#or is insomnia a bad habit we share?

[eolewyn1010]

"Incorrect Tatort quotes"

Sebastian: There's a time and a place for decaf coffee.

Thorsten: 'Never' and 'in the trash'.

Sebastian: *high-fives him*

[nrdmssgs]

Little things, they do 2 (Price, Ghost, Gaz) (headcannons)

Masterlist

Part 1 (Alex, Soap, König) here

Little things, they do, that get you every time. Silly, warm, heart-melting, wholesome things.

Captain John Price

Knuckle kisses. That's it.

Praises you not only when you succeed, but also when you fail. “I know, you tried so hard, love. This doesn't make you lesser. You don't have to prove anything to me. I'm proud of you. You're enough.”

Compliments you at the most random times. You've just woken up with an absolute mess on your head, or you walk around the house in old faded sweatpants and a dirty T-shirt because the rest of the clothes are being washed? John takes your hand, brings it to his lips and whispers "You are incredibly beautiful." or “How did an old git like me ended up with the most gorgeous, hottest  human being out there?”

He has this habit of going behind your back and leaning close to your very ear while telling you something. Maybe he just likes to feel you close and uses it as an excuse, maybe he wants to “envelop” you in a way, hide you from the whole world, sharing his knowledge, feeling, how interested you are in a topic.

One of those people to actually use paper and envelopes, that some hotel still provide their rooms with. You get these long 3-5 page letters from different corners of earth every now and then. They can be absolutely platonic - he can literally describe, what he's seen or overheard on the streets lately or rant about how he wants to hear seabirds voices, but they are interrupted by the unceasing roar of engines and roadworks here… But you see it: every line screams “I love you. I freaking love you so much, it's almost 4 am here, and I'm still wide awake, because I need to write to you, to communicate in any way that will be safe for you.” 

Simon Ghost Riley

He is no stranger to triggered stress or panic. So if you have any phobia, and he finds out about it - he starts protecting you from its triggers. Let's say, you're scared of spiders and scorpions. Even a picture of one can absolutely freak you out. Simon goes above and beyond to shield you from any type of appearance of these creatures in your life. In summer, he'll escort and even tiniest spider out of your apartment, before you see it.

He even shares a googledoc with trigger warning time codes for every piece of media, you wanted to see. Even if it's a long series - he just checks every episode of it on a fast rewind and writes you, if it's fully safe to watch or not. 

Ghost has a wealth of experience in dealing with insomnia and is willing to help you, if you come across this issue. Just don't hesitate to ask - he is ready to spend all the night helping you out. Will definitely start with pressing your back to his chest and guiding you through a breathing exercise.

If you had a bad day and dropped him a message - he`d surely call you as soon as he can to talk you through everything that happened and soothe you. 

“I`m always there for you, you know?” “I know, Simon…” “No, thats not the way, we do that.” “...” “Come on. Say it.” “I remember, ok?” “Say. it. I need you say it out loud.” “You are always there for me, no matter what.” “And?” “... and I can call or text you any time and you'll reach back asap.” “Good job. I'll call you again before you go to sleep.”

Despite his ascetic way of life, he likes nice things and gradually accustoms you to the same preferences. 

It all starts with tea. One day, you go grocery shopping together. You walk between the rows of shelves while Simon stays by your cart. Returning to the cart, you find him skeptically examining the box of tea you dropped into the cart earlier. "What is this?" "It's tea, Simon, stop pretending you can't read." Ghosts gaze eloquently demonstrates his attitude towards this product. "It's trash." He pulls out a simple but elegant box from the top shelf. "This is tea." You try to convince him that with the money spent on that "good" box, you could drink tea all year, but he is relentless. Simon ends up buying the tea himself and brewing it at your place. When you first try it and roll your eyes in pleasure - he smiles contentedly. “Told you.”

Kyle Gaz Garrick

“Babe this is delicious, wanna try it?” - say yes and firstly he will kiss you. You absolutely need to try that ice cream, his tongue is just a nice bonus. Ofc shares his food with you afterward.

One of the most supportive human beings out there. Encourages every your hobby, hella proud of you and not shy to demonstrate it. “Have you heard her singing? RNs got a voice of a songbird!” “Kyle, please, I just went to a few vocal lessons and learned like… 2 songs.” “Those are my favorite ones from now on, love.”

If you work from home, he'll walk into your room randomly (but only when he is 100% sure, you're not on the call), sit beside you and just stare silently at you. Ask him, what's up, and he'll give you a quick kiss on the forehead and walk away grinning. 

Slow dances with you on streets, when you two pass by street musicians. Doesn't care if everybody looking, even if someone pulls out a phone and starts filming this wholesome scene. It's only you in Kyles hands, that matter right now to him. 

If you have a pet - he definitely becomes its new dad. When Kyle is around - your four-legged friend absolutely forgets about your existence, because Gaz is an expert in best scratches!

By the way, your pets birthday is now Kyles official holiday!

[pallastrology]

sister sign similarities

aries and libra are both passionate signs, though it definitely shows up differently. they care deeply for other people and for the world, and they both possess a strong sense of justice. these two remind me of a warrior king and their advisor, in a way. aries is active and assertive, fierce and protective, while libra is dynamic and cerebral, considerate and cautious. they encourage each other, and make for a beautiful partnership. the themes that commonly crop up for aries and libra are those of their own identity and place among other people and the world, of self-consciousness and self-absorption, of the body and the mind. at their worst, aries is rudderless, angry, impulsive. they have no cause to fight for and so become stagnant and bitter, lashing out where it isn’t needed. libra becomes paralysed, cynical, passive aggressive. they lose sight of themselves and fall into bad habits, growing passive and searching for shallow things to pique their interest. the two signs balance each other out, with libra reminding aries to slow down, to see the beauty in the world, to pick their battles, and aries teaching libra to look towards what ignites a fire in them, to take those first steps, to speak their mind.

taurus and scorpio both live in the sensual world. they explore and connect with their surroundings, and the people in them, through their senses. they need the tangible and the real in order to feel centred. we see this differently, with taurus often turning to comfort and beauty, and scorpio to human connection and the act of giving and receiving. they both crave closeness and intimacy, to truly share themselves and be vulnerable with another person, someone who can see and accept every part of them. this desire for openness can actually translate to feeling very scared. the vulnerability and defencelessness their hearts crave leaves the mind feeling out of control, helpless. so they can overcorrect to combat this fear of the unknown. these overcorrections look like distance, cynicism, controlling tendencies. they both have a stony quality to them when their fear is triggered; they withdraw and shut down, come across cold and almost hateful. it’s a misguided way to protect themselves from the threat of vulnerability, despite vulnerability being exactly what they need to find security in themselves and others. this push-and-pull is confusing to witness and distressing to experience. finding self-worth and a sense of home within themselves helps to mellow out the internal chaos, shed their fear and find intimacy with the world.

gemini and sagittarius have, to me, some of the most obvious similarities. both signs are fun-loving, adventurous, curious, compassionate and so funny. they can both be really charming when they want to be, and have a disarming and quirky sense of humour. there is almost a student-mentor relationship between the two signs, like they are at different stages of a similar path. gemini is curious, quick-witted, sharp and insecure. sagittarius is wise, receptive, somewhat softened and mellowed. both are storytellers and lifelong students, both need to travel and outgrow themselves again and again throughout their lives. both have a compassionate nature that sometimes gets lost among the fullness of their personalities. there is a stillness in sagittarius that restless gemini lacks, but both signs are always on the move internally. they gravitate towards different interests, but share a bright, twinkling enthusiasm that never fades. both have a suspicious side, with gemini being prone to anxiety and insomnia, and sagittarius being prone to ambivalence and escapism. this suspicion, when channeled properly, makes for a hunger for knowledge that will sustain them for life.

cancer and capricorn are a pair of sisters connected by childhood. in these signs, we see the journey from the womb to the grave, and we see the natives struggle with the questions brought up throughout it. where did i come from? who am i made up of? where will i go? what will i leave behind? in cancer, the former; capricorn, the latter. both signs are dedicated and deeply loving, with strong values to guide them through life. they both need to make an effort to ground themselves to the real world, as they have a tendency to run on autopilot. when this happens, they retreat into a rich internal life that holds them like a mother. as lovely as this feels, they need to grow and move forward, to find their feet and build their own lives outside of themselves. they both have incredible memories, with cancer especially using it to their advantage when they feel threatened or hurt. both are smart and sharp, but have a soft and often quite fragile core. we see it more easily in capricorn, but both signs are focused on their legacy. with cancer, it can be harder to see, and it sometimes looks to be backwards, with cancer oriented to the past, ruminating and reflecting. both signs wish for home, family, and something good to leave behind.

