#ofc always changing but interesting passing knowledge

[wildissylupus]

hi idk how much you analyze on hanzo but something thats been on my mind is the progression of his character through non-canonical events/interactions. I am aware there isn’t a lot of canon Hanzo content so take this thought with a grain of salt.

In Overwatch 1 hanzo’s personality was more stand-offish and maybe even rude. Now in Overwatch 2 he’s more approachable in a weird way? He’s still the same brooding guy but it’s almost like we see this “healed” version of his in overwatch 2. Not just from interactions but also from his character design aka the underbags being less prominent, him looking physically more healthy, the lack of bottle that has his sake (ofc this could just be them upgrading his look in the game).

While this is amazing and something I have always hoped to see from hanzo, part of me hopes that the developers/writers still remember hanzo from Overwatch 1. There hasn’t been a lot happening canonically with hanzo since the confrontation with Genji and if they were to skip from the last we saw of hanzo to the hanzo in overwatch 2 it feels like a lack of potential and even story telling?

Don’t get me wrong I love that hanzo is being given more personality and depth. It’s so refreshing that he gets to be something other than the ex-yakuza that murdered his brother lmao.

I guess I’m afraid that his development will feel rushed or like there’s gaps in it. I want to be able to see the rugged, tired bitter hanzo turn into the hanzo that literally contemplates the idea of settling down and adopting a dog, you know what I mean? I don’t just want it to be a thing that is skimmed over. I hope Overwatch touches on the more difficult situations in regards to mental health. And this isn’t just for hanzo, it’s for the whole roster.

I hope that each characters gets to grow and learn even if it’s unpleasant and “ugly” and that we actually get to SEE it in progression. Not just time skips and flashbacks or whatever.

Maybe it’s too early in canon mission events content to judge but it is something that has been in the back of my mind. I may be proven wrong later or be completely off but thoughts???

I do agree with this, though I don't think he should still be standoffish when he joins Overwatch, I do want there to be this awkward period where everyone adjusts to having him around. I also think that the reason for his character progression is going to be explored in his short story with Kiriko. It seems from the description that he's going to be getting some closure with his father, which would explain his change from OW1 to OW2.

However I think there is a different thing that could explain his change. Kiriko. I've explained this in passing but I think that both Genji and Hanzo are going to be given a second chance to be siblings, not to each other, but the people they have found on their own respective journeys.

Genji has stated that he sees Cassidy as a brother, which is interesting considering so far, other then Angela, since even OW1, he's shown the most concern about Cassidy's well being. Specifically his mental state. Unlike with Hanzo where is has been shown that Genji wasn't really knowledgeable of what Hanzo was going through with being the eldest son. Genji shows a lot more observation with Cassidy.

(Honestly I could write a whole essay about those two and how Genji is given a second chance to be there for who he views as an older brother BUT THIS POST AIN'T ABOUT HIM!)

I believe this is going to be the same with Kiriko and Hanzo but in reverse, while Genji gets the opportunity to look out for his older sibling, Hanzo actually gets to be an older sibling. He finally gets to relax and joke around, contemplate something other than Genji's death and how he can atone for that.

It would also be a nice parallel to Genji with instead of staying hang up on a previous relationship, he ends up creating a new one that is overall better for him.

It's also the matter of Kiriko and Hanzo's relationship is a lot more salvageable then Hanzo and Genji's. Listen, as much as I love those two, there is no way in hell they're going to get the normal sibling bond the fandom likes to give them. Even if that is the end goal for the writers, they would need to write a whole other novel for that kind of relationship between the two to not feel rushed.

Now I do want to point something out about his OW2 redesign because there's more then just the lack of Sake. It that fact that he's now covering his chest. This might not seem like a lot but in his first design he isn't protecting any part or any organ that is slightly to the right, in the middle, or the the left of his chest, meaning his left lung is exposed, his heart is exposed, his spine is exposed, basically a lot of stuff you would want shot at is exposed.

Combing this with and interaction with Genji from OW1, that is alluding to the fact that Hanzo "finds living challenging", then Hanzo covering his chest is a big step.

Anyway the fact that Hanzo is now on his way to being added to the list of characters who are practicing selfcare is so funny, cause out of all the characters to end up on that very short list at the beginning of Story Mode, I did not expect it to be Hanzo.

[lemonhemlock]

My favorite thing is TB stans calling you a sexist when you say Rhaenyra having bastards she passes off as legitimate (to the point of threatening his 11 year old brother with torture when he tells the truth) and plans to put on the throne is in fact, not the exact same thing as Aegon having bastards with whores in fleabottom.

speaking of myself specifically, TB hate it when i use the bastardposting tag. it gets them riled up like you wouldn't believe. it's always much easier to conserve brain power and chalk the whole discussion to misogyny and bastardphobia (LOL) instead of considering that the very material conditions of feudalism and manorialism, the lack of a diversified economy, the only way of obtaining wealth being via land ownership etc made inheritance laws the way they were. marriage between wealthy people being a literal financial contract that ensured the passing of goods and land and titles to a very specific person and not a rando child who is not related to both families. blood relation being considered the ultimate bond & deterrent from harm in the conceptualization of said culture (hello kinslaying).

they have a mental block in understanding that the reason (in western societies) today we have a much fairer distribution of wealth between living descendants, regardless of parental marital status, is because we are not so dependent on land in the accumulation of said wealth in the first place. generally-speaking, back then, the more you divided up a plot of land, the more power centres would appear - mini feudal lords who were much poorer than the previous generation and would engage in violent conflict with each other in order to acquire more land and wealth. on the other hand, when wealth is consolidated and a clear hegemon arises, the possibility of contestation diminishes bc it becomes much more difficult to displace that specific ruler.

does that make it fair? no, ofc not. there are many unjust aspects about that particular layering of society or about hegemonic stability theory. for instance, i stumbled upon an article that argues that feudal fragmentation sometimes generated technological advancements as a result of the reduced regulation capacity of landlords, which, in turn, stimulated competition between economic actors. however, as the author herself points out, "In the feudal period under investigation, the absence of a strong ruler who could abuse property rights may have made it possible to commit to investment in fixed capital, but the absence of contract enforcement may have thwarted those incentives". in addition, the historical period in question was characterized by great political instability, i.e. "warfare, the breakdown of authority, and a lack of central protection of property rights".

so, the topic is obviously much more nuanced and we should definitely leave some space for the discussion of actual avenues for lasting change, be they incremental or more ample in scope, but i'm not about to be having those conversations with TB any time soon, as they're too busy pretending that the laws and customs of a specific time had nothing to do with the technological advancements, the economic landscape and the interactions between different social spheres. that you could just click your fingers and change the world for the better, instead of considering for a moment that certain changes would require massive systemic upheavals that no one was interested in undertaking (or even had the resources or knowledge on how to initiate such an operation in the first place)

[yinyuedijun]

Help I have another idea I need to share sjdnkek

This one's a bit wild ig so bear with me ok??! It's fluffy too and non toxic I think. I hope. Pls tell me this isn't somehow creepy I'm sorry if it is skskdkkd

SO- Aventurine × Ena! Reader.

Ena being ofc, the Gaiathra Triclops. In this version, even though everyone believes Ena was assimilated into Xipe, that's not what really happened - Ena instead made a deal with Xipe, trusting the Harmony to uphold Order, and willingly gave up their path and power as an Aeon, choosing to reincarnate as a mortal. And before they gave up their power, they did two last things: first, guarantee that their reincarnation would regain at least some knowledge of their previous life, i.e knowing that they were an Aeon before. And second, give out one last blessing to one of the people they watched over - Kakavasha.

Ena goes on to reincarnate (I'm thinking something like the Dan Heng/Dan Feng situation, so reader has dreams of their previous memories and such, but is a completely different person to who Ena was), and Reader!Ena lives a pretty tranquil life as a mortal - while Kakavasha goes through hell, and loses faith in the Gaiathra Triclops. I haven't given much thought to how they meet, but maybe Ena!Reader goes to Penacony out of curiosity for what a land presided by Harmony is like (given that they know they used to be the Aeon of Order, and that they had previously chosen to entrust Harmony with their path.) and they run into Aventurine there - and they just know. They can feel Ena's blessing on him, and they're immediately drawn to him.

Getting to know each other, creating a bond, trusting each other until Aventurine can open up about his past with them, and reader reveals their identity, and suddenly everything changes for him - he wasn't abandoned by his God, but rather they'd given him their final blessing before they passed - and reader has this strong urge to cherish and protect him, not because he's the child blessed by Ena, but because they've fallen for him. The complicated relationship they'll have to sort out where Kakavasha feels like Reader is a gift sent by Gaiathra, while Reader cherishes and worships him like he's the divine one. Aventurine being loved unconditionally and cherished for the first time, being basically worshiped by the Reader.. being treated like he's the most precious thing in the world, being looked at with pure love and adoration. The hurt, the confusion, the fear of being loved.. maybe reader can have some issues too and be so wholly devoted they'd do anything for him, no matter how much it might harm them, just to add a bit more trouble to work on.

I don't think I'll ever actually write any of my ideas (even though I do have a writing blog lmao) bc I'm too insecure about my writing and my inspiration bursts are too inconsistent, but thank you for reading my silly thoughts and letting me share them lol I really appreciate it, especially bc you're one of my favorite writers here <3

- Penacony DH smut anon (lol)

I DONT THINK ITS CREEPY AT ALL!! I adore reincarnation romances and I have a particular fondness for reincarnated deity romances. It would be so interesting to see Aventurine process this news. I really like the phrase you used wrt "the fear of being loved" - I think Aventurine would suffer very, very intensely from this fear under regular circumstances with a human. I can only imagine the state of panic he'd be in if he were the object of affection of the god who supposedly forsook him. augflgsjsk it would be so juicy... reader too I'm sure they're full of many complicated feelings just like dan heng is (I bet the two of them would be besties)

I'm sad hearing that you feel you won't write your ideas, I think they are so brilliant and I love reading them 🥺 you're always welcome to share them here - but please let me know if you do ever decide to post something, I'd love to read and reblog it <333

[felassan]

First thing, I love your blog, I've been following it for a while and I have to say that your theories for Dreadwolf and lore in general are the best. 🙈

Second thing, I have a question about Flemythal and Hawke/Warden when they were left in Here Lies the Abyss. Do you think there is a chance for survival for the person that was left in the Fade? I left Hawke cause the game kinda hinted it(from Flemeth warning to Hawke in DA2, Hawke theme playing when they talk with Varric etc). Flemeth took the soul of Urthemiel from Kieran (if he is the old god baby ofc) and is seen sending something into an eluvian before Solas comes to her. Is there a chance she sent it to Hawke/Warden (cause she can waltz into raw Fade with no problem apparently). I'm really curious to hear your thoughts! 😊

hello! welcome, and thanku for the nice msg (❁´◡`❁)

thoughts below 😊

(interesting points about Flemeth's lines to Hawke in DAII, and the Hawke Family Theme playing in the conversation with Varric in DA:I.) whether the person who was left in the Fade could have survived - you know, I'm actually not sure one way or the other? I lean towards they didn't (RIP Stroud), but there's always a chance ig. the text accompanying the choice only says "[x] will likely die to cover your escape", right? the writers could in future write that they survived, if they wanted to write that. you can kill leliana in DA:O and she still comes back in DA:I, in a manner of speaking. (an aside: peoples' art, fics and AUs etc which explore, for example, Hawke escaping from the Fade or the HoF searching for Alistair in the Fade etc, are neat. personally, I always think about this happening wrt Purple Hawkes who got left in the Fade hhh)

about Flemythal and the post-credits scene, she's seen sending something into the eluvian before Solas arrives even when Kieran doesn't exist or the Dark Ritual was never undertaken. so I tend to think it wasn't Urthemiel's soul (or wasn't only Urthemiel's soul) that we see there in that scene.

data-mining the game files on that scene yields these dev notes:

Designer’s Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth’s story comes to a head – she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods…yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone – even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession.

dev notes like these from game files don’t always ‘hold true’ by the time the games ship because things can change during development and ‘legacy notes’ sometimes get left in there iirc, or else something which the player experiences or is told to them during the game contradicts them (and in those cases what’s seen/said in-game takes precedence in terms of what’s canon ofc, as these notes aren’t really meant to be ‘seen’ be players). so the notes should probably be taken with a grain of salt. still, my speculation is that the thing Flemythal pushed through the mirror is the essence of her godhood, intended for Morrigan. we don't know where the eluvian in that scene leads - maybe it leads to the Crossroads, rather than the Raw Fade? if the thing we saw was indeed intended for Morrigan, that could make sense, since she has knowledge of and access to the Crossroads.

my alternative speculation is that it was part of Flemythal's own soul; Flemythal has demonstrated before that she can split her soul into different pieces to avoid death, Horcrux-style (like amulet she gave to Hawke in DA2, "the first of my people do not die so easily" etc). 

I'm also unsure about the timing lining up - the post-credits scene with Flemythal and the mirror takes place at an unspecified time after Inquisition but before Trespasser. the person who was left in the Fade was left in there weeks or potentially months before then. so if the thing that was sent was the crux on which the person's survival depended, it would depend on the person who was left behind defeating Nightmare and surviving alone in the Fade for quite a long time until receiving the thing that was sent.

ofc, none of that means the person left in the Fade couldn't have a chance to survive separate to that.

