half years. When Jacqueline had been approached to transfer to Thorpe Abbotts until the Americans could get their crew up and running she said she’d only go if she could pick who would work underneath her. Ginny and Elizabeth hadn’t let her down and Jacqueline was beyond grateful she didn’t have to navigate this new world alone. 

She plopped down into her chair and let out a deep sigh. “You’re both right, I suppose.” 

“How’re you doing?” Elizabeth asked gently. 

Jacqueline shrugged. “As expected.” 

“I’m assuming you don’t want to get a drink with us then, after we get off?” 

“No one’s getting off anymore.” 

“Ginny!” Elizabeth, as always, was scandalized by Ginny’s comment but Jacqueline was laughing despite herself. 

“I didn’t even get off to begin with.” She confessed after she stopped giggling. 

“All that and you didn’t—”

“When would I have had the time to shag him?” Jacqueline asked with a tired sigh. “You know I haven’t seen him since.” 

Ginny was quiet for a moment but then said, “At least you snogged.” 

Jaqueline’s heart hurt as she thought about how John had looked at her when he pulled away from their kiss after he walked her back to her hut. “At least there’s that.” she sighed again. 

An alarm rang out and the girls sprung to attention. 

“I got it.” Jacqueline motioned for the other two to settle back into their chairs while she put on her headset. She connected the right wire then said, “Good afternoon, this is RAF Thorpe Abbotts. How may I direct your call?” 

____ 

He thought it was a dream at first, that made he’d hit his head at some point during the mission and was losing it. But his gut told him he recognized the voice of the operator who answered his call. He cleared his throat. 

“This is Major Egan. We’re out at—”

“John!” the voice was breathless and desperate just like he’d been dreaming. Straight out of his fantasizes and into reality. “Major, are you there?” 

Bucky cleared his throat again and said with a laugh, “Does it count as finding you if I don’t see you?” 

A loud laugh came through the phone and Bucky felt human again. 

[deadbeat-motel]

Just saw and commented on your new sinner designs, LOVE them all so much!

I do have to ask because your Deadbeat Motel lives rent-free in my head at this point, already a much better execution than HH IMO. Would Charlie and Valerie be tryna redeem Crymini, Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb- and possibly Husk and Nifty- or would their main focus of redemption still just be Angel Dust?

And one more question, does our silly awkward transmasc anglerfish king Baxter come into this story at all?

Ah! I'm really happy to hear that since I've been using this as an exercise in writing and character-building. Plus It's genuinely the only way I'm able to enjoy HH as I'm fixing so many big issues that I have about it wasting the potential of some genuinely amazing and creative concepts. (AngelDust, Charlie and Nifty come into mind)

Also, I'm really glad you asked (since looking at my schedule, it might take me a while to finish everyone's rewrites and redesigns) So here's the answer to your question (and a sprinkle of trivia about Deadbeat Motel):

Charlie, Redemption and the Sinners:

Charlie and Valerie will be focusing on redeeming Every sinner of the motel, including Alastor (who in this rewrite, is not a patron of the hotel but a powerful overlord who was roped into this project because of Lilith's meddling).

The sinners and Valerie all have varying degrees of faith in this project (A little spoiler-y but who cares, I'm not making an Amazon show.): > Valerie is in this project because she too wants to know if there is a chance for a sinner (maybe even her) can find some way to become good enough to be accepted in heaven. Despite having been taught to know that the answer is "no.", Charlie has taught her to believe in what others think is impossible. > Angel Dust is honestly only here because it's the first place that feels safe for him. He doesn't believe it's possible to redeem him but he's happy enough to have a place that Val can't find some way to ruin. > Despite his pessimistic outlook, there's a part of him that would want redemption to be possible. His son died fairly young and was in heaven, so far out of his reach. If redemption is possible, then maybe he can see him again. > Nifty is indifferent, to her, it was all grown-up talk she wasn't interested in. Redemption? Blegh, if it was a boy, it would most certainly be one she would stray away from. > Cherri Bomb doesn't care about redemption and frankly thinks it's impossible, she's just here because no other Women Group wants her and this is the only one that wants to accept her that has only 3 men. Even if it's possible, she doubts that the people she hurt want to forgive her. > Crymini doesn't even fully understand why she's here and hates hell. She's just in this project because she thinks she deserves to be up there in heaven. She doesn't believe she needs to do any kind of redeeming. > Alastor has absolutely no faith in the project and that he can be redeemed, he thinks it a waste of time as he knows that even certain people belong in hell (Overlords like himself for example. Humans who earned that spot in hell for their Heinous sins while they were alive.) He's only here because he struck a deal with Lilith to look after Charlie. > Pentious...... I'm still working on her

If I had to rank them from Most redeemable to irredeemable, It'd be: Crymini -> Husk -> Pentious -> Nifty -> Angel Dust -> CherriBomb -> Alastor

Oh! and to be true to the name, they are actually running a small motel instead of the grand hotel we see in the show proper. It makes it feel a lot more tight-knit.