leo and aquarius are both such loud signs. not always physically, but there is just something about them, i suppose it’s star quality. both signs are strong-willed, stubborn at times and full of ideas. at their best, they burst with pride and generosity. leo especially is a big-hearted sign that makes every person in their life feel like a star. with aquarius, they light up the rooms they walk into, bringing something special to their community. at times, both signs are prone to egotism and self-centredness, being even miserly. this just isn't how their hearts are built, and they'll never feel themselves living like this. they need to open up, to share their strengths and gains with others, to love fully and purely. both signs are clever, social, and have an almost-regal quality to them. both signs can be insecure at times, in a childlike manner; needing someone to hold their hand while they explore, and they shouldn't be afraid to express this. even the strongest of us have softer parts, even the bravest feel scared, even the cleverest need to ask questions.

virgo and pisces are both deeply devoted. they often, in my experience at least, appear the most polarised of all the oppositions. on the surface, they’re totally different, and in fairness, their motivations and desires are often very different too. but on a deeper level, the connections start to form. both signs are ritualistic, devoted. virgo finds peace in their daily rituals, while pisces is centred by their unconscious mental rituals; they are prone to magical thinking and rumination. religion, spirituality, love and care are where we see devotion with the two natives. virgo is dedicated and deeply caring, and pisces overflows with love and kindness. both signs are fundamentally pure-hearted, despite virgo’s highly strung, critical tendencies, and despite pisces’ escapist and easily overwhelmed nature. virgo and pisces are both malleable too, and we see this with how adaptable they are, both to the good and the bad. it’s why virgo and pisces both find it hard to leave toxic situations, and we so often see their reactions to that toxicity. they both see the good in others to a fault, and have the vision to see how things could be. for virgo, they want to fix people and things, while pisces wants to be there and support the person while they fix themselves. i see these sister signs as old friends; you know when you’ve both moved into very different seasons of life, but you have that same line running between you both? virgo and pisces both seek connection through ritual, they both devote themselves truly and honestly to who and what they love.

[k1ngdom-of-thieves]

May I ask for a gn reader who has problems sleeping (could be anything: nightmares,insomnia) and getting tired in the daytime while being a night owl at night with Vil, Riddle and Azul?

Course!

Vil, Riddle, and Azul + reader that has sleep problems!

Vil Schoenheit

Vil is not letting you get away with having an improper sleep schedule. Your beauty rest is not something you can just sacrifice on a whim!

He’ll talk to you about trying to find the cause of what is making you stay up so late, whether it be insomnia or just you not properly managing your time. He wants you to know that you can rely on him if there’s anything that is making you stressed.

In fact, he’ll try to help reduce whatever it is that I’d causing your lack of sleep. From helping you finish your work faster or contacting a doctor to learn how best to deal with that insomnia.

He’ll ask if you’d like to share a bed for a while, it’s for his sake more than anything else. Just so if there’s anymore issues, he’ll be right there to help immediately.

“While I’m here, would you like me to bring my set of custom teas? Some of them are meant to help you sleep better.”

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle is also someone that won’t allow you to have poor sleeping habits. He’ll come to you immediately and question you for what seems like hours over why you’re not getting good sleep.

If it’s due to insomnia, he’ll be a bit more understanding and tries to find ways to help you. He is a doctor’s son after all!

But if it’s because you lose track of time, he’ll scold you but still tries to help you find ways to fix it. He can’t have your deteriorating health on his conscience.

He’ll come over to check on you from time to time if it’s a school night. Riddle says it’s to “keep you from trying to do an all-nighter” but it’s clear that he was just worried.

“How long have you been up for? Please don’t tell me you haven’t gone to bed yet.”

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul is going to be a bit of a hypocrite here. He tells you that staying up late is terrible for your health but then does just that to calculate the gross profit of the lounge.

He’s a little flustered when you point out his hypocrisy but he stands by his point on it being bad for you. His actions have nothing to do with the conversation at hand. He’s so dumb sometimes lol

You tell him that you’ll only try to fix your schedule if he tries to fix his. Which is something he reluctantly agrees to.

The first time you both had tried to go to bed at an acceptable time, Azul was knocked out before you guys even said ‘good night’ to each other. Which is a hilarious look for the “calm and collected” owner of the Mostro Lounge.

“Good morning, hm? I fell asleep before you? Oh great seven, I’m so sorry! We were supposed to- it’s alright? Oh, ok.”

[itszazouu]

safe besides you (sakusa kiyoomi x sick reader)

genre : hurt/comfort

character : timeskip!sakusa kiyoomi, gender neutral reader

warnings : mention of throwing up, sickness, insomnia, crying, loneliness

plot (established relationship): as you feel like getting sick you can’t help but miss your boyfriend who is away with his volleyball team for a major encounter. you try to deal with it on your own, but you feel way more safe when Kiyoomi is besides you 

   You feel lightheaded as you make your way back home. 

It was a long day at work and now you feel even worse. Before walking back home you made a quick stop at the nearest mall in order to buy groceries for tonight’s dinner and some medicine to relieve your pain.

Kiyoomi isn’t here tonight, like every other night this week. He is abroad with his volleyball team for the most important games of the season. He might come home during the dead night or maybe in the early morning.

You miss him, even though he called you every night during this week. Just when he’s about to begin his day and you to end yours. You miss his steady presence, his soft kisses when he thinks that you’re still asleep, his always so soft and genuine gestures toward you. You miss his soft smiles and loving eyes, his warm and comforting embrace, his dark and messy hair… Yeah you miss him. 

Tonight isn’t an exception. You open the front door only to face the silence of your shared house… ugh, you just need to eat, take your medicine, and go straight to sleep. 

As you make your way to the kitchen in order to put away your groceries, you feel like throwing up or fainting, maybe both at the same time. 

Crap, this is worse than you were thinking. You do the rest of the chores, because you know that an exhausted Kiyoomi would prefer coming back to a clean home, and decide to skip dinner. You’re feeling too nauseous anyway. 

 As you make your way through your bedroom, after taking some medicine, your phone vibrates. 

This is a message from Kiyoomi.

9:45 pm  Kiyoomi : hi, how are you doing tonight ?                                              how was your day ? 

9:46 pm  you : I’m fine honey thank you. Aren’t you on the plane already ? 

9:51 pm  Kiyoomi : good                                                                                      no, we will get on board in 10 minutes 

9:58 pm  you : oh okay then, I made dinner, it is in the fridge for you to heat up  when you’ll  come back 

9:58pm  Kiyoomi : thanks darling, you should go to sleep I won’t be home      before  late                                                                                                              I love you

9:59 pm you : yes, don’t worry kiyo, I love you too

You put your phone on the bedside table and slide under your bed sheets, desperately trying to warm yourself up and to fall asleep. You need rest, you know that, but you can’t help yourself from feeling lonely in your king sized bed, without the warm body of Kiyoomi. You sound so pitiful right now, but you’re sad and you need the raven haired boy. Even though you know that being sick won’t be very appealing for him and his fear of germs. 

Yes, through the years of dating him you grew accustomed to his fears and habits and he tried his very best to open up to you concerning those matters but that doesn’t mean he likes it when you’re sick. Because he loves you and seeing you in pain isn’t something he particularly appreciates and because who likes being near sick people anyway… 

You toss and turn in the bed. It is almost midnight and you feel worse than before. Cold sweat runs along your back and your head is spinning like crazy. You get up from bed and go to the bathroom in order to freshen up a bit. 

After splashing some cold water on your face, you go back to bed and decide to text Sakusa. Just because you can, and because you’re feeling very bad right now. 

12:10 pm you : hey, love I hope your trip back home is doing ok so far and that you’re not too  tired

No response… he’s either asleep on the plane, in a cab on his way home, or trying to deal with his loud teammates. Dejected and exhausted, you try to go back to your slumber. 

You wake up way later, the room is silent except for the background noises of the street. Besides you, to your delight, lay Kiyoomi. Your sweet Kiyoomi, fast asleep, looking exhausted but peaceful. You snuggle against him and sigh in delight. 

Wait… your stomach turns up in an unpleasant twist and you feel the urge to throw up. You detangle yourself from Sakusa and get up from bed as fast and quietly as possible. You reach the bathroom just in time to close the door and empty your guts down the sink. 

After some time you try to regain some composure in order to go back to bed, but you hear a faint knock on the bathroom door. Shit, you woke him up. 

“y/n, darling, are you ok ?” says Kiyoomi in a faint voice, still tainted by sleep. 

You feel guilty, you woke him up from his much needed sleep. He sounds exhausted, but most of all concerned. 

“I’m fine Kiyoomi, go back to sleep honey, I’ll be here in a minute.” you sigh as you sit up from the bathroom floor. 

