#esp since the weather is turning cold again

[tuituipupu]

the excellence of brividi hits me like a truck every few days still btw.

#i listen to it almost daily still since february #esp since the weather is turning cold again #and blanco's part?? bruhhh that's gold caressing my ear canals. #brividi #mahmood e blanco

[guy-in-a-dress]

Rating the main M*A*S*H crew on their hugging abilities

1. Hawkeye

The hugger of all time

Probably picks you up n hops around with you while yelling about whatever the fuck he's being insane about at the moment

The skinny arms lowkey dig into your everywhere but it's worth it

9/10

2. Trapper

Beefy teddy bear

IDC if he said he's out of shape in that one ep I can see that beef. Muscly ppl are some of the best huggers

WILL spin you. He probably sends the kids that hang around around the camp into orbit when he's in a good mood

10/10

3. BJ

Father figures give the best hugs

Also something about that mustache make him feel significantly huggier idk why

He'd probably jump around like Hawkeye or at the very least shake you like a rag doll

You know you've had a good hug if you feel mildly concussed afterwards

10/10

4. Henry

What did I say about father figures

His office is open for hugs as long as he's not on the phone with his wife

He'd be real confused going into it tho

"Arms over the shoulder- oh no around the waist okay"

Also whatever is in those vest pockets would poke you

8/10

5. Potter

Grandpa. Need I say more

Not to mention he's a horse girl(gender neutral), who are known for being excellent at hugs

Unfortunately he smells like an antique barn but that comes with the job of being your friendly neighborhood horse grandpa

9/10

6. Frank

Unpopular opinion time but I genuinely think he's capable of being a great hugger

Like he needs SOME type of positive trait to balance out his cartoonishly evil persona so I think this is a bone I'm willing to throw

He'd probably be that relative that you let hug you bc you feel kind of bad for him

Then he ruins the moment by saying the most horrifying shit imaginable

That and he always seems to be in a cold sweat no matter the weather

7/10

7. Margaret

A good hugger when it counts

Isn't one for hugging or physical touch beyond sex

However

She will not hesitate to hug a patient or child if she's asked or if she feels it's necessary

If she's in a good mood she'll hug a nurse who's having a hard time

7/10

8. Charles

The repressed of all time

Will not give hugs unless he's mega drunk

Probably wasn't hugged enough as a child

If someone else initiates he'll probably complain but eventually reciprocate like the antagonist-turned-bitchy-roommate he is

Definitely get "disgusting. Do it again" vibes from him esp in later seasons

5/10

9. Radar

Nope

Look I'm definitely a "southerners and midwesterners give the best hugs" truther but this boy is a limp noodle

You'd get an arm around the shoulder if you're lucky

He's probably bad at handshakes too

Won't initiate unless he's on the verge of tears or losing his mind with hype

4/10

10. Father Mulcahy

Since he's a priest I'm choosing to count him as a father figure and by this point you know what I think about dad hugs

He's 100% DTH(down to hug) and won't bring it up again afterwards (he counts hugs as silent confessions)

He'd probably do the 'rocking back n forth' thing too if he thinks it's necessary

11/10

11. Klinger

Fuck yeag

Is a lot like Mulcahy in that he will hug anyone he thinks needs it

Also probably has several handkerchiefs on his person just in case you need to cry

If he's upset he'll probably squeeze you like a stress ball without realizing but that shit's therapeutic

10/10

#not to worry potter will probably teach radar how to give a good handshake #hawkeye pierce #trapper mcintyre #bj hunnicutt #henry blake #colonel potter #frank burns #margaret houlihan #charles emerson winchester iii #radar o'reilly #father mulcahy #mashposting #mash #mash tv #myposting #maxwell klinger

[wrongcaitlyn]

need more apollo and darren lore to see if i can relate them to back to december

you can ONE HUNDRED PERCENT relate them to back to december if you just ignore the tiny detail of them not breaking up in december (but like, who cares because it’s the VIBE that matters and in this case the vibe is definitely accurate)

i will definitely be adding more apollo and darren lore…let’s just say… archery world championships happening soon…. olympics in one year…. kayla’s an icon mastermind…..

but! some little notes in specific relation to back to december

i know you may think this is apollos pov, but after looking over the lyrics again to refresh my memory… it’s from darren’s perspective. 100%

I'm so glad you made time to see me / How's life? Tell me, how's your family? / I haven't seen them in a while

apollos family!! not referring to his dad. duh. but darren’s prob just talking abt like the 1-2 times he met will and austin as babies, he hasn’t seen them since so “a while”…. sure darren, that might be a bit of an understatement

You've been good, busier than ever / We small talk, work and the weather / Your guard is up and I know why

small talk is SO real with them. they’re so awkward esp rn. they don’t know how to talk to each other. apollo says “nice weather we’re having” completely unironically and darren responds “oh yeah it’s nice”

cue silence for like 2 minutes until apollo asks how his coaching is going and more and more stilted conversation

AND!!! they’re both busier than ever!! apollo returning to being employed (kinda? i mean, he has a job so) and darren with olympics being next year

Because the last time you saw me / Is still burned in the back of your mind / You gave me roses and I left them there to die

i don’t wanna spoil exactly how they broke up… bc me and wronghuntress had like an hour long convo abt pollen lore a few weeks back and. guys. when i tell you i am SO fucking excited to write it‼️‼️

HOWEVER. this line. is very. very. very. fitting. from darren’s pov that’s all i’m saying hereeee

bc ik in one of the other chapters i said that apollos like “i ruined his life” and he DID but also like. it’s messy. it’s so very messy.

So this is me swallowin' my pride / Standin' in front of you sayin' I'm sorry for that night / And I go back to December all the time

not technically in front of him but!! the phone call!! abt kayla!! him swallowing up his pride, and there wasn’t necessarily an apology for the… things that happened, but it’s a step forward

It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you / Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine / I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright / I go back to December all the time

change it to march and make darren a singer instead of an archer and this would be one of his songs😭😭

These days, I haven't been sleepin' / Stayin' up playin' back myself leavin' / When your birthday passed and I didn't call / Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times / I watched you laughin' from the passenger's side / And realized I loved you in the fall

god… this timeline is actually SO real. if anyone’s making a pollen playlist out there (i should probably do that when i have timeHDKDJD) THIS SONG‼️‼️‼️

anyway ofc apollo is associated with summer in darren’s brain… and also apollo def thinks of summer too when thinking of darren :)

and oh yeah, ofc apollo’s in the passenger seat. bro probably grew up with drivers and doesn’t have his license.. rip sun chariot!!! (he gets his license eventually, ofc, but only bc it’s to drive will to school)

I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile / So good to me, so right

But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right

i mean, do these even need to be explained? well darren, i can assure you that you WILL love again. it’s what we all need

okay so. i can’t really. explain the rest of this stuff. but here are the lyrics that stand out to me SOOO much because of how they broke up. that is all i can say for now!!

And then the cold came, the dark days / When fear crept into my mind / You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye

And how you held me in your arms that September night / The first time you ever saw me cry

thank you so much for the ask!! it’s been a while since some pollen content but i swear it’s coming soon :))

#wrongcaitlyn #talk ur talk asks

[silentchamp]

flashback + Mt. Silver

Flashbacks. | accepting.

The frigid air bites and nips at his skin as snow gently rocks downward. Red inhales, expelling a deep cloud of fog as he walks along a particularly treacherous mountain cliff. Boots are thick with wetness, icy cold beneath him beginning to seep into his socks. He’d take it like the champion he was though, continuing his trek between the heavy banks of snow surrounding him. Amongst all its chaos, Red found peace atop Mt. Silver, even with his lack of preparedness.

If anything, the boots were a delivery alongside his rival’s latest brief visit, a gift from his mother. A winter coat sits back at home in his cavern, Pika and Espe probably nestled inside to keep themselves cozy alongside the well-lit fire pit.

It was just Red outside in his lonesome, not bothering to rope any of his team outward into this freezing weather. It was chillier than usual that day anyway, even with the soft snowfall. Bucket in hand, the brunette presses it into the fresh snow beneath him, tugging it inward with a heavy grunt. As new as it was, it was still heavy, ice molding with the pillowy substance.

Despite his youth, having just been a teenager, Red’s arms had thickened up since first arriving upon Mt. Silver’s wretched yet gorgeous arches and cliffs. It was a dreary expanse, yet pretty all the same. Untouched by wildlife as well as people, any creature with half a brain knowing fully of her dangers. She was not a force to be reckoned with, this mountain, and yet Red had decided to throw himself full throttle at her, an unstoppable force against an immovable object. He’d seemingly conquered her too, unwilling to give in to the demands of the harsh weather and intense temperatures that, even at times, would threaten to dive below freezing.

It was a challenge to him, maybe. Then again, it’s more likely Red preferred the isolation.

Another grumble, teeth grind as a young Red scoops up the snow, lugging the pail of snow toward his makeshift humble abode. An imprint of his foot is left with each step, a crunching noise present each and every time he’d move.

Red’s arms were dry, ashy; skin clearly not meant to sustain such horrendous climates. Knuckles seemed to crack at their peaks, a scab or two healing over from skin having broken previously. He was good at taking care of the bare necessities, but anything further and the trainer would fail. He’s unbeatable, but at what cost?

Despite everything though, he’d managed to make do. His current objective was to bring back the snow in-hand, let it melt, and boil it to remove any dangers. Drinking water was a priority to keep himself up; he’s just hoping that the berries he set to grill weren’t burnt upon his return.

He scowls in disapproval as snow enters his boot, immediately melting against his ankle. It makes him grumble, using one hand to fix his hat in an attempt to calm himself. Red liked Mt. Silver, but that didn’t mean he liked being inconvenienced.

With a tiny bit more effort, Red is able to recover quickly, hustling back inside of his temporary home. His nostrils are immediately wafted with the smell of slightly-charred fruit melded with a sour-tart tint. Despite the climate and abhorrent weather, aspear and yache berries were native to the mountain's very miniscule flora. Aside from the varying treats Green would occasionally bring for Red’s enjoyment, his primary diet consisted of those fruits, nothing more. He’d often make a grocery list for his pokemon, but seemingly couldn’t stomach the thought of making one for himself. Red was particularly simple, but that didn’t mean his pokemon were--and even if his thoughts on this entire situation weren’t perfect, he was still considerate enough to think of his team.

They were his family, after all. The thought of neglecting them made his stomach turn.

So Red sets the bucket of snow down beside the fire, tugging up a thick branch of pine from the pile he’d scouted for earlier that day. He carefully attempts to add it to the flame for fuel, tongue sticking out at the corner of his lip in focus.

Red shoots upward as a soft, high-pitched groan reverberates from across the flame, Pika rolling over in her spot atop Sleepy, Red’s snorlax. She’d abandoned the winter coat long ago, opting to lay atop the giant bear’s cozy tummy. His concerned expression contorts into an easy one, doting smile etched into his lips as his inner brow curves upward. The champion opens his mouth to say something before shutting lips again, deciding it’d be best not to accidentally disturb her slumber; or anybody’s for that matter, it seemed. Char laid cozy in a ball alongside Blasty, charizard and blastoise curled into one another comfortably. Venus, Red’s venusaur, laid flat on her tummy, snoring at an almost absurd volume…but she was old, the frog could get away with it. Espe sat in the corner of the cave, tail twitching as he kept watch of everybody else like the greatest hall monitor you’d ever seen, or rather an overprotective mother.

It wouldn’t be until Red sits back down and shucks off his giant, clunky boots that he sits cross-legged by the fire pit, the espeon taking this as his invitation to make his presence known.

In silence, the brunette extends a hand for the eeveelution to sniff and observe, studiously running the side of his maw to study his trainer further. Eventually, he trots into Red’s lap with lithe steps, twirling once or twice before resting in a ball between his trainer’s lap. It’s a quiet interaction, Red knew he was saying hi, and in return he’d do the same. One hand softly pets the creature, and he keeps that caring smile, appreciative of the purple cat’s company.

The berries could wait, burnt or not. He had family to attend to.

#>asks. #greenxprof

[silasbug]

dream log Nr. 018

10/09/2022

Type: the WTF did i just dream kind, cohesive | Flow: so, so smooth | Amount: 1 (feels like 2)

.

in which Timothee Chalamet has a birthday party in my living room as my house floods from a broken washing machine.

in which i am divorced from Keanu Reeves and we have a young son who (in the real world) was actually my best friend until i was 7 y.o.. also we are "golden" vampires? don't ask me what i was on while i slept, i have no idea.

this dream was so oddly cohesive and comprehensive.

.

(#1). i enter the store downstairs from where i live. i am there looking to buy ice-cream as the weather outside was incredibly hot. already as i'm traversing the cold-section, i'm overheating, it's hard to pull myself together. i eventually find a single packaged ice-cream in one of the freezers and start eating it- i'll pay for it when i leave, i think.

i continue searching for the box of ice-cream that i came to get, but the store had apparently rearranged a lot so i'm having trouble finding the vegan ice-cream underneath everything else. when i eventually find it, i'm struggling to choose between the regular one and the one with almond. i am surprised that they are now sold as two separate kinds, since before it had always been a variety pack with two of each (it's the store-brand vegan ice-cream). i settle on the almond one. i start eating another one, already overheating again, and tuck the one i had previously eaten away, no longer intending to pay for it (nobody would be the wiser, right? the store was packed.)

as i'm heading towards the middle corridor of the store, there's Timothee Chalamet (for some reason?? i've never actually seen anything with him in it, i just know him as the dune guy.. which i still intend to watch, but i don't really know him as an actor). he's standing around one of the freezers with what seems to be a group of friends. they are buying snacks for his birthday party.

we smile at each other- i don't remember if we interacted at this point but i have the distinct feeling that we got along well. he also had a girlfriend, but she was off to the side, seemed off in general (as if she hates his guts and they actually didn't get along at all?)

since we got along well, he seemed to want to talk to me more (like a, let's hang out/talk some more sometime type deal), but i brushed him off (finding it a little weird that a stranger is talking to me and showing personal interest, esp. because i did recognize him as a popular actor in the dream) and told him to enjoy his birthday party with his friends. i leave.

