#sky and think about how my city is the most beautiful place in the world in my heart. and then I got to visit my friend who’s flying back to

[wutheringhestia]

standing at the bus stop with the winter sun, listening to northbound by grace petrie, was a moment from today that was so <3

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

I was reading some of your old stuff and saw the one where Beidou’s S/O scared of ocean.

So keeping the same energy how about Xianyun,Amber and Sara(or anyone who has thing for heights/flying) with an S/O who’s scared of heights?

Imagine teasing someone like Sara and her grabbing you, dashing towards the sky and dangle you by your leg until you say sorry.

Oh and sorry for sending too many asks you’re like one of the few most active on Reader x fandom blogs and your work is amazing!

(Genshin Impact) Xianyun, Amber, and Sara's S/O being afraid of heights

I don't think Sara would be THAT sadistic personally, and don't worry about sending asks! That askbox will just grow sentient and kill me soon anyway.

Xianyun to some extent, understands S/O's fear of heights.

After all, they could not easily fly like her, being a mortal human and all.

Nevertheless, this does not stop Xianyun from constructing a device that would help alleviate their fear.

She wished to show them how beautiful the world was from up high.

More pressingly, she couldn't invite them to her true abode since the domain looked like it was floating above an endlesss chasm, S/O would surely die from fear from that alone.

(S/O) "Xianyun? What's that?"

(Xianyun) "One has created a device that will let you soar up into the air."

(S/O) "...W-Why?"

(Xianyun) "So that we could help dispel your fear of flight, I can safely assure that is 100% safe."

(S/O) "I don't doubt it, but I don't think my heart could-"

(Xianyun) "Worry not, for One will be with you every step of the way."

Xianyun is patient, after all she had four disciples under her care.

Everyday she helps them practice and eventually start floating ever so higher off the ground.

Amber understands the concept of being afraid of heights, but since she glides all over Mondstadt, she can't fully comprehend it.

It does not stop her from at least trying to comfort S/O.

(Amber) "Hey, no worries! I won't force you to jump off Starsnatch Cliff with me-"

(S/O) "Y-YOU BETTER NOT!"

If S/O wanted to help conquer their fear, Amber takes it very slow.

No diving off cliffs, at least not yet.

Amber is always stoked to help them out, making sure that they will never get hurt, not on her watch!

(S/O) "I will never understand how you can do this every single day...!"

(Amber) "Psh, this height is nothing! I once did a backflip off Dragonspine-"

(S/O) "Of course you did..."

Sara doesn't fly often unless it's during a battle or an emergency, so thankfully S/O doesn't really have to deal with heights.

At least, as much. There were still lots of cliffs in Inazuma City, strangely enough.

Sara does her best to make sure they don't get near them often, but if she was ever approached on trying to face their fears.

Well, she could make some exceptions.

(Sara) "Are you sure? You can always just-"

(S/O) "A-As long as you're here, I'll...I'll try!"

Her heart began to swell with pride and affection, seeing how much they faith they placed in her, as well as themselves.

She was carrying them bridal style, before deciding to go for a little test flight.

(Sara) "Hold on tight, S/O."

[katyswrites]

don't call me 'baby' - epilogue

EPILOGUE | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: Sugardaddy!Steve, references to smut, fluff (tooth-rotting fluff), mentions of food, age gap, no use of y/n

Wordcount: 1.3k

A sugar daddy modern AU, a whirlwind summer romance in Italy, and two people from completely different walks of life, somehow finding each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, what will happen when summer ends?

EPILOGUE | long story short

Four years later.

You blink awake groggily, the bright morning light inescapable. It takes you a moment to remember where you are, the way it often does in those first few seconds of waking up - then, you remember. The sound of ocean waves, the smell of salt air, and the feeling of a solid warmth by your side is enough to remind you. You sigh dreamily, backing up closer against Steve. He stirs, still half-asleep, his arm slinging around your waist to pull you against him.

“Morning,” you whisper.

“Mmph,” he grumbles, clearly not ready to join you in being awake.

You twist in his arms until you’re facing him. His eyelids are fluttering, breathing steady - he still looks so young like this, so peaceful. You would stare at him sleeping all day, if he let you. The bright morning sun dances across his skin, illuminating his freckles and moles, the shape of his brow and nose, and the slight stubble he’s developing after a day of skipping shaving. You sigh, reaching up to gently trace his features, your fingers only brushing along his skin ever-so lightly. He stirs again, nuzzling into your touch. You giggle softly, leaning over to kiss any part of him you could reach - his forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks - and, the moles along his jawline and neck, your favorite. It’s mornings like this that you love the most.

“What’re you doing,” he asks groggily.

“Waking you up,” you whisper, brushing your nose against his. “Want me to stop?”

“No. But, I preferred how you woke me up yesterday,” he murmurs, grinning. You blush at the memory, remembering how he regained consciousness to the feeling of your lips around his cock about 24 hours ago.

“I’m sure you did - I promise, there’s plenty where that came from.”

He chuckles, turning under the sheets to get a better look at you.

“This is actually my favorite thing,” he says softly.

“What is?”

“Waking up next to you.”

Even after all of these years, you feel as if your heart is about to burst, your love for the man beside you impossible to contain.

“Well, good thing you’ll be waking up next to me forever,” you whisper.

“Mm…did you sleep well, Mrs. Harrington?”

You nod, scooching closer until you’re nose-to-nose again.

“And you?”

“You know me… I always sleep better when you’re here.”

“Mm.”

You both lay in a peaceful silence for a while, enjoying a lazy morning

You yawn. “What time is it, anyways?”

“Not sure - does it matter?”

You shrug. “No - not really. Maybe we can take the boat out again today, at some point - I think that’d be fun.”

“Mm. Also, we do have a dinner reservation at that rooftop place you like tonight.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mm hm. Turns out that tonight is when we’re gonna be able to see your star from here - I thought it’d be nice to look at it where I first gave it to you, you know?”

It still amazes you, how easily his thoughtfulness comes to him.

“Have you finally figured out where it is?” you tease.

“I know where it is -”

“Baby, every time you point it out, it’s a completely different star -”

“Looks like I’ll just have to buy you the whole sky, so everything is named after you - d’you think they’ll let me do that?”

You giggle.

“I think, like, NASA would take issue with that.”

“It’s worth the risk, I think,” he jokes.

When the subject of planning your honeymoon had come up, you and Steve had looked at destinations all around the world - the smarter thing to do would probably go somewhere new, a place neither of you had been before. But, that idea only lasted about five minutes before you both had admitted where you really wanted to go.

Ischia Island was the only option, really - where else would you go, besides the place where you had fallen in love? He even found the same villa to rent - he had initially suggested a resort stay instead, which you refused. This is what feels right - knowing Steve, he was close to just buying the place if it would make you happy.

You stretch under the covers, groaning. Your diamond ring catches the sunlight and glistens - and, you can’t help but smile at the sight of it. You aren’t sure you’ll ever get completely used to the sight of it - or, the idea of being married to Steve at all. 

The wedding had been a massive affair, a destination event in Naples with all of your close friends and family. Robin was your maid of honor, and cried during her whole speech, even when she told the embarrassing story of walking in on you. Eddie and his band performed, actually switching out their typical heavy metal fare for more wedding-friendly classics. The moment ingrained in your mind is when Steve saw you in your dress for the first time - you had opted for a “first look,” a private moment for the two of you to see each other dressed up for the first time, and take some photos before the ceremony. He practically crumbled when he saw you, pulling you into a suffocating hug - part of you had thought he quite literally would never let go. Somehow, he was still finding ways to surprise you.

You know that, after this honeymoon, you’d both return to Chicago, where you split time for half of the year. Then, you’d come back to Rome, where your second home is. It actually makes Steve’s job easier, this compromise - after expanding the company globally, he enlisted you to work with him, opening a nonprofit sector of HNL for underprivileged teens looking to study at foreign universities. For people like you had once been. In his words, we have more money than we need, and I think it’s about time we do something good. He has a passion for helping kids, you’ve learned. YOu both work hard, but for you, it’s easy, doing something you love with the person you love.

Steve’s hand finds yours under the covers, entwining your fingers and pulling it up so he can press a few kisses to your knuckles. The softness of the gesture makes you want to crumble, even after all this time. He takes a moment to examine your ring, silver to match his own wedding band. To most, the star of your finger is the sparkling diamond on the engagement ring - but, his eyes flit to the pearl on your wedding band instead, the one he had found on this very island years ago. 

“Guess what,” he whispers.

“What?”

“I love you.”

You feel yourself smile, and bury your face into the pillow.

“I really hope that’s the case,” you laugh. “Ti amo tanto.”

I love you so much.

Then, the moment is ruined by the rumbling of your stomach.

“Breakfast?” you ask. He laughs.

“Yeah, okay - I’ll go make something. Want to have it on the balcony?”

You nod, biting your lip as you watch him walk away.

Once, Steve had told you he’d make sure you want for nothing - that, whatever you wanted, he’d give to you. That sentiment still seeps through pretty often - he loves nothing more than spoiling you. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen he says.

But, laying here in this beautiful Italian villa, with the smell of eggs wafting in from where your husband is humming to himself in the kitchen - you have everything you want. And, as long as you’re with him, you always will.

****

author's note: that's it! Thanks for coming on this wild journey with me. This might not be the end of this universe's Steve and reader - perhaps some blurbs will be posted in the future, if there's interest. But, that's the end of their main story - I hope you enjoyed. I also hope you'll stick around for my upcoming projects. Thank you all for supporting this fic - I'd love to hear your thoughts! This is Katy, signing off (for now).

[luckybunny555]

.˚◦⟡ Outta The Clouds✦.·୭ ˚○◦˚.

While hanging out with Gwen, you notice a slight change in her mood, so you try to cheer her up. She ends up confessing her feelings for you

🕷 Gwen Stacy x Spider!Reader 🕷

a/n: I got this idea when I discovered this song(title) and it was just so cute I had to write it! Reader's gender neutral, this is just pure fluff. okay, I realized there's actually a bit of angst too I guess, but juuust a little bit.

Oh, and another note, english isn't my first language so I was a bit unsure about a few words and terms I used(like "stunt" and "splutter" and "peck"), so please lmk if there's anything incorrect or other words that would fit better! Thank you :)

The sun was starting to hide behind the tall buildings of New York, turning the sky pink and lilac, and you and Gwen had been swinging through your city for a while now. She'd been helping you keep an eye out for any criminals or civilians who needed help, but mostly, she was just distracting you with her jokes and new "spider-stunts" she had learned. Not that you minded, though - neither of your spider-senses had warned you of any danger, so you had time to watch her and giggle at her little performances(clearly an attempt to catch your attention and impress you, but neither of you would admit it out loud). And to be honest, how could you mind it, when she was just so pretty and charming when showing off her new tricks, and how her experience as a dancer gave her a certain gracefulness, especially when she would land on some random roof? Safe to say, she had your attention all for herself.

Eventually, you two took a break, finding a nice spot on a tall building, sitting on the ledge to catch your breath and enjoy the view. Taking off your masks, you share a glace that makes both of you let out a chuckle. You return your attention to the setting sun, admiring its beauty. For a few moments, the two of you sit in silence, seeming peaceful and relaxed as you appreciated the scenery in front of you. Until you realize a slight change in Gwen's expression - head low, eyes focused on her hands, the corners of her lips almost curling down. You cross your legs, shifting slightly closer to her, your eyes sofly scanning her face.

"What's bothering you, pretty girl?" Your head tilts to the side as you offer her a gentle smile, earning from her a small chuckle. She looks at you for a moment, then turns her gaze back to her hands, fiddling with the fabric of her mask.

"Just... thinking about my dad," She responds quietly, letting out a sigh. You knew about what she was going through, and every time you were reminded of it, your heart would sink in your chest. Her words made you want to wrap your arms tightly around her and never let go, to protect her from everything else in the world, to create the most peaceful and safe world inside yourself just for her to live in. But instead, you simply placed your hand over hers, slowing down her nervous movements, making her turn her head to look at you.

You didn't really know what to do about it. If you could, you would solve all of her problems with a magic wand just so you could see her truly happy again. You'd do anything for her. But right now, the best you could do was cheer her up, get her mind off of her troubles and remind her that she was loved by many other people - but mostly, by you.

You reached for your phone, looking for a specific song from your playlist. "Y'know, I'm a firm believer that some songs offer more comfort than normal words can," You tell her, one hand still holding hers as the other holds your phone, your eyes fixed on it. When you find it, you put it on, turning up the volume and placing your phone in the small gap between you two, giving her a sweet, reassuring smile.

As the song starts, you start to sway your head and body to the rythm, the soft and uplifting energy taking over you. Occasionally, you'd sing along to some of the lyrics, either some "message" you wanted to emphasize, since you couldn't word them exactly yourself, or just some verse you had memorized. You took her hand, causing her to sway with you, earning a subtle chuckle from her as she shook her head, amused by your cheerful energy.

The way you smiled and sang along to the song got her stuck in a trance, unable to take her eyes off of you. It even brought a soft smile to her face. She was mesmerized by the way you moved so freely, and how careless and relaxed you seemed to be, even though she was watching. Truth is, sometimes your heart would skip a beat when you noticed her gaze on you, or you'd feel your cheeks heating up. But you tried to brush it off, because your goal was to lighten up her mood, and by the way her smile was growing wider, and how you'd occasionally hear a laugh from her, it seemed you were succeeding. So you kept swaying, occasionally using your intertwined hands as a fake microphone, looking at her while your singing mixed with giggles.

When the song ended, you exchanged a glance, causing you both to laugh. It warmed your heart to see her like that, genuine laughter escaping from her lips as she shut her eyes closed, shaking her head again. When both of you were able to quiet your laughter, your eyes met again, and time seemed to slow down as you observed how the golden light from the sunset illuminated her face. For a quick moment, that seemed to last longer than it did, you noticed the softness of her features, the color of her eyes, her freckles... You ended up forgetting that she was looking at you too.

"Can I tell you something?" She said, finally breaking the silence, snapping you out of your own trance. Her tone was soft and gentle, so you didn't notice the hesitance in her voice, and you couldn't tell how fast her heart was beating when she finally got the courage to speak. You nod, with your attention focused on her and not on the butterflies that seemed to appear in your stomach. "I feel like there's a sun inside my heart... whenever I'm with you."

Her words make your heart skip a beat, taken by surprise. You let out a nervous chuckle, averting her gaze for a moment as you try to soothe your own quick heartbeats, and failing at that. You bring one of your knees up, close to your chest, and rest your head on top of it, taking a deep breath as you look at her. "Does it feel like it's burning?" You joke, trying to cope with your nervousness. But you could feel your cheeks burning, and it wasn't from the warm sunlight that hit your skin.