[2dieavirgin]

hey so!! if you wanna know more about the immigrant situation in australia, ofc i can only really talk about what it's like in my part of melbourne and base it off the experience of my mates whos families came over more recently than mine, but pretty much like - even though nowadays there is quite a lot of multiculturalism and plenty of immigrant communities do embrace their roots and share their culture, back when there was a massive wave of post-ww2 eastern & southern european immigrants there was a lot of pressure for them to assimilate. my godmother's parents came over from croatia during this period and they both changed their names to sound more anglo, and i'm pretty sure she only learned to speak croatian when she was older because they wanted her and her brother speaking english, and it was the same for a lot of kids in that period from what i know - so BASICALLY. what i'm getting at is that it's definitely within the realm of possibility that chase's dad wouldn't have passed on any of his culture to him, whether it's because of that pressure to fit in Or just because he doesn't care. this is missing a lot of perspectives and historical context and blah blah blah and also im not 100% of when exactly chase's dad would've come over so it may be a different period entirely but i was trying to keep it from being any more rambley than it already is sorry LOL

NO THIS IS SUPER INTERESTING AND EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW. I didn't have enough knowledge or context to talk too much on it besides from the vague details we know from the show, but that makes a lot of sense. I assumed there was probably some deeep pressure to assimilate and adapt and just leave most if not all of ur culture behind cause there almost always is (and also, as far as I can tell Chase is NOT a czech surname LOL, and I'm p sure Rowan isn't either. so)

[rf-times]

Since I barely see people touch on this subject often and you are one of the best radblr accounts, I want to share a thought with you and see what do you think about it. This will be a bit long...

So lately I have talked to a friend about how the conceptualization of the so called “peak trans” disconnected from the whole understanding of the neoliberalism ideology was regressive to radical feminism in many points, to the point of becoming one of the strongest backlashes we have to deal with currently. At first sight, this perception can sounds exaggerating because radical feminists like Janice Raymond and Sheila Jeffreys had always touched on this topic criticizing the MEDICAL COMPLEX who profits from countless people's agony due to misogyny, homophobia and overall hatred for gnc people. Unfortunately, this powerful and accurate criticism of transgederism was gradually replaced when be a gc became so popular, almost like a queer identity without the glamour ofc but still interesting enough to appeal to some people. The main unity factor? Be able enough to define what is a woman! From the white supremacist to the liberal “leftist” /“feminist” who is just upset bc was called “transphobic” after devoting themselves to transactivism and want to vent about it to apolitical women who think men in dress are the only dangerous men on earth, everyone is welcomed and then the feminist resistance(called 'gender critical'), that was initially created to oppose to the censorship in academic feminist spaces who only accepts liberal approach of feminism while reject the rest, don't exist anymore but the effect of what was left of the gc movement is permanent. “radfem” also became an identity, “terf” too and anyone, literally, ANYONE who disagrees with transactivism/queeractivism, even if a little bit, are thrown in the same bag as “radfem” and “terf” and these labels CAN MEAN ANYTHING and the worst part is that we aren't even able to define ourselves bc transactivists/queers are doing it instead of us because they receive political capital from the liberal right and we have nothing.

Radical feminists aren't anti trans people in any sense, our criticisms are POLITICAL, not individualist. With that said, due to this polarized debate, many people do get attracted to radfem spaces bc of a lot of things except for feminism. Many women don't want to at least read feminist books, they just want to talk all the time about transactivists and think peak activism is fighting TRA's all day. There are also women who consume radical-leaning content like we consume products. They tend to think if they have enough feminist knowledge, they're shielded from misogyny and it also gives them a free pass to ignore/belittle other realities, since the other women are so inferior to them. But sometimes it just drains them bc the constant negativity without any real changes is emotionally damaging and add nothing in a personal level let alone collectively.

All these examples above are integral parts of the neoliberalism, this alienation, disconnection with reality and inability to uniting as a class bc things can have so many meanings and oppression can't be oppressive if you are empowered enough lol

This is why I think the conceptualization of “peak trans” often ignore strong social/political forces that controls our society and appeal away too much to a moralistic approach that was never present in Radical Feminism. I often see women here bragging about how rf can't be infiltrated by men(or male ideologies) and I wish it was real but it isn't. Radical Feminism does have a admirable story of resistance to male ideologies but thinking it wasn't already infiltrated with neoliberalism is bs. Even communism was taken by liberals and has been losing its essence day after day, since even some political communist parties in countries like Brazil are funded by the USA liberal right. Besides the negativity of my ask, I still believe in better days to all of us but I think the first step is to fight for radical feminism, the real one, not what people generically label as “radfem”.

Thank you so much for the ask, I really love getting stuff like this. It's definitely because people would 'peak trans' from different ideologies, many of which have little in common, from those who still believe in some form of medical transition as a good form of treatment to dysphoria, to conservatives, to people who have never questioned the medical industrial complex. Radical feminism is devalued and turned into an identity as you say and indeed many women who buy into radical feminism don't go into it with a sense of empathy or goodwill towards other women. At this point I find most trans discourse tedious and it's so clearly noticeable on here how a post making fun of trans ideology > post connecting trans ideology to larger feminist concerns > non-trans feminist concerns, in terms of attention. It isn't enough for us all to agree what a woman is, that isn't a coherent political movement.

It gets to the point where if I see a post where someone is talking about genocide or women being murdered or a graphic horrific cultural institution I find myself waiting for the inevitable part where they say "AND YET TRANS PEOPLE THINK THIS OR THAT" Like the only way so many radfems even talk about feminism anymore is solely through the lens of making a point about trans ideology.

[inukag]

People who thinks Inuyasha loved Kikyo more and settled for Kagome just because Kikyo died needs to open their eyes! I mean yes ofc Inuyasha maybe did kinda loved Kikyo in the past, but that feeling wasn’t even strong. They had so little knowledge about each other, that even Kagome commented “he would never say such things. Can’t you see it?” when she was saving Kikyo from Naraku shouki and seeing all of hers memories. This comment made me realize after I rewatched the show that Kikyo and Inuyasha did not only didn’t trust eo, but also didn’t actually knew eo. That’s why they fell so easily for Naraku trap.

But another thing that is interesting is how Inuyasha and Kikyo meetings change over time. At the beginning their meetings were kinda messy but they almost always were bringing up the past and mentioning their “fate”, but as time passed by and Inuyasha had spend more and more time with Kagome, their meetings were mostly about giving each other informations about Naraku. I do believe that Inuyasha loved Kikyo to some point, but his love for her wasn’t that strong as his love for Kagome. He even himself said that he was born to meet Kagome and be with her. It was Kagome who taught him how to trust others and make friends , to open up. To be honest I don’t think that Kikyo could ever achieve everything that Kagome achieved while being with him, how she changed him and my main reason to it how those both beautiful women are so different from each other. Kikyo and Kagome had completely different relationship with Inuyasha and only one of those relationships succeeded . It’s kinda hard to explain but the way Kagome has always been stubborn, kinda impetuous , expressing her emotions and not afraid to scold or yell at Inuyasha , kinda helped the development of their relationship. Kagome was also the very first person who actually tried to understand Inuyasha and was always by his side. Kikyo kinda failed at that, still love her, but she wasn’t made to be with Inuyasha. Kagome was. And her bond with Inuyasha is so precious.

Also just because Kikyo is Inuyasha first love, doesn’t mean that the second love cannot be stronger. Many times first love ain’t the right love and when we fall in love once again , this time can the the right time. And this happened to Inuyasha. He has fallen in love with Kikyo, but their love wasn’t strong enough, it wasn’t the right one, but then he once again fallen in love, more deeply… with Kagome. And this one.. was the right one.

I don’t have much to add, I agree with everything you said here.

The crazy thing about this “Inuyasha settled for Kagome” argument... is that Kikyo is RIGHT there? If Inuyasha wanted to be with Kikyo, why wouldn’t he spend all his time and efforts protecting Kikyo and trying to heal her soul so she can be normal again and they can be together? 🤨 Why would he spend all his time with Kagome and constantly prioritize her over Kikyo? If he wanted a “replacement” for Kikyo, why would he even go for someone like Kagome when he made it very clear that he sees them as different persons and that they are nothing alike? 

Also WHY would Rumiko Takashi write a story about a girl who gives up her entire world for a boy who loves his ex more??? RT’s storytelling is always the same: one of the protagonist has an ex and/or there’s misunderstandings between the hero and heroine until they finally confirm their feelings for each other and they end up together. As someone who read a few of her series (Mermaid Saga, Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku and Kyoukai no Rinne), I think Inukag is actually the most developed and has one of the most satisfying romantic ending out of all her couples (only behind Kyoko and Godai from Maison Ikkoku). 

Also people who think Inuyasha would have chosen Kikyo over Kagome are admitting that they do not understand the themes of the series. Kagome represents life and Kikyo represents death. Inuyasha’s spent the ENTIRE series choosing to live with Kagome instead of dying with Kikyo. There’s also the theme of destiny, and how Kikyo failed to heal Inuyasha’s heart (and did nothing to remedy that post-resurrection) and failed to purify Naraku/Onigumo’s soul and the shikon jewel, and Kagome as her reincarnation was LITERALLY born to accomplish what Kikyo failed to do. Kagome was born to be the person that Kikyo WANTED to be. She was born to heal Inuyasha’s heart and live with him the way Kikyo failed to do. 

I have a lot of issues with the way Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship is portrayed in the anime, and it added a lot of non-canon backstory to Inuyasha and Kikyo that contradicts the manga. But saying that Inuyasha “settled” for Kagome is a take that should not exists in 2022 when everyone in this fandom is grown and should have basic reading comprehension. 

[leseigneurdufeu]

Can you please when you have time ofc, write a list of the books any French high-school graduate should have read? Like the baccalaureate curriculum for example. I'm seeking to catch up my general knowledge of universal literature + attempt to read directly in French

Sure!

Now curriculum may vary and there was a reform of education since I left high school so it might have changed but what any french graduate should have read: (authors in bold, titles in italics)

Poetry (middle ages and early Renaissance):

Any three poems from Joachim du Bellay or other poets from the Pleiade. Most important is Heureux qui comme Ulysse.

Also look up who the Pleiade were.

16th and 17th centuries novels:

La Princesse de Montpensier, by Madame de Lafayette. 90 pages but very, very antiquated language.

Gargantua, by Rabelais. It's NOT cheating to take the modern-french translation. Native speakers do it. It's not cheating either to just dump it half-way through because you don't understand half of it. Native speakers do it too.

La Belle et la Bête, by Madame Leprince de Beaumont.

Any fairy tale by Perrault.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Choderlos de Laclos. Please. Do. Not. Read. It. It's awful, the protagonist rapes a 15yo girl but it's ok because him loving her is making him into a better person (Yikes), the whole thing is about the protagonist and his long-time on-and-off girlfriend (who's married to someone else) teaming up to dirty/perverse two (maybe three?) innocent young ladies. It's studied because it's a classics, not because it's good. Please. Don't subject yourself to it.

Les Lettres Persannes, by Montesquieu. letters from a bunch of fictional characters to the others, two iranians (but at the time Iran was called Perse) visit France and criticize everything (way for Montesquieu to criticize but be able to say "nah it's my characters saying that not me"). TW of suicide and incest iirc. Not something too graphic either, since it's always second-hand testimonies or third-hand.

Theatre of the 17th and 18th centuries:

Le Cid, by Pierre Corneille.

At least one play by Molière. Can't recommand because I don't remember much of it. Do read summaries for a few of his plays though because some characters names have passed into common language to mean the type of characters they were (a Harpagon is going to be a greedy man, a Tartuffe a guy pretending to be devoted but being a hypocrite...)

Le Mariage de Figaro, by Beaumarchais. It's a political satire but also people are jumping from the window so that the husband doesn't find them in the lady's room. Basically.

If you fell in love with theatre at that point, you can look up Racine but fair warning, all of those have old language but Racine (along with Corneille) have very old language.

19th century novel:

Short version of Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo. I'd recommand the long one but only the short one is required and also the long one has 40 pages of description of the parisian sewers system with no relevance at all to the story and that's not the only long digression so... Do what you want.

A book by Honoré de Balzac, whichever you'd want. If you want to read the whole series, it might be best to look up the order on wikipedia, they'll know better than me. Basically him and the next author on the list had a bibliographic universe before Marvel made it cool. 60-or-so books with common characters but not the same protagonists. I'd recommand you simply go with Le Lys de la Vallée, slightly royalist and apparently the easiest to read? (so i've been told but i didn't read it myself so...)

Any book by Emile Zola. I'd recommand Au bonheur des dames because it has to be the only one with a happy ending and a cute romance out of the 40-and-more books by Zola.

Bel-Ami, by Guy de Maupassant. The protagonist has no morals but it's funny. Kinda.

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert. A tad bit depressing. Not the most interesting either. But it's one of the few that have been studied more than once in my schooling so I know it's an important one.

19th century theatre:

Hernani, a play by Victor Hugo. Tragedy, so a bit sad. But do look up the Battle of Hernani (sorry there's not a big choice of languages for this one on wikipedia). Basically founded the french romantic genre. Quite a scandal.

If per chance Hernani was love at first reading for you, you might also like Ruy Blas, still Hugo, although i found it a bit less good. If you want a ridiculously overdramatic, over-the-top movie freely inspired by Ruy Blas but in which no one dies, you've got La Folie des Grandeurs, a comedy with Louis de Funès.

Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, and if the style of the author makes you want to read more, go for l'Aiglon, which is about Napoleon's son but is a bit sadder.

19th century poetry:

Les fleurs du mal by Baudelaire. Awful. Simply awful. I mean you can try a few. I hated them all. Not necessary to have read all of them by any mean.

20th century:

A Ionesco play, either La Cantatrice Chauve or Rhinoceros, for the Theatre de l'Absurde. La Cantatrice Chauve is funnier I think.

Actually I won't give you any novels from that century because most of the ones studied suck and also it's for post-bac (after graduation) studies so it doesn't fall under the ask.

Now if I had to give you a few classics to read, what I'd recommand:

Les Trois Mousquetaires, by Alexandre Dumas.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, (ibidem). Luckily this one is on substack format at the cristo account.

Notre-Dame de Paris, by Victor Hugo.

I think that's all. If you've got any more questions, about books or about whether or not it's worth reading That Book instead of watching an adaptation or reading a summary, or which adaptation of, for example, Les Miserables, is the best, I'm here to answer them.

