#there's not a name for this universe yet but i'm sure i'll find one soon

[upontherisers]

in this room 'til we die

a/n: it has been ages, truly ages since i posted my work on here and, well, mota has given me brainrot. this tumbled out of me between midnight and 2:00 am and i'm happy to share it with you. title is from 'The Elevator' off of lizzy mcalpine's newest album. meet lieutenant vera west, bombardier

She’s trying to remember the feeling of it as she lies on the floor behind her seat. The moonlight flowing in from the nose dome brightens the space just enough to remind her where she is, but keeps the details hidden. Good. The thing she’s here for is in her mind. The rest is set dressing.

She closes her eyes and pushes her shoulder blades into the bottom of the machine below her. She’d melt herself into the floor if she could, mix with the metal until there’s no difference between person and plane. She’d become the bird herself. The belly of the plane pushes back at her and the pain activates her heart, which activates her instinct. She can do this. She can do this. 

Pilot to bombardier—Ginny’s voice washes over her—the plane is yours.

She knows what to do next, easy as breathing. Get the target in her bomb sight, give the crew the count down, hit the release, and bombs away. Bombardier to pilot, the plane is yours. I’m giving it to you, Ginny! The plane is yours. Do you hear me? You can come back, the plane is yours. They shake and jolt through flak as behind her, Knick Knack shouts the new heading to the pilots. All Vera can do is get back on her turret and pray that they make it through. 

They get hit. She knows they get hit from the monstrous boom on their left side and the sudden lurch the plane takes. There’s barely enough time to grab her chute as she’s screaming for everyone to bail, do it! do it now! But the bell doesn’t ring. Knick Knack keeps giving their bearings and Ginny keeps her steady. Can’t you hear me? Get out! Get out! It all goes black.

She gasps back into her body with a shout, the dark flooding her eyes. The shaking in her hands is back and she curses herself. Do the damn job. Her hands shaking could be—no—would be the difference between someone’s life and death, and she could not bear another nine on her conscience. She’ll run it until her hands stop shaking. If it takes all night and all of the next day and all of the next war. She has a job to do and she will not fail. Not again.

One measured breath, then another up into the roof of the nose, then she closes her eyes again, hears Ginny’s voice. Pilot to bombardier, the plane is yours.

The hatch to the nose opens but she ignores it. There’s a job to do. Give the crew the countdown. Bomb bay doors opening. Hit the release. Bombardier to pilot, the plane is yours. Ginny doesn’t answer. Bombardier to pilot, like being louder would do anything, the plane is yours. The plane is—

“It’s late.”

Benny DeMarco climbs into the nose, brushing his shoulder with hers as he lies down next to her. 

She doesn’t open her eyes. “I’m tryna fly.”

“That’s my job.”

The Ginny in her head goes silent and Vera sighs, opening her eyes. The roof of Our Baby is too obscured in shadow to make out much, but she can see the dents and dings she knows are there. How many more could it take? How many more Luftwaffe shells could find their way inside before they’re careening out of the sky, too? What would it feel like as the bottom drops out? She wishes Ginny or Tanner or Knick Knack were here to tell her. But they aren’t and she is with her shaking hands and racing heart and fear of flying or falling and she wasn’t sure which it was. 

“Hey, hey, now.”

She doesn’t realize she’s crying until Benny sits up to brush at her cheeks with a gentle thumb. She lets him and tries to stop more tears from welling up at his sincerity. There’s no judgment in him as he holds her face, only that soft, knowing smile and those bright eyes, the light in them not gone yet. Thank God for you, Benny Demarco. 

He doesn’t say anything once he withdraws his hand, tucking his knees to his chest and laying his elbows out so that he could rest his head in the crook of his shoulder while looking around, arched brows giving away his curiosity. His genuine inquisitiveness makes her sniffle a giggle, and he nudges her with his foot. “What?”

“You look like you’ve never seen the nose before.”

He shrugs. “I’m never in here.”

“You should stop by more often, see what a real job looks like.” 

He jabs at her this time, and she really laughs. “Hey!”

“I didn’t come here to get razzed.”

“Then why’d you come at all?”

“Got back from the pub, saw your bed was empty,” he says, and he’s looking around again. She wonders why. “Buck wanted a head count. I had a feeling I knew where you’d be.”

“So you’re here for Buck.” She doesn’t know why she says it. He’s doing a nice thing for her as a friend—in his Army issued tank-top under his leather jacket, no cap, hair slipping out of its pomade. He should be in bed but he’s not, he’s here with her and she’s too stuffed up with her grief, her anger to thank him like she should.

He looks at her again and gives her a rueful half smile. “I’m here for you.”

That sits painfully on her heart. That’s not right—it’s the other way around. He’s the pilot and she’s the bombardier; it’s her job to get past herself and do her duty. Benny gets them through the flak and firestorms and all she has to do is drop the bombs. It isn’t so difficult and yet she nearly failed him the last two times they were in the air, with her shaky hands and Ginny in her head and Buck having to bellow over them both in order for her to drop. 

Her face burns with shame as tears bubble up again. She’s a coward, plain and simple, and she knows it. Everyone else can move on, get into the air again and complete the mission without being paralyzed, stuck between flying and falling, but she’s here night after night, begging her hands to steady just enough not to stutter on the release hatch. 

She thinks of the girl she was when she landed in England, bursting at the seams with fight and fervor, unstoppable, hungry to get up there. That girl trusted herself and her hands and her crew… her crew, the women who’d lived in her head as much as she lived in theirs. The women who’d made flying as easy as breathing. Her sisters in arms, the other parts of her brain, the reasons she couldn’t think straight anymore. She calls out into the blue once more—bombardier to pilot, the plane is yours—but it’s silent across the sky.

She wants to scream, she wants to throw something, she wants to kick and break and howl like the boys get to do but instead, all she can do is cry, and Benny is right there when she does, gathering her in his arms and cooing into her hair. “I know, I know.”

It takes a while for her to stop, longer than she’d like to admit, but he’s with her the whole time, patient as a saint. She holds on for dear life; there is no other option. There’s falling or flying or him, and he’s the only place that feels safe. His arms are warm as he tucks her into his chest and his legs bracket hers, holding her anguish, not letting it drop to the floor. He smells of cigarettes and his whiskey of choice and the sweet, spicy cologne he puts on when they’re on a stand down the next day. He smells of himself as she forgets what her girls smelled like—Ginny’s orangy perfume and Tanner’s hot comb oil that lingered after doing half the hair on base. 

You’re all I have now, Benny. And what if I lose you, too?

The thought redoubles her grief and her breath eludes her until she’s heaving.

He sits her up. “In and out, West, c’mon.” In and out. That’s usually Buck’s line, reserved for getting her out of her stupor and back on her gun after the bomb bay doors close. Benny says it with none of the major’s disappointment and all of his own kindness.

“I’m sorry,” she eventually croaks, trying to smooth out the wrinkles her fists put in his shirt. 

A comforting hand runs up her back, between her nightshirt and jacket. “Don’t be.”

Silence falls.

It’s quiet on the hard stand, a rare night when the ground crews aren’t hammering away until dawn. From the dome, she can see straight down the runways and out into the fields of East Anglia. The town’s lights are low in the far distance. It’s quiet for them, too.

The entire base has tomorrow off, which would normally mean raucousness to the nth degree, but things haven’t been the same since they came back from Algeria. Well, maybe John Egan’s the same, but the rest of them, the rest of them can’t stomach it like they used to—the empty beds in the barracks, the new crews that only last a few weeks, the war of attrition in the air, the sawmill, the fact that there’s no end in sight. They’re going up again in two days, to heaven or hellfire. 

She shudders and asks her hands to steady, if not for her then for Benny and the rest of the fort.

He pulls her into him again, murmuring into her hair. “You’ve been scaring us, Vee.”

“I don’t mean to.”

“I know, but you do.” 

“I just,” she starts without knowing where she’s going, “I just—” I’m drowning in the air, the floor’s out from under me and there’s nothing but sky above. “I miss my crew,” she settles on. 

He scoffs. “You have a crew.”

“No, I have a bunch of guys that let a basket case sit at the front of their fort—”

“Hey.” A hand cups her jaw, tilting it so that she looks him in the eyes. She’s never known brown to shine like that, in the light or in the dark. “I’d take a bullet for you, so would everyone else.”

Ain’t that the worst thing you’ve ever heard? That there’s another nine willing to leave her all alone with no thought to how it’d make her feel. No one’s ever the poor sap they tell stories about—the only paratrooper that survived the jump, the last woman standing out of three platoons, a lone P-40 fighting its way home, all that’s left of a mighty squadron. No one’s ever the poor sap until they are, and then they’re just another story to tell. I know a bombardier who took some flak to the chest, had to be grounded for a few days. The day before she’s discharged, her whole crew goes up without her and ends up crashing, no chutes. They’d just beaten the odds, too, flew twelve missions, went down on thirteen.

Then she becomes another superstition to add to salt and mirrors. Make sure your crew’s together for your thirteenth, never go up without your original bombardier. She’s a walking ghost story, the frequent recipient of poorly concealed pointed fingers and whispers behind hands. She’s not a hero who landed a bird on one engine and three dead crew. She’s the left behind, the abandoned, she should’ve gone down with her ship. No one wants to be her. 

Some days, she thinks that’s a fate worse than death. 

Benny can’t understand that and she doesn’t want him to, but he’s searching her face for an answer nonetheless. She reaches up and holds his cheek. He leans into her touch and she’s proud that her hand doesn’t shake, that he takes a breath for himself as she brushes her thumb over his soft, warm skin, touching that darling beauty mark that she finds so charming.

“Vera,” he whispers. 

That’s not enough, because he doesn’t get it yet. I can’t lose you. She lifts her other hand, cradles his face, and beholds—really looks—as if her gaze would be enough to protect him. He’s always been good to the girls, always quick to check a man who was out of line, a confidant, a shoulder to cry on, and since her girls went down, a genuine friend, careful and brash with her, keeping her feet on the ground. 

I can’t lose you, I can’t lose you, I can’t lose you. All the quiet meals in the mess, the long walks with Meatball when she needs to get out of the barracks, all the nights in the nose spent talking her back into bed when she insists on one more practice run. I can’t lose you. A lump forms in her throat and her eyes burn. She scrunches up her nose to stop herself from crying again and furiously swipes at her eyes. There’s been enough tears tonight.

He laughs, bright and brassy, and sits back as she sits up.

“What?”

“You’re the toughest bombardier I’ve ever met.”

It’s her turn to kick at him but he grabs her ankle. “I’m serious.”

“You’re always serious, Benny.”

There’s that smile that picks her spirits up.

She sighs and lies back down, wiggling as flat as she can. He takes the place next to her and it’s quiet except for the sounds of their breathing just above their faces. The floor is cool and he’s warm, and she wants to practice some more, but maybe she could rest for a bit. 

He nudges her arm after a few moments. “Can’t sleep here.”

“'M tryna fly.”

“Enough trying. You fly, you’re a flyer. You need to sleep.”

She doesn’t do that much these days and she tells him such. 

“I’ll let you take Meatball tonight.”

She opens one eye. “Yeah?” Meatball has a bed at the foot of Benny’s, but occasionally he parts with him long enough to let her have a night of snuggles with her favorite canine. 

“Sure, if you promise to stay in bed until reveille.”

Now that’s tempting.