She shakes her head, chuckling. "Feels more like a blanket," she tells you, and you could swear the way her eyes reflect the setting sun is the prettiest thing you've ever seen. "You make me comfortable," she adds, "and I find myself looking for any opportunity to spend time with you, because you're so bright and sweet, that I just want to..." she doesn't finish her sentence, letting out a sigh as she seems to think about her next words.

Your eyes are fixed on her, studying carefully her expression, and waiting expectantly for her to speak again. You could tell where this was going, and the sensation of butterflies kept growing, making you eager to hear what she would say next. The whole world seemed to fade away in this moment, the girl beside you seemed more interesting and beautiful than anything else.

"I want to be with you, like, all the time," she finally declared, chuckling nervously while turning her gaze to you, looking for your reaction as she tried to figure out what you were feeling or thinking. "I hope you get what I mean, I'm not really sure how to put this into words," she spluttered, unsure about your feelings for her.

"Mm-hm," you nod with a subtle smile, unable to form a coherent sentence with your heart pounding in your chest and your mind emptying with each second that you stare at her. Everything around you seemed to melt like ice-cream, and so did your heart.

She turns her head to face you, your eyes meeting again, and at this point, you can't ignore your butterflies anymore. With a bit of hesitancy, she slowly leans closer to you, moving her gaze from your eyes to your lips as she waited for a hint of your consent. When you finally leaned closer, mirroring her, she connected your lips and hers. She brought her hand to your cheek as she gave you another peck on your lips, gently holding your face. You weren't sure if this moment lasted forever or just a second, but you were simply glad for experiencing it.

The both of you slightly pull away, breaking the kiss with a soft smile on your faces, but you keep your eyes closed for a second longer. When your eyes meet again, you let out a giggle, appreciating the moment - and grateful for her confession. You shift your body closer to hers, laying your head on her shoulder to watch the almost hidden sun. You could still feel the warmth on your cheeks when she placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head before resting her head on yours, breaths slowing down and matching your rhythm.

Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. For now, it certainly was, because she could feel you right next to her, and that was enough to spark some hope in her heart.

[writershapeholeonthedoor]

My favorite ships ranked!

There's a huge chance this list will change once every two days at the very least, but let's do it!

1. SUPERCORP

Literally my favorite ship ever. They're just perfect for each other in every possible way. Their love languages complement each other perfectly, they can rely on each other, and they work together like the best team in the world. Lena needs love and Kara knows how to offer it without asking for anything in exchange. She will take whatever Lena is willing to give her and be happy about it. But Kara still needs someone that will look at her and see who she really is, no judgment, and someone who she will be comfortable being herself - Kara Zor El - with.

Speaking of fanfic, I think it’s safe to say these fandom has some very talented authors who gave us very well written works. They can also work in every possible scenario, so that's a huge bonus.

Favorite scene: "Supergirl might have saved the city, but, Kara Danvers, you're my hero."

2. SHOOT

Shoot is THAT couple that should have ended up together, but didn’t. I don't hold a grudge on it, though, because Root's death made sense to the show's ongoing plot. I can't say they would be perfect like Supercorp because Shaw has some emotional problems and Root is just also in love with a artificial intelligence or whatever, but they would work. Shaw would try - for Root - and Root would love every part that Shaw allows her to see.

Favorite scene: "You can't live with me and I can't live without you."

3. WAYHAUGHT

Do I even have to say anything? Our most perfect CANON couple. They were perfect from start to finish. The way Nicole absolutely adored Waverly, almost like a worship even, but wasn’t afraid to stand tall on her ideas and opinions. The way Waverly acted like Nicole hung the moon and stars in the sky just for her, and how we know she would be able to do anything to keep Nicole happy. They're that couple that make everyone's teeth rotten with how sweet they are.

Favorite scene: "You guys make The Notebook look bleak."

4. CABENSON

One of my favorite gay ships, so it has a special place in my heart. In the early seasons, it's pretty clear, at least for me, that Alex and Olivia could have something going on. I believe they were both shoving it away because none of them was ready to get seriously involved with anyone and they knew that whatever they decided to have would be too special to be treated lightly. Unfortunately, time was cut short for them when Alex got pulled away for WitSec.

I do think they will forever be each other's "almost", or "what if", but they're long past that now. They changed too much and they did it separately. If they were together, they would have changed around each other and, possibly, be able to work those differences to stay together. But now I don't think they would be able to keep a relationship. It's a bit sad, but it's also a very good portrait of reality.

Favorite scene: "You like being back on court, don't you?"

5. BISHOVA

I'm new to this ship, but I already love it. They remind me a lot of Shoot, actually. We just know that Yelena needs to find someone who would love her with no restrictions and that she deserves to find love. And Kate needs someone able to ground her, but also someone who allows her to be as silly as she wants, someone that will always have her back, doesn't matter how insane her plans might be. They have chemistry too. Also, I can see them getting together with no drama at all, or maybe something they can easily solve, and then being together for the rest of their lives to the point that they can't even remember a time they didn’t know each other. We didn’t get to see them that much, sadly, but I keep my hopes up for more scenes of them in the future.

Favorite scene: "You have one fork?"

6. FLEURMIONE

Okay, two intelligent and beautiful women together? Sign me in! I've been in Harry Potter's fandom for many, many, years now and, after giving it too much thought, I can safely say that Fleur would be the perfect match for Hermione. She would challenge Hermione, they would have endless discussions about any and every subject, they would have enough books together to fill up a library, and they would make each other want to be better every day. I also see Fleur being a bit sarcastic and Hermione keeps rolling her eyes at her at least fifteen times a day.

Fleur is constantly curious about the muggle world, always eager to learn anything Hermione is willing to show her. She would have a great relationship with Hermione's parents, mostly because she thinks they're one of the most genius people on the planet because they know how to fix people's teeth. Meanwhile, Gabrielle would loooove to talk with Hermione, especially when they get together to embarrass Fleur.

Favorite scene: You know, the totally canon one when Fleur asked Hermione to the Yule Ball.

7. LOU MILLER X DEBBIE OCEAN

Heist wives? Yes, please.

We don't even need to pretend. These two were totally banging throughout the whole movie. The headcanon is that they used to date, then Debbie made some stupid decisions, met the wrong people, they broke up for a while and then Debbie got locked up. I believe Lou was so angry with her for both being stupid and for ruining what they had because she wanted to get more money than they actually needed, that she didn’t even visit Debbie in prison.

While there, Debbie had enough time to realize how much of an idiot she had been, so it's up to her to win Lou back. Meanwhile, Lou knows that she's screwed the second she sees Debbies smile again. She just can't help but orbit around her.

Also, they're the Moms, no doubt about that.

Favorite scene: "Baby, I don’t have a diamond yet."

8. DANSEN

The only reason they’re all the way down here is because I hate CW, but I actually love them more than half of my family. They’re married, they’re moms, they’re in love, they’re perfect. Someone as caring as Kelly needed someone to make her go crazy like Alex, while Alex deserved someone that would understand her no matter what. Honestly, I just love them.

Favorite scene: THE PROPOSAL

9. CAROLNAT

Is there any chance this could happen? No.

Do I still dream about it? Constantly.

It's just one of those couples where things would just work. My biggest headcanon for them is that they would be constantly laughing and having fun. Always joking and playing around with each other. Natasha would crave physical touch and Carol would be happy just to be around her at all. Carol would finally find a reason to stay on Earth without feeling guilty about it and Natasha would one thousand percent make a retirement party for her.

Also, they would protect each other so fiercely that no one would even dare to warm any of them.

Favorite scene: The one where Natasha ends up on top of Carol in the training room. Totally canon, trust me.

10. GLORBIA

Might sounds crazy, but hear me out.

Barbie is literally Gloria's dream Barbie, and Gloria is the reason Barbie is alive. Once Barbie becomes human, I can totally see Gloria falling for her without even noticing it, while Barbie takes a while to realize what are those things she's feeling. I do believe Sasha would have a strong part in bringing them together. She would be the one to explain to Barbie what a crush is and what being in love should feel like, and then she would have to give her mom a gentle push to acknowledge her own feelings.

After that, fluff all the way. Gloria would be the most patient person in the world while she sees Barbie navigating human life, just happy to have whatever Barbie is comfortable giving her. Meanwhile, Barbie keeps getting surprised by how strong her feelings can be every time she even looks at Gloria.

Favorite scene: Not a scene per se. Instead, I'm bringing that Tumblr post that says "Ken only has a great day when Barbie looks at him. Gloria always has a great day when she looks at Barbie."

Bonus

11. GAY BELLA

Quite literally, any lesbian ship from Twilight. My favorite one is Rosella, but Bella x Tanya is a close second. Bellice is also a very strong candidate, not to mention Bella x Kate. And, oh, did I hear someone say Bella x Irina or was it Bella x Leah? Honestly, just give me lesbian Bella and I will be happy.

12. ROJARIAS

One of the hottest couples that exist.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[larryfanfiction]

Historical Girl Direction

🎀 The Sweet Yoke by little_obelia @littleobelia (1k, T)

Harry prays to Mother Mary, Undoer of Knots, to send a healer to attend to the Order's ailing hens. Mother Superior consults the blessed yellow pages and finds Tomlinson, L., a local veterinarian.

🎀 Oh Valley Girl by LadyLondonderry @londonfoginacup (3k, G)

Out past the rolling hills and the churning sea sits a little fishing village, nestled in a valley where its residents are protected from the elements, as well as from the outside world as a whole. Harry lives in this little fishing village, and she loves nothing more than feeling the earth beneath her and seeing the sky above her and sometimes dreaming of adventure. Then one day a ship arrives.

🎀 Too Great a Temptation by QuickedWeen @becomeawendybird (5k, G)

Harry and Louis attend a fancy dress ball.

🎀 In a Little Bit of Trouble by QuickedWeen @becomeawendybird (5k, T)

Agent Louis Tomlinson is in hot water and finds help in the most unlikely of places: the sweet waitress at her local automat.

🎀 Hoist the Colours High by Kerasines @justlarried (5k, M)

They’re facing each other, closer now, so close, cut off from the world completely, or at least it feels that way. The blanket cages them in, blocks out the moonlight, dulls the sound of the wind, the sea, and the birds coming from outside. The air is hot and musky, but she thinks she could stay under this blanket forever. It’s their own little universe, in here, shared breath and shared heat and shared time. Or: A Girl Direction Pirates of the Caribbean AU featuring Harry as Will Turner, Louis as Elizabeth Swann, swords, and my obsession with girls in men's period clothing.

🎀 Only You (Blue Always Stays True) by BeautifulWisdom @justanotherghostblr (11k, M)

Regency AU. Lady Harriet falls for her sister's best friend the elusive Alpha Lady Louise who couldn't possibly return her tender feelings. Or could she?

🎀 Withdrawal Was the Weeping by QuickedWeen @becomeawendybird (11k, E)

Confined by life and society, Harry spends her Sunday afternoons walking aimlessly about the countryside as it's her only source of freedom. One Sunday she is aided by the most beautiful woman she has ever met, but not everything is as it seems. Was it a trick of the light? Was it Harry's own active imagination? There is nothing to do but try to find her again.

🎀 Harriet and Louise by Blaaake @newleafover (29k, E)

There’s nothing Harriet can do to alter the world, but she can make Louise laugh. A regency-era girl direction AU

🎀 The Changer and the Changed by homosociallyyours @homosociallyyours (59k, M)

It’s the spring of 1977 and Harry Styles has just moved to New York City after graduating college. She knows she’s a lesbian. She just needs to figure out how to meet other lesbians. Louis Tomlinson works at a popular women’s bookstore in the Lower East Side, Womon’s Direction, where she spends her days reading feminist literature, writing poetry, exchanging friendly barbs with her boss Niall, and dreaming of finding someone to love. When Harry and Louis meet, their connection is instantaneous. Slowly but surely, Louis welcomes Harry into her community of women. Stonewall veteran and old school butch Niall; Liam, a land dyke who’s moved to the city for love; and Zayn, a lesbian musician who’s been ostracized by a vocal part of women’s community for being trans, welcome Harry with open arms, ready to help her find her place in New York City’s bustling lesbian scene. It’s a time of growth for everyone involved.

🎀 into the great wide open by mixedfandomfics @ficshl (69k, T)

It only took a week or so for Harry to truly get into the routine of life on the road. They woke before dawn each morning, ate a small meal, packed up the tent and rounded up the livestock, all before setting out. On a good day, they could make it twenty miles. There hadn’t been many bad ones, but Louis confessed that on a previous trip there had been a solid week where they hadn’t made it more than five miles a day. Soon, Louis promised, animals would start going lame, and wheels would start breaking, and people would start going hungry. The beginning was the easiest, and the end was doable only because the hope of finishing the trek fueled everyone. It was the middle bit, with the tedious marching hundreds of miles from any settlement, that people succumbed to the journey.

🎀 Among Lavender Fields by homosociallyyours @homosociallyyours (70k, E)

At twenty-one, Louis Tomlinson is more than ready to shed the girl next door image that's been with her since her entry into film in her childhood, but with a mother and father steeped in Hollywood tradition it's felt impossible. Meanwhile, Harry Styles is a young, struggling musician new to London, friendless yet eager for the next phase of her life to begin. When French director Marie Coutard casts the two of them in her film, it's a chance for both to break away from the people they've been. Together, they struggle through an acting process that's new and unfamiliar for both of them, learning more than they could've imagined about themselves along the way. As they spend long days picking lavender and long nights sharing the things they've never been able to tell anyone else, their love blooms. Will the flower fade, or will the love they make among lavender fields be one they carry with them to the end?

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Ridin’ The Waves 🏄‍♀️ | Javy “Coyote” Machado Imagine

Takes place before, during and after the events of TGM

TGM masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Javy “Coyote” Machado x pro surfer!reader (romantic), dagger squad (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, profanity, pop culture references, details of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.1k

Requested 📨 yes/no (for @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby)

Premise: From the moment she could walk Y/n L/n belonged to the sea. Riding the waves that started as a hobby, only to lead her to the world’s greatest sporting stage. It would take time before her dream of Olympic Gold would happen as surfing had yet to be recognized by the IOC. But in her pursuit of becoming the greatest female surfer of all time, Y/n found who she believed was the closest person to paradise.

Note: I gotta say writing athlete/Olympian!reader imagines with the dagger squad are truly some of my favorite. Gosh I cannot wait for next year because that means…..2024 Olympics 👀 Guys I’m almost done with my semester! I have less than two weeks and all i have left to do is a paper and final project !! Almost to the finish thank goodness and then I move in with my friend before starting my summer job! Hope y’all enjoyed this work and let me know what you think!

Be sure to watch the video I linked during the Rock’s segment. I didn’t make it up it actually was a segment during the opening ceremonies on NBC’s coverage.

