#writealot

[ayukaze]

♫⋆｡‧˚♡˚‧｡₊✩‧₊˚ Aug-kissed Week One ♫⋆｡‧˚♡˚‧｡₊✩‧₊˚

| INDIRECT KISS | BLOW A KISS | BUTTERFLY KISSES

Pairing: Pokeshipping | AO3 LINK

Event hosted by @aug-kissed | Post divider by @/cafekitsune

The tension inside the stadium was at its peak, Misty could almost smell the anticipation radiating from the audience. She tried her best not to look at the audience, or even towards the big scoreboard in the middle. Still, it was difficult for her not to shield her eyes with an arm and turn her face away from the battle before her when Nessa’s Drednaw shrunk back into its original form after Dynamaxing. Her own Starmie’s Dynamax had worn off one turn ago, which had caused a great deal of damage to her Pokemon as it avoided making contact with the opposing Drednaw’s Max Ooze by continuously spinning in the air. Now that the stadium had returned to normal, Starmie landed on one of its pointy spokes and attempted to stand tall with its back facing Misty.

She could see that her Starmie was shivering, putting every ounce of her energy into standing straight and holding it together so Misty wouldn’t lose the battle. She curled up her fists at her side till her knuckles went white, the image of the scoreboard flashed into her mind as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath, both Nessa and she were down to their last Pokemon, it could have been anyone’s win but seeing the difference in their stamina, she knew that chances of Starmie fainting first were higher.

When she opened her eyes again, she was taken aback by how Starmie had turned to face her. The glow of its ruby coloured jewel had almost diminished, and though Misty was teased a lot about how Starmie and Staryu didn’t have faces, she could still understand exactly what her Pokemon was trying to tell her. But she pursed her lips at the sight, how could she let Starmie continue to battle in its current state? She wasn’t the kind of trainer who let their Pokemon battle through exhaustion, it just felt so wrong to her. Her hand at her side twitched, she had half a mind to pull out her Pokeball and recall Starmie, forfeit the battle before her Pokemon suffered any severe injuries. But it was the look on Starmie’s face that held her back. Once her Pokemon noticed that Misty had understood what it was trying to say, it proudly turned around and faced the opponent.

She couldn’t however, look at Nessa or Drednaw just yet. Her cerulean eyes wandered towards the scoreboard again, if Starmie somehow pulled through this, Misty would become the first trainer to win the newly inaugurated Water Pokemon Championships. This whole month she had spent every waking second training and battling and winning, just to get that title of the best Water Pokemon Trainer, something she had dreamed about for all her life. Could she, however, be satisfied with the win if Starmie would have to be rushed to the emergency room right after? Or worse, what if she risked her Pokemon’s health and still didn’t win?

Misty swallowed the lump in her throat, she could feel the entire stadium watching her, even Nessa’s blue eyes were piercing into her skin, waiting for her to make the next move as the honourable trainer that she was. The silence all around consumed Misty and her knees shook, suddenly unable to hold up her weight and the weight of all the thoughts that circled in her mind, should she give up, should she continue to battle, was Starmie okay, will she be able to make the right choice?

She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and let out a scream, if she couldn’t even make up her mind over something like this, did she even deserve to win?

Feeling lost and confused, Misty’s eyes searched the stands for a familiar face and it didn’t take her too long to find him.

Ash was sitting in the second row from the front, not too far from where she was standing on the battleground. He had been observing Starmie too but when their eyes met, Misty felt a new surge of energy rush into her veins. He didn’t smile, he didn’t give her an encouraging nod, and he didn’t even look like he wanted to cheer her on. No, Ash’s face was lit up with the intensity of a raging fire, one that wanted to be at the centre of the ring and wouldn’t be contained until it got what it wanted. His jaw was set and his brown eyes bore into her, as if to say that if Misty didn’t see this battle through, he’d come down from the stands to finish it himself.

In a daze, she lifted a hand to touch the Cascade badge pinned to the hair tie holding her hair up in her trademark lopsided ponytail. Just before she’d taken her place in the arena, Ash had come to wish her luck one last time. He’d stood across her with his sunshine smile lighting up the dark corridor that opened up to the battleground.

“Nessa’s going to think you’re about to step into the ring yourself with that Gyarados face you’ve got on right now,” Ash laughed, poking her cheek with a finger, possibly in an attempt to get her to loosen up.

“Not funny, Ash. Now’s not the time to crack silly jokes, okay?” Misty muttered though she didn’t fight him off when he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her forward, resting his forehead against hers.

“Relax, Mist.”

That’s all he said, but the two words worked like a charm. As they stood in silence Misty felt her heartbeat slow down in sync with Ash’s calm breathing.

She allowed her body to bask under his gentle warmth, the muscles in her back relaxing and her jaw unclenching on its own as only the sound of Ash’s deep breaths reverberated around them. Once he understood that she would not try to wiggle out of his grasp, he let his hands fall to her shoulders, gripping them with just the right amount of strength. Lifting his head he pressed it against her side, tickling her cheeks with his nose as his eyelashes fluttered across her skin, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses that made her lips long for some company too. It was when she started to get comfortable that he moved again, taking a step back to shift behind her and wrap his hands around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder so they could stand cheek to cheek.

She didn’t quite know how long they stood together like that, time had seemed to stop as a favour to her, but when Ash pulled away, she felt like a different person altogether.

He grinned at the sight of her, rubbing the tip of his nose with a finger proudly, he asked “Feeling better?”

Misty nodded, though she’d felt the anxiety over the upcoming match vanish from her body and mind after Ash’s help, her voice still needed some time to reform.

“Better enough for me to crack a joke about how you now look like a spaced out Psyduck?”

“Ash Ketchum, why I ought to-”

And her voice was back in full swing, any nervous feelings about what awaited her out in the arena now a distant whisper as her whole body buzzed with newfound energy and excitement, looking forward to face reality instead. Ash dodged the light punch she threw in his direction, easily grabbing her fist with his hand he lowered it to pry open her fingers one by one. Misty was confused by this but in the next moment she let out a small gasp, as he had dropped a shiny object in her open palm, one she didn’t expect to see in this moment.

“Is this…?” Her voice trailed off, though she knew Ash understood her question nonetheless.

“Yep. The badge you thought I didn’t deserve,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle considering the sensitive topic.

