#i think its important to try and like. write down these realisations and thoughts

[lxvebun]

silent confessions

synopsis: the genshin men crushing on you and the little ways they show they care.

content: Kaeya/Venti/Alhaitham/ Arataki Itto x gender neutral reader. First time writing for venti so apologies if its a lil off. Fluff. Friends to lovers. Kissing in kaeya's. wingman diluc honestly. Going a lil feral in alhaithams and ittos. Use of nickname dear and cecilia<3 They are all quite long but I hope you all enjoy it! Not completely proofread. Let me know if there are any annoying mistakes!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ Kaeya໒꒱.*

Diluc is sure of three things. One, You're hands down single-handedly keeping the icedtea business alive in Mondstadt, his arms are still hurting from the heavy crates of imported tea from Liyue he has to carry every. Single. Week. Two, you're incredibly oblivious, three, kaeya is a lovesick fool.

Even though diluc has offered to deliver some iced tea crates to your home, it seems that you prefer to drink his stash empty at the bar next to kaeya.

It's making him ill really, seeing the way his brothers eyes keep drifting to your lips and how his hands inch closer to yours, still never really touching. Diluc almost doesn't recognize him. Kaeya is not the type to get flustered easily, if anything, try to make him flustered and it will backfire! but here he is, for hours sitting at the bar head leaning on his hands staring at you like you hung the stars.

You fail to notice how, despite not touching your drink for so long, at one point even dancing around the tavern when the bard played your favorite song, the icecubes in your glass never seem to melt and the tea never gets warm. It's the least he can do, Kaeya would be showing you more grand gestures of love if you didnt make his head fog up with hearts and flowers everytime your near.

"I'm going to use the bathroom, i'll be right back! "You say as you hop of the barstool and make your way to the second floor.

"This, is getting sad you know", diluc speaks as he snatches both yours and Kaeya's glass away, dodging quick enough as Kaeya tries to get it back

"Oh i'm sorry, I didn't know my love life was such an interesting show to you. I'll make sure to tell the writers"

Stupid arrogant oblivious brother of his

He's not gentle as he grabs one of the big pints, pours your favorite iced tea in with the ice cubes and slices of lemon and two straws this time and places it down infront of kaeya.

"I'm doing you a favor icicle"

Kaeya's unable to retort a remark back because you're sitting down next to him again.

"Ooh whats this, luc?" As you stir the tea with your straw, the ice cubes gently clinking against the edges of the glass

"On the house, it's the last"-he throws you a look- bit of icetea I have for tonight. Enjoy." And with that he steps out the backdoor for a break leaving you and kaeya in an almost empty tavern

He's feeling uncharacteristically shy sharing a drink like this. He's not sure he can contain the love confession thats lingering on his lips if you're that close to eachother. You snap him out of his thoughts before he can even try.

"Come on try this with me...its...its quite romantic don't you think" you say, a little timid

Youre killing him. Hes deceased y/n.

"Yeah, didn't- didnt realise Diluc had a romantic bone in him, guess it runs in the family after all"

You're not sure where you got the courage from for what you're about to say

"Maybe, we should do more of these romantic things together."

And just like that, knowing you shared his feelings, he got a bit of his charming wit back.

"My dear y/n- he starts, leaning down closer to you, one icy hand holding yours. Are you asking me out on a date" he wants to revel in making you flustered but he's pretty sure he looks just as flustered as you do.

"Only if you want to, Kaeya"

The way he presses his lips to yours gives you the answer you needed<3

Venti, alhaitham and itto under the cut!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ Venti໒꒱.*

Archons, the summer this time around is way hotter than any summers before. It's scorching outside and if it weren't for your knight of favonius duties, duties you took over for the Cavalry Captain for his day off (>:( ), you would stay inside the cool headquarters, in your little office with the curtains closed.

You really should get going but you're delaying stepping outside. The favonius headquarters is nice and cool and and looking outside you can see the heat radiating from the stone pathways

You're a knight of favonius! A little sunshine isn't going to hurt! You try to hype yourself up as you make it to the entrance. You can do this, who knows, you might even get a tan.

Bracing yourself and pushing the heavy doors open, you're pleasantly surprised at how the wind immediately seems to pick up and twirl and flow around you in cooling circles. Yes, the sun is still beaming down in all his glory, but the breeze definitely helps. You may even get through this without breaking too much of a sweat.

As you're doing your errands and run basically all over Mondstadt, the gentle breeze surrounding you never seems to falter, even now, as you carry heavy crates of sunsettias and apples up the stairs to Good Hunter, it actually seems like the wind has started to pick up, aiding you in its own way.

Sara is more than grateful as you place the crates down in the back for her. "You're a lifesaver y/n, please, go sit down and i'll whip something up for you".

Who are you to deny a break and a free meal?

Before you sit down you take off your sword and place it down next to you so you can completely unwind. It's not until you look back up from your weapon that you see Venti, with the bright smile he always seems to carry, sitting infront of you

"Hi, my sweet cecilia"

Archons, that nickname. You're lucky you can blame the weather on the sudden warmth flowing through your body.

"You're awfully happy for such a hot day, Venti"

He doesn't provide an answer to that, why is he so happy? Because he's with you of course, he's basically been spending the whole day with you, how could he not be happy?

instead of saying that tho he says "the wind is nice, hmm?" And On cue the wind stars to pick up again, now carrying the scent of the meal Sara is cooking up for you and twirling a few flower petals that got caught in it around you You little

"Yeah it is, i'm not sure I would have been able to get through the day without a little breeze in my face" you laugh and it's the sweetest melody he's ever heard.

"I guess the anemo archon has a soft spot for me"

"I suppose he does"

You fail to catch the longing glint in his eyes and the blush covering his cheeks as Sara brings you your meal<3

Oh my dear y/n if only you knew.

⁎⁺˳✧༚ Alhaitham໒꒱.*

It's not until Kaveh points it out, after Alhaitham leaves to pick up another book from the House of Daena library shelves, that you realize it, but it seems that Alhaitham, despite looking like he wants to be anywhere but here, always seems to look out for you.