————————

“Is this heaven?” He laid on the surfboard beside her, feet in the water with the warmth of the sun hit his back. A cool breeze was starting to set in as the most beautiful sunset was before him, painting the sky an endless murrel of pink and orange. Only the subtle echo of the low tide filled his ears. Javy pressed his cheek onto the board, finding her smile which made his own appear at her words.

“More like paradise.”

Everyone had their own definition of paradise. Maybe it was the quiet plains of Montana or the mountains of Appalachia. Maybe it was strolling down the streets of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Rain pouring down on New York City with a steaming cup of tea in hand or driving down the Pacific Coast Highway with “California Love” blasting through the radio. Reading a book by the fire next to their soulmate, dancing with strangers at a concert. Ask anyone what they viewed as their own personal paradise and the responses will vary.

Y/n L/n felt she was in paradise almost everyday of her life. Waking up to the view of the ocean while birds flew overhead. Feet hitting the sand as she ran to the waters with her board, anxiously waiting to ride the waves. Salt water coating skin and hair, sun beaming down.

Paradise.

From the moment she could walk the beach became her second home. Having grown up on the island of O’ahu Y/n learned how to surf before riding a bike. Her parents surfed. As did her siblings. Getting an instructor wasn’t needed with a family who knew everything there was about the art of surfing. Y/n received her first board at age four, and from then on her life was devoted to the water. Owning more swimsuits than t-shirts and shorts by the time she reached fifth grade.

She was a natural at best. Always predicting when and where the best waves would be. Timing the push up so perfect others—even her family—were unable to keep up.

“C’mon, leave some for the rest of us,” her brother would groan, missing a wave due to her swooping in at the last second. Y/n only laughed in return.

“Gotta be faster than that.”

Her parents, surfers themselves, were basically her coaches. On weekends they were waking her up at the crack of dawn, breakfast on the counter and telling her to be on the beach when she was done. Then of course she had to apply sunscreen, the substance coating every inch of her skin. Once on the beach a thirty minute run and stretching was mandatory before she could get in the water.

Skipping such a step would have her sore all night.

“We’re gonna work on your 360, cutback, and tube ride before finishing the day with cleaning up your alley oop.”

“If I don’t make a lot of mistakes can we watch Lilo & Stitch after dinner?”

“Yes, that is a fair deal.”

Mistakes? What are those? Mistakes weren’t in Y/n’s nature and if they occurred it was a rare sighting. Only time Y/n ever did mess up on a maneuver was when she was first learning it. Once she had it down it was impossible to lose.

All the friends she made loved going to the beaches after school and on weekends—getting all their homework done during the school hours so their entire afternoon was free. They signed up for competitions together, Y/n entering her first at age 14 for the 2004 Juniors season after competitions in regionals since age 11. “You’re gonna win the comp, Y/n.”

“Oh stop playing,” she brushed her best friend off, only to hear the murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group.

“I’m serious! You catch the best waves and ride them perfectly. Those judges are gonna be amazed on Saturday—I bet you’ll even get a sponsor.”

Her best friend was right. Not only did Rip Curl—THE Rip Curl want Y/n to be the face of their new campaign, but the surfing world would know her name for generations to come.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the 2004 ISA World Junior Surf Championship here in beautiful O’ahu, Hawaii here on ESPN. We’re dwindling down on the final competition with the defending champion from last year's event, sixteen-year-old Carolina Kanoa, and newcomer, Y/n L/n. If you’ve been watching the competition then you know all eyes have been on the fourteen-year-old native of Kapolei here on O’ahu, who scored the highest in her heats and received all tens in the quarterfinals after a perfect run.”

“It was quite the sight, Tom. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so effortless in this competition. Y/n’s delivered a captivating performance each wave she’s catched—always getting the first one in her heats and pulling out a big score putting her high on the leaderboard. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her on top of the podium today.”

“For anyone watching at home who are new to surfing or just want a little refresh on the scoring system, here is how it works: a panel of five judges determine a score one through ten, ten being the best, for each surfer on their wave based on degree of difficulty, innovative maneuvers, combination of major maneuvers, the variety of said maneuvers, and the speed, power, and flow. The highest and lowest score are thrown out leaving the remaining three, which are then averaged out. Now a surfer can catch as many waves as they please but only the two highest scoring waves will be added together to give the total score for that heat. From there competitors are eliminated until there are two finalists.”

Treading water, Y/n paid close attention to the scene in front of her. With only three minutes left on the clock, she was one wave away from crowning herself the Junior World Champion.

“Give me a sign,” she breathed in the salty air. Her thoughts were answered seconds later by a chill running down her neck, gaze snapping to the left where she saw the water draw back. Springing into action, Y/n paddled towards the forming wave, timing it at the perfect moment to end the competition on a bang. She heard the crowd cheer when she stood up, increasing each maneuver she did until finally riding out the end of the wave right as the bullhorn sounded.

Her heart pounded, “Did I just win?” Damn sure she did. Nothing could describe the feeling of holding the championship trophy at the top of the podium. And what made it ten times better, an ambassador of Rip Curl offered her a sponsorship. Before long Y/n’s name and face were plastered across all their campaigns. After winning the ISA Junior World Championships three years in a row—making her a household name in surfing—Y/n went on to senior international competitions. From there her glory only skyrocketed.

ISA World Surfing Games, World Surf League, Rip Curl Pro, Big Wave Tour, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Y/n’s little shelf of trophies turned into a full length china cabinet. Traveling back and forth from O’ahu to America. Sometimes even going to South America and Japan for international comps. By age 19 she had created her own maneuver earning her even more attention due to the level of difficulty.

“I don’t see what the fuss is about?” She chewed on a piece of spam, leaning her elbows on the kitchen counter. “All I did was add a couple of extra spins on my aerial.” Her mother gave her a bewildered look.

“That move in itself is difficult, Y/n. Not many perform it in competition and the fact you successfully landed one—with your little spoof nonetheless, people are gonna be amazed.”

“Well, I guess I just got lucky.”

Following high school Y/n turned professional and moved to Honolulu to attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa where she studied sports management with a minor in sports science. A family friend had an old Volkswagen Type 2 and Y/n was happy to take it off their hands, fixing it up to have the perfect beach van. Once classes were done for the day Y/n was packing it up with her board, cooler, boombox, and her closest friends.

“You sure this thing isn’t gonna break down on us?”

“Don’t insult Sandy. She’s as good as new,” okay that was a stretch, the van was literally 60 years old, “and I filled her up on gas this morning so we shouldn’t find ourselves on the side of the road.”

“Thanks for the confidence, Y/n. Much appreciated.”

It wasn’t uncommon for people to recognize her on campus. Having generated a public image in surfing—which many of her peers were also involved in—meant she was bound to hear, “Hey, you’re Y/n L/n?” “Oh my gosh I’ve been watching you compete since you were a junior competitor.” “Congrats on winning the Pro this year.”

There were times professors kindly asked, “Can you sign this for my kid? They’ve been into surfing lately and you’re their favorite athlete.” Taking photos with supporters happened occasionally as did giving advice to those wanting to get into surfing. It was a nice feeling for the woman to be able to inspire people and share the sport she loved.

Expanding the art of surfing to the world.

Four years of college seemed to fly by fast. Y/n was surprised she managed to pull through with a 3.6 GPA and graduate Cum Laude with everything in her life. A lot of the competitions were during the school year so Y/n had lots of work on her plate—thankfully some instructors were reasonable and allowed her to get an advance on the material. But she completed her degree with immense relief, aiming to get a career in sports going either by becoming a trainer or manager following her retirement from surfing.

“Y/n, It’s so great to see you again this year at the World Surf League World Championship. You recently graduated from the University of Hawai’i, you’re set to compete in today’s finals to defend your title—how many would this be for you? Number seven?”

Y/n chuckled with the reporter, brushing away a stray piece of hair. “Lucky number seven, yes. I’m so happy and grateful to be competing today—excited to hit the water and try to catch the best waves possible. Regardless of the outcome today I’m just really happy to be here again. I always look forward to this time of year—being able to compete and after working so hard in school this last semester, it’s definitely a relief to not have to worry about finishing a paper last minute once this comp ends.”

“There’s been recent talk of surfing possibly becoming an Olympic sport after much demand following the London Games this year. What are your thoughts? Do you think it’ll be featured in Rio and if so are you going to try and make the team?”

Since becoming a professional sport in 1959 following the first West Coast Surfing Championship in Huntington Beach, California, surfing had yet to reach the greatest sporting stage. The Olympic Games. Held every four years where thousands of athletes from around the globe come together to compete for the chance at gold. Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing and three-time Olympic freestyle swimming champion having won gold at the 1912 and 1920 Games respectively, first advocated the sport to be in the Olympics back in 1920. Had it not been for him, surfing may not have become as popular in the world as it was.

When it came to the Olympics, Y/n loved sitting by the tv to watch Team USA. Witnessing historic moments and record breaking finishes she was in awe of every athlete who came across the screen. Swimming, diving, track, gymnastics, soccer. So many sports events in a single fortnight. She hoped surfing would become an official sport in the Games. For she too had dreams of an Olympic gold around her neck.

Pausing for a moment, Y/n smiled at the thought of her becoming an Olympic Champion, “I think a lot of us can agree that we’d like to see surfing become part of the Olympic family. It’s one of the oldest sports and has its own professional circuit for decades now—I mean we’ve got people here today from Japan, Italy, El Salvador and Australia. Why not include it? And you can definitely expect me to be training the moment it is.”

It would be four years before Y/n could make do with that promise. On August 3, 2016, two days prior to the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, the IOC announced surfing would finally be an Olympic sport.

“Exciting news for the surfing world,” the headline appeared on the screen of ESPN’s afternoon coverage, “the International Olympic Committee has just confirmed the sport will be introduced for the first time in its history at the Tokyo Olympics taking place in 2020–marking 100 years since surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku first started advocating for it to be featured. Professional surfing isn’t new to international competition having debuted at Huntington Beach, California in 1959. Since then there’s been several meets featuring surfers from all over the world—the most recent being the 2016 Rip Curl Pro where ten-time World Surf League champion Y/n L/n claimed the title once again for the fifth time since her senior international debut in 2007. L/n is just one of many professional surfers who’ve advocated for surfing to be in the Olympics over the years and expressed interest in competing for a chance at gold. With the confirmation by the IOC this morning, I’d say we’ll be seeing her at the trials in four years.”

The morning after the announcement Y/n headed to the beach to find her father propping her board into the sound. “So four years, huh?” Y/n crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the wind breeze past them.

“Seems like a long way, but it’ll be around the corner before we know it.”

“We better get started then.”

Morning, afternoon, evening. Every day Y/n was on the water catching waves left and right. Perfecting maneuvers, getting air in her aerials. When taking breaks she’d go on runs and to the gym. She still participated in yearly competitions and surfed with her friends, but her training habits became more intense as she prepped for Tokyo. When she wasn’t sleeping, eating, or competing she was on the water.

By 2019 Y/n had accumulated the most titles won by a female surfer with ten ISA World Surfing Games—formerly the World Surfing Championships, ten Rip Curl Pro trophies, five QuickSilver pro Gold Coast, five-time triple crown winner, and the 2016 champion of The Eddie Aikua Big Wave International. Winning The Eddie and becoming the first woman in history to do so after the event returned from a seven-year hiatus had Y/n on the front page of several sports magazines around the world. It was a huge accomplishment. Pushing Y/n as the favorite to win gold in Tokyo.

Towards the later end of the year, October in fact, Y/n found herself on the sunny beaches of San Diego, California. August to November were the best months to surf in the area, being it was late summer going into fall where the heat wasn’t excruciating. Still one had to wear a wetsuit to even touch the water.

Y/n was in town to visit an old friend from college and to help the Pacific Beach Surf Club with their beach cleanups and participate in a charity competition. Having traveled in San Diego a few times she was no stranger to the club and welcomed with open arms. Volunteering in their cleanups was the least she could do to prepare the beach for the charity event.

When they finished they all changed out of their clothes into wetsuits, wasting no time to hit the waves. “Hey!” Her friend yelled from where she was treading water, tone teasing, “be sure to leave some for the rest of us, yeah?” Y/n threw her head back in laughter.

“I make no promises!”

Anytime Y/n surfed out of training or competition she felt so free. No pressure to be perfect. No shouting from her father. No commentary from the sportscasters or questions from reporters. Only her, her board, and the beautiful sea.

She cheered on her friend and the people in their cleanup group when they caught waves. Complimenting them whenever they did a cool trick. In return they whistled and hollered for her. They soon developed an audience from the shore. Children and adults alike stop to watch them in awe. Instantly drawn to Y/n who glided effortlessly, guiding her board into a tube ride.

Unbeknownst to the surfer, a group of navy pilots had stopped their game of dogfight football to observe the show.

Jake whistled, “Damn she’s good.” Mickey agreed.

“I don’t think I’ve seen someone surf like that. She’s a natural.”

“Probably has been doing it for years,” Bradley commented, fixing his aviators. Natasha and Bob hummed in agreement.

“I think I’m in love,” Javy breathed out, simply in awe of what he was witnessing. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen showcasing talent on a board he could only dream of possessing.

He wondered what her laugh sounded like, seeing her head tilt back at something her friend said. Even from the distance her smile was breathtaking. Hair pulled back into a tight bun, body adored in a wetsuit to combat the cool water. A cheeky smirk thrown at her peers when she started paddling toward a forming wave. Standing on the board like a pro and making all kinds of turns and tricks Javy knew he’d wipe out the second he attempted them. Speaking of wiping out, she hadn’t done it once.

Jake nudging him from the side snapped him out of his daydream, “Go talk to her.” At the nod of his head, Javy realized she was running across the sand, stopping when she got to an area of coolers, towels, and backpacks.

“No!” He hissed, eyes reading, ‘are you crazy?’

“Why not? Just go up and start complimenting her. Ask her how long she’s been surfing. That’ll start a conversation.”

Javy scoffed, “Easy for you to say, Mr. Ken Barbie Doll who doesn’t need a confidence boost when talking to women.” Jake went to rebuttals but the sound of Reuben coughing stopped him.

“Uh guys….” He lifted a finger, their gazes following to find a family of four approaching the young woman. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but seeing her take a notepad from the little girl before scribbling in what appeared to be an autograph followed by the father snapping a photo with his phone, it was enough to conclude she was someone.

“Are…is she signing autographs?” Javy wondered aloud. He watched her sign the little boy's boogie board, posing for a photo with him before kneeling down to be on both the children’s level and smile for the camera. Hell even the parents wanted a photo, one of her friends coming over to hold the phone while they positioned themselves on either side. Then finally the whole family had a group one, saying their goodbyes and thank you’s to the woman who waved as they left.

“So she’s kinda famous,” Bradley said the obvious, everyone in a daze. Probably trying to figure out who the woman was, as none had recognized her as an actress or singer.