Misty couldn’t believe it but when she touched the badge, the cold surface sent a shiver down her spine, reminding her of that interrupted battle and Ash’s unrelenting determination.

“It looks just the same as it did that day,” she whispered, in awe of how its blue coating had survived so many years without a single scratch.

“Of course it does! I take good care of all my badges and trophies.”

She didn’t need to look up at Ash to know that his nose was pointed a few centimetres higher with how smug he sounded. Slowly, a calm smile spread across her face, though she did not understand yet what Ash was aiming to achieve by handing her this today, just thinking about their days travelling together as kids made her feel content with the present and hopeful for the future. When she finally raised her eyes to thank him for this sweet gesture, Ash did not let a single moment pass without taking her by surprise. With her hand still resting on top of his palm, he raised it slightly, bending his head to plant a kiss on top of the badge. His lips tickled her skin for just a brief moment but it was enough to colour her cheeks with a deep blush. After pulling back, Ash grinned at the shy pout that had overtaken her face naturally, he took the badge from her hand and carefully attached it to her hair tie, stepping back afterwards to let her know that she was free to go.

“For good luck,” he said, gesturing towards the badge with his warm eyes.

“Thank you.”

Misty nodded, inhaling a deep breath and taking one last look at Ash’s encouraging smile, she turned her back to him, heading out into the battleground with loud cheers welcoming both her and Nessa. Just before she fished out her first Pokeball, she took a moment to touch the badge affixed to her hair and allowed the magic of Ash’s good luck charm to flow through her. She knew that the sensation of his lips had by then faded but she still bought the fingers that had glazed across the badge to her lips, preserving the vanishing essence of Ash’s kiss even for a fleeting moment…

And that was all the motivation she needed to pull herself together.

This match was going to be her victory.

Misty straightened up her back and uncurled her fists, raising one arm in front of her as she prepared to order Starmie. The move she had thought of was something Starmie had attempted to learn just for the sake of this tournament, but their training had not proved as effective as Misty hoped. To use that move in such a stressful and decisive moment made her feel worried for her Pokemon’s state of mind, but remembering how Starmie had stood tall against her doubts just moments ago, Misty stilled her nervously beating heart with a deep breath.

“Starmie, use Power Gem and Rapid Spin, at the same time!”

It was reckless, but Misty had watched Ash’s Pokemon pull off similar moves multiple times so she had faith that Starmie would catch onto her wishes.

As if eager to prove her trainer right, Starmie wasted no time in reacting to the command. Any doubts about whether the move would be successful or not were wiped from Misty’s mind as Starmie took centre stage with a reignited vigour. The ruby gem at its centre began to glow and soon it had turned into a blinding shade of white before it burst into beams of light spreading out like tendrils all around the stadium. A collective gasp could be heard from around the audience but Misty paid it no heed, only keeping her concentration fixed on the battle in front of her. As soon as Starmie started to spin, she didn’t need to be aware of her surroundings to know that silence had enveloped the stadium at the beautiful sight that Starmie painted with its skilful enactment of Misty’s idea.

The particles of light that Power Gem created were now falling all across the arena, no matter where Nessa ordered her Drednaw to run, there was either a shard of rock waiting to land on his head or a ray of dazzling light ready to obscure his vision. Nessa was shouting for Drednaw to stay calm amidst the chaos of Starmie’s Power Gem raining down upon the arena, but it was too late, the shell-backed Pokemon was already confused. Coupled with the exhaustion that Dyanamxing brings along with it, Drednaw’s movements became slower and it didn’t take too long for it to start getting hit by Power Gem’s effects.

Misty watched the scene with a mental countdown playing in her head, she had to wait for the right moment to give out the next command, which she knew would be the last move Starmie could pull off after exerting over this grand display of its hidden move. Misty followed every move that Drednaw made attentively, making sure her eyes didn’t even pause to blink. Just a little bit longer, she thought to herself and hoped that her words reached Starmie, just a little bit more and then this match would be over.

“Drednaw, get a hold of yourself!” Nessa’s sharp voice cut through the noise of the Power Gem shower.

The instruction reached Drednaw as it found itself a place to take cover from the falling rocks and stopped running around in a frenzy. Nessa’s relieved sigh was loud enough for Misty to hear and she decided, that this was it, the moment she’d been waiting for.

“Starmie, my steady-” To Misty’s delight, her Pokemon reacted instantly and halted its spin mid-air, ready to switch gears to the next move without hesitation, so she obliged and shouted with all her might, “Use tackle!”

“Drednaw, get up and dodge!” Nessa countered through an equally loud shout.

With whatever strength they had left, the two Pokemon eagerly obeyed the commands issued to them by their trainers. Drednaw stood on his hinds, raising his front paws with the hope that it would help stop Starmie’s descent in its tracks. But perhaps the will to prove itself was stronger on Starmie’s side as it did not let the opponent’s stance deter her and flew with all its strength and tenacity towards Drednaw’s belly, avoiding the onslaught of his paws altogether to land a critical hit. Drednaw wobbled uncontrollably from the impact before finally losing his footing, its hind legs tripping on the remnants of Power Gem to make him fall flat on his back.

As Drednaw struggled to get back on its feet only the encouraging shouts from Nessa reverberated across the stadium. Drednaw flailed about for a few tense seconds before it allowed fatigue to take over and went limp, leaving Starmie standing tall above it.

The Drone Rotom flew in to take a closer look at the situation, announcing to the stadium that Drednaw was unable to battle.

The loud cheer that erupted pretty much drowned everything else that the Rotom announced and it took Misty a few seconds to realise that she had won. It was Starmie’s blinking gem that alerted her, she ran forward to hug her battle worn Pokemon, falling to her knees as Starmie returned her embrace to the best of its ability. Even if Starmie lacked the features to smile, Misty could tell from the energy it reverberated that it was celebrating their triumph with a lot of joy.

She could still hear the clapping sounds echoing across the stadium but before she faced her supporters, Misty locked eyes with Nessa, who was helping Drednaw get back to his feet right across her. There was a look of admiration exchanged between them and she felt her eyes sting with tears the moment Nessa recalled Drednaw and turned her back to Misty. She was beyond elated that she had won, but as someone who looked up to everything which Ness had accomplished as a Water Pokemon Trainer, her heart ached to watch the veil of disappointment cover her striking blue eyes. Maybe a few days later, when the fever of the match would’ve died down, she would treat Nessa to a nice meal or perhaps a girl’s day out with her sisters in Cerulean.