Like the time he dragged you to the desert to study runes with him, he made sure every time you two stood still for a long time, he'd raise his cape a little above your head, sheltering you from the burning sun

And that one time where he grabbed your arm and pulled you into his side when some drunkards stumbling home almost bumped into you

"Drop your pen when he gets back" kaveh says, breaking you out of your thoughts.

"Drop my-"

"Sshh, just do it" he hushes quickly and goes back to drawing as Alhaitham sits back down next to you with a new book in his hand.

You let Alhaitham read a few more pages before you "accidentally" drop your pen under the table, sliding your seat back and ducking under to retrieve it, when you look back up to avoid hitting your head on the corner of the table, Alhaithams hand is already covering it. His gaze is still as focused as ever on the book infront of him, it's almost like it happened entirely subconsciously, like it was already engraved in his perception to look out for you and that alone made the butterlies in your tummy flutter around. You don't miss the "I told you so" gaze Kaveh throws at you.

Alhaithams book manages to hide the gentle smile he failed to hold back as he guesses from the look on your face and body language that you're onto him, and if he can guess one more time, he'd say the feelings are mutual.

He doesn't say anything but he does reach under you to grab the leg of your chair and pull you closer to him, arm draped behind you over the backrest, gently drawing shapes on your shoulder as he continues to read his book

*Did ya'll see that one nick jonas clip where he pulls her chair closer? Yeah? Thats alhaitham.

⁎⁺˳✧༚ Arataki Itto໒꒱.*

The locals of Inazuma are used to the never ending thundering and lightning. Even on clear days, it seems like you can always hear it lurking in the distance, dancing over the seas. Unfortunately for you, you’re not a local and despite having been here for a while, long enough to develop strong friendships and perhaps a little crush <3 the loud claps of thunder and the lightning that cracks open the clouds still make you flinch

You were embarrassed about it, so you never voiced it out to your friends. You would just try to hide your flinches and do your best to block out the noise. You're not doing that very well unfortunately. Itto has noticed, and boy does it make his heart hurt a little every time he catches you trying to hide it. You're part of the gang! Whether you know  that or not, you're supposed to be able to tell him these things! but he understands, you seem to think that you're going to look weak in front of Arataki numero uno claymore swinging devil beatbox and beetle fighting legend Itto. He made me write this really You could never considering he gets weak in the knees everytime you make eye contact or touch his horns

So as the leader of your gang, your best friend and hopefully future boyfriend, he’s gonna help you because If there's one thing Itto is good at its being loud. It’s quite hard to hear the thunder lurking in the background when Itto's boisterous laugh as he’s "winning" a game of TCG seems to overpower everything, including the way your heart beats a little faster when he smiles at you.

You didn’t notice what he was doing until there was a summer storm forecasted. You didn't even have time to mentally prepare yourself for it before there was a harsh knocking at your door, maybe a bit to hard itto pls dont break the door

"Open up sunshine, I have some snacks :D"

He’s quick to make himself comfortable as you let him in, throwing the impressive amount of snacks and some card games on the coffee table and then taking up half the space on the couch, being careful to not knock the lamp on the sidetable down with his horns.

"Not that I mind Itto, but i didn't expect you to come over. Any reasons?"

"Yeah you're"- he cuts himself off. You never told him about your fear of thunder, would it upset you if you knew he figured it out?, archons he didnt think of an excuse what should he say, where is Kuki in times like this

"Yeah, I just thought i’d keep you some company because I AM afraid of summerstorms, yup, totally terrifying, so scary,so here i am."

Even he knows it's not believable. Especially since he has directed some...colorful words with the shogun before (not in her presence)

You are afraid”-

AND AND I thought, you know, maybe, since were all going to be locked up in our houses anyway we could have a little at home date......:D

Archons, Itto, if the storm isn't going to kill you its him. He's been aware of your fear and silently tried to help you with it? And now he has basically slipped a confession in trying to hide the fact he knows about your fear? He's such a teddybear fr

You don't fight the smile that's pulling at the corners of your mouth as you sit down next to him. Pressing a kiss to his cheek and pretending not to notice the hitch in his breath "Thank you, Itto"

Thank you for reading angels!<3

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #kaeya x reader #alhaitham x reader #venti x reader #arataki itto x reader #itto x reader #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin fluff #kaeya fluff #alhaitham x gender neutral reader #alhaitham fluff #arataki x reader #arataki itto fluff #arataki itto x gn reader #venti x y/n #venti x gn!reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #kaeya x you #genshin comfort #genshin hcs

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Do you know any fics similar to The Mating Privilege or I Don’t Like the Way She’s Looking at You? Just some stories where Derek isn’t the *best* mate/bf/husband etc or they have to pretend to not be together and ends up with stiles feeling neglected or ignored.

I’ve also read “how I long for yesterday” and “worth it” for those that want something similar but not quite what I’m looking for!

First of all. "How I Long for Yesterday" is my fic. So this made my day.

How I Long For Yesterday by sweetbutterbliss

(1/1 I 6,017 I Mature I Sterek)

Stiles blinks, his throat going dry, and he moves his thumb without thinking - liking the post. He feels a surge of petty satisfaction. At least the fucker will know he knows now. He stands up, his body feeling too heavy, and he blows out the already guttering candles. He lets out a sob of frustration when the last one won’t fucking blow out. But he sucks it back in and bites down on his tongue, using his thumb and forefinger instead. He throws himself into their empty bed without undressing. He lies there repeating the words ‘Derek blew me off for Isaac’ over and over. He tells himself to shut up while rearranging his pillow violently, but he goes to sleep with the refrain continuing its painful loop.