While they were busy investigating, Y/n unzipped her wetsuit leaving her bikini underneath and pulled on shorts with a graphic t-shirt overtop. “What are you guys doing after this?”

“We’re gonna grab some drinks at The Hard Deck. You down?”

“The Hard Deck?” She repeated with a tilt of the head. Never had she heard of the place.

“It’s that bar over there,” Y/n turned to the direction her friend was nodding at, eyes landing on a building not far from where they stood. “Great vibes, but I must warn ya it’s always filled with Navy fellas.” Y/n perked up slightly. Having lived on O’ahu all her life she was familiar with Navy personnel. After all, Pearl Harbor was located just on the coast of the island.

“Really?”

“Yeah, Miramar is not too far from here. It’s where the pilots train so expect to see some in flight suits.”

At around 6 the group packed it up and headed for the bar. Upon entry Y/n saw exactly what her friend had warned. The place was buzzing. Servicemen and women on every corner, music blasting from the jukebox. They approached the bar top to order a round of beers before settling over by the high top tables, splitting the group up since there were about eight of them.

“Check it out, Machado,” Payback clapped his friend’s back, making him turn to where his attention was. Javy’s eyes widened upon seeing the surfer.

“Did they just get here?”

“Looked like it. You should talk to her—especially since this is the second sighting in mere hours.” The pilot rolled his eyes.

“I don’t wanna come off as a creep, Fitch. What am I supposed to say ‘Hey, sorry if this is weird but I saw you surfing earlier—can I buy you a drink?’ She might throw me to the sharks.”

Natasha shook her head, “men.” A moment later Penny arrived with a tray of beers, placing them down on the seat beside Bob where the guys were shooting pool, “delivery for my favorite dagger squad.”

Thanks were sent her way followed by Jake asking, “Say Pen, you know those guys?” The bartender glanced over her shoulder to see who he was referring to, nodding with a smile.

“Oh that’s some members of the Pacific Beach Surf Club. They were cleaning up the beach earlier for tomorrow's charity competition. Expect the place to be packed if you drop by, it’s always a madhouse. This year they’ve got some of the best surfers participating.”

“Do you know if she’s one of them,” Javy tried to act cool when pointing out the woman.

Upon Penny’s smirk, the answer was clear, “Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I believe that’s ten-time world surfing champion Y/n L/n.”

“Ten?!” Mickey repeated, “Holy shit.” Around him the others were matching his expression. Javy immediately grabbed his phone to type in the name. Sure enough the image of the woman seated at the table appeared on his screen. Clicking on the Wikipedia page he started to read aloud for the group the opening paragraph.

“Y/n M/n L/n, born y/b/m yb/d, 1990 is an American professional surfer from Kapolei, O’ahu, Hawaii and a ten-time World Surf League Women’s World champion, the most titles won by any female surfer to date. L/n made her debut at the World Surf League Junior Championships at age 14 in 2004 in her native O’ahu, winning three consecutive times before turning to senior international competition where she’s won a total of forty world titles—including becoming a five-time triple crown winner. As of 2016, L/n is the defending champion and first women to win the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. She is set to compete at the first ever U.S Olympic Trials in hopes of making the Tokyo Olympic Team where surfing will make its debut at the Olympics.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” Jake peered over Javy’s shoulder, watching him scroll down to view Y/n’s career statistics. Mickey appeared on the opposite side, whistling under his breath. Natasha took out her own phone to search herself, Bradley, Bob, and Payback all glancing over to see.

“She’s literally called the greatest surfer of this generation,” Bradley pointed out. “Talk about intimidating.”

“Now you gotta buy her a drink, Machado,” Payback concluded, igniting another glare from his friend. “Say you pulled an Olympian.”

“I’ll take it to her,” Penny offered, and before Javy could stop her the woman was back behind the bar. They watched her take a Corona from the cooler, add a lime and proceed to the table the athlete was at. “From the gentlemen by the pool tables,” Penny smiled at Y/n, nodding to the group, “the one the blonde is pointing at.” Turning her head, Y/n saw the guy in question pushing his friend’s hand down, a reddish hue on his cheeks when they made eye contact followed by a wave.

‘Well hello there,’ she thought, smiling at the handsome man. He was in a pair of basketball shorts and t-shirt reading NAVY in bold letters. The group he was with all scattered to make it look like they weren’t eavesdropping when Y/n approached, Corona in hand, “Hi.”

“Hello,” even his voice was attractive. Everything about him was. From his clear smooth skin to his dazzling smile. Toned arms and legs.

“Thanks for the beer.”

“Anytime,” he tipped the one in his hand, Y/n clicking hers against it. “Sorry if this is weird at all. I saw you surfing earlier and was trying to muster up the courage to come talk to you….but couldn’t find the words to say.”

Y/n smirked, gesturing to an empty pool table, “how about a game? Maybe it’ll help loosen your nerves.” Moving to a cue Y/n sees his grin widen, “I’m Y/n by the way.”

“I’m Javy, but you can call me Coyote.”

“Coyote?” She repeats with a chuckle, “That’s an interesting nickname.”

“Callsign actually,” he politely corrects before explaining he was a naval aviator. Grabbing his own cue while she sets up the rack, he added, “Wasn’t my doing.”

“Then how’d you get it?”

“Um…” he made a face, as though he was embarrassed to say. “I’ll tell you if you win this match.” A sound between a scoff and a laugh escaped her.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be.” Javy raises his hands in defense, laughing with her. “And if you win?”

His own smirk appears, “You give me your phone number…maybe even let me take you out.” Biting back a grin and fighting the warm feeling in her chest, Y/n removes the rack leaving the pool balls neatly centered.

“Challenge accepted, Coyote.”

It was safe to say both came out as winners that night. Though Y/n won the game and got the scoop on Javy’s callsign origin, he walked away with her number and plans to have dinner the following night after her charity event. Javy made the promise to come out and watch her surf, excited to see her in action. Hearing Y/n talk about the sport and her accomplishments was even cooler in person than reading it off the internet. From her amateur days to becoming a full blown professional. Winning countless championship titles, being the first woman to win The Eddie and her dream to win gold at the Olympics.

Javy was smitten.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” She smiled when they reached her van at the end of the night. They talked for hours to the point they lost track of time. It was 11 o’clock and she had to be up at five.

“You said it starts at noon?” At her nod Javy continued, “I’ll be there. And I look forward to our dinner plans after.” Y/n felt the heat rise, hoping it wasn’t displaying on her face.

“Me too. Thank you for a fun night, Javy,” feeling bold, Y/n leans to place a kiss on his cheek. The action leaves him stunned, smile growing bigger as she pulls away. “See you on the beach.”

Now Javy had loved the beach before meeting Y/n. But his love for it and the ocean only grew the moment he watched her ride the waves. Cheering from the sand as she dropped down and glided the tide with ease. It made him want to stay there forever.

He understood quickly why she was regarded as the greatest female surfer of all time. Yeah it was a charity competition and not a world championship, but Y/n treated the waves no differently. She was a beast. Total control of her board, little to no mistakes.

Their dinner date was filled with laughter, flirty sarcasm, stories so outrageous one would think they were bluffing. Javy spoke of his time at Top Gun and his friendship with Jake. Y/n told him about her college days. Both engaged in conversations about dreams and aspirations. Yeah they had their dream careers, but one can always dream bigger. Dream about friendship, dream about love.

Dream about the future.

When the night came to an end, Y/n laid her head on the pillow with a smile on her face, “I think this might be paradise.”

23 July 2021–The Hard Deck, San Diego California.

“It’s almost time for USA!” Javy hushes everyone, grabbing the remote to increase the volume. The place was packed mostly with the squad's friends, colleagues, the Pacific Beach Surf Club, and college students from UC San Diego. Togethery they were gathered to watch the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics.

Finally after a whole year of waiting the Games were finally being held. A global pandemic sure would be the only thing to stop the most iconic two-week sporting event in the world.

And Javy’s girlfriend, 12x World champion Y/n L/n, was there to be part of surfing's Olympic debut. Gold on her mind.

The two had been long distance the majority of their relationship, but FaceTimed nearly every day with promises to visit as soon as restrictions were lifted. Y/n traveled to San Diego in the winter of 2020 to mark the couple’s one year anniversary. Then Javy flew to Hawaii in the spring, spending two weeks in Kapolei where most time was spent surfing and late night drive on the beach.

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he sang at the top of his lungs, windows rolled down .

“Than on my surfboard out at sea,” Y/n followed, smile wide on her face with her hair blowing in the wind.

“Lingering in the ocean blue.”

“And if I had one wish come true.”

Together they sang, “I’d surf ‘til the sun sets beyond the horizon!”

Y/n tilted her head back, “‘Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi. Lawe mai i ko papa he’e nalu.”

Belting out together once again, their voices echoed in the night, “Flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride!!”

“‘Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi. Lawe mai i ko papa he’e nalu.”

“Pi’i nā nalu lā lahalaha. ‘O ka Moana hānupanupa.”

“Lalala i ka lā hanahana. Me ke kai hoene i ka pu’e one.”

“Heel, hele mai kākou ē.”

“Hawaiian roller coaster ride!”

During the Olympic surf qualifying event in Huntington Beach the whole squad was in attendance to cheer Y/n on. Javy embraced her in tears, lifting her onto his shoulders to the hollars and whistles of their friends and family.

Y/n was officially an Olympian.

Now usually during the parade of nations of the opening ceremonies Greece is the first to enter the arena followed by the countries in alphabetical order with the hosting nation entering last. Having waited a whole year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world was excited to get the Games started. But to everyone’s surprise the order of the parade of nations would proceed differently than prior Olympics.

Greece still entered first, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and then the nations paraded in based on where they fell on the Gojūon system. Japan would be the last country to march in, but for the first time ever the hosting countries of the next two Olympics entered before the hosting country. And what were those two countries?

France and The United States of America.

Paris was set to host the upcoming 2024 Games just three years away, and then in 2028 Los Angeles gets the honor once again of bringing the world together. The last time LA hosted was in 1984, and the last time America itself hosted the Summer Games was Atlanta 1996.

“Okay everyone shut up!!” The tv was turned to the loudest volume possible, all in attendance falling to hush whispers.

“Everything changes,” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s voice echoes through the speakers, his silhouette figure walking into an empty arena. “The longest wait of their lives is over.” The beat of the music gets louder, building in pressure. “And the combination of their blood, sweat, and tears,” his face is revealed under the light, “finally arrives.”

The beat drops in time with the image of fireworks rocketing from the Rio arena, an announcer’s voice stating, “this is the moment that you all have been waiting for.”

“It’s not easy to bring the entire whole planet together,” the Rock states, “and it certainly wasn’t tonight. But, here we are.”

“Finally!”

“It’s finally here.”

“The Olympics are finally here,” Gold Medalist Simone Biles grins.

“Yeah, I’m hyped up.”

“Can’t wait to show the world what I got.”

The image shows Dwayne once again, “Tonight we are all so lucky to witness the hardest workers in the room.” Then it changes to athletes training, from gymnast Sam Mikulak to sprinter Noah Lyles. “The athletes who are a brilliant tapestry of talent, commitment, and drive.”

“Drive, drive, drive!”

“Now what was once considered unthinkable just one year ago has become a glorious reality. We come together united to celebrate the Olympians who exemplify the very best in all of us.”

🎼 legs are shaking, hands aching, 🎼

Simone Biles appears, determination in her gaze as she races down the vault runway. “It’s Simone’s party and everyone else is just a guest,” Tim Daggett’s voice cuts in during the clip of Simone at the World Championships, followed by the Rock.

“She is absolutely the greatest gymnast the world has ever seen. But even if there’s nothing left to prove, there’s a chance to launch herself even higher into the rarest air of immortality.”

As Simone lands her vault, it transitions into Katie Ledecky entering the pool. “The most dominant swimmer in the world.” “It’s just ridiculous!”

“She swims like a machine created to wreak havoc and decimate with impunity.”

“Katie Ledecky smashes her own world record!”

“But in reality she’s about the nicest person you’ll ever meet,” the rock’s face returns, bearing his own smile like Katie. “And kindness matters. Always.” Track star Noah Lyles running takes over. “He makes running as fast as you can look the way it’s supposed to look.”

“NOAH LYLES, WORLD CHAMPION!”

Dwayne grins, “Damn fun.” The next athlete featured was the one they were all waiting for.

“On dry land she’s impressive, in the water she’s simply lethal,” the Hard Deck erupted in cheers, Y/n flashing onto the screens showcasing her drop in during the WSL World Tour.

“That’s my baby!!!” Her name appeared in big bold letters like the others, ‘Y/n L/n. Kapolei, O’ahu, HI.’

“Monstruos wave for Y/n L/n, but she handles it like a pro.” The clip shows her pointing to the sky in victory following her win. “She’s here to prove why surfing should’ve been in the Olympics ages ago,” the Rock looks proud, “and look cool as hell while doing so.”

The tone of the video shifts, bringing forth the raw and emotional reality of athletes who’ve given every inch of their soul to be on the world’s greatest sporting stage. “They’re kids from Minneapolis—.”

“Kenny Harrison!” A girl crosses the finish line in joy, soon embraced by her father. “Raleigh.”

Fellow surfer and native Hawaiian Carissa Moore is shown, “And Honolulu.” A baby in a stroller being pushed by her mother. “They’re working moms with unfinished business.” Allison Felix with her daughter.

“This is what makes all the sacrifice worth it.”

Simone Manuel becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games. “The barrier breakers who’ve proven the power of the platform.”

“I can’t begin to tell you what this means for the sport of swimming in the United States.”

“There’s Jordan—!” A montage of Gold medal winning teams flashed. The Fab Five. The women’s soccer and basketball teams. The women’s rowing team. The Fierce and Final Five of U.S Gymnastics. “And the teams that have dominated for generations with no intention of changing the script for this one.”

“Get the gold medals ready. Again!”

“These awe-inspiring multi-talented athletes are taking on the world.”

🎼 ‘You bring me back to life.’ 🎼

Between the music and feel good montage, some of the viewers in the hard deck were having trouble holding back tears. Chills racking up their body. It made them want to get out and start training to be a world class athlete.

“They really are the best of us. They’re bringing us together.”

“That’s a new world record!”

“And they’re about to give you, at long last, the greatest two-week spectacle the world has ever seen.” Close ups of Team USA’s Olympians rolled, Javy wiping his eyes when Y/n appeared. “It is their Games. It is our Games.”

Absolute chills.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am so grateful to have the honor of presenting to you….Team USA.” At the last word the Rock disappears, cutting to Team USA entering the Tokyo dome—the American flag flying high, “USA! USA! USA!” Though they couldn’t hear the cheers from the Hard Deck across the ocean, that didn’t stop the building from erupting in whistles. It was only the opening ceremonies so one could imagine what it would be like come the 26th and 27th.