While she was still in a daze, the blue Drone Rotom hovered over her, announcing urgently that they needed to clear the arena for the prize ceremony. Misty flushed at its scolding tone and quickly put Starmie back in its Pokeball, getting to her feet, she faced the crowd once, bowing lightly to acknowledge their praises and applaud. Her eyes caught Ash standing up and clapping hard, his whole face covered in an ear-to-ear grin. With a sudden burst of bravery, Misty blew a little kiss in his direction, hoping that she was quick enough with the gesture to avoid it being captured by the many flashing cameras in the crowd.

Despite the distance between them, she noticed the glint in Ash’s cocoa eyes when he winked back at her in response to the kiss. She knew that expression on his face well, the boyish excitement to battle someone strong was something he still held onto. She wanted to roll her eyes at the thought of him pestering her for a match as soon as the ceremony was over but found herself chuckling at the giddy look on his face. Maybe it was for the better if some things about him never changed, it helped keep her feet on the ground when she needed it the most.

~

To Misty’s surprise, the part that came after winning a tournament seemed much more hectic than the battles themselves. She was going to pull Ash’s ears when- if she saw him later, for not warning her about all the interviews, the photo ops, customary greetings with notable league members and several other things that followed after she accepted the winner’s trophy. She wanted a moment to check up on her recovering Pokemon, who had been taken to the Pokemon Centre voluntarily by Brock, but every time she decided to make an exit someone was waiting to ambush her midway.

The sky was blanketed with the dark curtain of dusk by the time she was able to make her escape from the stadium. Even at the Pokemon Centre, it took her a while to get through the throng of people who came up to congratulate her before she could get to Nurse Joy’s desk. Thanks to Brock bringing her Pokemon in at the right time, and even staying back to attend to them, her team was recovering well and it was only when she could make sure of that, that it finally felt like the day was over.

She crept out of the room gracefully, not wanting to disturb the well deserved rest her team was getting at last. After making sure that the door’s lock clicked as quietly as possible when she shut it, Misty was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Deciding to head straight back to her hotel room so she too could soak herself in a relaxing warm bath before crashing for eternity on the fluffy bed, she closed her eyes for a second to imagine the peaceful sight, and at that moment someone snaked a pair of arms around her waist and dragged her into a closed space.

Misty opened her eyes to the dingy look of a supplies closet. Annoyed that her peaceful vision of a relaxing bath and nap was disturbed by this, she prepared to elbow her kidnapper, despite recognising the heartbeat currently drumming against her back.

“Finally!” Ash sighed into her ear as he kissed her cheek and went on to nuzzle her neck.

“I missed you too, but can this wait until we get to the hotel?”

“I can’t wait any longer,” Ash said as he left a flurry of kisses across her shoulder, making it difficult for Misty to argue back, “I’m mad at you, ya know? For ignoring me all day long.”

“I’m mad at you!” Misty murmured, her voice unable to bring forth her annoyance as she allowed her body to melt under Ash’s touch. “You didn’t warn me about what the aftermath of a win is like.”

“You think I ever have the patience to do all of that?” Ash laughed right into her ear, sending an electrifying shiver down her spine, “I just call Dragonite or Charizard and fly away at the speed of light.”

With some difficulty Misty managed to wiggle out of his grasp so she could turn to face him with her best glare, considering the situation. Her effort to stay angry was wasted of course, because the minute she got a glimpse of his face, she too understood the feeling of impatience Ash was struggling with. She raised her arms to loop them around his neck and without wasting a moment Ash leaned in to kiss her, resting one hand on the small of her back as the other moved up to caress her cheek.

“Congratulations, by the way, you were amazing out there.”

He broke the kiss for a moment to mumble in a raspy voice and Misty nodded in a daze, still relishing the taste of his tongue against her own. She moved forward to rest her forehead on his chest, feeling comforted by the heightened pace of his heartbeat. Remembering the wink and the smile he’d given her back at the stadium, she realised that the excitement he was feeling right now wasn’t just because of their kiss, but the expectation over what would follow. She sighed contently against him, hoping that he would understand how tired she was today and postpone the challenge until tomorrow.

“I know you waited all day for this, Ash. But do you think we can push our Pokemon battle to tomorrow afternoon? I’m very tired and I want to-” Misty stopped talking when she realised that Ash was shaking, she raised her head to find him struggling to hold back his laugh which made her furrow her brows in confusion, “What’s so funny?”

“Our battle? What battle?” He asked, sporting a confused look quite similar to her own.

“You don’t want to battle me?” Misty threw another question back at him, taking just one step back so there was some distance between them but still kept her arms hanging around his neck.

“I mean, sure, I’d never say no to a battle but why did you think that’s what I’ve been waiting for all day?”

Ash was now peering into her face curiously as if trying to understand what was going on inside her head, which made her feel sort of embarrassed and she blushed under his gaze. She remembered very clearly, the look on his face when she’d sent a flying kiss in his direction. His eyes were burning with an indescribable passion, his smile was bright enough to light up the night sky, and his whole face screamed that he couldn’t wait to get down in that arena and face off against her...or did she make a mistake in understanding what he wanted?

“When I won, you looked more excited than happy, like you usually do when you find a strong opponent you want to battle against,” Misty explained herself, now feeling grateful that the dingy lighting of the closet was probably helping hide the colour in her cheeks as she looked away to dodge his questioning eyes.

Once again she felt him laugh and his loud voice rang all around them like a blaring alarm. Now feeling her whole face turn red over his reaction, Misty managed to pull her arms away and stepped out of Ash’s grasp, fixing him with a glare she cried out, “Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just- it’s just that-” Ash tried to catch his breath but every time he began to speak he guffawed again, leaning against the shelf behind him to support himself so he wouldn’t end up on his knees, “You may have won the match today, but you’re way off the mark with this, Mist.”

“I’ve known you for so long Ash Ketchum, I know when you’re in the mood to battle!” Doubling down on her take was probably not the right thing to do considering how hard Ash was laughing at her, but she felt exhausted over the day she’d had so it wasn’t a surprise that she couldn’t think straight anymore.

