#snowstorm local group

[identityarchitect]

which ones use corded headphones and which ones use bluetooth and which ones play their music out loud

im just gonna answer this one for equinox

no peaceful ending - bluetooth

fibres of silence - headphones

hallows of fate, damned - plays music out loud so he can have dramatic breakdowns to it

dappled light over decaying leaves - i honestly cant imagine her listening to music. bluetooth tho

glowing wind between speckled trees - corded

awakening winter - bluetooth

nebula of snow eternal - corded

cycles within cycles - out loud

reverent chorus, the silence calls - bluetooth maybe

[spookyrea]

You Can Wrap Me 'Round Your Finger...

You’re having a crisis trying to pick the perfect moment to tell Loki you love him. Loki is having a crisis, too, except his is decidedly way more embarrassing. Also, your pillows keep disappearing.

(aka - frost giant biology is weird and Loki has to suffer the consequences.)

a companion to Love at First Sight (or should I walk by again?) - can be read on its own!

Chapter 1 / 2 -- read it on AO3 here

Word count: ~5k

Warnings: fem reader; Loki is CLINGY

You could just make out the rosy hue of a late-season snowfall from your vantage point behind the cockpit; it blanketed the city, turning the streets a pale orange where streetlamp light reflected off of a crisp, white coat. For a city that never slept it was strangely quiet; at just past three o’clock in the morning, not even the snow plows were out yet.

Your team was returning from a four day long deployment to San Francisco – a retrieval mission where you were tasked with tracking down and seizing off-world cargo. It had gone over surprisingly well - zero casualties, a handful of actual combat incidents, and a scant few million dollars worth of petty property damage. It did require a proper cargo plane, though, which meant that the team had to rely on a local airplane hangar to get back home. 

(Despite his truly unparalleled complaining, Tony’s choice to put the Avengers tower in the centre of a busy New York metropolitan block meant that there were certain restrictions - namely, the laws of physics - that limited the size of plane they could have on-site).

An unfortunate consequence of it all was that you were freezing. You made a face and folded your arms over your chest; you were dressed for a late February chill, in tac-pants and a knit sweater, not a snowstorm. As romantic as the snow looked, the cold was settling over you like an ache and, coupled with the early-hour and a tender bruise on your left side, your mood was only souring. You cast your eyes to the ceiling and prayed that a car was already waiting for you on the tarmac.

The quin-jet touched down a little roughly; you felt Wanda’s wince without looking at her, but Tony immediately came to her defense. “No, that was because of the snow. Poor visibility. Out of your control. Definitely. I’m passing you with flying colours - hey, get it?”

The loading ramp slid open with a pop and a hiss; your ears felt funny now that you were on solid ground, like they were full of cotton. Natasha tugged on her earlobes, then reached over and tugged on Steve’s too to be a pest. He swatted her away with a scowl. 

Moments later, attendants began to climb the loading ramp in groups of two. You scowled. They were at least dressed for the weather.

You pulled your hands from between your thighs, trying to focus on anything other than the way your core muscles were tensed against the chill, and thanked whatever powers-that-be that you could finally go home. You were half way through unbuckling your seatbelt when an automated voice warned you from overhead not to leave your seats.

“Sorry, everyone,” Tony called. “Safety or whatever. All cargo has to be removed before we can get up. Just a few minutes. You’ll be warm and in bed in no time.”

You sank low in your seat, arms crossed, and focused very hard on glaring a hole in the quid-jet floor. Who knows -- maybe you could spontaneously develop heat-vision. It would look good on your resume.

“I was beginning to think I’d have to go collect you myself.”

Crossing the jet in long strides, tall enough to peer over most attendants' heads, was Loki. Your boyfriend.  

Dressed in civilian clothing, Loki was something resplendent. His pale skin, warmed by the cool twilight haze outside, was a stark relief against his mop of riotous dark curls, and his green eyes caught the light in a mysterious way. A pair of neatly-polished shoes rattled the grated floor as he approached, weaving in between attendants, until he came to a stop at your side. With a wave of his hand, Loki manifested a fine wool cloak to drape over your shoulders. His long fingers drew the golden hook at the collar through its eye and smoothed it flat against your sternum.

“Can’t have you freezing to death,” he murmured.

You thumbed the stitching along the hem of the cloak; the thread was such a dark green that it almost blended in with the black fabric. “I would have been fine.”

“Well, if you’re too warm, I can certainly help cool you down.” Loki slid into the seat next to you and blew an icy breath across your neck, making you shriek. The grin he shot you was lecherous - truly vile , you mumbled - and sent a hot thrill from your nape to the pit of your belly.

“You are evil.”

“You should have me locked up.”

You pulled the collar of his cloak up to your face, pressing the velvety edge to your mouth. “I’m putting in a request immediately.”

Loki offered you his wrists, that sticky grin growing even wider. “Why wait?”

A flash of green seidr crackled suggestively, implying where a set of handcuffs might bind him. Your eyes snapped to the whirlwind of snow outside, cheeks hot. 

Tony gagged obnoxiously from the pilot’s seat. The comms system crackled to life overhead. “Get a room, you two.”

Loki scoffed, mock affront dripping from his lazy posture, and poured himself over your shoulders, even though the armrest was in the way and was without a doubt digging into his side. He plucked your hand from your lap, lacing his fingers through yours and drawing it up to his mouth. His lips idly traced the edge of his signet ring on your thumb while you watched the cargo roll by, box by painstaking box. 

You had only been dating for a few months, having finally confessed your mutual attraction after a tumultuous, alcohol-fueled evening together. It turned out that the entire time that you had been harbouring a monumental crush on Loki, he’d been just as gone on you - a fact you hadn’t known, since his idea of showing interest was to give you shiny rocks and hand feed you foods, and yours was whatever Tinder had going on.

Once the two of you had gotten over your - admittedly pretty embarrassing - communication barrier, you fell into a nice routine. You found that you were more confident without the weight of an unrequited crush looming over you, and Loki was eons more likely to finish his paperwork as long as you were there to play footsie with him under the table and let him ramble every fifteen minutes. He still flirted with everything that moved, but you recognized the nuances of his affection now. He never touched anyone, but he hung off of you like a limpet; he might smile and schmooze at parties, all lecherous grins and innuendo, but his eyes always sought your approval out after every punchline; and he only ever called you pet.

(And on one occasion, master. But that was a different story.)

Once the attendants had unloaded the last crate into a van, Tony gave everyone the OK to exit the plane without worrying about being trampled. Steve was the first out, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Natasha, Bruce and Tony were quick to follow, all stumbling into the first car they saw, while Wanda stayed and fiddled with a few switches from the co-pilot’s seat. Under Natasha’s suggestion, she was trying to get a proper license to fly - mostly for paperwork-related reasons, because the insurance company charged a fortune every time an Avenger ‘borrowed’ a vehicle without permission.

Before you could protest, Loki scooped up the duffle bag at your feet and started down the loading ramp into the storm, leaving you and Wanda as the last on the plane. You rapped your knuckles against the ceiling and sent her a questioning look. Decked out in her oversized headset and a fuzzy quarter-zip sweater Tony had commissioned for the team, she looked right at home behind the quinjet control panel. She shot you a thumbs up, gesturing for you to go on ahead. You blew her a quick kiss and then hurried after Loki, fighting to keep the cloak shut against the blustering wind. 

Wet snow crept under your pant legs, clinging unpleasantly to the strip of skin left exposed by your socks. Loki had already packed your belongings away in the farthest van and was waiting by the back door, held open for you. You jogged - as best you could given the weather - the last couple of feet and slid into the backseat.

Loki hauled himself through the other door a moment later. The driver - a bored looking man with a dark beard and greying temples - pushed the stick shift into gear and turned off the runway. 

You shivered, brushing clumps of snow off your ankles. Dark stains were climbing up your shins where the it bled through. Loki leaned across the seat to help you, running a shimmering hand over your shoulders to dry you off. 

Mostly satisfied, you sank back and watched the city roll by, the empty streets cast in shades of neon as the snow reflected billboards and store displays. It was a beautiful sight, the kind of morning you would normally want to commit to memory for the postcard-ness of it all – except you were exhausted and a little cranky, so you turned your eyes to stare at your boyfriend instead. 

(You made it a full three minutes without looking at him - a new personal record.)

You admired him the way an owner might creep up on a beloved pet in a sunbeam; you didn’t want him to know you were looking, in case he spooked and moved, so you kept your cheek turned and watched from the corner of your eye. He was deep in thought, luckily, which gave you some leeway to admire his profile. There was something decidedly boyish about him when he was relaxed, a softness you so rarely got to see; it made you want to kiss every inch of him just for the sake of kissing.

He drew an aimless pattern with his thumb across your upper thigh. His pinky finger was stretched comically far from the rest of his fingers, as if willing your hand to reach out and intertwine but too stubborn to ask. For a silly, love-sick moment you were overwhelmed by the need to tell him you loved him - and then your brain caught up with your heart and bludgeoned it into submission.

The knowledge that you were in love with him and the nebulous un-knowledge of how he felt about you was starting to wear on your nerves. You understood logically that he liked you - enough to court you, under different circumstances - but what you felt when you looked at him was a hurricane of emotions, a self-sustaining cycle of hot air up and cold air down, whipping the sea so hard that it formed storm clouds unbidden by the laws of nature. You knew that he felt things differently, had lived a dozen of your lifetimes no doubt filled with pretty things. Would this change your relationship? Would you breaking that last barrier make yourself less desirable somehow?

You wanted to tell him. To share the inherent joy of being in love.

It just scared you to death, was all. No big deal.

His mouth twitched; his eyes caught yours in the window’s reflection as the car entered the dark parking garage. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing,” you squeaked. “Just tired. Sorry.”

The car dropped you off in the underground parking of the Avengers’ tower. Yours was the last of the convoy, so you and Loki slipped out of the car into an empty lot where only a few strangler attendants were unloading and taking inventory. You held one corner of the cloak in your hand, worried it would drag through the slush puddles tracked in by the cars. Loki’s hand came to rest on the small of your back while he hoisted your bag over his shoulder.

“After you, pet.”

You led him to the elevators, where you leaned against the railing and let your eyes slip shut. Loki selected a floor and then joined you, draping one arm around your shoulders to draw you into his chest.

You leaned your cheek against him. Now that you were home, the full weight of your exhaustion was bearing down on you. The pattern of knots Loki was drawing across the back of your neck wasn’t helping. You were suddenly grateful for the support of Loki’s body under you, solid and steady; you slid your hands under his jacket to hug him… then paused.

Something was… off.

You pulled back and gave him a once-over. Nothing outwardly betrayed him as different. He wore a pair of simple, straight-leg tac-pants and a white t-shirt under a brown vintage-style bomber he’d no doubt swiped from Bucky or Steve; the cut of each item flattered his narrow build exceedingly, a fact you knew he was aware of by the way he kept glancing at you during your drive home. His hair was wild and unstyled in a hopelessly endearing way - a look he’d taken to wearing often after you made a passing comment about liking it that way.

The jacket though… 

He filled it out well. Too well.

“You’re bigger,” you blurted out.

Loki raised one eyebrow in a perfect, mocking arch. “Excuse me?”

“You’re,” you waved your hand up and down his body, “bigger. Like, broader. Have you been working out more?”

Loki glanced down at his chest. “No?”