Worth It by dragneels

(1/1 I 1,670 I General I Sterek)

He hadn’t thought even for a second, instincts roaring, and jumped in front of Derek, taking the blow. And then he got lost in the darkness. also known as the "stiles telling derek that he's worth everything" fic no one asked for

***

As the seconds tick by by Halevetica

(1/1 I 3,972 I Not Rated)

When Derek picks up a new contract, he starts showing up late and missing important dates making Stiles feel unimportant. Derek is sure the contract is worth it, but Stiles doesn't understand why.

I'm Torn Do I Stay Do I Go by Adaline_Stilinski

(2/2 I 6,963 I General)

Derek had been focusing on making alliances with other packs around Beacon Hills to protect his pack but in doing so he started to neglect Stiles and there relationship. Stiles get's sick of it and decided to leave for some time apart is it going to help be like the stories Stiles reads and write about how distance makes love grow or will they both realise that there better apart. Will tragedy bring them together

Aberration by JackalPinesOfHouseEvergreen

(11/? I 29,415 I Teen)

Derek is a hot-shot lawyer who is very focused on his work. Stiles is his loving husband who does his best to fit into Derek's high-class family. He's hit some major roadblocks though. He feels neglected and unloved, and worse when Derek ditches him at his own family's parties which leave him humiliated as he tries to appear like their marriage isn't failing.

As an old member comes during some important werewolf ceremony to stir the pot, Derek's relationship with his family and Stiles is tested more than ever. Derek's world has been rocked and turned upside down.

And Stiles? Stiles is trying to find out who he is in the absence of the one he loves. As much as he believes in Derek and in their relationship, Stiles needs to find his self-worth that got lost along the way. Remember the fire he had inside of him as he got in the face of those that looked down at him, the fierceness of his intelligence that made others fear and respect him. Remember how fun life was...

Derek and Stiles drift a bit as Derek realizes he has to woo Stiles again, because he will not risk losing the love of his life. Not again.

The Mating Privilege by Kikileduc

(12/12 I 35,380 I Mature)

Stiles and Derek have been happily mated. The pack is doing well, but in hopes of creating alliances for it to do better, Derek accepts a neighboring pack's request to allow two wolves to join the Hale-McCall pack for a full moon cycle. They hope to form a blood-tie, or at least a long term friendship between the two packs. The issue is Kohona, the tribal leader's daughter, has her eyes set on an unavailable alpha wolf. This could have drastic consequences for their young emissary, however...

Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore by WriteByNight

(7/7 I 35,994 I Explicit)

Stiles should've expected Derek to suddenly disappear since the werewolf was in the habit of taking off without notice. However, Derek always showed up when they needed him.

As the weeks pass by, Stiles is no longer confused and a little hurt. What started as heartache begins to get worse the longer Stiles goes without seeing Derek. Eventually, his body begins to shut down and his only hope seems to be Derek...but nobody can find him.

There's no cure for a broken heart. Except, maybe, the cause for the broken heart himself.

- - -

Or the one where Derek takes off without warning and Stiles finds out he could be Derek's mate and the distance between Derek and Stiles, along with Derek's refusal to develop the bond, is slowly killing Stiles. Without Derek, Stiles will die, but no one knows where he is or how to contact him. And Stiles is barely keeping it together.

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #failwolf #mates #anon #angst

[moonsaver]

Wahh I'm back haha, don't worry about messing up the request it happens! I still loved it the other way around!

Im so sorry anon, im delirious from lack of sleep and didnt read your request right. I hope this will be okay, <33

--

Sunday is usually busy, so when on this specific day, when you insist on meeting up with him in the middle of his schedule, he's a bit irked.

He imagines its most likely something important, or you needed something that only he could provide (which could only be done in private, behind doors).

So he's very sure to clear out people from the vicinity of his office, telling them he'll be alright and hastily shoo-ing them away in the most professional manner.

And then.. you show up, with a cheeky grin and a heart-shaped box. Curious.

And you set down the chocolate on his desk, almost humorously contrasting to his very well kept desk. You explain Valentine's to him and he understands, mainly because it's a bit of his duty to keep tabs on festivities, even of other planets.

And he offers you to sit down, asks you about it in more detail, while curiously scanning the box. He doesn't realise you made it yourself until you drop it in the middle of conversation, and he stays still for a moment, deep in thought, before a loving smile breaks out on his face.

Sunday appreciates any effort from you so much. He knows he's not exactly easy to love, especially because you have to do it from a distance most of the time. So he appreciates it so so much. He's already thinking of all the ways he wants to pay you back – not because he sees it as a transaction, but rather he wants to let you know he sees your efforts and wants to return them, too.

Lovingly guides you to sit you down beside him, and feeds you a piece of chocolate first, and then eats it himself. Very neatly picks it up, careful to make sure it doesnt melt on his gloves, and it doesn't get on your face. Wipes off any excess bits on your face and compliments the flavors, tells you about how popular they are, flavors that are particularly favored from certain worlds, and all sorts of things. He wraps up the box neatly and insists you wait for a bit outside his office, tenderly kissing your forehead.

After a few moments of quiet shuffling, his door clicks open, as he gives you a very beautifully sealed letter. He says it was supposed to be for another occasion, and he had to rush the writing a bit at the end, but most of it was completed, and stamped perfectly. The letter is about 3 pages long, and full of well-wishes, and feelings Sunday probably wouldn't be able to tell you directly face to face. He kisses your hand and tells you he'll make some time for you another day, and make up for the time he couldn't spend today.

He listens to your quiet footsteps shuffle down the hallway, further away from his office, and once he's sure you're gone, he sighs, sitting down in his office chair. He sits deeply in thought, and anyone walking in would have thought he was in deep trouble, trying to find a solution for an extremely multifaceted and complex issue.. when really, he's thinking about just how dangerously he's wrapped around your finger. Perhaps he prefers it that way?