[satanfemme]

(ignoring the obvious grievances for now) struggling with suddenly barely-manageable anger issues has been a very interesting experience, namely it's definitely shifted my worldview noticeably. not fully changed it ofc, just flavor enhanced it and all that. and "shifted it" in a sympathetic direction, to be clear.

cause it's like, you spend your whole life knowing (thru experience, culture, discourse, common sense) that grown men who do things like yell and punch walls when they get angry are obviously choosing to be scary and bad people -- because if they were normal people like us they'd simply choose Not to do that. but then one day you ARE the grown man who gets angry and yells and punches walls. suddenly that "knowledge" of who's choosing to be a scary bad person is about YOU. and everything else aside, the first thing you have to do is sit with that. like it's your reality, it's something happening to you, you can't not sit with it.

and then you think like, well I'm not choosing to do this. obviously I didn't wake up one day and think "you know who sounds cool? those guys with holes in their drywall. I should be a drywall hole guy, that'd be a great look for me". no one thinks that. so what options are left? either you really were born a bad person with evil genes, and were naive to ever believe you were anything like all those good normal people (a frankly cruel and sad worldview), OR maybe there's just no such thing as "bad people" vs "good people". you always hear that latter sentiment get passed around. but experiencing it for yourself to whatever extent this is, makes it very tangible. like, if you're just a product of chemical reactions responding to environmental factors, what's that mean for everyone else too? maybe everyone's traumatized. maybe everyone's struggling. u know? it's wild to think about, and even a little intimidating in how universal it seems sometimes. or maybe I'm late to the realization, idk. it feels obvious now that I'm here.

[I'm not gonna bog down this personal journal entry with 100 different pre-emptive clarifications, or waste my time trying to imagine every possible whatabout-ism wrt anger issues, so just bring your own critical thinking and nuance and kindness to the table here. thank you]

[orbees]

🥊💀🍎 vino

gonna chuck this under a read more just cause going into parents a bit alludes to abuse, not in mega deets but still. brief mention of drug use too

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

love to do: read (he's always been a big bookworm), interacting/tending to his 234234 creatures (he's particularly fond of his ratties), Tinkering w/ his Gay Lil Gadgets, Abusing Substances... he also likes... creature sighting??? like herping but not just reptiles. insects. some mammals too. he like Creatures. he also loves opportunities to show off his knowledge. he likes to hear himself talk. LOL

hate to do: exercise is the first thing that comes to mind lmfao like he's better w/. dexy stuff but strenuous strength based activities would absolutely kill his ass lmfaooo he hates it. if you tried to make him go on a run he'd attack kill bite. he and arahana would be like oil and water. they would not get along at all.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

vino's got a weird relationship w/ death cause he fears it deeply but at the same time is interested in it, both as a physical process and the philosophical implications of it. he does a lot of reading on it, but also spends a lot of time worrying about it. sure doesnt change his lifestyle tho lol.

making mistakes / fear of failure / looking stupid is a big fear of his in general. i dont think counts as a phobia but /shrug. his general social anxiety/ fear of abandonment could also go here i suppose

theres ofc. the Apes which i imagine is rly funny out of context. for newcomers: vino was almost killed by one. yeah

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

vino's parents passed when he was still fairly young. long enough to leave an impression but he doesnt know them as well as vespera did

he had a mother & father, his biological parents. ppl who knew his mom always comment how much he's like her, in appearance And temperament. he's pretty sour towards his parents tbh tho he's more fond of his mom. she was very protective of him / looked out for him but didnt rly understand him type vibe

his relationship w/ his dad is definitely more complicated but also more starkly negative. his dad was the studious academic type and vicente craved his approval; u could even say thats part of how he got on that path to begin w/. a mix of his own interest and wanting his dad to notice him

it never rly worked tho, vicente's dad was very much the cold distant type. vicente needed a lot more care + attention than he was ever willing to give and grew to negatively regard him for Needing That if that make sense? he was quite open w/ his disdain and greatly preferred vespera, and was transparent in that. vespera hated him though

thank u for asking!

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Kismet {9}

Henry Cavill x Famous OFC Aliya Taylor

Warning: Slow Burn, Mild Cursing, Dialogue Heavy, POV Changes

Words: 3.5k

Summary: Aliya is a singer turned model turned actress. Since she was fifteen, she’s been creating her empire in the entertainment world. As the daughter of a famous fashion model/designer and Hollywood director, you’d think life is easy for her, but her past has been anything but easy. Due to past trauma, she’s forever changed and no longer trusts any man that is not in her family and a select few in her team. She’s sworn off love and serious relationships and has planned never to fall again, but love isn’t something that can be planned. It just happens when it’s meant to. Can Aliya outrun a love that seems hellbent on holding tight to her, a love that is Kismet?

If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!! 😘  

As always, thank you so much for reading. ❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 

The change within you was instantaneous, and your body fought it like a foreign virus. You’d barely slept a wink the night before. You tossed. You rolled. You took up your phone and hovered over Henry’s contact only to put it back down and toss and turn some more. Half of you wanted to talk to him so badly, but the other half wanted you to practice some restraint. There was no happy middle ground, and because there wasn’t, you struggled to find any peace in your mind. By the time you managed to fall asleep, it was one hour before you had to get up to prep for your day. When you opened your eyes, the first thing you saw was a message from the culprit to your sleeplessness himself.

 MSG Henry: Good morning, beautiful. I didn’t sleep a wink. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I must have picked up my phone ten times to text or call you. It’s torture not being able to hear the one voice you want to hear more than anything.

 As soon as you read the words, your heart literally melted, and butterflies filled your belly.

 “Christ almighty,” you whispered as your fingers itched to rapid-fire. Before you could catch yourself, you’d already typed out a reply and sent it.

 MSG: Good Morning to you too, handsome. I know what you mean. I didn’t sleep either. I almost called you so many times. I think you’re addicting.

 You reread the message then groaned at the last sentence.

 “Really, Aliya, addicting?” You rolled your eyes hard and pushed to get yourself ready for the day.

 By the time you’d left the hotel, he still hadn’t replied, and you regretted responding altogether.  So, here you were sitting in one of your four meetings for the day trying to keep your head in the game and your mind off of Henry’s lips, or his eyes, or the feel of his muscular arms around you. It was proving more complicated than it sounded. When you weren’t thinking of his lips, or his eyes, or his arms and kisses, you were overthinking your message and his lack of response.

 A little more than halfway in your first meeting, your phone went off, and you had to make yourself slow down and not leap for it. Nonchalantly, you glanced at the screen and saw Henry’s name.

 MSG Henry: Addicting, huh? I like that, but you should not be talking. I have been addicted to you since the day you bumped into me.

 Any worries you’d had the last few hours melted away, and a smile spread across your face.

 MSG: Do tell me more, Mr. Cavill.

 Barely a minute passed before another message came in.

 MSG Henry: I would rather tell you while looking in your eyes so you can see the depth of which I mean them in my eyes.

 You bit your bottom lip and closed your eyes. He was different alright, you thought.

 MSG Henry: I’m sorry it took me this long to reply. I’m trying to finish up all business between today and tomorrow. I had to hide my phone from myself, or else I would have been messaging you this entire time.

 You couldn’t lie. That felt good to know that he was having as much of a struggle going about his typical day to day tasks as you were. The knowledge of that comforted you, but it also worried you. This thing was still so new. For the duration of your meeting, you texted on and off. It continued as you moved to your second and third meetings, and by then, your focus was shot. The only thing you cared about was what he was saying.

 You loved how open he was. He always found a way to describe to you just what he was thinking or feeling while still remaining mysterious enough to have you wondering what he felt and thought. It was interesting. You’d always been able to predict every man that tried to enter your life. You could predict their motives, what tactics they’d use to try to weasel themselves in, and you often could predict how things would end. With Henry, you’d been having a difficult time with those predictions. It bothered you.

 By the time you got back to your hotel room, it was nearing seven o’clock. You wasted no time putting your phone on silent to concentrate on a little self-care beginning with a soak in the jetted tub. You did your best to keep your mind open to allow the meditation track you played to really work at loosening the knots in your shoulders and tension in your neck. The stress of your life, mainly from work, was really beginning to show. It had always shown, you just never listened to your body whenever it told you to slow down or take it easy.

 Many of your friends and family teased you that you lived to work instead of working to live. There were times you were inclined to agree with them because you didn’t need to work so much to maintain the lifestyle you were accustomed to. You had more money than you knew what to do with. You could afford to take time off to recharge but, you’d lived with the belief that the less time you had to be idle, the better it was for your mental and emotional health. Idle hands, after all, were the devil’s playground. You’d grown so accustomed to working nonstop that you didn’t know how to just do nothing.  

After almost two hours in the bath, as you walked into the bedroom, you saw your phone light up. It was an incoming call from Henry. Sighing, you plopped onto the bed, trying to fight back the smile that wanted freedom. The smile won the battle.

 “Hello?”

 “Did I wake you? I called earlier but--.”

 “No, I’m awake. I put my phone on silent and took a long bath,” you clarified.

 “Ah, that sounds relaxing. Maybe I should try that. I’m feeling this burnout more and more.”

 “Those who are serious about their craft work too much.”

 Henry sighed softly, and you wondered if there was a hint of mint and Guinness on his lips.

 “I don’t want to work tonight,” Henry declared. “Tonight, I want to be with you.”

 You dropped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Oh, do you now?”

 “Yes,” Henry confirmed, his voice dropping in baritone. Your belly fluttered, making you press your palm against it.

 “Have you eaten?”

 “I haven’t,” you breathlessly replied.

 “Good. I’ll be around for you in forty-five minutes.”

 You sprang upward. “That’s not enough time.”

 “Oh no? High maintenance are you?”

 You snorted and shook your head, hearing the tease and challenge in his voice.

 “Forty-five minutes then, just don’t get mad when I don’t look like pictures in magazines,” you quipped.

 “Come as you are.”

 Your reflection caught your eye. Because you’d gotten your hair slightly wet in the tub, it was now in a half natural half blown out state, making you look crazy. You doubted forty-five would be enough to tame it.

 “See you soon,” you said before hanging up to focus on getting yourself together.

 Forty-nine minutes later, you were dressed and on your way down in the elevator. As it made its way down, you assessed your appearance, thankful you were able to straighten your hair again to add a few loose curls. Part of you hadn’t wanted to bother, but you knew the dress you were going to wear would be better complemented with a sleek look. Your eyes skimmed the half sheer and half bodycon black dress you wore, loving that it was the right mix between sexy and classic. You added another layer of your mauve tinted lip gloss and just in time for the doors to open.

 It didn’t take long for you to spot him sitting in the lobby where one of the big-screen TVs were placed. He was watching a rugby match. You crossed the black and white designed tiled floors and approached behind him. When you dipped to his ear, his scent almost had a moan escaping you—almost.

 “Either, no matter where you are, you gravitate to rugby, or I took too long,” you whispered.

Henry turned, and the moment his eyes landed on you, a dumbfounded look washed across his face. You tried not to bashfully look away as you watched his jaw drop when his eyes took in the full view.

 “Wow.”

 A giggle that would have been nauseating from someone else slipped from you, making you press your fingertips to your lips.

 “You’re breathtaking.”

 You smiled, then gently tapped his chest.

 “Stop.”

 “I’m being completely truthful.”

 Those damn butterflies made their presence known once again.

 “Thank you,” you whispered.

 Henry held out a single peony to you. “For you.”

 As you took it, your smile widened. “Wow, one of my favorite flowers.”

 “Is that so?”

 You nodded.

 “Hmm, happy coincidence,” Henry replied as he stood and buttoned his suit jacket. Once done, he held out his arm for you. “Shall we?”

 You nodded and looped yours with his, ready for whatever the night brought on.

  -Henry-

As you sat across from him under the hanging flowers and dim lighting of the restaurant perusing the menu, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. It could have been the way the golden light bathed your skin, giving it an almost glowing aura. Or it could have been the soft smile pasted to your subtle painted lips. It could have even been the spell of the restaurant, the classical music playing, and the sweet scent of flowers that surrounded the two of you. Whatever it was, he itched to touch you, itched to get closer, and itched to do nothing but find a way to keep a smile on your face.

 “What?”

 Realizing you were now looking at him, he smiled back at you.

 “Nothing.”

 “No, no. That’s a something look,” you said, still not able to not smile.

 “It’s nothing,” he repeated.

 “Henry, seriously. What is it?”

 You reached out and gently slapped his hand, then rested it on top of the table.

 “Nothing, really. It’s just—I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of you,” he admitted.

 Your smile slipped, revealing a serious expression for a few seconds before you smiled again and dipped your head in a bashful way. Unable to keep his hands to himself any longer, he closed the gap between your hands and took yours.

 “Your parents must be proud to have raised such a charming son.”

 He smiled, then shrugged. “She has five of them.”

 “Bless her heart,” you added, making him chuckle.

 A comfortable silence drifted between you as he enjoyed the softness of your hand in his and the way your warmth mingled with his. He could get used to this, he thought to himself. When the waiter returned to the table to pour the chosen wine into your glasses, you pulled your hand away, but he didn’t take offense.

 “So, by this time next week, I will be off the grid,” he said after the waiter walked off again.

 A quizzical look swept across your face.

 “Off the grid? Are you a spy?”

 He smiled. “I promise I’m not.”

 Another waiter approached the table, this time carrying your selected third and final courses. He thanked the waiter as he laid the plates before you before he retreated.

 “You were saying,” you prompted, lifting your dinner fork from the selection of three different ones to your right.

 “I’ve earned some much needed R&R.”

 With your fork paused at your lips, you smiled. “Oh, that’s great. Congratulations. When was the last time you took a holiday?”

 He watched you chew and quickly got lost watching your mouth. It took him several seconds to regain his train of thought.

 “Eh-em, uh—perhaps a year and a half, if we are talking about a true holiday.”

 “Wow, that’s a long time.”

 “What about you?”

 You smirked, then scoffed. “Define holiday.”

 He returned your smirk then rested his knife and fork atop the braised beef on his plate before he replied. “Time off, no work, nothing that you have to worry about that can cause stress,  anxiety, or tension. Oh, and of course, sleeping late, drinking until three or four in the morning, fun every day, and feeling refreshed upon return.”

 You smiled as you finished chewing. He watched you take another sip from your glass and knew the wine was only making your lips even sweeter than they already were.

 “Ha! Jeez, when you define it like that, it’s been years upon years,” you replied.

 “Not good at all.”

 You nodded. “Tell me about it.” A soft smile was still on your lips as you placed another forkful of the pan-seared sea bass you were eating.