.

when i get back home, it is suddenly late at night (even though the store is.. right outside our house). Timothee is having his birthday party in my living room for some reason (??????). the door is open just a sliver, i can see light from the TV, hear laughter, sometimes people walk through the hallway to the kitchen to refill their drink and such. i am invited to join them, but i gently refuse, feeling a bit awkward about dropping into the birthday party of someone i don't know well (despite it being in my living room, lmao). he seems a little disappointed, but we settle on hanging out some other time.

once i am left along in the hallway, i notice that the washing machine is on. i must have turned it on to wash some clothes. i turn to look at it and suddenly it begins leaking. the floor starts flooding from underneath the washing machine, more and more water pouring out onto the floor of the hallway, the water level rising. i quickly run to it and desperately try to turn it off and drain it.

i start trying to mop the floor as the water is still flowing, yelling at SO to please get me the mop-bucket so i could drain the water. they get me the wrong bucket, i ask them to please get me the right bucket (i needed the one that i can drain the mop with). they shrug, refuse, and head into the bedroom. they just flop down onto their tummy on the bed and start playing on their phone while i am left in the hallway, water up to my ankles.

i get the mop bucket, making futile attempts at mopping up water from the floor. by this point, the water had at the very least stopped flowing & i was just left with cleaning it up.

i become so frustrated that i start crying and shaking, going off on them, saying that it would be nice if they actually helped me instead of leaving me to do it all by myself.

///

i don't remember the transition, but it definitely felt like the same dream continuum. maybe once i stopped cleaning i looked up, and the house was suddenly much larger? i don`t remember. the vibe was the same, the time of day felt the same.

///

(#2). i look up and suddenly, the house i am in is much larger. i am no longer just in our hallway, but a large hall. everything has a faintly golden glow, almost like the Hall of Judgement in Undertale.

everyone else is gone, but i distinctly know that i have a son called Matthias (this is someone i was best, or very good friends with until i was 7 (we moved), in the dream he is still that little boy) and that my Ex-Husband (so the father) is Keanu Reeves.

my son lives with Keanu as i had given him full custody. i don't remember why- i have no recollection from before this moment besides the bare facts of who they are and what our relationship is. i was visiting them in their home to celebrate a holiday with them & because i hadn't seen my son in a while.

Keanu has a new wife (so my son's step-mother) whom i didn't like, she also had a daughter (so step-sister). they both seemed very stand-off-ish, i tried to avoid them as much as i could. i was here for my son, after all. despite this, Keanu and i seem to still have a good relationship- we actually get along really well, it was awkwardly loving and i couldn't tell you why we were divorced. it was just a fact.

.

i take Matthias to go out for some quality time, we end up going into the city, to the square. before we get there, we stop at a Kisok to grab some drinks, and i end up with three bottles in my hand, one of which is a large coke zero for him (nice product placement there, brain).

in the middle of the square where we end up is a fountain, he leaves his coke standing close to it. i go to sit in some shade a little ways off while he occupies himself with things, running around, playing. it was almost as if i expected him to entertain himself and i wasn't sure why. it seemed counter-intuitive to spending quality time, but it felt like i didn't want to impose or insert myself.

as i'm sitting in the shade to avoid the heat from the sun, two ladies walk along towards the fountain and find his drink standing there. it's almost still full and they seem to contemplate taking it with them. before they do so, i loudly interrupt and take it, telling them that it belongs to my son. i have the bottle cap in my hand and it takes me a solid minute to put the cap back on the damn bottle.

i call Matthias over and ask him if he's ready to head back, he nods. i take his hand and we start walking. as we are walking, the environment changes from "old buildings creating an almost-cage around a large, bare square with a fountain" to "a grassy path in between two large, green fields". it smelled very grassy, the son was bright and white. the vegetation on the fields reached up to my waist, making for an almost-corridor that we were walking through. you couldn't see anything but the green fields for miles.

as we are walking, i ask my son if he had a good time. he shakes his head and says no, he would've rather played with me more than on his own. i felt really bad about this, but i already knew that this was what he was going to say- this had been exactly what i was worrying about. it was almost as if i had hoped for him to lie to spare my feelings. i was glad that he didn't.

i apologize to Matthias, telling him that i wanted to play with him more but that it's difficult for me in this heat. i was feeling all kinds of weak because the sun was beating down on us on this path. i had my hand raised over my eyes so that i could see our surroundings, but.. the world was smouldering, the outlines of anything corporeal swimming around in my vision. i felt absolutely miserable and over-heated (i am light and heat sensitive, that's not a lie, and i clearly was in my dream as well). it still felt like an excuse.

i ask him to forgive me and promise him that next time i would try to play with him more. he nods. we continue walking through the fields, hand in hand.

i eventually ask him if he likes his new family and his mood shifts. he shaked his head. it takes a bit of prodding before my son tells me what's wrong, but he starts explaining that he doesn't like his step-mother- she treated him like an outsider, and that his step-sister was incredibly spoiled, got everything she wanted and generally received preferential treatment. he also went on to tell me that, when they visited his step-mother's family, that the rest of her family would treat him awfully. he hated visiting them and didn't want to have to go there anymore.

i am seething on the inside as he tells me this. i carefully ask him if it would be alright with him for me to address this with his dad (so, Keanu). i could just go off on Keanu on my own, of course (and i probably would have talked to him in some capacity no matter whether Matthias agreed or not), but i wanted my son to feel like he had a voice in the matter, because i felt that he might be scared that his father would be mad at him. i didn't want him to feel blindsided by his own mother or that he had to bathe in the consequences of my actions. i wanted to be reassuring.

after some reassurances that his father would be okay, that i would not let anyone hurt him and that he wouldn't have to meet his step-mother's family again unless absolutely necessary, he says yes.

.

when we get home, we are in the entrance hall which looks suspiciously like the entrance hall of my childhood home. i ask him if he's ready- he says yes, but thinks that i mean "to go out again", he starts putting his shoes back on. i explain that i meant "ready for me to talk to your dad and for you to go upstairs while i do it". i wanted him upstairs just in case, i didn't expect things to get ugly. just in case.

my son isn't happy about it, but he agrees and heads upstairs to his room (which, in my childhood home, was actually an entire other apartment). i go through the door and try to find Keanu in the kitchen. as i walk to the kitchen door (which is a sliding door, it's slid open just a crack), i see his wife inside instead. i step back and leave before she can see me (it was apparently nightfall again, as i had the distinct feeling that she was getting a "midnight snack"). i walk around the house until i find Keanu.

when i find Keanu in another room just outside of the kitchen, i hear my son call for a cat from somewhere behind me (even though he was supposed to be upstairs- he wanted to take the cat with him). i think he called for "Bubbles" or "Whiskers", they had multiple cats. the cat scurries out of the kitchen to go find Matthias.

as i am asking my Ex-Husband to talk about our son, said son comes up behind him. once i notice him behind me, i frown- i didn't want to have this conversation in his presence. just in case Keanu and i start fighting.

again, it seemed highly unlikely, because for some reason it felt as though Keanu and i were still on really good terms. like, oddly so. and again, it wasn't sure why we were even divorced beause it felt as though there were lingering feelings. two people who didn't want to separate being separated. having moved on almost-unwillingly. for the better of something or someone.

.

instead of starting the conversation, because my son had snuck up, i instead ask if we still needed anything else for the holiday celebration. he tells me that we could still use some ice-cream and asks if i would mind going downstairs to get it.

i grab Matthias and we head into the same store where i met Timothee (so, just outside) to buy the ice-cream. the entire section is rearranged again and i end up just buying one of every flavor.

once we return home and put the ice-cream away, i seek out Keanu again and we end up talking. i tell him that i don't want our son around his new wife's family ever again if he's just going to let them mistreat Matthias. he needed to either step-up and advocate for his son or he needed to leave him with me when they went for visits.

somehow the conversation turns to us being "Golden Vampires" (?!?!?!?). suddenly, we actually are vampires. the world is still drenched in that golden glow from the very beginning of this part of the dream, and i suddenly understand- as if my memory had been unlocked.

honey drips down my fangs and pools in my mouth, sliding down my chin, as if it were golden saliva.

Keanu mentions that our son still doesn't know, that he thought it'd be best if he didn't ever find out so that he could live a normal life.

Matthias walks in on our conversation right as Keanu tells me all of this and firmly declares that he also wants to become a golden vampire, to be like his parents.

his father looks horrified.

i wake up as the honey continues to drip.

#dream log #fucking yikes #guys i am not into celebrities- like at all #so i have no freaking idea why i'm dreaming about 'my ex-husband keanu reeves' and i still having lingering feelings #it's so goddamn funny to me #i tried telling SO about this dream and i was laughing so hard i started crying because it was so ridiculous #i actually woke up early from this one

[andthebubbles]

i had a very nice day!!! so the person i picked up stuff from actually turned out to be super nice, it was so wild it was like i stepped into an alternate universe (over email she sounded super urgh and troublesome). idk if there’s a catch somewhere and i just haven’t found it yet, but yeah, what the hell. i got the stuff and now i can do mileage claim!

checked out moona moona creek afterwards, it’s a veryyyyy nice swimming spot. actually, the sand and the colour of the water has been the most interesting/noteworthy things at jervis bay. the sand is almost white and the water is just this gorgeous aqua-ish blue (although less noticeable the closer you get to it lol). also, the light (sunlight) is just really clean and blue?

(oh i almost forgot, i also checked out the mangrove boardwalk at huskisson, that was good, until i visited the beaches SKJDGNFKG)

then ofc since there weren’t any traffic jams i checked out hyams beach because you know, ~whitest sand and stuff. i guess the sand is pretty white?? it’s not that markedly whiter than the sand at moona moona creek. but the biggest difference was skfjgnkfjng the TEXTURE of the sand skjfnkfjgnkfng so at moona moona creek, the sand sometimes was almost ‘solid’, like, if i was an elf and i could walk lightly enough on it, i wouldn’t break through that outer shell. but once you break through the outer shell, it just crumbles and then it’s soft. and kinda squeaky feeling. maybe it’s very salty?? idk

but MMMMm hyams beach sand was like, SO SOFT, it was like walking on pillows, especially for the sand in the shade, it was just soooo mmMMMMM. the waves crashing on the beach were whatever, i guess they were almost greenish because it was so clean blue, but the SAND TEXTURE, now that was noteworthy. (i also may have taken a tiny bit of sand because it was so fascinating and fiiiine and pale and soooo soft and pillowy, and now i’ve decided i’m gonna start a sand collection!! it’d be really interesting to see the difference in colours of sand, and also i guess i will take notes. like, maroubra sand is pretty coarse, and darker ofc... bondi beach sand is like... idk, paler than maroubra, but it’s nothing special either, it’s not that fine

it’s interesting, cause if one could 4wd moona moona creek, i think it’d be quite easy because the sand is so firm, but hyams beach would be pretty tricky i think

anyway!!! sand collection!!! i need to get me some glass bottles with corks

(might post pics later, might not)

also, the drive was pretty easy... i did up to wollongong first, then my mum did from there to bomaderry, then i did from there to jervis bay stuff, and then once we were done there i did from there to wollongong, and then to home, so i did most of the driving and mmmm it was good. also idk what it is about the sun going down/nighttime = i can drive a loooot more lol, it’s just, once the sun goes down and it starts to settle into dusk and then nightfall, i just fuckin wake up skjgkfkj

so anyway, jervis bay is like, just over 3 hours away, so it’s pretty doable, esp if you split it into 1.5h each. i’d love to go back to hyams beach just so i can feeeeeeel the sand again... i might go back once school holidays are over haha. and also it’d be nice to stay longer so i can get some night photography in. the sun took forever to set today and i guess that’s cause summer solstice is... tomorrow, okay, i just checked lol well ANYWAY, i miss night photography, but it’s also nicer to do it when the weather is colder because there aren’t any mozzies about, and it gets darker earlier so you don’t have to wait as long. but me dad’s a chicken with the cold, and sometimes i don’t particularly like going remote-ish places at night by myself because it feels kinda dodge

anyway!! time to check the pics i took eheheee

-

eta: HYAMS BEACH SAND (those aren’t my footprints (why didn’t i pick a better spot where the sand was untouched ksjnfgkfjgn oH WELL))

selfie lmfao:

eta 2: i gotta say it’s REALLY nice now that there’s an albion park bypass and a berry bypass... (yeah i haven’t been out much until recently lol) also, i kinda miss the old foxground route, but more in a sense of ‘i bet it’s really fun now with almost no traffic’ SKJDNFK

#blahblahblah i just memory-dumped about the beaches i visited today lol #very skippable! #me.txt #yeah. i wish i could've stayed longer!! #after i got home we took the cat for a walk round the block in her cat pram lol #and THEN it felt like the day was complete #i didn't even get to use high beams on the highway on the drive home #THAT'S how early we started going back #what a shaaaame #no night driving with high beams? pfft #with spotties and lightbar on dirt roads it's even more exciting! #point of interest (lol): i've gotten used to how tough the troopy is with like... everything #that today i accidentally switched on the high beams with this nissan when i was signalling to.. turn or change lanes idk #normal cars are so soft lol #normal MODERN* cars are so soft #also i discovered that if i put my left hand on the right hand side of the stupid T shape of the steering wheel.. it isn't so much a strain #so uh that's nice #at least i'm not coming home with like a fucked up shoulder or neck or whatever #i think sometime next year or so it'd be really nice to spend some time at like.. jervis bay territory #like. camp near the beach #explore the area #etc #but it has to be not during school holidays lol i think this place would be kinda crap with too many people around #i got lucky today i guess cause it's the first day of the school hols

[dongofthewolf]

Omg I’m sorry for not realizing u had a list 😅 but I wasn’t wondering if u could do 41 with Abby and could u make it like rlly angsty but with some fluff or smut at the end

Everything Good in Life Seems to Lead Back to You

Abby Anderson X Reader

Prompt: 41. Overhearing they have feelings for you

Warnings: blood and injury, canon typical violence, swearing, fluff, angst (I tried anon I tried), Owen slander once again (sorry not sorry)

Gender neutral pronoun for the reader (if you’d like your request to use specific pronouns please add to the ask)

Link to the prompt list here

A/N: it’s safe to say that I wrote this with the speed of a thousand blazing horses if that even makes any sense. I hope that you all enjoy this lovely word vomit (esp if you requested) it was a blast to write !!

btw the Virginia Woolf reference is from her letters to Vita Sackville and the Jane Austen one is from Pride and Prejudice. What can I say? I guess I’m just a hoe for old love, baby.

Abby spent a lot of time reading; so much so that she had created this false expectation of what love was supposed to feel like. Abby believed that love was supposed to be strong, and passionate, and bright—an everlasting devotion. Of course she shrugged it off at first, they were just books after all—pieces of fiction to fantasize and dream about. Love wasn’t something you could define in a book nor could it ever live up to the likes of Shakespeare or Virginia Woolf.

Abby had never been in love; she sometimes believes she came close to some iteration of it when she was with Owen, but looking back now she realized that what she felt wasn’t love. It was a desperate attempt to be wanted—to be needed, a manifestation of her desire for approval. And after her falling out with him, Abby had come to accept that she simply wasn’t made for love, and that if by some miracle she ever did fall, it definitely wouldn’t be like the books.

That was Abby’s initial perspective on love, but oh how times have changed. The moment you waltzed into her life, every sad, pathetic notion she had about love was thrown out the window in a matter of seconds. Never in her most outrageous dreams did Abby expect to fall this hard, especially since the two of you were practically best friends.