Baxter:

To be real honest with you, I have no idea how to write Baxter into this since There's not much I know of the guy and I try to not have duplicates in this rewrite. The mad scientist role already belongs to Pentious. I might make him Pentious' partner in crime, and possibly make Cherri Bomb feel somewhat threatened that some person may have her snake's heart before she does.

Also, Baxter is the one character I might not want to redesign because miraculously, this is the first Vivziepop design that I have absolutely no problems with. I don't even mind the little bowler hat. It's absolutely adorable!

[littlespacereader]

A Little’s Trip to the Jellycat Diner in NYC!!😆💞🎀

I’m a huge fan of Jellycat stuffed animals! I think they are so cute and especially so soft!! So when I heard they opened a cute experience in FAO Schwarz in NYC I knew I had to go see it for myself!

Before going I have three Jellycats of my own! I have a Manatee, a Sheep and a Kola!

Every time I go to FAO Schwarz I always end up getting a Jellycat since they have a MASSIVE selection. This time they really did not disappoint!

For starters there’s the Jellycat Diner on the first floor of the story! This is where they sell their food stuffed animals! If you ordered a special pack (which included stickers, a pin and a wrapped food such as a hotdog, burger, taco or pizza) they would wrap it like the actual food and give it to you at the diner counter, complete with them hitting a bell and saying you “order number”. It’s such a cute idea!! Below are photos of the food stuffies on the sides of the diner:

Next to the diner was a smaller display of some of their Christmas collection stuffies:

Upstairs they have more of their stuffed animals which are my favorite and go to Jellycats when I come to here! I sadly forgot to take photos of this section but I can describe it to you! This is where all the animal Jellycats hang out! They had a ton of see animals such as whales, shrimps, sea lions, and octopuses. They also had some fall Jellycats such as a pine cone, a fox, and a porcupine. On the back wall they had a mixture of different ones such as dragons, chickens, lions, horses, dogs, cats and more!

I’m the type of Little that has to see EVERYTHING before making a proper decision. So I search that section about 5 times for the perfect Jellycat… and I think I found the best one! I found this elephant section and instantly fell in love with how soft and cuddly the elephant design was! I’m always the type of person who grabs one from the back who isn’t appreciated like the ones in the front, and that’s when I met Wally!

Wally was on the back of the shelf with his head buried. I immediately worried that maybe he had anxiety about how loud store was. So naturally he won my heart over. I immediately grabbed him and brought him close. Maybe we could help each other through our anxieties. So Wally came home with me. He is very happy and has been properly introduced to all my stuffed animals! Here’s Wally back home in my dorm:

Right before I went to check out I noticed this tiny little rattle Jellycat dog. Immediately my little side was screaming at me to get it. It’s such a small size that I reasoned with myself I could take along with me when I travel.

It’s always scary buying something so obviously for a baby. But I do have some advice! For one I took this trip alone to avoid any questions from friend. But when I got to the register with Wally and the rattle I was asked who I was getting it for. The cashier was super nice and was probably just striking up a conversation. So I simply said it a gift for my cousin. Is it? No. This is a gift to myself. But they don’t need to know that! Just make up that you have a younger cousin you’re buying something little or younger for. Trust me it works every time!

But back to the topic of my rattle, I LOVE IT!! The bell is not overwhelmingly and the rattle is super soft! It’s definitely coming with me every time I travel! I named him Spot the Rattle!

I had a great time today!! I’d like to thank everyone again in this post. Your advice really helped me with dealing with the subways today! Thank you again! I hope everyone liked this review of the Jellycat Diner in FAO Schwarz. Comment any questions you have about the store! I’d be happy to answer them!

-Clara🥰💞🎀

[rascalentertainments]

I actually haven’t used the Ask box so I hope I’m using it right 😭 but I have some questions about your rewrite…

What was Flazino’s Wish like? Something about the hamlet or was it personal?

Will Star have some kind of panic attack or maybe something similar when he witnessed a wish getting eaten?

I’ve seen that the wishes are somewhat sentient, so what were their reactions when wishes get eaten?

Will Asha have a magical dress transformation? If so, COULD I HELP DESIGN IT?!

How long has Magnifico had the evil book?

Sabor’s favorite treat?

Are people more judgmental in Rosas due to being exhausted from their wishes taken?

Have children been affected by their parents’ behavior? 

Could I potentially design a wish poster 👉👈

How entertaining are wish ceremonies?

Would Rosas be more heavily guarded since Asha and Star escaped from the Queen?

Will Star ever open up to Asha about his loneliness?

What do Star and Asha have in common? 

And finally, does Star think of fireworks when viewing them from the Stratosphere?

Okay that’s all of them, have a good day!!!