When Y/n hits the waves for a chance at Olympic gold.

Tsurigasaki Beach, located 40 miles from Tokyo, was the place where it would all happen. The damp sand beneath Y/n’s toes felt comforting. Although the overcast skies made her worried. Tropical Storm Nepartak caused the waves to be more aggressive and unpredictable. It was going to be an interesting day of competition.

After qualifying with a big score in her heat the previous day, Y/n was set to compete in the quarterfinals that morning. From there the semi-final contestants would be decided, going straight into the event before finals that afternoon. Three events in one day if she made it all the way to the end.

“I’m going to be so sore tonight.”

Shortboard in hand, Y/n raced to the water the second the horn sounded. Instant shivers along her arms from the cold feeling. Cloudy skies prevented the sun from heating the water, “goodness gracious.”

Quarterfinals breezed by. Y/n started off strong with a score of 7 for her first wave, going on to claim two more, another 7 and an 8 bringing her total score to a 15. Putting her, American Carissa Moore, South African Bianca Buitendag and Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki into the semifinals.

“Stellar performance by Y/n L/n of the United States. She had a bit of trouble on her second wave—which we can’t blame her for; many competitors have been having difficulty today due to the impact of tropical storm Nepartak on the tide. L/n’s score of 15 puts her at the top for the quarterfinals, but that can all change when we return for the semifinals in the next hour. It looks like she’ll be up against Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki for one of two spots in the gold medal match.”

“That’s how you do it,” Javy clapped at the tv, the footage replaying Y/n’s competition highlights. “Semi-finals here we go.”

During the semis the pressure was on. Y/n could feel it all over, anxiety coursing when the horn sounded. Thirty minutes on the clock, ticking down to eliminate either her or Amuro. Usually her luck turns out for the better whenever she gets the first wave, however, Amuro beats her to it. Catching the next one Y/n focuses on pulling speed and managing her flow into the maneuvers, receiving a score of 6.2 on her first wave, 8.3 on her second and 7 on her third. Unfortunately a wipe out early on her fourth and final wave results in a score of 3.

“Is that gonna be enough?” Jake cringes, noticing the look of unease on his friend's visage. Y/n appeared shaken from the wipe out. Very rare has she ever messed up greatly in competition. But there’s always a first for everything.

Javy had a paper in front of him, writing down Y/n’s scores and the ones of her competitors to predict what she needed and if she was qualified to the final round.

“Her six and seven will be dropped, putting her at 11.30,” he taps the pen on the bar surface, “if Amuro doesn’t get another wave in the next,” Javy checks the time, “two minutes then it should put Y/n through to the finals.”

Amuro did in fact catch another wave before the horn sounded, ending their round in the semis, but it wasn’t enough. Her total score accumulated a 7.43, eliminating her from the final competition.

“One more,” her father/coach took a hold of her shoulders. “You’re almost there, Y/n.” Almost to the gold. “Rest up, you got one hour.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Picking up a water bottle and plotting on the sand Y/n downed the liquid and munched on an apple. To pass time she scrolled through Tik Tok, sent a selfie to Javy—who sent one of him and the squad back—and called her family in O’ahu to calm her nerves. She had already talked with Javy that morning before quarterfinals, promising to FaceTime him after the finals.

It was nerve racking. Regardless of how the event went, Y/n was guaranteed the silver medal. USA would take home both Gold and Silver in surfing’s debut being fellow American Carissa Moore beat out South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag in their round.

One competition left.

Bidding good luck to Carissa, Y/n took her position and waited for the horn. Thirty minutes on the clock. Thirty minutes to a gold medal.

“Here we go,” Payback announced in time with Y/n paddling out to sea. Javy rubbed his hands together, eyes glued to the screen.

“And the two Americans are off in the first ever gold medal match for surfing. Carissa Moore, the 2019 WSL World Champion, and twelve-time title holder Y/n L/n head-to-head to declare who will become the woman to win surfing’s first gold medal. Both have exemplified great performances today—it’s not easy doing a quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals all in one day, but these pros make it look easy.”

“There she goes!” Nat shouted, earning cheers at the bar when Y/n caught the first wave of the competition.

“Kicking off with the first wave, in just two minutes of the clock starting is Y/n L/n. Dropping in beautifully, easing into the wave…..Straight into an roundhouse cutback, which she does flawlessly. Bottom turn, I think she’s gonna try and do a off-the-lip right here….and she nails it! I think she’s hoping to elongate this wave as far out as she can. Carving now and finishing with a 360 into an Ariel. Wow! That was a great start by Y/n.”

“Yeah that’s what I’m talking about!” Javy shouted over the cheers, grin plastered wide only to brighten more when the score came back a 8.7. “HELL YEAH! LETS GO!”

Carissa’s wave was impressive. She managed to hold it down with complicated moves to earn a 8.5. Both women scored huge on the first waves followed by 7s across the board. Nearing the final five minutes Carissa managed to get a 6.43.

“She can’t get anything lower than a 6.23,” Javy felt sweat pool on his forehead, suddenly feeling hot in the bar despite it being the ass crack of dawn.

“She’s got this,” Nat patted his back.

The clock was ticking down. Two minutes to go and Y/n had yet to find a wave. Placing her palm onto the surface, she took a deep breath, “please, give me a sign.” Not a moment later she felt something in her say to look right.

There, brimming about fifteen feet away, was the perfect wave.

Wasting no time Y/n’s chest planted to her board, paddling as fast as possible. Her heart was pounding, salt water splashing. Positioning herself in front of the forming body, Y/n silently called out to whoever was listening for strength.

“Wow she’s going for that huge current out on the west side. Moore is too far back—it’s gonna be L/n on the final wave of the women’s competition. With one minute to go she’s dropping in—.”

Y/n allowed the adrenaline to consume her, giving it total control as she dropped in. The highest wave of the competition yet, Y/n knew she’d be having a tube ride with how it formed. Picking up speed, she knelt slightly, paralleling her chest with the wall of the wave, the water curving around her. Blocking the world from her view.

It was just her and the sea. No one else.

Closing her eyes briefly, she pictured she was back on O’ahu in the water she grew up in. Sun beating down and gentle hum of seagulls.

Like she was in paradise.

The image left as quick as it came. Y/n snapping out of her daydream to exit the tube ride to the cheers of her father on the beach, curing back into the wave to finish on a high note by performing her signature Ariel. Smiling the whole way down just as the horn signified the end of the competition.

“And there you have it folks. The women’s surfing finals has officially come to a close—Y/n L/n ending her Olympic Games with a remarkable last wave. Absolute perfection with speed, precision, and control. That’s gonna be the highest score for her I feel.”

“C’mon, c’mon,” Javy bit his nail, knee bouncing from the anxiety of not knowing. Carissa’s total score was displayed first, 14.93. Y/n’s lowest was a seven, highest 8.7. Her final wave was amazing, but judging was unpredictable. Anything could happen.

Then in the blink of an eye the hard deck exploded.

“I don’t believe it! Tens across the board for Y/n L/n bringing her total to 17.00!! Y/n L/n has won the gold for the United States—Carissa Moore with the silver. USA goes one and two in women’s surfing at its Olympic debut!!! Take it all in, we are witnessing history,” the screen shows Y/n and Carissa embracing, leaning over their boards to congratulate the other, “Team USA has much to celebrate, the world of surfing has their champion. Y/n L/n adds gold to her name—surfing’s first Olympic Champion here in Tokyo!!”

Y/n laughed the entire time she paddled to shore, raising to her feet to race towards her father. She was soaking wet but he didn’t care. “You did it!” He yelled, kissing her head with tears in his eyes. “You’re an Olympic champion! I’m so so proud of you!” Soon they were greeted by Carissa and the rest of Team USA’s surfing members. The two women were lifted onto shoulders, American flags draped over their backs with photographers surrounding them.

It was a moving image. Two women from Honolulu and Kapolei, Hawaii won surfing’s first Olympic silver and gold medal. If only Duke Kahanamoku could be there to witness.

Back at the hard deck celebratory drinks were served and toasts raised to Y/n. Javy barely contained his emotion, eyes watering the moment her name came back the winner. Natasha and Jake embraced him in a hug, the guys whistling and hollering. Penny rang the bell.

“She won! Oh my God my baby is a gold medalist!! This is the best day ever!!”

The entire podium ceremony Y/n was on cloud nine. Placing the gold medal around her neck, she took a moment to stare at it. Disbelief and awe in her eyes. ‘Wow, I actually did it.’

When the national anthem came to an end Y/n did the traditional bite of the medal for the cameras. Posing with Carissa and Bianca afterwards, Y/n was ushered to interviews.

“Hello, Y/n,” the reporter beamed, “congratulations are in store—what an amazing moment for you. You’re the first gold medalist in women’s surfing at the Olympics. How does it feel?”

“It’s absolutely a dream come true. For years the surfing community has wished for this—to be in the Olympics and for me to be part of its debut, winning the gold medal…I-I can’t put into words how much this means to me. I’m so grateful and honored.”

“You’ve been around for a while now,” the reporter mentioned, “2004 was the first time we saw you and you’ve gone on to have a stellar surfing career. Winning the WSL World Surfing Games twelve times now—competing when it was still called the WSL World Championships and became the first woman to win The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational in 2016. This is your first Olympic Games, surfing will be at the Paris Games in three years. Can we expect to hopefully see you there?”

“I wouldn't rule it out,” Y/n winked with a giggle. “Paris is in three years and I would love to return to the Olympics again. After dreaming for so long I don’t want to let it go so easily. Of course anything can happen between now and 2024 but with my family, friends, and boyfriend cheering me on with their endless support…” she gave a cheeky shrug, “I’m gonna work hard and get back in the water once I’m home.”

“We’ll be rooting for you, Y/n. I don’t think the surfing world is ready to say goodbye to you. Anything else you’d like to say before you have to go. Anyone you’d like to say thanks to?”

Instantly the Olympian brightened, eyes locking on the camera. “I wanna give a shoutout to my hometown of Kapolei on O’ahu—the place where this journey started on the beautiful beaches and waters of my home. To my family and friends, thank you for your love, support, guidance and always cheering me on even when the going gets tough. My dad, who’s been my coach since I was seven is with me here to share this win, I couldn’t have done this without him. To my San Diego family watching, you better save me a beer at the Hard Deck when I come visit next week,” she winks, knowing the squad would get a kick out of it. Then Y/n softens, “and finally to my boyfriend, Javy, who’s with our friends in Fightertown. I love you so much, thank you for being my rock during quarantine and pushing me to do my best. I can’t wait to see you and this is for you.” Holding up the medal, Y/n blows a kiss to the screen before saying goodbye to the reporter.

Upon landing in San Diego two nights later, Y/n was greeted by a celebration from her friends. Members of the Pacific Beach Surf Club were there, as were the dagger squad. Javy met her in the middle the second she exited the terminal, lifting her in his arms. “Finally your back!! I’m so fucking proud of you!” Setting her down, he kept his arms around her and the two jumped up and down like school children in a heap of laughter.

Finally they calmed, sharing a sweet kiss. “How was your flight,” he walked when they pulled away, moving to grab her carryon back.

“Long,” she moaned, leaning into his side. “But worth it.” Soon she was surrounded by their friends. Congratulations all around, Mickey asking to see the medal, Jake saying all her drinks are on him, Nat telling her how much she missed having another girl around. “I missed you guys,” Y/n pouted, “man I wish you all could’ve been there.”

“Don’t worry, Y/n/n,” Bradley patted her shoulder, “We’ll be there in Paris.”

“That’s quite a bit away, Roo.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “but there’s no harm in planning now.”

“Let’s let the woman rest before kicking her training mode into gear,” Javy teased, earning a playful nudge from his girlfriend. Together they got her bags and headed straight for The Hard Deck. They drinked, they danced. Javy and Y/n had a rematch of their pool game.

“This feels a bit like deja vu,” she smirked, chalking up her cue. Javy winked, puckering his lips in an air kiss causing her to laugh.

For a week Y/n stayed in San Diego before flying home to Hawaii with Javy. Again she was greeted at the airport by her family and friends she’d grown up with. The local news station was present, students from schools wanting to join in on the celebration. It felt amazing to be home after two weeks away.

They settled in at her Honolulu home, finding the perfect place to display her medal and ordered take out since neither was in the mood to cook after a 6 ½ hour flight. Once finished with dinner Y/n gave her boyfriend a knowing look, “Wanna watch the sunset?”

She didn’t mean sitting on her porch or even the sand. No, she meant taking the boards and laying out on the sea as the calm surface of the water kept them afloat.

Javy agreed, rushing to get his swim trunks on while she put on a swimsuit. Grabbing their boards they locked up the house and jogged the quarter of a mile to the beach, paddling out to get a front row seat of the descending sun. Colors of bright orange and pink painted the sky. A beautiful contrast to the deep blues of the ocean.

“Is this heaven?” He whispered, finding her eyes staring back at him from where her cheek pressed to the board. All the love conveying in the simple look. And with her gentle words, Javy felt all the worry and unease he ever experienced lift from his soul.

“More like paradise.”

……………….

TGM Tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan , @caitsymichelle13 , @poppyalice2001 , @cutelittlepotatofry , @luckyladycreator2, @americaarse , @elenavampire21 , @back-tooo-black , @wildellaa , @artemissunn , @pinkpantheris

[gt-abby]

Secret Santa!!

Okay so, I participated in the secret Santa that @gt-jar made, and who did I get as a giftee? none other than @sheena-yuet ! gosh, I didn't know how to even start, as they're so very talented and I could never compare, but at any rate, I hope you like this:

I was told you like reunion stories, and since you love g\t I assumed you watched The Secret World of Arrietty (I apologize if you hadn't, but if you hadn't please do!) and made a little sketch plus a tiny story of Sho reuniting with Arrietty years after the movie ends.

"I can't believe it, Arrietty, I thought I'd never see you again!" Sho said, tearing up. It has been years since they last saw each other- when Arrietty came to say goodbye to him since she and her parents had to leave for a new home after getting discovered. Destiny must have done backflips to get them to meet again after the miles and miles that Arrietty and her family traveled to find a new house to settle in and borrow.

"Sho... This is so... I can't believe it either..." She had no words to say. She saw him through the grass leaves in the front garden, as he arrived at the new house they were hiding in, and couldn't not show herself to him. She had to come to say hi. Arietty has been thinking about him and their adventures together ever since they happened. How could she ever forget him? As the only human she'd ever met that has been compassionate and kind to her, and she couldn't help but feel safe with him.

"How did you find this place? Do you live here now?" He started asking her questions, his mouth rambling. This was new, Arrietty thought, He'd never been so expressive. He seems to have healed from his illness.

'"I... I can't tell you that... I'm sorry. I can't risk our lives again." She sighed. His expression made her heart ache. He looked disappointed but understanding. "But... how have you been? you seem happier."