“I suppose, back when we were kids, that’s what that look meant.” Ash finally settled down, wiping a lone tear from his eye as he moved forward to take her in his arms again, not giving her the chance to resist as he tightly wrapped his hands around her and pressed his forehead to hers, “But I’m almost 18 now Misty, I have other needs.” His breath brushed past her lips as he spoke and she felt her toes curl inside her shoes at the sensation.

It was hard to feel embarrassed over her mistake when Ash kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered. The exhaustion that she’d carried with her after the win vanished into thin air when he threaded his fingers through her hair, undoing her ponytail to let her hair fall across her shoulders. When he pushed deeper into the kiss, she stumbled backwards, unable to match his level of urgency and need. Her back hit another shelf and that helped her regain her senses enough to break away from the kiss for a moment.

Ash’s eyebrows wrinkled together in annoyance at her actions but Misty only smiled teasingly up at him, resting a finger against his pouting lips, she tilted her head to one side, her voice barely a tone above a whisper but just enticing enough to make Ash’s cheeks flush with red for a change.

“Do you think, your big boy needs can be met in a comfy hotel bed instead?”

[ayukaze]

Okay so the reply won’t fit all my thoughts so reblogging this instead. 

I agree with all the interpretations. 

Personally I have a Gakuen Alice headcanon for all my favourite characters from every franchise. For people who haven’t seen/read this series, the setting is of a school that kids with special powers are handpicked to attend. These special powers are called ‘Alice’, so basically my Alice list for the Digikids is this: 

Taichi - Sun, as mentioned by Sky, this is actually the most fitting power for him. As for his moves I imagine it to be kinds of similar to Ryohei (KHR) and Bakugou (BNHA). 

Yamato - Ice, definitely. Although Gabumon’s later evolution line does fall into the Electricity category, I still can’t imagine Yamato yielding this element somehow. For his moves, abilities I hc it as being similar to Gray (Fairy Tail). 

Sora - While I agree with Fire as the element for her due to Garudamon/Hououmon but I personally don’t see her yielding an elemental power but rather the power of healing (love heals all wounds is what gave me this idea lol). Like Kuma from OP, I also hc Sora as having the power to absorb someone’s pain when she heals their wounds and then give that pain back to someone as per her will. A power like this would definitely affect Sora mentally as she’s a kind soul, so her struggle with an ability like this is what I love to explore in my hc. 

Mimi- Definitely earth, but in my hc it's more of a 'Bloom' kind of  power, where she can control the blooming/growth of all kinds of plants and greenery at will. She always carries various kind of seeds in her pockets in order to utilise them in battle. 

Takeru with Wind is something I hadn’t thought about because I hc that power with some other character but this post has made me rethink his place in the Gakuen Alice hc of mine!

i think they never set it out, but if the digidestineds have elemental powers according to their digimon, it would be sun (taichi), ice (yamato), fire (sora), electricity (koushiro), earth (mimi), water (jyou), air/wind (takeru), and light (hikari)...?

all of the above are my own opinion/headcanon, plus this site kinda convinced me although i'm not really comfortable with taichi, sora, and takeru. well, fire for taichi is making sense, but sora has birdramon. and in wargreymon's evolution sequence, we can see a sun just like we can see an ice land for metalgarurumon (and of course the obvious symbol of crest of courage...)

for takeru... idk, because of patamon's air shot? (but then gabumon also has petit fire) and probably the feathers from angemon's evolution sequence. i have this weird thing about associating feathers with air element, probably because shutumon in frontier also has feathers in her evolution (and obviously izumi has air element).

but of course these are not aligned when it comes to 02, where crest of friendship is associated with thunder/electricity (lighdramon), crest of knowledge with earth (digmon), and holsmon seems more like an air element...?

(anyway, this is more like a question/discussion, so feel free to have your own thoughts!)

[spaceaudio]

@sir-writealot 

replied to your

post

:

freddie mercury was not gayyyyy

hopefully he meant it as like …….. the umbrella term. …………… but then again …. the movie was also kinda ambiguous abt that :/

idk i don’t think the movie was that ambiguous

in the movie freddie calls himself bi, has a straight woman tell him he isn’t, and that isn’t challenged or disputed whatsoever for the rest of the movie... idk i think it speaks for itself 

hopefully rami didn’t mean in that way but i think the movie very much did

[midsumner]

reading collective !

okay as per this post, here’s the update! if you missed the post but are interested, no worries - this is still in early stages so hop on in!! 

updates: just read this page and follow the steps!

bit of a boring post alas but three things

obviously, we’ve got to test the waters + iron out issues first but i’m being optimistic and was thinking, if it works out, we could choose book/s bimonthly or quarterly?!! 

the fun part is obvs book choice! will be a group decision so i’ve compiled the book suggestions so far - pls vote on them ! (below)

(this is the third point, bear with) as promised, i have tagged everyone who commented but some people have the search thing off so i can’t tag you - which is understandable and u don’t need to change that! but had a think and honestly a tinyletter (email newsletter) situation would be easier (for me) instead of a tag list which will invariably be a nightmare to keep up to date & doesn’t even fully work? also would allow u to take a break from tumblr and still be up to speed w updates + remove/add yourself at your own leisure! 

so action points on the above (i am sorry that sounds so... corporate, we will get through this asap) !!!

vote on a book on this google sheet (sorry i’m sick of polls, pls don’t delete stuff) closed as i have now collated the books ! 

(email sent for this round! message me if you want in!) subscribe to this neat tinyletter as i think it’ll be easier than manually keeping an up to date tag list, i promise to not spam u if we do go ahead with this option! 

edit: tinyletter will be the primary go to for the main updates so i don’t have to keep a taglist but will put reminders and so on in #readingcollective tag !

that’s all for now, excite!!! 