In fact, it had been very platonic at first; Abby was your superior and you often worked together on missions. She didn’t know what compelled her to talk to you but when she did, the two of you hit it off immediately. You started training together, then working out together, and eventually you were spending almost every minute together. The two of you could literally correctly predict every thought that went through each other's head, all except of course (in Abby’s case) for one. It even got to the point where you both somehow knew when the other couldn’t sleep, so much so that Abby had grown accustomed to opening her door to see you holding a glass of milk and a plate of cookies like a little kid on Christmas. She had spent so many sleepless nights alone only to realize that the one thing she was missing, was you and your adorable midnight snacks.

Abby never entertained the thought of professing her slightly less than platonic feelings for you, because she had become content with the idea that you’d simply never feel the same. However, while she had come to accept her unfortunate situation to be a permanent one, it still hurt her when she saw you flirt with other people. And she’d be lying if she said your absentminded touches didn’t still send her soaring. Sometimes she hated how naturally affectionate you were, it made it so hard for her to not love you.

The box that Abby had continually shoved herself into so she wouldn’t fuck up your friendship was almost starting to feel like home, and as uncomfortable as it was, she knew it was for the best. Almost nothing could compel Abby to leave this torturous, self-inflicted prison she was trapped in. Almost nothing.

—

The mission was supposed to be a simple one: get in, get the weapons, get out. A mission so simple, the both of you could’ve done it in your sleep. In fact, on a few occasions after a long night of drinking, you had practically done just that. You met up with the group of traders who you were well acquainted with, and the deal went down smoothly. Everything was going according to plan, which is why you and Abby were completely caught off guard when a group of rogue hunters suddenly began firing shots like it was a fucking carnival.

Turns out there was a new rival group in town, and someone had tipped them off. You and Abby luckily were able to find cover from their relentless fire, but not before you got a bullet straight through your left thigh. You didn’t even realize it at first, the adrenaline coursing through your veins still working to protect you from the devastating pain that was to come. When you did notice it, you had already lost copious amounts of blood. Then the dizziness began to set in, and soon after the pain. Abby hadn’t even realized you were injured till you slumped over on the ground next to her.

Looking down in horror, Abby lifted you into her arms. “Y/N? What’s wrong? Why are y-” Then Abby noticed the blood, and suddenly she was panicking. “Oh shit. Oh fuck, Y/N we have to get you out of here.”

“T-the package, we need the package. Can’t leave without it.” Your response was weak, desperate. You had to finish the mission, the WLF was in dire need of these supplies and you were not going to be the one to tell Isaac you failed.

“Fuck the package, we need to get you back to base.” Abby removed her belt, turnoqueting your leg with such surprising ease that you nearly didn’t notice the agonizing pain in your leg. Nearly.

You groaned when Abby hoisted you into her arms bridal style, careful not to move your leg too much before she booked it to the truck. When she plopped you down into the passenger's seat and began to speed away from the scene, you suddenly felt your eyes becoming heavier. You were so tired. You had lost so much blood already and your body felt like it was shutting down.

Abby was frantically racing towards the base, eyes fixed to the road until she heard you let out a small whine. “Abby, I‘m so tired. Need to sleep.”

Abby noticed you drifting off and she reached her arm out to shake your shoulder violently. “No. No sleeping, you gotta stay awake Y/N.”

Though Abby didn’t mention it, she was terrified. When she looked over at you, you were pale and cold to the touch, drifting off while your leg continued to bleed profusely despite her tourniquet. This could be it; you could die right now, and Abby would have lost the one person in this world she cared about most. She couldn’t let that happen, she wouldn’t.

You were equally as terrified as Abby; every natural instinct in your body was begging for you to sleep and you were becoming tired of trying to ignore it. The last thing you remembered was the look on the face of the girl you had fallen for, her eyes brimming with tears while she wore a desperate, horrified expression.

—

You laid unconscious for what felt like an eternity and Abby never left your side. She had abandoned her duties (with Isaac’s permission) and spent every second next to you, her head resting on the edge of your bed while she waited for you to wake up. The only thing that prompted Abby to step away was Manny, who had heard what happened and went to check on her.

Manny knew full and well that Abby was in love with you; in fact, almost all of Abby’s friends knew. Abby had confided in him during many torturous nights and he was a surprisingly good listener. He understood her circumstances and never pushed her to confess her feelings for you, even if it did annoy him how oblivious Abby was to the fact that you obviously felt the same way. “Abby, I heard what happened. Is everything okay?”

Abby was exhausted, she hadn’t slept at all since you made it back to the base and she couldn’t get the memory of your cold, pale body out of her head. “I almost lost them, Manny. Y/N could’ve died out there without ever knowing how I feel about them.” Tears threatened to fall but Abby did her best to keep her composure.

“It’s going to be okay, Abby. Y/N’s here and they’re alive, and that’s all that matters.” Manny’s hand was on Abby’s shoulder, trying his best to comfort her. “You should tell them how you feel though.”

“Huh?” Abby hadn’t expected that. Manny knew her situation well enough to know that telling you how she felt was a bad idea… It was a bad idea, right?

“It’s like you said, Y/N could’ve died without ever knowing how you feel about them. Wouldn’t it be better to have no regrets at all?” The words stopped Abby in her tracks. She never thought she’d actually agree with Manny.

“It’s just- I love Y/N so much, and I don’t want to lose them this way.” Abby was on the brink of tears, her voice turning into a desperate plea.

“I’m not going anywhere Abs.”

Abby froze, turning around slowly. You were gripping to the doorway for support, limping on one leg and looking extremely weathered.

“Y/N!” Abby immediately ran to put your arm around her shoulder while she carried you back to your bed, setting you down carefully. “You shouldn't be on your leg, you could make it worse.”

There was genuine concern on Abby’s face and in that moment you weren’t sure you could love her any more than you already did. She was so incredibly sweet and caring and no one had ever shown this much concern for your safety and well-being. You had heard her through the door and you couldn’t stop yourself from interrupting her. There was so much about Abby you absolutely adored and she had no idea. How could she not have known you were hopelessly in love with her? Was she truly that oblivious to your obvious flirting? All the subtle touches, the pathetic excuses to sleep in her bed, the fact you literally went out of your way to find rare coins so you could bring them back to her, it all just flew over her head. You couldn’t believe it.

Abby was still rambling about your leg, clearly trying to pretend like she didn’t just profess her love for you while you were standing right behind her. Instead of speaking, you wrapped your hands around her neck before leaning in, silencing her with a kiss so perfect you could’ve passed out right there. You could tell she was stunned at first, but soon enough she was kissing you back. Her fingers were running through your hair and when you pulled away she leaned her forehead against yours, not wanting to part from you.

“Did you mean it?” You pulled away to look Abby in the eyes, your hands still wrapped around her shoulders.

Abby had a dumbstruck look on her face. “Mean what?”

“When you said you loved me, did you mean it?” Your eyes searched her face for an answer while your heart was beating a million miles a minute.

Abby smiled, her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke. “Y/N, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I’m so hopelessly in love with you that it’s almost pathetic. You have no idea how essential to me you have become—how many nights I’ve stayed awake because you weren’t there to hog all the blankets. Y/N, you have no idea how ardently I love you.”

You smirked “Abigail Anderson did you just quote Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen?” You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, Abby could be such a nerd sometimes.

“I just confessed my ever-lasting love for you and that’s the first thing you say?” Abby was smiling widely now, relief flowing through her now that she no longer had to conceal her feelings for you.

“I love you too Abs, so fucking much. Also I do not hog the blankets, your comforter is simply too small.” Abby chuckled before she leaned in for another kiss, the worry suddenly disappearing the moment her lips touched yours.

Although Abby had never really known what she expected love to be, this is what she imagines it’d feel like, and you bet your ass it was better than the books. To tell the truth, it was better than any other conceivable thing on this entire planet. Nothing could beat the way Abby felt now that she had finally broken free from her excruciating self-inflicted prison.

Abby pulled away from the kiss, gazing at you lovingly. “Are you hungry?”

God damn Abby, it was like she knew exactly what you were thinking. You didn’t know how long you had been unconscious for, but you were ravenous. “Starving.”

And almost as if you were telepathically communicating, the both of you spoke at the exact same time.

“Cookies?”

“Cookies.”

#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson imagine #the last of us imagine #abby anderson #abby tlou #tlou2 #the last of us 2 #fluff #angst #requests #perhaps cookies will be our always #yes I did use an AURORA song for my title #that song literally cured me okay #if you made it down this far just wanted to let u know that I’m big gay #okay bye

[wolfsneedles]

perhaps a small meta like thing i wanted to write and share on robb. I was thinking about that very haunting and pivotal moment in ASOS, when rickard karstark a loyal man of robb and starks killed the two prisoner/wards kids from lannister family when he realised catelyn released jaime. Catelyn releasing him is different and a very realistically emotional thing but robb acting and defending his mother when rickard says It was Lady Catelyn who was responsible for murder of the two kids....he just slaughtered in sleep and dark of their cells (reeks of bit sexism and misogyny tbh). Not realising however that jaime wasn't gonna get killed anyways that to by rickard or Robb was never gonna let them hurt him. basically so if karstark was avenging his sons...who died in battle with Robb, it is understandable but this was rickard's individualistic revenge - he was fighting for robb too. For North and for Starks and for his KING. i never understood how he killed two children but thats not the concern really. It is how robb reacts to murder of two children by karstark which is so foolish and stupid and honestly cruel considering his revenge was not gonna succeed anyways when jaime had...already escaped (and no omg cat wasn't responsible for karstark betrayal). And then Robb says, "

"I owe their fathers truth," said Robb. "And justice. I owe them that as well." He gazed at his crown, the dark gleam of bronze, the circle of iron swords. "Lord Rickard defied me. Betrayed me. I have no choice but to condemn him.

He made up his mind anyways to execute karstark not for betrayal but also for justice. Poetic Justice maybe...but the entire scene of rickard karstarks execution is very hauntingly beautiful however uneasy and eerie, and you see robb from Cats POV doing something from his own hands himself. The imagery and environmental gloom is perfect. Even weather grrm wrote like, was hauntingly unsettling.

Lord Rickard's fought at my side in half a dozen battles. His sons died for me in the Whispering Wood. Tion Frey and Willem Lannister were my enemies. Yet now I have to kill my dead friends' father for their sakes." He looked at them all. "Will the Lannisters thank me for Lord Rickard's head? Will the Freys?"

He obviously knew, the death of karstark's liege lord will earn him worse betrayals and series of more unfortunate events,, yet he still in despair asks brynden and others, that freys and lannisters will obviously not thank him for this. Infact they repaid him worse.

How then can you call this vengeance? This was folly, and bloody murder. Your sons died honorably on a battlefield, with swords in their hands.”

I wanted to describe the scene which is so poetic. But the fact that there is constant thunder and rain can highlight the fact that it was or can be synonymous to misery and death and...robbs ultimate betrayal when karstarks leave in the night same day. Catelyn described the weather outside as,

"Outside the thunder crashed and boomed, so loud it sounded as if the castle were coming down about their ears. Is this the sound of a kingdom falling? Catelyn wondered"

In the next sentence u see, robb more mature and dauntless when he decides he will execute rickard, "Robb reached down with both hands, lifted the heavy bronze-and-iron crown, and set it back atop his head, and suddenly he was a king again. “Lord Rickard dies.”

(also makes me mention how ppl criticise dany too mostly from the got show, but in books why she kills people, i think....if u put yourself in those historical framework and mentality of medieval society with loyalties and devotion tied to each other whether based on federalism or personal love, betrayal and treachery or going behind a king or queens back doesn't...go unpunished. Treason never goes unpunished when we also think of jon snow executing janos and robb with karstark. You have to realise emotions of both people. the one who carries sentence and one who dies.)

Back to the scenic description i found in this chapter. Catelyn again talks about weather and i absolutely loved contrast bw the weather and grimness of it and an execution soon to be carried in godswood,

"When day broke, grey and chilly, the storm had diminished to a steady, soaking rain, yet even so the godswood was crowded. River lords and northmen, highborn and low, knights and sellswords and stableboys, they stood amongst the trees to see the end of the night’s dark dance."

"Robb flung the poleaxe down in disgust, and turned wordless to the heart tree. He stood shaking with his hands half-clenched and the rain running down his cheeks. Gods forgive him, Catelyn prayed in silence. He is only a boy, and he had no other choice"

I think the rain is perfect thing. the way it is pouring down and then previously it was mentioned how remaining men who took part in killing young boys of lannisters with karstark were hung from trees ...but their faces were darkened and washed and grrm mentions this a lot everytime he mentions a depressing scene with death and ppl hanging from trees esp when lady stoneheart or brothers without banners or brienne and pod encounter people hanged. Its also sooo haunting how karstark was executed in front of heart tree and godswood...by hands of Robb as well (similar to what ned said that man who passes sentence will swing the sword so he knows what he feels too and robb did it last moment too)

" That was the last she saw of her son that day "

This line by catelyn also describes horror of war and how young people like robb in this case are dragged into the lords game of thrones, sometimes half-heartedly sometimes intentionally she describes how war is affecting her son who is after all a boy.

".....rain continued all through the morning, lashing the surface of the rivers and turning the godswood grass into mud and puddles"

This weather is same as it was described and was on the day or eve of when Catelyn and robb along with edmure were making for the Twins and and something more horrific which was about to unfold there as well ( red wedding ) and on their way to twins the rain is mercilessly beating and falling too.

Last i wanna mention is day when robb and his men with Catelyn made for the Twins for wedding and weather was same miserable since last time it was when karstark was executed...which I was thinking DOES point to robbs failure and demise in the end as weather has a lot of impact on story and so does the ice and fire contrast that has always been made where winters and cold winds welcome the coming of darkness and enemy force in this case the Others, and fire reflects passion, warmth and hope for me in passages. prob why i love mention of dany and her dragons because they do represent an entirely different aura and hope against the dread that is building on the Wall and beyond it for coming of the actual-evil-forces the Others.

This is how perfectly the differences bw robbs victory in Whispering wood taken as sign of pride and hope is mentioned with --> emphasis on how warm the weather was, and now their travel to the Twins for red wedding as --> rain, mud, puddle, banks overflowing, their stark banners flooded and hanging down (another excellent indication for how house stark did have their back and strength broken after the wedding hence banner hanging low, or when arya later travels to twins and sees the banners on fire due to the massacre taking place...)