[readingwiththestars]

₊˚⊹♡ IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

["whatever our souls are made of hers and mine are the same"]

| ✮ 3.5 stars |

THOUGHTS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [spoilers for ihhbwm + some spoliers for ioihth]

ok so lemme tell you i had the BIGGEST reading slump ever just as i started to read this. so this review may be a little choppy at some points because i've just pointblank forgotten some parts and don't wanna go back and re-read finny's pov just yet.

i was so on the fence about reading this because on one hand i really wanted to read finny's pov and on the other, complete and utter heartbreak.... yeah....... so anyway i read it.

when i tell you that this book had me ugly crying in the middle of the night. like seriously finny's pov?? fucking broke me. are you kidding me? the way he speaks about autumn? ugh when am i gonna find a guy like finny fr? but seriously this book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions just from the heartbreak knowing whats already gonna happen to finny as he describes how happy he is and how he can't believe autumn loves him back, to the smile i had on my face reading about 'the moms' bickering over baby stuff for autumn.

i will say this now i did expect a little more (hence the rating). i wanted idk more closure at the end there. idk rlly know how to describe it better since its 10 o'clock at night and ive had zero sleep for the past four nights in a row. but yeah i wanted something more. (bitch u wanted finny to be alive)

CHARACTERS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

finny -

*sobbing noises* i could go on a damn rant abt this boy. holy shit. he's just perfect. if i see one person ONE PERSON coming after him istg- he was such a caring sweet person like the pencil??? and always going to the sketchy gas station (i nearly called it a servo then lmao) to get the candy autumn likes?? and always making sure people were safe when he drives?? *cough* apparently not you though sylvie *cough* just ahhh laura when i get you. cause like why'd you have to make him get out of the car, hmmm? lets just compromise and you give me an alternate universe where finny misses the puddle or better yet where sylvie kept her damn seatbelt on.

jack -

tbh i wasn't all that excited to read about jack. (also to be fair i was still sobbing from finny's pov so that probably didn't help) like i seriously just thought it'd be some jock trying to process finny's death by hooking up with alexis (who by the way can go jump up her own ass and die) but we got the whole other side of him where he was genuinely affected by finny's death and really was his best friend. but the way he didn't like autumn way just- yeah. also i saw him and sylvie coming from a mile away like seriously it wasn't very subtle.

autumn -

*sobbing noises increase* autumn my baby girl. i just wanted to jump through the pages and give her a hug. seriously i feel robbed that we didn't get to see a happy autumn. angie and her's friend ship was so precious tho. and i love love LOVE that they bonded over being moms/soon-to-be-moms. im also just gonna say the way we didn't see an ounce of jamie or sasha this entire book made me so happy! i also lowkey wanted to see more of when she was an actual mom? like what would she name the baby? i wanted to see domestic autumn a little more. but i still love her so much and it was so lovely to see her heal <3

QUOTES ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [spoilers]

"my love for her is the closest thing i have to religion. but it's okay that she doesn't feel the same. i'm fine. i can handle it" - finny

"my devotion to autumn is engraved on my very being. i am in awe of her. i will sit in the stands and cheer her on in life as her most ardent admirer. i know i'll always love her in the same way i know i'll always need oxygen" - finny

"it's all done. finn's story is over. his whole life. that was it. not even nineteen years, and he'll never, ever do anything else ever again. finn won't go off to college or celebrate his birthday. he won't get another hair cut or get the oiled changed in his car. he won't bite a hangnail on his thumb or buy another CD. finn smith has done everything he will ever do. he won't get to be with autumn." - jack

“this baby isn't what's left over from our love story. this baby is our story's continuation.” - autumn

"if only i'd told her that i loved her years ago, i wouldn't be here now." - finny

all in all laura you can pay for my therapy mkay?

[ripdragonbeans]

Mine (Modern!Aemond x Reader)

yes this is based off of Taylor Swift's Mine bc I've been listening to Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on repeat since it was released

Thank you @theold-ultraviolence for being my beta reader again!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Summary: The story of your relationship with Aemond

WARNINGS: mentions of physical/verbal abuse, mention of s*x, panic/anxiety attack, violent argument, accusing of cheating

Starting at university is stressful. Transferring to a new one in your junior year is nerve-wracking. Yet here you are, completing – and passing – all of your finals for the end of the semester.

After completing all your finals for the end of the semester, and passing all of them, you decided to head out to celebrate the end of the year. Nothing too fancy, just chilling at one of your favorite spots in the city, Olde Town Diner. Many all-nighters were pulled here, thanks to the owners feeling sympathy for the college students.

You sat at your favorite table, next to a window to look out at the city streets. The drizzling rain outside helped create the coziness here that felt like home. After wistfully staring out the window, you came back to reality and began gathering your stuff. 

And that's when you saw him. 

Well, the back of him.

His silver blond hair tied up in a messy bun with a few loose strands in the back. Despite working at a very cozy diner, he held himself high as if he were royalty attending to his subjects with grace. When he greeted customers he simply held his hands behind his back. You couldn't stop looking at them. They were just hands, yet you were fairly attracted to them. 

As he finished taking the customer's orders he could feel eyes on him. He left them, turning to leave, only to immediately find your eyes on him. A smile tugged on his mouth as color crept up his neck. It was a brief meeting and as soon as it happened it stopped and he went back to working. 

You wanted to stay to try to talk to him but as thunder sounded you took that as your cue to start the walk home.

Tomorrow. You'll come back tomorrow. 

The chime of the bell greeted you as you entered Olde Town Diner. Mrs. Tully, who owned the diner with her husband, greeted you with a big smile. 

"Your table awaits you, deary!" She called.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tully," you said cheerfully. You were about to head to your table when your curiosity got the best of you. "There was a waiter here yesterday," you started, "I've never seen him before. He had silver blond hair?" You hoped it didn't sound too obvious that you wanted to meet him. 

"Oh, you must be talking about Aemond. He's been for a few days but his shift didn't match the times you would come in," Mrs. Tully explained. Mischief danced in her eyes. "Does our dear find the mysterious Aemond attractive?"

"No! I mean," you paused, "I'm curious about him, I guess. It wouldn't hurt to make another friend."

"Sure, deary," she winked.

You knew you were blushing and kept your head down to hide your smile as you went to your table. Denying your attraction to this Aemond only made your nervousness worse but you laughed it off. Since winter break has officially ended you were actually able to relax at the diner instead of cramming in homework. You took a moment to breathe it all in before pulling out a book to read, Assassins of the Night. Not only was it a fun read, but it completely immersed you into their world. You were a few pages in when Aemond appeared.

"Hey, my name's Aemond and I'll be taking care of you today. What can I get you started with?" The words flowed out of his mouth.

Looking up from your book you were able to see him. Once again, his hair was in a messy bun but this time you could see how perfectly it framed his face. One eye was a piercing violet while the other one had a beautiful sapphire in its place. His uniform consisted of a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows; a silver chain, and black sacks. 

You couldn't help but stare in awe again, words completely unable to make their way to the surface. He was so gorgeous.

"Um… I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable," he apologized, "I can get Mrs. Tully to come take your order if you want." Shame blazed across his face but it was gone as soon as it came. 

You blinked and came back to your senses, "No! I mean, I'm sorry. I was caught off guard. I've been coming here since the beginning of the school year and I've never seen you." 

Awkwardness hung in the air.

"Um, I'll take some blueberry pancakes with a cup of coffee."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll get that started right away," Aemond gave you a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and turned on his heel.

A few minutes passed when Aemond came back with your food, "Blueberry pancakes and coffee." 

As he put the food in front of you, you gathered the confidence to ask him, "Would you like to eat with me?"

Aemond gave you a confused look. "I'm working right now?"

Embarrassment flooded you. "Of course," you awkwardly laughed. "It's just that I'm really the only one here and um…I wouldn't mind the company."

"I don't know you."

"No, but we could get to know each other."

Your eyes met his as you simply stared at each other, neither of you quite knowing what to say.

"I guess I can ask Mrs. Tully. She's been saying how I need to get a social life," Aemond let out an amused breath and went to ask.

He took all but two steps when Mrs. Tully yelled out, "SIT WITH HER, AEMOND. GOODNESS KNOWS BOTH OF YOU NEED OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR LIVES!"

You both blushed as Aemond took the seat across from you. Tension hung in the air for a few moments. You were about to say something when Aemond beat you to it.

"What's your major?" He blurted. He looked slightly terrified.

"I'm a lit major, I enjoy reading and analyzing and writing," you explained. "I've been devouring four books a month, might as well learn how to make a career out of it, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I don't attend the university. I'm just…here," he took a breath. "I graduated from University of Old Valyria two years ago. I came here to start over."

"Wow, wasn't expecting that one."

"It usually takes people by surprise, those who ask."

"I get that, staying in the back. There's solitude in it. But it can get lonely."

"It really can."

For once, there was a comfortable silence. Genuine smiles graced both of your face, and soon enough, you and Aemond were talking about everything and anything - sharing stories, good and bad. You discovered both of you come from broken families. Aemond's dad didn't give a shit about anyone except his daughter from his first marriage. You told him that your mom and dad fought constantly. Sometimes it got so bad that small pieces of furniture would get thrown. By the time you and Aemond finished talking three hours had passed and Mrs. Tully began ushering both of you out, not without a knowing smile, of course.

"I just realized that you never gave me your name," Aemond said.

"Shit, yeah. Sorry about that," you gave him a small smile before giving him your name along with your number. "We should do this again, Aemond. I really enjoyed it."

"Absolutely. Not to be too weird or anything, but can I walk you home?"

As it turned out, you both lived at the same apartment complex and the same floor. You stood outside your door, unable to keep yourself from smiling, as you said your goodbyes for the night.

"I guess, but I don't want you to walk one way only to find out you have to go to the other side of town."

Over the next year you and Aemond continued to build your friendship. You knew everything about him and you, him. Every little facial expression, every bit of body language, you knew it all. 

As you were ending your final year at university you moved in with Aemond. You two were as thick as thieves, basically being a package whenever it mean going out. It was more than a friendship, though. It always has been. It was that neither of you wanted to admit it. Accidental brushes of hands, long hugs, the forehead kisses you insisted were platonic peppered your days. 

Until one day, Aemond decided to take you to the lake for the day.

"Aems, this is beautiful," you stared in awe at the sparkling water and the lush grass.

"I thought we could have a nice picnic away from the city. It can be a lot, you know? And we haven't left it since you moved it," he said.

"Aw, look at you, being observant," you laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he chuckled.

Playfully elbowing him you couldn't help but feel loved. No one ever thought about things like this concerning you.

You spent the entire day at the lake, splashing each other with water, eating sandwiches, reading, and simply enjoying each other's company. Too soon, the sun set and the moon came out.

"We should get going, Aems, it's already -," you yawned and stretched.

"Just a few more minutes. Look up," he pointed at the sky.

You raised your head up towards the night sky and gasped. The moon glowed soft and the stars were scattered all around it. You never saw the sky like this when you were growing up. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen, nothing could top this. 

Until a shooting star blazed across sky. All you could do was stare at wonder and bask in its beauty. 

What you didn't see was Aemond staring not looking up at the sky, but at you. A smile graced his face when he saw how happy you were. He took this moment to scoot closer to you and put an arm around you. He's done this many times before but this time was different. Warmth spread through your body. You could feel your stomach start to coil and you suddenly felt nervous.

"Aems, meteor showers don't happen often," you stated. You closed your eyes as you asked the question, "did you plan this?"

Aemond ran his free hand through his hair. A blush crept up his neck. "Yeah, I did. I thought it would be a nice -"

You cut him off, "it's beautiful, Aems."

"There's something else I wanted to do, if you're okay with it."

"Of course."

Aemond leaned in slowly, giving you the time to choose to pull back if you wanted. But you didn't. Instead, you glanced at his lips then met his eye and smiled. You met him in the middle as your nervousness disappeared and joy took its place. His lips were as soft as you thought. The kiss was gentle and perfect. In that moment you knew that you two were made for each other. When you separated you couldn't help but grin wildly at each other.

"Yes, Aems, a hundred times yes," you said as you captured his lips in another sweet kiss. 