"Yeah, I've moved out from my mother's house. I live in the city now, far away. This is the place of my close friend from school, I came to visit." He placed her on the ground, thinking the surface of his hands was too uneven for her- she did look uncomfortable when she realized he was holding her.

"That's nice... I wish I could see it." She said as Sho sat down next to her on the steps to the front porch. She sat down as well.

"Eh, it's not so special. Just lots and lots of humans living very close to each other, nothing like the countryside." Sho looked out towards the beautiful garden and past it at the fields beyond it. Arrietty couldn't see his face from below, where she sat. His giant hand was resting right next to her, reminding her of how enormous he was and why they could never have a real friendship.

The sun has begun to set as the clouds turned a pinkish orange. Arrietty rarely found herself watching the sky, given most of her surroundings were obscuring the view above her. Sho then sighed and looked down at her.

"I'm glad to know you're alright. I've been thinking of you ever since we said goodbye." He said with a smile.

"I feel the same way." She looked up at him and smiled back. Then her face suddenly saddened and she looked away. Sho didn't need to ask to know what she was thinking about. They were living in two different worlds and were destined to be apart. He then felt her tiny hand resting on his index finger. He looked back down.

"I... have to go... My parents will freak out if I'm late for dinner." She chuckled. "It was nice to see you, though."

"Oh... I see... I-it was nice seeing you, too. Please take care, Arrietty." Sho then saddened as well. He wished they could make this moment stretch even a little bit longer. He knew he might not see her ever again. Looking at her, examening her face as she got up, he suddenly picked her up and hugged her close to his chest.

Arrietty felt her stomach drop when he suddenly swept his hand under her feet and held her up. She opened her mouth to shout but nothing came out. When the terrifying feeling of getting picked up went away, she realized that was his way of trying a hug. So her heart softened and she hugged him back. She could feel heat radiation off of both his palms and his chest.

After a few moments he placed her back down on the floor, and watched her run off and disappear in the grass. Sho's heart wished he'd be lucky again to see her one more time. And just at that moment, The front door opened and his friend greeted him in a warm hug. Sho returned the hug, but his head was somewhere else, wondering where she was now, and hoping she would be okay.

______

Hope you liked it, Sheena! and marry christmas to you!

[areyoudreaminof]

The Rock Against the Surf: A Gwyn Berdara Playlist

If my timing is correct, it happens to be Day 2 of @gwynweekofficial , song association! So, how about a playlist of songs for Gwyn?

Just like Nesta needed Gwyn, I think a lot of us readers needed her too. To see someone heal herself through such trauma, to see the beauty and strength in the world and to be vulnerable with herself and others in order to heal was an important experience for me. I really am looking forward to Gwyn's story progressing. Listen Here! And follow me behind the cut for a deep dive!

Pegasi-Jesca Hoop

You combed out my mane I'll wear your saddle and reins With all these stars at my feet I'll stamp and tap the spring With my rider a mount I feel like spreading my wings Take to the sky like poetry

The River-AURORA

Don't forget who you are even though you are hurt You are caught in a wire and soon it will burst You can cry, drinking your eyes Do you miss the sadness when it is gone? (Gone) And you let the river run wild (Gone) And you let the river run wild

The Siren-Nadiiife

Moonlight on my skin Rising from within Taking all my wounds Mother moon my home

Here in the water My soul evolves in wrath I am thunder I am the siren's song

Little Earthquakes-Tori Amos

We danced in graveyards with vampires till dawn We laughed in the faces of kings, never afraid to burn And I hate, and I hate And I hate, and I hate Disintegration, watching us wither Black-winged roses that safely changed their color Oh, these little earthquakes Here we go again

I can't reach you, can't reach you Give me life, give me pain Give me myself again Give me life, give me pain Give me myself again

Rocks and Water-Deb Talan

Seven times I went down Six times I walked back I don't fear the dark anymore 'Cause I've become all that

I will be rocks, I will be water I will leave this to my daughter Lift your head up in the wind When you feel yourself grow colder Wrap the night around your shoulders I will be with you even then Even when I cannot see your face anymore

O'Sister-City and Colour

What have the demons done? With a luminous light that once shined from your eyes What makes you feel so alone?

Is it the whispering ghost that you fear the most? But the blackness in your heart, it won't last forever I know it's tearing you apart but it's a song you can wither

Was it the whispering ghost that left you out in the cold? But the blackness in your heart won't last forever I know it's tearing you apart but it's a storm you can wither

Cold War-Janelle Monáe

So you think I'm alone? But being alone's the only way to be When you step outside You spend life fighting for your sanity This is a cold war You better know what you're fighting for This is a cold war Do you know what you're fighting for? If you want to be free Below the ground is the only place to be Cause in this life You spend time running from depravity

notre dame-Paris Paloma

As I tiptoe Creaking over prayers Pleading with their maker Crying with the choir

I’m not immune to the sincerity Below me, makes me feel It makes me holy But the tears I understand That I do not below No I do not belong

Bishop Briggs-White Flag

Take a hit, shoot me down, shoot me down I will never hit the ground, hit the ground Playing dead, I'll never do Gotta keep an eye on you Patience is wearing thin, paper-thin Promises broke again, what a sin But it only feeds my energy So don't expect no sympathy

Oh, won't wave my white flag, no This time I won't let go I'd rather die Than give up the fight, give up the fight

Rebel Heart-First Aid Kit

You told me once I have a rebel heart I don't know if that's true But I believe you saw something in me That lives inside you too Now all I hear is the wind There's a storm coming through

Tell me what do you do I keep trying To be someone I'd never be I keep seeing her in everyone Everyone but me But I know you truly saw me Even if just for a while Maybe that's why it hurts now To leave it all behind I don't know what it is That makes me run That makes me wanna shatter Everything that I've done

Only If For A Night-Florence + the Machine

And I heard your voice as clear as day And you told me I should concentrate It was all so strange and so surreal That a ghost should be so practical Only if for a night And the only solution was to stand and fight And my body was bruised and I was set alight But you came over me like some holy rite And although I was burning, you're the only light Only if for a night

Albatross-Foals

You burnt the lungs That your ancestors created You sat by the banks Of the river and you waited Till time rolled back And the water had abated You drank your share But you still could not be sated You said you're scared Of the clocks that keep ticking over We'll find a way For a life that's worth living over Again and again

Claim Your Ghost-Iron and Wine

Our winter keeps running us down We wake up with love hanging on Killers let go, killers let go

Some kids get a handful of rain Our hope is the desperate die wise Killers let go, killers let go

Morning falls from a tree and asks for a name Claim your ghost, know the wine for what it is

Be Sweet-Japanese Breakfast

So come and get your woman (Comе and get your woman) Pacify her rage (Pacify her rage) Take the time to undo your lies, make it up once more with feeling Recognize your mistakes and I'll let you back in Realize not too late, loved you always Make it up to me, you know it's better Make it up to me, you know it's better Be sweet to me, baby I wanna believe in you, I wanna believe in something

Ready to Start-Arcade Fire

If I was scared, I would And if I was pure, you know I would And if I was yours, but I'm not Now I'm ready to start If I was scared, I would And if I was pure, you know I would And if I was yours, but I'm not Now I'm ready to start Now I'm ready to start I would rather be wrong Than live in the shadows of your song

Taglist: @ofduskanddreams @krem-does-stuff @krem-has-a-mess @octobers-veryown @melting-houses-of-gold @velidewrites @reverie-tales @c-e-d-dreamer, @andrigyn @foundress0fnothing @vulpes-fennec @asnowfern @mossytrashcan @thelovelymadone @the-lonelybarricade @shadowriel @separatist-apologist @fieldofdaisiies @stickyelectrons @vanserrass @panicatthenightcourt @iftheshoef1tz @damedechance @headcanonheadcase @cursebrkr @wilde-knight @moonpatroclus @kataravimes-of-the-shire @sunshinebingo @filthyglamdoll @ablogofbipanic @bagelfyre @thesistersarcheron @ultadverb @iftheshoef1tz @yazthebookish, @foreverinelysian, @spell-cleavers, @aldbooks, @gwyns, @bookofmirth

[x--ghost--x]

YO! I JUST READ YOUR CAUGHT FIC AND MA'AM??? WHAT WAS THIS BLESS TO MY EYES LIKE- 🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️

I really like your writing and i have this idea on my mind for soo fricking long. I already send this for like,three people but no one make it. You are my last hope 🥺

Ok ok ok,the idea and scenario is:

Rise!Leo x blind reader (alredy looking cute right??? But wait,her me out here. And ah,reader can be female,preferable)

Leo always visited her exactly because she's blind so the reader wouldn't mind about him been a turtle for obvious reasons,but one day reader goes "i wanna know how you look like,can i touch your face?" and of course this boy PANIC cuz the blindness is what making this friendship possible. Even afraid,Leo allow her to feel his face finally knowing about the mutant thing. Now,you would think "she gross out didn't she?"

Ha!

No!

Reader just say "i don't care about your look or aparence,i love you for who you are"

Yep,she confess,like it's nothing and this boy is flabbergasted. Of course he confess too like,who wouldn't after this??? And the kissie kiss in the end for the ⭐️flavor⭐️

What you think? Good enough to write?

ASJDJSJD THANK YOU SM♡

And this idea is so cute omg, I actually wanted to write something similar for Leo cuz I had idea like that and now I have an excuse to write it!

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Love is blind

Leo gently knocked on the window, standing on a fire escape and leaned on the railing. He tapped his foot to the rhythm of the song playing constantly in his head for all day, looking at the bright lights of passing cars below him. Today's night was really nice, warm wind, clear dark sky and the thought of seeing the person he's been waiting to talk to for almost the entire week. The turtle was busy trying to keep the city as safe as he and his brothers could, not having much of free time.

Leo tugged on the material of his blue bandana when he heard a soft click of opening the window. He looked up and smiled noticing a familiar figure.

"Hello there. Long time no see, Leo."

He chuckled at the obvious joke, walking up to the windowsill you were leaning on.

"Well, hello to you too." he crooked his head to the side (not like you actually could see tho). "How did you know it was me?"

"Who else would knock on my window in the middle of the night?" you retored with a smile appearing on your lips.

The turtle made a humming sound comedically information you of him thinking hard on your question, which caused you to let out a quiet giggle, knowing that louder noise could bring unwanted attention. He grinned at that softly, happy he was able to make you laugh.

He knew, despite your constant assuring, that it made you upset when he wasn't able to visit for longer periods of time. He didn't blame you, really, he was equally upset about the thought but he couldn't just tell you why he was away for so long. Was he supposed to just say that he's fighting crime being a ninja mutant turtle? Yeah, sure, that won't happen.

The only thing making this friendship possible was the fact that you couldn't see who he was - who most would be scared of or feel grossed out. And you literally couldn't see.

Sometimes, Leo felt bad for thinking that your blindness was something good. After all, he wished you could see the beauty this world had to offer, how many cool places he would have shown you! The turtle could've only imagine how nice it would have been watching Lou Jitsu movies with you or playing console games or holding hands and looking into each other's eyes- no, wait, he needs to get his head out of the clouds.

'But this can't happen' is what he thought. Not when he's so different than you.

Unfortunately, these thoughts didn't stop the warm feeling that blossomed in his chest when he was with you.

"Hmm, you do have a point." he spoke when a smirk appeared on his face. "Unless you have someone else visiting you at night?"

"Of course not! You're the only one, Leo." you snorted backing away from the window. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yeah, very much." his cheeks started to feel warm as he hoisted himself on a windowsill and jumped inside the building.

He walked up to the nightstand and flicked on the small lamp, dim light scattering around the room. He sat on his usual spot at the foot of the bed and watched as you closed the window. Every time he looked at you the only thing on his mind was how sad it was there you couldn't see how beautiful you are. Therefore, Leo swore to himself to compliment you often, even if you only saw that as a joking flirt.

He sighed, looking away. He really shouldn't get his hopes up.

After a while, the turtle felt the mattress dip as you sat beside him, resting your back on the wall.

"Everything okay?" you asked concerned.

"Yeah, it's fine." he answered quickly. Leo didn't want you to worry so he changed the topic. "How have you been the past week? Anything interesting happened?"

For some reason, he seemed somehow off today but you decided to not push on if he didn't want to talk about it.

"Ah, it was boring as always without someone's constant nagging over my ear." you laughed hearing an offended gasp beside you. "But nothing really happened. How about you, Leo?"

"Well, me and my brothers were pretty busy with stuff, but I managed to get a hold on that game I've been talking to you about last time!" he excitedly waved his hands in the air, his gaze landing on your face.

You smiled, happy he cheered up.

"Oh, yeah, I remember! The one based on the Lou Jitsu movie, right? Tell me about it!"

"Yes, this one! So, when I started the game..."

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"He did what-" you tried to take a breath while hugging a pillow to your chest, laughing uncontrollably and almost falling of your bed.

"THAT WAS EXACTLY MY REACTION WHEN RAPH TOLD ME-" the red-eared turtle was already halfway on the floor, also trying his hardest to control the cackling leaving his mouth.

After almost a two hours of catching up with each other's lives, Leo brought up his genius brother's latest incident with trying to improve the mobility of a toaster - whatever that meant. Apparently, the poor device ended up exploding, causing the destruction of some part of the kitchen. Leo wasn't home at the time so you could imagine his shock seeing the oldest brother making Donnie clean the dark smudges off the walls.

"You really don't have any boring days with your family, huh?" you asked jokingly, wiping the small tears that formed on the corners of your eyes.

Couple more chuckles after, the blue-bandana turtle lifted himself back by your side on the soft cushion as his gaze drifted to your face. He always loved hearing the sound of your laughter, how you couldn't calm yourself down sometimes, the way your wide grin caused the corners of your eyes to crinkle and that happy glint in your usually dull pupils- He's getting ahead of himself again, isn't he?

Covering the bottom of his reddening face (even if it wasn't necessary), he sighted and, apparently, to loudly because concern immediately appeared on your face.

"Leo," you started gently. "are you sure everything is okay?"

Your worried tone somehow struck right through his chest because he struggled to not pour out everything that's been on his mind lately. You were his safe space, someone who would listen to him spilling the contents of his mind, willing to help or just be there for him. Of course, he had his brothers but there were some things that he found difficult to talk to them. But you always knew what he wanted- no, needed to hear.

And Leo was scared of how much you affected him.

"Uh," that's why he did what he found to be the easiest move - bottle his feelings up. "Yeah, everything is good, just a little tired."

You frowned. Knowing from the start that something has been bothering him, you didn't pry, hoping he would eventually told you himself. Though, he started to rebuild the wall that you worked so hard on putting down. You won't let him isolate his feelings like that again.

After a brief silence, you stopped messing with your fingers and filled with determination (get the reference pls), you turned to fully face him.