// //

@icarusafloat @mpiekarz @sentimentism @optimisticdays @graharaja @way-soft @arantxaalv @apoherm @psyhce @spiritinggently @sir-writealot @cosmostar @thehappyscavenger @ilyiad @eileentheskeen @97walk @impressionsdefrance @petit-alouette @elliotrosewater @woolysocks @marilennox @honey-dew @hyakinthia @frondescence @moregeousdyer @healingmoonlight @daenerysrtargaryen @mega-ringsandthings-world @pvlkovsky @romanticsrn @liverpeps @teikalliste @viktorskrums @ideoilli @nezuco @tulipcrown @ivorwendarcy @reinedeselfes @long19thcentury @lilaleep @captainn-nerd @musicforthesunking @aiglantine @burstsofgoldenblood @jamespotteurs @regina-cordium @sunkwissd @hadesburns

[quintessenceofwords-blog]

Writing Tip Day 260👇👇 “I do so much writing. But so much of it never goes anywhere, never sees any light of day. I suppose that's like gardening in the basement. I don't publish so much of what I write. I just seem to plow it back into the soil of what I write after it, rewriting and rewriting, thinking that somehow it gets better after the fifty-second-time around. I need to learn to abandon my writing. To let go of it. Dispose of it, like tissue.” ― J.R. Tompkins . . . . . . . . . #writingtipday260 #writingadvice #writingtools #writingtip  #writinglessons #novelist  #novelhelp #writingnovels #writingstories #yaauther #jrtompkins #writealot #writerlife #quotes #inspirationalquotes  #writersofinstagram #writersofig  #amwriting #amediting #authorlife #indieauthors  #nanowrimo #ilovewriting  #writerscorner #writersofinsta #writerscommunity #poetry #yalit #yabooks #poetofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn3fU_ChgkW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xizt2r02ka3s

[akermanch]

@sir-writealot The heater trick is great, but right now I am in a place with central air which makes it a little harder to pull off ... my main problem is actually after the main adrenaline rush of getting up and getting to work is over and I get time to take a break and FREEZE. My main solution so far is a million blankets. But ty for your lovely advice :))

Main complaint about mornings is that they’re too cold. Absolutely horrible.

[blue-cosette]

Just so y’all know, @sir-writealot sent me a glow in the dark Moon and I love it so much and it keeps me comfort.

[lockwords]

Over a week had passed since the death of his father and Theo was still absolutely broken but the reason wasn’t the loss of the man who had made his life a living hell. It was that he had made mistakes which had led him to lose his best friend too. And her family who had been closer to him than his parents had ever been for as long as he could remember. It was all his own fault, words spoken heat of the moment, in the despair of losing the last of his family. But that had only brought him more pain than there already was. He had been struggling to cope but that morning when he woke up, his mind was clear, a decision already made in his head - that he would apologize to Tally and her family. He needed them if he wasn't to lose himself completely. He knew he would change his mind if he let himself overthink this and so without further ado, he apparated right into Tally’s house, in front of her bedroom door, knocking urgently. His eyes swept the surroundings to make sure her parents weren’t around. He knew he would have to talk to them too but right then, all he knew was that he needed Tally back first.

@writealot

[ericaofmuses-blog]

Brandon peered through the blinds of the windows, trying to see if there were any shadows that had followed the pair home but there was nothing. Just the dark night, an occasional car passing by with their brights lighting up the winding road for a quick second before disappearing into the darkness again. A small feeling of relief washed over him before he closed the curtains, pivoting to face the small brunette that was taking comfort on his younger brothers couch. The boy was out of town and thankfully allowed Brandon to use his small apartment as refuge for the week. It was much better than the rusty hotel Brandon was residing in. “Don’t get up,” Brandon mumbled, settling on the glass coffee table opposite the girl, reaching for the white washcloth that was now stained red with Grace’s blood. Bringing it to her forehead, he dabbed at the fresh wound as she settled back into the couch. “You’re safe here.” Events from that evening began playing back in Brandon’s mind. He stumbled upon Grace in a fight that left her unfairly outmatched. Brandon managed to fight off a couple before the others ran off, although he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up at that moment. “Do you want a drink or something? I’m sure my brother has some sort of beverage in his fridge, the drunk.” Brandon asked, letting out a low groan as he pushed off his knees to stand. Entirely focused on making sure Grace was okay, he didn’t even notice he was hurt in the tussle as well, red staining the shoulder of his shirt.

@writealot

[blue-cosette]

@sir-writealot

Remi tried to run underneath the flowers and they got stuck on her head. She was not amused. 

[notevenghosts]

sir-writealot said: man for a strange reason you were one of those people who were just born gay. i mean like. knowing theyre gay. just. ready to be gay. gayed out so to say.

.

@sir-writealot I do give off that vibe haha I probably would have known sooner but I straight up didn’t know that being gay was an option until age 12-13 or so and my parents were of the variety that only talked about lesbians negatively and so I would say that the gay was pretty repressed until I was in high school and even a little later tbh. 

[ayukaze]

For the requests thing, may I ask for "Tracing the other's lips with their finger" for Taiora?

+ Cold feet warming each other up under the blanket requested by @sohemotional

SURPRISE! Just me sliding in with this fic 2 months later like everything's normal hehehe~

This was one of those fics, which after I wrote it I thought it didn't make sense at all, but I just needed to let some time pass and revisit it to see what worked and what didn't. It doesn't have smut in it, but it is implied. I just can't write the more explicit scenes so I gloss over it with metaphors lol.

Hope you enjoy reading it!

AO3 Link

[Post divider by @/cafekitsune]

At the first crack of dawn, her eyes fluttered open, the soft, pinkish sunlight danced across the room, tainting it with its bright hues which made her eyes crinkle under the strain. This shouldn’t be happening, Sora thought, as neither she nor Taichi were known to wake up this early. As she felt more awake, she could make out the weight of Taichi’s arm draped across her waist, his head resting close to her collarbone as he slept peacefully, unbothered by the sunlight now a sharp orange flooding their room.

Sora turned her head and the reason behind the sun’s invasion greeted her without any defence.

Taichi had forgotten to close the blinds again last night.

She sighed, bringing one hand to her face to massage her temples.

Moving in together was proving to have a few more challenges than she had anticipated.

Only a month had passed since they’d made the shift and while Sora did enjoy the novelty of turning a house into a home together with someone she loved, there were still quite a few things that the two of them could not seem to find common ground on. She didn’t want to see their differences in a negative light, rather think of them as something that helped them understand each other even better.

But there were still moments when her patience was tested.