"..As the gods would have it, their route took them through the Whispering Wood where Robb had won his first great victory. They followed the course of the twisting stream on the floor of that pinched narrow valley, much as Jaime Lannister’s men had done that fateful night. It was warmer then, Catelyn remembered, the trees were still green, and the stream did not overflow its banks. Fallen leaves choked the flow now and lay in sodden snarls among the rocks and roots, and the trees that had once hidden Robb’s army had exchanged their green raiment for leaves of dull gold spotted with brown, and a red that reminded her of rust and dry blood"

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #astormofagirl #a song of ice and fire #the weather contrast and ice and fire are perfect twins tbh #catelyn stark #catelyn tully #robb stark #house karstark #house stark #valyrianscrolls #grrm #asoiaf/got #asoiaf quotes #arya stark #ned stark #shit posts #meta #daenerys targaryen #english quotes #literature #books #fantasy

[washymylifeaway]

SakuAtsu Fanfic recs pt2 leggo

I promised a pt 2 and here it is! Link to pt 1 here :) I was lazy so given summaries (I cped this time, but in the future I might paraphrase), and ofc these aren’t all of the ones I loved, just some :D So in no particular order, have some SakuAtsu <3

As always, pls check WARNINGS, TAGS, and SUMMARIES for fics before reading (esp cause I didn’t put individual warnings PLEASE make sure you’re okay with the content!!!!!!) and make sure you’re taking care of yourselves (since mental health is key!) Stay healthy loves <3

Teach Me, Tune Me, Tempt Me by Anonymous (E) 38.8k // Sakusa Kiyoomi needs to conquer many lifelong fears in order to enter his first romantic relationship. Miya Atsumu is there to guide him every step of the way, even if the one Sakusa desires is someone else.

Flowers Bloom In Our Masks by UnicornFlowers (G) 24.5k // "Mysophobia, also known as verminophobia, germophobia, germaphobia, bacillophobia and bacteriophobia, is a pathological fear of contamination and germs." "You read that off of Wikipedia." "That's the point, Omi-kun. I read up on it fer you."

the art of folding a handkerchief by Emlee_J (T) 5.6k // “Atsumu-san’s just realised he likes Sakusa-san,” Shouyou says simply, as though announcing the weather. “Ahh,” Bokuto nods sagely, standing up straight and nodding his head, as though this was a perfectly normal thing to hear and not monumental in any way. “'Ahh?'” Atsumu protests, indignantly, “what do ya mean ‘ahh?’” “We were wondering when you were going to notice,” Bokuto shrugs, and Atsumu gawps at him. “'Scuse me?” He splutters, and whips his gaze around to Shouyou, who bobs his head at him in confirmation. “How did you two notice before I did?” Atsumu blurts out. "Most people do," Shouyou says softly. -In which Atsumu develops something annoying, like feelings for a teammate, but at least he has a couple of wingmen and Tobio's seemingly infinite resources to help him out.

for whom the heart beats by cielelyse (T) 1.6k // Atsumu's heart keeps skipping a beat whenever Sakusa's around - so often that it's baffling and honestly downright concerning. "I think I might have a medical condition," he says into the phone. "Good," says Osamu, and hangs up.

as you are by papertulips (G) 5.8k // Kiyoomi learns that falling for Atsumu is the easiest thing in the world.

Hide and seek by badreputation (E) 10.5k // It’s just a fleeting infatuation. As long as he pushes through it he’ll manage. So what if nowadays there isn’t a night where he doesn’t dream of Sakusa pinning him down on his own bed, in the shower or make Atsumu go down on his knees in the hallway? Those are just pesky details.

People Will Say We're in Love by tirralirra (T) 9.5k // “Saku...Atsu? What does that even mean?” Atsumu says, squinting at the device. People seem to think that Sakusa and Atsumu are in love, so they come up with a list of things to do to deter that. Maybe it would work...if they weren’t in love.

do not separate! by aalphard (T) 5k // He knows he likes peanut butter and the tuna onigiri Uncle Shamu makes for him. He knows he likes volleyball and the way his daddy looks so, so cool when he’s on court. He knows he likes drawing and playing with toy swords. He knows he likes reading and it’s even better when Atsumu is the one reading for him. He knows he likes to have pancakes in the morning but he also really, really likes tamagoyaki and he knows his daddy can’t make those at all. He tries, but fails every single time. He knows his daddy’s teammates like him and he knows they’ll help him if he wants to play with them one day. But the thing is he likes Uncle Omi-kun more than he likes the rest of them and that is a secret he won’t tell anyone that’s not his daddy. He doesn’t like to make people sad.“Omi?” “Yeah?” “Nao said he likes you more than he likes the rest of the team. Don’t tell’em.” or atsumu is a single dad and kiyoomi can't help but fall for him.

you make my heart burn by myhopeisjhope (G) 9.2k // “What’s up with that awful expression?” Atsumu asked. He leaned against the counter with his hip, looking directly at Kiyoomi, his regular fox-line grin plastered on his face. Kiyoomi made eye-contact with him then, his eyebrows knotting in annoyance, but Atsumu was too interested in the cute pair of beauty marks above Kiyoomi’s eye to care about the glare that was sent his way. “What’s up with that awful hair?” Kiyoomi shot back. And that was exactly when Atsumu decided he liked the guy. 

somewhere in the middle (i think we lied a little) by akanemnida (E) 4.3k // “Body worship,” Miya said instantly, after Kiyoomi asked him what he wanted as reward as the winner of their service ace competition. “I can do that,” Kiyoomi said with a frown. “God, you really are the vainest person on this planet—”Miya shook his head, smirking. “Nuh-uh, Omi-kun. I meant I wanted ‘ta worship ‘ya.”(Or: Sakusa and Atsumu and all the blurred lines in between.)

san'yō expressway, 6:17 pm by yamabato (T) 8.1k // Atsumu tilts his head to watch a slice of orange light bend over the impassive planes of Sakusa’s face. He is absolutely, ruthlessly beautiful. It makes Atsumu want to punch something—put his foot through the windshield—scream, maybe. Kiss him again, maybe. They have 344 kilometers to figure this one out.

affection by papertulips (G) 2.1k // "I gave you the key to my house for emergencies only." “This is an emergency.” “What?” Atsumu pouts, looking up at him with wide eyes that definitely work on Kiyoomi but he will never admit it. “I missed you.”

love could be labeled poison and we'd drink it anyways by myhopeisjhope (NR) 21.3k // "Huh?" is Atsumu's response, and it's seemingly the only thing the man could think of after the minute-long silence that stretched between them. "We should break up," Kiyoomi repeats, more clearly now. He doesn't let any emotion seep into his voice, keeping it neutral and detached, as if breaking up with Atsumu was the easiest thing ever, while in fact it's the complete opposite.

And I'll Ask for the Sea by meeks00 (T) 6.9k // When a couple of his teammates reveal that Atsumu has feelings for him, Sakusa doesn’t react well. It doesn’t help that Atsumu is his typical petty and salty self. --“Come on,” Atsumu is saying in a wheedling tone behind a bright grin. “Just stop,” Sakusa snaps suddenly. “Will you just leave me alone for once? I don’t even like you!”Normally, Sakusa’s words don’t phase Atsumu at all. He’ll talk over Sakusa or brush off any harsh words easily enough and might turn to someone else for the attention he apparently craves. But this time, Sakusa’s words seem to stop him cold, the smile freezing for just a moment on his face.

the Definition of Miya Atsumu, by Sakusa Kiyoomi by orphan_account (G) 4k // Miya Atsumu is a self-centred prick who thinks he's top shit. Underneath the word 'asshole' in the dictionary is a picture of his stupidly pretty face. Sakusa Kiyoomi's definition is, according to him, 100% correct, until he takes a closer look.

i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) by liliapocalypse (T) 7.6k // Seeing Sakusa stressed out, Atsumu writes random letters on Sakusa’s skin to soothe him during the team’s assisted stretches. Somewhere along the way, the touches shift from barely tolerable to something Sakusa actively craved for. One day, though, Atsumu accidentally writes a confession instead.

it ain't no matter of 'if' honey, it's just a matter of 'when' by irleggsy (M) 2.1k // With a beer in one hand and an accusatory pointer finger on the other, Sakusa slurred, shouted even, “Atsumu. If you wear those godforsaken cutoff camo jorts one more fucking time I’m breaking up with you.”Atsumu made a noise in his throat caught somewhere between a wheeze and a squawk that came out more of an avant-garde honk noise than anything else. He stared up at Sakusa with wide eyes, a bewildered smile just barely glued onto his face. Or: The MSBY Black Jackals go to a bar. Sakusa likes to run his mouth when he's drunk.

dog eat dog eat dog world by perennials (T) 8.4k // You are your first and only line of defense against the universe.

Who Could Have Seen This Coming? by crone_zone (M) 16.7k // Peering out the side of his eyes at the man walking beside him, Sakusa wondered why he’d impulsively changed his mind about his plans this evening when he’d noticed Miya’s reluctance. Surely he wasn’t worried about this asshole, was he?--In which Sakusa impulsively invites Atsumu over to his apartment when he sees he's upset and something entirely unexpected happens: he realizes he likes this asshole. Cue [off-camera]sex, mutual confessions, insecurity, and adorable losers who are opposite in all the right ways.

Miya Atsumu's unwavering love for Sakusa Kiyoomi and an unholy amount of terrible food analogies that should not have the right to Exist by aiviloti (G) 5.6k // Five times Miya Atsumu talks to (harasses) his friends and sibling because he has feelings for Sakusa and doesn't know what to do or how to deal with them and the one time he talks to Sakusa about it. “How do you make friends apart from showering them in praise?” Atsumu wails one night, and Osamu thinks, oh god, here we go again.

Sakusa's Secret Admirer by TwilaFrost (T) 20.2k // Every day after practice, Kiyoomi finds another letter inside his shoe locker. It's only every signed: -❤ He's determined to find this person. Is it crazy to fall in love with someone you've never met?

take what's yours and make it mine by claudusdiei (T) 5.9k // (this has a second fic hehe) atsumu falls in love four times in his life (or: in which atsumu gets his heart broken twice, has the self-awareness of a sober mule and really likes yellow tulips)

School Bus Yellow by yuuki (G) 4.9k // Atsumu has a crush on Sakusa, and it’s kind of ridiculous how much he likes a guy who wears ugly colored jackets and is afraid of germs.Though, Atsumu’s probably not all that great himself. He’s still figuring that part out.

show me how by emeraldpalace (G) 2.9k // Sakusa isn’t sure when or how it happened, but the fact remains: Miya Atsumu has become a comfortable constant in his life.

touch me (i want you to) by melstar (G) 3.9k // He should have seen it coming, really. Spend six months tip-toeing around the line of domesticity with the team’s resident germaphobe, and there was no way he’d be able to think of the guy the same way anymore. Or, Atsumu touches Sakusa's arm once and thus begins a downward spiral into the inescapable jaws of attraction.

Dreaming of You, Talking About You by kitkatwrites (T) 1.1k // Osamu learns that Atsumu talks in his sleep, especially about a certain wing spiker from Tokyo.

If your world falls apart, I'd start a riot by Serendipity (jenjaemrens) (NR) 3.1k // "It was Atsumu who was the older brother, but it was Osamu who was more protective of him. He would always protect Atsumu from things around them that could hurt him. "Or, the story of Sakusa Kiyoomi and Miya Atsumu through the eyes of Miya Osamu.

but soft what light by min_mintobe (T) 2.1k // "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day, Bokkun—" Atsumu drawls, "—hot. "In which Miya Atsumu woos Sakusa Kiyoomi by (gratuitously, seductively) quoting Shakespeare. One-shot.

sakusa kiyoomi's fixation on (miya atsumu's) lips by catsoncocaine (E) 3.7k // Everything about Atsumu is fucking beautiful, but there is one specific part of his that is like kryptonite for Kiyoomi. It is both his curse and his remedy, rendering him useless and yet egging him on to move at the same time. Kiyoomi hates it as much as he loves it.

The Jacket In Your Closet by dai_naning (T) 8.6k // According to the gossiping players around him, Miya Atsumu is an asshole. He's an incredible player in court and an obnoxious person off the court. He taunts people, points out their weakness, and doesn't give a shit if he's disliked or not. Some even say his teammates ostracize him. Sakusa looks at Miya Atsumu and can only see a player who keeps his eyes firmly forward, demanding the same to the players who want to stay on the court. Sakusa can't fault him for that. (That doesn't erase the fact that he's an asshole though. And that he's still the one who gave a jacket to a stranger.)

sakusa kiyoomi is....an uncle? by miyaudrey (T) 5.9k // “Oh, by the way, my nieces and nephews are going to be there.” “Your what now?” Or, Atsumu finds out three hours prior to a Sakusa family gathering that Kiyoomi is an uncle.

Confessions of a V-League Setter by Anubis_2701 (T) 3.3k // "Never?" Sakusa's lips thinned. "No, never. Now stop talking to me." Or, Atsumu discovers that Sakusa Kiyoomi, germaphobe and reluctant heartthrob of the Black Jackals, has never been confessed to before. He decides to change that.

Touch Me by cajynn (E) 3k // Sakusa actually likes being touched but he's very picky when it comes to who and how. When the who turns out to be Miya Atsumu he has a crisis.

Please Stop Crying by dauwtrappen (G) 2.9k // Friday starts off well until it doesn’t and Kiyoomi can hear something crash, feel something snap inside him when Miya, about to set him up for a quick attack, suddenly starts crying in the middle of their three-on-three. Kiyoomi doesn’t even react when the ball bounces off his head, doesn’t cringe when his face is smushed against the net briefly because he forgets to land in front of the it. He’s too shocked, too appalled with the tears pouring out from Miya’s eyes to care.

I can't take much more of your hesitating by playexodus (T) 2.7k // The curved sides of Atsumu’s pecs peek through that absurd tank top at just the right angle. Sakusa swallows. “Your entire chest is hanging out of that shirt. We’re in public. You could at least pretend to be a decent, morally upright person. Not to mention that this Los Angeles beach boy aesthetic is terrible on you.”Glancing back down at Atsumu’s chest to glare at his sharp, glistening collarbones is a bad idea. Sakusa wills his eyes to stay fixated on Atsumu’s face. As it turns out, this too, is a bad idea. “Oh?” Atsumu turns his half-lidded gaze onto Sakusa, the corners of his mouth curling. “Just to be clear: you’re definitely not enjoying the view then, Omi-Omi?”

curse breaking by allicanseeispink (T) 9.2k // Nearing the fourth hour of the silent treatment, Kiyoomi’s already frayed nerves began to whittle down to their last fibers. Today, it was raining. A proper Tokyo monsoon tantrum just shy of a full-blown typhoon that left puddles on sidewalks and fell from an angle so wicked it eluded umbrellas. It was raining and they haven’t spoken in almost four hours. (In which Sakusa wanders into the minefield that is Atsumu's feelings and tries not to blow things up.)