"Leo, I want to know how you look like." you stated firmly but your voice faltered saying the next sentence. "Can I touch your face?"

He was not expecting that at all. Or maybe just decided to ignore the possibility of this situation for the good of his mental health. That turtle absolutely did not know how to react to that so his body decided that panic is the best option.

"I mean- if you don't feel comfortable with that, then I'm not forcing you or anything! Yeah, that probably sounded weird anyway-" as the answer for his silence you started to frantically wave your hands before your chest. "I just thought that- or maybe, like, I haven't thought at all-"

"Okay."

You stopped your rambling hearing the quiet breathy answer.

"...you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Soft humm left your mouth as you slowly started to lift your hands. Nervousness filled you, you never asked how he looked like before nor did you care, but now, sitting with him in your room and enjoying yourselves, you slowly started to realize your desire to know more about him - all of him. You wanted to see him.

Leo was the only one who treated you like any other person, not a little child who couldn't do anything on it's own. He was the one who never failed to make your day better with just his mere presence.

I wished to tell him how much he meant to you.

Suddenly, you felt a cold skin pressing to your wrists making you aware of how you stopped all your movements for couple of seconds. Small gasp left your lips at the roughness of his hands and how gently they hold yours. They felt so unusual, their size and temperature were so different of yours, making questions rise in your brain but never leaving your mouth.

With a soft look in his eyes, the turtle began to lead your hands to his face, closing his eyelids and trying to calm himself down. Shiver went down through his body as he felt your warm palms on his cheeks, fingers gently tracing on his skin. His own hands left your wrists thinking you'll going to pull away soon with disgusted expression oh your face, telling him to get out and never come here again. Leo tried to prepare himself for this outcome but he knew that nothing would stop his heart from breaking.

But instead of rejection his eyes snapped open at the quiet 'wow' and the feeling of your hands attentively studying his cheeks, snout, corners of his mouth and soft material of his iconic blue bandana.

"What are you?" you muttered still amazed, no revulsion behind your words, only pure curiosity of experiencing something new.

"A turtle." he answered equally as quiet. "Mutant turtle exactly."

"So you have a shell?" you asked stopping your movements.

Leo nodded but upon realizing you couldn't see that he lowly hummed making your palms slide down his neck and to his back.

"Can you hide in it? Or is it to small? Wait, should I even ask about that? Oh no, did I do something inappropriate-"

"NO! No, it's okay!" he quickly assured you. "I can easily hide in it. Uh, but..."

Your hands found his face again and rested on his cheeks as you waited for him to go on.

"Don't you feel... grossed out? Disgusted? I'm not human, I'm so different form you and- " he paused to take a deep breath, preparing himself for the next words leaving his mouth. "I probably should apologize. I should told you sooner but I used that fact that your not able to tell who I am to keep this friendship. And if you don't want to end it because of me being a mutant then for being selfish liar and that's completely valid-"

"Leonardo Hamato."

The turtle stopped hearing his full name and a small smile on your lips.

"I don't care." breathy laugh leaving you after hearing his confused noise. "I love you for who you are, you know. The one who is there for me when I'm lonely, who makes me laugh and not feel like I'm all alone there. So why would I care if in addition you're a mutant turtle, which, by the way, is like insanely cool."

His brain has stopped working. Wow, good job on breaking him.

"You, what- huh-" the poor turtle tripped in his word not being able to form an understandable sentence, his face becoming warmer and warmer every second.

"Are you okay, Leo?" you asked feeling the unnatural heat from his face.

"Huh? Yeah! I am, hah- yeah, I'm okay, sorry. It's just," he reached and lightly grabbed on one of your wrists. "I wasn't expecting that... If anything, I thought I would be the one to told you I love you. That is, if you wouldn't have freaked out haha..."

You laughed, not as nervous as he did, bringing your other hand to cover your face. You could understand him thought, why he was hesitant to tell you. Most people would sure have freaked out. But you're not 'most people'.

"Hey," you caught his attention, softness in your voice. "can I kiss you?"

You are going to kill him, he thought.

"Woah, you're really straightforward today, huh?" he asked teasingly hoping that would cover the noticeable embarrassment.

"Day?"

"Yeah." he confirmed chuckling. "We were talking so long the sun is already rising."

"Oh well." you shrugged. "I guess it's the perfect moment then."

Without any other warning you moved forward, your lips pressing softly to his. Warm sensation pulled in your chest, your own cheeks now heating up. It didn't take long for Leo to kiss you back lifting his free hand to lay on the back of your head, softly creasing your hair.

After several seconds that felt like an eternity, you pulled away taking a breathe, wide smile plastered in your face.

"So, are we now..?" Leo asked with the same grin, eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Hmm, I don't know, are we?" you teased tilting your head.

He laughed tugging your closer to him, wrapping his arms around you.

"Yeah, we definitely are."

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Why can't I just write a fic in few days than a month or something

Anyway, I hope you liked it!

[escapismsworld]

Your favorite Impressionist painter?

Hi thank you for asking! It may sound a bit cliché but for me it's Claude Monet. His paintings are of the most beautiful pastel hues and his use of blues (my favourite colour) and after I've read the below article it just made me love him more.

Why did Claude Monet love the colour blue so much? Well, it all began with four friends and a mistake...

The year is 1862, and four young painters at the French Academy of Fine Arts called Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille, realised they had something in common. Academic painting all took place in a studio, much like this:

The four of them found it old-fashioned, unrealistic, and uninspiring. The Academic style seemed artificial (carefully orchestrated lighting) and contrived (it imitated the Renaissance). And the themes - of Biblical and Classical history or mythology - didn't interest them.

So they starting painting outdoors ("en plein air" in French) and, led by the older artist Edouard Manet, embraced a wholly different form of realism. Outside the studio, lighting and human figures were *different*. In Manet's Balcony we can detect the start of this shift:

Soon enough Paul Cezanne and Camille Pissarro joined them, and a movement was born. They didn't paint reality as a camera might capture it, but as the eye perceives it from one moment to the next with all its movement, changing light, sudden glimpses, fog, and blur:

And they started to realise just how important colour was. Even in Monet's early works, like La Grenouillére (1869), we can see this in action. Up close there is no "form" as there was in Academic painting, but from a distance those splashes of colour unite to create reality:

And then, as Renoir said, “one morning, one of us ran out of black, and it was the birth of Impressionism.” This was the big leap: from the black shadows of Academicism to the blue shadows of Impressionism. Their paintings suddenly had an extraordinary brightness and vividity. After all, no shadow is truly black; it comprises a mixture of tones and colours.

And blue is the ultimate shade of the outdoors, being the colour of the sky and from there permeating everything else with its tones, even snow.

But Monet would take this further than anybody else, not only casting his work through a subtle lens of natural blue brightness, but diving headlong into the world of shifting colours and into the fundamental "blueness" of the outdoors. Like the London fog, say:

Or the Venetian Grand Canal, the river Seine, the cathedral of Rouen, or the poplars of Normandy. Another technique the Impressionists adopted was the use of brighter canvasses. Normally they were dark grey, but by the end Monet and co were using white canvasses.

When we think of a painter, one of the first images that comes to mind is a scruffy looking figure sitting outdoors with an easel, palette, and bundle of brushes. And it was Monet, more than any of his contemporaries, who fully immerged himself in *the* colour of Impressionism, the colour of the outdoors: blue.

But, by his late career, we find the Monet so well-known, so well-loved. Blueness has descended, filtered through snow and sunlight and haze, and the world has splintered into brush-strokes of colour. Impressionism had, perhaps, found its highest form.

He travelled to London and Venice, taking that style with him, and painted those cities in ways that, far from what a photograph would capture, seem to contain something truer about them, about how they *feel* to see, the impression they leave...

And, of course, in his beloved garden, where Monet bequeathed an artistic gift to the world with his two hundred and fifty paintings of water-lilies.

And here is Claude Monet himself, one of the most enduringly popular painters of our time, photographed with the bridge and pond made famous by his work, and, as he surely so loved, en plein air...

[riabef]

✎. The snow guides me to you

SUMMARY: It’s not the easiest task for those to confess their love so easily; yet even in your absence all he can think about is you, so why not try anyways?

FEATURING CAST: Alhaitham!!! hehe secret Santa gift for @prawndip! hi hi this is for you <3

PRONOUNS: gender neutral reader!, second person perspective “You”

WORD COUNT: 1444 words

WARNINGS: i think this is pretty fluffy, just about him going from “I tolerate you I guess” to “oh I think I like you” less in than 2k words

AUTHOR NOTES: writing this never made me feel so single before not going to lie - Wasn’t sure if you celebrated Christmas so I just went with a general winter theme, but changes can be made ^^ just send me an ask and I’ll prepare something else! I know it probably doesn’t snow in Sumeru or like,,,, the rest of Teyvat except for Dragonspine and Snezhnaya but …. Listen it’s for the plot 😔

✉︎ Alhaitham

The first time he met you was under a glittering sheen of snow, the frosty flakes and the cold nipping at his skin. At the time both you and him were only children, exploring the world under your feet, too caught up in the enveloping curiosity you felt; from wandering the Grand Bazaar to the ends of the city where the forest began, it was all so enticing for children to explore.

Despite your curiosities, there would always be a slight difference between you two, and that was that Alhaitham, your childhood friend, was always prepared. On the other hand, you, unfortunately, were not. So when the snow fell from the sky, almost by instinct your head turned towards him as though he was your answer.

Amidst the gray clody skies, coloured in shades of fossil and silver, there stood two children. Just far enough from the city to tune out any merchant chatter, or the noise of the city slowly getting ready for the end of the day; endless footsteps echoed across the pavement. The two children stood, bantering, almost, most likely because of the falling snowflakes.

Capturing one with your hands, you admire it’s beauty, the shaped perfection that these crystals had were utterly breath-taking, of course, if it were not for the cold you wouldn’t have an issue. Unfortunately for you, your archon decided to spare no mercy for the unprepared as the temperatures dropped even lower.

“Does it look like I’m your saviour?” Adorable as he seemed, he looked almost fed up with your antics. In hindsight, he really was adorable, if you ignored the irritation in his voice, or the passive scoldings that he’d give you; with all things considered, he was a good friend. Despite bantering with you from time to time, you truly care for him. And fortunately, that was reciprocated.

“Yes it does actually,” placing a mocking hand on your forehead as you clutched your heart, ready to give a performance that would just shy of opera standards, “my one and only friend. We’ve been through so much in our brief lives, and you’ve always been the one guiding me, the light in the dark-”

“So you’ve forgotten your gloves again?”

“Once again, you are right my dear Watson! Your deduction skills are simply extraordinary!” nodding your head solemnly as though you weren’t talking about your forgotten gloves. You continued, “However, it isn’t as it seems, although it appears as though I’ve misplaced them, or dare I say, forget them. They are here, in my pocket!”

All that fell out of your pockets were marbles.

“While you were having your little soliloquy, I thought it’d be better that at least one of us brings an extra pair,” he sighed, and for a moment you let yourself misleadingly think that maybe he isn’t so bad, perhaps he did have a soft spot for you all along, “of course, to compensate for the other’s forgetfulness.” 

“Sometimes I forget how much of a jerk you are.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” He promptly throws a pair of gloves without any warning, and you let your hands tread across the material very carefully as though it were a prized heirloom. Surprisingly, the glove fit almost as if tailored, and the material was incredibly soft against your skin.

Maybe you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming he cared about you a little more than he let on.

The next time you meet, the both of you are fervent researchers of the Akademiya, eagerly searching for all the answers that didn’t exist, and trying to gain an understanding of the environment around you. Although, Alhaitham supposes that you’ve taken the latter part of that statement a little too seriously as you tried gathering samples of even the flowers around Sumeru City, much less the snow.

Perhaps in a last-ditch effort of finding a perfect thesis, your mind could only find one solution.

As typical years of Akademiya alumni would describe, the arduous process of creating your thesis begins, however it began with searching for the perfect topic. Ideally one that no one had previous research on 

Crouching while trying to stuff some random moss from the pavement, you carefully select your words before voicing them aloud, “Hey Alhaitham-”

“It’s a bad idea.” Flabbergasted, you whipped your head to look at him in disbelief.

“But I didn’t even speak?!”

He sighed, as if expecting the answer, “I’m not wrong though.” 

“Anyways, what if I made my thesis about how good snow tasted?”

“That’d be wonderful, you could even make up another culinary darshan.”

You scoffed, resisting the urge to curse him out further in favour of gathering snow to make into a snowball, juggling it between your two hands as if contemplating your further decision.

Taking notice of this, “If you eat that, I won’t be liable for any physical illnesses you go through.”

“You say that as if you were planning to take care of me in the first place?”

He remains silent.

Although he cherished your smile, and especially your laughter (fuzzy feelings swirl around in his mind, for reasons unknown) he do has to admit that your especially low view of him does hurt him quite a bit. Regardless, he’s content remaining as is. The silent friend who shows up once a blue moon to show they actually care for you, the one who’s been waiting for you to take notice of his feelings, and waiting even longer to accept that maybe he didn’t just tolerate you.

Although unlikely, it’s possible that he’s taken a liking towards you.

The next time he sees you, he’s more than conclusive about his own matters, unable to deny it any longer, all that’s left is to accept his growing feelings for you. Especially with the way that you always seemed to meet him with the change of seasons. Like anyone else, he has his own secret to keep; and his seemed to be that he looked forward to winter for the chance to see you.

As busy students in the Akademiya, it’s not odd that you two find it difficult to share time together outside of the occasional glances shared in the halls with the occasional nods of acknowledgement. Despite this, the saying does go, “the heart grows fonder with absence” and that proved true with Alhaitham.

How ironic was it that someone who vehemently rejected human emotions felt one of the most strongest known feelings?

There was a moment in time where all he could do was spare a glance at you in the library, or the halls. Even if all he could do was spare a few of his thoughts for you, it didn’t help him get over this crush; almost akin to a poet’s longing glances towards their muse, drawn to the inspiration the other offers. It was almost laughable how his thoughts were easily drawn to you the moment the moon rose, when all was quiet in the city, when the lanterns were lit and the citizens drawn into a slumber.

Or perhaps the way his mind would drift to you even while the sun was high up in the sky, when the breeze felt a little too quiet, and the space beside him was unoccupied.

Time passed as endless and unchanging as ever, no compromises to be made, or any hesitation. Just like the grains of sand trickling down the glass, counting down to when he could see you again. Not like it could tell an exact date, but it helped pass the lonesome hours by. The endless feeling of work was a routine he took a liking to; although he found that including you in that routine was something he yearned to do.

It was then that he understood what he needed to do.

Only a letter was left on your desk with elegant writing, the name of the sender and everything was all left out as though it was of no importance; only requesting your presence at midnight at the “place where memories were”.