You pushed the jacket off his shoulders to get a better look at him. The white cotton of his t-shirt puckered across his chest, wrinkling under the strain of an extra inch or so of muscle, and the side seams were pulled so taut that you could see the thread. You poked him right over his heart, admiring a new, plush firmness.

The tips of Loki’s fingers wormed under your shirt. His smile took on a wicked edge as he soaked in the sight of you in front of him. When you shot him a look, he screwed his face up into something resembling innocence. “If you’re going to ogle me like a piece of meat, I think it’s only fair that I get to admire you, too.”

You hummed and slipped his jacket back into place, smoothing your palms down his chest to rest just above his waistband. Loki’s evilness washed away to something sticky sweet; he slid his hand up between your shoulder blades, his fingers splayed wide to admire the shift of your muscles under your skin. His other hand twined with yours to lift your knuckles to his mouth.

The doors slid open on his floor. With a flourish and a fleeting kiss, Loki stooped to collect your bag. His free hand trailed behind him, outstretched for you to take, but you lingered with a smile and a shake of your head.

He came to an abrupt stop under the threshold, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. He wiggled his fingers, as if you were refusing because you’d missed his offer to hold your hand. “What are you doing?”

You pressed the button for your floor. “I’m going back to my room.”

“No,” Loki whined, his hand still outstretched. “Please, darling.”

You rolled your eyes and attempted to pull your bag from his hands. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Loki.”

“But you’ll miss out on my new, broader body. Your bed will seem extra empty now in comparison. You should just skip the trouble.”

“Loki, I’m tired. And all my stuff is in my apartment.”

“You can wear something of mine.” Loki, exasperated, threw your duffle down in front of the elevator door and cornered you against the railing.

“Just for the night, Loki.” You pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth, one he didn’t return… and then seemed to regret, because only a heartbeat after you pulled away he was on you, cupping your face between both his hands and swiping his tongue across your bottom lip. You huffed out a sigh and pushed on his stomach; he managed to get two more kisses in before you finally won and put some distance between the two of you.

In a perfectly Loki-fashion, Loki sulked. He stomped out of the elevator and then turned to you, his hands firmly on his hips. “You vex me. Understand that I will be taking you out for breakfast tomorrow, no exceptions.”

You hooked a finger through your bag strap, dragging it back into the elevator. “Make it a late lunch. If you wake me before noon there will be punishments.”

Loki’s eyes twitched with the briefest hint of a smirk. His voice dropped an octave. “Promise?”

The elevator doors slid shut on his leering expression. You spent the rest of the ride valiantly trying not to fall asleep. The low hum of its engine was terribly soothing.

When the elevator opened to your floor, you weren’t surprised to find PAL - Tony’s Paperwork Assistant Lite robot, who usually helped organize and retrieve files in the office downstairs - waiting by your door. Measuring just under two feet tall, PAL could navigate the halls and elevator just fine as long as FRIDAY was willing to unlock the doors for him, but your manual lock-and-key front door was an insurmountable obstacle for him.

“How long have you been here, buddy?”

As soon as he recognized you, PAL trilled with delight. His metal chassis vibrated with the effort of waiting by the door. He rounded your feet while you dug through your pants pockets for your keys, narrating the week to you in his language of whistles and beeps, and raised his tiny paper tray, straining to try and take over the weight of your duffle bag. You huffed out a laugh, leaning ever-so-slightly to the side to set it on him but not to smother; the LED display on his face narrowed, as if he was concentrating very hard on not dropping your belongings.

As soon as you were through the door, you threw your bag by your shoe rack and toed off your sneakers, leaving them in a pile on the floor. PAL set to straightening them, sweeping them to the wall with his tray ahead like a snowplow. He tried to do the same to your bag, but his treads could only pinwheel against the weight. 

You stood in the living room for a moment and folded Loki’s cloak over the back of your couch, contemplating skipping your whole routine and going straight to bed. You settled on missing a shower but washing your face - everything else could be dealt with in the morning. You made your way to your bedroom in search of clean pyjamas, then continued to the bathroom to brush your teeth, PAL close on your heels.

You had just exited the bathroom when someone knocked on your door. You tossed your washcloth into a bin on top of your washing machine and rounded the hallway to answer it.

Loki stood on the other side, dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and an oversized AVENGERS TACTICAL UNIT t-shirt. “Please, darling.”

“You have your own bed.”

“It’s too big without you.”

“You’re even bigger now. You’ll fill it out just fine.”

Loki stepped into your personal space; he hadn’t even bothered putting on shoes, wearing only a pair of grey wool socks. His hands curled around your hips as if to steady himself. “I’m afraid of the dark?”

“Try again.”

“My room was taken over by starving wolves while you were away and I only narrowly escaped.”

You sighed. You had to admit that it felt nice to have him in your arms like this, even if you knew giving in would only encourage him to lord over more of your time. “Absolutely no funny business, Loki.”

An incandescent grin split his face in two. He swooped in to kiss your cheek, then sauntered off toward your bedroom. You locked the door, made sure PAL was settled into his charging dock for the night, and then followed after your boyfriend.

You found him curled up on the side of your bed closest to the door, facing you, and holding one of your pillows hostage. He buried his nose in the fabric, a pleased sound rumbling through his chest, and watched you approach.

You swatted at him, not even bothering to round the bed, opting to crawl over his body to reach your side. Loki unfolded, abandoning the pillow to gather you up instead; his arms circled your waist and tugged you into his chest in an awkward collision of limbs, legs tangling in the comforter. You squirmed while he maneuvered you to his liking, tucking the length of his body around you tightly and nosing at the junction of your throat and jaw.

“Loki,” you chided. “I said no funny business.”

“This is a perfectly serious matter.” Loki untangled himself from you just long enough to pull the comforter over your body before sliding in beside you. One hand returned to your neck, tipping your chin back so he could press a loud kiss to your pulse point. “You don’t have enough blankets.

You stifled a yawn and pushed him to lie on his back, draping one leg over his. “Why’s that?”

Loki continued to rearrange the sheets with a scowl. “You’ll freeze to death under this thing.”

Already, your eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. You hummed. “I feel like I had more pillows than this. Maybe I’ve finally lost it.”

A small voice in the back of your mind whispered that you loved him, you loved him, you loved- 

You settled with tracing a heart over his collarbone, over and over until you fell asleep.

You woke to the sound of FRIDAY’s voice through the PA system. “Mr. Laufeyson, your presence is being requested on the thirty-first floor. Mission briefing in fifteen minutes.”

You peeled your eyes open. You could tell by the slant of the sun through the curtains that it was past noon - a small victory, really. Behind you, Loki burrowed deeper into the fabric of your t-shirt, nosing along the ladder of your spine while groaning his displeasure. He drew the comforter around you tightly, trapping you under one muscular arm with a vengeance.

His voice, still deep and rasping with the last threads of sleep, rumbled through his chest. “Good morning, dear heart.”

Lovesickness bloomed like a bruise in your chest. “Morning,” you said, instead of I love you. 

You half-turned and pecked the side of his mouth before sitting up. Loki made an affronted sound and reeled you back in by a fistful of your t-shirt, sending you sprawling halfway across his chest. He kissed you soundly, licking into your mouth with a low groan.

You blinked up at him once he pulled back. “Um. Good morning?”

“I was a perfect gentleman all night and you reward me with a peck. ” A scowl twisted his pretty face, petulance dripping off him in droves. His hands slid over your ass possessively, kneading the soft flesh with purpose. “I should have you flogged for that. Put over my knee.”

“Patience is a virtue,” you mumbled.

“Wrong faith, pet. Now- wait, where are you going?”

You paused, halfway through peeling yourself out of his arms (again), and pointed at the ceiling where FRIDAY’s voice reminded him that he was needed in thirteen minutes, Mr. Laufeyson . ”You have a debrief and I have a date with my coffee pot.”

“Not after you so callously rejected me. Come down here and make it up to me.”

You rolled your eyes and leaned in to kiss him again, slowly but deeply. Loki chased your mouth when you pulled away, frustration evident in the heavy way he sighed. Lifting you by the hips, Loki deposited you in his lap and held you there, digging his thumbs into the plush of your sides. Using the resulting sigh to his advantage, Loki cradled the back of your head and bullied your lips apart, pulling a sticky kind of want from your chest, leaving you dizzy and aching all at once.

When FRIDAY gave him a five minute warning, blinking the emergency strobe in the corner of your bedroom for good measure, Loki finally drew himself away and let you catch your breath. His head tipped back against the pillow, his throat on display in a long submissive line, and his shiny mouth parted in a groan. He mumbled something in his mother tongue, your name nestled right between lilting consonants.

“What was that?”

“Nothing important.” 

“One day you’ll teach me what you’re saying,” you grumbled. “And then I’ll know all your secrets.”

Loki lazily arched one brow, smothered behind a curtain of riotous curls. “Is that so? All of them?”

“Mhm. All of it. Every last one.”

You traced a finger down the line of his nose. If ever there was a moment to tell him you loved him, now was probably it. Here, on the laziest of saccharine mornings, while the city outside was muted by a thick wall of snow and you were both ignoring responsibility to enjoy the other. And yet– doubt wove its way through your ribs, tying knots in the hollow spaces in your chest; you rolled off of him and sat up, pulling the hem of your shirt down where it had ridden up. “FRIDAY is going to bring the appliances to life if you don’t leave soon.”

Loki poised himself on the edge of your bed and snagged your wrist when you rounded it. There was nothing to the gesture – no comment, no complaint to make. He held onto you for the simple joy of owning a second of your time.

As if one cue, PAL rolled through your bedroom door, his little paper tray aloft. He chirped in greeting, then ran head-long into one of the bed frame’s legs. 

You tamped down a lingering disappointment. Later. You would tell him later.

“Pest.” Loki swatted at PAL, who had taken to repeatedly bumping into Loki’s shins to convince him to get dressed. You gasped scoldingly when Loki shot a warning green spark in the robot’s direction; PAL, undeterred, narrowed the LED display on his face and wound up, knocking the god extra hard for good measure.

“PAL, go sit in the living room. You can pick something on Netflix for us to watch. And you,” you pointed a finger at Loki. “No threatening the robot.”

You left him to dig through your closet for something to wear; the far corner was steadily developing a growth of black, Loki-sized clothing. While you busied yourself with the coffee machine, PAL chirped at the TV and then parked himself in front of your window with his face pressed against the glass. Once your coffee was poured, you left out the gaudiest mug you owned – chipped, declaring you were Thor’s Number One Fan!, which Loki hated with a burning passion – and a spoon for when he joined you.

PAL beeped distractedly when you joined him by the window; there was a tender tilt to his little head as he gazed out, studying a pair of birds who had built their nest just below. His body shuddered, as if sighing, and his LED display blinked one long, slow blink.

It started as a tiny bundle of twigs a few weeks ago, trembling in the wind but shielded from the elements in the nook between a metal support beam and the windowsill. Then a few pieces of long grass were woven in, and a handful of fresh green branches, still flexible in their newness. They must have finished their home while you were away; two mates were deep under the spell of a snowy Sunday morning, bundled up under a layer of down and straw.

A solid pair of arms wound around your waist, drawing you backwards into an equally solid chest. Loki’s hair was damp where he’d run wet fingers through it, no doubt trying to contain the curling mess of bed head he woke up with every morning. It clung to your cheek a bit, the crown of his head pressed up to your face while he nosed at your shoulder. “Oh, hi– hello.” 