#moonink #hsr #hsr sunday #honkai star rail sunday #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #hsr sunday x reader #hsr x you #hsr sunday x y/n #hsr sunday x you #sunday x reader #sunday hsr

[aubeystawby]

I'D WATCH AND COULD NOT SAVE HER carlos de vil x gn!vk!reader ➤ summary: It's easy to feel hopeless on the Isle. Luckily you're not truly alone, not when Carlos is always there for you. ➤ notes: hurt/comfort. its been ages since i read the first isle of the lost book so some things that arent from the movies may be inaccurate, also carlos might be a bit ooc? this is my first time writing for him so it may take me a bit to get him right, but i'm trying my best!! ➤ warnings: brief mentions of death, just all around a bit sad at the start but it gets more fluffy/comforty

"We're going to die here."

The tiles beneath you are cold; the two of you wrapped in the same thin blanket in an attempt to ward off the unrelenting freezing temperature. You always quip that the overwhelming coldness of Cruella De Vil's mansion's both atmosphere and literal structure, are reflective of the cold dark pit that is it's owner's heart. It's said as a joke, but deep down you believe it.

Carlos doesn't reply, you can't see his reaction from where your head rests on your shoulder and his head rests atop yours, but the silence of the 'living room' being penetrated only by the sounds of your breath and his at least tells you he's still alive.

"We were born on the Isle," You continue, "We're going to grow up here, live here for the rest of our lives, and then die here. And no-one's going to care."

"We don't... know that," Carlos says quietly, he knows this isn't an argument, he knows you just feel so tired, but he doesn't want to let you keep talking so miserably, not when — to him at least — there is still hope.

You shuffle closer to him, desperately trying to avoid the cold still.

"But we do, we can try to pretend things might change, but they won't. We're stuck here, Carlos. Alone."

Your voice is emptier than before, hollow like you've truly given up hope — which you have. Carlos can't stomach just how defeated you sound, how defeated you are, the pained sound of your voice just beside him making him wish he could get you out of here — somewhere safe, somewhere clean, somewhere warm — with the snap of a finger.

Instead, the two of you remain freezing in the scraps of what once upon a time could have been a grand spectacle of a building, but now stands on it's last legs as one just tries to not get pummelled by loose debris falling from the ceiling.

Carlos can't save you, he can't even save himself — from the Isle and everything bad about your lives — but he'll be damned if he doesn't at least try.

"You're not..." He attempts softly, pausing and trying not to mess up.

You untangle yourself from him at this, sides still glued together desperately clinging for warmth, but your head now free to peer up at Carlos with a questioning look.

He avoids eye contact at this, but forces himself to continue.

"Alone, I mean," At his words, it's like the Isle is nothing of importance anymore, like it's just him and you in a small bubble in-between time, it's warm.

"You're not alone, because I'm here. A- And I care, about you, I care a lot. We- we might die here, but I'm going to keep trying, I really think we could get out of here.."

Your hand meets his silently, a reluctant smile slowly sneaking it's way onto your face.

Carlos can't help but return your smile ever-so-slightly without even realising.

A moment passes and his head meets your shoulder this time, quietly moving closer to you again as you're reminded of just how cold it still is. Your head rests atop his, where you're sat suddenly feeling warmer than before, safer than before. Because of Carlos.

Your heart can't help but beat a little faster at the thought of his near-promise, leaving the Isle is one thing, but escaping with him sounds too good to be true. And for once? You actually let yourself think that it's possible, it feels possible, the chance feels real, you trust it. You trust Carlos.

"I believe you," You say softly, the simple three words carrying a weight you don't think you'll ever be able to fully express in any other way, but he understands.

"And I care about you too, Carlos. I care about you a lot."

#first carlos fic and first descendants fic in geneal!? yep!! #im rather proud of this even though i feel a bit unsure about carlos's characterisation #hopefully its okay though! and if anyone has tips for characterising him accurately i'd be grateful for the advice! #carlos de vil x reader #carlos de vil imagine #descendants x reader #descendants imagine #disney x reader #disney imagine #╰─www.my-writing.com─╯ #re-posting this because i think my tags are working again!!

[fairyhaos]

How To Fucking Write: a guide by fairyhaos

[masterlist]

this post details:

SLOW BURNS

hi gays and gals! "how to fucking write" is back, with yet more advice and tips for everyone ^^ please feel free to send me an ask if there's something you want me to talk about or if you want to be added to the taglist! and as always, please reblog if you find this helpful :)

# - HOW TO SLOW BURN.

.. bullet point one : word count .

putting this here because i have one thing to say about this.

word count doesn't matter.

you don't have to have over 50k words or some shit in order to write a really, really good slow burn. similarly, you can't just the quality of a slow burn—or a story in general—by its word count.

yes, maybe stories with higher word counts tend to be better slow burns, but that's not because of the word count. it's because of what they do with the words.

so if you've finished writing your story and you're happy with it and it doesn't feel rushed, doesn't feel too slow, and it doesn't mess up the relationship development, that's it. don't try to add words just because it's not "long enough".

word count doesn't matter.

(that being said though, there have to be enough words for it to actually be a slow burn, but. that's a given.)

.. bullet point two : plan .

now i know that there are people who don't like planning, or their writing style means that they feel more comfortable with just winging it and throwing words at the paper.

however, for a really good, well-paced slow burn, it's really really important for you to create a plan.

it doesn't have to include everything! it doesn't need to be an exhaustive breakdown of all the scenes you're going to put into the story, but you need to know vaguely what's going to happen, and how you want your characters to act.

because slow burn is a leadup to a relationship, right? it's about relationship building. their relationship is a castle, and you need to know what your castle is gonna look like before you start haphazardly slapping bricks on top of each other.

plan the milestones you want their relationship to reach. think about what scenes you want to use that will signpost the gradual change in their relationship (more on signposts down below).

think about how you want the slow burn to reach its climax, and also when.

what will that climax be? will it be the realisation of feelings? will it be the confession? maybe a rejection of confession?

all of that can be figured out when you plan. having the climax in mind and having the ending in mind are things i will always advocate for when it comes to writing.

especially with slow burns. because it's all about that heart-wrenching climax, isn't it? when someone blurts out their emotions, and there are tears and shaky whispers and it makes you want to scream because feels.

planning helps with coherency, too. helps everything flow more naturally and make the slow burn overall feel more well thought-out and more impactful.

plus, i dunno about you guys but planning out how shit's gonna go down and cackling over how you're going to make your readers cry with every single almost confession scene and every single mutual pining part is just the most incredible thing in the world.