Hey there! Wow you got some great questions here, let's get started! (P.S you used it right! I just need to make a proper link!)

Flazino's wish is to study magic because he believes he can help others with it. Things like replenishing water supply, heal sickness that medicine can't, plants can come back to life and bring crops, ect. While he can't fully do that right now, he helps with what he can for the Hamlet.

Yes! He gets a connection to the wishes when he touches them, so when Flazino and the old woman's wishes are crushed, he can feel like something has hit him, hard. (When Asha is danger of dying he actually starts feeling like he's dying as well since they're connected) and it happens again when Magnifico tries to absorb Star into the staff. Its supposed to feel as big as space inside, but it terrifies him because it will be like he's alone in space again.

Fear, mostly because anyone of them could be next, whether Mags goes for them or their wishers.

YES, YES SHE WILL!! AND YES, YOU CAN DESIGN IT! I've been brainstorming ideas for a while and the idea I had came to me on Pinterest. Something like this below, using the star patterns/constellations and mash tails and then apply them to the second picture of one of Asha's concept dresses.

5. He's had the book for about 10 years. He started using it more recently when he and his wife began to plan to steal a star from the sky.

6. Goat If Amaya can't provide baked salmon treats, then he likes to lurk around Rosas' to find the few rodents from underground. Makes him feels like he's in the wild.

7. Yes, the wishes being taken has begun taking their tolls on their positivity. Besides the drowsiness, they get a little suspicious of others, and it gets worse when Magnifico makes and order to turn in Asha, Star and other traitors they find or hear about!

8. A little. They still have their wishes and youth, so most of them don't notice. But once some do, they began to worry somethings wrong and ask Mags for help.

9. HECK YEAH YOU CAN!! 😃 I've had the image in my mind for months, so I'll send to you the vision I have in my head later on, it gives the biggest Disney vibes!

10. Oh they're a blast! 😂 Its full of music fanfare, fireworks, confetti, spotlights, the whole Hollywood deal! (Then they steal their souls/wishes) Even though its supposed to be about the person making their wishes, but the royals always make it about themselves. 😂 In fact, that's something coming in its own mini story, and when we reach the third act! It'll be like that Far Far Away Red Carpet scene from Shrek 2!

11. Definitely! After Star gets revealed and the traitor exposes them, the castle is double guarded, so the team goes into hiding in Bazeema's quiet hideaway.

12. Sometime before At All Costs and when Asha sees how Star is shaken up by almost being trapped in Mags' staff. He even stops smiling for a while and it really worries her. Seeing him not smile is like the sun not shining. Its unnatural.

13. Besides both having a desire to help others, they both love seeing the world. They even both are full of joy. Only Star is always showing it while Asha believes she had to push it down after her father died. When she sees how he always gives his joy to others, including repairing the pencil her father gave her, that's when she realizes she's falling in love with Star.

14. He at first thinks they're other stars shining on Earth, but once he sees that they're big beautiful light shows similar to nebula formations, he gets really excited! He wants to know how humans see them from below, just like the sunset.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, @ishadow246! That was so much fun, feel free to ask more at anytime! Can't wait to see what art you're cooking up next! 😁

[shinysamurott9]

I finished Xenoblade X again today and... wow.

OK so, I played Xenoblade X for the first time last year in a marathon of Xenoblade 1, X, and 2, and honestly, compared to 1 & 2, I didn't enjoy it as much. It was the only one I didn't really know much about going in. I felt like it had a lot of good parts, but I hadn't any idea what I was doing because the game has literally no tutorials and I ended up stumbling through the game when I wasn't able to use my Skell, so I just didn't have as much fun with it compared to the trilogy.

However, after finishing Xenogears and the Xenosaga Trilogy, I thought it would be a good idea to give X another shot as a nice way to bookend playing the Xeno series, specifically after watching some guides and learning how the combat actually works (Thanks Enel)

And, holy shit. Out of every game I've ever played, this and DMC 3 are the ones I'm most glad I gave a second chance. I genuinely could not stop thinking about this game after I started playing again. Before I stopped pretty much as soon as I beat the final boss, this time I went literally all the way and completed the entire Mira Survey. I'm just gonna take this chance to go in and incoherently go off about about all the stuff I have in my head about this beautiful mess of a game.

Ok so the combat. Overdrive, is a completely balanced mechanic that doesn't allow you to completely take the main game’s difficulty and snap it over your knee like a fucking twig. Except it is. Like, it is honestly comical just how trivial almost everything becomes with the right arts on your build. And if you throw really busted arts like Ghostwalker/Ghost Factory or Blossom Dance into the mix, literally nothing can stand up to you bar the literal endgame superbosses, and a big part of that is just because a lot of them, Telethia in particular, are in positions where you literally can't fight them on foot and realistically survive without a highly specialised build. But with that proper build, that probably takes a lot of grinding, you can still beat them fairly quickly, save for Levael The Terminus, because it's literally in the middle of the ocean. All because of this funny counter gear.