“I don’t want to go,” Loki whined. He rocked you gently from side to side, resting his cheek against yours. “We should feign illness. It’s dreadfully contagious. And then we can—” a kiss, just under your ear, “stay in bed all day. To recuperate, of course.”

“As lovely as that sounds, you really do have to go. You know how Steve gets when you’re late.”

“As soon as I can I’m coming right back up here to ravish you. That’s a promise.”

PAL cooed, excited by some small movement from the birds. One of them had woken to preen the other, sweetly running its beak through its feathers.

“Look at their little nest. How cozy,” you said quietly. “Maybe that’s where my pillows went.”

The longer Loki considered the birds, the deeper the furrow between his brows grew. He seemed to be having a revelation of some kind. “I… have to speak with my brother about something.”

“Something wrong?”

“No. Just a thought. Don’t worry.”

PAL rolled backwards into Loki’s shins with purpose. He chirped sternly, as if chiding Loki in his machine-speak, who, in return, toed PAL’s chassis very gently in warning. 

You laughed. “He’s coming, buddy.”

“Actually,” Loki muttered darkly. “On the contrary. My problem is that I’m not-”. You suspected the next words out of his mouth would have been incredibly inappropriate, had PAL not rolled pointedly over Loki’s foot.

You exited the elevator on the 31st floor a few hours later. A far cry from Tony’s party, the room was empty and mostly tucked away; chairs were stacked on tables and the bar was cleared of bottles; bright, unfiltered sunlight poured through the enormous lofted windows, allowing you an unobstructed view of the skyline and the meandering streets below. A couple of interns were having lunch on one of the couches in the corner. They must have been part of the newest wave of college recruits, because their eyes lingered in a starstruck kind of way that made you feel a little embarrassed. 

You shot them a playful salute. Both startled, turning away in a rush.

Oh well. You couldn’t look Steve in the eyes for your first week on the team– you got it.

You found Loki in the farthest conference room, sat at the end of a long, round table between Steve and Bucky. You watched their fingers walk across its surface, handing a piece of folded paper between the three of them. Steve wrote something while the speaker was turned, then slipped his hand surreptitiously under the desk. Bucky coughed; from your vantage point, you saw his and Loki’s fingers unravel the note so they could read it discreetly.

Some executive droned at the other end, gesturing to a dreadfully laid out powerpoint. Matching manilla folders were spread open in front of the agents; you had a sneaking suspicion that whatever the speaker was saying was also written down and could have been read in half the time this meeting took.

You tried to catch Loki’s eye through the window but his attention was aimless, lost in some faraway place. A thought came to you; you rearranged your belongings to clasp your hands in front of you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you prayed - albeit poorly - to the god sitting a few dozen feet from you.

You peeked through one eye to see if it had worked; through the glass, Loki shot you a private smile, so sweet that it was practically a kiss. You waved him over, jerking your head toward the conference room door.

You watched him interrupt the speaker, his lazy posture rolling forward until he was sitting straight. Steve and Bucky nodded sagely, immediately following whatever story Loki had spun. Bucky pointed exaggeratedly to his metal arm, rubbing it as if it was tense.

The door opened and Loki slipped out into the hallway to meet you. Your grin bordered on becoming painful. Both your hands were folded behind your back. “You didn’t have breakfast this morning.”

“Observant.” He plucked a loose thread from the collar of your shirt and flicked it aside before leaning in for a quick kiss. You decided, even if you couldn’t say you love him, to treat him no less lovingly; you chased him when he pulled away, pressing your lips to his jaw. His grin was dazed, like you’d turned him dumb with the simple act of wanting him. “You’re even lovelier than the last time I saw you.

“I brought you something. Pick a hand.”

Loki walked his fingers down your left arm and pulled; you let him have it, your palm open – and empty. “Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Hmm. Terrible luck.” His knuckles dragged down the length of your other arm. In that hand was a take-out container from your favourite coffee shop, defaced with a smiley-face and cute message from the barista, Yvonne. It was his usual order, nothing special, but when his eyes tipped up to meet yours, there was something uncharacteristically open about his expression, a shy edge to the tilt of his smile. He leaned in and kissed you, soft and sweet like honey. “Do you think they’ll notice if I’m gone much longer?”

“Absolutely.”

Loki groaned, tipping your hips until they were flush to his. He kissed you hard enough to bend you backwards.

“I’ll come by your apartment tonight and we can get dinner?”

His fingers stilled where they were kneading your sides. “Yes, about that. Let’s… Let’s stay at yours tonight. The wolves that chased me out last night haven’t been evicted yet.”

Loki's answer confused you – he’d spent the entire night complaining that you wouldn’t go back to his room, then insulting your blanket choices, and now he wanted to stay at yours? “Ok. That works. Is everything okay?”

“Fine,” he said quickly. “Perfectly fine. You’re so tired though. Easier to stay where your belongings are. I won’t– won’t make you commute.”

You eyed him suspiciously. “Behave today.”

Another groan, this one pitched low; Loki traced your cheek with his nose. “I love it when you order me around.”

“Loki! Be-have.”

“Just one more, nymph. To tide me over.”

You sent him off with three more kisses. You were starting to wonder if you were too lenient with him; he delighted in taking advantage of your weakness to weasel more affection out of you. He returned to the conference room with his little box, opened in his lap under the table. When Bucky made to swipe a grape, Loki flicked his hand away with a glare.

When you returned to your room that evening, with Loki hot on your heels and his hands already halfway up your shirt, you were baffled to find your bed down one more pillow.

“PAL, did you do this?”

He shook his little head, LED screen blinking wide doe eyes up at you. It was the strangest thing, but when he thought you weren’t looking, you could have sworn that he shot Loki a pointed look.

[breelandwalker]

Snow Moon - February 23-24, 2024

Boots and mittens on, witches - it's time for the Snow Moon!

Snow Moon

The Snow Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs during the month of February. Despite what certain groundhogs will tell you, February is the month that sees the highest rates of snowfall across much of North America, according to the National Weather Service, and many alternative names for the moon and the month in which it falls reflect this.

As with many full moon names, we find the roots of the Snow Moon among the indigenous peoples of North America. In this particular case, a colonist explorer noted in 1760 that the Naudowessie (Dakota) people called this month Snow Moon specifically due to the tendency for snowstorms to come during that month. Some other indigenous names for this moon and month refer to commonly-sighted animals. Some examples include Eagle Moon (Cree), Bear Moon (Ojibwe), Groundhog Moon (Algonquin), and Goose Moon (Haida). Another notable example is Hungry Moon (Cherokee), denoting the scarcity of available food in deep winter.

The Snow Moon this year is what is known as a "micromoon" - basically the opposite of a supermoon. Where a supermoon brings our beloved satellite closer to Earth, at the perigree (or zenith) of its' elliptical orbit, a micromoon is at the apogee (or nadir), placing the moon at a point comparatively farther away. The moon will be at peak illumination at 7:30am EST on February 24th, meaning the moon may appear to be full on the 23rd and the 24th, depending on where you live.

What Does It Mean For Witches?

February is a month of change and transition. Though winter still holds on, many places may be showing early signs of spring. Little buds may be coming out on the trees, certain species of birds are beginning to migrate back, and hibernating animals start to wake up and reappear.

As we begin to turn toward the end of our long winter's rest, it's a good time to think about how we prepare for oncoming change and how we care for ourselves and our practices during times of stagnation.

With the moon in apogee, we might also contemplate the concept of distance as it relates to our practices, be it keeping long-distance bonds fresh, doing things remotely either alone or as part of a larger group, or feeling distant from your craft or your deities. And yes, such things are normal and cyclical. Our inspiration and motivation wax and wane just as the moon does. If it feels like you've been far away from your craft for too long, perhaps it's time to bring it back into your orbit.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

Gather fresh snow or icicles for moon water, or make your own moon ice by leaving a bowl of water out overnight to freeze, if the temperature drops low enough.

If it snows in your area, you can wish upon a snowball. Grab a handful of powdery snow, whisper your wish to it, and throw the whole thing up in the air to release the wish into the universe

With winter scarcity in mind, practice creating a minimalist spell as an exercise. Create a workable spell with as few components, words, movements, or ritual elements as possible. This is more of a challenge if you're used to using material components or rituals in your spellwork. Many witches cast spells with focused thought or energy work alone.

Explore the concept of self care as magic. Use your routines to create moments of rest and harmony, make a point of being kind to your body and your mind, and cultivate a more positive relationship with yourself - it's the only one guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Connect with your local biome by looking for any early signs of spring in your area. Feed the returning birds and identify the plant and animal species you see around you as they appear one by one.

Happy Snow Moon, witches! 🌕❄️

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Snow Moon: Full Moon in February 2024, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Snow Moon: The Extraordinary Full Moon of February 2024, The Peculiar Brunette.

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2024

Calendar-12 - 2024 Moon Phases

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, check out my monthly show Hex Positive, and find my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[bagopucks]

Q. Hughes - Wildest Storms

✄————————————

Quinn Hughes x Fem!reader

Requested✨

Word Count: 2.3k

Warning(s): anxiety/panic attack, mentioned kidnapping, Mentioned therapy? Is that considered a trigger? I’m still learning.

—————————————

“I love you! We’ll be back around twelve, I promise!”

Quinn promised…

I never told Quinn no to anything when his team won a game. The Canucks always seemed to be struggling, and Quinn was always tense. So on the occasions when he did win, and when he felt on top of the world, I never held him back.

Some nights after a big win, Quinn would spend copious amounts of time with me. He’d come straight home and we’d sit and talk for hours, splurge in bed on snacks we shouldn’t before sleeping, or hop in a bath together to relax. My sleep schedule was never the greatest, so it was natural for me to be up past one am. Especially when Quinn was playing hockey, or out of town for a road trip.

Other nights however, Quinn would come home, change, kiss me and ask if he could go out, and then off he went.

Usually I was good with Quinn leaving and being out past midnight. He was responsible, and loyal. If he was having fun, I saw no reason to stop him. But this night in particular just seemed to be going wrong.

I’d had a therapy appointment earlier in the day. Usually they leave me tense and sometimes emotional depending on the conversational topics that are discussed. But I went to therapy for my anxiety, so each discussion was a simple reminder of all I had to worry about in my life. After my appointments, I liked to call Quinn or I would return home to rest with him for a few hours. But he had a practice that had been pushed to the middle of the day due to a bad snowstorm. By the time I got home, I assumed he was already on the ice and prepping with his team for the game this evening.

I had no lifeline but myself.. and my mind was never as helpful as it ought to be. I spent all day ruminating in my thoughts, going through the motions in a blur. The only thing to break my anxious trance had been Quinn calling to say he wouldn’t make it home before the game. I did get a bit irritated, but I tried not to let my frustrations out on him. There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

I spent my evening watching the game and eating a bowl of soup. The dark cloud of anxiety that loomed over me only thickened throughout the day, and I knew I was liable to dry heaving in the midst of anxiety or panic attacks. So I tried not to eat anything that would have been hard on my stomach.

The game was used as a distraction. And admittedly it had been a good one, until I got a text alert on my phone about a local kidnapping. They didn’t happen often, but the eerie text tone that accompanied it always made my stomach drop.

After that, I spiraled. I tried to watch the Canucks game, but my mind was hyper focused, and my senses were tuned in to every little thing in the apartment around me. The wind outside was whipping, another snowfall painting the once cleared roads with another coat of white. It was pitch black out, and pitch black in our apartment aside from the tv illuminating the living area.