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

Living together didn't change much except for the kisses and touches. You were more intimate and I'm playful with each other. You shared even more secrets with each other, including your fear of being in a relationship similar to your parents'. 

Eventually, you got rid of your bed and moved into Aemond's room. That night was when you finally had sex for the first time. Like your first kiss, it was gentle and sweet. It wasn't fucking, it was making love.

Two years passed before cracks started showing.

At first it was over small things, dishes not being washed, the toilet seat left up, not taking out the trash. Nothing was ever said, both you and Aemond didn't want to deal with confrontation so you were passive aggressive to each other. You started to go out more, not realizing you were trying to stay away from the apartment. Aemond noticed this but never said anything, he didn't want you to think he was controlling.

But he couldn't take it anymore.

You came in late that night, around two thirty in the morning. He was waiting for you on the couch facing the turned off TV.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now, Aems," you said softly.

"I'm not," there was a bite in his words.

A pregnant pause.

"You don't think I've noticed how often you've come home late, how you disappear for most of the day?" 

"Aemond, you know I'm just hanging out with some friends."

He bowed his head, "who is he? Who are you seeing?"

Your eyes widened at the accusation. "You think I'm cheating on you, Aems? Do you really think I don't want you?"

Aemond stood up from the couch and stalked over to you, "It certainly seems that way. You won't even let me kiss you for too long."

"Aemond, this is ridiculous, you know I love you," you reached out to him but he pulled away.

He huffed, "Yeah, sure."

"I love you and only you," your phone buzzed. 

Aemond tensed, "Who's that?"

You rolled your eyes, "It's just a friend named Cregan."

Red flashed across his face. "Cregan. You mean Cregan Stark? That fuck boy?"

"He's not a fuck boy, Aemond. And he's just a friend!" You insisted but you were losing your patience.

"I'm going to bed," he said. As he turned around you heard him whisper, "Just go fuck him."

"Excuse me?" 

"You heard me," he refused to turn around to face you. "Go fuck Cregan."

"You know what, fine. It's not like you haven't been trying to get into Floris's pants too."

Aemond turned around so fast he knocked over a plastic succulent as he turned back to you. He grabbed the nearest thing to him, a set of keys, and threw it across the room. 

"Don't. You. Fucking. Dare. I've never touched her," he looked at you with such rage you wanted to back down but you didn't.

"Whatever you say, Aemond," you rolled your eyes and went to leave the apartment when something smashed into the wall next to your head. A framed photo of you two at the lake. You whipped your head around, fear in your eyes. You started to hyperventilate. You couldn't breathe.

The anger on Aemond's face was immediately replaced with regret. "No, no, please, I'm sorry, I didn't -"

You didn't let him finish as you ran out.

Running out of the complex you knew you had to get as far away as possible. You didn't know where to go, nowhere made sense, everything was wrong. Nothing was real. So you went to the only place that could bring you peace at this time of night.

The lake.

You hopped into your car and drove as fast as you could to the lake. It wasn't until you sat on the shore that you let the tears escape. Hugging your knees tight you did you best to stifle your cries. You were shaking. Nothing was right, nothing was real. This was a dream, it had to be. Your nails started to dig into your skin as you finally let out your cries.

A hand touched your shoulder and you resigned yourself to your fate. You didn't know who was there but it didn't matter. Everything was wrong, anyway. Nothing made sense. 

Then you heard him.

"Please, please," the voice begged.

You could tell it was Aemond. He knelt down next to you and placed his other hand on your knees. You balled yourself up tighter.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

You could tell he was on the verge of tears but you didn't look up.

"I know I was wrong. I was angry and I let it fester and I took it out on you, please," he choked on your name. 

Nothing. You said nothing.

"If you want me to leave, if you want us to stop," he took a shakey breath, "just say the word and it can end. We won't ever have to see each other again."

Silence.

"Okay," he swallowed, "I'll go." 

Aemond removed a hand from your shoulder and went to stand up but your hand grabbed the other one on your knee.

"No, please don't leave me, Aemond." You whispered. 

You took a deep breath before unraveling yourself but you didn't look at him. Not yet.

He brought his hand to rest on top of yours. "I won't leave, I promise you I won't. I will never leave you alone," he gasped. You could hear him struggling through the tears.

"I was wrong. I was very wrong. What I said and what I did wasn't okay, it was far from okay. And I promise I have never looked at or thought about anyone else the way I do with you. I know you love me unconditionally but my paranoia got the better of me."

You looked at the lake ahead of you, "It's going to take time, Aemond, a lot of time until I can trust you again."

"I know, and I'm willing to wait." After a few moments of silence Aemond said, "I think of you every day, about this lake. I knew I loved you before then but watching you look up at the sky made it real."

You let out a chuckle as you finally looked at him, "I knew then, too, Aems." You took another breath, "I'm sorry for what I said, too, it wasn't fair. And for avoiding you. Work started becoming too much and I was overwhelmed and didn't want you to see me in such a mess, so I went out."

"We'll get through this, I promise," he took you in his arms and held you tight. "Let's head home. We'll take my car and pick up yours later."

You sniffled, "Okay."

Aemond helped you get up and walk to the car. Your legs were jelly, your body was drained. The drive home was silent but you two held each other's hands.

That night Aemond wrapped his arms around you tight. 

It took months, but through couple's counseling your relationship began to strengthen once more. Aemond saw another therapist focusing on sudden anger in case something sets him off again. He doesn't want to hurt you ever again and he never does.

[soumarhea]

Back at it again with Planes WoF au, this time with the racers of Wings Around The Globe Rally. Or, in this au, Wings Around The Continent Rally. This is going to be a short one since apparently Meet The Planes and The Art of Planes (I don't have any other books on them other than these two) have very little material on the racers for me to work with.

Anyway, when I gave the smokejumpers their call sign numbers and Dusty his "D7", I didn't think much of it. And then, half way through working with the rest of the racers, I got hit with the realization, "Shouldn't Pyrrhia have their own version of alphanumeric characters?? Like, sure, every time us readers were shown in-universe writings, it's still A to Z and 0 to 9, but that might as well be for readers' convenience. Shouldn't the dragons still have their own lettering??". But by this point I'm already in too deep, so I'll just say the alphanumerics lean more towards World of Cars than Wings of Fire because it's a pain to go back and change things atp. fml

[Propwash Junction] | [Piston Peak Air Attack] | [PPAA Size comp.]

Ripslinger

The green of his wings is due to his hybrid-ness. And since green isn't a regular color for SkyWings and NightWings, he took pride in it so much that he had the tips of his horns, spikes, talons, and claws painted in the same shade.

He's a SkyWing/NightWing hybrid. As if a SkyWing's pride isn't enough, he also have a NightWing's superiority complex. He didn't have any NightWing powers tho.

He has a natural-born talent for fast flying and is blessed with high maneuvering speed. His life growing up was filled with praise and adoration by everyone. When he won first place in his first ever race, to say it didn't go to his head would be an utter lie. And he'd proceed to make a winning streak that was yet to be broken.

The only thing bigger than his wingspans is his ego. The fact that Dusty, a lowly "lazy" RainWing, joins the big race doesn't sit right with him. There's no way this puny little farm lizard could even dream of comparing to him!

Ned & Zed

I keep forgetting which one am I working with at some points (only way to tell them apart is their wings' gradient and the little detail in their eye), so I choose to include their names with their numbers. Yep. These goobers is the reason I even noticed the alphanumerics issue.

They're SkyWing twins. Neither developed firescales, so they very much live a regular healthy lives.

Before they become racers, they're very much a pair of troublemakers in the Sky Kingdom, from swindling to stealing and every other crime they allegedly committed. Until the twin crosses paths with Ripslinger, who see how their underhandedness can come in handy for him.

What they don't have in talent, they make up in cunning. Ned and Zed are superior at playing dirty.

El Chupacabra

I want to give him cape, but damn, I don't wanna draw cape. He can't shame me if he don't have cape.

A typical MudWing. He has quite the passion for art, from literature to music to theater. He also likes to play wrestling with his siblings. But most of all, he loves racing.

He never missed a single race held by the Mud Kingdom. El Chu won enough times to self-proclaim himself as a racing champion of Mud Kingdom. The reason he joins the Wings Around The Continent Rally is to see what it's all about.

His siblings made the mask and gifted it to him as a good luck charm. He's very touched by the gift and never took it off since he got it.

Bulldog

Uses armband (legband??) for his number. He's not comfortable with painting his scales, especially over his bioluminescence scales.

A typical SeaWing. The oldest dragon in the race, he was a veteran of the SandWing Succession War (everyone else here is below 30 years old).

The reason he ventured into racing was to see more of the world that was once plagued with war. But he'd soon find the enjoyment in racing itself.

He's faster underwater in his element, but that doesn't mean he'd lag behind in the air. In fact, he put up quite the challenge for the other racers.

Rochelle

I'm trying to come up with some interesting commentary here... She has a flower tattoo on her hind leg.

An IceWing with minor mutation. Her scales are pinkish than the typical blues or silvers.

She came from the Ice Kingdom village, Hamlet-That-Worships-the-Whales-Who-Sing-at-Night. (I just found out Ice Kingdom have stupendously long names for their villages, and I shall proceed to use the longest named village as her hometown.) Most in her village would describe her as beautiful. Dangerously beautiful.

Rochelle worked as a mail carrier and developed an affinity for flying fast, which inspired her to give racing a try. She has never looked back since.

Ishani

I want to use more colors for her, like oranges, purples, and greens, but then it'll take me next year to make up my mind on her design.

She's ¾Sandwing, ¼RainWing. One of her parents are SandWing/RainWing hybrid. Due to her RainWing-ness, her wings and dorsal frills can shift a limited color palette.

The reason she tried her luck in racing is due to a need for a change of pace. One of the things she finds to love about racing is the scenery around the continent. One other thing is, surprisingly, beating other racers in the race.

Her singing voice is otherworldly. If she hadn't made it as a racer, she'd do just as fine in theater.

Size comparison of the racers! Of course there's actually like 21 racers in total participating; they're just the notable ones.

It's funny that there's no NightWing representation here. There's Ripslinger, yes, but he's still more SkyWing than NightWing. And of course, Dusty is still the smallest.

So for the Wings Around The Continent stages, I look at the stages of Wings Around The Globe Rally and see if I could translate it on Pyrrhia's continent,

and this is what I ends up with;

"Washed-up Junction" still cracks me up, just the image of the little town being a retirement town full of old retired dragons y'know. Also, I might move Air Attack somewhere that actually have a peak...

So the race would start from the Sky Kingdom to the Ice Kingdom; from the heart of the Ice Kingdom to the border separating ice and sand; and then two races throughout the Kingdom of the Sand; one race across the mountain range to the east coast of the continent; a race across the sea to the Summer Palace (hc the palace would've already been somewhat rebuilt by this time); and then the race back to the Sky Kingdom.

The reason why the race doesn't go through Rainforest Kingdom is, because. I don't want Dusty to be anywhere near home when he got lost over the Bay of a Thousand Scales.

[eljeebee]

📩 Simblr question of the day: Do you have a process for making your simblr posts?

- an anon ask contribution for @simblr-question-of-the-day (Hi squat!)

I decided to do a separate post, just like what @changingplumbob did a question ago!