Going along with Overdrive, is the amount of customisation this game offers you. Almost every weapon type offers you at least a couple arts that work really well alongside Overdrive. The build I ended up with at the end was a Knife, Dual Gun combination, mainly because Smooth Recovery, is an amazing art for Overdrive, and Black Butterfly and Full Specs are great compliments for an Ether Build with Executioner as the main Damage Art. Yeah sure I ended up using Ghostwalker/Factory like most Endgame builds, but hey that shit is comically busted, and I absolutely love abusing stuff like that, intentional or otherwise. Plus I do enjoy the idea of my Cross, Coraline, using the arts of Irina and Elma, her immediate superior officers in BLADE. Which actually brings me to,

I was honestly surprised at how much thought I ended up putting into my Cross this time around, but it was fun. Not just deciding on a good look both when creating her and finding what gear she'd wear, but also thinking about how her character woukd respond to the situations and dialogue options presented throughout the game. It's to the point that Coraline's basically become my first OC, depending on how you count Milton the Mythrakid I guess, since he's an interpretation of a character we know exists but we haven't seen or heard about. Either way I definitelywant to do more with Coraline. Probably gonna draw her some more as time goes on to get a better feel for the design as well as drawing her skell too just because.

That actually brings me around to the story. I'll be the first to admit that overall X's story falls short compared to the trilogy andveven Gears and Saga but it still has a lot of solid stuff that really git me thinking, in addition to stuff I only picked up the second time around, something Xeno stories have been fantastic with since the beginning with Gears. Obviously spoilers ahead as I talk some notable stuff in the plot

This moment really stuck out for me after simmering on it for a while. Because this idea that memories and the continuation of a person's consciousness are what make them who they are would continue as a prominent thematic plot point in the following games. Xenoblade 2 emphasises it the most heavily with Blades losing their memories with each reawakening, thus they lose their "contuity of consciousness". It's quite literally the central source of conflict for Blades and is everywhere in the main story and side content with characters like Praxis, Theory and Vess. Xenoblade 3 has this too, albeit as a more subtle background element with the Agnian and Kevesi Soldiers effectively being reset upon death as they are reborn, however there are still cases where things slip through the cracks, most notably with Eunie and Ashera. Yet despite that, Monica asserts to Eunie that whatever her past life was, it wasn't her and she didn't make it, all because soldiers simply don't have that continuity of consciousness.

Thinking about it now X has plenty of thematic ideas that 2 & 3 would go on to pull from. Things like a cycle of death and rebirth, something that Blade and NLA are trying to achieve with finding the Lifehold Core. As Lao puts it, they're the lucky ones who can come back as many times as they want. Lao's arc is particularly well done all things considered. A moment early on that stuck out to me was when they were discussing how Lin got her spot on the Whale as a way to repay her parents who were crucial in getting the ship going in the first place. Lao, whether he shows it or not, would have some misgivings about that, and Elma seemingly picks up on that and is quick to point out Lin's own skill were crucial in her getting her spot and that it wasn't just pure nepotism. It's really interesting to see Elma pick up on Lao's misgivings so early. If we do ever get an X sequel, which I do think and hope we will sooner or later, I'll be very curious to see where Lao's character goes from here. Speaking of characters who I really want to learn more about,

Elma is a really interesting character honestly despite the many unanswered questions surrounding her, it just has me more intrigued to learn more about her. The question of what her species and planet are like is one i really want to see explored someday. Funnily enough, 2 actually gave us a breadcrumb of that. Elma has a line when receiving a Seafood pouch item, one of her favourite categories, where she expresses fascination with the concept. "Making meals out of marine lifeforms, fascinating" which I've always taken as her species just straight up not having a concept of seafood. Idk why, it's such a minor inconsequential detail that isn't even from X but I always found that super interesting. Her designs are also two of my favourites in the Xeno series, especially dince they double as subtle references to Kos-Mos and T-Elos. I think I lean a little more towards Alien Elma though, something about the crystal hair is really cool to me.

A few other Miscellaneous things I can think of:

The sidequests are fantastic. While many are a little tedious, they do a really good job of building the world and fleshing out the natures and cultures of the different alien species that come to inhabit NLA.

The Affinity Missions go hand in hand with this, they do a great job of fleshing out all the different party members all the while giving you an avenue to learn their unique abilities. Most of those party members are also really well developed abd mostly compelling characters. Even the most if the ones who seem like assholes at first, like Boze or HB, do get better as their affinity missions progress. They clearly knew it was a great concept as it came back in 2 & 3 with the Blade Quests and Hero + Ascension Quests.

The ost is fucking incredible, I've been adding X music to my personal playlist over the course of my playthrough because there's so much good stuff in it. It's honestly criminal how much you end up missing because the Overdrive and Flight themes override 90% of them.