A sense of dread washed over me, so heavy that I never noticed the game had been over. The Canucks had won, and it was the end of a horrible losing streak. My eyes shot toward the door when I heard the handle move, drawing in a sharp gasp as I scrambled off the couch, just in time for the door to open and a whole group of guys come barreling in. Led by my boyfriend, his hair slightly damp from a shower, dressed in the suit he’d left in around lunch.

“We won!” He sounded so happy, but my ears began ringing when everybody started shouting too, scattering about our apartment for who knows what.

“Quinn..” his name quivered off my lips, too quiet for him to hear across the room. Quinn immediately made his way over, snatching me up in a tight hug that made me feel like I was suffocating. “Quinn-“ I repeated his name in a choked out manner. As he pulled back, his smile remained. I tried to stop the shaking in my hands as I reached out to grab his arms.

“I’m gonna go out, okay?”

He promised he’d be back.

It’s past two am now, and I’m shaking in the corner of my apartment, pressed against the living room wall. I deemed it the best place to see everything in case somebody came in the door or out from behind a wall. In the bedroom I would have been cornered, same as the bathroom. The kitchen didn’t give me proper sight of the door, and the closet.. well that was just a dumb idea. My hands were resting on the floor. At first I found comfort in the chill from the wood tile, but at some point the chill was replaced by my body heat. My hands were clammy from sweat, and my heart was racing.

I felt like I was in the midst of some intense workout. My mind was racing, causing that dread to fall upon my shoulders again. The clouds of anxiety above my head had finally begun to rain. My thoughts were too heavy for them to hold any longer.

What if Quinn wasn’t okay? What if he was drunk and his friends left him alone? Oh god, what if somebody took him? What if somebody was coming to take me? I would have felt safer with Quinn around.. where was Quinn?

Heavy tears began to flow down my cheeks. I was shaking, but frozen in place. Emotional, and yet disconnected from my reality at the same time. Sounds and movements I’d once been hyper focused on, were now going unnoticed. My flight response had kicked in, but by that point, my mind had shut down too much to actually fly away. I was a mess of emotion on my living room floor. I was going to die.

The door opened for the second time that night, and I felt my heart drop. I began sobbing, shaking endlessly as that familiar turn in my stomach made me shoot off the floor. I was going to throw up. I didn’t notice Quinn sprinting across the room to grab me as I stood and collapsed directly into his arms.

“No!” I pushed against him violently, punching and flailing every limb to fight off my attacker.

Quinn held me tighter.

“Baby! Baby.. hey, everything’s okay!” Quinn could sense my distress, trying to keep my trembling body from losing its balance while he leaned his head in next to my ear.

When I heard his voice, the realization that I wasn’t being snatched up had dawned on me. I collapsed against his chest, my legs practically falling slack as I began to sob into Quinn’s body. My cries shook my own body, back rising and falling at a sporadic pace while Quinn tried to hold onto me and drag me to the couch.

“Baby..” he cooed, dropping carefully onto the couch. I fell into it with him, finding myself in his lap as he tried to situate me in a good spot. My cries never ceased, but they did quiet as Quinn stroked my back with one hand and ran the other through my hair.

“I’m right here..”

“I’m not headed anywhere.”

“This is just your anxiety,”

“You’re safe.”

“I’ll protect you.”

Quinn always knew. He never called my fears irrational or stupid, but in times when it was hard for me to differentiate normal concerns against anxious ones, he was always there to remind me. Always there to assure I wasn’t dying or having a heart attack, and that it was all my body’s response to something in my head.

“Quinn..” I whispered shakily against his chest, hearing him hum to acknowledge me.

“You’re okay, baby.” He slowly moved from beneath me, “I’ll be right back.” This caused another bit of dread to form in my gut.

“No,” I sobbed, my body leaning against the couch, helpless as I watched my boyfriend whisk away into the kitchen. He came back moments later with an ice pack and a bottle of water, which he placed on the coffee table.

“See? Im right here.” Quinn shrugged off his suit jacket, tucking a hand between my shoulder and the couch cushion to push me upright. He draped the jacket over my shoulders, leaning in to press a kiss to my head as he did so.

The warmth of the jacket was the last thing I needed, but the scent shift from my perfume to his cologne helped calm me somewhat. The tears still flowed down my cheeks, but I felt I had a slightly better grip on my surroundings.

“Take a sip?” Quinn grabbed the water bottle and twisted the cap off, tossing it into the coffee table. He sat down and held the bottle out, though when I reached for it, my hand was still shaking. A quiet cry escaped my lips at the realization that I couldn’t do something as simple as holding a water bottle.

“No worries,” he spoke softly, assuring me it was fine as he set the bottle down on the table, exchanging it for the ice pack. “We’ll just try the ice pack for now.” He slowly moved in, resting his back against the couch and gesturing for me to lean into him. I did, scooting over next to Quinn and resting my back against his arm and half of his chest. One of my hands came down to grip the thigh closest to me.

“You’re my favorite girl in the whole wide world,” Quinn whispered as he wrapped an arm around me, carefully resting the ice pack on my leg. The sensation was distracting, as was the strategic statement about me being his favorite girl. I thought his mother was.

“What’s my hockey number?” I rested my head against Quinn’s shoulder as he spoke, barely above a whisper.

“Forty three..” my voice still quivered, but it sounded more firm than before. I had a grip on pieces of my reality now.

“That was an easy one,” he teased softly in response. “Whats my favorite pair of shoes?”

I had to roll my eyes at him. “Dumbass fuzzy slippers…” I spoke. That was our ‘matching ensemble’ one Christmas. Warm, fuzzy slippers. They didn’t count as shoes in my book, but he wore them all the time around the apartment or at the lake house.

Quinn managed a quiet chuckle, the movement of his chest and the sound of his deep laugh causing another wave of anxiety to settle.

“When did we say our first I Love You’s?” Quinn moved the ice pack to my shoulder. I let out a quiet sigh, then sniffled. I carefully reached up to rub the tears from my eyes as a sad smile formed on my lips.

“When we took Tyler’s son to the aquarium..” my grip on Quinn’s thigh eased.

“And what do you remember?”

“I remember you,” I paused for another sniffle. “You couldn’t get him to walk away from the puffer fish. You tried to pick him up, and he got a little mad.” A little was a vast understatement, and we both knew it, causing us to laugh softly together.

“You wanna know what I remember?” Quinn asked, and I nodded, slowly picking my head up and turning to look at him, draping my legs over his lap.

“I remember watching you take him down the little tunnel where you could stand in the turtle enclosure. And I remember watching you pick him up and hold him on your hip.. and thinking how much I love you. And how much you’re gonna make a great mother some day.”

My heart fluttered at Quinn’s words, but this type didn’t make me panicky or anxious. I smiled at him. Quinn carefully pulled the ice pack off my shoulder, tossing it onto the couch behind me.

“And I remember saying how much I love you when you guys got back.” Quinn reached to cup my cheek in his hand. “All of you. Every single part of you.” He smiled at the sight of my own.

I leaned in to press my forehead against his own, sighing softly.

“Thank you Quinn,” relief finally flooded my voice. He pulled back slowly, nodding.

“I’m always here for you. You’re my girl, I’ll take care of you no matter what.” Quinn rested a hand on one of my knees as he leaned forward to grab the once forgotten water bottle.

“Have you eaten?” He asked, holding the bottle out. This time I took it with a steady hand.

“I had soup.. but if you pop something in the oven I might snack on it.” I could tell by the smile forming on his lips, that he knew what I wanted. A warm pizza.

“We’ll sleep in tomorrow.” Usually Quinn would suggest a nap after a panic attack, but if I didn’t eat before sleeping, I’d wake up with a headache. Another reason to be miserable.

“Put a pepperoni one in,” I spoke before taking a sip of water. Quinn rolled his eyes at me and laughed.

“Adventurous,” he teased, making me giggle softly. “Do you want to rest here, or come with me?” He slowly moved my legs from his lap.

“I’ll come with.” I sniffed again, slowly standing up with Quinn. He reached for my free hand, intertwining our fingers as we ventured into the kitchen. We spent a good few hours talking about the hockey game and other little topics over pizza. We never made it to the table though after it came out of the oven. We simply stood, leaning over the kitchen island side by side, giggling and whispering back and forth like teenagers. Only I could make Quinn act like a child, and only he could calm my wildest storms.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

[gcthvile]

Eira Skadi

Name: Eira Skadi

Date of Birth: December 21st

Age: 23

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Sexuality: Bisexual

Personality: Eira is calm, introspective, and sometimes seen as cold and aloof, reflecting the nature of her powers. Despite this, she has a compassionate heart and a deep sense of responsibility. She struggles with finding her place in the world, as her abilities often set her apart from others, making her feel like an outsider.

Affiliations: Initially a loner, Eira eventually comes into contact with other heroes after being targeted by a faction of Frost Giants who believe she is a reincarnation of one of their ancient queens. She finds herself allied with Thor and Loki, as well as mutants like Iceman, with whom she shares a kinship due to their similar abilities.

Background: Eira Skadi was born in a small town in Norway, where the legends of frost giants and Norse gods still loom large. As a child, she exhibited a strange resistance to cold, but her true abilities didn't manifest until she was caught in a severe snowstorm during a mountain hike. Miraculously surviving, she discovered she could control and generate ice, much like the mythical jotuns from Asgardian lore.

Powers:

Cryokinesis: Eira can generate and manipulate ice and cold, creating anything from delicate snowflakes to massive ice structures. She can freeze objects with a touch or project blasts of icy wind and shards.

Temperature Control: She can lower the temperature in her immediate vicinity, creating localized blizzards or freezing mists that obscure visibility and hinder movement.

Ice Armor: Eira can coat herself in a protective layer of ice, making her more resilient to physical and energy attacks.

Glacial Constructs: She can create detailed and complex ice constructs, such as weapons, shields, or even animated ice creatures to fight alongside her

Potential Villains/Enemies:

Frost Giants: Some believe Eira is destined to lead them in a new era of conquest.

Cryo: A scientist who seeks to replicate Eira’s powers through technology and genetic manipulation, leading to the creation of powerful cryo-soldiers.

The Wraith of Winter: An ancient, malevolent spirit of winter that possesses people to spread cold and despair.

Eira’s Story Arc

1. Origin of Frost

Eira Skadi grows up in a small Norwegian town, where she’s always felt out of place. She’s known for being a little odd—never getting cold and always drawn to the snow and ice. One day, while hiking in the mountains, she gets caught in a sudden, brutal snowstorm. Stranded and close to freezing to death, she instinctively unleashes a blast of ice from her hands, creating a shelter of ice around herself. Shocked but relieved to be alive, she realizes she’s not just resistant to the cold—she can control it.

After this incident, Eira starts experimenting with her abilities, trying to keep them hidden. She thinks she might be a mutant, but her powers seem more magical than anything else. Things take a turn when she’s ambushed by a group of Frost Giants who break into her home. They’re not there to hurt her but to take her back with them, claiming she’s the key to restoring their lost realm. Freaked out, she barely escapes with the help of a teleporting spell from a mysterious ally who later reveals himself as Loki.

2. Finding Herself

Loki, intrigued by her abilities, takes her to Asgard, where she meets Thor and the other Asgardians. She learns that her powers come from a connection to the Heart of Ymir, a powerful artifact tied to the original frost giant, Ymir. It turns out the Heart of Ymir amplifies cryokinetic abilities, and the Frost Giants believe that Eira, being born on Midgard, is the perfect vessel to wield it.