Since I mostly do story posts, here is my workflow:

a.) I draft the next story updates. Nothing serious, nothing deep. Just a rough draft that I want to happen. I have drafts in my laptop,

as well as in my phone [spoilers? lol]

Sometimes just one paragraph, or two, as long as I get the gist of it. This draft will be the basis when it comes to shooting the scenes.

b.) Before taking the scenes, I make sure that I have the poses and some specific clothes that I want and need. When it comes to clothing, it's rare that I use specific clothes on some scenes, because I have tons of CC in my mod folder, but I download it in advance. Some of it are already download in advance (that is not yet needed now, but is used far in the future)

b.1.) Sometimes, when I need a certain portrait of a character for a scene that is from a different save file, I make sure I do that first before I load the main save.

b.2.) When I need a certain build for the scenes, I have to build it myself. This is evident with the Strauds' nightclub and the Beau-Asvang's penthouse. It took me weeks to finish these. This is tedious for me, so some updates gets delayed, especially when I feel overwhelmed or bored.

c.) After that, I shoot the scenes. I base my scenes on the draft. This is another tedious part for me, especially if it involves a lot of characters. Sometimes, it has to be in a certain time of day. I don't mess time in that save, because I fear I'll mess up the calendar, so I rely in the fast forward function. The only thing that I mess with it is the weather. It can take me a whole IRL day, or a few days to finish this step.

d.) After taking the scenes, I choose which shots are the best, then delete the rest. I don't edit the photos because the reshade preset I use was made to skip editing it, but will only edit if necessary. No resizing is done (sorry if I'm lazy ;-;).

e.) In this step, the draft that was written before will be finalized once the scenes are done. Most of the time, the drafts get changed, because I change the parts of the story based on the scenes I took. The whole essence or message of the story doesn't change, only the flow and how I structured it will be modified. The finalized script is written in MS Word. A tip for everyone: type the tags you're going to use for the post in the document, so all you have to do is to copy the tags and paste it here in the text editor!

f.) Next, I'll upload the scenes and the script here in my Tumblr drafts. Sometimes, I break the scenes in separate posts, but sometimes I post it in one, depending on the story and the flow.

g.) Finally, I either: queue the posts, or I post it myself. I post the posts that has the "previous | next" links myself, because I want to quickly add the links as soon as I post it. I only queue on some posts, namely Beneath, and New Beginnings.

Again, this is my workflow when it comes to story posts! Gameplay posts like The Life of the Hatcher only get captioned based on the shots, and is not as heavily planned as the DLU (Davis Legacy Universe).

If you've reached the end of the post, thanks for reading! I hope you find this helpful!

[kitkatscabinet]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON MASTERLIST

DAEMON TARGARYEN

Mother's burden | Weeks of stress from courtly gossip accumulates in an early labour that not only threatens your life but the life of your children and relationship with Daemon

When you’re gone who remembers your name? | Furious at the announcement of your betrothal, Daemon impulsively leaves for the stepstones. Three years without your presence has cooled his fury into longing, only his return does not herald as much happiness as he dreamed.

Reader loves dragons

AEMOND TARGARYEN

As you wish | You and Aemond have been by each other's side since childhood. He'd drop everything for you, bending to your whims with an 'as you wish.' Or. The five times Aemond says 'as you wish' + the one time you do.

Laenor’s true born daughter

Family Lines (Laenor’s true born daughter) | Rhaenyra Targaryen gives birth to twins, a girl with her father's features and a boy with his mother's, yet both have a head of hair as black as the night, this changes things.

Can't fight the fever Will you hold me close as I go under? I'm not sure I'll be back (part 2) | When an unknown plague reaches King's Landing you are one of the victims that fall prey to its deadly clutches.

An eye for an eye, a child for a child | Lost to her rage and grief at the loss of her beloved Lucerys Rhaenyra orders the capture of Aemond's pregnant lady wife. Only to find that maybe the two women could come to understand each other more than she thought possible.

I wanna get close to you, you are my dream come true | Aemond Targaryen wasn't exactly what many considered to be an eligible bachelor, handsome yes, but still terrifying and slightly insane. That matters little to you though, from the moment you see him for the first time Aemond is all that you want, even if he wasn't so receptive.

Sensitive partner hcs

Aemond with a clingy partner hcs

clumsy partner hcs

Random Aemond hcs

Mornings with him

reader loves dragons

Aemond’s life after ftf reader dies

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

Nothing here yet…

JACAERYS VELARYON

Mommy, mommy, kiss your mother | Jacaerys Velaryon has been in love with one of his mother's greatest friends as soon as he understood the concept. Now he is grown he is filled with shame, but that doesn't stop the images of you his brain conjures

Sleeping Beauty | Slighted by not receiving an invitation to the birth celebrations of the newest princess, the sorceress known as Maleficent places a wicked curse upon the babe.

AEGON TARGARYEN

nothing here yet...

Aegon’s thoughts on children

Brother mine | From the moment your little brother Aegon had been born nothing else in the world mattered more to you, and as your beloved baby brother grows older it's clear he feels the same.

Brother mine extended universe hcs

Some more brother mine extended thoughts

Married life

Reader loves dragons

Aegon’s thoughts on children

ALICENT HIGHTOWER

Nothing here yet...

TAYLOR’S PLAYLIST MASTERLIST

[without-school-or-style]

11 - Surrogate

Word Count: 1,000

((Spoilers for Endwalker MSQ, specifically that one scene in Ultima Thule. Once again, thank you to the wonderful @abeat for RPing her WoL, Lavender Helltear.))

Joey stumbled upon platform after platform as voices of those he knew in the past echoed in his ears. The more steps he took, the more his feet dragged. The more his pace slowed to a crawl. And the more the memories he saw before him reminded him not of a time of yore, but of his past failures.

His fellow mages were killed, all because he couldn’t save them.

He arrived to Eorzea just to see them die again.

The Scions succumbed to the wonders of Ultima Thule while Joey’s words fell on deaf ears and his actions may as well have been trying to catch a ghost in his bare hands.

Now Meteion and her sisters threatened to destroy the very universe itself… and it was all his fault.

What was the point of even trying anymore?

His feet grew too heavy to carry on. He tripped and fell to the ground on his side, but his body felt ho will to move. Tears dripped down his eyes as his mind raced through every single one of his numerous failures. Slowly, he shut his eyes, hoping that he would soon join the phantasms that accompanied him on his brief journey.

‘What's the point... what's the point in even trying anymore. I can't do anything right. It's like they said--I'll always be just a worthless weak person... I hate being weak...’

Dark energy began to form around Joey’s person. Dark clouds of pure miasma surrounding him like a dark blanket, threatening to change his every being. Or, if impossible, trapping him in a void of his own undoing for the rest of eternity—a fate he felt he readily deserved.

And then, just when he felt relief at the resignation that he would finally meet the end he felt so entitled to have, he felt himself being pulled upright with a loud grunt. Before his body sluggish with despair reacted, Joey felt a pair of warm arms wrapped tightly around him.

“That’s not true,” said a familiar voice assertively. Yet, the voice shook ever so slightly as though trying to steady itself.

The black energy surrounded Joey dissipated all at once. It was as though the words from that familiar voice snapped him out of his stupor. Joey’s eyes widened. He recognised that voice and that warmth anywhere.

“Chef... What are you doing here…?” Joey’s voice said in a hushed breath, his voice hoarse. Chef wasn’t her name, of course, but the nickname he had given to his travelling companion—the one known as Lavender Helltear. Finding the energy to move again, he slowly raised his hands to hold her’s.

Lavender hugged Joey as tight as she could. “Chasing down my wayward children.”

Joey knew by ‘wayward children,’ she meant the Leveilleur twins, Alphinaud and Alisaie. Or did she mean him?

“Sous Chef, you’re one of the kindest, bravest people I know,” said Lavender. “You’ve come so far, so it’s not true that you can’t do anything right, or you wouldn’t be here.”

“But I... I can't... I can't save anyone! The Scions... the mages... they all... and I-I couldn't do anything to save them.” Fresh tears streamed down the sides of Joey’s face. “I'm just useless! I mean, it's all my fault that Meteion became what she is now and things went to hell like this. Just let me be. At least one of us should go ahead.”

“No.”

That one simple word lingered in the air for a good few moments—long enough to sink into Joey’s doubts.

“The Scions wanted to make sure we found a way forward, or no one is ever going home ever again.” Lavender continued. “So you’re not useless, or why would they do that? We’ll go together or not at all. I’m not leaving you here.”

Joey shut his eyes. “You're… always like this, aren't you? You're always so caring and kind.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a chef if I left my Sous Chef behind,” said Lavender. “Who’s going to go on my crazy culinary adventures with me?”

“I mean, you’re such a Mom.”

The statement took Lavender by surprise—long enough for her to take a pause. “Eh heh….well, in that case, listen to your mother and get up.” Leading by example, Lavender rose to her own feet. “Come on, Sous Chef. It’ll take a miracle to get through to Meteion now, and if anyone can do that, it’s you.”

When Joey looked behind him, he saw Lavender extending her hand to him. One Viera to the other, Joey took Lavender’s hand, but rose to his feet on his own power. He wiped his tears with the back of his other arm. “You really are such a Mom, aren’t you? You know... I don't have a mother. But if I did, I'd want her to be just like you.”

A lone tear of Lavender’s own fell down the side of her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, smiling. Aww, Sous Chef, I’d love nothing more than to have a son like you.”

The two embraced for an eternity that didn’t feel like long enough. Joey found himself crying again, not due to his despair, but from the feeling of overwhelming warmth that comforted his weary inner child. A mother who wiped away his inner child’s tears and took said child by the hand to a place where he knew he would truly never be alone anymore.

Once they stood apart, Joey wiped his eyes again. “You're right. There's no use feeling sorry for myself if I haven't even tried anything yet. I'll figure out a way to save Meteion. And possibly the universe. I'm not sure how, but I'll think of something. It may be dangerous. You don't have to come if you don't want to.”

Lavender shoved her fists on her hips. “And let you go alone? Absolutely not!”

Joey found himself chuckling softly despite himself. “What was I thinking. All right. Let's save Meteion together.”

((Some more things to say:

Originally I had planned for this prompt to be longer and detail exactly what Joey saw while he walked up the steps of that one scene in Ultima Thule. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I only had a chance to summarize what happened. Maybe one day I’ll write out exactly what happened.

The things about mages dying happened both in his own world and in Eorzea. The latter is somewhat related to the THM quests.

My headcanon as to what happened between Joey and Meteion are a little different than in canon. One part is that Meteion joined her sisters, hence Joey mentioning so in the end.

Close in the Distance still makes me cry after all this time.))

[blackstarmylove]

Red String (Word Game)

Fandom: Blackstar Theater Starless

Pairing: Sinju x fem!Reader

Warning: None

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: Sinju with fem!mc: fate, first, found (Getting Funky with the Fs here)

A/N: Anon, this was a challenging one! Well done~.

Word Count: 651

———————————————

As the sun set, the sky took on a warm golden hue, and distant murmurs of couples chatting could be heard. Sinju noticed a vibrant scarlet fabric with gold-plated fold-over ends nestled among the grass. Without hesitation, he knelt to retrieve it and carefully inspected the smooth fabric. Despite the ribbon's simplicity, he found himself captivated by its beauty.

Even after a few days, Sinju could not bring himself to throw the item away. He returned to the park hoping to locate its rightful owner, but his search proved fruitless as he walked around aimlessly until he grew weary. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a woman sitting beside him, her eyes red and puffy as if she had been crying moments ago. Despite Maica's repeated warnings to avoid getting involved in other people's business, Sinju could not resist the urge to offer help. After all, how could he sit idly by when it was clear that the woman was in pain?

"Miss…are you alright? S-Sorry, I don't mean to be nosy, but…if you need someone to listen, I'll be happy to." He sheepily smiled at you.

Usually, you would never share personal information with a stranger, but seeing Sinju's smile made you trust him. Lowering your eyes to the book on your lap, you sniffled.

"My…boyfriend and I broke up a few weeks ago. He was my first boyfriend and broke up with me without a reason. It still hurts…"

"It's okay to be in pain and cry, but your tears are valuable. Don't shed them for someone who didn't value or deserve ya. You will find someone who truly appreciates and loves you." Sinju said with conviction, hoping his words would have even the tiniest effect on your broken heart. "Besides, you're really pretty, so I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

Sinju grinned sweetly while rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. His words made you chuckle, but your eyes remained on your lap as your mind processed his words. After a moment of silence, his gaze lowered to the book on your lap - Red String of Fate.