 With those words, a thought formulated in his mind, and it was a thought he wondered if he put words to would you be receptive. The remainder of dinner passed comfortably. Another reason why he couldn’t stop thinking about you and enjoyed being around you was because your conversation was always excellent. There was never any form of discomfort or awkwardness between you. You easily talked about so many things, and the things you said were always thought-provoking and intelligent. While everyone thought you were just a pretty face, you’d repeatedly allowed him to see that the world knew nothing.

 His hand was rarely without yours in it, and when he held your hand, you softly raked your fingernails against the palm and fingers. Every time you did it, the goosebumps that raced across his skin sparked a reaction that was visible much, much lower than his hand. Everyone else in the restaurant could have disappeared for all he knew because you’d captivated him and every single one of his senses.

 By the time you left the restaurant, it was close to midnight, but you didn’t seem to care what time it was. You held onto his hand as you walked along The River Thames. He often did this late at night when he couldn’t sleep. It was really the only time he could come and not be bothered or recognized because he was more than likely the only one there. Tonight your laughter danced through the air, and the gentle ebb and flow of the water only helped the glistening light from the bridge and neighboring buildings shimmer that much more. It was quite romantic.

You stopped and pressed your back to the iron gating that kept pedestrians out of the river. You stretched your arms out, leaning back as if to really enjoy the gentle breeze.

 “It’s a beautiful night,” you sighed out.

 Just like that, he drifted closer to you until there were only a few inches between your bodies. When you came upright again, your smile was still bright, even realizing he was so close.

 “Are you trying to push me in?”

 He smiled and shook his head. “Never.”

 “Oh no?”

 “No,” he repeated, taking another step to you.

 You bit your bottom lip then sucked it into your mouth, and he became even more painfully aware that he hadn’t sampled them since the night before.

 “Unacceptable,” he whispered.

 “What?”

 Reaching out, he cupped your jaw and slid his thumb across your cheekbone while he slowly traced every inch of your face to his memory. When his eyes met yours, he fell another foot or two deep into the quicksand-like pit of his growing feelings for you. He was so close to going under it was alarming.

 “It’s unacceptable that I haven’t tasted your lips in over twelve hours.”

 He heard a soft gasp escape your lips, and it was the only sound you made before his lips pressed to yours. The only move you made was to entangle your fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. The feel of your fingers against his skin brought those familiar goosebumps. He moaned, then pulled you flush against him. The feel of your body against his made his heart thump rapidly, and when you moaned against his lips, the need to consume you took precedence.

 When he delved his tongue into your mouth, he was shocked when you swirled yours around his, and the sensual move had him pressing you firmly against the iron behind you. It was out of character for him to do this so wide in the open, but he felt himself doing things that no one would ever guess he would do when he was with you. Your soft nibbled on his bottom lip brought his mind back to the rising dilemma, rising being the operative word.

 Pulling his lips from yours, he rested his forehead to yours. Both of you didn’t speak; instead, you were both lost in trying to catch your breath. Long moments passed, and in those moments, he fought to regain his composure. He’d never reacted to anyone the way he reacted to you.

 “Come with me,” he whispered, his voice shakier than he’d expected.

 Your eyes fluttered open, and he didn’t know if it was wishful thinking, but he swore he saw actual stars in them that put the night sky to shame.

 “Where?”

 “Away on holiday.”

 You pulled back a few centimeters and gazed into his eyes more intently. He watched them dart from his left eye, then to the right and back again. Slowly the stars vanished, and humor replaced them.

 “Good one,” you said before you laughed out loud, pulling your body from his.

 “Oh my god, you really had me going for a second,” you said through laughter.

 You took two steps as if to continue walking, but he laced his fingers with yours and pulled you back before him. You gasped, and the sound of it made him close the space between you again, pressing you onto the iron bars. With his body pressed to yours leaving no evidence of there being two bodies, you moaned, and the sound almost had him capturing your lips again. If he did though, he didn’t know if his hands would remain respectful.

 “I wasn’t kidding.”

 Your eyes were on his lips, and the desire for you to take control, almost overrode his desire to be in control—almost.

 “What?”

 “Come on holiday with me, just the two of us, a beach wine somewhere—anywhere.”

 He saw the moment you realized he was as serious as a heart attack.

 “You’re serious,” you reiterated.

 “More serious than I’ve been about anything.”

 You didn’t speak for the next minute, but you also didn’t move away. He decided he’d give you the time to consider it.

 You scoffed before you spoke. “What? Henry—we can’t.”

 “Why?”

 You gaped at him as if he were insane.

 “Why?” That was when you pulled away from him and took a few steps sideways while still leaning against the gate. “We—we don’t--.”

 You looked as if you were wracking your brain for a response, but you also looked like you were trying to catch your breath.

 “We don’t know anything about each other.”

 He took a step to you. You didn’t move.

 “Which is why a private holiday would aid in us getting to know each other—uninterrupted without the pretexts,” he replied.

 Your eyes widened before you shook your head then turned to face the water. You peered out silently, baffled. “Henry—we can’t.”

 He approached you, and as he leaned against the gate, you looked at him. “Tell me why,” he requested.

 “Why—because—I—I don’t do—that,” you stuttered.

 “What holidays?”

 He saw the exasperation wash across your face before it went blank. You stepped away again, then cleared your throat.

 “I have an early flight out tomorrow.”

 It was hard not to feel the rejection, but he hid it the best he could. Nodding, he held out his arm for you to take.

 “Then let’s get you back to your hotel.”

 The entire ten-minute walk, his mind went from one thing to the next. He worried he’d come on too strong, or that he’d said the wrong thing, or somehow offended you. Then he went back and forth with his decision to even ask you. Part of him felt like maybe he was jumping a little too far ahead, but the other part of him felt there was nothing wrong with inviting you especially based on how things had gone the entire night and the vibes he picked up. That made him wonder if he’d read the evening entirely wrong.

 When he stopped with you in your hotel's lobby, he was in no hurry to ask you again. He’d begun to feel quite stupid. His hurt feelings needed the night to recover. He took your arm from the crook of his elbow and held your hand. Again, you didn’t pull away. Deciding he couldn't afford to give you the time to, he lowered your hand and stepped away from you.

 “Thank you for dinner.”

 “T—thank you,” you said barely above a whisper.

 He nodded and debated his next move. He took a timid step forward and kissed your cheek.

 “Have a safe flight.”

 “Thank you.”

 This one was a whisper.

 “Good night, Aliya,” he breathed out before he quickly kissed your forehead then walked away out the door and down the street without looking back.

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

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[tarotnoob]

Pick a Pile: Who’s your soulmate?

Not to be BTS on main, but you’ve probably read references to BTS in previous pick a piles. I love them. They were there for me when I was depressed. I am OT7, ofc, but I have two biases, one of them being Jimin. I think he’s an amazing performer and person. Serendipity is my fav song.

I’d like to honor him with a soulmate pick a card because he’s done a lot for me.

Please take a moment to concentrate, breathe, and choose the pile you’re drawn to based on number, pile, or one of Jiminie’s photos :)

Pile 1

Don’t you dare run away, Pile 1. Let’s figure out what is up with this pile oml

I’m going to clarify all the tarot with the Linestrider.

This is the Serendipity photo pile, so I was expecting something light and fluffy for pile 1. 

Oracles: Truth Be Told - i think - fell out first and as I was putting the deck away, By the Book flopped out so I let it stay. Truth Be Told is essentially about being honest with yourself and others as well as being yourself. By the Book is about not pressuring others to conform to the way you want them to and respecting who they are as an individual (including their background).

Darkness and Void - well, we can’t say these fell out by accident, and it’s fascinating that there’s a bunny in Darkness looking up at the moon when Jimin in the photo is looking up at the (sun) in his photo. Those do remind me of Jimin’s cards, but ANYWAY - should we also talk about all these 4s and 1s in your oracles. Although really it’s 4, 1, 2 (Master 11, rather), 5. Just a little fyi aside, Jimin’s life path number is 11 aka 2. But, without adding them up, there’s synchronicity happening here, which is funny on the Serendipity pile. “All this is no coincidence… Just, just by my feeling.”

Darkness is about doing self-reflection, shadow work, turning inward to explore what isn’t moving us forward. Void is a similar message about a spiritual reset, of letting go and surrendering what isn’t working for you, releasing bad habits, fears or negative thought patterns. This gives me Moon plus Devil vibes.

Connect: I create strong emotional connections with the important people in my life. Dilettante: Delights in the arts without having to be a professional. Alerts you to the danger of becoming superficial in your pursuits. Shadow: Pretension to much deeper knowledge than you actually possess. So this is like “jack of all trades, master of none.” Kinda gives me Gemini vibes. Could enjoy cooking, gardening, sports. 

It’s funny. If you’re a bts fan, this card reminds me of JK because it talks about dabbling in a lot of things, but not making a lot of it. He’s done video editing, played guitar, he cooks. Obviously he’s a professional singer/dancer/entertainer - but on the other side of doing a lot of things/hobbies, but not always following through (ignore the fact even his dabbling is usually exceptional), like his painting.

So you (or them), this should be about them but the cards are probably also giving you a message. But, someone who just likes to explore their interests, has a lot of interesting hobbies, as skillful at a lot of things that they aren’t pursuing as a career. Again, very Gemini. But, Mercury also rules Virgo and I keep getting pulled to Virgo but that’s probably because I talked about him. And Jimin’s moon is in Gemini… I’m not really going to be surprised if his energy snuck in a whee bit here.

I’m going to look at the Tarot and the clarifiers before I pass my conclusion. 

Tower (reversed?), gosh I’ll just give you the full description: When it comes to your love life, the tower reversed indicates that your relationship needs to undergo a few changes. If you want to stick with your partner, then you must put in the work required for it to survive. This usually depends greatly on your ability to calmly and effectively communicate with one another. When you are deciding what must be done to improve your relationship, focus your efforts towards changing on yourself only. Attempts to change your partner rarely go over well. If you can improve your own contributions to the relationship, your partner will likely follow suit.

This already resonates so well with the oracles, but let’s keep going and I’m not clarifying that.

Nine of swords: This is a sense of anxiety, and the moon oracles (besides moon) have a Hermit vibe, as well. Besides Tower (which is Mars), there are a lot of swords here in general, so they could be an air sign, but all these moons could mean they have some water, as well, and the connect also has an emotional feel, so likely an air sign with water or water with a lot of air. And next is Justice, which is the Libra card.

Justice: On a basic level, this person could work in a law-related career, but looking at all the other cards, this more likely has to do with a sense of balance, an equal partnership - where, again, both partners treat teach other with respect and don’t try to change the other. There’s fairness, equality. And if you’ve had previous awful luck in relationships, this could be saying this person will be the answer to what you’ve been wanting (an equal relationship).

Three of swords: (heartbreak, disappointment, miscommunication)

Okay, okay. There’s a theme here. There’s advice here, and then we have crumbs about the person. The big themes here are accepting someone for who they are, honest and open communication, and, essentially, doing the inner work necessary on (yourself) in order to meet this other person half way.

About them specifically? Yeah, I get air vibes mostly, Libra and Gemini (Jimin, can you please step out of this reading - ). Not to mention he’s got Scorpio Venus and Mars and we have these dark, watery oracle cards.

Doesn’t mean he’s not trying to deliver a message to you :)

This person… seems rather… I don’t want to say delicate, but vulnerable because I think they’re going to be a very open person, someone who definitely has a more mercurial mindset, meaning - they think a lot, probably overanalyze, their feelings get hurt easily, they have a natural desire (like Libras often do) for balance and fairness. I think their feelings get hurt easily, they’re sensitive and often need to retreat to think when they’re upset. I think By the Book to THEM, means “golden rule.” Treat others how you deserve to be treated. I think they value honest and open communication - if you lie to them or mislead them, they are going to withdraw from you (hence the Libra next to 3 of swords). 

I think that the relationship will require “teamwork” (reversed Tarot)… If there are issues within the relationship, you’re expected to talk about it. I think they’d appreciate a grounded partner since they have so much air and anxious energy. Don’t get me wrong, this person isn’t high-maintenance. This is just how we air signs are. We think a lot, but we CARE a lot. So if you have a lot of earth in your chart. Fire is also a nice complement to air signs, as well. 

They are going to have a variety of skills they’ll want to share with you, so don’t criticize them. If you aren’t someone who is good at encouraging others and instead always has a critical thing to say - this person… is going to get hurt. They will want to show they care by involving you in their hobbies. They’ll want to make  you dinner or go to the Saturday markets, pick you flowers - very childlike in a way but so, so sweet, so social and communicative. If you don’t know what this vibe is like for this person, you should watch the Serendipity video.

They’re very vulnerable, lovely, romantic, but… a worrier. There’s a lot of moon symbolism here… but like anything there’s a light and dark side to the moon. There’s romance… and then there’s… some dark stuff. And you’ll need to be able to step up to the plate with this person because they might’ve been through some stuff. Someone who’s very nurturing and grounded would be good for them. Also very sincere, honest, but not… overly critical. Definitely someone who wants to think the best of people and the world… even if they have down moments. They’ll want to be really connected to you emotionally and intellectually and will do this through conversation. They’ll probably want to ask you about all kinds of things, from your childhood to your interests to your hopes and dreams or theories on the universe. Oof, I’m so soft for this person.

See, that wasn’t so bad, Pile 1!! Congrats, your soulmate will be someone like Serendipity Jimin xD

—

Pile 2

Pile 2, you picked Lie!Jimin… oof, what an era. Lie gives me Scorpio vibes. Jimin has Mars Scorpio and Venus Scorpio at least, so sex appeal.

I’m drawn to rebel first. I’m not surprised this fell out given the photo. 

Rebel: Challenges authority to effect social change. Rejects spiritual systems that do not serve inner needs. Shadow: Rejects legitimate authority out of anger. Rebels out of peer pressure or fashion. Guide book says this person could be someone politically inclined or an artistic innovator. Sees past tired preconceptions. 

Purpose: My dreams connect me to my Purpose.