Summer Special: Omigiri by mika60 (T) 6.9k // Miya Osamu always comes up with the perfect marketing plan for his shop, even if it involves the two biggest idiots he knows.

a list of things sakusa kiyoomi hates by BrenH (T) 7.3k // “Just fuckin’ write shit down so ya remember it then. ”It was probably supposed to be a joke, just Osamu being as annoying and unhelpful as always, just reminding him that he shouldn’t have bothered trying to count on his brother for help. He’s forgotten about the whole thing until a few days later when he’s shopping and comes across a small, black notebook shaped like a cat, and his brother’s stupid suggestion flashes through his mind. Before he knows it, the cute little notebook is dropped in his basket, purchased, and in his possession. Or, the one where Osamu suggests Atsumu keep a notebook to track all the things Sakusa hates that he does, and he takes it further than he means to.

A Challenge, A Cat, and A Confession by Kitaa (G) 6.2k // Atsumu enjoys bothering Sakusa. One day he bothers him enough to be invited over to his apartment, only to discover that Sakusa has a plant, a cat, and a cute laugh.

Multiples Of Two by yuuki (G) 3.3k // He does everything in multiples of two. The day Sakusa Kiyoomi died, Atsumu checked his pulse twenty-eight times. Okay, so Sakusa Kiyoomi has never died. And Atsumu has never been close enough to Sakusa to be able to check his pulse. So what if Atsumu is just being dramatic again? He’s allowed to be dramatic when he’s in love with a man who has less emotion than a rock.

gold rush by sketchedsmiles (T) 18k // When the MSBY Black Jackals sign their newest team member, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Atsumu makes it his personal responsibility to befriend the indifferent player.

got sand in my eyes (and my shorts too, damn you miya) by luxnoctre (T) 4.7k // On one of their rare rest days, Hinata takes the part of the MSBY team to the beach. Chaos ensures. (or alternatively, do not piss off Sakusa when he is in the middle of relaxing)

mortality is found in the flesh of your sins by citronnes (M) 10.6k // dickhead one, sakusa kiyoomi. dickhead two, miya atsumu. neither understand how to communicate. Pray tell, why are you drawn to him?Are you drawn to him in the way he looks beautiful even when crying? When his eyes are red, shiny tears streaking down, lips quivering, is he beautiful?

This was v long ahahaha.... Anyway, is this finished? No LOL, but I’ll just make small additions via reblogs (?) over time. Maybe :) Sorry if you wanted me to ramble on about SakuAtsu,,,, slide into my messages/asks for that LOL. Maybe over time I’ll add the commentary from other posts I make in the future :’)

#sakuatsu #haikyuu fanfic rec #haikyuu fic recs #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #hq fic rec #anime #manga #sakuatsu fic recs #i'm a lazy person #also if you saw me saying i was gonna post kyouhaba #no you didnt #like i just said #lazy #there are a lot of fics in that one #anyway #all of these are really good #like i couldnt not put them all #ya know?

[pinkykitten]

boyfriend and girlfriend outing

- anonymous Hello, Ki!! 😊💖 Can I request a Lance Mcclain (Voltron) x shy female human reader fluffy oneshot about they are going to the swimsuit shopping at space mall? 🥰🥰💖💖 How would Lance reacts to shy female human reader trying on/modeling swimsuit for him? 🥰😂🤣💖 I really love to see Lance is blushing mess near her!!! 🥰🥰💖💖

- anonymous Can I request a Voltron fluffy oneshot about how would Lance Mcclain reacts to his shy female human reader wears his jacket? 🥰🥰💖 I bet he will be blushing mess to her cuteness, haha. 😂🤣💖 Bonus: fluff/general prompts #2: “aw, you’re so cute.” (only Lance) and #22: “i love you.” (only reader) 🥰💖 Please??😁😁💖  prompt(s):  “aw, you’re so cute.”  “i love you.” 

pairing: lance mcclain x female! reader words: 1,602 genre: fluff, romance, comedy, requested, prompt, one-shot

a/n: sorry guys i have written in a while ive been soooo busy atm so hopefully i can write more for you guys. its been a minute since ive written for vld and i so totally miss it esp my cuban bby. yes we all can agree it ended like poo but thats why moi is here to help w canon and make it a thousand times better bc im a miracle worker duh. ty guys fr for reading my stuff, following and reblogging my stories i really appreciate it. 

It was in order- in your mind to take time off for yourself. Getting up every morning at 5 to train hard your mind and body. All you wanted was one day to enjoy having fun and being a teenager. 

You giggled at your pathetic bucket list. To think on yours it would say go out to a mall or market when back on earth that was something so insignificant and so easy to accomplish. But you hadn’t done something exciting and something for yourself in a while. 

You practically begged Shiro to let you to go to the mall today. After much butting he finally gave in. You knew pouting your lip out and whining almost like a puppy would do the trick. 

You didn’t waste time in getting dressed and doing your makeup. You wanted to look fierce on your day out. 

A knock was heard on your bedroom door. 

“Where are you going?” Lance, your boyfriend raised his brow as he stood by your doorway, arms crossed. He was a bit jealous that you were going out looking so hot and you hadn’t invited him. 

“I’m going to the mall,” you applied lipstick. 

“Without me?” He pouted. 

You chuckled and went to hug him, squeezing hard. “What are you waiting for then? Get ready? We’re having a date.”

Going into the mall- it already made a huge smile on your face. The smells reminded you of home. Food, perfumes, creams, the clothing were of different colors and of different alien races customs. It was like a walking into a whole different world. 

Lance giggled as he saw your face and scooped you up, kissing all over your cheeks. “Aw, you’re so cute, you know that. What do you want to try first?”

You sniffed the air and couldn’t get rid of a cinnamon smell. As you went onward you saw what that smell was. 

“Doughnuts!” You were almost salivating. Grabbing Lance’s hand you raced to the stand. 

You and Lance shared a huge doughnut and Lance smudged some frosting onto your face. You tried pushing him away and all he did was tickle you. It was like a fight and as much of a flaco he was he still got a hold of you. 

“I’m gonna get you Lance,” you gave a hearty laugh. 

You climbed on Lance’s back and ordered him like a pony to go to the arcade. There were so many games there your eyes lit up with the bright neon lights and colors. 

“I want to try this.” It was a game of getting a hammer and hitting mini Prince Lotor’s. You and Lance were up against each other and of course you won. 

“You cheated,” Lance pointed an accusatory finger at you. 

You stuck your tongue out, “you just suck.”

Lance rolled his eyes and walked away pretending he didn’t know you. 

You guys hopped on a motorcycle game, Lance went first and you jumped in his lap and he taught you how to play. 

Next, was the perfume store. You bathed Lance in cologne as he twirled around, and rubbed himself on you. 

As you were walking onward you spotted a swim suit store. You were fighting with yourself if you should go or not because you were a bit shy around Lance but you decided to go because you would probably never come back again. 

“Let’s go in this store please,” you asked shyly. 

Lance didn’t want to show it too much but he was so excited to see how beautiful you would look in swim suits, especially bikinis. He saw how much you wanted to go in and he couldn’t and would never say no.

“Of course gorgeous,” he smirked and acted all charming. 

“You sit here and wait,” you pushed him onto the couch in the waiting room and fled to each aisle, picking up the ones you wanted. 

The store owner waved her tentacles around and glanced at Lance, “are you here for you?”

“It’s actually for my girlfriend.” He said proudly. “She’s special.” 

“Alright Lance,” you sang as you brought them in the room and tried one on. “This one I call Florida weather.”

You jumped out and the one piece had oranges on it. You modeled and pretended to peel an orange and eat it. 

Lance clapped and nodded his head, “that’s so cute!”

“Next!” You shimmied your way in the room again and put on a swimsuit that was adorned with a skirt and it was bedazzled. It looked so trashy and made for a grandma. It was the furthest thing away from sexy. You chuckled as you looked at your reflection. Lance was really going to love this. “What do you think about this one babe? I think this will be your favorite.”

“Let me see girl!” Lance bounced on the souls of his feet in anticipation.

“Tada!” You danced out, shaking your hips. “My name is abuelita.”

Lance was surprised to say the least but he clutched his stomach, bending over laughing. “Oh my God, you do!”

“Do you think this is flattering?” You strut your stuff and flung your leg out like a show girl. 

“I still think you look great sweetheart.” Lance grabbed your hips and kissed your lips.

Lance was the perfect boyfriend to you. Even though you looked like an old lady from the 80s, Lance thought you still looked perfect and that made you have fireworks in your tummy. He always knew what to say. “Alright, but I got one more!” You ran back to your room and lifted up the dark blue bikini. Was your body perfect? No. Did you care? No. You thought you were beautiful in your size and no body was perfect. It was for you and Lance loved you no matter what. As you pulled the straps up, you checked yourself out in the mirror. “Perfect.”

“Are you done baby?”

“Yes, I think you’re going to really love this one.” The beating of your heart was rapid as you thought of his opinions. Would he like it? You tiptoed out of the room and rubbed your arm sheepishly. “Do you like it?”

Lance was flabbergasted. Not because he never thought you would look that way but because of how perfect and beautiful you were. He was star struck. His eyes widened and shined bright like jewels. His mouth was wide open. His heart grew more large for the love he felt for you. You were his baby! 

“Well!” You crossed your arm, beginning to feel shy and bashful at his loss for words. 

Lance covered his mouth, “And I have the audacity to live.”

You shook your head as you giggled like a girl with her crush. It was kind of true he was your crush but he was also your boyfriend so you scored. Lance was so extra!

“My baby is so sexy oh my God!” He shouted so loud- everyone in the store glanced over your guys way.

“So this one is a buy?” 

“Heck ya! I’m buying this for you babe. You look so smokin in this like por tu madre, my girl gonna look good!”

As you both were walking out to go back to the ship. It was night time already and the sky was a dark purple. The stars looked like diamonds sprinkled on a painting. It made you have a warm feeling in your tummy to know that you were one of the many brave souls that traveled up there to save lives. The air was cool and the trees swayed in the wind. 

Hand in hand with Lance, you walk on the cobblestone, trying to balance as you place one foot in front of the other. The wind that blows by makes you shake and shiver. Goosebumps rise on your skin and Lance takes notice. 

“Baby, you’re cold?”

You didn’t want to seem weak so you shook your head. “No, I’m okay. Just the wind.”

Lance looked the other way, shy, as he stripped his jacket off and enveloped you in the warmth. 

You loved cuddling with it, the soft inside fabric tickled your cheek, and it smelled of his perfect self. You tried to hug the jacket subtly without his detection but Lance saw and became a bashful mess. You bit the inside of your cheek, not looking into his eyes because of your embarrassment. “It’s so warm,” your lips turned into a small, satisfied smile. 

“It looks amazing on you,” Lance said breathless. 

“Oh wait!” You paused as you sprinted to an open field.

“What are you doing, Y/N?” 

After a few minutes you ran back to Lance. 

“What did you do?”

You brought out a daisy, kissed it, and gave it to Lance. “A present for you, my Lance.”

Lance couldn’t contain his love for you. He lifted you up and twirled you in his arms. “You are defiantly my girl.” He put you on his back as you both traveled back to the ship. 

On his back, you hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his hair, kissing the back of his neck. “I love you.” You whispered your heart and soul into his ear. 

“I love you princess.” Lance kissed your hands as you started drifting off to the rocking of his steps. His breathing a peaceful melody in your ear. You needed the day to get out and have fun and just be you with Lance. As the day was ending your smile became wide as you thought about how perfect this day was and it was with the most perfect boy. 

#vld #vld imagine #voltron #voltron legendary defender #lance x reader #x reader #lance mcclain #lance mcclain x reader #imagine #netflix #lance imagine #vld x reader #voltron imagine #voltron legendary defender x reader #voltron legendary defender imagine #lance mcclain headcanons #boyfriend and girlfriend outing

[tirednotflirting]

"I knitted you a jumper" with bach lashton (ashton is the one knitting obvs)

meghna you are the loml and this was so fun to spend the afternoon on, esp after trying to write these two again for AGGGGGES and coming up with something. so i hope you enjoy this <33333

can be read here on ao3 bc it’s like 3k bc i kinda ran away with this lol

Luke could pinpoint the exact moment the need for a hobby like knitting must have jumped into Ashton’s mind.

He always tried his hardest to wake up by late morning on his days off so his whole day wasn’t wasted away on sleep and could instead be spent running daytime errands or lounging about with Ashton. They had both nestled into each other’s homes pretty permanently in the last few months, their closets and grocery favorites split pretty evenly between Luke’s apartment and Ashton’s little hideaway. (Though Luke has to admit that his heart still flutters any time Ashton calls his little place home.)

It’s also pretty typical that his days off always begin with lazy cuddles beneath warm sheets before one of their stomachs starts throwing a tantrum for breakfast or Ashton decides it’s coffee time. But on one particular morning in late September, Luke wakes up alone, his arms reaching out for a warm body beside him only to find the sheets pushed toward him and the space cold, evidence that Ashton had been up for more than just a quick run into the bathroom. Luke sits up and lets the sheets fall to pool around his waist, his chest bare and cold without his human space heater to keep him cozy. His lips drop into a pout as he rubs the sleep from his eyes and he reaches for his phone to check the time. It’s just before noon but he doesn’t remember Ashton mentioning anything about morning plans. 

He drops the phone back onto the bedside table he’s claimed at the home Ashton’s taken up residence at since his “death” earlier in the year. It still never fails to astound Luke how Ashton’s careful way of living has been enough to keep the public believing the whole thing but some days he finds himself thankful for it. He knows their paths likely never would have crossed without it. Well, that and the fact that apparently Luke’s grocery store friend Calum turned out to be a childhood friend of Ashton’s from back home in Australia.

(The two of them had had a good laugh about the whole ordeal about a month or so into this thing that Ashton and Luke have had going since their initial meeting. Sometime in early summer Ashton had mentioned that the friend that owned the place was going to come over for dinner and Luke can only imagine how funny the face he made must have been upon seeing Calum walk through the front door.)

Luke wanders into the closet and pulls on one of Ashton’s jumpers before wandering out in the direction of the kitchen. His favorite mug sits on the island and he smiles after realizing it’s already filled, the color indicating that Ashton added the cream and sugar for him already. He lifts the mug to his lips and takes a sip while glancing around the room since he still hasn’t spotted Ashton. But then some movement just beyond the window tells him where to find his boy. 

He pushes at the sliding door that leads into the backyard, Ashton’s massive garden taking up most of the space. Ashton stands in the middle of all of the plots that once held all kinds of summer fruits and vegetables. Even from the door though, Luke can tell that something is wrong. Ashton looks like he’s having an argument with himself but also just looks a bit sad. Luke leaves the back door open (every day they get closer and closer to the point in the year where the weather will no longer allow the fresh air in the kitchen and they’ve been trying to take advantage of it while they can) and wanders over to where Ashton stands, his arms crossed and forehead wrinkled. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Luke greets him, his voice still scratchy from sleep. Once close enough he presses a kiss against the creases in Ashton’s forehead and he feels them relax just the slightest bit beneath his lips. “What’s bugging you?”