Taichi always slept like a baby, bright lights or loud noises rarely served as a disruption to him. Sora, however, was different, she needed the room to be fully dark to fall asleep, the only sounds allowed were that of her own breath, and now Taichi’s. Since Taichi usually came home after her, he’d often turn on a lamp or open the curtain blinds to look at the city view before he headed to bed. She didn’t mind if he left the lamp on, since even if she was asleep, she’d still pick up on the light and wake up to turn it off before settling back. But with the blinds it wasn’t the same, and her sleep would always get interrupted the minute sunlight started to pour in.

Today happened to be the third time this had happened in two weeks.

She tried to be discreet in her attempt to slip out from under Taichi so she could get up and close the blinds. But her efforts were wasted as the minute she started to wiggle, his grip around her waist tightened and he shifted to press himself closer to her.

“Don’t wake up yet, Sor. It’s a Sunday.” He muttered drowsily in her ear as he raised his head from her neck and rested his forehead against hers.

She rolled her eyes, biting her tongue to keep herself from replying haughtily. She put her hands on his chest with the hope of pushing him away by force and just for a moment she believed it was working, but that was a mistake. Taichi was just waiting for her to let her guard down so he could ambush her by grabbing their blanket and covering them both with it snugly from head to toe. It was hard not to relish in the warmth he brought with him as he moved closer, rubbing her feet with his own to chase away the cold along with any motivation she’d had up until then to leave the bed.

“You left the blinds open again, Taichi,” Sora said, though her voice was all muffled with the blanket covering them and Taichi’s big head hovering above her face. She wanted to sound upset, but with the heat enveloping them it was impossible to not sound dizzy, “I can’t go back to sleep until I close them, so please get off me.”

“Oops.” Taichi replied, with not the slightest hint of guilt in his voice. He lowered the blanket to glance towards the window, once he confirmed that she was right, he sent her a sheepish grin, “Sorry about that.”

He didn’t bury them under the blanket again, but in a flash he shifted to lie right on top of her, locking her down on the bed by pressing his weight onto her.

“But I’m sure you can go back to sleep if you try.” He was teasing her now, which meant that he was fully awake too so at least it wasn’t just Sora who was forced to sacrifice her sleep at this hour.

“No, I can’t.” Sora squeaked under the sudden pressure of his weight. They’d had this conversation almost every time Taichi made this mistake, so Sora was compelled to act more stubborn than usual. “So if you just-” she heaved, still trying to push him away with all the strength she could put in her palms, “get off me, I can go close the blinds and we can both go back to sleep peacefully.”

“Are you sure about that, though?” Taichi asked again, easily lowering himself onto her so she would know that she didn’t have the chance to win in a battle of strength. Resting his forehead against hers once again, he looked directly into her eyes and smirked as if he’d won, “Have you ever tried?”

“Y-yes.” Sora managed to speak even as she felt her whole body tremble at the warmth he infected her with. It was difficult to maintain eye contact with Taichi without blushing, so she decided to lower her gaze and it fell at his lips, another wrong move on her end since now she was incapable of stringing together a proper sentence, “I-i’ve trrr-ied ma-ny times.”

“I see.” Taichi replied in a low voice that made her toes curl. He looked pleased at the sight of colour rushing to her cheeks, he brought a hand to her face and caressed it softly before winking at her. "But you didn’t have me to help you with it then.”

“How could you possibly-”

The rest of her question died in her throat when Taichi lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips. He waited for a moment, making sure that Sora had fully given up on retaliating, before he traced the finger across her lips, which parted without hesitation at his touch like a lock clicking open for the right key.

“Close your eyes.”

She did as she was told when she felt Taichi’s lips press against hers.

The sunlight flooding their room, the open window blinds, all of that became irrelevant in her mind as Taichi’s hands travelled from her cheeks to her neck, then across her chest and down to her waist. It felt as if her skin was melting in the spots that he touched and yet she couldn’t get enough of it, wanting for him to keep going until she was nothing but a puddle of bliss. She was grateful that she didn’t need to speak this out loud and he knew exactly what she wanted. When she felt him smirk against her lips, for a moment Sora did want to pull herself together for the sake of her pride, but then his fingers looped around the hem of her underwear before sliding in without hesitation. Her mind went blank and the only thing she was aware of was Taichi, and the satisfying happiness he granted her with just a flick of his finger.

Sora quite naturally lost track of time as she accepted her defeat and gave in to the pleasure of Taichi’s touch. Before long, she felt her body relax deeper into the mattress and with the end of her blissful release came the exhaustion, from now and from the day before, pushing her towards a slumber so deep, something she hadn’t thought was possible until she let herself fall victim to it.

When Sora finally woke up several hours later around noon, she couldn’t believe that not only was their room was flooded with light, Taichi was out blasting music throughout the house while running the vacuum cleaner at full throttle. She slowly pulled herself up, eyes now fully open and her mouth slightly hanging ajar as she asked herself, had she really slept through all of that?

“Good morning, Sora!” Taichi appeared in the doorway, as if sensing that she was awake. He hadn’t bothered to lower the music though, so he practically had to shout his greeting as he grinned at her, “How’d you sleep?”

Sora pursed her lips together as she felt her cheeks turn red under his cheeky gaze, of course he knew that she’d slept well, all thanks to him but admitting that out loud would just give him the support he needed to get his way all through the week or even month.

“I slept fine,” she said, carefully picking her words.

“The light didn’t bother you? Or what about the music, I know you hate this band so much-”

Taichi wouldn’t be Taichi if he didn’t push all her buttons until the very end.

Sora brought her hands to her face covering them as she groaned in defeat, “Fine, fine! I slept like a baby and you were right. I have you to help me now.”

“Why, thank you for the compliment. Glad to be of service, love you too.”

With a final smug look thrown in her direction, Taichi sauntered away into their living room, after a few minutes both the loud music and vacuum cleaner were turned off. Sora shook her head as she dressed herself under the covers, so he really had turned those on to prove a point, did Taichi even get any cleaning done after all? As she stepped into the living room and rolled her eyes at the sight that greeted her, Sora thought that wanting to understand each other better came with the realisation that some things about her and Taichi would never change, but that did not mean that either of them had to give up trying.

So if Taichi could get her to fall asleep against all odds, surely a day would come when Sora would be able to get him to use their vacuum cleaner correctly.

After all both were just a matter of putting his fingers to good use.