He protests, “No, y/n you’re not. I heard you throwing up, can I come inside ?” 

“Kiyoomi, I’m sick, I’m full of germs, you don’t wanna come near me I swear.” you respond on the verge of tears. Because you’re exhausted, you feel like shit and just want a warm hug from your lover. You try, unsuccessfully, to muffle back your sob but Kiyoomi doesn’t buy it. 

“y/n, I’m going to enter okay ?”  you hear from the other side of the door, as you hear the doorknob turning. 

He’s here, in his pajamas, more like an old shirt and a boxer, standing right in front of you, closing his eyes as the sudden brightness of the bathroom light. His curls stick at odd angles and he looks as beautiful as ever. 

You quickly wash your palms, to prevent him from touching your hands that have touched the sink full of vomit. 

He makes his way towards you carefully, and takes your cheeks in his hands, examining your pale face. 

“y/n darling, you’re sick” he locks his dark eyes in your tired ones as you scoff  “yeah, no kidding.”

To your surprise, Kiyoomi tenderly kisses your forehead. 

The tall man makes his way towards the bathroom closet and takes some medicine from it. He hands you a couple of pills and you swallow without questioning him, trusting him for those matters. 

“I’m so sorry Kiyo, for waking you up and making you deal with this, I know you don’t like it and you must be exhausted.” you feel your eyes fill up again with tears as you try to steady yourself because of the lack of sleep.

“y/n, my love you’re sick, you needed me, I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your text, my phone is dead, but I’m here now” he says tenderly while pampering your face with kisses and as you sob uncontrollably.

This is so unlike him to come over his fear and approach you, even though you’re ill. It makes you cry even more as you feel him embrace you in a tight and warm hug and whispering

“I love you y/n and I don’t want you to deal with this alone, now come on you need to rest.” He leads you out of the bathroom which is connected to your bedroom and pushes you gently towards the bed. 

As you lay down under the fresh sheets of your bed, Sakusa pulls you in a tight embrace and rests his lips on your forehead. There, in the warmth of your dear boyfriend, you finally feel at ease. You know that it’s where you belong to and that you’ll always feel safe beside him, in sickness and in health.

[transplantedmate]

Good Omens Fic (short series): The Road Leads South

TL;DR: AO3 link for a fluffy Aziracrow series I just posted

Happy Valentine's Day peeps!. Or, if that's not your vibe, happy day after pancake day ❤️🥞 I have it on good authority there will be a chocolate sale tomorrow.

I wrote a series of fics! They're a Valentine's day gift for Foamfollowerisfallen, and they've been kind enough to let me share.

This is a short set of stories -all connected, but can be read standalone as well. They're drenched in happy fluff. In them, Aziraphale & Crowley explore what it's like to settle into their new, post-S3-happy-ending life, culminating with their first night at the South Downs cottage.

The whole series is 7.4k words. The stories have different ratings (G. T and E); please mind them and the tags as always. (Each story's individual blurb and link are below if you prefer that.)

Featured: South Downs Cottage, St. Valentine (the holiday), St. Valentine (the saint), duck pictures, happy tears, so much fluffy love, cameos by Muriel, Nina and Maggie, references to The Little Prince, Ovid's works, Jane Austen, reference to Liszt, softness and cuddles, (bad) sex advice from ancient Rome.

Also infinite thanks to @adverbian for being the beta of my dreams.

Give it a go if you like, it would make my day.

Hope your day goes well, I send you my love.

P.S.: Art is a wee drawing by me. [This was initially an embroidery pattern I made, then I added a few lights/shadows while sipping Malbec.]

Part 1:

Bleeding Hearts Bistro (rating: G, words: 1.8k)

Before the South Downs cottage, there was a coffee date, and a simple request.

Excerpt:

Crowley looked again. Slotted against the bottom right corner of the frame – camouflaging against the deep brown feathers of the mallard – was a key. He looked up, eyebrows raised, and his heartrate sped up to match the pitter-patter of raindrops on the canopy.

“Right, I was… look, I was hoping…” Aziraphale began, but floundered. He paused, steeling his hands around the now empty cup of tea and finding his resolve.

“Crowley, my dearest Crowley. A long time ago you asked, you said… you said that you would like to spend the rest of… well, of whatever we have, together. To go off together.”

Part 2:

Sleep (rating: T, words: 2.8k)

It's been a long day of packing in the bookshop. Crowley takes a nap, and Aziraphale decides he wants to know what sleeping might be like.

Excerpt:

Aziraphale had been surprised in recent times to find that reading was no longer his main priority. It hadn’t been an extreme change; he would still happily spend hours poring through the many manuscripts and tomes he had proudly collected over the centuries. Yet he had gained an irrevocable appreciation for the things that could not be learned from a page alone. In fact, he had found that experience itself was a key component of truly understanding the words he read, allowing him to see familiar works in new light. There was new meaning behind Jane’s words, for example, now that he knew the joy of a fleeting touch or a brush of lips on his own flesh.

He wondered if, perhaps, the same may be true of dreams – or, at least, of sleep.

Part 3:

Insomnia (rating: E, words: 2.8k)

They've made it! It's their first night in the cottage, but sleeping in a new bedroom proves tricky... Will this lead to another type of "first"? Aziraphale's choice of reading material doesn't help (or does it?)

Excerpt:

He gently pushed Crowley into the wall, holding him gingerly right above the hipbones. Crowley nibbled at his lip between kisses, and gasped deliciously when Aziraphale returned the favour.

Ever since he had picked up the habit of actually sleeping – luxuriously entwined in the warmth of Crowley’s long limbs and soft skin – Aziraphale’s desire to try every form of physical affection had only grown stronger. They were no strangers to exchanging kisses and caresses by now, but their intimacy thus far had been tempered by the frequent presence of others in their orbit. Now, in the privacy of their own home…

Aziraphale would concede that some of his curiosity was also fueled by his most recent reading material.

[queen-scribbles]

Hit 'em where it hurts: "It should have been you."

Have some circa-KotFE ch 9 Ody/Chance angst <3 ---

She barely recognized the face staring back at her, even though five years in carbonite should've meant less change. There were still the freckles, still the faded scarring at her temple. The same nose, same jaw. Dirty blonde hair tied back.

But the brown eyes of her reflection were rimmed red in grief, underlaid in black from insomnia, bright with unshed tears even as they stared dully from the mirror.

"It should have been you," Odessa whispered at the reflected face, almost resentful, Theron's confirmation running on a loop in her head. It should have been you, not him.

She could see him so clearly when she closed her eyes, how could he be gone?

A rueful laugh as they shared the drink she'd smuggled in, heartfelt regret in his voice as he apologized for using her control word, no matter how afraid he'd been to die.

His unease at her admission she'd've done the same as Ardun, unpleasant methods to ensure worthy goals, faint smile at her teasing he was too soft-hearted for espionage turning bashful when she admitted she wished she could be more like him.

Long conversations culminating in agreement the attraction was there, they wanted to see where this went. Immediately followed by months before she could visit again, vindication in her heart his name hadn't been among the Revanite traitors and a smile splitting her face when his eyes lit up at her arrival.

His hands steady as hers shook after Ziost, rubbing her back, her arm, as she spoke, as she drifted off with her head in his lap. Waking tucked under a blanket on the couch, the uneven tread of his steps in the kitchen a herald of tea that would be ready soon. It would be perfect, even though he'd only made it for her a couple times before.

Soft dawn light playing across his face as they lay in bed, his fingers absently playing with her hair. "We could just walk away, Dessa" he whispered and stars help her she almost, almost said yes. But she had to finish what she started, and needed the resources to do it. He nodded when she said as much and leaned in to kiss her. "I had to try," ghosted against her lips.

She should have said yes.

Why didn't she say yes? Maybe she could've...

He might be...

It should have been her. If one of them was going to die, it should have been her, the jaded ex-Cipher with too many ghosts to carry and too many bad habits to unlearn. Not him, with his open heart and gentle smile. The galaxy could use more like him.

But it had her instead. And she had an Alliance to lead. To protect others from this same loss.

"It should have been me," Odessa insisted one last time, staring down her reflection as she blinked away the tears.

But since it hadn't been, she was going to make it very much the Eternal Empire's problem--Arcann's problem--that she was still alive.

The only way out was forward. She drew a deep, shaking breath and went to inspire her people.

[naamahdarling]

If it isn't too upsetting to think about, could you share some stories about past pets?

So I had this very small fluffy black cat who was cockeyed, she was extremely cute and weird. We called her Tazendra after a Steven Brust character, but mostly we just called her The Mocus. (It's a long story. Don't worry about it.)