Skells are incredibly cool and a brilliant way to bring in the concept of mech combat systems from the previous Xeno games.

Phew, I think that's everything I've had to say. I've called out many of this game's flaws in other places and most of that I do still stand by. The game is in desperate need of an actual tutorial and QoL improvements. The game's draw distance can be quite frustrating at times trying to find specific things or characters and getting certain materials can be a really annoying grind, (Neinail Materials), but if you can put up with that there is a hell of a game there. I don't know if I'd consider it better than the trilogy, just because it has more complete stories, but it's quite close.

Overall I'm so happy I gave X a second shot and now I'll definitely be there waiting for a port or sequel. It's easily the most underrated game I've ever played. I'm confident it'll happen at some point but either way I'l likely have more Xeno stuff to play in the meantime if whatever's next is Xenoblade 4.

My reaction to this game.

[acethatlovesdinos]

I made a post way early in my blog about how certain fe3h characters would be better if they weren't so dedicated to a single other person or ideal.

for example; Seteth and Flayn are wonderful people, with unique personalities and a well-developed design and backstory.

At several points in the story, regardless of route, you can even see Seteth question some of Rhea's actions and decisions....and it left me longing for a story in which I could fight alongside the Empire but maintain a bond with my beloved saints. (I'm sorry I really just don't like the archbishop leave me be lmao). Plus she kinda loses her mind during CF too, and I'm positive they'd catch on and be concerned.

Anyway so this story is gonna take place at some point along Crimson Flower, and Reader is meant to be the former professor of the Black Eagles. Whether it's Byleth or a self-insert, that's for you to decide, anyway enough rambling let's goooo