.. bullet point three : signposts

i mentioned this above, but having signpost scenes that you and your readers can use to identify milestones in the characters' relationship is very, very important.

for example, a very simple set of milestones would be:

the scene wherein X falls for Y

a scene wherein X almost spills their feelings to Y

the situation wherein Y suddenly realises their own feelings for X

a scene where they feel like they're about to lose each other

something that makes someone confess

it's horribly simple, and very vague, but these are the basic milestones that most slow burns will use to influence their characters' relationships.

but nevertheless, do you see how each of these scenes are important?

how all of them help the relationship progress? build up the slow burn, until it finally reaches its peak?

of course, the story would probably include more than just these scenes. if it's a good story, then of course it will.

but these are the most important, and recognising what your important scenes are, and making sure that you know how many you're putting in and in what way they influence the plot is very key to writing slow burns.

.. bullet point four : motive

this is perhaps not a very necessary bullet point, but if you wanna go all-in with your slow burn and make it knock-out spectacular, then i suggest that you think on this bullet point for a while.

why aren't your characters together right now?

---is the question you should be asking yourself to make it a really stellar slow burn.

why can't your characters confess? why can't they realise their feelings? what is stopping them from simply going from being friends to realising they're in love and then confessing?

your characters need a motive.

often, that motive is really simple. there's a whole bunch that are commonly used but, if you do it well, then it'll be as hard-hitting as if it's something no one could have ever predicted.

are they not together because they...

...used to be enemies? have been friends for too long? don't know whether they're really in love or if it's just a fluke?

maybe they don't believe in love. maybe they're loving someone who they think will never love them back. maybe they don't even realise they're in love.

the beauty of it all is that you get to choose. you get to pick your own dilemmas for your characters, and write about their messy path to realisation, through their slow burn, while untangling all their emotions throughout their journey.

slow burn is about feelings, after all. make those feelings complex. truly think in your character's thoughts, just for a moment, and think about how it would feel to be in that situation. think about how they'd react. what they'd do.

and also what's holding them back.

motives make everything even more deliciously painful. you can truly sympathise with the characters' relationship progression then, and can really get readers invested as they try to see how the characters overcome their struggles.

besides. don't we all love when X shouldn't love Y but they're going to love them anyway?

... and that's it ! if anyone has anything else they want advice on (how to structure, how to write dialogue, how to plan etc) then just shoot me an ask, because i'd love to help however i can :)

tagging (comment/send ask to be added!): @mesanthropi @stqrrgirle @weird-bookworm @eternalgyu @blue-jisungs @yumilovesloona @the-nightfox-nest @lvlystars @anemoiant

#a guide by fairyhaos #fanfic #svt fanfic #svt fic #seventeen #txt #svt #seventeen fanfic #fanfiction #writing #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writing prompt #writeblr #writerblr #writing community #tomorrow x together #txt x reader #svt x reader #kpop writing #ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfiction

[underprivilegedcactus]

It's totally fine if you don't think God!Gale and Ascended!Astarion endings are necessarily bad endings. I agree there's definitely some ambiguity when it comes to these outcomes, but there's something that people should consider: When writing a character, one of the things a writer can choose to focus on to build them out is to consider What They Want vs. What They Need.

Gale WANTS to become a god (eventually) to both show up Mystra and to help mortals the way he feels that gods should. What Gale NEEDS is to realise that he is enough as is, that he is more than just his power and any more strength he could aqcuire. Gale needs to have more confidence in his own self worth.

Astarion WANTS ultimate power so that no can ever hurt him or those he loves ever again. He wants to be so strong that no one would even try to harm him, and if they do he can effortlessly squash them. For him, it's only through power that he can ever be truly and forever free. What Astarion NEEDS is healing from centuries of cruelty through true friendship or even romantic love and to be seen as an equal, to take back control of his bodily autonomy and choices, and to become actually free from not only Cazador, but from becoming a slave to his darkest impulses that his rough life has exacerbated.

Sure, both Gale and Astarion are happy when they get what they want, but there's lots of hints that it's not what they really needed.

Gale becomes the god of ambition, which is never satisfied with its lot and will likely cause trouble for the pantheon down the line. It's also very clear that he lost a vital part of himself, and I don't think it's his connection with his mother or Tara, which are still important facets but are ultimately not the core of what he lost. It's the fact that he no longer cares about doing actual good for people, a key component of his former personality. One of the things I love about his character is that no matter how high he rose, mortal Gale still cared about helping people in positive ways. Ambition doesn't give a damn where its drive takes people, for better or for worse. Mortal Gale would be horrified if he knew that he influenced evil people to do worse things in the name of ambition. Mortal Gale would also be horrified that his god version openly admits to not offering ANYTHING to his followers, which is anathema to what Gale originally wanted godhood for. But hey, he got what he wants and he's happy, so that MUST be good, right?

Ascended Astarion has entirely lost any shred of his humanity, and is now a complete slave to his darkest desires. He no longer views his romantic partner as a person. They're just his most prized object, whether they want to be or not. He enslaves other people, inflicting on them the exact kind of bondage he had to deal with for two centuries, including the person he used to love. On top of all that, he loses his capacity to even recognize the wrongness of his actions. For all intents and purposes, Ascended Astarion becomes a megalomaniacal homicidal psychopath who's hunger knows no bounds. Worse, he has no way to ever recognise if this is a problem anymore or something he doesn't like. But again, he got what he wants and he's happy, so it MUST be a good thing, right?

There's nothing wrong if you still see these outcomes as good endings, or even just better endings than an outright "bad" ending. I see what you mean, and also, it's a video game and these are fictional characters, not people who can actually get hurt. Like so much media and art, it's really more of a thought experiment than any kind of moral indicator.