So one time my sister who is an excellent baker sent us home with a basket of baked goods for Christmas. Her lemon bars are honestly the best I have ever had. I love them.

So my ex and I were sitting down in bed the next day, relaxing, with the basket of goodies on the bed.

Tazendra got on the bed and wanted to get at the basket but there was very little in there that cats would like. Lots of chocolate, peanut butter, spiced things. So when my ex went to shoo her away, I said "No, it's okay, there's nothing she'll want. Let her see and then she'll leave it alone."

She immediately grabbed an entire lemon bar and fled with it, and by the time we caught up with her she had eaten half of it. And that is how we learned intense citrus wasn't a dealbreaker for her.

I have never lived that down.

That same cat saved my life by totally inexplicably and out of nowhere adopting a new habit of coming to sleep on my chest when I was having real bad insomnia for several weeks before I had found mental health meds that worked. Insomnia is the single most powerful trigger I have for active suicidal intent. I have to avoid it, but can't without meds. So for a while I was very very ill because I couldn't sleep. So my cat stepped in after just a couple of weeks. She knew I wouldn't move her, I never did when she was sleeping on me. And so I had to lie there unmoving in the dark. And eventually I WOULD fall asleep even if it was hours later. So I basically only slept because she forced me. When the meds started working and I could sleep again, she stopped doing that entirely and never did it again. Nothing will ever convince me this was a fluke. She was incredibly sensitive to my mental state and without her I probably would have died. She was a little furry hero.

This is her:

[frenzyarts]

Frenzy I have developed some real bad sleep habits (ei. Not sleeping & scrolling on my phone, and some insomnia that has me staring at my ceiling all night), and you seem like a fellow ADHD who can't turn off their brain, so any ideas on how to help??

I have some advice that I don’t think is useful to most people, which is literally that I share a bed with my gf @doubleca5t who sleeps like a normal human and it makes me want to go to sleep so we can fall asleep together 😭💕🙌

I’m sorry I wish I had advice that wasn’t gay 😳 but sometimes the truth is we need a helping hand!! A helping, homosexual hand.

[pastelaspirations]

How I beat sleep paralysis with the power of knowledge and my compulsive habit to research anything that I have the off chance to write about in a fic

DISCLAIMER: This is just how I beat it, people's experiences of sleep paralysis are different and some methods that may work for one person may not work for another.

Ya read the title correctly. I expect no one to read this, but I don't care. I must tell my story. In my special, niche way in that I can construct a story out of absolutely nothing with 5k words more than I needed to. So, come with me, as I recount the tale of how I successfully beat my first experience with sleep paralysis, armed with only the power of knowledge and my bad habit to extensively research anything that I might stick in a fic one day.

For some background; I have never had sleep paralysis before. Although, I have done lots of research into it in the past because I found it very interesting, not only from people's real accounts of it but from the ✧˖°.memes✧˖°. too. Your good ol' sleep paralysis demon memes. I also thought it might be interesting to write about one day! And because I pride myself on being... fairly accurate, I do a whole lot of research into things I may never actually write about because "what if one day I want to-"

So, I had a lot of prior knowledge to sleep paralysis, including what helped people wake up from it.

Additionally, I have insomnia. :D I haven't gone to a doctor to get it "officially" diagnosed, but I checked every box on the insomnia checklist. It's depressing, I know. I've had it for as long as I can remember. This is important to know as sleep disorders can increase your chances of experiencing sleep paralysis.

Insomnia makes my life very fun. Any sound or light can wake me up. Sleeping in a different bed prevents me from sleeping altogether. Being moved at all wakes me up. I wake up every time I need to toss over in bed, for example. So, just... it's g r e a t.

Anyway, this semester, two days of the week, I have to wake up at 6 in the morning in order to make it to an 8 o'clock class. It's bad. So, the night before, I take melatonin and at least try and go to bed early, all to attempt to combat my insomnia. However, my insomnia also likes giving me the problem of making it extremely difficult for me to fall asleep if I know I have to be somewhere in the morning. So, the days I need the sleep the most are ironically the days I get the least amount of sleep. :D

That said. The night before, I took melatonin and hit the sack relatively early. I also used a sleep mask just to block out any light in hopes that would help me sleep better.

Well, at one point, I think I was asleep? I am not sure. I felt like I was awake and just trying to sleep. Like, that weird, half-asleep daze, but you're still awake and not fully asleep. You get what I mean.

Suddenly, I feel all this movement and I hear all this sound. It's annoying, but I don't remove my sleep mask because I'm trying to sleep. Well, for some reason, I'm convinced my dog is on my lap, just tossing and turning trying to sleep.

Which is weird because he sleeps in my brother's room down the hall.

This does not concern me. I don't know why. I just ignore my "dog" as he's shuffling to get comfortable. He'll lie still eventually and then I'll be able to sleep. I just gotta wait it out.

Then. My bed starts jostling around even more. Now, I'm convinced my brother is in my bed. I DO NOT KNOW WHY, HIS ROOM IS DOWN THE HALL, WE DO NOT SHARE A BED. BUT I'M CONVINCED HE'S ON MY BED, FLOPPING AROUND AND EVEN OFF THE BED. JUST MAKING A WHOLE LOT OF NOISE AND SHAKING THE ENTIRE BED. BEING AWFUL.

This also does not concern me. For some freaking reason. You can see why I thought I was asleep now, huh?

I wanted to gripe at him. Tell him to knock it off, I've got to be up early in the morning and I'm trying to sleep.

But my voice wouldn't work.

I wasn't even alarmed, just thought that was weird. So, I just lay there, comprehending that, when my "brother" flopped off the bed. He then started banging around everything in the freaking room. He was being obnoxiously loud. Ridiculously loud. Banging on the walls, grabbing crap and throwing it around, he was deliberately trying to keep me from sleeping.

Now, I was ticked. I wanted to yell at him, tell him to KNOCK IT OFF. But still, my vocal folds wouldn't move. I couldn't speak even though my brain told myself to. I wasn't alarmed even now, all I thought was "Fine. If I can't tell you to shut up, I can sure as hell whack you-"

But my arm wouldn't move.

Now, I was concerned. I told my arms to move. I told my legs to move. Nothing moved. I told myself to scream. I remained silent. It was like the connection from my brain to my body had been completely severed.

My "brother" seemed to sense my irritation? Since he came stomping over and started violently shaking me in my bed. I couldn't fight back or scream, I was powerless. Then, he started pressing down on my chest. N o w, I was having a harder and harder time breathing.

All of this, mind you, I was experiencing completely blind because I couldn't remove my sleep mask.

I was beginning to freak out. Not only did I think I was going to die, but my brother.

My freaking brother is the butthead who's going take me out, what the hell. What kind of stupid Greek tragedy is this-

So, as I'm lying there, still blind with the sleep mask, freaking out and slightly annoyed at this is the way I'm going to die, a thought suddenly flashes through my head. Just one, singular thought.

"Oh! This is just sleep paralysis!"

I kid you not, that is literally what I thought.

Suddenly, all my fear evaporated. I was no longer scared. I just immediately went right into the tactic I read people who experienced sleep paralysis use to wake themselves up from it. I didn't even hesitate, just immediately jumped into it like I discovered a solution to a hard video game puzzle.

I focused all my attention on moving just one muscle. If I could move that one muscle, I could slowly work my way to other muscles, until I could move the whole limb or the rest of my face. So, I chose one eyelid. The one that would be peeking out from under the sleep mask if it were open.

I commanded and I commanded my eyelid to open. I willed it to open, the strongest I ever willed it to open before. Until finally, it snapped open. All of a sudden, all the shaking by my "brother" and all the sounds abruptly stopped. It was like nothing had happened, I was alone in my room.

So, I... just flopped over and went back to sleep. As fast as an insomniac can fall asleep anyway. I remember thinking "wow, that was a lot less scary than I thought it'd be."

AND LIKE. IT WAS. BUT BEFORE I KNEW WHAT IT WAS.

As soon as I realized, I wasn't scared anymore. It makes me wonder what would have happened if I didn't have the sleep mask on. Would I have seen an actual sleep paralysis demon?? I had the auditory and physical movement hallucinations. Who's to say I wouldn't have had a visual one too if I didn't have the sleep mask on?

But imagine that. Imagine you're a sleep paralysis demon, you've got all the power, until suddenly, your victim thinks in revelation, "Oh! You're just a sleep paralysis demon! I know what to do now! :D"

J u s t a sleep paralysis demon. Defeated by the power of knowledge and the off chance of being written about in a fic.

[rainbowuniversepageantsys]

Our Theme for May & Topic of the Week!