1.6k words, angst galore

first person SetethxReader(Byleth?) Alois also makes an appearance

warnings: Literal warzone in the beginning. Reader is shot (with arrows). not sure if it counts as a warning but I used the term "saints" and "goddess" in the context where we usually would say "god" since it seemed fitting lol

~~~~~~~

I sent off the last messenger hawk, watching it fly over the horizon and out of sight.

Communication and negotiations have gone surprisingly well so far, and the Church has agreed to meet up and talk. Edelgard and I agreed that talking it out would be a good first step to avoid more bloodshed, but just in case they had other plans, we would be bringing an army with us.

The day we set for negotiating finally arrived, and we rode up to Magdred in droves. Seemed they had the same idea, as an entire army stood behind Seteth, sat nobly on his wyvern's back.

I stepped off my horse, leaving my sword with it. The only movement in the field was between the high priest and myself, slowly walking toward one another. It was eerily silent, the wind whistling through the trees hushing every other sound.

We finally met in the center of the field, and I parted my lips to speak. "Seteth. I-"

I froze, my ears perking up just in time to pick up an all-too-familiar sound. I knew what it was, but I couldn't react fast enough.

SHNK.

SHNK.

SHNK.

All at once, before I could even move, three arrows found their place deep within my chest.

My heart pounded in my ears. I stared at Seteth, shock, fear, and betrayal rampant in my expression. I was unarmed. I was there to talk. Why did they...? But his eyes seemed to share the same feelings. It...didn't make sense.

Everything was silent, all sides too taken aback to even realize what happened.

My stance swayed, I staggered for a second, then I fell, the metal pieces of my armor clanking as they met the dirt.

Hell broke loose once my head hit the ground. I heard roars from both sides as each army advanced, enveloping the field in violent noise that had been silent mere moments ago.

Someone grabbed me. I...I couldn't tell who. My eyes wouldn't focus, my body felt cold. I was pulled into a protected embrace, and a distant voice echoed in my ears as the warmth of rushed, desperate healing spells washed over me.

"Y/N! Y/N, listen to me! Keep your eyes open! I need you to stay awake, please! Hold on!"

Saints above, everything ached when my eyes opened again. My pained groan alerted the guardian at my side, Alois, who looked like he hadn't slept in days. A shaken gasp made way for a relieved sigh and a tired smile, and I could tell it took a lot of internal force for him not to hug me.

A proper look around made me realize I was in the infirmary back at Garreg Mach, and three bloodied patches of bandage stretched across my torso. Ouch. Manuela knelt by a different cot, no doubt tending to another casualty from the fight.

"I...I don't remember much. I walked up to talk, and I heard the arrows...then...?"

Alois sighed. "Yeah. We had to retreat afterward, but so did they. We're...still trying to figure things out." As if he sensed the rising panic in my mind, he immediately followed, "your class is fine. Edelgard took the lead after you fell." I nodded, relief overtaking the stabbing pain in my chest. They weren't my students anymore, but I still call them 'my kids' now and again. He smiled weakly. "...just like you to be worried about your allies despite your own injuries."

I chuckled, but the moment was brief, and I clutched my chest. The rumble of laughter just shot the pain through me. With a sigh and a stretch, I pulled myself to sit up, getting a better look at the room. As expected, there wasn't a single empty cot in the room, and my heart ached for the wounded. My eyes scanned the room then froze as my gaze set on a guest, sitting in a chair near the door. His emerald eyes locked with mine, and a sneer pulled at my lips. His name fell from my mouth like acid, as if I spat a curse between the syllables.

"Seteth."

He almost flinched at my voice, looking away with so many emotions behind his eyes. Alois put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Ease up, kid... he's the reason you're still breathing..." I paused. The...reason? No, that couldn't be right. "...he shielded your body with his own back, Y/N. Didn't dare leave your side til the battle ended, and after the fact, he carried you here himself."

So the arms I felt before I passed out...the relief of my injuries on the field...that was...him? I scoffed. "That can't be right..."

I looked back at the holy man, who had stood up and begun to approach. Now that I got a better look at him, he was completely different than how he once held himself. Tired circles lined his eyes, and his usually perfectly styled hair lay askew. His gilded headband was gone, and after a moment's realization, so too were his priestly robes, replaced by one of Hanneman's suits. Unable to help myself, I grinned. "Oh Saints, you look terrible. You a hostage now or something? Did we capture you?" I knew it was petty and childish, but Goddess, it felt good to get back at him in some way. Watching his cheeks redden at the comment made it even better.

He sighed, familiar frustration returning to his tone. "Y/N, the answer to this predicament is simple, you need only to listen." He took a breath, crossing his arms. "I have elected to resign from my position as Rhea's right hand."

...What?

He took a deep breath. "After careful consideration, I determined it would be safer for Flayn and me to make some...adjustments." he sighed. "If you truly are the goddess incarnate as Rhea said, then I have not yet abandoned my faith, but even if you are not, then I will not stray. I...I fear Rhea has...lost herself, in her efforts to overcome this. She is not who she once was, and I feel strongly that she no longer possesses the same values she once held."

I could only laugh, if only at the irony of the situation. "You've suddenly switched sides, and ever so conveniently now that we've got the upper hand. Siding with the victors, I see....can't say I blame you."

He frowned. "Beyond that, the battle that unfolded those days ago was the last time I was going to tolerate her going behind my back." At my confusion, he continued. "I questioned the archers after the fight, specifically the three who fired at you. I had given them explicit instruction not to make a move unless the Empire struck first. We had arranged that meeting out of mutual trust, and I had full intent of respecting that."

That made me frown more. "So then, why did they-?"

He sighed. "Rhea apparently pulled them aside before we left. She told them that you would be conniving and that you would attack me when my guard was down. She told them that once you were in range, they were to fire. Those directions were not known to me until I had practically interrogated them after the battle."

He shook his head. "My negligence caused you grave injury, and I felt...fully responsible for that. At this point I can only beg your forgiveness."

I was quiet for a long while, trying to process his words. "...You and I have stood as enemies for the last five years. Why weren't you just grateful for my downfall?"