Thor, seeing the potential danger, offers to help Eira learn to control her powers before the Frost Giants can use her as a weapon. Eira trains in Asgard, struggling to harness her abilities without letting them overwhelm her. She feels out of place among the gods and warriors of Asgard but finds a friend in Loki, who, despite his teasing, understands what it’s like to feel like an outsider.

3. The Frostbound War

While Eira is learning to control her powers, Skorri, a rogue Asgardian warlord, discovers the existence of the Heart of Ymir. He believes he can use Eira’s connection to the Heart to create a new era of winter that will allow him to conquer both Midgard and Asgard. He attacks Asgard with a group of Frost Giants loyal to him, aiming to capture Eira and the Heart.

Eira, who’s still struggling with her abilities, feels responsible for the chaos Skorri is causing. She decides to fight back, joining Thor and the Avengers in a desperate battle to protect both realms. Despite being new to heroics, she proves herself in the fight, using her powers to hold back Skorri’s forces and even turning the tide of battle with a massive ice storm that helps the heroes defeat him.

This victory, however, comes at a cost. Eira has pushed herself to the limit, and in doing so, she inadvertently taps into the Heart’s power, causing a temporary rift between Midgard and the realm of the Frost Giants. Seeing the destruction she’s capable of, she’s left terrified of her own abilities.

4. Internal Struggles

After the war, Eira returns to Earth, feeling more lost than ever. She isolates herself in a remote area, scared that if she loses control again, she could cause even more harm. During this time, she struggles with intense feelings of guilt and fear, wondering if she’s more of a weapon than a person.

It’s only when Iceman, a mutant with similar abilities, tracks her down that she starts to come out of her shell. He shares his own experiences with controlling his powers and offers to help her. With his support and guidance, Eira starts to gain confidence again, slowly coming to terms with her abilities. They even go on a few small missions together, helping out when extreme weather situations arise.

Despite this progress, Eira is still haunted by what she saw in the Heart of Ymir—visions of herself as a powerful, almost god-like being capable of reshaping entire realms. She fears that no matter how much she tries to do good, she’s destined to become a threat.

5. Acceptance

In the final act of her story, Eira is forced to confront her worst fears when the Frost Giants, now leaderless after Skorri’s defeat, attempt to use the Heart of Ymir to open a permanent gateway between Midgard and their realm. Knowing she’s the only one who can stop them, Eira teams up with the Avengers and Asgardians once more.

During the battle, she finally accepts that her powers are a part of her and not something to fear. Drawing on the full potential of her abilities, she manages to seal the rift between the realms and neutralize the Heart of Ymir, preventing anyone from using it again. In doing so, she risks losing her powers entirely, but instead, she emerges stronger and more in control than ever.

Having finally come to terms with who she is, Eira decides to stay on Earth but maintain her connections with Asgard. She becomes a bridge between the two worlds, helping both Asgardians and Midgardians understand and cooperate with each other. She’s still figuring out where she belongs, but she knows now that she doesn’t have to be defined by her past or her powers.

Hobbies and Interests:

1. Ice Sculpting: Given her powers, Eira naturally gravitates toward creating intricate ice sculptures. It started as a way to practice fine control over her abilities, but she found it calming and expressive. She enjoys crafting everything from small, delicate figures to large, elaborate structures. It’s her way of channeling her creativity and finding beauty in her powers.

2. Mountain Hiking: Eira grew up in a mountainous region and loves the outdoors. Hiking helps her clear her mind and reconnect with nature. She feels a sense of peace and freedom in high, snowy places where her powers feel most natural.

3. Learning Norse Mythology: Since discovering her connection to the Asgardian world, Eira has become fascinated with Norse myths and legends. She reads up on ancient tales, trying to understand her place in this larger cosmic story and learn more about the beings she might encounter.

4. Cooking and Baking: Eira finds cooking and baking to be a comforting, grounding activity. She’s especially good at making Norwegian comfort foods like kjøttkaker (meatballs) and skillingsboller (cinnamon rolls). It’s a way for her to stay connected to her roots and share a piece of her heritage with her new friends.

5. Music and Guitar Playing: Eira enjoys listening to music, particularly instrumental and folk music that reminds her of home. She’s also been learning to play the guitar, finding it a soothing way to unwind. While she’s not aiming to be a performer, she likes playing simple tunes that match the mood of the snowy landscapes she loves.

6. Meditation and Yoga: To help with her powers and the anxiety they sometimes bring, Eira practices meditation and yoga. It helps her center herself and keep her emotions in check, which is crucial for maintaining control over her abilities.

Likes and Dislikes

Likes:

1. Snowy Landscapes: Eira feels most at home in cold, snowy environments. She loves the stillness and beauty of a snow-covered forest or a quiet winter’s night. It’s where she feels most connected to herself and her powers.

2. Hot Chocolate: One of her favorite indulgences, especially after spending time in the cold. She has a particular fondness for rich, creamy hot chocolate with a hint of spice.

3. Winter Fashion: Eira has a soft spot for cozy sweaters, scarves, and boots. She enjoys dressing in layers and often incorporates her love of winter into her style.

4. Quiet Moments: Whether it’s a quiet evening alone or a peaceful walk in the snow, Eira values calm and solitude. It’s a chance for her to reflect and recharge.

5. Northern Lights: Eira is captivated by the beauty of the aurora borealis. Watching the lights dance across the sky gives her a sense of wonder and connection to the world.

6. Old Stories and Legends: Eira enjoys reading old myths and legends, especially those that touch on the nature of ice and cold. She finds them both fascinating and, sometimes, a little comforting.

Dislikes:

1. Overcrowded Places: Eira feels uncomfortable in busy, crowded environments. The noise and chaos make it hard for her to focus, and she worries about accidentally losing control of her powers.

2. Hot Weather: Eira struggles with heat. It makes her feel drained and disconnected from her abilities. She avoids warm climates as much as possible.

3. Being Misunderstood: One of her biggest fears is being seen as a threat or a freak because of her powers. She dislikes when people judge her without trying to understand her or when they only see her for her abilities and not who she is.

4. Conflict: Eira prefers to avoid unnecessary confrontations. While she can defend herself and others when needed, she dislikes fighting and the chaos it brings.

5. Being Pressured: Eira hates being pushed into things she’s not comfortable with, whether it’s using her powers in ways she’s unsure of or being forced into the spotlight. She values her independence and hates feeling like she has no choice.

6. Dishonesty and Betrayal: Eira values trust and honesty, and she finds it hard to forgive people who lie to or deceive her. She’s had to deal with enough uncertainty in her life and values genuine connections.

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

hope you guys like her!!

@missstrawbs2001 @jackiequick @blueboirick @aidanxsophxoxo @meiramel @purpleprincessonfyre @ask-missparker @askstevella @therealdaydreamstark @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh @rooster-83 @gaminggirlsstuff

[sarahmaclean]

Knockout is here! This one comes with very a very big hero who feels even bigger feelings for my curvy heroine who is pure, delightful, explosive (💥) mayhem. It’s full of all my favorite things: 

Two people who are absolutely gone for each other

A group of friends who clock it from the start and get popcorn

Justifiable face punching

An exasperated bodyguard of a hero

A heroine who has no intention of being body guarded

Banter--my god, these two and their BANTER just get a room already! (spoiler: they get a room)

Only one bed in a London snowstorm 

Me and you against the patriarchy

💥💥💥💥

I hope you’ll love this one as much as I do. I am so so thrilled to share it with you, because I miss these two a whole lot, and I can’t wait for y’all to meet them.

Get it wherever you get your books, or at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books or your local independent bookstore!

[dkniade]

What does albedo's title actually means,"Kreideprinz" in German it translates to chalk prince,but i tried to translate the Chinese one and it said "son of the chalk" what is the difference,can you tell me??

Kreideprinz, Albedo’s Chinese Title, and Albedo and Rhinedottir’s Relationship 

(Albedo Character Stories, 1.2 The Chalk Prince and the Dragon: Act IV, 2.3 Shadows Amidst Snowstorms: Act I, 3.5 Windblume’s Breath: Act III)

-

Hello! Thank you for the question.

(This was actually one of the first Genshin things I tried to translate back in late 2021 but I couldn’t explain it very well so here’s an encore.)

Okay so Genshin Impact’s English localization does this thing sometimes where they’ll take the Chinese name of a noteworthy group, building, or other special item/concept, and localize it into the language(s) from the culture(s) the region is based on. (E.g. In the English version, Fischl’s speech is often localized with German terms but she’s just using lots of purple prose in Chinese.)

With that being said, Albedo’s title in Chinese is 白垩之子 (baie zhi zi). 白垩 means “chalk”, as in limestone (compare with 白垩纪 (baie ji, Cretaceous Period). I don’t know much German if at all, but to my knowledge, the “kreide” part of “Kreideprinz” also means “chalk”, and “prinz” means “prince”, meaning “Kreideprinz” is “Chalk Prince”.

子 however feels a bit ambiguous in this context… It could mean “son” (e.g. 儿子 / erzi), or “person” (e.g. 男子 / nanzi = man, 女子 / nüzi =  woman), and 子 doesn’t necessarily mean “prince” by itself, however 王子 / wangzi (lit. king’s child) does mean “prince”. (Compare to 公子 / gonzi = “young master”, aka childe. Yes, that Childe.) Also, 弟子 / dizi means “follower”, or “disciple”, be it in a Daoist context or a scholarly context. 

All in all, 白垩之子’s meaning depends on the context a lot, specifically in terms of how Rhinedottir and Albedo see their relationship. Perhaps HoYoverse is intentionally being ambiguous. 

In order to know the nature of Albedo and Rhinedottir’s relationship from both their perspectives, we need to examine Chinese terminologies used to describe their relationship. (And even then, it varies a bit over time…)

------

Character Story 3

In Albedo’s Character Story 3, Rhinedottir is described as both 师父 (shifu, master/mentor) and Albedo’s only 亲人 (qinren, family member). HoYoverse translates this second term to “kin” (one’s family and relations).

Original CN: “师父的地位显然最为特殊。对阿贝多来说，她是唯一的亲人”

My EN TL: “It’s obvious that his master’s position [in relation to him] is the most special. To Albedo, she’s his only family member.”

Official EN TL: “And yet his master is unquestionably the most special to him. For Albedo, she is his only kin.”

Here, from Albedo’s perspective, Rhinedottir is his master and only family member.

-----

Character Story 4

But we know from Albedo’s Story 4 that 白垩之子 is a title Rhinedottir gave him when he finished his studies under her, so it’d be helpful to know what the title 白垩之子 meant to Rhinedottir, and whether in that moment she saw him as her son (儿子, erzi), or apprentice (弟子, dizi), or creation…

Here, 出师 (chushi) is “to serve out one’s apprenticeship”, and Rhinedottir is again referred to as 师父 (shifu, master/mentor). The official English localization does not specify these two concepts.

Original CN: “此外，还有一件较为特殊的礼物：师父对阿贝多出师一事给予书面认可，并授予他「白垩之子」的称号。”

My EN TL: “Aside from this, there was another relatively special gift: his master left him a written acknowledgement that he’s served out his apprenticeship, and gave him the title of [Chinese equivalent of Kreideprinz].” 

Official EN TL: “If one were to push the definition a little, she had left him another gift — the title of Kreideprinz, and with it, a written acknowledgment that she had nothing further to teach him.” 