As I mentioned in my Week Ahead audio, our theme for the month of May is Addictions (the need for discipline) and our topic this week is “Deception”. I have witnessed too many people in my life (family, friends, clients, etc.) fall victim to various addictions. I talked about our reward center in the brain which plays a trick on us when we ingest/inhale a foreign substance or do something that feels good. It’s there to reward you so you keep doing it and you keep feeling good and that’s fine when you do positive things and take care of yourself but that hormone dopamine doesn’t like foreign substances so it starts to mimic the rewarding feeling over and above what is normal or natural when you keep doing drugs or drink or do something that is harmful and it seems to “feel good” and there lies the deception. Your brain is telling you that you need this really bad and you listen so it becomes an addiction and very difficult to stop. This is an epidemic in our world. People get addicted to alcohol, drugs, weed, t.v., porn, sex, shopping, gaming, love, food, candy or sweets and so many other things and that means we are falling victim to something that has a hold on us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like that and I don’t want anything controlling me but me. So throughout this month if you feel the same way I will be your accountability buddy and guide you on a path of recovery and rebuilding as you bust your bad habits and build good habits. Stay tuned to my social media to turn over a new leaf and break your horrible addictions!

By the way, in my Week Ahead audio I said I had a candy addiction and yes, I love candy and I have a hard time not eating it so don't downplay this because it's not major like drugs or alcohol, I don't need candy and I can ruin my teeth if I keep eating it too much so it is a problem. I’m not a sweets person so I eat candy like a kid and that’s dangerous. I do my best to avoid the candy stores because I know I will find something I love that will reward me to go back and keep buying it. But I know what habit to replace it with. Plus, years ago I was addicted to sleeping pills because I had insomnia. Addiction gone! I will share my story on TikTok on Saturday when I begin my TikTok video series for the 21-Day Habit Buster/Habit Builder Challenge. Join me then………

[thea-dacity]

Thinking about the last time that she had a flounce of this variety, which was last September (2022). Like she's always simmering but it usually takes something that I said in passing to someone else to get her to snap like this and I know its always something like... she's been talking to her mother, or one of B's moms said something, or something just hasn't been going right for some reason and she needs to make us feel bad about doing normal things.

On this instance of last September, it was because I had said to B that we apologize in advance if we seem to be hogging the playstation in the coming month because Genshin was having a major map update and we might need to be reminded that the outside world exists.

It was a lighthearted conversation between me and B about our various videogame habits because like... they also hog the consoles from time to time so we're all very aware of our faults.

The next morning at... 4am, because she gets the insomnia bad, A tells us through the chat that if we were TRULY sorry for hogging HER playstation (it was a gift from B, and we were given permission to use it within reason) then we would help her out with the chores in the house because she's the ONLY person doing housework.

September is my busy season at work. I am working almost 40 hours and I drive 300 miles a week, but I still find time to be home to make dinner, shop groceries, plan meals, do dishes. B works 40 hours a week all year round and sometimes does dishes, but also feeds and entertains the animals, and probably a few other things. Girlfriend... could be better about doing chores but like... we all could be.

A DOES do most of the housework, but she also finds chores that I've never really considered to be done as frequently as they are. Like, for example, she's the only one that comes from a house with smokers and none of us smoke. So I don't consider washing the walls, couch covers, and deep vacuuming to be a weekly thing. And no one told us that these things needed to be done at the specifications she wanted.

So how... was I supposed to know that this needed to be done? And I think it wears on B a lot, too. Because they're autistic, and they don't really pick up on context and they don't really catch social cues and A is from a very... Southern-style upbringing where you don't ask things, you imply that you want them.

And that does not WORK in a house full of autistics. (Personal diagnosis pending, but Girlfriend went to a wedding in my family and... uhh... I trust her judgement when she says my whole family is autistic.)

So we went back and forth with her about what we could do to lighten her load and Girlfriend asked for a list of chores and how often they needed to be done.

It was a... very long list, which included 'organize the garage- pack two boxes a month.' Again- my stuff is what keeps getting shoved in there because it doesn't fit her perfect idea of what a house should look like. So i'm supposed to organize the shit that she shoves around in there. And 'clean the cat tree' which is one of those things where if they were OUR animals we would absolutely be doing this.

Also, why do I need to be organizing the garage? Are we expecting company in there? Is there an inspection I don't know about? Most of the mess in there is unprocessed boxes from amazon and chewy purchases.

But I'm focusing on the wrong thing here.

Remember: the trigger here was that I took a preemptive measure to make sure we weren't hogging a shared item.

I'm getting my ass reamed for being courteous. And the reason she gave was that because I apologized to B instead of A. Because its HER playstation.

The point of this rant other than to blow off some steam is that this particular outburst resembles the one we just had about the car. And in trying to find a common trigger, one of them might be talking to her partner about house matters.

Which I realize is ridiculous. Because how am I supposed to do things like... plan meals and figure out schedules if I can't ask the ONE person in the house that doesn't have a completely open schedule?

I'm trying not to armchair because I'd hate it if I was the shoe was on the other foot. But if I was gonna pick a reason, I'd say it comes down to not feeling like she has total control of the household.

Which is again ridiculous because its four goddamn adults. Adults are gonna make plans without you, and I've been the one in charge of meal planning for the past three years because she dropped the ball on it for three months and I just took charge because someone had to.

But it does make sense that its about control. She does this with B's personal relationships, too. Like anytime B goes to hang out with friends A sulks the whole evening. Like B always extends the offer to her, especially on holiday- like she's been invited to passover every year but she only went once (though... that's religious trauma and she's ... uh... she's got some misconceptions about judaism and has said some.... things that make me wonder if she hasn't quite shaken her mom's antisemitism) But no matter how many times B tries to let her into her social and family circles she refuses and then spends the whole night salty that her partner is out doing something without her.

Sorry, it got away from me again.

But yeah, control. I think the problem is a lack of control. And unfortunately, I don't have a solution to that other than to quit lying to her therapist. (the walls are thin and I can hear everything.)

Anyway, sorry. I finally have like a little bit of freedom to talk about this and its turning into verbal diarrhea.

[destinyimage]

Insomnia? 5 Solutions to Deeper Sleep

While few acknowledge it as such, stress is the true pandemic in the United States today.

It is the most persistent risk factor hiding behind every chronic or lifestyle disease. According to British physician James Paget, “Fatigue (a direct result of stress) has a larger share in the promotion and transmission of disease than any other single condition you can name.” The real issue then is how do we balance times of stress with times of work, play, worship, and recovery? Balance is the key to rest.

The answer is not easy, but it is simple. For every period of stress, we need an equal or longer period of rest. While stress puts us on full alert, ramping up some body systems while virtually shutting everything else down, it is rest that allows us to adapt to the needs stress presses upon us. It is while we rest that we recover and build capacity so that we can do more the next time we face stress or strain. After all, we need stress to help us build muscle, strengthen our hearts, and expand our minds. Stress tests and stretches our limits; rest and recovery make it possible to handle that stress and then increase our capacity to handle it in the future.

Time magazine reports that in 2012, Americans spent $32 billion on sleeping pills.

Physical Rest

Of course, the best place to start getting rest is by getting the sleep we need. This generally means getting between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Experts tell us the hours of sleep we get before midnight can be from two to four times more important than the hours we get after midnight. A good part of this is that melatonin production peaks at around 10 p.m.

According to alternative physician Joseph Pizzorno, ND, founder and President Emeritus of Bastyr University and author of Total Wellness:

It’s while we’re sleeping that the body’s regenerative processes are at work…. But in our society today, adequate sleep is becoming lost. If you look at the amount of sleep we get now compared to our grandparents, we are averaging almost two hours less sleep a night. And even when we are getting sleep, we aren’t sleeping as deeply. We’re sleeping later at night and bypassing the normal circadian rhythm that’s created by nature.

Many people struggle with insomnia—they can’t get to sleep; or they fall asleep, but can’t stay asleep. When that happens, most will turn to over-the-counter or prescription sleeping pills. These quick fixes bring with them a whole host of side effects and don’t address the real problems of sleep. Interrupted or impaired sleep stresses the whole body, weakens the immune system, accelerates tumor growth, causes your body to be hungry all the time, creates a fat-storing process in your digestive system, decreases your creativity and problem-solving ability, and weakens performance on all mental tasks throughout the day. Impaired sleep also increases stress-related disorders including heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation, and mood disorders like depression.

Also read: Enter the 7 Levels of Intimacy with God

Sleep deprivation prematurely ages you by interfering with production of human growth hormone. This important hormone that makes you both look and feel younger is usually secreted by your pituitary gland during periods of deep sleep as well as during periods of intense interval-type exercise.

So what are some of the problems interfering with healthy sleeping habits?