I do however implore you to consider why so many people, Larian included, don't see these outcomes as good, and in some ways perhaps even worse than other "bad" endings. A very common but very relevant trope in storytelling is "be careful what you wish for because you might just get it", and it's usually to remind us that getting what we want isn't always what's best for us in the long run.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 gale #bg3 spoilers #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #astarion #bg3 astarion #storytelling

[gumnut-logic]

Along the Way (Part 7 and The End)

Sweetapple | Dear Mr Tracy | Along the way - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

It's finished! ::runs around the room like a loon:: Though I have to say that I doubt this will be the last we see of Mr Sweetapple as there are several threads that need a good neat tie up :D

All the wonderful thanks to @onereyofstarlight for staying up extra late and answering my poke across the Tasman Sea for a last minute read. I hope Alex gives you some nice sleep ::hugs tight::

Also, special thanks to all of you for supporting my geeky fanboy Alex :D There will be more as someone sent me some OC asks about Alex and I've realised that the only way I can answer them is by writing fic. (some other OCs of mine might pop up in fic at some point,too, for that exact same reason) ::so many hugs to all of you for being so kind to me::

But anyway, I will stop my excited rambling and present you with the last chapter of this fic....which has taken so long to write - so many apologies. Though I am excited that I'm writing again :D

I hope you enjoy this :D

-o-o-o-

Alexander Sweetapple’s head was spinning.

Not so much from the concussion he had no doubt he had, thank you, Mr Holographic Scott Tracy, but more from the fact that Virgil had just kissed him.

Not Mr Virgil Tracy, Head of Research and Development at Tracy Industries, no….more ‘ohmigod, I finally found you and you’re alive, I want to hug and kiss your brains out’ Virgil Tracy.

The man was covered in concrete dust and grime, there was more grey than blue on his uniform bar the scratched patches where his now discarded exosuit had sat.

Alex had proof Virgil had hugged him via all the dusty patches on his damp clothes, on his arms, and in his hair.

Virgil Tracy had hugged and kissed him.

For real.

Alex stood beside his mum while Virgil assessed the condition of her ankle and she went about embarrassing her son every way possible.

To be honest, it had been such a day that she was welcome to show Virgil Alex’s naked baby pictures for all he cared. She was safe and that was all important.

A glance over at the remains of the museum building prompted his heart to add a few extra beats per minute to its routine.

Alex let his jaw drop as he watched the roof float away.

Oh god.

“Alex?”

Virgil’s voice was so rich and deep.

“Alex?” And then Virgil grabbed him. Was he trying to hug him again. That would be nice. “Whoa! I think you need to sit down.”

Okay.

He folded himself smoothly down onto the pavement beside his mum.

“Hey, honey, look at me.” Her fingers were suddenly in his hair. “Allie, how the hell did you do all that with a head injury?” She peered closely at him. “Virgil, what do your scanners say?”

And yes, Virgil was waving a yellow light over Alex. “Concussion, bruising…” He frowned. “You’re both wet. You’ve been in the river?”

“Nearly drowned. My foot got stuck and Allie pulled me out. Some water, possibly sewage, may have been inhaled. My recommendation is to watch for symptoms of infection. In both of us.” Dr Sweetapple was in the house.

He turned to Virgil only to find his friend’s eyebrows fully deployed.

They were very nice eyebrows.

Virgil caught his stare. “Thunderbird One, I need to leave the danger zone. Ten minutes there and back for patient transport.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Two. Make it quick, we need your help in the industrial sector.” A pause. “How’s Alex?”

“Concussion, but well enough…and safe.” Virgil still had his eyes.

“Good to hear. Thunderbird One out.”

“What are you doing, Virgil?” The words slipped out without thought.

Virgil looked down at his wrist control poking it. “You both need medical supervision. I’m providing it for you.”

A good hundred metres away, Thunderbird Two rose up on her struts and her module door slid smoothly open. Two hoverstretchers darted out across the road, gliding around obstacles until they reached Virgil’s side. He pulled out a control surface and reconfigured them into hoverchairs. “Sorry to rush this, but time is short. Alex, stay put while I help your mother.” He held up a gloved hand and Alex was forced to settle back and obey.

Besides, the world was spinning again, and after all, Virgil was technically his boss.

He let his head fall into his hand and closed his eyes, suddenly ever so tired.

So this was what an adrenalin drop felt like.

Ugh.

“Alex?” Virgil’s voice was soft and his gloved hand gentle on his arm. That was really nice. “Alex? You with me?”

He blinked. Oh. “Yeah.”

“Let’s get you up.” Virgil nudged him, both hands holding his arms to steady him.

The world wobbled, but a few steps and Virgil had him snug and safe, strapped into the hover stretcher…chair…whatever the hell it was.

Virgil was running, Alex and his mother beside him, until they were all swallowed by the green of Thunderbird Two.

At some point, Virgil must has triggered the chair back into a bed because Alex was lying down and Virgil hovering over him, once again with a scanner flickering yellow light. “You can go to sleep, Alex. You’re okay and you’re safe.” A gloved hand gently brushed away the hair from Alex’s forehead. He knew this should mean something, but he was so tired.

Thunderbird green danced as his eyelids drifted closed.

Somewhere something was roaring just like a Thunderbird launching, but he had no energy to care.

-o-o-o-

Jeff stepped into the elevator only to almost collide with his mother. “Mom?”

“I’m meeting Thunderbird Two.”

“Why?” Was Virgil hurt? Why hadn’t John told him?

A hand on his arm quelled the sudden panic. “Virgil is fine. We have visitors.”

“Who?” Did he have to draw the information out bit by bit?

“Do you remember Alexander Sweetapple?”

“Of course, I do. Gordon thinks Virgil might be…interested.”