Here, Rhinedottir and Albedo are explicitly described as having a master/apprentice relationship. 

----

Character Story 5

And in Albedo’s Story 5, his nature as a homunculus is strongly implied. Rhinedottir is described as, again, 师父 (shifu, master/mentor), but also that she is 有别于父母 (youbie yu fumu, different from a parent) yet it’s also explicitly stated that “Albedo’s life comes from her”. 

Note that 父母 (fumu) is (technically) “father and mother”, but it can refer to both birth parents or adoptive parents because the nature is not specified. The English localization doesn’t go into detail here and Rhinedottir is simply stated as “not his birth mother”.

Original CN: “师父固然有别于父母，可毫无疑问，阿贝多的生命来自于她。”

My EN TL: “His master is of course different from a parent, but there’s no doubt that Albedo’s life comes from her.” 

Official EN TL: “She was not his birth mother, but there is no doubt that his life stems from her.”

Applied to Rhinedottir though, parent is used as a counterexample here in Chinese. Sounds like some sort of experiment with dubious morals (confirmed in 2.3). 

So how would a master who’s not a parent see a living creation such as Albedo…?

----

1.2 The Chalk Prince and the Dragon: Afterword (Act V)

Albedo again refers to Rhinedottir as his 师父 (shifu, master/mentor) in his soliloquy at the end of 1.2 The Chalk Prince and the Dragon, when he talks about Durin.

Original CN: 莱茵多特…师父…这就是你曾经创造的巨龙「杜林」吗？

My EN TL: Rhinedottir… Master… So this is Durin, the great dragon that you created back then?”

Official EN TL: “Rhinedottir… Master… Is this your creation, the giant dragon Durin?”

And yet—

----

2.3 Shadows Amidst Snowstorms: The Snowy Past (Act I)

We also get confirmation in 2.3 Shadows Amidst Snowstorms that Albedo is a synthetic human (“artificial human” also works) created by Rhinedottir, who, according to him this time, is his mother and teacher.

(Though, Shadows Amidst Snowstorms happens in Mondstadt, meaning he’s known Klee and Alice for quite some time now, so perhaps Alice taught him the meaning of “mother”.)

Original CN: “我是一个人造人。将我创造出来的，正是我的母亲和老师——坎瑞亚学者，「黄金」莱茵多特。”

My EN TL: “I am a synthetic human. The one who created me is none other than my mother and teacher—the Khaenri’ahn researcher, “Gold” Rhinedottir.”

Official EN TL: “I am a synthetic human being... a human forged by human hand. The one who created me, my mother and teacher, her name is Rhinedottir — a researcher from Khaenri’ah, also known as "Gold."”

BUT WAIT, WE’RE NOT DONE YET. ‘CAUSE WE STILL NEED TO CONSIDER, OF COURSE—

---

3.5 Windblume’s Breath: Joy Above the Clouds (Act III)

…which changes everything, so much that I was quite frustrated when I first watched it, but let’s look at this again from a more rational perspective.

Rhinedottir says, in a casual tone as the animation shows flasks and test tubes—

Original CN: “我养了一个儿子呢。许多个孩子，最终只剩他一人。也算是当了母亲吧？” 

My EN TL: “I’m raising a son, you know. Of the many children I have, only he remained in the end. Guess that would still make me a mother?” 

Official EN TL: “I'm raising a son. Of all the children I had, he's the only one left. But I suppose that still makes me a mother?”

Okay, so in the 3.5 cutscene, Rhinedottir sees her relationship with Albedo as a mother/son relationship.

----

Interpretations?

So where does that leave us, with Albedo’s title 白垩之子？

…

Remember how I said 子 (zi) depends on the context?

Some interpretations:

Albedo Story 4, Albedo’s POV: Rhinedottir is the master; Albedo is the graduated apprentice — 白垩之子 could mean “Disciple of Chalk”

Albedo Story 3 and 5, Albedo’s POV: Rhinedottir is the master, family member, and not-really-parent figure; Albedo is the apprentice — 白垩之子 could mean “Son of Chalk”

1.2 Dragonspine Act IV, Albedo’s POV: Rhinedotir is the master — 白垩之子 could mean “Disciple of Chalk”

2.3 Dragonspine Act I, Albedo’s POV: Rhinedottir is the mother and teacher; Albedo is her creation and homunculus. — 白垩之子 could mean both “Son of Chalk” and “Prince of Chalk” (Kreideprinz)

(Prince in a metaphoric “fancy title” way, like how Childe is not actually a nobleman despite his title…)

3.5 Windblume Act III, Rhinedottir’s POV: Rhinedottir is the mother, Albedo is the son — 白垩之子 could mean “Son of Chalk”

----------

…Albedo can’t seem to define clearly his relationship with Rhinedottir, even though Rhinedottir seems to consider him her son, at least in the cutscene.

*like it’s a dramatic monologue*

What is “mother”? What is “ master”? “Son”? “Apprentice”? What is… 白垩之子?

The truth of this title, does “Kreideprinz” encompass all this…?

I don’t know.

Or in other words, maybe he’s whatever you want him to be, based on the context.

…Thank you for reading! ^^

[inu-mothership]

Inu-Mothership Spotlight Saturday: Holiday Edition!

Hi everyone! We here at @inu-mothership are back with a series of very special fic rec lists, just in time for the holidays!

Over the next six weeks, we'll be posting a new list with a special theme. This week (Week 1), our theme is Snow, and we have 13 fics (listed below the cut) to recommend with this theme!

In the spirit of the Mothership, we have included a variety of ships. Ratings, and current status (complete or ongoing) are also listed parenthetically. We hope you find some new holiday classics to return to year after year ❄️

A Blizzard for Christmas (MirSan, InuKag; T; complete) by @heynikkiyousofine

I saw this little blog post about how a group of customers and employees were snowed at a local IKEA and immediately came up with this little fic for it. Enjoy my beautiful people! 💕

Can Inuyasha Come Out and Play? (InuKag; G; complete) by @neutronstarchild

When an 8 year old Kagome Higurashi sees a boy with doggie ears and golden eyes through the window of Ms. Izayoi's house, she knows she must do something. Doesn't Ms. Izayoi know that everyone, whether they have demonic heritage or not, deserves to play out in the snow?

A Fateful Encounter (TogIza; T; complete) by @sapphirestarxx

Fleeing an unwanted betrothal, Izayoi gets caught in a snowstorm. On the verge of freezing, she encounters someone who saves her and offers her all the choices she's never had before.

Fire and Ice (MirSan; E; complete) by Anonymous

After a snowstorm traps them in a cave for the night, Miroku has an idea to help pass the time. Sango makes him work for it, or tries to.

The Gift of Dreaming (KikSan; NR; complete) by Commoner (Ao3)

Sango is just having the worst day. Miroku kissed another woman, a demon kicked her butt, and a snow storm trapped she and the last person she ever wanted to interact with in a cabin. How could it get any worse? The person she's trapped with is very attractive.

If You’re Lonely, Make Me (SessKag; G; complete) by @elevenharbor

Kagome dreams of the near-impossible each time it snows.

It’s All Downhill from Here (MirSan; T; complete) by @violetasteria

Two interns are sent on a one day trip to tour a hotel for a company event, but when they get snowed in, Miroku and Sango find themselves stuck in very close quarters.

New Year (SessKag; M; complete) by @sereia1313

Kagome is fully prepared to spend New Year's Eve alone, but fate has other plans.

Reflections in the Snow (InuKag; T; complete) by @ruddcatha

Inuyasha stands amidst the first falling snow, reflecting on memories of winter and the person who taught him to love. 

Silly, Naughty, and Obnoxious Wanderers (InuKagMor; T; complete) by @alannada

Secret-Santa 2021!

Giftee: kaorimizunya

Prompt: I love so much to see InuKag with Moroha playing with snow!

Snowblind (InuKik; G; complete) by @sonjajade

Their situation seems so dire, yet a certain hanyou refuses to let it get his miko down.

A Snowy Walk Home (InuKag; T; complete) by @curlybookwriter0294

Inuyasha truly does not want to admit it...he was cold very cold and he's also stubborn and doesn't want to accept help from his girlfriend Kagome. He doesn't need her help. He was fine. He's a demon! Well, human right now and he doesn't need her big red puffy coat that looks so warm. Will he finally accept it and stop being stubborn?

Touch (InuKag; G; complete) by @serial-doubters-club/hakomorebi (Ao3)

Inuyasha shows up unexpectedly in Kagome's time. Neither of them could anticipate what they would experience for the first time on a cold winters night. Written for InuKag Fluff Week 2021 (Day 4: Touch).

Winter Snow (InuKag; T; complete) by@lavendertwilight89

Kagome reflects back about her first year in the feudal era with her mate. Inuyasha has a surprise.

[selfsabotaqe]

paying good $$$ for someone to let me play courtney eaton, davika hoorne, nicholas galitzine, jessica alexander, logan lerman, xavier serrano, greta onieogou, ayca aysin turan, kim doyeon, chase sui wonders, maia cotton, drew starkey, taylor zakhar perez, gracie abrams, lola tung & apo nattawin in a plot on discord. open to anything in terms of pairings and any slice of life plots, but there's some specific ideas down below 🥹

any generic mumu. looking to generally start with a maximum of four muses each, but i would love mumus with ships with intertwined plots. the floor of an apartment building? college friends? high school friend group getting together for a reunion? band on tour? travelers staying in the same hostel room? sports team with wags? go wild. specifically for mumus, i would prefer writing a variety of pairings including same sex couples, and writing (against) a mix of men, women and non binary muses. so i ask partners are open to writing a variety of muses in terms of gender and sexuality themselves. i'll always be down for m/f plots as well, but i am not interested in just doubling up for the sake of it.

any sports plots. rival athletes to lovers? teammates who hook up constantly (no homo) but are in denial about feeling more? athlete and the no nonsense journalist who makes their life hell, but they are kinda into it? athlete and their celebrity significant other, who could be a real couple or fake dating? athlete and assistant coach, or team medic, or pr manager? mumu with multiple plots within the same sports league or team? especially looking for soccer, formula one or hockey (because i know most about those) but open to other options.

enemies to lovers based on jake and amy from brooklyn nine nine. two coworkers stuck in a work performance rivalry that's slowly turning more and more romantic. lawyers trying to win cases? servers or bartenders trying to make the most tips?

any cliche hallmark holiday movie plots but add more to it. pretend to be my significant other for the holidays? i've been stuck in a snowstorm in this town/city away from home? i'm visiting my family far away from where i live and oh shit, there's a really hot local? i'm visiting my family in my home town for the holidays, and my childhood best friend is giving me butterflies? just give me cliches, give me one trying to teach the other how to ice skate, give me hot cocoa in front of the fire, give me hooking up in their childhood bedroom and trying to keep the noise down for the family downstairs.

give me any (modern) royalty au. heirs from rival countries being forced into marriage to form a political alliance? prince secretly hooking up with one of his guards? unknowing american traveling to this small european country where they by chance meet one of the royals?

enemies with benefits plots in any capacity. sports setting? academic rivals? neighbours who drive each other mad playing loud music too late at night? just these vibes.

potentially something based off this, but maybe combined with a "muse a thinks they're enemies while muse b has been flirting all along" plot. very open to make this m/m or f/f as well.

very legal (don't make it weird!!!!!) age gap plots where maybe for once they do think it's difficult. maybe they're at different places in their life? maybe one of them wants kids and the other doesn't? maybe they just moved in together and they're having a ton of fights? maybe they want something different out of their relationships? could also be combined with any of the above tbh.