"Red string…like the string tied to the pinky finger of two people by fate? Wait, then why are ya crying? One day, you'll find the person with the red string connected to yours!" Sinju grinned.

Upon hearing Sinju's words, a faint smile began to form on your lips, which eventually grew prominent as he continued to speak. The more he said, the more comprehensively you smiled and the lighter your heart felt.

"Oh, wait!" He suddenly exclaimed, making you jump. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. By any chance, does this…belong to you?"

Sinju fished a red ribbon from his jacket pocket and held it in his palm for you. A strange sensation formed in your chest; the feeling was painful yet light, uneasy yet happy. For a moment, you felt confused and didn't understand what was happening. With widened eyes, you shifted your gaze to the book on your lap - red, string…ribbon, fate. Could he be the one?

"H-Hey, are you okay?" Sinju asked softly.

"Yeah. Sorry, and thank you." You whispered, taking the ribbon from his palm.

Did fate and destiny really exist? Were the legends about the red string true? Maybe everything that happened happened for the best. Wiping your tears with the sleeve of your jacket, you sniffled once more before smiling sweetly at Sinju and holding your hand out.

"Hi, my name (y/n)."

"Hi, (y/n). My name is Sinju. It's nice to meet you." He replied happily and shook your hand.

As you and Sinju shook hands, a warm feeling spread through your bodies as if you had known each other for years. From the bottom of your heart, you prayed to the universe, hoping this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship tied together by fate.

———————————————

➣ BlackStar Theater Starless Masterlists [1][2][3][4]

➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi? ➣ Commission: Open  ➣ HC/Scenario Requests: Closed || Quick Ask Requests: Closed || GIF Requests: Closed

[detective-inspector-her]

I completely forgot that I had a base chapter for the Skulduggery Pleasant Fae Universe. Figured I'd share it seeing as I have zero clue as to when this'll be coming back. Original Inspiration

Leaving The Past Behind

Ghastly watched his new target. A young boy, around eight, who was being yelled at by his father for the crime of kicking a ball back towards another boy. He shook his head shamefully, to be punished for the crime of kindness. It was his usual breed of target. The father stomped forward, his son following behind meekly and Ghastly pointed one finger out. If the man apologised for losing his temper, he'd give the chance back, but if he continued to mistreat the boy, he'd find his son gone before his eyes. It was a practice Ghastly did more often than he'd like. To many Mortal children were mistreated in his eyes, and too many were neglected from proper care. He wouldn't stand for it. If the Mortals couldn't care for their young, he'd do the job for them. He'd always loved children, Fae and Mortal. He placed a Fairy Kiss on the boy while he slept to protect him from the lurking man outside the window. He was never far behind Ghastly, always waiting for him to let his guard down so he could have a new pet. His presence was less threatening than usual tonight though, so Ghastly ventured outside to meet him. "Skulduggery," He greeted his old friend. He'd known the man for a long time, nearly four centuries, and he loved him like a brother. But he'd always been a darker force than Ghastly, and he'd been tipped over the edge by Serpine a few hundred years ago. He hadn't been the same since. "How've you been?" "Dandy, wonderful, good as new!" The man said in return. And he didn't appear to be bending the truth. His glamour presented him as a tall ginger man with lively green eyes that sparkled with every word he spoke today, which was a sharp contrast from his usual zero effort. He'd remained a skeleton for some time now. "Good as new? Has something happened?" A bad feeling was brewing, and he glanced back at the child's bedroom. Skulduggery saw his look and clapped him on the back, "You need not worry friend! I have no intention of capturing one of your children today! Or tomorrow, or for the next few years even!" This was a surprise, "Oh?" The man nodded, his eyes shining brighter, "I have a plan you see, I'll be acquiring a new child soon. One I've been watching since her second year of life! I'm quite invested. I'll be ready to take her in a few years." He nodded again, more so to himself than Ghastly, "You have nothing to fear from me, my dear fellow." Ghastly quietly sent his sympathies to the child who would have to bear the brunt of Skulduggery's insanity, just as he did every time. "I see, good for you old friend." "Isn't it just? Now, I'll let you get back to your silly three-chances rule and leave you alone, I'm sure this one will be just as… delightful as the others." With a snap of his fingers, the man was gone and Ghastly quickly made his way back to the child's bedroom to check that Skulduggery hadn't simply been distracting him. He hadn't been. The boy slept peacefully in his bed, undisturbed by the weight on Ghastly's shoulders.

Mortals were lucky, was what he thought. A normal life for those who don't attract the gaze of the magical creatures, one free of horror or abnormality. Perhaps he'd have been able to live out his dream of being a tailor without the unnecessary commitments that came with being an immortal being. Sitting down quietly next to the boy, Ghastly tried to think of a good name for him. He'd need a new one so that he wasn't taken advantage of or mocked once he was one of them. Ghastly didn't keep his targets as humans or slaves, it was a cruel thing to do to such creative creatures. No, he turned them into Fae and raised them. He gave them the choice to leave once they reached eighteen years of age in Mortal years, but none had chosen that option yet. He tilted his head at the boy, stroking his hair gently and smiled.

He'd find a name eventually.

[sweet-beezus]

I was excited to start working on this prompt for @khoc-week as soon as the prompts dropped, specifically due to an AU RP group called Army of the Roses (started by @/pig-warship, sorry boo didn't want to ping you to death-) I've been involved in since 2019!!

To all my homies that are/were involved I love y'all this fun ditty is dedicated to you!! :)

If you've seen a bunch of my art in the Kingdom Hearts OC tags as of late, about 99% of it tends to be tagged with the name of the group, as to me it is like a brain eating amoeba that's Iliana (And Penna and Mando-) shaped (affectionate).

But before I delve too deep, let's get into the prompt!

Day 4 - Alternative Universes

I'm not gonna go too far into the lore of the AU because we'd be here all day, but I'll give a sprinkling for context!

The AU takes place hundreds of years after the events of Kingdom Hearts in a time where names like Sora and Xehanort have mostly been forgotten, but the events are still at least remembered to some degree. Places best known as hubs have also long since been abandoned and forgotten, turned to rubble under the weight of centuries of dwindling population. Traverse Town, even, is no longer the temporary sanctuary it once was.

Sora's Power of Waking kinda screwed up some fabric of reality stuff to the point where it opened a rift between universes, so there's a new (not very new by this point, anyway, unless you're a native to universe Alpha with no interaction beyond your world) universe with all sorts of places to explore!!

It's in this new universe where most of Iliana's character development is taking place, so buckle in for that.

Iliana's journey into the unknown follows the exact same story beats as her canon-compliant timeline, however she doesn't make ties with any canon characters this go around (because they're all long dead), so she mostly has to face the current state of affairs alone... ish.

Traverse Town is pretty much a ghost town at this point, with her uncle Russell being one of the very few remaining there, so her stay this time around feels a bit isolated. She starts off being a bit more closed off than she already was, which definitely will not have wonderful development later, no siree!

Her spontaneous journey to find her home is the same, but her chase through space ends a bit differently. Igni's Heartless (we didn't know it was her Heartless yet, well "we" being everyone but me) murks her in Traverse Town this time, her uncle manages to fight the beast off by himself, unfortunately paying witness to his niece's demise at the same time (sorry king), and instead of becoming Reixen she actually has her own Nobody named Anilxia, which I will explain why in due time.

[Reusing older doodles because I ran out of steam-]

Anilxia was a grimy, very hostile shadow of her former self, fevered by rage, spite, and insomnia. She was almost a danger to Russell, yet he still treated her with tolerant kindness and respect. Like a rehomed, antisocial feral cat.

Frankly, to him this was much better than having her dead and gone like the rest of his family seemed to be, she was their last hope essentially. He had no idea what to do without her, really. So he started working behind the scenes to figure out how to get her back, while making sure to keep her close and in check. Did he go so far as to ground her from going anywhere without him? Absolutely. You can't trust a moody Nobody-

She stayed for (less than?) a year with Russell in this form, in the meantime piecing things together she had noticed were super suspicious about the few memories she was regaining. It all festered into tons of internal darkness that was feeding her own Heartless, which she eventually found skulking around town wherever she went.

Knowing she might be met with some end soon, and in a desperate attempt to preserve what she found out before it could be taken from her again, she wrote her notes down in a... weirdly magical journal, then persued her Heartless through a rift that led them both to the other universe where she recompleted herself... and immediately got hit by a city bus- Jk jk... unless?

She was taken in briefly by a kind stranger who~ I think I wrote to be this universe's reborn Alto! In an AU-canon-compliant diary, anyway- Then she, not knowing how to get back home from here, and with nothing but the clothes on her back and a few weird misc. items, decided to stay in this new city until she could find her own answers to things that were plaguing her. Memories she couldn't, well, remember and all that.

Her only company for a month was Iris and Irene, who in this timeline were... suspiciously much more hostile, and absent at times. She assumed the memory wipe was affecting them as well, so she thought her best bet was to pick up the pace on her personal research both into her world and her memories. She had to juggle some awful jobs at the same time, so suffice to say she was having an awful time.

An answer came to her in the form of a flyer for a mercenary group named, you guessed it, the Army of the Roses, so she packed up her awful little apartment, sold her lease for pretty cheap, and moved to their home base! With some surprising encouragement from Iris and Irene as well, hmm...

In the jump between universes, and probably even before that with her death, she lost her ability to use her Keyblade. That didn't stop it from reforming as a clunky scythe, however, so no need to worry about that... Wait, it's not her Keyblade why is this thing orange and feathery- She picked up using it pretty well, so what harm does a little cosmetic aesthetic change do?

She seemed to fit in perfectly with all the wackos (affectionate) that live there, however...

She started off as a total shut-in, stayed in her room most of the time, barely spoke to the team unless she almost got caught speaking to Iris and Irene or had to actively contribute to missions, lurked in the kitchen at night to avoid interacting... But eventually after a few months of being there she came out of her shell enough to disclose her ongoing problem with her missing home world to one of the leaders.

Of course, that was a backburner issue. They were dealing with bigger things at the time, so one measly personal problem could wait, right?

At one point, that same leader took her and (her new lil bro) another teammate to search for clues, turning up with at least something. She was just having trouble putting it together, like someone didn't want her to figure it all out... Days of almost getting there but coming up short with her memory out of wack did a number on her confidence, so to her dismay she still needed extra help.

With the, some reluctant some voluntary, assitance of the leaders, they managed to, after some harsh poking, confront the now revealed main concern, Igni, and found the leads they needed to bring it back from the brink of disappearance. (The leads were boobytrapped, obvi, if they weren't then it'd be too easy-) From here on, though, Iris and Irene fall suspiciously silent.

Now, I had the absolute pleasure to be at the forefront of Iliana's Character Chapter, a special event where she could (almost) wrap up her character arc and I could make everyone cry! :)

I mentioned it a bit in my KHOC Week posts about Igni in 2021, as it was in progress at the time when I was making them! I thought it would add some nice flavor to her posts and add context for my reasons to talk about her, but it was all very vague so I wouldn't spoil much about the CC itself, so it may have been a... rough read-

We've long since moved on from it as a whole, but it was really fun to host and is forever one of my favorite things I've ever gotten to contribute!!

So, contrary to the canon-compliant timeline where I'm quite a ways away from ever reaching the grand end of her personal story, here we finally got to experience it in motion, but... good golly gee my pals really bent it beyond repair, thank goodness I am pretty decent at improv-

To summarize: They sure did find the Hills of Progress! Y'know the journal I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it was sealed in that.