“He is.” She held up a finger so close to Jeff’s face, his eyes crossed. “And you are not going to say a thing. Yes, he’s breaking protocol, but he has good reason.” She looked away and let her finger drop. “The poor boy has been terrified all day. Thank god, they finally found Alex. And I don’t blame him for not wanting to let him out of his sight.” His mother stared up at Jeff with all the fire he knew she possessed. “Your son is bringing home his first romantic interest ever and you are not going to spout security blather all over him. This is our house and we can have guests. Especially important guests.”

Jeff took a step back. “I wasn’t going to say anything!” Virgil was bringing home Alex? As a love interest? “What the hell happened?” He really needed to speak to John about keeping him updated. He knew his orbiting son was selective, but this was ridiculous.

The elevator doors opened and his mother glared at him. “Something good. Don’t ruin it.” She stomped off into Two’s hangar, detouring into the medical supply cupboard on the way, just as the hangar doors started their opening sequence.

Jeff stepped cautiously out of the elevator. He had no idea what warranted his mother’s ire. Okay, maybe he had had some words with his eldest at one point, but that was nearly a decade ago.

His priorities were a little different these days.

Two roared in, a little faster than the norm. Virgil was obviously in a hurry. She spun on her turntable and the moment she settled, her forward hatch was lowered, Virgil standing between two hoverchairs.

Jeff hurried after his mother, cursing his cane, as Virgil strode with the two chairs towards them.

“Grandma, this is Doctor Lolly Sweetapple. Doctor Sweetapple, this is my grandmother, Doctor Sally Tracy, she and my father will be taking over your care.”

The two doctors exchanged greetings and slipped into medical babble two seconds later.

“Dad?” Virgil gestured him over. “You remember Alex?” Why was there so much hesitation in his son’s voice?

“Certainly, the creator of Siliwrap.” The man was obviously asleep. “How is he?”

“Concussion, bruising, he and his mother need monitoring for possible lung infection. They were caught in contaminated water.” His son swallowed; his expression hesitant. “I wanted them here, Dad. Grandma has the skills and the tools.” He looked away. “I just couldn’t leave them to the system.” His eyes fell on Alex and Jeff’s heart clenched.

“We will look after them.” He dropped a consoling hand to his son’s shoulder.

Vulnerable eyes looked up at him. “Thanks, Dad.” His hand was squeezed and Virgil was again moving. This time running back to his ‘bird.

His mother immediately took over and bustled them all into the elevator before they could acquire new coiffures a’la rocket engine.

As the doors closed, Thunderbird Two accelerated out on to her runway and the elevator shaft roared as she took to the sky.

-o-o-o-

Alex rolled over in bed and sighed into his pillow. He was extremely comfortable. Temperature was perfect. Pillow was soft. “Mmmmm….”

“About time you woke up, Allie. You were starting to worry me.” His mother’s voice was always reassuring.

“He’s fine, Lolly. Concussion is healing and there is no sign of any lung infection. See, look at the scans.”

Alex frowned. That was a female voice he didn’t recognise. Also, why was his mum in his bedroom?

“You’re giving me equipment envy, Sally. My god, the science behind this is amazing.”

“Virgil has them in development, don’t you worry. A good percentage of our breakthroughs do get filtered down into the market. Unfortunately, there is a difference between the ability to make a device for International Rescue and making devices in efficient, ecological and economic mass production. Our teams do their best.” A snort. “And your boy is part of that team. His devotion to Siliwrap is all to his credit. Alex is saving lives as much, if not more, as any at Tracy industries. You should be proud.”

“Oh, that’s a given. He’s always been a little obsessive, especially regarding the Thunderbirds.”

Wha-?

Alex flung his eyes open to find his mother lying on a bed beside him, smiling. She had her ankle wrapped and raised and was obviously talking to the owner of the other voice, an older lady dressed in a purple jumpsuit.

Both were smiling at him.

“Where am I?”

Yes, that’s the first question out of any alien abductee’s mouth, no doubt about it.

“You’re on Tracy Island, Alex. You and your mother are safe and our guests.” When Alex didn’t respond as his brain automatically overloaded. “I’m Mrs Tracy, Virgil’s grandmother.”

“Watch it, Sally, he may combust on the spot.”

Thanks, mum.

His mother was grinning at him. “I swear he’s been looking for the location of this island since he discovered his first Thunderbird.”

“Mum!”

“Shhh! You’ll wake him up.” His mum was pointing behind him.

“Lolly, don’t worry, Virgil sleeps like the dead. Especially after a rescue like that.”

Virgil? What?

He twisted around and found a third bed behind him. Virgil lay sprawled face down on it, snoring softly into his pillow.

“Don’t worry, honey. He’s just tired. Our boys exhaust themselves and then wonder why their bodies shut down.”

It was only then all the events leading up to his current situation fully loaded into his brain.

Virgil.

Virgil had kissed him. His chocolate eyes held such relief and joy…

The scene played back in his head over and over, declaring that it had happened. That something Alex may have dreamed about but never really considered actually possible, had happened.

He stared at Virgil.

Gone was the uniform and in its place a simple black t-shirt outlining a lax bicep hanging off the edge of the bed. Alex’s eyes tracked down the length of Virgil’s arm to his hand.

Such strong hands.

The emergency responder had a blanket draped over him, obviously placed there after the advent of slumber, likely by his purple grandmother.

“Why is he here?”

Mrs Tracy walked around Alex’s bed so she could face him. “Now, don’t you start worrying your head off, young man. He is fine. He’s in the bed because otherwise he’d be asleep in a chair and that is not acceptable self-care. He wanted to stay here with you and it was the bed or out. Exhaustion did the rest.”

He stared at her a moment, his thoughts spinning.

“How are you feeling, Allie?”

Huh? He turned back to his mother. “Mum, your ankle…”

She waved him off. “Hon, I’ve done worse tripping over kids in the waiting room. Nothing to worry about.” She frowned at him. “How’s your head?”

How was his head? How was he in general?

There were aches, yes, now that attention had been drawn to them, but generally, considering that he’d just been through a major disaster, he felt okay. “I’m okay.”