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Problem #1:  Sleeping on a Bad Mattress

I have a friend who sells mattresses for a living. He always says there are two things you shouldn’t skimp on in your budget—shoes and mattresses. The reason? Because you are in one or the other of them all day long! When you are out of your shoes, you are on your mattress; and when you are up off your mattress, you are in your shoes! Wise advice from a simple man. Knowing this piece of information is not going to put more money in your budget, but it may give you the permission you need to realize that you are worth taking care of, and having a good quality mattress is an important part of that. Good quality pillows are also a must!

Problem #2: Sleeping with Lights On

Many don’t realize that light of any kind disrupts your sleep patterns. Night lights, ambient light from electronic devices, bathroom lights, hall lights, daylight bleeding through the curtains at dawn—all these sources of light affect your sleep. Go to sleep and stay asleep in complete darkness. Get light blocking shades or curtains for your bedroom. If you need to get up at night, keep a small flashlight by your bed, then turn it out when you return. Don’t keep computers, tablets, or phones on at night. The “blue light” rays they emit disrupt your natural sleep cycles.

Problem #3: Room Temperature

The optimal temperature for sleeping is between 60 and 68 degrees. Don’t ever keep your bedroom above 70 degrees as it will cause you to sleep less deeply. Having a cool room mimics your body’s natural drop in temperature during deep sleep cycles. If sleeping beside another person causes the temperature to go up too much, consider sleeping separately. Married couples did this for many hundreds of years, and there is no evidence that sleeping separately in and of itself damages the relationship.

Problem #4: EMFs

Electromagnetic fields are created from the use of electricity in your home. The only real way to check for electromagnetic fields is with a Gauss meter. But even without that tool, you can minimize the EMFs by following these suggestions:

Don’t run televisions, computers, tablets, or phones during the night.

Shut them completely off to avoid electromagnetic “trash” from disrupting your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin.

If possible, move your bed away from touching the walls because most electrical wiring is buried there.

Problem #5: Grand Central Bedroom

To optimize sleep, don’t watch television in bed. Also, don’t take your laptop or tablet to bed to work. By holding your bedtime and sleep time sacred, your body will receive the cue that when you lie down it is time to sleep…and nothing else.

While rest certainly means getting enough sleep, it also means making a cycle of rest in your life—taking at least one of the weekend days off to relax from work, emails, phone calls about work, and thoughts about work; and merely recreate. This doesn’t mean lying on the couch watching sports, but doing something different from your regular weekday activities and enjoying some social time with friends and family. This also means creating a cycle of rest in each workday, perhaps including prayer and meditation, yoga, or exercise as ways to recharge your mind and “get the blood flowing.”

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[guy-j]

Insomnia and Nightmares. - 10/12/22

Last night I had a nightmare. In the dream, I am investigating a remnant prairie below an overpass, as my hobby in naturalism compels me to. As I was taking a photo of a grasshopper, a man came up to me. He was irritated, yelling about how I was invading his home. It wasn't something that I was particularly worried about. I simply apologized and moved on to a different area, still intent on getting photographs of some of the beautiful creatures that live in this world. When I went home after a long day of this, I had the impression that something was watching me, which set me on edge. Still, I brushed it off and climbed in bed.

After I had been laying there for a while in the dark, too unnerved to rest, even after my roommate had fallen asleep, I heard the door click open, the lock unshackling instantly. The man from earlier, bathed in the darkness, with flashes of light creeping through my blinds washing over his demented grin, approached my bed. He grabbed my neck and squeezed as hard as possible. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I could only lay there. I attempted to move, willing all of my strength towards hitting a wall and alerting my roommate, but my weak pats were soundless. I sucked in as much breath as I could manage and squeaked out, "please, help", which broke me from the spell. I awoke, breathless and shaking, heart racing, in my bed. My roommate still lay sleeping. The door was locked. I pinched myself. It wasn't real.

I've always been an insomniac, although my most common symptoms include an inability to fall asleep, and a tendency to restlessly toss around. I would not consider myself to be the type that suffers from nightmares, although I often get them when I am under intense stress. This usually applies to test season, which I am unfortunately undergoing in university, and periods of physical illness, including an especially terrifying time a few years back when I got COVID, which made me claustrophobic to a degree that I feel even to this day. I think the nightmare I had last night may have been my body trying to tell me something is wrong. Combined with the feeling of weight on my chest, a prickle in my throat, and the headache I have been nursing for several days, I would say that the message is unnecessary. I am aware something is brewing, thanks to my immune system. A psychological horror is not something I need to be aware of my physical condition at this time.

I often wake myself up from dreams by needing to flip over or adjust, but I will rarely have a nightmare that makes me call for help or yell in my sleep, which I suppose is why I have been dwelling on it all day. It took me forever to get my chest to quit pounding enough to go back to sleep, and I was so nervous that I ended up huddled under my comforter from toe to tip, completely covered, like a child. When I questioned my roommate about it in the morning, they claimed not to have heard me calling for help, although they did mention that I have a habit of whimpering occasionally in my sleep. I was not aware of this, but my family has a habit of sitting up and sleepwalking. My twin often finds herself upright at night, and when we shared a room, I would frequently awake with a feeling of being watched, only to discover her sitting and staring at me, eyes closed, fully asleep.

My bad dreams tend to come in clusters. I had a dream about my childhood home last week, an event that usually leaves me disoriented and emotional for the day (making the timing unfortunate. My midterms are less than stellar), and this nightmare came last night. I would not be surprised if I had a similarly distressing dream tonight. Thankfully, I have few responsibilities tomorrow. If I am unable to rest, it should be alright. I can sleep in late.

[dailytatsu]

I’m just full filing my own need of platonic Genshin content at this point-

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Zhongli & Child!Reader

Summary: A exception of the regular way to spend some quality time with your small human. A guide written by Rex Lapis

GN! Reader

Sorry for any mistakes!

Again, just a brainrot, don’t mind me-

This man talks like me trying to reach the required amount of words for an essay, wHy

Genshin impact masterlist

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Long ago, Zhongli's days off could be summed up in a couple of old-fashioned words: wake up early in the morning before the entire city of Liyue did, admire how the glaze lilies closed, and then wander aimlessly until the hours were consumed. To finally start a new day following his usual routine.

But that everyday life had been lost over the years, when an unpredictable and somewhat catastrophic element was added to his life, although it's not like he has any complaints about it.

After all, he had been able to fulfill a wish that he never believed he would have, one that he treasures today as the most valuable of relics.

“Hey… hey, are you asleep?” Zhongli heard above him, the cheerful voice that whispered, along with the little taps that he felt on his cheek made him open his eyes with the drowsiness still preventing him from fully understanding what was happening. Once his eyes adjusted to the daylight he could find (Y/N)'s small face looking at him curiously and warily. "A letter arrived, it's from the traveler!"

They kept talking in their animated voice, not caring that Zhongli straightened up on the bed and grabbed them under the armpits to sat them on his lap while he was still trying to fully wake up.

“It wasn't for me, but I read it, sorry. I tried to wait for you to wake up.”

The smile that Zhongli showed was faint and kind, the one that the little one in front of him reciprocated after his hand combed through the messy strands of their hair, still with the imprint of the pillow being the usual morning hairstyle.

“Good morning.” He said, a greet that was also a reminder about what are you supposed to say before starting a conversation. (Y/N) let out a nervous chuckle, noticing their mistake and correcting themselves, but Zhongli just shook his head and let them be, regardless their mistake. “I see. What does our friend has to share this occasion?”

He asked, getting out of bed and ready to start a new day.

(Y/N) told their interpretation of the letter, the parts they had understood were nothing more than ‘fun facts’ from free time of the traveler’s journey, leaving aside everything that contained a word they couldn't understand and some times making Zhongli stop halfway across the room, not understanding the context of what he was hearing and needing a second to think before keep going.

“They also said that they are coming for the next Latern Rite!”

“Then we shall make them company this time and make sure they have a great time as well.”

The rest of the small home was sunk in the silence of the morning, barely broken by the sound of the people on the street filtering through the window. Zhongli's cup was full of tea and (Y/N)'s glass had the safe amount of milk with honey. Almost looking like they weren’t drinking an insomnia remedy as they kept talking without pause, still full of energy.

Zhongli held the letter in his hands, catching on to the message and subconsciously smiling at the words. It wasn't anything serious, it wasn't an emergency either, and the very news filled his chest with relief. But in the midst of his happiness, the child’s voice was heard again, asking a question full of innocence but that made the heart of the old god tremble.

“Am I old enough now to go adventuring with them?”

He had a bad habit of forgetting, or even ignoring, the fact that the life in his care was affected by the passage of time unlike his own. He was supposed to already know that, that he had already psyched himself up about it, that’s why he signed that specific contract a couple years ago. Even with those painful clauses that were brought with it.