"....because...we didn't...I..." he paused, trying to find the words. "I never wanted to be your enemy. But...I was blinded by my obedience to the Archbishop, and my dedication to Seiros. I never wanted this to happen. Flayn has been more at risk in these last five years than she ever was in years past, and the sooner we can conclude this war, the better it will be for us.

I sighed. Of course it was about her. Its always her when it comes to his concerns.

"But...more than that..."

I paused. There's more?

"I am well aware that there are no excuses...but I'd like to explain why I acted how I did." He sighed. "I've seen you fight for years now, watching you lead hundreds of battles to victory. Each and every time, you looked...ethereal, almost divine....untouchable. Somehow, in your incredible strength, your elegant visage, it left my mind that you could get hurt." He frowned. "I'm sure it sounds ridiculous now, but...that was it. And...the moment I saw the arrows pierce your flesh, it felt like the rest of the world disappeared. The realization, that...you could get hurt...that...that you could...die? I just...I don't know. I couldn't....I didn't want to face the possibility of a world without you in it."

He took a deep breath.

"Y/N. That scare made me realize something I should have seen long ago...and that I wish I could have pursued at a better time. But...the truth is...it is that I love you, Y/N."

I sat silent, shocked at every word as I stared up at the fallen priest. What? After everything that unfolded, after all that happened...so much going on...this is what he has to say? I didn't even know where to begin.

My face shifted, void of any feelings, any possible thought. A cold scowl hid my confusion and frustration.

"Get out."

He paused, opening his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to interject.

"This...really isn't a good time for something like this. Please...just go."

Seteth stared at me, so many thoughts behind his now glossy eyes, so many words under a bitten tongue, but he nodded wordlessly and excused himself from the infirmary. Alois gently put a hand on my arm, but I brushed him away and laid back down. "Not now...please." i let out a shaky breath that I didn't realize I had been holding, and hugged myself as I tried to still my racing mind and heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aaaaaaaa that went so much longer than I expected but I hope you guys liked it! Let me know if a part 2 interests anyone! Aaaaa i love writing :]

[bosskie]

Success

Man, just got some new ideas what kind of Molluck stuff to draw... So yeah, I just felt like kinda recreating that one Molluck concept art piece like this since man, it's such a handsome piece of art and I love it! Though, this is still a sketch-like thing. He just looks somehow so pleased there that I wanted to keep that emotion here. But I have also wanted to draw Molluck around neon lights for some time, so I kinda combined these two ideas.

I feel like I have somehow understood how to deal with this paper, though I wouldn't use it for proper stuff and it's actually sketching paper, so yeah, just for sketching. I do like how crayon-like these colour pencils look and how well they mix and blend. I don't know how usual it is for artists to feel clueless about what they are doing... I mean, I just had no idea again how to create the colours of Molluck's head with this light but I could figure out good enough colours. It just feels like there somewhere I might know what I'm doing but my conscious mind doesn't...

Frankly, I'm unsure of what suit to draw Molluck wearing since it's unknown if this version of Molluck had a purple suit too... That one Molluck doll in the opening cutscene has that old design, but it might be a 'legacy thing', something that was created before Molluck got his new design I mean, and they didn't bother to change it. In the SoulStorm artbook it can be seen that first, they did use the New 'n' Tasty model (but you can also see that Gluk model in that Vykker's Lab's test cutscene thing; I still wonder who that Gluk is, just cannot be totally sure if it's Molluck or not... He owns the SoulStorm Brewery though.). But I personally prefer this suit for this Molluck, so I draw him wearing it. Dunno if he has multiple different suits or if he is one of those who just has multiple 'copies' of the same outfit...

But yeah, I also got another idea that I tried to figure out first but I wasn't pleased enough with my realization idea of it, so I let it be for now. But that idea was related to the shady side of his business. But despite of realizing that side of him, I'm still unable to see him as evil... It's just much more complex than that and I don't like to simplify things being just 'good' or 'evil'. He didn't found RuptureFarms but was sent to lead it. But it seems that the SoulStorm brew was developed during his time, at least SoulStorm gives this impression. It also came to my mind to think how Molluck called Abe 'uneducated', which strengthens my view of that Molluck has been taught to be like this, grown up having these views, but he also lives in a cruel world, so he gotta do what he needs to in order to survive. Man, I really wish to know how Gluks are educated... Like, how and what did Molluck study...

But I do love this Gluk, no matter what he has done. I just don't wanna care about moral stuff here. If he is a bastard, then we are bastards together! Yeah, like I have said multiple times, I'm a 'Glukhugger'. They have just been always my fave species in Oddworld... I cannot help it, I just love them!

[glapplebloom]

I saw SatAM trending because of this, so why not give it my thoughts.

SatAM is one of the first animated series for Sonic the Hedgehog. Since this was the 90s and only two games were released at the time with no dedicated cutscenes, DiC took this concept and ran wild in two different directions. While Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was more cartoony, SatAM was a serious story. Serious in kids standards at least.

Dr. Robotnik has taken over Mobotropolis and it is up to Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to stop him from taking over the world. It was so popular, it inspired Archie Sonic to continue making comics after 50 issues. Though by that point any similarities to SatAM were surface level. So the question remains: should Sega bring back the Freedom Fighters into the Main Sonic line proper? Let’s look at the Reasons I can see for and against it.

SEGA should bring back the Freedom Fighters

Popularity: First premiering in 1993, fans of them are still talking about them to this day. The fact that SatAM was trending in 2024 definitely shows that there are still people willing to support these characters.

IDW: They would be super easy to establish into the Main Series thanks to IDW. Since those comics are considered canon, there could be an issue where the opposite side of the Restoration is having troubles and only Sonic can reach them in time. You can introduce them properly there.