Orphaned… I think this resonates with the rebel card. I’ll leave the full description here: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/oracle/orphaned/

This is about someone trying to find their place (within society or their circle). I’m already getting an idea of this person, but let’s do the other oracles.

Release: This is a lot like the Hanged Man. It’s about letting go of patterns or individuals or situations that aren’t serving you. 

Hunger: This is a bit deep. It says: Feed the good and hope within you. Do not let your hunger blindly dictate your actions entirely”. It also tells this story about an old Cherokee telling his grandson that two wolves live within us - one that gives darkness, despair and hate and jealousy and sorrow. And the other that gives light and hope and helpfulness and kindness. And the wolf that wins out is the one you feed. It reminds me of the image on the Moon tarot card. Plus, I swear to g*d that this is so very Lie!Jimin energy. It’s also about recognizing there will just be leaner times in life and making sure we build ourselves up to handle them.

Tarot:

Ace of Needles (Ace of Swords): This can be that you’ll connect on a mental level and find communication easy. This is also about truth and clarity. (I’ll move on and see how it fits with the rest).

Ten of wands: I’m not going to read this negatively, but generally 10 of wands is a sense of feeling burdened or carrying something heavy on your shoulder, which is exactly what I feel with this person. We’ve already talked about this heavy desire to find their place, but also not someone who’s interested in conformity or being locked into a box, and with anyone who… wants to be authentic, but doesn’t want to be ostracized (or alone), there comes a sense of personal burden, to not only be their authentic selves, but to see so many others in the world who force others to conform or feel forced to conform and in experiencing that desire to be themselves, they seem to be someone interested in social justice.

The High Priestess: (more Moon) energy…  this person likely is in touch with their divine feminine energy. Like Jimin, he’s beyond ridiculous gender stereotypes. If you caught his Filter performance this weekend, you know he promotes this concept of… he can wear women’s clothes and look good in them, he’s someone who can attract all genders to him (regardless of sexuality even)… it’s a very gender fluid notion. It could be that this person (regardless of gender) is a feminist, an equalitarian, socially and politically progressive, or should I say socially and politically AGGRESSIVE. Or should I say for rapline: UGH-gressive. Haha, bts joke. 

The Chariot: This is usually about being very focused, focused will, often the Career card, also Cancer card (again more Moon, more watttteeer). Lots of fluidity and emotions. So, being political or… all of these emotions or thoughts that surround this person’s… passion for non-conformity and social or cultural or whatever stereotypes could actually be part of their career/life purpose.

Putting it altogether, I think this person could be a water sign. Someone who’s not a loner, per se, but someone who definitely marches to their own tune. They stand up for what they believe in, they are intensely passionate about only putting themselves in situations where they feel like their circle is authentic and not like a fake progressive as some people are. They won’t hop on the cancel train because it’s trending, they’ll do so if they believe in it. I’d say they’re highly political or definitely very vocal in political debates or at least feel strongly about their beliefs. Passion is definitely their purpose. If you’re fake, if you don’t care, if you sit on the fence - this person isn’t likely to respect you, though, I should say they’d respect your opinion within reason… I don’t see them as just being belligerent about their beliefs because that would be obnoxious and make them slightly hypocritical. It’s more a sense of… a lone wolf content to do their own thing but really they’re looking for their tribe/pack. There’s something very restless about their energy.

I do think it’s okay to say appearance-wise they will be… very sexy, very alluring, very intense and enigmatic… possibly even more of a “feminine” beauty if they identify as male and if they are female-identifying, then just… sexy and intense. Definitely scorpio vibes here, possibly with a bit of fire because there’s so much raw passion here. I think you can just look at the oracles and get a good idea of this person’s energy - strong, proud, a little lonely, full of passion and purpose, a rebel…  my only advice would be this person is so… their energy isn’t slow… this isn’t someone who just… sits under a tree writing poetry every day. Meaning, you’re going to need to keep up with their (fast) pace and high intensity emotions. And the other thing is as I’m thinking about the one scorpio I dated is that they can go a little… tunnel-vision. They can be possessive, jealous, emotional, secretive (High Priestess). Mysterious. Keep thoughts to themselves. It’ll be important to make sure communication is clear here as are boundaries and expectations so they don’t steamroll you.

But hey, did I mention they’ll be sexy? Wink wonk. Priorities, Pile 2.

—

Pile 3

Pile 3, you picked Promise!Jimin. Promise is a sweet, sad song… but we’ll see how its vibe fits in with the cards. Is it sweet, though? It’s a sweet melody. It’s a sweet way of talking about how to handle troubles (within a relationship and then individually). Talking about being someone’s light, but being your own light, too.

First off, it’s not here, but I’m getting Empress vibes because of the Mother and Faith card. Also Peace and co-create have this sense of “birth.” Birth can mean anything from actual parenthood to creative birth or the birth of love or self-love. All of these things fall under the Empress (Libra/Taurus - Venus).

I’m not surprised 7 of cups fell out first because the cards, themselves, fell out in an uncertain way… I wasn’t sure if I should take five of pentacles and 10 of cups because they flopped out, and - that’s usually symbolic of the energy.

I’m not going to give the full descriptions of these oracle cards but this is Wisdom of the Oracles and if you google them, they all come up.

Not For You - is, kind of literally what it means… the situation, a person, a belief, the timing isn’t right, etc…

Peace - in terms of relationships, this has two of cups vibes. This is a harmonious relationship, so much so that you feel an inner peace because of how you connect with the other person.

Breathe - this is being patient, needing time to open up, remaining calm, avoid getting tensed up over things

Co-create - Relationship Message: “Connections of the heart serve to inspire you, opening you up to new ideas you would never have come to on your own. You are looking in a mirror held up by this experience and seeing yourself in an unexpected way. Who is this extraordinary being looking back at you? You are going to be so happy that you kept your heart open! Your love is a unique work of art now, the very embodiment of beauty.”

I thought I’d put the whole thing because, this is all very Empress, two of cups energy… this person could be very well mirror you in a lot of ways. You’ll feel like when you’re with them there is some sort of divine connection as if you’ve always known them, as if you can speak or not speak at all and they understand you with just a look or a single word. You can sit together and say nothing and feel perfectly content. 

Not For You - I want to talk about this, to me, this is probably about divine timing. There is very likely someone very special designated for you, possibly someone you’ve known in other lifetimes because that is going to be how it feels when you meet them. This person will make you feel very calm and you will do the same for them. They may be particularly creative, they may be into spiritual practice, including yoga or just… naturally be someone with an open heart and mind.

I’m realizing now you got the welcome oracle and Jimin’s got his arms open as if welcoming you. Bless his heart. It says “When I dream, I invite limitless magic into my life and I welcome my spirit guides to show up in wondrous and unexpected ways.” If anything, I think this alludes to the way your spirit tribe is going to be working to make all the proper preparations for your meeting with this person and again just believe and be open to the idea of destiny.

I think that resonates with the Mother and Faith - have faith in the universe and your guides. Mother is - Nurturance, patience, unconditional love. Joy in giving birth to life.” To me this is about being overflowing with love of the purest kind, like a mother to a child (figuratively, I mean, as all mother-child relationships are different, ofc).  This woman in Faith and the Mother, too, are just so open and welcoming and full of love and peace and the ability to create something of beauty. 

As for the tarot:

7 of cups is usually… indecision, illusion, daydreaming, multiple choices, lots of emotions happening at once… five of pentacles is usually about… some kind of spiritual or financial lack or waiting or seeking help when it’s right around the corner but you’re not necessarily… seeking it out… and then 10 of cups is usually ultimate emotional contentment/happiness/fulfillment. 

I think the message here is layered. Since you’re being guided to be patient and open to this connection, I think on the one hand this emphasizes this idea of daydreaming and fantasizing….  and this idea of being “pregnant” with options and feelings…. but it also indicates an uncertainty…  the five of pentacles may give the sense that you might be doubting whether it’s going to happen but, again, to trust in the process and your guides because happiness awaits you in the future. I want to actually clarify real quick too.

 Interesting. 

Seven of cups is clarified by Tower. It actually popped out as I was shuffling with a bunch of other cards and came out again so that’s legit. This could indicate that you or they might’ve had… a lot of failed relationships so you’re a little uncertain about THE ONE ever showing up, but in my experience (though I haven’t met THE ONE, all the failures build you up to be ready to handle THE ONE once the universe aligns everything). I just sense more in you than this person (but if you’re mirroring each other it’s one in the same), that you just… there could be big stuff in here in terms of disappointment and romantic hurt, so I’m not brushing over that, but the focus isn’t on the pain… it’s more like this is… in the past because then five of pentacles has Temperance clarifying it, and this is healing, especially spiritual healing, coming into balance, moderation (patience), also Sag energy. It’s a fairly spiritual pile, not surprised with 3.

I feel like this sense of feeling sort of lost has occurred due to (x) reasons that aren’t important right now, and then I see spiritual healing, I see… loneliness, but under all that you still have hope and still dream of something more. It’s pretty amazing how well it fits the lyrics for Promise, yeesh. I’m getting emotional.

Finally 10 of cups clarified by 4 of cups. This gives me the sense again of waiting. It’s like there’s ambiguity here, but I’m reading it as - again - this is about divine timing so it’s like “hi we’re your guides, we’re buffering rn.”

It’s also got similar vibes to 7 of cups…  it’s also this sense of not having faith when you should because, well, it’s coming, so don’t give up… and make sure to keep your (heart) open to this because it will be offered and you can’t just sit and ignore it because this one cup is equal to 10 cups.

This pile touched more on the journey and yourself whereas the others had more details about the person but my feel is that they’re very similar to you anyway, at least where it matters… it’s a sad pile, but there’s a sense of destiny and future peace and calm and harmony and spiritual help and timing… of love that’s so pure it’s kind of like… how you expect the creator to feel about its creations. It’s definitely screaming divine soulmate here.

If I could say anything about them is that they’ll be nurturing and patient and feel similarly to how you do when you’re together…  maybe they’ll already have children or be good with kids or be a bit childlike in terms of idealism, faith, hope.

I think they’ll be a creative person and have creative thoughts…  I think they’ll be spiritually in tune with you and the universe by the time you meet. Again looking at Not For You, it’ll be important to pay attention to signs and messages, the chess pieces make me think there’s a strategy in place, letting the pieces be set up how they need to be…  there’s angels and guides involved, asking you to have faith and keep your heart open, to practice self-love, nurturing yourself so that you know how to nurture someone else, so that you’re whole by the time you meet your person…  and eventually when you look back, you’ll see how all these strings of events led up to this moment and the moment couldn’t have happened without all those ups and downs… so anyway.

That’s what I see for you Pile 3. I’m quite envious. Stream Promise :)

[mevekagvain]

Chapter 189 - I still have no clue why the lords' sanctuary is used as a grave like okay yeah I do it's mostly symbolic and to grieve but I still think it doesn't make sense. All the other uses? Yeah cool. Grave? Nah, not when purebloods dissipate into red mist when they die. Extremely funny imagining mvp lord picking out a fancy coffin full well knowing he won't leave a corpse though like okay king <3 and I haven't even started on those damn stairs.

- Everytime Rael's being cringe I flash through renditions of memes that cover the general energy of habitual suffering that is simultaneously willing yet forced.

- Tbh as someone who doesn't particularly believe in the whole concept of honourable fighting unless it's sports or agreed upon beforehand by all parties and because they're going against what they perceive as traitors or invaders... Rajak shouldn't be scolding Rael for trying to get rid of the trio.

Chapter 190 - Here they know the traiters were behind the Loyard massacre but later Seira doesn't even think that Zarga may have played a part until he said it himself so what's the truth.

- Really, Rousare having died should make it obvious that Gejutel wasn't involved and prevent all this. At least Ludis has some sense.

- Ah, time for grandpa's trashtalk.

Chapter 191 - It always drives me insane that Raskreia knows jack shit about Frankenstein and Raizel like she really did not give a fuck about them did she lmao? Oh father has sent clan leaders out on an arrest warrant? Oh father asks me to regularly visit this random stranger who he adores often and wishes for him to be lord? Why would I ever wish to learn more about them? Like queen ily but keep track of important events in Lukedonia even before you're lord please.

- I know Gejutel's just bullshitting but like. The traitors having foresight? Sjjsjsis where? Lagus and Roctis yeah sure I get it. But the rest? Ignes literally experimented on ppl in Lukedonia. Urokai, as much as I love him, is definitely the stupid dumbass of the group. Zarga if he had any foresight would have either just stayed on Lukedonia and chilled as a loner or had a heir who he passed Lontrick on to and left Lukedonia to once again chill as a loner since unlike the others he only disagreed with the new ideals rather than wanting to actively murder someone. As for Gradeus... we know he can use his brain but he really turned it off entirely when deciding to install bloodstones huh? Like if all you want to do is fight than becoming that strong even when you're already the strongest around is not gonna be enjoyable. Well then he went cuckoo so whtever. Ofc I do wonder whether his goal went from enjoying fighting to mere murder before or after he was exposed to bloodstones and the same for him massacring his clan since the options have implications.

- And here we are at the "clan leaders should go into eternal sleep with the lord" bullshit. Like sorry but just cos the good guys are the ones spouting it doesn't mean I'll ever agree with it. Like tf. It makes me think immediately of rulers who had their servants buried alive with them, emperors whose harems were killed upon their deaths, wives set fire upon their husbands funerals, etc. It is interesting ofc that even nobles who are very obviously written as the best race in noblesse have such regressive and cruel practices. Much more fascinating to have humans take inspiration from them for both good and bad after all.

- Grandpa really tried to be mean so Raskreia wouldn't feel bad executing him huh. Not that it worked ofc.

Chapter 192 - It's so funny that Raizel changes his clothes to Lukedonia's black and gold upon entering because like, did he feel like the odd one out or something?

- Darling clan leaders, I'll excuse your ignorance and underestimation of the enemy, but esteemed lord please, you should know better.

- Hilarious that Gejutel saw that the current gen had extremely spotty knowledge due to their predecessors being like that ig but instead of fixing that he essentially went "It's none of my business idc idc" and ignored it until it came back to bite him in the ass. Like at least tell the lord about all this pls. She should know what a noblesse is 😭

Chapter 193 - Rip Karias not finding everyone in the throne room. It's like when a class gets changed last minute and you have no clue which new place it's in.