Along the way they met some interesting faces, relived some horrendous relationships, immediately adopted a very good frog obsessed boy, and backhanded a twink who deserved it (my favorite part tbh). Things happened early and in the strangest ways possible, someone almost died (3 different people at 3 different times, it was a mess) and one nose was broken (Iliana got punched super hard at supersonic speeds so Igni would get out of the driver's seat, my 2nd fav part tbh).

But the important turning point (aside from a hug and a later interaction before Igni got Galeem'd 2: Electric Boogaloo) I wanted to talk about was when they crossed the threshold into Iliana's heart. They were there specifically to confront Igni and hopefully remove her permanently, but she was making it virtually impossible to find her. She's annoying like that.

They turned to their next best bet: Iliana's "heart parasites," Iris and Irene. They hoped the two would be more than helpful in finding Igni, but to their dismay... they were not. In fact, they refused and stalled for time, arguing with the leaders and outing themselves for what they really were in what was probably the most heart wrenching betrayal the whole CC...

♡♡♡

"They never existed."

"We're just figments of an active imagination here only to mentor where one couldn't succeed on her own."

-

"Igni made us simply to keep an eye on her, making us as real as possible only kept up the illusion she wasn't alone."

"If our purpose was to protect her, perhaps we would have done more to be kind, perhaps even try to defend her."

"But that was never our purpose, so it never happened."

♡♡♡

In turn both of them raised their weapons to [leader], defective copies of a Keyblade long forgotten.

[Quotes taken directly from the event! I went hard on that ngl-]

♡♡♡

They were never real to begin with, just illusions made up by Igni to keep tabs on and steer Iliana in the right direction. Visages she stole from the lifetimes she lived, people that did exist but don't anymore. Mere façades of what she thought a lonely child needed like the countless others she observed before, instead turned to a reminder that she can and will be disposed of eventually, to keep her in line.

Her whole life was revealed to be a lie right then and there, and that crack in her heart is gonna be very hard to repair. Time may not be able to heal all wounds on this one. Her trust? Shattered.

It also charted her course way differently, and with them being fake she was 100% herself when her Nobody stepped into the limited limelight. She was, in fact, truly alone the whole time. Well... Aside from Igni, but she doesn't count.

You can imagine Igni's defeat was bittersweet that day, she ticked off one too many people so it was time to get rid of her for good. She became Igni goo and was Baja/Biden/Flavor blasted to kingdom come, it was GREAT!!! Finally, a deserved win, since they had gone through so much in a span of two days, it was a relief!

Iliana's memories of Iris and Irene in this timeline are forever soiled, and because of it her already existing trust issues are much worse, but (to her dismay) her new found family is there to help work her through it!

The other downside is that she's got some guilt to work through, as well as her personal family problems and her now worsened Igni Disease™ (it has a name, I just think calling it that is funnier-).

And of course her being her you can try to pry these issues out of her and into the open, it may just take a crowbar and a lot of elbow grease. Or a bribe... or perhaps just a moment of vulnerability, of which she has few... Or her brother disclosing her personal life for the nth time. Either way, I wish you luck-

On the bright side of this whole mess, she has her Keyblade back in a more ethical way thanks to her new dad/big bro figure so HA, suck on that Igni-

Ahem.

Anyway-

The Keyblade part is not really a win in her eyes, but perhaps she'll warm up more to the idea when her self esteem repairs itself.

Not gonna lie, that self doubt of hers is strong enough to be a source of weird funky happenings...

But that's a thought for later!

What is a win is that she has her lil' bro back!!! And while she doesn't make it obvious, she has never been happier about an outcome in her entire life, that entire nightmare was WORTH IT-

Now she gets to teach him the magic of self defense, and the two can journey together just like she had promised him forever ago.

And with that~!

This was a long one! If you made it this far, you have earned my gratitude and a dash more of my respect!

I have a lot of passion and love stored in this AU and the people I collaborate with, especially the admins, so it only felt right to go on about it to great length! It's very fun to participate in, so you can see why my brainworms are specifically tailored to this.

Again, thank you to my buds in the server for the amazing opportunity to make this nightmare happen, and allowing me to have something to backread when I want to relive probably one of my favorite things I've gotten to host!! We all hate Igni in this house, yet her ghost still haunts us to this day... In one way or another-

Anyway, I hope y'all had fun!! I'll see y'all again for Day 5!!

[sumerus-little-sprout]

LORE P&F X GENSHIN AU

You guys (at least some of you guys) wanted an update about the lore of an AU I've started for fun (seriously idk what I was even thinking of)

Please take into consideration that this might be subject to lots of updates heh~

So to start things off, I began on the universe with a light note with some comedic banter between Cyno and Sethos, and with the title I've given the dialogue, I'm quite sure you could guess who was who. Cyno was Perry the platypus and Sethos is Dr. Doofinsmirtz.

Okay, now for the casting for the rest of the characters. Only one problem.......there isn't any.

Most of the characters can't be 'cast' per se with nobody from Genshin having barely or any similar traits to the characters of Phineas and Ferb. I've got a few, however.

Isabella: Nilou

Baljeet: Nahida

Buford: Scaramouche

Major Monogram: Azar (don't give me hate comments yet be patient pls)

Monty (I think that's his name?): Alhaitham

Carl: Xingqiu (Don't ask (Seriously imagine this guy singing that one song Carl sang))

For the people thinking 'What about Phineas and Ferb?! They're the main characters you should've at least cast them right!'

...yeah about that there is no Phineas and Ferb. I'll explain that right now.

The actual show of Phineas and Ferb is about them along with their entire gang of friends doing crazy and insane things on every day of their summer in an attempt to make the most out of it, inventing the wildest and wackiest inventions while their sister Candace tried to 'bust' them and get them in trouble with their parents.

Well, this is Genshin, we all know it's gonna be more complicated (and possibly more depressing) than that. So, I was thinking, since I've previously confirmed the existence of the Akademia in this universe, then obviously most of the Sumeru characters attend it.

So, instead of them being a couple of kids just enjoying their summer, maybe the Sumeru gang could be doing the same thing, making all of those crazy inventions, but with a different intent. The Akademia being the Akademia, could give the kids a summer long project to invent something extraordinary!

Kaveh, Tighnari, Cyno, Faruzan, Layla, Nahida, and Scaramouche have met each other on a couple of occasions and have become accquaintances, and had decided this project was far too big to simply do by themselves and have decided to team up with each other and do the project while maybe having a little bit of fun at the same time

Nilou, Dehya and Candace occasionally join the group because of common friends (Layla and Cyno)

Remember when I made Azar Major monogram? Yeah there's a good reason for that! I said in the previous episode that Cyno worked as a secret agent for the Akademia? Well, the Akademia is disguised as a school, but has secret intentions to take over not just Sumeru with their ideals, but the world!

Cyno was recruited into the Akademia's secret agents as a part of Project Hermanubis. He was an orphan who was taken into the Akademia after being abandoned as a child and soon began displaying strange powers. The Akademia grew interested in what these powers could potentially be and made him an 'agent' in exchange of providing him food, shelter and an education and a vow of silence. When the Akademia could finally have Cyno's complete loyalty and trust, his powers would be at their disposal.

The Akademia didn't want to give Cyno the jobs of an actual agent and risk him finding out their true intentions just yet, but needed to give him a job to maintain his status as an agent, and Sethos' ridiculous plots were the perfect way to do it.

Sethos was part of a cult of geniuses called the temple of silence, who's motto was to make the world a better place and had connections to the actual Hermanubis. Hermanubis however was considered as a curse because of his powers. Hermanubis wasn't considered a god to the people in this universe.

Unbeknownst to Cyno, Sethos also had the power of Hermanubis passed down to him. When the cult found out of these powers, they exiled him from the it in fear of him becoming too powerful, as Hermanubis' powers brought chaos and destruction instead of peace and harmony like the cult had intended. Out of anger and humiliation of being exiled, Sethos attempts to blow up the secret base of the temple of silence.

The Akademia decides to send Cyno on this mission to foil Sethos' plan, so Cyno goes in, completely blind of Sethos' motivations for the said bombing and manages to succeed his first mission. Sethos, despite being foiled and humiliated yet again, he found a certain rush of adrenaline that he particularly enjoyed carrying out his evil scheme, so why did he need to stop?

So he came up with more and more schemes for Cyno to foil. The Akademia found this as the perfect distraction for Cyno and assigned Sethos as his arch-nemesis. Meanwhile, Sethos finds himself strangely enjoying Cyno's company, which in turn motivates him to come up with more and more ridiculous schemes.

Cyno slowly realizes that Sethos isn't actually that evil, and even secretly finds himself enjoying Sethos' company as well. Soon, their relationship becomes much more than just hero vs villain. They become frenemies

Cyno goes for his missions while when the others invent their stuff and are quite oblivious, even believing Cyno's incredibly weak excuses. Well, everyone except for Tighnari, who was Cyno's best friend. He didn't know anything about Cyno's past and his powers and his current affiliation with the akademia.

Alhaitham is the prodigy of Azar, but Alhaitham doesn't admire him and has his suspicions, but isn't currently aware of the Akademia's misdeeds. Xingqiu is Alhaitham's intern and helps him with his stuff and really looks up to him, but would also like to get recognition as the intern.

Any other suggestions are more than welcome in the comments!

Kudos fo reading all of this!

So long for now my sprouts!

[vellatra]

I don't really know any characters from your story besides Vellatra herself, so how about #1, #8, and #9 for the most important character who is not her?

Oh dear! You know what, I'd never really considered who was "second-most important"! So I did some pondering... and mulled it over with my advisor and confidante (@reneethegreatandpowerful), and have come to the conclusion that Zac is second. HOWEVER! The story has a few different groups it follows, with their own side plots and stuff, so I have also included perhaps one of the more interesting folks from each of these groups. Thanks for the tough question! Those are the ones that help me fine tune stories. 😁 And now, your answers.

(Apologies - I committed the cardinal sin of using a "skin color" marker in this drawing, thereby turning him into Donald Trump. Sorry! 😅)

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "I'm Zachary James O'Connor. Most people just call me Zac. I'm in training to eventually join the army in the Merfaen tiz Ornaru - if I don't find a way back to Earth first, that is!"

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "My favorite pastime is playing video games! Especially fantasy swordplay stuff, like Zelda, Xenoblade, and Final Fantasy. They don't have electronics in this world though, so nowadays I tag along with Aileev and get into mischief with her, mostly." 😆 (Author's note: Aileev is Vellatra's teenage firecracker of a daughter. I'll have to introduce her sometime soon!)

Q: What is your greatest achievement, and why do you think so?

A: "I learned Flunibu, the Merfaen language, to a conversational level in a couple of weeks. Never thought I'd learn a new language that fast!"

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "Vexina Katrina Fini. I'm a specialist in the natural sciences, and at the moment I'm on a government funded mission to investigate some strange phenomena near the edge of our solar system. ... Admittedly I've been pretty sidetracked lately! But Silen Fah is full of interesting new flora and fauna to discover, so I'm not too upset." 😁

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "I enjoy reading up on the most recent scientific discoveries, and mulling over the unexplained mysteries of the universe. Did you know, for example, that nobody's yet come up with a satisfactory theory for how the mammoths were frozen so quickly and preserved so perfectly? The temperatures and conditions you'd need-"

Q: Ahem, next question! What is your greatest achievement and why do you think so?

A: "By a long shot, the discovery of this new world! No earthly scientist has ever been able to catalogue so many new species and geological formations as I have, and all thanks to a happy accident on our travels through space! I worry, though, that no one will ever find OUT about my achievement. I haven't found a way back home, or a way to send my findings to Earth.... But hope is not lost and I won't give up!"

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "I am Fabian, son of Henry. I am a squire for Sir Galahad of Camelot."

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "I enjoy practicing swordplay, hunting, and riding horseback when the time may be spared."

Q: What is your greatest achievement and why?