[blue-cosette]

Nothing can cheer you up on a sucky streak of days like @sir-writealot sending you a pic wearing (magnificent) eyeshadow look from the palette you bought them just cause they miss you.

[blue-cosette]

@sir-writealot look! it pancakes like the babies

sometimes things are tough but look at this bun

[ayukaze]

Plus One: Optional [Mayblade 2024 entry for Affection and Unpopular Character]

Summary: Hilary worries about how the Beyblading world sees her, but Tyson is there to remind her about what matters most.

Characters: Hilary, Tyson (Established TyHil)

Word Count: 2652

Note: I could not let Mayblade go by without posting a TyHil fic, this is tradition!!! I started working on the idea when I was frustrated that Hilary's anime only origins keep her from getting new merch unlike other BBA team members so that is what the theme is reflective of. The editing is slightly rushed, especially for the second half so please let that pass! Hope you enjoy reading this!

[post divider by @/cafekitsune]

Hilary let go of the breath she was holding in with a loud gasp, the jar in her hands slipped through her sweaty fingers, miraculously landing upright on the table without any harm. She wiped her hands against her skirt, raising them to frown at the redness from the pressure she’d exerted before as it slowly faded. She decided to turn her gaze towards the jar instead, glaring at it fiercely with the hope of melting its lid with her laser-like focus, but to no avail, the jar remained tight and unopened.

“Are you sure you don’t need help with that?” Tyson called out to her from across the table, for the third time in the past fifteen minutes or so.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Hilary said through gritted teeth. Her frustration with the jar and her inability to complete a simple task had reached its brim, and unfortunately, Tyson’s questions poked at her in a way that made letting her emotions spill out endlessly much easier. Without a second thought, she added harshly, “I don’t need you.”

Her statement was met with silence and Hilary immediately regretted letting her anger get the best of her, biting her lip as she braced herself for an argument, she looked up at Tyson. To her surprise, her words didn’t seem to have upset him, he was watching her with wary eyes and when they met hers, he just shook his head coolly, turning his attention back to the magazine he was flipping through.

“I feel like this isn’t really about the jar,” he said, calmly turning a page. “When you do need me, I’ll be right here.”

Hilary let her head drop to the table, burying it under her folded arms. She knew that by now, she should be used to how well Tyson knew her but he still managed to throw her off guard when he showed her just how much he’d grown since they first met. Back when they were kids, a claim like this from Hilary would have him balling up his fists and shouting back how he didn’t need her too, before storming out of the room. Now, he just sat there patiently waiting for her to tell him the truth, which if she chose not to do immediately wouldn’t even bother him. He would be ready to listen to her problems, whenever she chose to come forward with them.

She sighed, there was no point in trying to run from the truth. The fact that she’d been keeping her feelings buried for a week now felt silly considering how one simple slip had Tyson figuring out she was hiding something without any effort. Lifting her face from the table, she straightened up in her seat. Tucking her hair that had come loose from her bun behind her ears, she tapped her cheeks lightly, hoping to motivate herself and build up the courage to discuss the problem that was bothering her. Tyson had fixed his eyes on her when she raised her head, so she met his curious gaze with a determined one.

“The invitation for the X Tower inauguration event,” Hilary started, fidgeting with her fingers under the table as the nervousness over how Tyson would react settled in her gut, “it doesn’t address me. They only sent one for you, with the option to bring a plus one.”

“Maybe they’ll send one for you separately-”

“They won’t.” Hilary interrupted Tyson, now casting her eyes downwards, “I called to check, and they’re not planning to send one out for me.”

“Why not?” Tyson looked confused, which was reassuring because so far she’d thought she was blowing up the issue more than it was needed in her head.

“I don’t know, they tried to avoid answering my questions,” Hilary responded, “But I suppose it’s because I’m not a Beyblader like everyone else.”

“But you’re still a part of our team.”

Now he was angry, leaning forward in his chair with his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what she was saying, since to him it seemed like a foreign concept that anyone would consider excluding her just because she wasn’t an active player of the sport like everyone else. His reaction soothed her, she’d spent the whole week trying not to think too hard about this, wondering if anyone would even understand why this made her so mad. And there was Tyson, looking much more enraged on her behalf than she ever could, validating every thought she’d tried to push away in an attempt to make herself feel better.

“Indeed, but I don’t think that makes much of a difference to other people,” she said softly, always having made her peace with the fact internally it felt odd to speak it out loud, especially to Tyson.

“Well, I’m not going then,” Tyson stated flatly, folding his arms in a defensive stance as his nostrils flared and jaw went taught.

“No, you don’t have to do that!”

She rushed to react, leaning forward in her seat so she could reach her hands across the table, opening her palms wide with the hope that Tyson would calm down and slip his hands in hers for comfort. But he seemed determined to remain furious, his eyes weren’t looking at her but were fixed at a spot in the distance. She could almost see the thoughts popping up in his mind one after the other, eyes darkening as his anger climbed to new heights. Hilary had hoped to catch his attention somehow but since he remained deep in thought and her arms started to ache, she pulled herself back, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as Tyson’s silent anger made her anxious.

Although she would be lying if she said that his strong reaction was not something that relieved her, she still hadn’t imagined that he would be upset enough to skip the event entirely. Beyblade was no longer a huge part of their lives as it used to be when they were younger, so whenever these little opportunities popped up for them to connect with that world, Tyson was always the first one to get excited and geared up for it. To think that he would so easily give all that up for her sake was an overwhelming thought.

Of course, the call with the B4 associates had put her in a mood sour enough to want to skip the event herself, but she would never ask that of Tyson. Both of them may have grown up to be very different adults now, but that would not have been possible without Beyblading. The Tyson that sat in front of her now was a result of everything the sport had taught him, the people he met through it and the battles he won and lost, she wanted him to have a chance, no matter how fleeting, to be a part of it all once again. And as far as her relevance was concerned, Tyson had already proven how much he cared for her, his anger made her realise that she didn’t quite need anything more than that.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped her fidgeting fingers, bringing them up to tuck her hair behind her ear again. Forming her thoughts into coherent sentences in her head she spoke up gently, “I know how important this is for you-”

“Nothing is more important to me than you!”