- Raizel just take the earring off normally I swear. Imagine having only one memento from a friend you actually meant to keep but you just tear it apart. I would cry.

- Gejutel being apologetic about making Raizel use his lifeforce... grandpa,,,

Chapter 194 - The fact that Ludis' eyes glow as he sets up the protection for the sanctuary,,, love him.

- Insert 300 page analysis on Raskreia's relationship with being lord and just her in general here. I'm too lazy to type it out so insecurities, lack of communication, lack of clarity, formality and duty leading to distant relationships, etc etc etc.

Chapter 195 - This is so rude 😤

- God Karias' entrance and interactions with everyone,,, the way he fusses over Raskreia openly, the way Rozaria beckons him over, them,,,

Chaoter 196 - "The clan leaders share my thoughts" obviously not with the traitors. Well Roctis may have agreed but Ignes prevented him from all that. Still, even from the other 4 non traitors of Ru, Elenor, Loyard and Mergas, it's very much possible they disagreed but simply kept quiet about their thoughts because how dare they go against the lord? I mean, the track record isn't exactly great and that's just how it is in these sort of systems.

- Well I definitely think the method he decided on was stupid but I do think mvp lord's sentiment was very sweet. And ofc just how he wants the best for Raizel... it makes me sad everytime like he just wants him to be happy and be able to enjoy life and yet. Just how his message always has him with that soft smile for Raizel as he tells him to live a long joyous life... that he wants him to be safe... that he's happy he's been outlived... gonna go cry brb..

Chapter 197 - Yeah just gonna ignore and replace the misogynistic bs they make mvp lord spout with like "Be wary of men; instead of wasting time beating them up see if you have any interest in women instead. Especially if they're not nobles. Only wear what you're comfortable with and don't let anyone pressure you. Remember to train often with swords or your skills will become rusty. Etc etc etc."

Chapter 198 - At least he has earring number 2 ig

- "This house is a little old and needs some renovation" It's great that you're being tactful but Tao we both know that this estate that hasn't had any upkeep for at least 5 centuries needs a hell lot more than a little fixing.

- M-21 just has his priorities straight okay,,, you all do need to change.

- Why did Tao pack aprons and gloves for the trip?

[cafeinthemoon]

Headcanons for Founders trio with an s/o who's a bookworm 📚

I don’t know if this has been done before but I myself am a bookworm and when this idea came, it was funny to imagine how each of the founders would react to having a partner who’s passionate about books

Ps: I’m sorry that I’m not capable of writing a short list of headcanons okay I really try but I can’t sorry

Fandom: Naruto | Founders trio

Symbols: 💗 | ◼ | ▶▶

Hashirama

First of all, I don’t see him as a book lover, but neither he’s book hater. He’s just the average person who can live in peace with the fact that there are books in this world without being too attached or disgusted by them

This is bc he probably has some trauma from reading caused by the huge piles of paper he has to deal in his office (he tries to avoid them by procrastinating and then begs for his brother’s help)

But he has a genuine interest in your passion bc well, he loves you, which means he loves almost everything about you and believes that understanding this hobby is a way to understand you as a person

And bc of that he always goes with you when you say you want to go to the library or the bookstore

Hashirama is the guy who’s capable of getting excited with your enthusiasm though he’s not really into the same stuff as you

So he will have so much fun following you around those corridors and shelves full of books

And will analyze every book cover you show him aka agree with all of your reviews on the covers bc he trusts your capacity of analyzing things

He will also hear when you talk about your favorite plots, characters, writing styles and quotes

If you get indecisive between one book and other you certainly will he will try to help you make up your mind by telling you that “this one’s cover is prettier than the other’s” or “I think this one will have more exciting adventures”

He will be content whether you choose this book or the other, and will laugh if you decide to get them both

Plus: Hashirama is good at spoiling his s/o so he will insist on buying any book you lay your eyes on to the point you’ll have to argue for him to let you pay for your own books

And when it’s time to go home, he will help you with the piles of books you borrowed from the library or bought from your favorite bookstore (with a significative % of discount ofc)

So we can agree that despite not having a great love for books, Hashirama will be the most fun company for a bookworm like you 💕

But this doesn’t extend to the occasions when you recommend something for him to read

He always promises he will read that book soon but you know he’s going to forget that the book exists right after you leave it with him and will only remember it when you ask it back 😐

Tobirama

Now, with this guy things are way different

Bc if you think of yourself as a bookworm, Tobirama says GET READY TO KNOW WHAT REALLY MEANS TO BE A BOOKWORM

Seriously, he has been reading since he can remember. It’s a part of him as much as the shinobi life

He reads absolutely anything. Politics? Yes. History? Ofc. Poetry? Same. Cookbook? He had already gave it a try. And do not let him start with Science 🔍

And he has a prodigious memory for what he reads, so he’s capable of spotting any book he has in his personal library with his eyes closed, so that even if you remember only one quote from the book, he will find it for you

The best part of this is that you can talk about anything about any book bc Tobirama probably has read it and will understand your point, and if he hadn’t read it yet, it’s just a question of time until he adds it to his collection

Or he will make comparisons between this book and others that are similar to it that he already has and that’s what he does to understand the whole point

The connection that comes from this is something unique. Your love for him grows as much as your love for the books you read

But everything has its dark side, and in this case it’s called COMPETITION

I’m sorry to give you such sad news, but Tobirama is that person who can turn the most innocent hobby into a competition if he feels threatened thinks you’re becoming more experienced than him in it. So expect to see him become a bit petty

He will not start a proper fight but you will sense that he’s getting into discussions about trivial details more often. He doesn’t need an invitation: if you say something that he mildly disagrees, he will discuss it until he convinces you of his pov (or you say you give up)

If you’re really into discussions and such, you might enjoy it like a sport. However, if you don’t like conflicts, I feel sorry for you lmao

If it extends for too long, it will become a reason for a serious fight, because he will get to the point of saying that “you need to refine your taste for books a little” or that “you should slow your pace in order to pay more attention to what you’re reading and have a better understanding of the book’s subject”

If things get to this point the only person who will be able to help you to make amends is Hashirama. But I hope it never happens

Now, the biggest advantage of being Tobirama’s s/o and loving books is that you almost never need to buy books, bc he’s the owner of the greatest library in the village (he has all the books you won’t find in the public library)

Ofc you manage to buy some, but you don’t use to do book hauls because you don’t wanna end up broken he always gets the books you want

That doesn’t mean you two don’t spend time out on bookstores and get back home late sometimes ❤

Madara

Can’t believe I couldn’t find that gif of him reading a book with his Sharingan

I don’t know but Madara and books in the same sentence sounds peculiar to me lol

I think his attitude towards books is similar to Hashirama’s in some points, except that he promptly recognizes the importance of books as knowledge and intelectual development’s tools. But in general terms he’s not the most passionate person about them

The thing is that he prefers activities outside the house, that push him to the limits of his body. You know, with this man it is about the PHYSICAL

So things like staying indoors, enjoying a good book doesn’t have appeal to him. You might love it, but to him it sounds a bit tedious

But he respects and admires this preference of yours. It’s good to see his s/o engaging in a healthy and safe activity

Sometimes, when he gets home, he might ask casually what you are reading this time, but this is not to be understood as an invitation to a long talk. He just came home, he’s tired and the last thing he wants is to hear about things in which he’s not quite interested, so it’s better just to say the book’s title or the genre

If he’s in a good mood, he will sit by your side and watch you while you read. Getting close to you and observe what you’re doing is a habit of him no matter what task you’re performing, but seeing you immersed in something you’re passionate about is different

He likes to pay attention to the way your eyes go through the lines, your lips move to repeat the characters’ sentences, your expression changing to follow your emotions and the delicate manners with which your fingers touch the pages

If you stop reading to look at him, he won’t even try to disguise 😁

And if you ask him what is it, he will just smug and continue to stare at you

Observing you is like a hobby to him, it’s his way to get in touch with you

Now, talking about your readings is something complicated when you have a partner like Madara

I believe the best way to talk about books with him is doing it indirectly. For example, instead of saying things like “I’ve read it in a book that if you…”, just say “Maybe it’s just the case that they will…”. Just bring out the idea itself and leave the source aside

He knows that you probably found it in one of your books, but he will not be bothered. Instead, he will praise the fact that your readings turn you into a smart and observing person, with a deep understanding of the world and its people

As you can imagine, going with you to buy books is to him what going with a s/o to buy shoes is to other men. Yes, he is that guy that tries to make you walk in another direction so that you won’t pass in front of a bookstore or the village’s library bc he knows that once you step into these places, you won’t leave so soon

Bc of this you use to go alone to do your book hauls or to ask your friends to go with you. Sometimes you wish you could make Madara change his mind, for you love his company, but you’re ok knowing that it’s not going to happen and try to concentrate on being in good terms with him ❤

[biggirllifestyle]

Ducks in the pond.

Summary: Being friends from the beginning does get its perks, but it's also such a heartbreaking scene when you’re a background character or so you think.

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x OFC(Original Female Character)

Word Count: 4k+

Warnings: Small cursing, this got away from me so sorry.

A/N: I found my next victim Chris Evan characters, I’ll do better I swear.

Being surrounded by the elite is not something many can say they have experienced especially if it’s something you have been doing since a very young age when you were not even part of that social group. My mother did not come from a wealthy background, she didn’t come to the country with any knowledge of the language and without a penny in her pocket but thanks to a faithful day where she had met Harlan, he had offered a helping hand for my mother and from there on she became his lived in housekeeper.

The first time I ever met Ransom I couldn’t say that I wasn't tempted to punch him in the face, we were children when we met and everything that came out of his mouth was rude and condescending. Ransom was older than I and I knew he was Harlan's favorite and least favorite grandson, he was a rude snotty kid who used to pull on Megs and I’s pigtails every time he could get away with it.

I didn't know when it started but at some point, Ransom began to follow me around never leaving my side, I think it began the day that I finally gave in to my urges and punched his perfectly handsome face. My mom was mortified when she found out what I had done, Ransom's mother Linda was pissed and had demanded her father to fire my mother as a repercussion for what I had done but instead, he laughed and I had to apologize begrudgingly to him and from then on I had my shadow. That was how it was for the next few years, him following me around until we became inseparable, we were still coming from polar opposite sides of the societal spectrum even if he never treated me any differently from his rich friends.

While he was out partying with his private school friends I was working part-time jobs and doing homework to pay off my tuition, Harlan had offered many times to pay off school as a thank you to my mother's service through the years but I never accepted feeling guilt at his kind offer. There were times when my friendship with Ransom was tested as his rich dick persona would come out and he would sometimes disrespect my lack of social standings when he would hang out with his friends, I always hated that side of ransom because I knew that the words that he said were partially true, we were from different backgrounds his way of living was different from mine where I was dressed from thrift stores and low-grade shopping centers he was dressed to Gucci and Balenciaga but that didn’t seem to matter to him.

The only times that any of those comments bothered me was when it came from Ransom's weekly conquest, they were all beautiful women who seemed to have walked out of a photoshoot they were all thin and beautiful women who just oozed money from their pores if they even had pores since all of them seemed to be flawless. I always wondered what it was that I did for Ransom to be so faithful to our friendship never once did I have to compete with others because, in the end, he would always choose me this was also another reason why his conquest didn’t last long since their cruel remarks on my appearance and social standing was an ending point on the relationship, maybe it was the fact that I was always the one who saved him from doing something stupid like getting kicked out of his family or him ending up killing his grandfather.

Things changed when Ransom left for college he had gotten accepted to Princeton and off he went, our communication was limited since he was always so busy with school and me with my part-time jobs. I had forgone going to college to stay close to my mother and in the process, Harlan had offered me a small position in his publishing company which his son Walt was not too happy about. Everything was going well for me. I was living an adequate life. I had finally moved out and gotten my apartment, my work was going great and I had finally made some great friends.  Ransom seemed to be doing well as he was passing all of his classes, he even became friends with his dorm mate, which he was forced to have if he wanted Linda and Richard to keep paying his tuition.

Everything was going well for both of us. Our friendship was thriving through the long-distance even if I was hiding a deep dark secret from him, the fact that I have been in love with him for a long time now. This has been a raging issue that I had been hiding for such a long time but I never thought of doing anything about it since most of the time I was fine with being his best friend, I relied this to Claire my friend from work after I hanged up on Ransom on our call of the week.

“That is the saddest and dumbest thing that I have ever heard,” Claire said as she sipped on her wine, “and I am saying this with a lot of love but if you don’t feel like it would work between you two maybe you should try to give yourself a chance with someone else.” I turned back towards her as I took out the popcorn from the microwave, she made a shrugging gesture before turning on the tv.

“I am just saying Eric from accounting seems to be interested in going out with you, and hey I haven’t heard anything shifty about him from anybody else.” She browsed through a few movies before finally choosing one. I sat next to her setting down the bowl of popcorn in front of us as we settled down, “I’m just saying we big girls deserve some love so if that means you having to go on a date with a guy just so you could be able to get over your childhood friend, then so be it.”

I couldn’t help but think over what Claire said and I knew she wasn't wrong but a small part of me still wished that maybe Ransom felt just a little of that love that I felt for him but I knew it was probably a far cry, so I gave Claire a nod agreeing for her to set me up with Eric she squealed before reaching for her phone as she started texting someone after a few moments she put her phone down and mine began to go with off, it was Eric I gave a panicked look to Claire who just shrugged I sighed before answering.

“Hi, Eric how can I help you?” I said acting dumb, Claire swatted at my arm but I hit her back focusing on Eric who seemed to be having a conversation of his own.

“Yeah I heard from someone that you wanted to go out, and well I just wanted to know if the upcoming Friday was good for you I know this great Italian place that just opened up we could go after work if that works for you,” I was about to respond but I felt my phone going off again I pulled it away seeing Ransoms name on the screen, I debated on answering before ignoring it and returning with Eric.