He can’t just imagine the day when their life ends, for The Seven! He didn’t even have told them everything about his past self! Why should he be worry now about that cruel event?

You couldn't blame him for feeling that way, from one second to another his mood had plummeted and now his face had returned to the usual stoic and enigmatic face. Without giving a clue about his true emotions, in turn causing confusion in the young one in front of him.

Zhongli shook his head, returning a smile to his face.

"Certainly you are close to being old enough to do so." A huge smile of excitement could be seen on (Y/N)'s face, but Zhongli had not finished speaking. He stood up from his chair and took the opportunity to hold the kid in his arms. “But let’s think for a second, time is what you have the most at the moment, from where is the rush to experience everything that life has to offer at such a young age?”

“But… !” The little one stirred in his arms and looked from side to side, trying to find a good argument to fight back. “And if I showed you that I'm ready to go on an adventure, would you let me go?"

Negotiations are something you'd expect from anyone who was born from Liyue, but Zhongli's surprise was more at the situation than at what he was hearing. He pretended to be interested in the bargain that was being offered to him, closing his eyes to appear as if he was meditating, and then he spoke again.

“Mmmh… Alright, I’ll hear what you have to say.”

"If I defeat hilichurl by myself!" They threw their arms up, their small face showing apparent bravery.

“For that you would have to be able to pick up a weapon by your own hand first.” Their eyes widened, as if they hadn't thought about it before, so their voice returned to a normal volume.

“… A mitachurl?”

Zhongli again pretended to consider the options before answering.

“I have to admit it. You are a difficult negotiator, it’s quite clear now."

(Y/N) laughed, and before they could argue any further they heard a stern and annoyed voice barking orders just a few feet outside their home. Both of them looked out the window, finding a novice worker stumbling and dropping a bunch of pages that went flying into the water.

“Ouh..." They turned their gaze to Zhongli, who was still attentive to what was happening outside. (Y/N) was almost afraid to interrupt him, but they considered that their question was really important. "Are you going to work today?"

"Actually that’s not the case, unless the director calls me on an urgent matter, there isn't much for us to do today." And he wasn't lying, there had been times when the flamboyant Hu Tao had requested his presence to check things out at the last minute. Times when her calls were so inconvenient that he even ended up taking (Y/N) with him. Repenting later when he realized that they had copied habits and phrases from the director, a true nightmare. “Is there something you would like to do?”

"Can we go fly a kite?" They asked, with a spark of excitement in their expressive eyes, almost begging for an affirmative answer that Zhongli did not hesitate to give.

"It sounds like a plan to me." He said, letting go the kid from his arms. "Find what you need to leave, in the meantime I will write a response for the traveler's letter."

"Okay!”

They ran out of the room and only their short, quick footsteps could be heard across the room. Instead, Zhongli only had to look inside a specific drawer to find the stack of blank sheets of paper and the inkwell.

Words weren’t difficult for him, he always found the right ones to express himself and not cause unnecessary misunderstandings, but this time he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. There were so many things to talk about but there was no way to fit them all on one page. All his vocabulary had gone flying away just like the documents of that young man who had stumbled.

Greetings are important, goodbyes are unnecessary. Perhaps that's why he's always had trouble ending his cards.

Zhongli sighed, putting down the brush and looking out the window again. Peace could be heard through the wind.

He didn't want to ruin the beautiful day that he had in front of him with that melancholy, they didn't deserve it either. But he suddenly found himself in a dilemma, being disturbed again by the memories that always came back at the most inconvenient moments.

“Found it!” The man gasped slightly at the unexpected call of the child who was standing in the middle of the room, being back from the ‘treasure hunt’ and holding the kite above their head. "It was under my bed."

"About that, (Y/N)" Zhongli interrupted, catching their attention. “I just remembered something, do you mind if we go somewhere first? The possibility that the wind will be stronger there at this time of year is quite high, you will certainly be able to play without your kite getting tangled in any trees.”

There is a second message in those kind words, his smile was not the typical one and it had a shadow of nostalgia and sadness behind, but (Y/N) didn’t catch the radical change in the mood and only nodded at him, with a huge smile that they expected to reach the man in front of them.

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The area beyond permitted to mortals is separated by little more than a natural barrier, wide open fields stretching down the valley to Minlin. The wind is cleaner than anywhere else in Liyue and there is nothing that dares to break the harmonious silence of nature.

It’s not exactly the place where you would take a child, the paths are poorly marked and it is normal that there are bandits hiding in every corner, but that only applied to conventional people. And that was precisely what Zhongli wasn’t.

Leading (Y/N) by holding their hand and repeating to them one of his favorite stories is how the journey turns at least at little more interesting than if it were just mountain climbing in silence.

Mt. Aocang is a place that seems isolated from the passage of time in general. The water is always clear and clean, and everything is always where it should be. Perhaps it was the work of her guardian, or maybe it was just nature itself swaying the peaceful scenery, but one thing was for sure: the feeling that the landscape conveyed to Zhongli was as painful as it was comforting.

“You think Cloud Retainer is at home?”

(Y/N) shyly hid behind Zhongli and whispered every word, seeking safety even if it wasn't necessary.

“Hmm? Why do you ask? You don’t like her?”

"… she said the drawing I did of her looked primitive."

Their voice trembled and then hid their face against the dark clothes of the person in front of them; the shared memory of an even younger (Y/N) and inexperienced Zhongli summed up the Adeptus being quite critical about the doodles of a human child. He also remembers how long it took him to calm down (Y/N), who was close to developing a trauma if it wasn't for Ganyu's help at the right time.

"And do you know what that word means?"

"No... but it sounds mean.”

“There, there.” His eyebrows curved slightly and he gave a half smile, it seems that the damage was deeper than he thought. “Go play around for a while, I'll be in the center of the pond, don't worry." Zhongli pointed to the stone table under the big tree and then patted (Y/N)'s head one last time before starting to walk.

He was going to continue, but a hunch made him look back again, almost as if a paternal instinct told him that something was not right. The little one was holding the edge of their shirt with one hand while the other clung to the kite, there was an anxious expression on their face, as if they wanted to say something.

“Is there a problem?"

(Y/N) looked down to their feet.

“I wanted… I wanted to play with you.”

Sometimes Zhongli was surprised at how direct and expressive they were for a child of their age. He was proud, he would never deny it; you could feel it in every word he used to describe them, but also he feared that a day when he would belittle their emotions without noticing.

“…I see, thanks for telling me.” Zhongli squatted until he was almost at their height, the kid came dragging his feet on the ground and with a sad expression still on their face. “Remember that time when I told you that there is a time and a place for everything?”

“Mm-hm… ”

“Then you will have to forgive me, but there is something I need to do now. However, this doesn't mean that I won't join you in a while, you think you can start without me this time?” (Y/N) nodded, eyes lost and looking at the ground.

Zhongli's apology was as genuine as the guilt he felt in his chest, reaching behind the small head and leaving a short kiss on the top as an silent apology to right after stand up again.

“Well then.” Zhongli couldn’t help but tense his shoulders when (Y/N) almost stumbled after running away to find the right place to catch the wind. A weird feeling igniting on his chest, perhaps the instinct of a worried and inexpert father. “And don’t play near the edge!”

“Okay!”

His footsteps are silent, almost completely erasing his presence with each meter of distance he traveled until the huge shadow of the tree crossed the silhouette of his. The leaves fly and dance in the wind before landing in the pond to become tiny drifting boats that float to and fro.

In the background he can hear the whistle of the wind itself and the adorable expressions of amazement of the infant each time his kite was raised. His past and his present coexisted in the same space, it was a strange calm that was fascinating.

In front of him is nothing but empty space, his amber eyes are closed and his concentration is entirely on his breathing. Deep, slow, controlled, but a part of him was ready to react if necessary.

He felt his body relax under the warmth of the sun, there is no worry, all the problems of the world had disappeared and only the memories that he treasured so much remained.

Until they were stained red, and a terrifying image invaded his mind followed by the dark melody of chaos coming from the horizon.

He opened his eyes again, feigning serenity, but the frantic beating of his heart could not fool anyone. Zhongli was enveloped by a nameless symphony of emotions, and for a moment he wanted to leave everything behind.

“Hey… you fell asleep?… ”

But he can’t. Because there is someone who needs him more than anyone else in the world.

“I wasn’t sleeping, but I do was dreaming.” Zhongli didn’t immediately turn towards them, he imagined the expression of curiosity and concern on their face trying to understand what was happening, so he took his time to answer. “You're back sooner than I expected, did you find something interesting or did you get tired?”

“Yeah, something like that… ” They paused, thinking about all the words they needed before talking again. “Uhm… would you be mad if I accidentally tripped and fell into the water?"