Ashton sighs defeatedly and lets his arms unfold to wrap around Luke’s waist, his head dropping to his shoulder. “I picked a very summer oriented hobby. And now I don’t know what I’m going to do until spring.”

The concern Luke had noticed in Ashton’s face makes sense now. Ashton liked to stay busy, he went a little crazy without a project (the years of working in TV seemed to have left that effect even with the way he had found a way to escape that world). The back garden had been a great answer of where to expend all of that energy and their climate and location really wouldn’t allow it again until the spring. He was right.

Luke lifts his free hand to play with the grown out, faded black curls at the back of Ashton’s head. “How about some house plants? We’ve got great light in the living room here and at the apartment?” 

“I don’t know,” Ashton shrugs against Luke’s chest. “Just isn’t the same as getting to spend all day out here, I guess. But I could give it a shot.” 

Luke lifts his other arm to wrap around Ashton’s shoulders, careful that he doesn’t spill his mug. Ashton lifts his head from his shoulder and Luke finds himself pouting at the sad look in the hazel eyes across from him. “Don’t worry, Ash. You’ve got such a creative mind, you’ll figure out something.”

A small smile pulls at Ashton’s lips. “Mm, yeah, you’re right,” he starts as he lifts his face to press his lips against Luke’s cheek. “I’m going to go get what’s left from the green bean plants and we can do them with dinner? And would you mind unlocking the front door? Calum said he was going to stop by with a package from my mom.”

“Sure thing.” Luke drops his arms from around Ashton and lifts his mug for another sip. “Gonna make more coffee too. You want another mug?”

“Yes, please.”

Luke heads back in the direction of the house, his mind wandering with ideas for house plants he remembers his mom keeping around growing up as suggestions to share later. He stops just before reaching the door and turns back toward the corner of the yard that Ashton has made his way over to. “And don’t forget your hat if you’re going to be out here much longer.”

“Of course, love.”

Luke smiles, the domesticity of all of this hitting his heart for just a moment, and makes his way back inside to refill the kettle.

* 

It’s a few weeks into November when the boxes arrive at Luke’s door. 

Ashton’s family had been visiting for the week and Luke wanted to make sure they had proper family time so he had made the choice to stay at the apartment in between shifts that week. He had come over for dinner to meet everyone earlier in the week but after that had left them to reconnect at the house.

He had just woken up about an hour earlier when he hears a knock at the door. There’s no one there when he goes to open it but there are probably close to ten small packages (why they couldn’t have all just been in one big one is beyond him) all addressed to Fletcher Hemmings.

(When Ashton started using the name to get orders delivered to Luke’s place, the brightest blush had painted it’s way across Luke’s face in an instant. 

“What?” Ashton had questioned, honestly. “Hardly anyone really knew my middle name anyway and it’s so much less suspicious showing up at your door if it’s got your last name on it.”

Luke spent the rest of the week with the thought of sharing a last name with Ashton on a constant loop.)

He knows he needs to finish getting ready and head off to the hospital soon, so Luke texts a picture of all of the boxes sitting on the kitchen counter to Ashton with a few question marks and finishes his normal run through the apartment searching for his scrubs (the turquoise ones, of course, since it’s Friday) and makes a coffee before heading down to his car. 

His phone starts ringing as he’s parking at the hospital. Luke smiles at the selfie of Ashton kissing his cheek before sliding his thumb across the screen and lifting the phone to his ear. “Doing some early holiday online shopping, are we?”

“Ha, not exactly. But the family has just headed off the airport so I’m going to head over and make sure everything got delivered, if that’s alright?”

Luke smiles softly as he hits the lock button on his car and heads toward the entrance of the hospital. “At some point you’re going to have to realize you can give up on this whole asking permission to come over. Ash, you literally get packages delivered there and have a key, of course you can come over.”

He hears a dramatic sigh on the other side of the line. “I know, I know. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Bright and early, as always,” Luke says while holding his ID card to the door to get the automatic doors to open up. He heads down the hall in the direction of his department, waving to those he passes with a smile. “You think you’ll be down for a sugary breakfast? I’ve had French toast on the brain all week and I want to hear all about your time with the family.”

“Yes absolutely, but I’m going to pick up some fruit on my way over. Balance is everything.”

“Alright, Mr Healthy. I gotta go,” Luke says while sliding in behind the desk and setting his bag beside his chair. “Love you, drive safe.”

“Have a good night, babe. Love you too.”

Luke smiles as he clicks out of the call and sets his phone down before tapping quickly at the keyboard to log in for the night. Behind him he hears someone clear their throat. “You know at some point you’re going to have to introduce us to this sweet man of yours. You know everyone would just be complete heart eyes like yourself if you brought him in one night.”

Luke rolls his eyes while turning to face Alex, the surgical resident that’s been on rotation in their department for awhile. “Fine, I’ll bring my guy in when you bring Jack by to hang out for the day.”

Alex laughs as he pulls out a couple files he must have been digging for out of the cabinet against the wall. “Oh, please, Jack absolutely does not have the kind of sense of humor that I can bring into a pediatrics department. Or at least not while I’m still working here.” He opens another cabinet and shifts the papers around in his arms to accommodate the growing pile he’s creating. “We can just double date sometime.”

Luke smiles and tries to hide his disappointment at the fact that there’s a zero chance of that ever being a possibility. “That would be fun.”

“Have a good shift, Luke,” Alex calls as he wanders back down the hall. “Tell all my favorites that Doctor Alex is bringing cookies tomorrow!”

“Will do!”

Luke wanders back into the break room then to make the first pot of coffee for the night and feels his phone buzz in his pocket while he rests his hip against the counter while waiting for the pot to fill with water. It’s a selfie of Ashton, his hair pulled back into a small bun, holding various bags of produce with a smiling Calum in the background. 

He remembers Alex’s heart eyes comment then and feels a blush across his cheeks as he replies with a string of fruit emojis and the story of the conversation he’s just had.  

*

Luke is used to arriving home after work to a sleeping Ashton against his pillow. Usually he’s wearing one of his t-shirts and it makes him feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy and just generally lucky and in love. So he’s surprised when he gets home at 8am to find Ashton sitting in the middle of the couch, his legs folded up beneath him with a pair of knitting needles in his hands and what appears to be a long scarf stretching out onto the floor. 

“Hey, love, what are you up to?” Luke greets as he walks into the living room after dropping his bag onto its hook. Luke lets his hands drop onto Ashton’s shoulders as he moves to stand behind him, his thumbs rubbing circles at the tension pretty much always present between his shoulders. 

“Well, a while back when I started having that crisis about what hobby to pick up for the winter months my mom suggested I try knitting,” he starts, his voice slow and a little distant as he obviously lets most of his concentration stick to the task at hand. “And she sent me some beginner’s materials and it turns out I don��t suck at knitting and it’s also quite fun. So I ordered a bunch more and now everyone is getting hats and scarves for the holidays.”

“That’s so lovely, Ash.” Luke smiles. Because genuinely, it really is. The living room at the house was filled with various house plants that Ashton had taken a liking to when Luke walked him around the gardening store on Facetime in October but he had been a little worried about Ashton having something a bit busier to occupy his time with. “So all the boxes were like, yarn and stuff?”

“Exactly. Though that’s all in the car now since I didn’t want you accidentally catching a sneak peek at the materials for your present. I want it to be a surprise.”

Luke jumps over the back of the couch to sit beside him. He wraps his arms around Ashton’s middle, out of the way of where his hands work, and presses a kiss to his temple. “I can’t wait to see it. Or wear it. Both, I guess.”

Ashton takes a second to finish his row and then sets his work aside. He turns to let his legs fall across Luke’s lap and drapes his arms across his shoulders. “I’m glad. I’m excited to make you something.”

As he takes in his boyfriend’s tired eyes and smile (it’s obvious this new activity might have gotten him up a bit earlier than usual), Luke can’t help but lean in to press their lips together for a moment. He feels Ashton relax more into his arms and the lucky and in love feeling starts flooding his mind again. Luke pulls back but lets his forehead stay pressed against Ashton’s as they giggle at each other for a moment.

“French toast time?” Ashton questions once they pause in their laughter. 

“Please.”

The feeling continues to float around in his brain as he watches Ashton cut up fruit while he flips the bread on the griddle. Though really, he thinks, that feeling has probably been taking up most of his mind since the day they basically wandered into each other’s lives.

* 

“Would you hate me if I give you your Christmas present early?”

Luke looks up from his spot in front of the fire to find where Ashton stands in the doorway of the living room, his hands holding something wrapped in bright red tissue paper. He checks his page number and makes a mental note before closing his novel and setting it aside. “Of course not, I love presents. Though the last part of yours is still in the mail so if you wanted this to be an exchange, we’ll need to wait.”

Ashton beams, his eyes bright and happy. “No, no. I’m okay to wait for mine but yours is done and I want you to have it right now.”

Luke smiles and he pauses to take a sip from his first coffee of the morning. “Well, I would love to have it then.”

Ashton wanders across the room and takes a spot on the floor beside him and places the package between the two of them. Luke tugs at the ribbon wrapped around the paper and gently rips at the tape to pull it open. As he realizes what’s inside, his lips fall open just a bit, from shock or joy or both he’s not really sure. “Ashton, I-”

“I knitted you a jumper,” he says, his voice quick while his fingers nervously play with the edge of his sweatshirt. “And it was a little daunting and probably a little bit beyond my skill level with this but you like jumpers and I wanted to make you a jumper.”

The smile on Luke’s lips continues to pull across his face as he lifts up the soft, baby blue jumper that Ashton made with his own two hands and Luke specifically in mind. His heart feels so full, like it’s going to burst out from his chest and across the room. “Love, this might be the kindest thing anyone has ever given me. I’m like, never going to take this off.”

He watches Ashton relax some then, his smile shifting from eager into something more fond. “Well, you may want to wash it every once in a while but I really appreciate the enthusiasm. Also try it on now. I want to make sure it fits.”

Luke hands off his mug to make sure he doesn’t knock it over and Ashton takes a sip while Luke unfolds the soft garment and pulls his arms through the sleeves. It fits like a dream, which especially surprises him since Ashton never asked to take his measurements. Though he supposes he could have just been taking a tape measure to another one of his jumpers at some point in the last month. 

Luke sits up then and scoots closer to Ashton until he can pull himself halfway into his lap and wrap his arms around his neck. “Thank you, Ash. You’re perfect. I love you so much.”

Ashton pulls him closer toward his chest and presses a kiss to the tip of his nose. “I love you too. Glad I can keep you cozy with my crafting.”

Luke laughs gently before he straightens up, moving to stand. “Alright, now it’s my turn to show you my love and appreciation in the best way I know how.”

Ashton pulls a face that’s a mix of confusion but also something suggestive, and Luke only rolls his eyes dramatically. “I’m gonna make the second pot of coffee.” He winks down at where Ashton still sits on the floor as they both start laughing.

Ashton reaches a hand up for help off the floor. “Man of my dreams, you are.”

And as they wander into the kitchen, Ashton hopping up onto the counter to keep his bare feet off the tile floor, Luke can’t help but agree.

*

#lashton #lashton fic #it's bach au !!!! the boys are back #also the way i have like a completely different plan for jalex in this au but wrote that scene and then was like eh they can stay #so we are ignoring our own continuity errors here at tirednotflirting #meghna thank you so much for having such great and wonderful ideas #and being just so lovely and smart and the absolute best #i love you to pieces #okay this is probably enough here now lol #reveriesofawriter

[stressedspidergirlsfitnessblog]

1/4/2021

10/50 Miles Run

7.1/30 Miles Walked

52,709/114k Steps by Jan 14 (300k for the month)

Yoga with Adrienne Day 1: Invite Complete /30

Radio Abel Season 1 Complete!!!

AND

I set a new PR!!!

31:34 for my 5k! Down from 31: 42!

Read more for running deets n blathering

So, I just went out with the intention of trying to see if I could run 2km without stopping, and then that turned into 2 miles, and then I was like okay, so how about 3 miles? And then I realized I was REALLY close to a PR time -somehow thinking I was moving so slow that would NEVER happen, and so for the last .6 miles or so I just ran. I didn’t sprint - I have zombie chases on and I didn’t want to blast myself and I knew I was still like 1/4 mile from home even after I hit that 5k and didn’t want to puke or be too tired to get home. Considering I had done yoga, worked, gone grocery shopping, walked the dogs, etc, it just seemed unpleasant to punch it too hard. This was supposed to be a nice relaxing easy run, make sure I could breathe and feel comfortable running, speed up and tackle a zombie chase and then slow down and keeping going. Which I did, up until the final chase, after I’d run 5k. Basically I hit 5k, a little over, walked to the end of the sidewalk -not sure how far that is, half a block? Less? More? and then started jogging again and got chased, made it to the gates of the apt and walked a bit after the chase from the gates to the entry way for walkers vs drivers, and then lightly jogged the rest of the way to my apt unit.

One of my Garmin Challenges is to make it to 300 miles by the end of March. Well, 313. That means roughly 100 miles a month. Which, woof. That’s a lot, especially for someone who averages much much less than that. 50 is a rough month for me. So, I want to see if I can just AVERAGE 3km a day running. I don’t know, what with work picking up, if I’ll even be able to run after, very often, but I’ve learned how to run in cold weather which is nice. So that won’t stop me. Unfortunately freezing rain will. I hated that and will not do it again. Esp since my shoes took FOREVER to dry. Which stopped me from running for two days.

#pr #pb #zombies run #radio abel #runner #runblr #runner five #runner 5 #yoga with adrienne #garmin challenges #garmin #garmin challenge

[voidwaren]

so I don’t know if I’m going to keep it strictly SKYRIM themed because I kind of want to implement ideas from other video games and nix the general idea of a dragonborn (but keep dragons in the narrative, so no simply throwing back to Oblivion or what have you), BUT the kids are definitely getting thrown SOMEWHERE and it’s SKYRIM-LIKE so

yeah. here’s idk 700-ish words or so. there will likely be a minor prologue before this, but this is what I have set so far for the opening scene. (very likely to change tho. esp since this is queued and I’ve likely already changed shit oops.)

Warren Graham was cold. Freezing cold.