While you waited in the dark, the snow began to fall from the sky like it had all those years ago, except this time he was not the boy he once was, and you were not the child you once were either. With a smile you only knew that there could only be one person who called your attention like this, and it was him.

If it were anyone else you would’ve been displeased at the simple conversation, but because it was him, Alhaitham, your heart soared above the clouds, yet to reach the ground. 

“I think I love you.”

“Think?”

“I apologize, I know.”

[tehaspy-spec-evoposting]

As they say, Fuck it we ball.

This is not your typical fantasy world post as I just came up with a new setting that would be AMAZING in a visual medium.

So basically an unknown number of centuries ago, humanity was a spacefaring civilization that controlled the entire solar system. However, the The Fall happened. Nobody (not even me (or mete me)) knows what happened during The Fall, as everyone forgot it. What happened was that humanity lost their technology, and now everybody is planetbound. The most advenced civilization is venus with a mix of 1990's and 1860's tech, and even then they're in a crisis. You see, venus wasn't terraformed, and so the population had to live in the clouds. After all these years that passed, these cities are running out of fuel to stay afloat, so there's a huge crisis going on about terraforming venus with what they have. And they don't have a lot.

The moon is a very wierd place. It only has medieval technology, but it's the only terraformed body in the solar system. A majority of its population doesn't even know that they once lived on that blue dot in the sky. However, those that do, seek it with religious reverance. The people of the tranquil sea know that the lunar module is still there under the thousand of liters of water that make up the tranquil sea. And they believe that it can take them home.

Saturn has many people, but the thing that made me write this is in the clouds. Before The Fall there were ships deployed for people to live in inside saturn. From these ships, people modified them after The Fall for manual use, as they had forgotten how to use autopilot. These ships were transformed into cities, and they all have botanical gardens to generate oxygen. The cities are piloted by labourers pushing immense gears to move even more massove propellers through the saturnian "atmosphere". They stay afloat by balloons big enough to hold a herd of elephants. I wish I could draw or 3d model them, as the sights are fucking BEAUTIFUL in my head. Not even ai can satisfy this urge of mine.

I think that's it for the loredump y'all. Please ask questions, as this setting is so new that they might signifigantly affect the setting. And as always, @creepymutelilbugger.

[the-orange-tabby-cat]

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Jão - Super (2023) (6/?)

WHICH PEDRO BOY IS BASED ON? Dieter Bravo

ALBUM VIBES (listen to it on Spotify)

Super marks the end of Jão’s 20s and explores the decade with lyrics ranging from when he left a small town to search for fame and success in the big city, his love delusions, his growing ego, his bisexuality, and aliens in smooth pop music. Yep, I can’t make this up: this is pretty much Dieter’s POV, even getting high as a metaphor for love is present (one of the songs uses the idea of making a joint to fall in love). The original lyrics are in Brazilian Portuguese, but in the list below, you will find them translated into English already.

 

DIETER BRAVO CODED LYRICS

“After resorting to everything, kissing anyone I found in the world, drinking in squares, calling and listening to you on mute, I know” (Escorpião)

“After I swore to forget you, I lied until I convinced myself, when I managed to not only think about you, here you come” (Escorpião)

“Fuck your "I wish you well", I'm going to finish you, you will remember me” (Escorpião)

“Photos of you without clothes, unfinished discussions, our forbidden movies, everything stayed in my house” (Me Lambe)

“Self-love is good, but yours is better” (Me Lambe)

“So you can lick me, roll me, press me, you can light me up, I'll make you remember that we didn't go so wrong after all” (Me Lambe)

“At a party, I'll tell everyone you left early, I'll find you in the dark” (Me Lambe)

“I'll remember us together, cars, motels, DVDs, you want your pride and I only want you” (Me Lambe)

“You will love me anyway” (Gameboy)

“I've always been the sun, but this time I'll let you do whatever you want” (Gameboy)

“I'm beautiful and don't understand how anyone can not love me” (Gameboy)

“Tell me your type, I know how to transform myself. Love, if I'm not enough, whatever you like, I'll do it, you will love me” (Gameboy)

“In the middle of the room, words fail me, my tongue always gets stuck to say "I love you"” (Alinhamento Milenar)

“Love of my life, on my lap, I show you the angels” (Alinhamento Milenar)

“We have a special charm, everyone wants to stop and see every party, every beach, the late-night outings. The soul is always you and me” (Alinhamento Milenar)

“Running through palaces, obscene paintings on chapel ceilings, in the roof of my mouth, in the city of angels or burning Rome” (Alinhamento Milenar)

“Of all the boys and girls I've ever loved, I chose you” (Alinhamento Milenar)

“Different stories, similar endings, I also don't know how to talk about anything I feel” (Lábia)

“Sofa, late-night, me naked, you naked and if everything goes wrong, we've already made it right” (Lábia)

“The days have been easier, but this city will always exist and it insists on reminding me of the places we slept together, our most hidden places” (Julho)

“Call it revenge, payback, anger but I have to admit, in the end, the truth is that I did it because I wanted to” (Eu Posso Ser Como Você)

“Far from the churches and the protected things something calls, I want to get lost and I hear your voice coming from above. Light from the sky, spaceships, my guide” (Sinais)

“It's a mystery, an instinct, I don't see but I feel your signs” (Sinais)

“In an open field, hidden, it makes me beautiful, a satellite in orbit. Feeling electric, looking at the stars thinking about erotic stories” (Sinais)

“Choose a movie to live with me, one day I'll still play it on your radio, just give me a little more time” (Locadora)

“Nothing your parents tell you is worth more than what I know how to do” (Locadora)

“Baby, my mirror knows how hard I work to win you” (Locadora)

“Lying to your father that I deserve you, your hand in my pants is priceless” (Locadora)

“Kissing to the sound of the VCR, an impressed DiCaprio looking at us, time was long and different, baby, catch me if you can” (Locadora)

“I have a dream, I want the world, my love, I want everything, and to get it, I'll need to leave you” (Rádio)

“I taught you to prove me, my classic ambition doesn't lie. I knew one day it would separate us, I didn't teach you to leave me” (Rádio)

“Fame, money, new addictions, everything I dream of, I can achieve but I'm not able to forget you” (Rádio)

“Another sleepless night in the best suite, everything has gone wrong, my body admits” (São Paulo, 2015)

“Dreaming too high, the ground is the limit, once again, I lost myself” (São Paulo, 2015)

“Diamonds on my chest, satin on my skin. In the cold dawn, I'm a fever” (São Paulo, 2015)

“Running away from myself and all my past paying me back, I pretend, I kill loves in vain, anyone's bed to fill me” (São Paulo, 2015)

“Every night I go out to escape from myself and every night I always find myself like this, God you swore you would take care of me” (São Paulo, 2015)

“Illusions of grandeur in a small body, I see myself being far from here. Mom, it's no surprise, if I don't get out now I'll never leave” (Super)

“I see the lights, I see the streets, I have an immortal dream, I want everything to happen to me in the end” (Super)

“All the glory and pain, I feel in the end” (Super)

“I've been so many things to so many people but I'm already far from here, I tear myself apart and remake myself in a matter of months like I've done thousands of times” (Super)

TRACKLIST (highlighted are the most Dieter coded songs)

In brackets you will find the song title in English

1. Escorpião [Scorpio] (02'28")

2. Me Lambe [Lick Me] (02'55")

3. Gameboy (02'28")

4. Alinhamento Milenar [Millennial Alignment] (03'21")

5. Lábia [Smooth Talk] (02'51")

6. Maria (01'58")

7. Julho [July] (03'07")

8. Eu Posso Ser Como Você [I Can Be Like You] (02'31")

9. Sinais [Signals] (03'03")

10. Se O Problema Era Você, Por Que Doeu Em Mim? [If The Problem Was You, Why It Hurt In Me?] (02'37")

11. Locadora [Video Store] (03'09")

12. Rádio [Radio] (03'47")

13. São Paulo, 2015 (02'28")

14. Super (04'28")

[echo-echo31]

Egos + Fireworks | Headcanons

A/N: It's Bonfire Night here in the UK so we're celebrating.

Warnings: Brief implication of PTSD

DARK 🖤

Unimpressed™

"I am an eldrich entity of powers beyond your comprehension, my love. These human sparkles are nothing but echoes of the fires you crave to keep you warm in the dark. I am the dark,"

He's very dramatic and you just roll your eyes whilst he monologues.

ACTOR 🌹

Of course he needs to organise the biggest and best fireworks show around, from his own Manor.

In fact, you're a little nervous that you're about to cause a fire hazard, so you watch with a look of concern throughout most of it.

That is until there's one firework in the shape of a red rose - followed by your name in silver. That's when Marc puts his arm around you, and your blush is lit up with every flash.

YANCY 🎵

He remembers sitting on the fire-escape on the 4th July, watching the fireworks in the city.

It's been so long, and the thought of loud bangs that he can't differentiate from gunshots makes him a little anxious.

Still, you leave your little flat in the evening, holding hands as you go to the highest place you can in order to see what this new city has to offer.

There's so much colour and Yancy is mesmerised. You spend the entire evening looking at the wonder and joy on his face.

GOOGLE 🖱️

"This is an entirely inefficient way to use such energy, I do not understand the appeal,"

He tries to explain his argument to you for a while, so you don't think fireworks are going to be on the agenda any time soon.

That's why you're surprised when he takes you by the hand, a look of utter excitement on his face, and leads you to the back yard.

You're utterly mesmerised. In the sky are about 30 shining lights, forming different patterns and animals and images silently but beautifully.

You realise that Google's got about 30 drones, controlling them all through his own systems. 

"I see the appeal now, Y/N,"

BING 🔶

Tries to light a massive Fuck Off rocket in your back yard.

You have to stop him - explaining why that's a bad idea - before giving him a hand-held sparkler.

The sight of him pouting whilst the tiny thing spits and sparkles has been memorialised on social media.

ILLINOIS 🔥

He's not often in one place long enough to celebrate any occasions that would require fireworks.

Still, he's listened to your stories. The ones from when you were a child and used to watch the fireworks with glee and wonder.

The fact that he arranges for you to be exploring a cave system just a few miles out from a major city with a famous fireworks display that night is a complete coincidence.

The way he kisses you under the stars and light is entirely deliberate. 

HEIST 💣

He sneaks you into a VIP event at a local art gallery just to see the display.

The polite applause from the upper class crowd is disturbed by your deliberately dramatic shouting and whistling.

When you're asked to leave you can't stop laughing, even as he puts his tuxedo jacket around you and calls a cab.

ENGIE 🚀

It's hard to deny that the sight of towering nebulas and exploding supernovas can't really compete with the fireworks from Earth.

Still, it's an old tradition. So when you finish the construction of the 1st Generation Base for the new colony, the crew react as happily to the display as to any beauty in the universe.

"We did it, Captain," 

You look at Mark, face illuminated by flashes of colour on a brand new world.

"We did it,"

NOIR 🔎

It's hard to appreciate a display based on lights when the entire world is in black and white.

You hear his monologuing complain about the ridiculousness of the entire thing - as well as how much it reminds him of his ex-wife leaning him on New Year's Eve.

You tell him to cheer up otherwise you'll lock him in the cells for the night.

MURDOCK  🔪

He says he'd rather be making you see fireworks than standing in the forest seeing the worms from the city try to light up the sky.

Still, he's with you, holding your hand in his as you stand outside your cabin. 

It's worth it to see your reaction. He spends the entire time looking at you.

PORNIPLIER 💘

"Baby, I am the display,"

He tries to distract you with one of his routines to see if he can be prettier than the fireworks.

It works.

[antoninasavi]

Budapest. Hungary. June 2024

At Berlin airport, it was surprising that they ask you to put photographic film out of your luggage. As it turned out, it was to avoid spoiling them. They must have gotten new super powerful scanners. I can only thank them for taking care of my films, which were scanned with another machine.

Yes, I'm traveling alone again. This does not embarrass me at all, but only emphasizes my freedom and independence to act.

On the first day, of course, I climbed the nearest hill and from there I successfully hid in the national gallery from the scorching sun. For me, a person who thinks in terms of history and culture, nothing says more about the place where I am than the National Gallery. And in Budapest, it's really good! Compared to the quality of the works of the Verger artists, Berlin loses the pomp of the Kaiser's time or the greenishness of 1920. In the National Gallery of Budapest I found very many truly high works in their own right. But there was also something in it that made me think. As soon as the art of the Romantics is replaced by Impressionism as a trend of visualization, the paintings begin to painfully resemble copies of the French masters. This surprised me so much. The quality is of course superb and I have sometimes caught myself thinking that the Hungarians do it even better. And so it went on in cubism and in the avant-garde. It got to the point of absurdity that I saw a painting that was 100% painted by Gerhard Richter. But no, it was some obscure Hungarian artist again.

At first I wondered, where is the Hungarian originality missing? Or is it all a logical consequence of cultural influences. Or is it all about the curator of the gallery trying to conform to the trends of the market? Everything in me suspects that the latter assumption is true. Especially if we rely on the latest critique of contemporary consumer society as described in Oliver Roy's book "The Crisis of Culture".

On the second day, I discovered that I am a bad tourist. In the sense that it's not easy for me to sell anything. In the part of the city of Pest that is on the left side of the Danube River, there are the very streets that horrify me, filled with fat tourists, expensive cafes with disgusting coffee and all the clothing stores that are probably the same all over Europe. Strangely, I can't bring myself to interact with reality in such places. I find that I will avoid these streets in the future and will consider the day I stepped into them a tourist mistake.

I was fascinated by the city's trams. They make you want to keep up with them. Of all the films that were shot in Budapest (12 pieces of 12 frames each), at least two were spent on trams. As it turned out, streetcars are the most popular transportation in Budapest. Their intervals are sometimes as long as 60 seconds due to the incredible congestion during rush hours.

The castle on Buda Mountain with its incredible beauty of architecture right next to the ugly plastic and impersonal building of the Redison Hotel made me smile. What an absurd world we live in.

I love it when a city has so many hills. Perhaps because I was born in a hilly city, I feel alive making an incredible effort in the thirty-degree heat to climb one more hill. It's a pity Berlin is so flat.

As a bad tourist, I found all the areas where there are no tourists, where you can see how ordinary people live, and therefore how things really are.

On the last day I received a message that my flight was cancelled. So I was stuck for 3 hours in a history museum trying to get a seat on another plane and book a room for the night. The museum was useful, even if the guard looked at me with suspicion. I was a little worried that my credit card wasn't working. But everything worked out, and after I transported my luggage to the new location, I went to Mount St. Galert. The sky was very beautiful even after, Friday evening in Budapest. It's so unforgettable. That evening I fell in love with Budapest and threw a coin into the Danube as a sign or desire to return again. I didn’t regret at all that my plane was cancelled at all.