Ian Flynn: Ian Flynn loves them and when he was working with Archie he did great things with them. He fixed the issues that they were having before the reboot and made them fit well with the more focused Game Canon in the Reboot. And he’s the current Head Writer of the Sega Games. 

Speed Battles: Look at how easy it is to add characters in this game. They had IDW Exclusive Characters, characters from Sonic Prime, the Sonic Movie versions, even the Lego Versions. They can easily insert the SatAM Cast in here.

Money Making: While I don’t know if they could print the stories that don't have Penders involvement, they could for Ian Flynn’s work. And that means if they can work on an agreement, we could have reprints of those Archie Comics again. And they can use those reprints to reintroduce new fans into these characters so when they do show up in IDW, they can get a leg up.

SEGA shouldn’t bring them back

Archie: While plenty of people who are supporting them are fans of SatAM, I have a feeling a good majority of them are actually following the Archie Version of the Freedom Fighters. And considering how the reboot got looked upon, I can see those who grew up with the comics not liking any direction they would take that isn’t one to one.

Redesigns: Despite the Reboot doing a great job redesigning them to fit more Game Canon, they would have to redesign them again to ensure they don’t look similar to their Archie designs. So there could be a chance people may not be able to recognize them as the Freedom Fighters when they first look at them.

Why not New: Sadly, regardless if they try to keep them as true as possible or give them the Breezie treatment, you probably can get more mileage if you just make a brand new character. They could probably do the same ideas as the Freedom Fighters and possibly more.

Jealousy: By bringing in the SatAM crew, you may get similar people rallying for others from other Sonic cartoons and wondering why not them. I know there are plenty of Sonic X fans who would love to see Tails’ best shipmate.

The Games: Sonic has a large cast of characters. The most we’ve seen recently was Murder Mystery. Whisper and Tangle only showed up in Sonic Forces Speed Battle, a mobile game where adding characters is the sales pitch. The last time they made a game where each character just wasn’t just a different version of the Sonic gameplay was Sonic Unleashed, and they were both Sonic.

My Stance?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I bet if Ian Flynn could bring them back to the Sonic Universe through IDW he would do a great job with them. Then again, I do like what he’s doing now. Belle’s tragic story. Surge and Kitsunami being the Sonic version of the Androids. The Diamond Cutters Interpersonal Relationships that Mimic is hoping to destroy. To add these characters now when we got two of these stories going on right now maybe is asking too much. Maybe when all of that is settled. And I’m still waiting for Sticks the Jungle Badger to return. So far it was just a name drop. And that was in 2022. 

But what about in a game? While I definitely can see ideas for a game using those characters, Sega just released Sonic Frontiers in 2022 and Sonic Superstars 2023. Those are good first steps for those types of gameplay. And they’re going to take a while since they’re working on Sonic X Shadow Generations now. If they would, I wouldn’t trust them until they iron out the Frontiers formula. 

[akitoscorpio]

Dead of winter Pt 10

"EIC Log entry 2, Commissar Bogdan recording the log."

"The boss said he needed what amounted to a 'head of security role' around the base. I guess because I was the one that he trusted the most, not to mention the only that still had all his bits functional, I got the job."

"I had a couple requests though. The main one being he needed to take the Dominion's offer to make him part of their nobility seriously. He finally caved and we started to make him a throne room. I guess it doesn't look great when they have to give you a title in the entryway of the base next to the Paste grinders."

"I wonder if he climbs that ladder enough we can get some proper food around here?"

"Now I had a few idea's how to really impress the Dominion when it came time for them to show up and promote the boss. I had us set up an external mine shaft so we can exploit some of the deeply buried resources under our base to try and muster up something special to doll up the new room."

"It turned out we were parked on top of a deep vein of Eltex, that fancy ore that's used in creating clothes and weapons to make Psycasters a but more potent. The empire loved the stuff."

"Now my original idea was to plate the walls with the stuff, or maybe add some pillars to the place, but the boss said it seems like a waste of a rare resource"

"The guy is a corpo big wig but he anit fixing to bling his throne room out? I asked him for alternatives and he just said 'Why now use some of that gold we had in storage. We found a decent supply of it we anit using it for anything'".

"Of course it wouldn't be a Rimworld if shit didn't go tits up at the drop of a hat, we had a toxic rain storm hit the area."

"The whole outside area took on this sickly green glow, it was even setting of the radiation alarms, The boss said the base would shield us from it, as long as we stayed put till it was safe to travel outside again."

"Oh and this happened as well, Tapia commented that god was clearly pissed off at something to be stacking this much crap on us at once."

"So not only was the snow now trying to kill us, but random lightning bolts of Psychic energy was striking down around the base."

"Axl of course, in that very Axl kind of way was picking our brains, asking what we all knew about the storms. He has a one track mind, wanting to get to the bottom of every single thing that happens around here. Of course as Katie put it 'Were not the damn weathermen Axl, we don't know.'"

"On a positive note, our two not quite former federation raiders must have decided since they were not part of the Federation hold outs any more, it was okay to start hooking up. I didn't mind to much but I'm not sure how the boss would feel about having babies around the base."

"While this was happening, we were starting to see lighting hit the base near the base at least three to five times an hour"

"If one of them hit the solar panels, we'd have to go out and fix them and I wasn't to keen on that idea."

"I say that and then a lightning bolt blew a hole in the barracks."

"Fun fact, the lightning flashes caused the solar pannels to spike in power output for a second, so maybe the lightning had a bit of a perk to it"

"Katie and Lips dug up some armor designs they had seen bounced around their old stomping grounds, and we managed to recreate the armor. It protected us better than the hodge-podge of scavenged armor and clothes we all had before. It was also far better suited to the weather as well, which was nice."

"We all felt pretty good about it all things considered."

"Well I'd reckon that'll be enough to make the boss man happy, I'm going to snore some angel Grace and get some shut eye now, this is Commissar Bog, end of log."