More than freezing cold, actually. He was so cold, he was shivering in his sleep, and he was dreaming of being stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean with nothing but waves as far as the eye could sea. Which was weird, because he rarely dreamed, and when he did it was usually of mundane things like quizzes and laundry and reminding Max that the drive-in was prime real estate for some choice movie-binging, only for her to smile at him and tell him she was already booked that weekend, but she’d try to make sure her schedule was clear for the next time. This dream made no sense, and the cold made even less. It was the middle of September, school had only been in session for a handful of weeks, cold weather shouldn’t be anywhere close, never mind freezing.

So why was he so freaking cold? Clearly, he needed to wake up and find out.

Warren stirred to the sound of someone groaning, only to abruptly realize it was him when a hand clamped over his mouth and stopped him. His eyes flew open and immediately met another set, blue and wide with panic, clearly begging him to shut the hell up. Though he was somewhat disoriented from just having awoken, his instincts must have chosen to kick in right then, because Warren went rigid in response, his heart starting up a thundering beat in his chest like that would do anything to keep him safe. The eyes watched him the entire time, not once wavering from their silent plea that Warren not make a sound. It took a moment for Warren to recognize who even was staring at him so intently, because the owner was not someone he very willingly ever bothered to interact with, never mind look at, but when he did, he suddenly wished he had not. It made the fear that much more dire.

Nathan Prescott. Those eyes belonged to Nathan Prescott. And they looked terrified in a way Warren had never thought Nathan Prescott was capable of being.

Oh, fuck.

Warren pulled back slightly from the face so close to his that all he could see were those blue eyes ringed in pale lashes, and the hand followed his movement, the fingers tightening slightly until he could start to feel the tips of Nathan’s nails biting into his cheek. He stopped moving immediately.

Nathan’s eyes darted away, turning their attention to somewhere over Warren’s shoulder, and Warren, unable to see what exactly was causing Nathan so much panic, took the moment instead to stare at the bleeding cut he just realized was slashed along the length of Nathan’s jaw, starting at his ear and forking into two lines as it curled below his mouth and chin, like a poor imitation of a bolt of lightning. Dried blood ran in lines all along the lower half of the cut, bathing what Warren could see of Nathan’s neck in a clotted mess of burnt red that was already flaking from his skin.

Where the hell had he gotten something like that? And, Jesus, how long had Warren been out for the blood to be that dry?

Warren swallowed, far louder than he intended to, and Nathan’s eyes snapped back to Warren again, his brows almost meeting on his forehead from how severe his expression was.

Shit. Shit. That was not a good sign. Not coming from someone like Nathan Prescott.

Warren stopped moving. Nathan, without blinking once, flicked his eyes back over Warren’s shoulder, watching whatever the hell must have him so spooked.

A minute passed. Then two, then three, and then so many that Warren started having trouble keeping track without counting the seconds. And still, Warren didn’t move.

It wasn’t easy, not by a long shot, but he concentrated so hard on doing so that when Nathan finally relaxed enough to remove his hand from Warren’s mouth, Warren almost jerked in surprise. Nathan pressed a finger of the same hand to his lips, like Warren wasn’t going to stay as quiet as he possibly could until Nathan spoke first. He wasn’t an idiot, and he’d seen this situation many times before across various forms of media to know what exactly not to do. Talking? Stupidest of stupid moves.

Warren wasn’t going to say shit. Nathan must have realized this shortly after executing the shushing gesture, because he quickly removed the finger and almost looked annoyed at himself for doing it at all.

#this is Not Edited At All so excuse how messy it is #WIP Wednesday #work in progress wednesday #the not so Skyrim WIP

[jsmnutami]

Kyoto: day 01

We were going to Japan agaiiiin, yay!

After went back and forth between many places, we decided to step on our feet one more time in Japan, a country that we all know and love. On our previous trip (https://mydiaryofthemoon.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/tokyo-day-0-and-1/), we only got a chance to visit Tokyo, so this time we were planning on going to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara.

Wed, Feb 26th 2020

We headed to Jakarta since our flight was from Soetta airport at 8.20 pm. On those days, Jakarta was facing a flood issue. We were so concern about the access thru the airport and decided to took a train and crossed our fingers. It turned out just fine, we arrived safely, just on time at Gambir, took a damri bus and 1 hour later we were on the airport safe and sound.

The ‘freshly baked’ issue here is the Corona Virus or COVID-19. It pictured on the less crowded airport and almost everyone here wore a mask. Honestly, my parents once considered to cancelled our trip regarding this issue (we bought the tickets on December, how could we know this would happen) but I said to them not to worry and be cautious instead (eat properly, exercise more, sleep well, take a vitamin, and step up your hygiene level). By the way, despite the issue, the immigration and health check here were not quite detailed i supposed. They were just checking your temp by using thermal scanner and that was it.

Anyhow back to the topic. We flew with SQ this time, so we’ll be having 9 hours layover time in Changi Airport before departed to Osaka. 9 hours at midnight must be a pain in the ass right? well. we’ll see.....

1,5 hours later we were arriving at Changi, well being the 7th straight year voted as the best airport in the world, I’m sure they must be having the best spot to sleep and rest well, and I’m not even lying. If you’re having a long midnight layover at Changi airport, esp Terminal 2, you have to go to their snooze lounge near gate E4, thank me later. Later around 2 am, some of the airport’s employee gave us free travel kit (towel, brush, toothbrush, pouch). Changi is really something, right?

Thu, Feb 27th 2020

Our flight scheduled at 8.20 am, without any delayed we flew to Kansai Int Airport or KIX and arrived at 3.40 pm later that day. As usual, the immigration was smooth and fast, again, no detailed health check here, just another thermal check camera. One thing I noticed about Japan’s airport was how fast the baggage claim is. Once we cleared with immigration, our baggage was already appeared in front of our eyes (compare to airport in Indo which could take ages).

Next quest: Get out and find a train to Kyoto.

A little information, Osaka has 2 airport; Itami Airport and Kansai Int Airport. If you’re planning on flying to Osaka, you’re most likely arrived in KIX since Itami is for domestic only. 

The central train station at KIX is located on 2F. There are so many trains (or buses) you could take from here. Since we were heading to Kyoto first, we decided to took JR Limited Express ‘Haruka’ which costed us 2900 yen (400.000) per person for 90 minutes ride. The train was comfortable and warm. Oh, I forget to mention it was 8 degree celcius in KIX when we arrived. It was a nice 90 min rode to Kyoto station. I did like the view which was vary from seaside Osaka bay, Kansai residential area, to a small farmland. 

Once we arrived at Kyoto station (huge station with a modern architecture which i like), we were heading to our airbnb’s reception office nearby station. It was around 6 pm, light rain, 7 degree celcius (I wore clothes that only suitable in indo’s weather) and 4 big luggage. about 500 m, we arrived at the office thanks to google maps (my loyal servant here in Japan).

First, I want to talk about our Airbnb in Kyoto. I booked an apartment thru airbnb called RESI STAY and turned out this was a self-service hotel not an apartment per se. So we have to take out key at the office before actually check in to our room. I must said I’m very satisfied by their services. The friendly and responsive staff, and most importantly, they provide free shuttle to our building. What a service, right? and its fairly cheap! What a worth it purchase. 

Our room was a large 1 bedroom apartment consist of 1 bathroom with its own dresser room, 1 separate toilet, 1 kitchen, 1 common room, and 1 bedroom with 2 large bunk beds. The flooring was carpet which was nice on cold winter days and most importantly, the room has 3 heater. 3 heater, i mean, it was more than enough! Our building located in Gojozaka street, a quiet neighborhood in Kyoto. But, its only 7 min to nearest station (Kiyomizu-gojo st), 1,5 km to Kiyomizu-dera, and 1,5 km to Gion district. Told you, so convenient right?

After a brief rest, we decided to grab some food at convenient store nearby which is a must whenever you visited Japan. Its around 9 pm, 4 degree celcius, We were heading to nearest 7 eleven. I must said Kyoto was less crowded than Tokyo, I barely saw people at that hour there. And another thing, I felt like there was more cars in Kyoto than Tokyo for some reason? idk for sure. 

7 eleven time, did bought some beverages (lemon coca cola and royal king milk tea as usual), couple onigiri, some snacks, and yakitori. Strolling around randomly while traveling was my fav part of travel. Seeing other culture, different people with different habit fascinating me. And those night was one night I enjoyed for sure.

We still had 6 more days to explore and we were more than thrilled!

(to be continued)

#travel #traveling #japan #japantrip #kyoto #winter

[nordic-breeze]

I was going through my files and I came over this document I sent to my friend @distant-rain pretty much the same day I realized I had fallen in love with Arthur, after weeks of being in denial or shrugging off my daydreaming of this cowboy as nbd or thought experiments and boy was I confused. 

I knew next to nothing about RDR1 when I wrote this December last year and I didn’t know much about RDR2 post chapter 2 either except for Arthur’s fate, which I had just learned of, and oml was I upset and confused. Though also scaringly accurate about certain things.

Now over six months later, I love this cowboy even more. And I kept true to my word. If anyone wanna read the rambings of a fangirl who had just found her new obsession be my guest.

I was blown away by how massive this game is. The level of detail is incredible and I greatly appreciate the effort put into creating this world. Yeah, we’ve all heard about the horse testicles shrinking in cold weather but it’s not like it’s just one bizarre detail being essentially a dick joke in an otherwise average game. No, RDR2 is detailed enough that it actually makes sense to add in peculiarities like that. The amount of wildlife alone, I mean, ever since the PS2 era I’ve been used to seeing animals in games but R* created whole-ass ecosystems in RDR2, several of’em, from snowy mountains to marshlands, with animals that act so much like actual animals. Just listening to the birds singing, it’s like being out in an actual forest!

Characterization is another thing that amazed me, in particular the protagonist. I knew nothing about the first RDR when started playing RDR2, nor did I know anything about RDR in general other than it was western-themed and made by the GTA-guys. I expected somewhat of a similar characterization as GTA where every character is a stereotype or a caricature. I genuinely liked GTAV’s story for what it was and even though every character was more or less an asshole, some of them were also weirdly likeable and even earned my sympathy (and hint of affection) occasionally.

But it never really went deeper than that nor was it particularly long-lasting (still way more than I expected tho). I bonded with one of the characters more than I thought I would but not nearly as much as I would had the characters felt more like actual humans and not like the epitome of stereotypes. But it is what R* wanted and it worked. I expected the RDR2 characters to be the same but to my surprise the characters, especially Arthur, are fleshed out, complex, even relatable (depending on your actions I guess). Unlike GTAV, they act and react like actual human beings. Well, human beings that have lived their entire life (more or less) as outlaws. In a country and time period foreign to me. But still they felt human. Ofc I’ve not gotten to know any of the NPC’s as well as Arthur but from various missions and eavesdropping on their conversation I’ve gotten to know them a bit. Hosea is my favorite. He seems like a good man despite being an outlaw and I love how everyone goes to him for advice and how supportive he is. I also wish more people (esp a certain Dutch man) could listen to him more. I also really like Charles. He definitely got morals and could be a good influence on Arthur and the others. I haven’t seen much of Sadie yet, but think I’ll like her too. Lenny seems nice. That one scene when he and Arthur went out drinking together was absolutely brilliant! And lil Jack’s adorable ofc. Only one I don’t like is Micha or Miach or whathisname. I know no one in the van der Linde gang are saints but that guy is a total psychopath. I kinda wish Arthur had gotten his way there when he said they should just leave him in jail as he was nothing but trouble and it annoys me how Dutch is sticking up for him. Yeah, speaking of, not too fond of Dutch or that German guy either atm.

But all in all very impressed by the large open world, the level of details to well, everything and the characterization. Soundtrack is great, graphics are stunning, animations smooth, the horse-riding simulation is just extraordinary and you never know what’s gonna happen as you ride through the map. The amount and variety of random events and encounters are truly impressive. Often comical, like that wildlife photographer who keeps getting almost eaten up by the wildlife he’s trying to document, sometimes eerie like the serial killer side story, or sad like when Arthur met with his former love. Or a combination of said elements like the pig farmers I ran into. With no pigs. But were still veeery well fed. You know, when people are just a liiitle bit too friendly? That eerie feeling you get when you just know something’s wrong but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Until you can. I thought they were husband and wife I really did. You shoulda seen my face when I realized they were in fact brother and sister. Me and Arthur had the exact same face. They were living as husband and wife tho. Well, up until I killed them.

I also love the contrast between the more ‘modern’ world and the simpler life. I could go into town, buy food at the saloon and rent a room or take a bath at the hotel. Or I could ride a few mins out into the wilderness, hunt and gather my own food, cook it over a bonfire and sleep under the stars. Electricity exists, but people are still completely dependent on oil lamps and open flame. Trains and trams exist, cars have been invented, but people still mainly travel on horseback. This contrast between old and new as an era is ending and the modern era is about to begin has been an amazing experience considering the level of detail the game has. The colonization of the new land, which has been largely unknown to me, the contrast between this and modern-day America we see on TV. So many people did not even speak English, I often find abandoned buildings, or burnt-down buildings, some with bodies inside, leaving me wondering what happened to them, I found a ghost town whose inhabitants had been wiped out by a plague. It was tough for many I reckon.

In fact, I find the exploration of this foreign but also somewhat familiar, beautiful but harsh world and its many random events and encounters waaay more interesting than the actual main story itself, which is why it took me forever to reach chapter 3. In fact, the story is probably my least favorite part about RDR2, as backwards as it may sound. I’ve never been into western stories or aesthetics, and I’m certainly NOT into the whole ‘outlaws till the end’ stuff ugh. I fail to sympathize with the whole ‘boo-hoo the world no want outlaws like us no more it’s unfair’. Ugh, go cry me a fucking river. And then go get a job. A real job. Yeah, I get it that adapting to society is tough, life’s tough deal with it and stop preying on others. Wow, robbing two trains in short time and staying in the same fucking area actually has consequences, I’m so shook!

So yeah, story-wise I don’t quite ‘get it’ and Dutch is really starting to get on my nerves, which is probably why I prefer to just ride off alone and experience the world. I guess RDR2 story will rely heavily on being torn between gang loyalty and your own morality and principles but since I have virtually no concept of group loyalty that is all lost on me. My own morals and principles all the way. I’m like, ‘these people suck, take Hosea, Charles, Sadie, Tilly (maybe John Marston and his family) and leave these bitches behind’.

At the beginning, I did kinda liked Dutch. He seemed genuinely sorry for Sadie, took her in and saved her life, even if it meant another mouth to feed in dire times. And he showed Kiran mercy despite hating the O’Driscol’s. But as I’ve progressed thought the game, his grand speeches about sticking together, sticking with him, slowly but surely has turned from pep-talk to keep people’s spirit up to sounding like a cult leader desperate to keep his following no matter the cost. Yesterday when I was playing, I overheard him quote some quasi-philosophy book to Lenny and used the words to twist them into his own convictions to support his decisions. And when Lenny objected, Dutch literally said ‘you’re breaking my heart, kid’. Wow Dutch, talk about manipulating your protégé.