A: "I have done little worthy of renown as of yet, but I am only a youth. I trust that, in time, great things shall be done. Perhaps I shall become a knight of King Arthur's court? Slay wicked beasts? Save fair maidens? What the Lord willeth, I stand ready to do."

This is the second time I've typed all this out... sure hope Tumblr doesn't delete it all again! This is getting tedious. 😵

Anyway, it was fun to figure all this out! Thanks again for the question!

[ruledbyrarity]

this is my dance...

Hey there. It's been a while. :)

My last semester of university wasn't as chaotic nor challenging as the previous one, but that's due to the fact that I was only able to enrol in two courses out of six. T_T

Regardless, it still managed to be really difficult to put myself through it. Leaving stress, paranoia, anxiety and many other activities behind, I started suffering from insomnia. There were days where I'd only get like two or three hours of sleep. Some other days, nothing. Even though I was aware that the day wouldn't be anything special...

And there were dreams, too.

This is the representation of one of those dreams.

The scene was beautiful. I usually reserve those things for my journal, but this is something where I think that I can take a different approach. Write a fic, a song, maybe? I don't know. I'll be working on that (until then my Fimfiction account will remain empty).

You'll get to know more of them soon. In the meantime, can you guess their names?

It's funny to come up with this now when I haven't even drawn the rest of the Mane 6. I just thought the whole thing was very cute and interesting. Therefore, they popped up in my sketchbook.

My friends and I would like to re-take one of our old fics from high school, complete it and turn it into a masterpiece for the fandom and some old friends. I'm not sure which one could be a better start, but we'll see how it all goes. :)

I'm on vacation right now, but there's so little time and so many things to do... can't really assure I'll be very active around here.

I need to find a way to not starve and to follow my dreams yet.

much love,

pearly*

[icyfox17]

YES!!!

🌀🌤️🌈🌩️

For any WIPs that contain crime boys :D

I'm having the problem of not sure what I've sent to you before LMAOO

okay i think i got it... i dont think youve seen any of these, not sure though FKDSJK

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing…

i dont actually know if this will have crimeboys but i can't find the summary i originally wanted to share sooo

Tommy had been a vigilante for over a year now and had seen some pretty weird things. A toilet paper thief, a gang that used rats to communicate, a dog with its own blog, you get the gist. He was certain that nothing would phase him.

That is, until he got sucked into a portal to another universe and was mistaken as Spider-Man. His suit didn't even have a spider on it the fuck.

This was gonna be a long day.

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

i dont really have a fav but i am really proud of this one so :o

"Wilbur," he said after a quiet moment.

Tommy turned in confusion. "What?"

Phantom looked down for a moment before looking back up and meeting him in the eyes. "My name's Wilbur."

Tommy blinked. Once. Twice. Phantom had just broken the number one rule in being a vigilante (or well maybe the number three rule, behind no killing and no maiming). He… wasn't sure what to think of it.

He took a bite of his sandwich instead. "Tommy."

Wilbur continued staring at him, a question in his eyes.

"That's my name bitch," he said between mouthfuls. "I'm not going to let you steal the spot light with a name reveal. Besides," and he shrugged, trying to shake off the seed of anxiety that had begun to grow in him. "only fair, innit?"

Wilbur snorted before extending his hand. "Suppose so. Well, nice to meet you Tommy."

Tommy rolled his eyes but shook the hand anyway. "You're such a theatre kid."

He made a noise of protest. "Am not!"

Tommy snorted. "You are the definition of a theatre kid Ph-Wilbur. You'd think you were a villain with your long ass monologues."

Wilbur slapped him on the arm gently. "You are ridiculous. I do not monologue."

"Uh-huh. Sure, Wilbur. Didn't you literally go on for five minutes yesterday about how much smarter you are than Jester after you managed to knock him on his ass."

"I- It wasn't a monologue-"

"Oh, what was it then?"

"It was simply an astute observation."

Tommy gave him a dead pan look. "An observation that lasted five minutes."

Wilbur reached up and tussled his hair. "Shut up gremlin. I won't stand for this slander."

"It's not slander if it's the truth," Tommy said cheekily, leaning into the touch of his hair.

Wilbur only sighed and continued to run his fingers through Tommy's hair. They sat in comfortable silence for awhile after that, watching the occasional car drive by. Soon it turned to five am and Tommy stood up, despite wanting nothing more than to stay there in that moment forever.

Wilbur made a discontent noise and tried to pull Tommy back beside him but Tommy shrugged him off lightly. "I have school in a few hours prick. I gotta go back home before me parents catch me."

Wilbur pouted. "Five more minutes?"

"Sorry Big P, no can do tonight."

Wilbur sighed before standing up and stretching his limbs, wincing as his muscles popped. "At least let me walk you home."

Tommy waved him off. "I'll be fine, big man. Promise."

"Promise?"

Tommy nodded, smiling reassuringly. "I promise."

Wilbur relented, ruffling his hair one last time before he stood back, smiling fondly as he watched him wander off.

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

Tears welled up in Wilbur's eyes and he smiled, patting his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tommy."

Tommy looked up at him, tears threatening to fall for him as well. He struggled to find the words explaining how he was feeling at the moment. He decided to hug him instead, burying his face into Wilbur's chest.

Wilbur hugged him back and they stayed there for a few moments, just holding each other.

🌩️ Share something funny/cracky from your WIP.

“Finishing chewing first before you speak, child.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Tommy shot back.

“Then I’ll get a spray bottle from Phil and spray you with it. Teach you some manners.”

“You wouldn’t,” smiled Tommy, sweet with saccharine. 

“Oh, I would.”

And that was how the two of them found themselves in a spray bottle fight just a few moments later. Phil watched from the sidelines amusedly, simply telling them to not trash the place or they’d have to stay and clean up.

In the end, they both ended up sitting on the floor together, completely soaked, though Tommy would say that he won, thank you very much. 

Bonus Snipp that is more crack, but is not crimeboys (ig you could see it as crimeboys but I intended it as clingyduo ^-^)

~

Thump.

Tommy untensed his body. That hadn't hurt nearly as much as he had expected.

He opened his eyes to a number of garbage bags. Well, he wrinkled his nose, that explained the smell.

Honestly, it wasn't that uncomfortable. Tommy thought he could sleep in here. He leaned back and shifted into a more comfortable position. Yeah, he could totally sleep in here. Maybe he would. His body ached like hell and he really didn't feel like moving. Sleeping here sounded like a good idea. He could deal with garbage smell. He'd explain to Tubbo in the morning. It'd be fine.

~~

It was not fine.

Tommy awoke to a bag being flung on top of him. He gagged and dodged out of the way of more bags that were being dumped in.

"Hey!!"

Whoever had thrown away the garbage, evidently had not heard him because he was soon thrust in darkness with a loud slam.

He groaned. Okay, so maybe sleeping in a dumpster wasn't his brightest idea. In his defense, it was 4 am. Nobody makes smart decisions at 4 am.

After another few minutes of contemplating his life, he sat up and pushed the lid of the dumpster open. Or at least, he tried to.

"What the fuck," he muttered under his breath.