“Friday sounds great”

After hanging up with Eric, Claire and I continued our movie before she had to start heading home as soon as she was gone I began to tidy up, after ignoring Ransom's call I thought about my friendship with a man who looked for the very best for his life. At some point, I had silenced my phone in the chance that if Eric were to send me a text I could just use the excuse of not answering, and that is how I had left it as I went to sleep since tomorrow started our winter break so there was nothing I had to worry about so with that thought I went to bed.

When morning came I finally had the chance to finally take a break and just lay in bed, everything was silent no noise whatsoever just the random drive of cars on the street and that was it after a while I finally got myself ready to get out of bed reaching for my phone I noticed that Ransom had called me nine more times leaving enough text messages that I worried that something might have happened. Dialing his phone as I began to get ready just in the chance if I had to rush out at any moment to meet him after the second ring he finally answered.

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all night do you know how worried I was,” Ransom said as he began to chastise me, I couldn’t believe he was doing this after we had talked before he started calling me liked a maniac I was about to tell him off and let him know that I didn’t think very highly of his little outburst before he stopped, “Now ducky this is what’s going to happen do you hear me your gonna finish getting ready, put your shoes on and come outside so we can go eat some breakfast do you hear me.”

I huffed out at him but did as he said as I finished getting ready, Ransom always did this ordered me around expecting me to follow his every whim without any form of repercussion from my part but I knew I would never really fight Ransom since all in all I was his only true friend. After finishing getting ready I rushed out of my apartment locking behind me before taking the stairs two at a time I soon as I got to the lobby I couldn’t help but take a small breath the small exertion from my actions after composing myself I walked out seeing Ransom's car, I couldn’t help the giddiness that came over me this would be the first time I would be seeing him after his no show for Thanksgiving so I was very excited to see him again as I got closer to his car ready to greet him excitedly I couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t alone.

“Ducky it’s so good to see you I missed your pretty face,” Ransom said as he stepped forward to hug me but a hand stopped him from moving forward as I was left standing awkwardly from where I stepped forward to meet him, his companion stepped forward putting out a slender and manicured hand so I could shake.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Caroline, Ransom's girlfriend, you must be the friend.” The way she said the word friend made me flush entirely it sounded so mocking when it came from her but I ignored it as I gave her a small smile. Ransom was watching our interaction before clapping his hands together, “Right so let's be on our way then.”

He walked over to the driver's side as he got in Caroline opened the passenger door and motioned me to get in first, I couldn’t help but look at her with a questioning look, Ransom seemed to have caught on to what she was trying to do as he motioned towards Caroline, “Caroline maybe you should ride in the back that way I can also have time to catch up with Ducky.”

Caroline huffed and crossed her arms like a child, the words that came out of her mouth made me feel so shameful I wanted the floor to swallow me whole, “I think she can fit in the back if we push the seats all the way forward I mean I wouldn’t mind moving it since I don't take up much space.” Ransom was about to protest against her but I moved forward pushing the seat forward as much as I could so I could squeeze myself through.

“It’s fine don’t worry about it, this might be the only opportunity I might have to feel as if I’m being abducted or something,” I joked as I positioned myself into the tight space of the back, Caroline seemed smug by her win as she got into the passenger seat Ransom turned to look at me as I avoided his gaze as I looked down at my phone he turned back around as he started the car, the drive to the restaurant was quite from Ransom and I’s point Caroline was going off about some friends of her who were currently on a break or something of that sorts.

When we arrived at the dinner I couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm, this was Ransom’s and I’s regular place we used to go to back when we were in high school, I used to work part-time here and sometimes he visited me as I sneaked him fries when I could. Ransom looked back at me with a soft smile I couldn’t help but to return until I heard a scoff Caroline seemed to not like our choice of location and she seemed to want to protest but Ransom ignored it and got out coming to her side as she opened the door for her, that seemed to placate her as she took his hand to get out. I huffed out a little breath as I began the agonizing task of getting out of the car without making too much ruckus where I would be noticed, when I finally got out I noticed that Ransom and Caroline were waiting for me I flushed hard realizing that they saw my struggle but I gave them a small smile before walking in front of them into the dinner.

Louise was at the counter and the moment she saw me she couldn’t help but let out a shout of excitement she called to Adam who was at the grill in the back as they both came forward to greet me, they saw Ransom and the excitement grew they’ve known us for a very long time so of course, they were glad to see him as well. Louise gave us a small shove as we went to our usual seat which was a booth at the back, when I was young I was scared to go anywhere near the booths but the good thing was that the seats here were spacious so there was nothing to worry about, Ransom scooted in but Coraline seemed to hesitate to look disgusted before sitting down at the corner.

“So how’s school? Are you having any problems with your classes, any subject you might be struggling with?” I asked as I moved around the salt and pepper shake, Ransom laughed as he beat an with a tirade of his Lit professor who loved to throw existential questions into the lesson as if that would help them finish their assignments on time, I couldn’t help but laugh at his whining as our server finally came to our table. There seemed to be a small tension coming from Ransom and Caroline but I chose to ignore it as I moved my attention to our server, he seemed to be about our age, and from what I could see he was new since I could sense his small hesitancy as he took our orders, I gave him a small smile as I tried to give him some reassurance of what he was doing.

“Don’t worry about it you’re doing a great job let me tell you when I used to work here back in the day it was hard, to say the least so no pressure and just take it one step at a time,” Tom as his name tag said relaxed as he gave me a cute and flirty smile that made me blush as I sent him a small shy smile as he walked into the kitchen to put our orders in when I turned back to Ransom he seemed to have a frown on his face at our interaction I made a funny face at him as he rolled his eyes before returning to his tirade. Caroline seemed too quiet so I ignored Ransom as I tried to make conversation with her,

“Are you also at Princeton Caroline?” She gave me a look before turning her nose at me.

“Yes I am in school at the moment but it's not like it matters I’m just doing it to pass the time while I inherit the family business,” she said as she moved around the straw in her drink, I gave her a confused look at her words because I couldn’t understand what she meant by “passing the time,” she must have seen my confusion before she gave a huff before continuing, “Daddy is paying for my tuition so I can go but I don't do anything besides hanging out with my friends or taking trips, there’s no point for me to be going to classes if there is no point to it since I’m just going to inherit my family’s estate and wealth.”

I looked at her with a mildly disturbing face at her words, how I wished I had the opportunity she had to go to college but that option was never one to be considered since it was much too expensive to pay off and I didn’t want to accumulate debt when I was trying to help out my mother with her immigration situation so I said nothing, Caroline seemed to have caught on to my reaction because she gave me a scathing look for even looking at her in that way.

Before anything further could be said Ransom butted in to alleviate the tension that had just arisen between Coraline and me, “So Ducky how’s work Uncle Walt said that he was giving you your team to manage Grandad’s new book, how's that going for you?” I gave him a small smile as I began to tell him about the work that we have been doing and how I’ve been getting along well with everyone except an older editor who keeps trying to override my directions every time I make them to the team. Ransom nodded along at that moment Tom came back with our orders setting them up on the table before turning to me with a small smile, “Do you need anything else, anything I could do for you?” I smiled at him as I was about to respond Ransom butted in,

“No, we’re good.” I looked at Ransom with a pissed look at the rude tone he had used on Tom, he didn’t seem to care as he glared him down until he walked away. I was confused by Ransom's attitude I’ve never seen him act this rudely to people without a motive so his change of character made me wonder what was going on with him and if it had to do with the woman who was sitting right across from me poking at her food uninterested to us.

“So you remember Claire?” I asked him as I ignored his previous way of being with our server, Ransom seemed to be focused on his food so he hummed as confirmation, “Well we were talking last night and she set me up with one of our colleagues, and well now I have a date next Friday!” I said excitedly, Ransom began to choke on his food and I panicked as I started pushing his drink closer to him, Caroline had left just a while ago to the restroom and still hadn’t been back, after he had calmed down Ransom looked at me very differently almost as if he was mad at me for what I had said.

“Are you serious do you even know this guy, how could you put yourself in that situation you haven’t dated anyone ever and you think that going out with this guy is your best option,” he stopped himself his hands balled up into a fist on the table, I couldn't help the tears that welled up this was new to me Ransom had never spoken to me like this before never in such a way as if to shame me not when I decided to go to not go to college and not when I told him about my accident from high school.

“Are you that desperate? if you were you could have just told me and I would have shown you a pretty good time.” The shame and mortification that came over me at his words were so great I let a tear slip from my face, Ransom seemed to realize that his words were far too harsh because he reached out to grab my hand I flinched away from him not wanting him to touch me at all, “I want you to take me home, right now Ransom.” He seemed to hesitate before he clenched his jaw before scooting out of the booth he set a few bills on the table and began to walk out I sat there for a few minutes before finally walking after him Louise gave me a wave and I saw Tom give me a smile and a wave until I was out the door.

Ransom was sitting inside the car already waiting for me to go in, I didn’t see Caroline anywhere and I almost went back inside to go get her before Ransom spoke up again, “She already left her friends came and picked her up half an hour ago.” I nodded before getting into the passenger seat, on the drive back to my apartment everything was quiet, only the hum of the car providing sound. After a while we were finally there Ransom parked but didn’t turn off the engine we sat there quietly for a bit before I finally turned to him, “I’ll see you at the Lagoon okay, I think you and I need some time apart to think about what happened,” I paused as I looked away.

“I love you, I’ve always loved you and I want you to give me the chance to grow from those feelings so I feel like this is the best option for me,” I stepped out stopping before looking down at Ransom who was still so stock still, I knew that my words were probably still processing to him but there was no turning back I finally said what I needed to say and I was ready for everything that was coming, “Patito, I need you to understand that no matter what I would choose you over everybody else.” And with that, I shut the door.

My date with Eric had occurred and it was the worst thing I have ever been on, believing that maybe this could be my chance to grow out of my love for Ransom I looked at the bright side but Eric was the worst he was rude and snobby and made comments about my appearance making it seem like I had to give him a thank you for even looking my way and I hated it. Ransom and I hadn’t spoken to each other since the day we went out and I hadn’t been able to think about it, so that night after my date I cried letting out the pent up emotions I had thought about the fact that maybe me falling in love or being loved would be a notion that could never happen.

During my little outburst, I heard my phone going off and without looking I answered it, the other person on the line was quiet before I heard an outburst, “What the hell happen where are you?” I was confused for a second before realizing that it was Ransom on the line, “Did that son of a bitch do something to you tell me where you are before I go kill him.”

I gave a few hiccuped breaths before Ransom calmed down with the softest tone I have ever heard from him, “Look Ducky I just want to make sure if you’re okay? Tell me where you are and I’ll meet you there in a heartbeat.” With that tone I was able to calm myself down as I told him I was at home, he gave a confirmation telling me he would be here soon as he ordered me to drink a glass of water before he hanged up.

Fifteen minutes later and an empty glass I heard knocking at my door when I opened it Ransom dressed in some plain sweats and the sweater I had given him for Christmas last year no matter what he wore he always looked handsome and this time I couldn’t help the tears that dropped. Ransom crowded me as he began to wipe the tears from my face. Here I stood my hair and makeup a mess dressed in the nicest dress that I had as the person I loved wiped my tears off my face.

“Did he do anything to you Ducky? Tell me and I swear that I will find him and kill him with my bare hands if I have to.” I laughed at his words nut I gave him a shake of my head telling him that nothing had happened. Ransom seemed to let out a breath before he moved us to the couch, we sat there in complete silence as Ransom held me close after what seemed like hours even though it was probably minutes I finally calmed down enough that I had stopped crying altogether.

“I called you today because I knew you had your date with that guy, I was mad, at you, at me, at that prick, and at fucking Claire for setting you up,” he took a deep breath before sitting up and pulling me away from him so we could be facing each other, “I thought of your confession and I am sorry for not calling you sooner but there was so much on my mind I have to tell you.”

I looked up at Ransom seeing that he was being completely serious and I couldn’t help the pull in my chest at the way he looked in that moment how much he has grown from when we were young and how much more he could do in the future, “I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time now but I haven’t been honest with you at all, I don’t want to be your friend anymore and I haven’t wanted us to be friends since high school after we went to different schools,” I pulled away completely when he said that the tears were coming back and I felt as I couldn't breathe anymore Ransom could probably see my upcoming panic attack, so he did something I never thought would happen. He kissed me.

He kissed me.

That was the only thought that was going through my mind as my brain short-circuited, I stared up at him surprised not believing he did that Ransom stood before he started pacing rubbing at his neck before turning towards me, “This is not how I wanted to do it so I feel like I am already messing up but,” he paused as he took a deep breath before he came before me and kneeled so we were at eye level, “I have been in love with you since we were kids I think from the moment you punched me in the face and Grandad forced us to hang out, but I think the moment I knew was when I saw you at the dinner you were talking to some customers and I remember how you reached towards their little girl as you wiped something off her face and made her laugh.”

He leaned towards me just a little until our faces were just inches apart, his eyes darted down to my lips as I wet them, “I knew that if I could I would do whatever it took to keep you at my side even if that meant us only being friends, but I am done being your friend.” With that, he surged forward kissing me much softer than I thought my lips tingled at the contact after a few seconds he darted his tongue to swipe onto my bottom lip as I parted them for him before he began to kiss me a little bit deeper. When he pulled away I couldn’t help but let out a whine he chuckled at I flushed hotly at his laugh giving him a soft smile,

“Ducky you’d don't know how long I’ve been waiting to do that, I love you so much.”

“I love you too Ransom I always have and no matter how annoying you are with your little designer clothes and your dumb car,” he gave an offended scoff which I giggled at, “but I will always love you no matter what.”

Tags: @rmtndew​

[cozy-the-overlord]

Christmas Across the Stars

Summary: A backlogged mission on Jotunheim means Piper's going to miss Christmas with her family this year. At least she's not completely alone.