“Huh… ?” Zhongli finally relented, genuinely confused by the question and turned to his right. (Y/N)’s clothes were soaked as was their hair, surprisingly only from the front, making it clear that their question was, actually, a confession. “Oh dear, what just happened?”

“… I’m sorry.”

(Y/N) was sniffling and keeping their eyes on the ground to not shed a tear, but now that they were in front of Zhongli they actually felt afraid of his reaction.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. Come here.” Zhongli took out a handkerchief from inside his coat, and then opened both his arms to invite them to come closer. Him giving them safety words to show them that he wasn't upset, also complimenting the fact that they didn’t cried after falling and had gotten up on their own. Without caring that his clothes ended up wet as well. “You just need to be more careful next time, understood? Let’s hope you don’t catch a cold.”

“I don’t like how medicine taste… ”

“I know you don’t, dear.” They frowned and squeezed their eyes shut as Zhongli wiped their face clean, holding back the urge to sneeze. "There you go.” (Y/N)'s clothes hadn't been completely cleaned, some mud stains had soaked into their sleeves and the rest remained damp, but that was what they could do for now. "Are you going back to play some more?"

Surprisingly (Y/N) denied.

“Then would you like to sit here and rest with me before we leave?”

They meditated a bit, an exaggerated ‘mmh’ coming from their throat.

“Yes please."

Zhongli wasted no time lifting the child from under their arms again and helping them sit on his lap. A hand holding them from behind to give them support and the small figure of them leaning against the man. Their big eyes dart around the table, looking curiously but not asking a single question about the utensils near.

Somehow, they knew that it was not right to talk about it.

“Wait, I got something for you!” (Y/N) reached into the pocket on the side of their clothes to find the mysterious gift. And their very enthusiasm caused Zhongli to laugh heartily. “Here, here, give me your hand!”

Zhongli was expecting a withered flower, an oddly shaped stone, he would have even expected a piece of wet wood. But, against all odds, (Y/N) handed him a small creature that writhed uncontrollably.

Slimy texture and squishy exterior, just the sound the creature made trying to escape was enough for an unpleasant memory to well up from the bottom of his mind. The smell was odd as well, no wonder why it had captured their attention.

“It's a tadpole! If you put it in water it turns into a toad!”

He swallowed any hint of displeasure at the creature and could barely control the shiver that ran down his spine. The person who always had something to share was gone, and now there was only the speechless Zhongli who couldn't find the words to deal with the situation.

“… I see, it’s a lovely creature indeed, quite fascinating… ”

Maybe that was his punishment for his past crimes, not having enough courage to break the happiness that could be seen in (Y/N)’s eyes, condemned to be in charge of a child who was interested in the most peculiar (and some times disgusting) things of the world.

But that didn't stop him from taking the first chance he got to throw the tadpole over his shoulder, using the excuse that it had slipped from his hands and relief he felt that (Y/N) hadn't saddened was immeasurable. Managing to quickly change the subject.

The sunset arrived, and with it was the time to go back home. Both were exhausted, wishing that they hadn’t to leave that natural peace. And yes, maybe the trip was long and difficult, but they could agree that the view worth it.

A few days later, Aether and Paimon were reading the reply to their last letter before going to bed, taking longer than usual due to the extension of it.

Three whole pages telling about things that had no relation to each other, but the way the elegant handwriting shared space with the small drawings on the edge of the pages it was easy to guess the reason why it was different from the last time.

[h0rnyshakespeare]

Pairing: Nico di Angelo x Will Solace

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 973

Warnings: None

A/N: Yes, I am a proud member of the Riordanverse fanbase :) this is something I wrote for my friend who lives for Solangelo caz it was their birthday and I know they stalk my account 👀

I also had a conversation with said friend about the Riordanverse characters' coffee/tea preference which inspired me to write this. If you want headcanons for the other characters on their preferred drink, lemme know! Also could someone suggest a title for this caz my brain is currently empty :/

Nico walked out of the Hades cabin, bleary-eyed and tired. He felt as if he did not sleep a wink the night before, which was highly possible considering his insomnia. Right now, all he needed was coffee to brace himself for all the energetic, ADHD demigods he would have to endure for the rest of the day. Especially one demigod in particular, who Nico referred to as his ‘significant annoyance’.

How a son of Hades – god of death and darkness (woohoo!) – and a son of Apollo – who was the literal SUN god – had gotten together, Nico did not know. All he knew was that it had happened, meaning that every day when he got up and out of his cabin, he was greeted by the cheery face of Will Solace.

While Nico secretly enjoyed seeing his boyfriend first thing in the morning (although if anyone asked, he would deny the fact), unlike Will, he was not a morning person, so handling the human form of positivity and sunshine needed a lot of energy, something Nico lacked not just in the morning, but throughout the day as well. So, when he had first found out that caffeine existed, he quickly turned into a coffee-addict, something Will had always chided him for.

Just like any other day, Will was waiting for him as he exited his cabin. “Hey babe,” he greeted Nico, smiling as if he were the most beautiful existing creature on the planet. With his messy bedhead and dark circles under his obsidian eyes however, Nico was not feeling very beautiful at the moment. He walked towards Will, who had his hand held out for Nico to hold, which he did, a slight blush gracing his pale cheeks which Will pretended not to see but caused him to grin wider.

“Sleep well?” he asked. “Ughhh coffee…” Nico mumbled in response, rubbing his eye with his free hand. Will chuckled and pulled him closer. “I told you you could sneak into my cabin whenever you wanted. Sleeping with someone you love is actually really good for your health and helps you sleep better.” “One, obviously I can’t sneak into your cabin because there are like, ten other people sharing it with you. And two, I don’t love you, I hate you, so it would actually be very bad for my health to sleep with you.” Nico was actually not lying about it being unhealthy though, as he knew he was as addicted to Will’s cuddles as he was to coffee, if not more. To sleep with him would probably send Nico into cardiac arrest with how much his heart would beat.

Will placed his hand on his chest in mock hurt. “You wound me, di Angelo. Anyway, you must be hungry. Let’s go eat breakfast, alright? You really gotta eat more. And please don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach, the caffeine will kill you one day.” Nico rolled his eyes. “You’ll be all the way over at the Apollo table, you can’t stop me.” “You forgot you have a doctor’s note,” Will smirked. Nico chose to ignore him. They walked in silence towards the dining pavilion for a while, before Will asked, “Why don’t you try drinking tea for a change?” Nico glared at him. “Will, I love you, but please for the love of gods, don’t try and get in the way of my relationship with coffee.” “I thought you were in a relationship with me??” Will pouted. “Nah, you’re just the side-chick. Sorry bud.” “Hey!”

They sat down at the Apollo table, Nico immediately making himself a black coffee. Will wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Why would you drink it black?” “‘Tis as dark as my soul,” Nico said in a dramatic whisper, to which Will rolled his eyes, sipping something out of a boba cup. Nico looked at it curiously. It was so… pink and pastelly. He chucked inwardly; his boyfriend was adorable. “So, what’re you having?” “Hm? Oh this?” Will said, gesturing to his drink. “It’s just a regular milk tea boba. You want?” Nico did want to try it, but he was still working on… what was it Will called? Ah yes, ‘effective communication.’ Plus, he had a reputation to keep. “Hell no, that looks way too… pink.” Will laughed. “That’s just the cup, it’s a cute colour though, isn’t it?” “I know it’s the cup,” Nico hissed. “I don’t want it.” “Well, if you say so,” his boyfriend replied, finishing the boba. “Mm, that was good.”

After breakfast, Will and Nico parted ways to go on about their daily camp routines. When evening arrived, the both of them met up near the lake, something they did everyday to spend time together. Will’s smile doubled when he saw his boyfriend sitting on the grassy bank. “Hey, I brought you something.” It was another boba cup. “Milk tea? I don’t drink the stuff, Will, coffee supremacy.” “Come on, we all know tea is better. And bubble tea is even better. Here, try it. I know you wanted to earlier.” Nico grumbled and pretended like he did not, but he knew Will knew him too well for that. “Whatever,” he said, grabbing the cup and taking a tentative sip. It was… good. Not as strong as coffee, a little sweet but not too much, and very creamy. Nico finished it before he realized. He glared at Will who was smiling back at him knowingly. “So? Did the Lord of Darkness enjoy it?” “Shut up,” Nico said, looking away to hide his pout. He knew he had a bad habit of pouting, something Will called ‘cute’. He really did not deserve Will.

“It was good, thanks,” he blurted, surprising both himself and his boyfriend, who grinned his adorable sunshiny grin and ruffled Nico’s hair before kissing his forehead. “Of course, babe.”