[identityarchitect]

which ones most embody each of the fears from the magnus archives

hmm im gonna just assign them fears under the cut cus i have a lot of ocs

solace group

a glimmer of seasalt - lonely. she's too far away from anyone to be on the main communication network, so fox has to forward any messages to her, and after communications broke down she was just alone.

three tears of a fox - corruption. this girl is Literally infested. she is Literally rotting. very corruptioncore

rising birds - mmmm very tentative hunt, maybe end. ive mentioned before that her whole thing is trying to figure out how to kill iterators so that she can protect people so. yeah

stormclouds overhead - eye? maybe? during his collapse he lost lots of memory so he's using. basically feral cats as librarians to rebuild his memory. thats decently eye

cold water rushing - stranger methinks but possibly spiral. its name is a pseudonym and it hides its face i couldnt make it more stranger w/o making it an actual clown

seven crowns of bone - buried. my guy literally got eaten by a sinkhole

chorus group

collector of caged kismet - vast! he's trying to get a slugcat to go down to the void sea and then come back up which like. can you even get more vast

bells of other ballads - very tentatively flesh. she's trying to train a slugcat to be an engineer to repair iterators, and iterators are biomechanical, so i guess flesh?

caught under null thorns - im gonna be real i have no idea what CUNT is like. no assignment because of lack of personality

forgoing all glory - honestly very difficult. extinction is the closest. FAG was built to be self repairing to a fault, and designed to be an everlasting monument to the ancients, so that he'd stick around Literally Forever. which is kinda vast now that i think about him but him and his mindset is closer to extinction/end/desolation

does your kin endure - uhhhh. im giving her an honorary potential dark/desolation alignment im gonna be honest i havent thought much about her either

to reinvent as new, not yours - flesh baby!! literally a trans surgery machine, flesh as hell

69 weed leaves - corruption? hes pretty much falling apart and theres plants and shit in his machinery which is pretty corruption

equinox group (+ winters group which are technically separate)

no peaceful ending - end. no question. she died, she came back wrong, oliver banks is high fiving her as we speak

fibres of silence - im honestly gonna say slaughter. silence is VERY mad for what winter did to peace. if not slaughter then lonely

hallows of fate, damned - uhhhhhh. buried? maybe? in the sense of more metaphorical pressure. fate has very bad imposter syndrome stemming from one Really bad fuckup that ended up harming a lot of his colony, so i guess i could see her being buried.

glowing wind between speckled trees - she's probably kind of like adelard dekker or mikaele salesa in that she interacts with the entities without being bound to any of them. my girl just cares about tea. if i really really had to, maybe eye

dappled light over decaying leaves - web or eye. i dont know how just yet but this girl knows things she is not supposed to

winters group

awakening winter - web. no doubt. this man manipulates other people to his own end so much. hes also got some desolation/hunt spice in there from all the killings and ruination

nebula of snow eternal - hmm. end? possibly desolation. he was winter's first victim, and he collapsed and was literally crushed by his can (similar to how peace was) so. yeah

cycles within cycles - end! this guy was a sliverist, meaning that he believed death was the means to ascension. trying to stop winter was a win-win scenario for him; either he stops winter, or winter kills him (thus ascending him). he gave no shits

revent chorus, the silence calls - slaughter slaughter slaughter slaughter my guy went mad and started killing for as of yet unknown reasons. slaughter as hell

[twinkpriest]

Omg.... Please share your headcanons about the goth kids

>:3c mwahahaha i hope youre ready anon (cracks knuckles)

also i need share credit bc all of these were jointly created in my bf @lilachawk and i's dms <3

general:

their group chat is called "the cavern of darkness", they named it that in middle school and never changed it. any time they refer to it in verbal speech they just call is "the cavern"

they do secret santa every year. they draw names from michael's plastic viking helmet

they all definitely have their non-goth-music guilty pleasures but the main one they all have in common is lady gaga. her 2009 vma performance won their respect

they're still decent friends with stan and get invited to his birthday party every year. sometimes they go sometimes they don't

michael:

november scorpio

i'm gonna ignore how all of the houses in town are laid out because i firmly believe he has an attic bedroom. every wall/ceiling surface is covered in posters and stuff. full bookshelves, lots of tchotchkes, old concert ticket stubs, that kinda stuff. maximalism baby!!

gay gay homosexual gay

has a long haired black cat named bella (short for belladonna). rescued her from a snowstorm

him saying his parents were separated in raisins was just him being #edgy & his parents shown in gk3 are his actual parents. they never got divorced. he was raised interfaith jewish and buddhist. 

he has ehlers-danlos. i always give him ring splints in my drawings. the cane is actually needed sometimes

drives his dad's old camaro. the engine is really loud and it holds up like shit in the wintertime but he’s secretly really fond of the car

got a part time job at the only respectable record store in town junior year

pete:

water sign. pisces or cancer

only child of a single father who does construction work. his dad doesn't quite understand the goth thing but he's supportive

bi king. had a normie girlfriend in highschool. not for long, but it was still a very weird experience for everyone involved

super into comics, esp indie stuff. dream job is definitely to be a comic book artist

if the shirt+bolo tie wasn't a giveaway, he's lowkey into western vibes/influences. he probably has one of those old dramatically fringed suede jackets that he found in a local goodwill

really puts the Y in diy, probably the best & most creative out of the 4 of them when it comes to altering clothes and making accessories and shit

bites his nails/picks his skin

has a pet rat named boris

a little transmasc pilled if u ask me....

henrietta:

probably a virgo

mean lesbian <3

she stays designated driver for most of high school but later on, her and michael kinda divvy up friend group driving responsibilities. she is still the default though, because when michael drives she’s an intense backseat driver

she drives her mom's horrible subaru most of the time but she 100% would be the person to save up and buy a hearse as her daily car

is always the first to hear about local shows. she just knows people

i looooove the recurring thing in fics where she is the one to dye pete's hair. she does the sally’s run & dyes/trims his hair and in exchange he fixes rips in her clothes or superglues the soles back onto her shoes or something like that 

loves those new age crystal incense dragon hippie stores you see in malls. secretly likes the cool fairy statues they sell in them

firkle:

april aries

SUPER into vulture culture. has too many bones and not enough space for them

likes harsh noise music. calms him down

sends the strangest, most esoteric memes in the group chat and the rest of them have no idea where he finds them or what they mean

sorry i have like nothing else for firkle he kinda eludes me

[dubiousduskwight]

Day 14: Telling

The hunting party as a group stopped in their tracks not half a bell after they’d crossed the Gates of Judgment. The game here was less dangerous thanks to the increased military presence, and if somebody was badly hurt or lost in a snowstorm then Camp Dragonhead and Whitebrim were both close enough that aid could be sought and a rescue party summoned. Matthieu had planned to insist on this when his parish’s shooting club had invited him along, but to his relief he needn’t have concerned himself, as this was part of their usual route.

The club was a small one, the product of a few citizens in the parish coming into money thanks to Ishgard’s increased trade volume and deciding to put that coin to use acquiring some of Skysteel’s newest products. None of them were able to afford the aetherotransformer unit that turned the average rifle into a multi-faceted man-portable weapon of mass destruction, but having access to rifle and shot still made them feel like they were part of the new Coerthas and afforded them the chance to go out on hunts without years of training in spear or bow.

They’d insisted on Matthieu coming along at least once, and while he was generally well-liked by most of his constituents, he had to admit that he was most popular with the kind of people who got along with his aunt: older ladies who enjoyed their tea and gossip, found his willingness to help around the store to be charming, and lightly teased him about his relationship with Edda. That was enough of the parish to have gotten him elected, but he had to admit that getting others to like him more would help in the next election. In this case, that meant agreeing to attend one of the Crozier 4th’s Official Club of Jolly Fellows once-a-moon hunts.

The title was not of his choosing.

And so he’d agreed, gotten some assistance from his fellows in the Commons in selecting an easy-to-use carbine and how to load, point, and fire it without embarrassing himself, allowing for the knowledge that this was his first time out, and met up with a dozen of the Fellows at the Gates. The plan had been to traipse about the snows between the Gates and Whitebrim, take a few cloudkin or a wild karakul if the opportunity presented itself, then head back to help themselves to some beet stew and sort out who was the best and worst shot while their catches were prepared.

It was a cloudy morning, and while the cloudwatchers had suggested a mild chance of snow, visibility was still clear. The group had a clear view of the Nail interrupting the highlands in one large series of jagged peaks, and of what had stopped them: a single dragon, perched on one of the larger outcroppings, observing the comings and goings of the wildlife on the ground below.

“Fury, would you look at that.” Alort, the parish cobbler, made a quick sign of prayer to Halone, his tone of voice breathless. It wasn’t clear to Matthieu if he spoke in awe or fear.

“Never thought I’d see one of those without taking to my heels,” said Gaspardieux, the carpenter. “Still feels like I ought to.”

“That makes sense.” Matthieu kept his composure while he replied, simply raising a hand to the dragon in greeting. Events surrounding his election had given him more benign exposure to the Dravanian Horde than the average commoner, and he kept abreast of efforts to repatriate those who had turned into aevis and wished to return to the city. “I’m sure it’s just as wary.”

If the dragon had even seen Matthieu’s raised hand, it didn’t show it, simply lowering its head to rest it on its forelegs. “Mayhaps if we were knights or dragoons it’d be wary,” said Gaspardieux. “But I left my chainmail at home and haven’t perched on any high places of late.” The other Fellows chuckled, the tension easing.

“It’s a lovely color, isn’t it?” said Ophoix, the local gemcutter. “Like sapphires, but a little deeper.” He stepped forward, shielding his eyes from the clouds to get a better look. “I’d love to see it up close.”

“I don’t think you’ll be turning that into a stone fit for a brooch anytime soon, Ophie,” said Gaspardieux.

“I wouldn’t!” Ophoix stepped back, holding up his other hand in protest. “But surely, just a scale. Mayhaps we could ask.”

“No.” The statement was short, sharp, and firm, and came from Aubineaux, the parish tailor. The others took notice; while the Fellows had no official leader, it was Aubineaux who took the hunts most seriously, did most of the organizing, and led the other members in drills to improve their marksmanship. “Let it come to us if it likes, but otherwise we keep our distance.”

There was some grumbling from the Fellows, but Aubineaux stood firm, turning to face them from the head of the group. “No.” Grim-faced, with heavy eyebrows and a stocky build for an elezen, the tailor didn’t match up to the “Jolly” part of the club’s name. Matthieu suspected the title wasn’t of his choosing, either.

“Well, what’s it doing here, anyway?” The question came from Constant, one of the local tutors. Matthieu frowned; to his recollection, Constant had been one of the more reactionary voices in the community in Ishgard’s recent upheavals. Some had thought he was one of the True Brethren, in their brief existence, but he’d denied this ever since their disbandment. “It’s quite far from Dravania.” “I’m sure the knights are aware of it,” Matthieu replied. “If we’re going to be at peace, we have to have some free movement, and simply live with a little suspicion. Perhaps it’s simply enjoying time where it wouldn’t be otherwise.”

“I don’t know,” said Alort. “You wouldn’t catch me going past Falcon’s Nest, let alone Tailfeather, and certainly not out in their own lands simply because I could. It doesn’t mean I ought.”