He tried again, putting more effort into it. It opened slightly, but stopped after an inch or two. Tommy peered through the crack to see chains. Who the fuck locked their dumpster??

~~~ "You really are a fucking raccoon."

"That is not nice of you to say."

"You slept in a dumpster."

"I, okay fair point but still--"

[fitrahgolden]

Something That Digs At Us: 2 - A language that you can't read just yet

Anthony was packing up his bag in his office at University College London when a knock on his open door caught his attention.

"Professor Bridgerton. Big plans for the weekend?" His colleague, Cressida Cowper, leaned against his door, her own bag hanging in the crook of her arm as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Anthony bit back a grimace and replaced it with a smile as he looked up. "Cressida. I thought we agreed given names were perfectly fine outside of the lecture theatre."

She took a couple of steps inside and lazily brushed her hands over some of the potted plants that were against the window. "We did. I just like the sound of 'Professor Bridgerton,’ I must admit."

Anthony stilled for a moment. Right. "Well, please do call me Anthony."

"Alright, Anthony. What about those weekend plans?"

"Let's see, uh…" He swung his bag over his arm and checked his pocket watch. Plenty of time. Just need to get out of here. "I have dinner with a friend tonight. I actually need to leave for that soon. Besides that, my sister got engaged this week, so I imagine a lot of family–"

"Oh, how lovely! I'm sure you will look very smart. Though, I suppose you always do. It’s quite unfair. Anyone in mind for your plus one?"

Christ, things always escalate so quickly with her. Anthony moved towards the door, leading Cressida out with him. "Yes, in fact. Wish me luck."

"Uh– Oh."

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really must get going. Please have a wonderful weekend." In a flurry of movements, Anthony turned off the lights, closed his office door, and locked it. He gave Cressida a strained smile before taking off down the hall.

—

"Death Blade? Go for Velvet Thunder."

There was silence for a few second before Anthony responded, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Simon cackled on the other end of the phone call. "I gave us badass code names for this mission."

"Si–"

"It's Velvet Thunder, actually."

"No, it's not."

"It is, though."

Anthony pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for this."

"You do if you want this picnic basket."

"Fine."

"Fine…?"

"Where am I meeting you, Velvet Thunder?"

"Thank you. Was that so hard?"

—

Anthony checked himself out in the mirror one last time before crossing the hall to Kate's door. She hasn't cancelled. It's gonna be great. He was about to knock when her door opened.

"Oh. Hi. I didn't know if we were just meeting in the hall, or…" Kate fiddled with the necklace that hung right above her cleavage, which was distracting as hell. "Anthony?"

"Huh? Sorry."

She pointed back into her flat. "I could close the door and we could try this again, if you'd like."

Anthony laughed before schooling his feature in mock seriousness. "Yes, I'd like that very much. Reset!" He yelled to no one in particular as he took a step backwards and Kate disappeared behind her door. After a few seconds, he knocked.

"Be there in a mo!"

Anthony laughed again at her commitment to the scene. When her door opened again, she'd flipped her hair over to one side and feigned breathlessness and Anthony thought maybe this joke was a bad idea if he wanted to think straight.

"Sorry, I completely lost track of time."

"No worries." He reached into his bag and pulled out a block of resin encased dried flowers. "This is for you."

Kate's jaw dropped as she took it and held it up, turning it in the light. "Anthony, this is beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Let me put this down and we can get going."

Anthony peered into Kate's flat as she found a place for the flowers on her table. He noticed Newton lying on a dog bed in the living room. No vest.

"I'll find a better place for it later. I imagine I'm supposed to put it in front of a window so light can shine through."

"A fine idea, but you can put it where you like. Including in a closet if you are just being polite."

"Oh, thank goodness. I am just being polite."

As she closed her door behind her and locked her two deadbolts, Anthony asked, "Newton isn't joining us?"

Kate looked between him and her door and turned the ring around her finger as she answered. "No. He gets the night off. Oh, are we going on a picnic?"

Anthony blinked a few times before following her gaze down to the basket on the floor. "Ah, yes. Is that OK?"

"Sounds lovely. Where?”

“It’s a surprise.” Anthony picked up the picnic basket and took her hand to lead them down the hall, but Kate didn’t move. He turned to find her spinning her ring again. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a sweet gesture, but can you please tell me where we’re going? I don’t like surprises.”

“Oh, sure. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry.” Kate rested her hand on his upper arm.

“We’re going to Kew Gardens. In Richmond. Is that OK?”

She slid her hand into his and exhaled slowly. “Thank you. Yes, that is OK.”

—

“Isn’t this place about to close? I thought you planned all this out, Professor.” Kate looked around as they got out of Anthony’s car. Anthony let her pull her cardigan on before putting an arm around her shoulder.

“Oh, but I did. The gardens will indeed close soon, so we’ll have the Temperate House all to ourselves.”

“Until we are discovered and kicked out, you mean. I’m not dressed to scale walls, Anthony.”

Anthony looked down at Kate’s navy blue slip dress and white ballet flats and again suffered a brief brain malfunction before responding. “Oh, I know you aren’t. But we’re safe.”

“How?”

“I have my ways.” But as soon as he saw her smile drop, he remembered what she said earlier and added, “I’m friends with a few of the managers here through work. We have a pass of sorts. The night crew knows we’re here.”

Her smile returned and they walked up a path until they were confronted by a massive glasshouse. Kate stopped in her tracks once she realised they were headed inside. “This is the Temperate House?” she asked in awe.

Anthony stared at her as she stared at the building before answering. “Yes. I was thinking we could eat inside and then I could give you a tour.”

Kate turned to him, suspicious. “This is quite the smooth move. How many ‘tours’ have you given here?”

Anthony ushered them forward as he answered, “To students during the daylight hours? Dozens. Otherwise, this is my first night showing.”

Kate’s lips formed a silent “oh” as they entered the glasshouse. A small table and two chairs were set up near the entrance. Anthony walked ahead of her, lighting some candles after he set the basket down. Once everything was where he wanted it to be, he reached a hand out to Kate. “Shall we?”

Kate stepped forward, taking off her cardigan, and took his hand as she settled into her seat. Anthony felt emboldened to let his hand brush across her shoulders as he moved to sit on the other side of the table. After Kate took in the spread in front of them, she looked up at Anthony with a knowing smirk. “Simon?”

“Hmm?”

“Seeing as we’ve never shared a meal, I find it hard to believe it’s just a coincidence that so many of my favourite foods are on this table right now. So, I assume you had access to some good intel.”

“Ah, yes. Mr. Velvet Thunder himself.”

“What?”

Anthony hung his head. “No, never mind.”

“No, I think I will mind,” Kate said through her laughter.

Anthony explained that not only did Simon tell him what to pack for dinner, he prepared the basket himself at Kate’s mum’s house and handed it off to Anthony earlier in the day. “He insisted on code names.”

“Professor Death Blade,” Kate mused. “You’re a comic book villain.”

“Rude. Maybe ‘Death Blade’ is just what I named my garden shears.”

“That was… uncharacteristically sweet of Si to be so helpful.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that.”

“I’ll tell him myself. And your sister.”

Anthony pulled out two glasses and a bottle. Kate widened her eyes. “Oh, I forgot to tell you I don’t drink.”

“Velvet Thunder told me.” He held up the bottle. “Sparkling juice?”

“Yes, please.” Kate looked around some more as Anthony filled their glasses. “Speaking of Simon and Daphne, I imagine they’ll want to take advantage of your connections for a proper English garden wedding.”

“Oh, they’ll have a garden wedding, but it will be back home in Kent at Mum’s. Daphne’s always said she wants to get married there.” Anthony handed Kate her glass.

“Thank you. That’s nice. The wedding being where you grew up, I mean.”

“Mum is certainly beside herself with excitement. And thankfully, Daphne shares in her enthusiasm. I think the two have already forgotten about poor Simon.”

“Well, I look forward to seeing the venue. Simon has told me how beautiful the estate is.”

“I look forward to giving you a tour.”

They shared a smile for a few beats before Kate looked down and said, “Now, may we please tuck in? These really are all of my favourites. Simon did good.”

—

After dinner, Kate insisted on helping Anthony clean up before he began the tour. He was surprised by how engaged Kate was. He happily answered all her questions and just as happily watched her as she looked at all the flora that surrounded them.

“Um, there’s a lot more to see, but it’s getting quite late and perhaps you’d rather call it a night? I’d love to bring you back if you’d like.”

Kate nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m ready to go home. But this was lovely, Anthony. Thank you.”

He held her gaze for a moment before approaching slowly, as if he may spook her. He could hear and see her breath quicken and she squeezed the ring she’d been spinning all night. Before moving any closer, he whispered, “May I kiss you, Kate?”

Her answer was immediate and just as quiet, “Yes.”

His lips met hers carefully. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek. He smiled when he felt her tongue sweep across his lips and he opened his mouth for her. Anthony had no idea how much time passed before Kate moved away to catch her breath. She put her hand to her lips as if in wonder before she spoke.

“Can we go home?” She asked, smiling.

—

Anthony and Kate walked, hand in hand, down the hall. Once they were standing between the doors to their respective flats, Anthony wasn’t sure what to do. Thankfully, Kate said something first.

“Would you like to come in?”

“Please,” he answered simply and Kate’s giggle drove him just a little bit mad.

“Well, actually, I just need to take Newton out. We’ll be back in a little bit. I’ll knock on your door.”

“OK. Or I could come with you?”

Kate shook her head. “Thank you, but I’d rather take him alone.”

“OK. See you in a little bit.”

Once he was inside his flat, Anthony took everything out of the basket and washed the dishes. Then, he was sort of at a loss. Should I change? What should I change into? Certainly not pyjamas. That would be mental. He settled for switching out his shoes for trainers and his button-down for a t-shirt. Then he quickly traded his slacks for shorts and before he could continue to overthink it, there was a soft knock on the door. He opened it to find Kate with her hair up and her cardigan pulled tight around her. “Do you still want to come over?”

“Absolutely.”

And so Anthony found himself sitting on Kate’s couch with a glass of water as she moved the flower block around, giving his opinion on what looked best. They ended up agreeing on placing it on her bookshelf, angled in such a way that it would catch the light in the evening.

“Now that that’s settled… Do you want to go to bed?”

Anthony stilled, the glass of water at his lips. He put it back down on the coffee table and croaked out, “Yes.”

Kate shifted her weight from side to side. “OK.”

Anthony got up and closed the distance between them in a few strides. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. When she kissed him back, he walked her backwards towards the hall and when he felt her hands under his shirt, he pushed her cardigan off her shoulders. Once her back was against a wall, he started to pull up the hem of her dress, bunching up the silky material in his hands. But then he felt her hands cover his and push them back down, so he stopped. He looked down at her and waited. She pulled his face down for a chaste kiss before saying, “Let’s just go to sleep, eh? Are you OK with that?”

Anthony couldn’t hide his breathlessness as he nodded, “Yeah, of course. Whatever you want.”

Kate kissed the tip of his nose and smiled. “Good. Um, just make yourself comfortable in the bedroom and I’m gonna go shower, OK?”

“OK, yeah.”

She gave him one more quick kiss before going into the bathroom. Anthony, of course, knew where her bedroom was, as her flat was just a mirror of his. Convenient. In her room, Anthony looked around and his eyes fell on her drawing set up in the corner. He walked over and took in the drawing that was on the easel. Three women, embracing, laughing. He could almost feel the warmth radiating off the paper. He couldn’t help his hand reaching out to run his fingers over the criss crossing lines.

“Hi.”

He turned quickly and saw Kate standing in her doorway, in a nightgown that, honestly, didn’t look very different from the dress she’d gone out in, which Anthony didn’t mind at all. Her hair was braided to the side and she still wore the necklace and ring she’d had on all night.

“Hey.”

She looked at the bed. “Ready?”

He let her settle into bed first before moving to lie beside her. He turned toward her and kissed her shoulder. She sighed as he moved his hand down her arm and held up her hand, touching her ring. He spoke softly. “Can I ask about this?”

She looked at the ring and then looked at him. “Spinning it helps me calm down, especially when I don’t have Newton.”

Anthony’s “ah” and was barely audible as he gave the ring a few spins himself.

“And this?” He reached down and his fingers brushed her chest as he touched the piece of metal hanging from her necklace.

Kate gulped before answering, “It’s a breathing straw.”

When Anthony looked at her questioningly, she continued. “It facilitates mindful breathing. Here.” She grabbed the straw and held it up to his lips. “First, inhale deeply through your nose.” She smiled when Anthony followed her directions without hesitating. “Now hold it.” She placed the straw between his lips. “Breath out. Slowly. All the air needs to go through the straw.” When she could hear how much force he was using, she started giggling. “Slowly, Anthony!”

“I need to work on it.”

"You do."

He rested his head on her shoulder and he could hear how fast her pulse was racing. "I'm always nervous. About everything." That's what she'd said. 

"Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you need Newton right now?"

Kate's brow furrowed. "Maybe. Can we try something first?"

"Yeah."

"Can you just…lay on top of me?"

"I think I'm too heavy."

"I'll let you know if you are."

"OK." Anthony sounded unsure as he moved over Kate. She opened her thighs so she could cradle his torso as he settled his head on her chest. Once he'd settled his weight on her, Kate surprised him with the sweetest content sigh and he felt her fingers in his hair. "Is this good?" He whispered the question across her decolletage.

"Yes. Do you think you could sleep like this?"

"I could absolutely sleep like this."

"Then, good night, Professor Death Blade."

Anthony chuckled as he said, "Good night, Kate."

[illumiera]

Thehehe

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from the fanfic writer director's cut asks—feel free to send one in or reblog so I can ask you!

thank you so much, anon!! 💖

⭐the opening lines of i fear no fate—"Laat Dovahkiin wears flowers in her hair. This is the thing that throws Miraak, above all."—were the first lines I ever wrote for this story. I had this very clear image of how Apocrypha might as well be a realm of the dead, an Underworld populated with those who've long since forgotten their mortal lives, and then Miraak is absolutely taken aback by the sudden appearance of Elentari who, by contrast, is riotously, colourfully alive.

⭐ speaking of Elentari and her flowers... this is where my long-lasting love of all things Persephone jumps out. in myth, Persephone has a dual nature as both goddess of spring and Queen of the Underworld so feared and so respected that in many texts, she's referred to only by epithet. I borrowed a little from that with Ellie, who speaks softly and gently, wears flowers in her hair, and excels at Restoration magic—but as her mastery in Destruction will tell you, she's capable of being downright devastating when she wants to be, too.

(it's also not all that often she's called by name, in-universe. it is known around Skyrim, but as Miraak notices, it isn't included in any of the books written about her. those familiar with her will call her "Elentari", or "Ellie" if they're Lucien, but most address her as "Dragonborn", "Dragonslayer", "Flameheart", "Arch-Mage", or "Ysmir".)

⭐but that's not to say that the flowers don't have a lot of symbolism in-universe, too! I like to imagine that Ellie would have started wearing them a while after her resurrection, after she emerged from a months-long haze of grief: a symbol of her new life.

her choice to wear blue mountain flowers in her hair was also very pointed, I think. I've long since envisioned her going to Sovngarde wearing those same flowers, so I like to think that whatever meaning they actually have, she was using them to say something like, "hey, Miraak, whoever you are, I beat the World-Eater, and I'll beat you, too."

(cue Luke Skywalker voice saying, "This is not going to go the way you think...")

⭐ I'm a big fan of sprinkling references to fairy tales and mythology about (in case the entire paragraph I just spent rambling about Persephone didn't already tip you off...), and I intended a certain part of the fourth chapter to be something of a callback to Orpheus and Eurydice. my idea this time was, “what if Orpheus didn’t fail? what if the answer is to walk through the dark, clutching your beloved’s hand, and turn to them and see all that they are and only that way will you be able to bring them back?”

⭐ here's an eyebrow-raising one for you, or for me, at least: in the third chapter, Ellie finds herself dreaming of Labyrinthian, then Bromjunaar, which was ruled by Morokei at the time. since by intervening there, she's rewriting time so that whatever she did was always going to happen, I wonder if Morokei ever felt anything of her while he was alive? magic leaves an echo, after all.

I like to think some part of him—whatever remained behind in his lich—recognised something in the Ellie who came to Labyrinthian shortly before becoming to Arch-Mage, even though the events of i fear no fate hadn't yet started. that's why he defaulted to Dovahzul, expecting an answer, only to switch to Tamrielic when he received no response.

one thing's for sure, she'll soon be very glad she re-killed him...