Tyson cut her off loudly, looking more furious now as he fixed her with an intense stare, challenging her to suggest otherwise. When she didn’t, he looked pleased with himself as he relaxed his tensed frame, letting the worst of his anger fade under the calming silence that settled between them. He did continue to watch her carefully, however, perhaps expecting her to launch into an explanation any time. It was only when he confirmed that Hilary would not argue back against his statement, did he break the silence by leaning forward in his chair and fixing her with a warm yet blinding smile, “And I know I don’t have to skip it, but I don’t want to be a part of anything that makes you unhappy. I love you, Hilary.”

She stared back at him with wide eyes and pursed lips. Tyson was never one to shy away from letting her know how he felt, but he still managed to surprise her with the depth in his words, the raw emotion in his voice, and the overflowing affection in his eyes. In moments like these, Hilary was always left speechless to the point where she questioned whether it was possible to fall in love with the same person over and over again because that was the only way to describe the uncontrollable fluttering in her stomach that almost made her forget how to breathe.

She could feel the tears in her eyes, threatening to fall any second, the lump forming in her throat, almost too hard to swallow. Raising her hands to her face she dabbed at her eyes, trying to clear her mind so that when she spoke next, all of her feelings wouldn’t come rushing out at once. But before she could do that, her stomach decided to announce to the room that she really ought to pay attention to it.

“Do you want me to open the jar now?”

She heard Tyson’s laugh echo through the room as she slapped her hands onto her face, covering it completely to hide her flushed cheeks, she whispered in a squeaky tone “Yes, please.”

It didn’t take him too long to reach for the jar, within a few seconds she heard a popping sound, the stubborn lid could not put up a better fight against Tyson, though she wanted to believe that she had some part in loosening it up for him. When she heard him slide the jar across the table, she finally removed her hands from her face, catching it before it slid right off the table. Hilary wanted to turn and shoot a glare at Tyson, but she was still embarrassed by how she had managed to ruin one of the most perfect moments they’d shared in a while by uncharacteristically, acting like Tyson.

Setting the jar in front of her carefully away from the edge, she picked up the knife and slice of bread that had been lying in wait for some time now. Scooping up a large chunk of the peach marmalade on the knife, she spread it across the bread evenly, realising now just how hungry she felt as her hands picked up pace on their own. From the corner of her eye, Hilary noticed that Tyson had scrunched up his nose in disgust as the smell of peaches filled the room, muttering under his breath how he thought it was the worst flavour of jam ever made. But Hilary decided to let his attitude slip and happily bit into the simple sandwich she had prepared for herself.

She knew that in the coming days, she would end up letting Tyson get away with a lot of things, until the effect of his words wore off, and even then, her toughness wouldn’t last for long since he was bound to make her swoon one way or another. It all felt so irrelevant now, the anger that had taken over when she saw her name replaced with ‘plus one optional’ on the invitation. Did it really matter, she thought, what everyone else thought of her when Tyson loved her and cared about her enough to make up for the rest of the world?

Popping the last bite of the sandwich into her mouth, she dusted the crumbs off her hand above the empty plate. She pushed her chair back and stood up, making Tyson look up from his magazine once again. As she walked towards him, his eyes followed her attentively, he quickly adjusted his own chair without Hilary having to say anything. When she reached him, she smiled before comfortably settling herself on his lap, looping her arms around his neck as he rested one hand on the small of her back and put the other around her waist.

“Your understanding, your support,” Hilary said, pausing to put her forehead against his, “It matters much more to me than my name on an invitation ever could. I love you too, Tyson.”

She could feel his whole body buzzing with fuzzy warmth and excitement, but she didn’t let him steal a kiss just yet. Moving her head back for just a moment, she leaned in and touched her cheek to his, whispering in his ear coyly, “I want you to attend the event and if you’d let me, I would be more than happy to be your plus one.”

She’d hoped to tease him a little more but Tyson was nothing if not impatient. He let go of her waist and grabbed her chin tightly with his fingers, effortlessly pulling her lips closer to his and crashing them together without a pause. All the words that had been left unsaid were now being uttered silently through every caress of their lips, every stroke of their tongues, every gasping breath and every satisfied moan. Time could not imprison them in its flow, but was rather made to bend to their rules, slowing down the world around them so they could fall deeper into the kiss and taste a part of each other that they hadn’t yet discovered.

The air in their lungs, however, wasn’t so kind and eventually the two broke apart, panting and dazed, still refusing to look anywhere else except each other’s eyes. It was only when Tyson muttered something about peach not being a bad flavour after all, did the spell break and Hilary was able to throw her head back to laugh to her heart’s content.

“Are you sure,” Tyson spoke up after some time, lifting a hand to push back the hair that had fallen across her face, continuing in a careful voice as his eyes searched hers for the truth, “about going to the event?”

“Yes.” Hilary nodded confidently, grabbing onto his hand before it fell to her side.

The uncertainty of how the night might go with some people treating her like she meant nothing had all but disappeared from her mind. If Tyson had reacted that badly to her name missing from the invitation, she could only imagine what he would do if someone did end up snubbing her in his presence. That thought was comforting, it gave her enough courage to don her most polite smile and tail him around through the night, maybe even make sure that he doesn’t make a fool of himself or worse, challenge every person in sight to a beybattle.

Tightening her grip around his hand, she smiled at him, letting her gaze drop to his lips for a brief moment before she met his eyes and said, “Besides, it doesn’t seem fair for me to keep the most handsome World Champion of the sport all to myself, wouldn’t you agree?”

Tyson didn’t waste a second in securing his arms around her frame tightly before he stood up and lifted her along with him. Getting ready to directly sprint towards their bedroom, he leaned down to rub his nose against hers and with a mischievous smirk said, “I agree. It’s always good to remind others who the real winner in all of this is.”

Hilary knew that once their bodies hit the bed, the rules of the game would be set by Tyson and she wouldn’t exactly put up a strong defence. So just before she let herself be swept away by his love once again, she decided to rile him up for good by getting the last word in.

“If the World Champion thinks that I won him over, does that make me the new-”

[blue-cosette]

So sorry for disappearing

But I’m having the time of life.

I’m in London, with two of my best friends.

I watched Heathers tonight and it was perfect and I got lots of compliments on my shirt!

Basically, I never thought I’d be this lucky, but somehow I did something right in the universe, and became the happiest I’ve been in a while.

Thank you.

@sir-writealot and Ashley who doesn’t have a tumblr that I know of.