It was the mission when those lawmen approached Arthur as he was fishing with Jack that really made me consciously see Dutch in a new light. Up until then, RDR2 had mostly been fun and games but that conversation left me feeling a bit uneasy. But I just figured it was the main story finally picking up pace and also, I figured I was near the end of the chapter. I carried on, suddenly eager to see what would happen and was thoroughly surprised by how the chapter ended. In a bad way.

While both chapter 2 and chapter 3 begins with a ‘new start’ vibe, chapter 3 felt very different from chapter 2. Mostly it was that feeling that Dutch’s obsession with ‘sticking to this life’ is going to get people killed. Idk, it’s this eerie feeling something’s wrong but can’t quite put my finger on it-feel again. But thanks to internet being internet I already knew some spoilers so I couldn’t help but to look up something and… well, let me put it this way. I’m never going to finish this game. Ever. It breaks my heart because in so many ways it’s truly an amazing game and a fantastic experience. But I’m just not that into the story, I don’t like where it’s heading and I don’t want to see what’s coming to character(s) I’ve come to care deeply about.

I still want to explore the world more, see what unfolds, do more challenges, add stuff to my compendium, maybe get some trophies… but I doubt I’ll ever progress much story-wise. Quite the contrary, I might reload an earlier save and just stay in chapter 2 forever.

(wrtten a couple of days later)

Seems my instincts was right on the money, esp concerning Dutch. Sad thing, I do believe he is sincere. In the first few chapters at least. He is manipulative but I also believe he’s convinced himself that he’s doing the right thing. And then his obsession will eventually get the better of him and when people and the lifestyle is slipping away from him, he doesn’t handle it well at all. Ugh, it’s so frustrating, I just wanna gather all my favs and yell: “leave nooow, before it’s too late!

It’s not for the sake of spacing it out or making it last. I just don’t want to progress in the story at all. I hated losing Horseshoe Overlook. HATED IT HATED IT HATED IT!!!! Yes the new place is beautiful, yes I know it’s the life of the outlaws and RDR2 does show that life for better and for worse whereas most stories tend to romanticize the whole thing, yes as outlaws they can’t stay for too long in one place. But as mentioned I have a hard time sympathize with and immerse myself into that lifestyle. Yes, I got all my upgrades and a whole new area to explore, a bigger nearby town, and closer to that big city. Still hated it. Horseshoe Overlook was my place. The Heartlands was home. And the view was stunning! And I liked Valentine. It was small and dirty but I had good memories from there. Until I had to shoot up half the town. My motivation for continuing the main story is at absolute zero.

It was more what the transition represented, I guess. You never know what will happen in RDR2. And it’s true, for random encounters, and many of the individual missions. But when it comes to the story as a whole, I feel like I already now can predict how it’ll play out. Every chapter begins with the gang on the move, finding a place to settle down and have a fresh start, even chapter 1 (as they were on the run bc a heist gone wrong or something). Then they settle down, go into town to get to know the area and establish connections and looking for easy money, often at the expenses of others. X random events later, they get too overconfident or careless, screws up or get hunted down, it ends with a shootout, then they are on the run again, finds a new place to settle down where Dutch promises that THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT until they’re wanted on the entire map and can’t go anywhere cos the wild west is ending. I really liked it at Horseshoe Overlook and whenever Im in that area again I’ll just get sad.

I had no idea I’d gotten so emotionally invested so I was really surprised at how much I disliked moving camps and all. I’ve also gotten so fond of Arthur. I was so busy with exploring, doing challenges, learning to hunt etc I didn’t even realize it happening. Until one scene had me almost tearing up! I think because, we as the player really have to look out for him. Even though I make sure that he eats regularly, he’s still underweight. When out riding I usually set up camp when night falls so that Arthur can get some rest. Something I’d never think about in any other game. And I always give him coffee in the morning. Then it’s his journal that gives such valuable insight into who he truly is as a person. There’s no doubt he’s so much more than just a mere outlaw. He writes surprisingly well and is open and is surprisingly honest about his thoughts and feelings. How torn he is between the life of an outlaw and wanting to be a better man, a better person. How he admired Charles because, for him it was ‘so easy to just be good’ whereas he himself always feel torn between good and evil. And his journal entries when he meets his long-lost love Mary and saves her brother from the cultists. The expression on his face as he said goodbye to her on the train station… how utterly heartbroken he was… how she still loved him too… man, that one tore at my heart. Still does when thinking about it.

I wish I could take Hosea, Charles, Sadie, Tilly, John’s family and maybe Lenny too with me, run off and start anew. Charles would have good influence on Arthur and encourage him to turn his life around and find his place in society and encourage John to be a better father and role model for Jack and they could all learn how to live as free men and women without robbing or hurting anyone (unless they deserve it). Like, Charles is an excellent hunter and tracker. He’d totally get enough food for the gang and maybe even enough to sell. He could train Jack too. Hosea was always more of a conman/grifter than a brute/robber. He could con bad guys or rich assholes Robin Hood style. If anyone gave him grief, John and Arthur would settle the score. Arthur could sell animal pelts and John could take up carpeting. They’d be such a happy lil family. But, RDR1 is yet to happen so it’s all just wishful thinking *sigh*

#red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #the ramblings of a fangirl #about me

[flameohs-blog]

Can you do a meta for Zuko on his Uncle Iroh, and the most significant lessons / pieces of wisdom that he learned from him?

META    ↪ ACCEPTING / @proditeur​​

ohh boyyy… i’m gonna have to do yet another rewatch to answer this to the fullest. i honestly don’t have the time to do that right now but i do want to answer this question since my muse for atla seems to be really strong these days. i’m gonna start by splitting this into different sections because i feel like there’s A Lot i could say. i hope everything flows and ya’ll can understand my ramblings lol

zuko & uncle iroh’s relationship

obviously when we’re introduced to the series, one of the first relationships we see is the one between zuko and iroh. u can tell right off the bat that they care about one another a lot, mostly u can tell from iroh more than zuko in the beginning until that changes later on. it’s def one of the strongest relationships we see throughout the series. i don’t rmr if the series explained why iroh had left with zuko after his banishment like whether that was thru iroh’s own volition or if he was driven out by ozai as well. either way, we all know that iroh thinks of zuko as a son after his own died.

i think that’s because zuko and iroh share similarities and iroh sees that. iroh sees the potential zuko has. in the beginning, zuko is an angry individual. he gets mad easily. he gets upset easily. he gets frustrated. we do see other parts of his personality and eventually we do see him change and he becomes more like iroh in a way. here’s the thing, though. while i do believe that zuko learned a lot from his uncle…

i’m going to argue that zuko learned a lot from everyone he ever interacted with as well. not saying that his relationship with his uncle isn’t important because, i mean, it IS. their relationship was introduced to us from the very beginning so of course it’s important. the thing i’m trying to get at is that although it was iroh who was there to guide zuko in a way on his journey, it was actually zuko who helped himself. iroh never rlly told zuko what to do with his life, it was zuko who figured it out on his own. it was zuko who realized his mistakes and learned from them and grew as a person.

zuko as an individual

i’ve written this on my other blog and i’ll say it again: zuko’s redemption arc works because he was never truly a bad guy despite his mistakes with the gaang in s1-2. zuko is written as the initial villain but that’s only cos he’s hunting the avatar who has been established as the protagonist of our series. he treats aang & co as his enemies BUT he treats other people just fine for the most part. and we see that from the very beginning like in the very first episode where he promises to leave the water tribe alone if aang goes with him or in a few episodes later where he foregoes chasing appa (+ aang) bc the most important  task at hand is getting his ship and his crew out of the bad weather and into safety. 

the only reason he’s chasing the avatar is bc in his mind that’s what’s gonna gain his father’s approval. and zuko in the first 2 seasons wants nothing more than his father’s love & acceptance & approval esp since his mother is no longer in the picture. and, you know, i’m sure zuko knows from an early age that his father isn’t the best person and nor is he the best parent but… all that is put aside simply bc of the fact that ozai is his father. they are blood related. and ppl can pretend like that doesn’t matter but when you’re young, when that’s all you have, it fucking matters. i can’t explain it well atm but children want the love & acceptance & approval from their parents. it’s normal. toph is another example of this, she wants those things but doesn’t have them. their situations in a way are similar yet manifests in different outcomes.

zuko’s drive to find the avatar and take him to the fire nation is only because of his desire for his father’s approval. but the thing is that zuko was always torn between his allegiance to his father and, idk, his allegiance to be himself. zuko is not like ozai or sozin or azulon. he isn’t like azula either. he doesn’t rlly share the same ideals they do in regards to the fire nation being #1 in the world or superior to other nations or however u wanna describe it. even if he didn’t get banished, i rlly don’t believe he’d turn into the type of person the previous generations of firelords were. i think ozai saw this in zuko and that’s why he favored azula over him. it was azula who possessed the traits ozai thought was important, not zuko. but what ozai considers weakness in zuko turns out to be his greatest strengths.

underneath all that anger in the beginning, zuko was always… kind in his own ways. and he learns to be open to change and growth. in season 2 when we see him free appa from underground and throw away his blue spirit mask, it’s supposed to symbolize this awakening/change in him. but in the end of season 2, he chooses to side with azula again because like i’ve said before his desire for his father’s approval is greater than his desire for… idk… whatever else. he’s still confused. as much as i wanted zuko to join the gaang earlier, it wasn’t time for him to. we had to wait until literally halfway thru book 3 to see that and it was a lil annoying cos i would have loved to see him join earlier so they could have all had more interactions but!!!!!! i truly don’t believe that zuko throwing away the blue spirit mask was enough, hence the betrayal at the end of s2. someone could be there to guide you or influence you but ultimately your decisions in life are your own. 

lessons zuko has learned on his journey 

a) episode 2x09 - bitter work

there’s a scene where iroh is explaining all four elements to zuko and how each element contributes to different nations’ idk personalities or culture or whatever. and i always thought that scene was beautiful bc iroh isn’t insulting other nations, he’s describing their strengths. and then iroh says: 

“it is important to draw wisdom from many different places. if you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. understand others–the other elements–and the other nations will help you become whole.”

like i honestly think zuko kinda already knew that but it was never worded to him that way. we see him also learn it on his own when he parts ways with his uncle and he’s off traveling on his own. zuko has also traveled the world for years after his banishment. there’s no way he’s out there thinking the fire nation’s beliefs are the only ones that matter. he’s learned a lot from his travels imo. about himself and about others. 

this is also the episode where iroh teaches zuko how to redirect lightning so, yanno, there’s that. in one of the earlier episodes, iroh reminds zuko about the breath and how that could save his life in the cold and also another time where he instructs zuko to break zhao’s root during a duel or whatever. so def iroh not only offers advice/wisdom thru words but also thru teaching zuko firebending.

b) episode 2x17 - lake laogai

imo this episode was Wild to me mostly cos of the confrontation between zuko and his uncle. zuko’s still thinking of capturing the avatar even though at this point he and iroh are fire nation fugitives and on the wanted list. zuko is still confused and torn between being true to himself and being the son his father wants him to be. it’s iroh’s words that honestly hit a lil too close to home for me too lmao. zuko says smth about how he knows his destiny and iroh says:

“is it your own destiny or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you? it is time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: WHO are you and what do YOU want?”

like i’ve said before, zuko isn’t thinking about what he wants. or maybe he has but it’s not rlly a priority for him. his priority is still pleasing his father and the only way he knows how is to capture aang. he thinks that’s what’s gonna make him happy but…

c) episode 3x06 - the avatar and the firelord

obviously zuko isn’t happy. at this point he’s returned to the fire nation and finally has what he’s wanted for years: ozai’s approval. i’m not gonna say love cos i don’t believe for one second that ozai loved his son lmfao! and nor did he love azula but that’s another story for another day. anyways, zuko thought that “killing” the avatar would make him happy and being back home would make him happy but uh. he’s changed over the years. he’s still confused about what he wants vs what his father wants. 

it’s hard for people to break away from their families, man. it rlly truly is. we as the audience know that that’s what zuko has to do but honestlyyy how many of us irl are kind of in similar positions???? it’s hard to breakaway from family (the ppl who r supposed to support u) when you don’t have other strong connections and lbr zuko doesn’t. he had his uncle and he fucked it up. but anyway this entire episode was WILD and i loved every moment of it. it goes thru the story of avatar roku and his friend sozin. but the plot twist is that roku is zuko’s great grandfather which, tbh, i was not expecting at all LMFAO. maybe it was obvious to every1 else but, man, was i in shock lol. 

the lesson in this episode is that everyone is capable of being good or evil (as aang learns) but the other lesson is that this is kind of what finally pushes zuko to change. i mean he was never truly evil as we’ve seen in the past and he’s made bad decisions but it’s this moment that drives him to come to the goddamn epiphany that, no, he isn’t happy in the fire nation. 

d) episodes 3x10 & 3x11 - the day of black sun

zuko isn’t happy in the fire nation.his father needs to be stopped cos what he’s doing is wrong. and it’s a big fckn risk to defy the firelord and leave the comfort of your home behind… like what if the avatar & co don’t accept zuko into the group? it’s a risk but zuko knows what he has to do and has probably known it for a long time. it’s hard to BREAK AWAY BUT ZUKO FINALLY DID IT. and you know what!!!!!! when zuko stood up to his father and told ozai that now it’s his (ozai’s) turn to listen to zuko……… it was literally the BEST thing ever lmfao. here’s a part of what zuko says:

“i’ve come to an even more important decision. i’m going to join the avatar and i’m going to help him defeat you.”

zuko says “I’VE come to the decision” and i think that’s important cos he came to the decision on his own. like ya his uncle was there for him but honestly like… no one told him to do any of that!!!!! underneath that anger, this is who he is: a kind, compassionate person????? now i don’t even know what i’m trying to get at anymore but i guess just the way he says “but i’ve come to an even more important decision” just gets to me like. it’s important that he made his own choice and wasn’t coerced into it bc that makes his choices more real and genuine. if zuko wasn’t a good person underneath all that anger and bitterness then would he have done this? no, lol. the audience loves zuko’s redemption arc because he never truly bad on the inside, he made mistakes, realized them, made the active decision to do better and be better for others, and does that continuously thru s3 and we can assume after the series ends as well. zuko in s3 isn’t the zuko in s1 and we SEE that and that’s what we love abt his arc.

e) tea

isn’t zuko seen serving tea to every1 in the finale at the very end. like i’m sure iroh taught him how to brew the right cup of tea lmfao!!!!! idk much about diff types of tea but uh there’s diff temperatures u heat the water and how long u steep it and idk guess it’s an art huh

#wan shi tong's library ( meta ) #answered: ooc #proditeur #mannn this turned out to be way longer than i expected lol