“We don’t even catch you leaving even the parish, Alort,” said Gaspardieux. The cobbler puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

“And we already have their dragonets in the Firmament,” said Matthieu. “And the returning aevis and so forth. I simply mean there’s a good reason for it, no doubt.”

“Good or ill, we’re wasting time.” Aubineaux gestured down the trail towards the Whitebrim Front. “And losing good bells when we could be catching karakul with no snow to cover their tracks.”

“What a catch it would be though, eh?” Constant mused on this, watching the dragon with a speculative expression. “In worse times, of course.” “Of course,” said Matthieu. “But only in worse times. Remember what happened to Flaurienne Mollet?”

The Fellows all collectively winced. Mollet, who had stood for another parish in the Crozier, was scandalized to have been involved in the poaching of dragon leather after the conclusion of the Dragonsong War, and had been forced to resign in disgrace.

Before any further debate could be had, Gaspardieux pointed upwards at the dragon. Following his arm, the group saw a pair of smaller figures flitting about the dragon. “Have a look, it’s just brought its children on a little outing, you see? Nothing wrong with that.” There was a long silence among the group as they watched the wyrmlings flit about the outcropping. The dragon briefly snapped its maw in the air, as if to chide them, and then settled down again. After a minute, Matthieu found he misliked it.

“We certainly shouldn’t get close if that’s the case. Aubineaux, could you lead us to some tracks, if you please?”

“Yes.” Despite his refusal, at this point even Aubineaux was watching the dragon. “Come along now.”

[bysaber]

𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

╰ Satoru Gojo

breaking up | 1.2k | sfw | f!reader, hurt/comfort

You break up with the love of your life a few weeks prior Christmas.

neighbor rivalry | 1.3k | sfw | gn!reader, christmas themed

You and your neighbor keep bickering about who has the most beautiful Christmas-decorated house in the street.

╰ Megumi Fushiguro

keep it on the low | 1.8k | nsfw | f!reader

Megumi is getting around to the fact that you aren’t settling down. Prequel.

untitled | 1.6k | nsfw | f!reader, mutual pining

After a ski trip with a group of friends, a snowstorm traps you and the only person in the group you barely talk with, Megumi Fushiguro.

╰ Yuji Itadori

keep you | 2.8k | nsfw | f!reader, cheating

You find yourself alone with your boyfriend’s loving brother who has a crush on you. If your boyfriend cheats on you, there’s no problem if you cheat back, right?

╰ Ryomen Sukuna

body and soul | 3.4k | nsfw | dark content, f!reader, noncon, true form!sukuna

Back in the Heian period, you were Ryomen Sukuna’s lover, the only human that mattered to him – so he made a binding vow with a witch to have you reincarnated time after time. It was a shame you married Satoru Gojo before he found you.

╰ Kento Nanami

untitled | 1k | sfw | f!reader, fluff, christmas themed

Kento Nanami indulges your love for Christmas and helps you decorate your shared house because there isn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for you.

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒

╰ Megumi Fushiguro

you look so pretty when you cry to me | 0.2k | nsfw | f!reader

Prequel to KEEP IT ON THE LOW.

untitled | 0.5k | sfw | gn!reader, fluff, christmas themed

After years of online communication, you surprise your boyfriend by showing up at his door to celebrate Christmas together.

╰ Toji Fushiguro

santa’s prettiest elf | 0.8k | nsfw | f!reader, christmas themed

Toji Fushiguro takes his son to meet the local Santa, and one of his elves catches his attention.

╰ Ryomen Sukuna

untitled | 0.4k | sfw | f!reader, fluff

Your long-lived boyfriend doesn’t see the big deal about snow.

╰ Kento Nanami

untitled | 0.3k | sfw | gn!reader, fluff

You and your lover, Kento, decide to spend the Holidays in Malaysia.

╰ Suguru Geto

untitled | 0.6k | sfw | gn!reader, angst, hurt/no comfort, christmas themed

In a world filled with curses and tragedies, Suguru Geto hears the most beautiful voice of his damned life when he least expects to.

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

╰ Satoru Gojo

needy best friend!gojo

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒

╰ Satoru Gojo

reader with sensitive ears

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

╰ Yuta Okkotsu

yuta with obsessive possessive!reader

[alieinthemorning]

Sheer Cold Liar [Albedo | Kaeya Alberich] [Continuation]

Content: Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Event Spoilers, Fluff, Angst, Kaeya Being A Lil Shit, Albedo Is So Done, Klee Is The Bestest Girl, POV Second Person

Pronouns: She/Her

Previous: Sheer Cold Cryo

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

Instead of heading to one of the taverns, Albedo insisted that he make a meal for you.

“Kaeya should be the one cooking.” You nudged the man.

“I could—”

“There’s no need.” Albedo cut him off, “Besides, there’s actually something I need the two of you to do for me.”

Kaeya pursed his lips. “Let me guess—”

“Big brother Albedo!” A small burst of red crashed into his stomach.

“Hello, Klee.” His lips broke into a fond smile that stretched across his face.

Now you knew what that something was.

“Oh dear— My apologies, Albedo.” Mona, Mondstadt’s local astrologist, quickly approached your group. “I tried my best but—”

“It’s fine.” He assured her. “I’m sure Klee was a good girl while I was gone.”

“The bestest girl!” She nodded vigorously, then gasped. “Big brother Keaya and—!” She paused, “I don’t know who her…”

You crouched down to her level, and introduced yourself.

She gasped, eyes sparking. “You’re the person that they really, really like!”

You didn’t need to look at the boys to know they were embarrassed at the girl’s outburst, but who were you to deny the words of the bestest girl?

Especially when she was right.

“Yep! That’s me!” You giggled, watching as the girl jumped in excitement.

“Can she come over for dinner, big brother please, please, please?” She gave him the biggest puppy eyes you’d ever seen.

He chuckled, “Yes, yes, Klee.”

Albedo’s quarters within the Knight’s Headquarters were bigger than Kaeya’s and definitely bigger than the dorms. While Albedo worked in the kitchen, you, Kaeya and Mona kept Klee occupied. Which was a lot tougher than expected, but even though this was the first time meeting her, you knew she had you wrapped around her gunpowder stained fingers.

You could only pray to Barbatos that when the two of you inevitably get in trouble, you’re not found by Jean.

Dinner went by without a hitch, and with the help of Mona’s sparkly scryglass, Klee was easily put down for the night.

“This was one of the most eventful nights I’ve had in a while.” Mona commented as she made her way to the door. “I believe it has to do with her,” she nodded at you. “We’ll have to set a day aside to chat more by ourselves.”

You smirked. “Of course, maybe next week?”

She mirrored you. “It’s a date.”

Kaeya cleared his throat.

You rolled your eyes. “A get-together between friends. Is that better?”

“Much.”

And with that, you bid a giggling Mona a good night. Locking the door, you spun on your heel with a wide grin.

“So the two of you really, really like me?”

“What isn’t there to like?” Kaeya shrugged.

“Ah, you’re just being sweet.” You brought his face down to yours, kissing his eye patch.

“You know he’s right.” Albedo chimed from the kitchen.

Moving from one captain to the next, you fitted yourself against his back.

“And you’re being sweeter. My sweet boys.” You pecked the star on his neck.

That was the last time you’d seen Albedo.

Your Albedo

Whoever was standing in front of you now wasn’t him, but they didn’t need to know that.

“I’ll visit you soon.”

They shook their head. “There’s no need. I’ll be fine on my own.”

You wanted to frown, to call them out, ask them for your Albedo, but you held your tongue and schooled your face.

Smiling, you nodded. “Okay. Bye.”

They only gave you a curt nod before turning on their heel and walking away out of the Knight’s Headquarters.

“That’s not our prince.” You finally let the smile drop from your lips as Kaeya rounded the corner. “His crown is missing.”

“How peculiar,” he hummed, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Shall we do a bit of investigating ourselves, then?”

You brought his hand to your lips. “What sort of knights would we be if we didn’t protect our prince?”

“Inefficient ones.” He chuckled.

Somewhere within the Dawn Winery, Diluc sneezed.

Ko-Fi | Commission| Masterlist

[youlooksogoodinblue]

Fob albums as seasons

Because i saw sum ppl asking what seasons the albums r, also not including greatest hits or eps :)

TTTYG

early summer, like the weeks just after when school ends. This is probably bc of the lyrics to Saturday and the doa music vid. But the entire album to me is just sun burns, hot humid thunderstorms, staying up late and talking for hours with your friends, the beginning of summer excitement and regret for how the past academic year has been spent. Yeah

FUTCT

The obvious choice is the correct one, this album is autumn. Like the mv for Sugar is very obviously set in autumn and dance dance set in a school probably is the main reason i think this. But its like November Fall rather than September or October, its almost winter, its getting darker for longer, most of the pretty fall foliage has fallen to the ground, leaving the trees naked and cold, studying exhaustion and stress from midterms. apple cider, cinnamon and pumpkin spice flavored everything(but you’re still bitter).

IOH

This one is the haziest i think, i think it is spring. But the early spring i experience as a northerner(USA). Its snowstorms in april, seeing trees with buds on them dusted with snow. Its cursing that stupid fucking groundhog for the “two more weeks” of winter, that seem to last for months. Its spiders sneaking into your home because they exited diapause too early and while it was 72 degrees yesterday, ice has covered your driveway once again this morning.

Folie

Early autumn/ late summer, like late august early September, its back to school ads, the time you are wishing for halloween while it still reaching 80 degree weather, the smell of autumn just starting to linger in the mornings, the first few leaves falling to the earth. Regret of free time and good weather wasted and looming dread for the SAD winter yet to come.

SRAR And AB/AP

These are grouped together bc they are both summer, and in similar ways. They are July, they are fireworks going off for weeks before and after the fourth, and being able to see them from your bedroom window. They are amusement parks, concerts, and beaches visited and enjoyed, but maybe not as much as you hoped. Specifically Ab/ap is riding your bike to a local ice cream parlor and paying the teenage employee in coins. SRAR is scraped knees and palms, beat up chuck taylors, and heatstroke.

Mania

Summer. Mania feels like carefully selecting seashells from the beach, only to have your brother shatter them. Sticky popsicles dripping down your chin, no one has a napkin. Its the smell of smoke from barbecue and bonfires that you were not invited to. Its cloudless warm nights but being afraid to go out to look. Its standing in the middle of a thunderstorm in your bathing suit.

SMFS

Winter. Specifically the time after Christmas, Its being able to see your breath, its watching the ball drop and actually being excited for another chance. Its snow reflecting Christmas lights still left up. Its slipping and falling on black ice and being forced to look at the stars. Its enjoying the things you have already received and savoring the time you have spent.

[asketchydomesticatedgremlin]

short blue bot. silly scrungly lass.

lore below because ik it can get annoying to scroll past

Watches the Snowfall was built on top of a frozen mountain. Due to the now frequent snowstorms caused by other iterator emissions, two other iterators were built nearby, Listens to Nothing and Orchard of Trees, using the massive amounts of water she created from melting the ice.

WtSF is not the senior of a local group, but she is within the small trio she is in with LtN and OoT (like moon and pebbles), thus gaining seniority admin privileges when communicating with them. 

Not having a city on top of her structure, the ancients deciding to not construct overseers for her. She purely relies on diagnosis systems and information from the few of OoT’s overseers or LtN’s Enforcers that visit her. OoT has sent several messengers to ferry pearls, though not often due to the steep climb.

ty for reading and I will be posting more about this concept later on!