Written for @the-emo-asgardian's 'Tis The Season Writing Challenge on the prompt "snowed in and unable to get to family"

Word Count: 2,938

Pairing: Loki x OFC

A/N:  *wipes sweat off brow* whew! For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to get this done in time for Christmas. But here it is! I've been writing a lot of angst lately, so it was really nice to write something sweet and fluffy for a change. I did try to keep Piper somewhat vague as a character, but there's a lot of me/my family traditions in this story, so for that reason I decided to make it an OFC rather than a reader-insert. Hope you don't mind.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families, and I hope you all have a healthy and fulfilling New Year! Thanks for reading! :)

Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae

Read it on Ao3!

She had been staring at the stone ceiling for nearly three hours when Piper decided enough was enough. Abandoning the thick, itchy blankets and the naïve dream of getting some sleep tonight, she reached for her boots.

One of the annoying things about life on Jotunheim (and there were many) was the inability to do a damn thing without first putting on fifty layers. Her nylon jacket rustled as she pulled it over her arms, zipping up with an obnoxious squeak. Across the room, Olsen popped up in her bunk.

“Wuzgoinon?” she muttered, opening a bleary eye.

“Nothing,” Piper said quickly. “I’m just going for a walk. Go back to sleep.”

Olsen hummed, head dropping back to the pillow. Her other two companions didn’t stir. Piper sighed and grabbed her scarf and hat.

Her footsteps echoed against the rocky walls as she made her way to the bunker entrance. They weren’t supposed to go outside alone, what with being stationed on an unpredictable alien planet and all, but the blizzard that had been raging on for the past two weeks had finally seemed to pass and Piper could use a breath of fresh air.

The frozen hellscape greeted her with it’s usual chilly slap to the face. She coughed, bringing her scarf above her nose. When they had first arrived, the cragged mountain cliffs had hypnotized Piper. They stretched far above the horizon, their jagged silhouettes cutting through the paint-splattered sky like a crooked dagger. It was a severe kind of beauty, unlike anything Piper had ever seen before.

Now, it felt like the serrated ridges were laughing at her.

Piper sat down against the bunker door with a grunt, rubbing her hands through her mittens. What was she even doing out here? What had she expected to find? Despite her day-long daydreams, the bitter wishes she stored deep in her heart, her reality had not changed: she was a tiny ant of a person, trapped on this icy rock of a planet, sleepwalking her way through this drawn-out farce of a mission.

What a way to spend Christmas Eve.

When she had signed up for this job, it had been an adventure. Traveling across the stars to a world that until recently had only existed in myth, to test out technology that would allow for interplanetary travel? Move over, Captain Kirk. Piper Bassow was boldly going where no (human) man had gone before.

The mission had supposed to last for six months. They left at the beginning of February, wide-eyed and excited for the enterprise. They had planned to be home in August. Then something came up, some snag with the tech back on Earth, easily fixed but it disrupted the schedule. Their return date was moved to October. No problem, Piper thought. We’ll still be back for the holidays.

Then, a blizzard knocked out their antenna. Again, easily fixed, but they had to wait for the wind to die down before they could risk going out to fix it. Disrupted the schedule. Now their return date was end of November.

We’re still fine, she told herself. Thanksgiving is a shit holiday anyways. Who cares if you miss it?

The final communication from SHIELD was what did her in. The last three months of data had gotten corrupted. They needed to stay until February. Piper had been on radio duty when she got the message. Instead of replying, she dashed the receiver against the wall.

It was immature. She had signed up for this mission knowing full well that there was a high chance that things wouldn’t go as planned. In fact, she should’ve been thankful—out of all the things that could have gone wrong, this was pretty innocuous. Everyone was safe, everyone was healthy, they had enough rations to last over a year. There was no reason to be this upset.

But … the reality that she was going to miss Christmas with her family this year was tough to grapple with. Christmas was a big deal. Her siblings and her had all long since moved out, but they still all flocked back by December the 24th, where they’d stay up all night stuffing their faces with their mother’s butter cookies and arguing over which movie to watch as the piney scent of the Christmas tree wafted through the room. No matter where they were in the world, they found a way home.

But Piper supposed she wasn’t anywhere in that world anymore.

She huffed, pulling her hands closer against her chest as the wind whistled on. Christmas had been the one thing she had been working towards all year. Feeling homesick? You’ll be home with everybody for Christmas. Getting frustrated with one of her teammates? By Christmas you’ll have forgotten they exist. Blizzard outside wrecking her day? Just think of all the stories you’ll have to tell everyone over Christmas dinner.

And yet, here she was, Christmas Eve, freezing her ass outside on this godforsaken ice cube.

“What are you doing out here?”

Piper nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped around to find their Jotun guide looming over her with a frown. Nearly a year of companionship with him had proved that Loki Laufeyson was hardly the malevolent villain the rest of her world believed him to be (SHIELD wouldn’t have put this mission in his hands if he was), but something about his presence still unsettled her. He said very little, choosing to skulk in the shadows and reappearing only when he deemed it absolutely necessary. It never failed to amaze her that a living creature could move so quietly—you never realized he was besides you until you turned around and he was there.

Piper tried to pull herself to her feet, but with all her extra padding she just rocked around on the ground. Her face burned.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Do you need help?”

“I’m fine,” she huffed, crossing her arms and scowling up at him. I guess I’m staying here for a bit. Where had he even come from? She was leaning against the bunker door—it hadn’t opened since she’d been here. “What are you doing out here?” she asked accusingly.

Loki motioned his head towards the boulder pile behind the bunker. “We were getting some odd readings from the east. I thought I should check up on it.”

“Oh.” Piper peered through the ice, but she couldn’t make out the sensor that was supposed to track the movements of Jotunheim’s celestial satellites. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded, gaze unflinching. “I believe an animal disrupted the apparatus. I righted it.” Cocking his head, he frowned. “So is there a reason you’re sitting outside in the middle of the night in the dead of Jotun winter, or have you just finally gone mad?”

Piper let out a breathy laugh despite herself. She leaned her head against the stone door. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah.” He sounded neutral enough, but Piper was fairly certain he was judging her.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” she added quickly. Glancing at her watch, she added, “Or Christmas Day. I’m not sure.” There was another annoyance about Jotunheim—the time difference was catastrophic.

“Oh,” Loki nodded again. He didn’t move. She frowned. What was he waiting for? Perhaps he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“It’s a holiday,” she explained. “On Earth. It’s kind of a big deal.”

“Yes, I’m aware.” For a moment, the two of them were silent, Piper staring out into the snow, Loki staring down at Piper. She waited for him to walk away, but he didn’t budge.

She sighed. “Do you need something?”

“You are upset.” He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were plain as day. Piper’s embarrassment came flooding back.

“No. It’s not—” she inhaled. He was right. She was far too upset. “I just—I thought I’d be home for it.” Her eyes were burning. Piper leaned her head back against the door in frustration. Was she seriously crying over this?

“Oh.” Surely he’d leave now, now that he knew that nothing was actually wrong. She shifted to move her weight from against the door so he would be able to return inside. But to Piper’s surprise, he didn’t leave. After a moment’s hesitation, Loki sat down next to her with a grunt.

“I’m afraid my knowledge of Midgardian tradition is rather lacking,” he said as he made himself comfortable against the door. “Christmas is a religious holiday, yes?”

Piper stared. It took her a moment for her to find her voice. “Oh, um, yeah—” she stuttered. “Technically. But not everyone who celebrates it is super religious. Like, I don’t think anyone in my family has gone to church in their life.”

“What is it you celebrate then?” He leaned forward, seeming genuinely interested

“I don’t know. Family. Giving. That’s what they call it, the season of giving.” Geez, she sounded like the star in a Hallmark movie. “My family always had a big get-together every year. Or, has—I guess they still are this year, I’m just… not there.” Her voice trailed off pitifully. Piper forced a smile, desperate to show him that she wasn’t completely pathetic. “But it’s fun. We have cookies and chocolates and everything and we decorate the tree and give each other presents—”

“Pardon me,” Loki interrupted, perking up. “What do you mean ‘decorate the tree’?”

“Oh, yeah.” Of course he wouldn’t know what she was talking about. “It’s a Christmas thing. You get a pine tree—some people have fake ones, my family always goes to a farm to get one—and you put it in your house, and you decorate it with lights and ornaments and stuff, and then you put the presents for everyone under the tree.”

That was another thing she missed this year. Usually, whoever was in town with her parents for Thanksgiving would drive out with them to the Christmas tree farm the next day to help pick out a tree. That was always an adventure—her mom would be scurrying between the lines of trees as the rest of them rushed to follow her, pine needles attacking them mercilessly from both sides. Piper’s mother was a perfectionist in every aspect of life and picking out a tree was no different. They’d spend hours circling the farm, listening to her as she found a flaw in each one they came across.

“The shape of this one is just too wide. Far too dry. Oh look, there’s a hole right in the middle! That one’s beautiful, but it’s so tall, I don’t think it would fit in our house—”

Eventually, she would find a tree that came close enough to her standards (“well, this one has a bare side, but we’ll put it up against the wall so no one will see it”) and Piper would crawl under the thing with the shitty saw they got at the front and go to work, her two sisters bouncing around like cheerleaders at a football game when the tree finally came crashing down.

Piper suddenly realized that she wasn’t going to get to see this year’s tree.

Besides her, Loki sounded lost in thought. “That sounds like Yule.”

She turned, frowning. “Yule?”

“An Asgardian holiday. We decorate pine trees as well.” He sighed, almost wistfully. Piper had never seen him this relaxed before. “It’s probably where the Midgardian custom comes from.”

“Oh, yeah.” She thought she had heard that once, that a lot of Christmas traditions had come from the Vikings, although she had never made the connection between that and Asgard. It made sense—wasn’t Loki straight out of Viking myth? “What do your tree decorations look like?”

Loki hummed. “We had special enchantments on the trees to create the illusion of glowing orbs of light within the branches. You couldn’t touch them—your hand would go right through.” He laughed. “It drove my brother mad when we were little. On more than one occasion he knocked down the whole damn tree trying to grab the light.”

Piper grinned. “That sounds like our cat! We have these little glass balls that are like, multicolored, and he’s always trying to bat them down. My mom wakes up to find ornaments all over the floor. One time he even managed to get the star” That cat’s a little shit and he knows it, she’d tell Piper on the phone. I can’t wait til you guys get home. He’s always on his best behavior for you.

Loki was staring at her quizzically. “The star?”

“Yeah. You put the star at the top of the tree, and it lights up. It’s like a topper ornament. I’m not sure where that comes from.” Piper sighed. “I hope they’re able to get it all set up this year. I’m usually the one who does the lights and the star and everything.”

“I’m sure they’ll manage.”

“Yeah.” Of course they would. The idea that they couldn’t manage without her was nothing but wishful thinking on Piper’s part, a tiny, selfish little part of her that wished they were as lonely and miserable as she was. “It’s just—” she inhaled. “I’ve never missed Christmas before.” Her fingers were going numb under her mittens. She rubbed them against each other.

She could feel Loki’s eyes on her, studying her as she blew into her hands. He didn’t say anything for the longest time, but the silence felt more analytical than judgmental.

“You should go inspide,” he finally said. “It’s far too cold out here for you to just be sitting still.”

He was right, but still Piper bristled. “I’m fine.”

“Please.” He stood in one fluid motion, holding his palm out to her. “If you freeze to death out here, SHIELD will find a way to blame me for it.”

“I—” Her pride screamed at her to keep protesting, but the biting wind was picking up, cutting under her coat and piercing her bones. She couldn’t help the shivers, even as Loki shot her a pointed look.

Piper sighed. “Alright.” She took his hand (how was he so warm?!) and allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her inside.

…

“Bassow! Bassow, wake up!”

The shouts rattled her skull as she pulled herself from deep within the recesses of sleep. “Hng?”

She was face down in her bunk. When had she even gone back to bed last night? She had been talking to Loki …

It was Medoff who was yelling her name.

“Come on, you’ve got to see this!” her teammate shouted in her ear as she shook her arm.

Piper groaned, pulling herself from the warm cocoon of blankets she had wrapped around herself at some point in the night. Her head was pounding. What time is it?

“See what?” she muttered.

Medoff yanked her out of bed, seemingly trying to jerk her up. “You’ve just got to see it. You won’t believe it otherwise.”

It was too cold. Piper ripped her blanket from her mattress and followed Medoff through the bunker hallways with it wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak, head lost in a sleepy fog.

“Is this really that import—” she trailed off when they reached the common area. The table where they took their meals had been pushed into the corner, but that was hardly what rendered her speechless.

There was a tree. A great, big, beautiful evergreen tree, with needles of emerald green, more vibrant than any Piper had ever seen on Earth. Kaleidoscopic orbs floated amongst the branches, slowly shifting through the colors of the rainbow before her eyes, held to the tree by chains of silver light. And on the top … it was a star, but comparing it to the plastic things Piper would haphazardly wrestle to the top of her Midgardian Christmas trees felt like a crime. It was as if someone had plucked one of the celestial bodies from the night sky and just fixed it at the peak, sparkling so bright it was almost blinding.

For a moment, Piper just blinked. “What—how—”

“We don’t know!” Olsen laughed from the table, where she was sitting with Wynn, the final member of their team. “We just woke up a few minutes ago, and it was like this! Isn’t it insane?”

“I mean, it is Christmas Day,” Wynn said. “Back at home, I mean. I guess Santa made it to Jotunheim after all.”

“Yeah. Santa.” Coming to her senses, Piper glanced about the room. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the most enchanting Christmas tree in existence magically appeared in their bunker mere hours after that conversation. She found him lurking in the hallway, watching them all from afar. Loki met her gaze, and Piper suddenly realized his eyes were the same brilliant green as the tree.

The biting homesickness that had been festering in her heart was still there, but it was beginning to fade, as if someone had wrapped it in a warm blanket.  She smiled. As her colleagues continued to chatter over the tree, Piper made her way over to the Jotun prince.

“Thank you.”

He shrugged. “It was hardly an unpleasant task. I thought I might enjoy indulging nostalgia for a day as well.”

The changing lights from the tree cast a mystical glow to the desolate bunker, sparkling across the stone walls. It was like living within the Northern Lights. Hesitantly, Piper reached to put her hand on his forearm. “Merry Christmas, Loki.”

At first, he stiffened, but after a moment, he returned her warm smile. “Merry Christmas.”