His eyes drifted back to Virgil.

“Don’t you think of getting out of bed just so you can sit at his bedside, Alex. I know how you boys think, so don’t think you can pull one over on me.” Virgil’s grandmother was proving to be as bad as Alex’s mother.

“Don’t worry, Sally, he’s been very well trained from birth.”

“How did you manage that? I’ve been trying for nearly thirty years with the grandkids. Their father is just as bad.”

Alex’s eyes widened. Their father? Jeff Tracy. The Jeff Tracy who gave his name to Tracy Island. That Tracy Island that was ever so secret and Alex was currently resting his butt on. Well, the bed his was resting his butt on was on the Island. It was simple transference of molecular ownership.

Perhaps this was not the best moment to realise that he was wearing a black t-shirt very similar to Virgil’s and that it was not one he owned, nor was it one he was wearing the last time he was aware and conscious.

He pulled up the blanket and found black shorts. “Where are my clothes?” Perhaps the step up in octave was a little ridiculous on his part, but it had been a very stressful day.

“Your clothes were ruined, Allie. Jeff and Mrs Tracy were kind enough to supply and dress you in some replacements.” His mother was ever so matter-of-fact, as usual.

“Jeff Tracy saw me naked?!”

Okay, he had to admit, that was supposed to be inner voice and not shouted at the top of his lungs. In any case, it proved that it was possible to wake up Virgil Tracy, no matter what his grandmother said.

“Alex? What?”

He turned to find Virgil pushing himself up off the bed, hair sticking in all directions, obviously still half asleep.

“Honey, the man brought up five boys. One more is nothing new.” Mrs Tracy was as matter-of-fact as his mother.

Great. A team up.

“Virgil, go back to sleep.” Mrs Tracy bustled over to her grandson and attempted to get him to lie down.

But Virgil had caught sight of Alex. “Alex! You’re awake!”

Mrs Tracy actually rolled her eyes as Virgil threw off his covers and climbed out of bed. He closed the distance between them on bare feet. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Alex couldn’t help it. “You look adorable.” Because he did. Big tough rescue operative with puffy eyes and hair sticking up all over the place, not to mention the black t-shirt and shorts that hid absolutely zero anatomical detail. And above all, he was smiling, as if ever so happy to see Alex…which was some kind of miracle and honestly how hard had he hit is head?

“You’re not bad yourself.” That smile turned to one of appreciation.

What?

His mother did mention a concussion…

“Okay, it’s obvious Virgil is not going to listen to his doctor’s advice, so Lolly and I will leave you two boys alone.” Mrs Tracy poked at his mum’s bed and it detached from the wall, hovering quite happily and easily nudged out of the room.

“Allie, take it easy, love. You are recovering from a concussion, after all.”

Yeah, yeah, mum, whatever. Virgil’s eyes were such a beautiful shade of brown.

Both women muttered to each other as they left the room, closing the door behind them.

Virgil was poking Alex’s bed controls with his fingers. “Good. You’ve rested.” His eyes were tracking over medical readouts. Alex’s medical readouts.

“I’m okay, Virgil.”

The man looked up at him again. “Good.”

Alex frowned as Virgil lifted a hand up and gently brushed Alex’s hair clear of his left temple and the abrasion there. “Grandma’s treated you well.”

Alex wanted to fall into that gentle touch. His eyes may have at least partially closed.

“Are we okay?”

Alex’s eyes snapped open.

“I mean…” Those eyes looked down and away. No, come back! “…we haven’t talked about-“

Alex was suddenly kissing Virgil. There had been space between them, but now it was gone, Alex had his arms around those truly magnificent biceps, and startled lips were pressed up against his, ever so warm, and god, Virgil was kissing him back…

There was a brain whiteout for a moment as Virgil’s arms returned Alex’s eager embrace…and then Virgil’s tongue was in his mouth and…

“Whoa! My bad.”

Alex pulled back.

“No! No, you two just keep doin’ what you were doin’ and I’ll just put this coffee down and-“

“Gordon, what do you want?” Virgil hadn’t let go of Alex, but his head did turn towards his brother.

Alex was busy dying on the spot. Why did he do that? Kiss Virgil? Him?

“I brought you coffee! You know, life blood and all that.” Coffee? “Uh, you might want to get back to that tonsil hockey you were playing. Alex looks like he’s might dump you for the coffee.”

“Go away, Gordon.”

“Going away, leaving, like a tree. Happy for both of you. ‘Bout time, Virg.”

“Gordon!”

“I’m gone!” And he was, the door sliding shut behind him.

Virgil turned back to Alex. “Sorry about that.” A slight shrug. “I have brothers.”

Alex blinked. “I have sisters.”

Virgil’s smile was a sight to behold. “So, we’re okay?”

Alex had had a very hard day, his head was a bit of a mess and there were several truths he was ignoring to keep his sanity. But right now?

He tugged Virgil closer. “More than okay.”

“You want some coffee?”

But Virgil’s lips were brushing his and… “No, I’m good.”

The coffee went cold.

-o-o-o-

FIN

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #virgil tracy #alexander sweetapple #jeff tracy #gordon tracy #grandma tracy #sally tracy #nuttyfic #it's finished! #romance #virgil tracy/alexander sweetapple

[noellefan101]

I´ll Keep You Warm-Albedo Oneshot

Characters: Albedo x gn Reader

Summary: you give Albedo an unexpected visit in Dragonspine, and he warms you up(+crushes on you).

"Warnings": established relationship, not proof-read

Note: im tired, i wanna sleep aahhhhhh

He wasn't expecting you to visit him on Dragonspine today, although you told him you´d be visiting him, he just wasn't quite expecting it to be today. It doesn't bother him, but he was quite focused on the experiment he was currently working on, and you were already distracting. But he paid his experiment no mind when he saw the state you were in, though you had on a good few layers of clothes and some food for him in your hands(your man needs to eat, badly)but you were freezing. He was quick to take the food out of your hands, lay you down on his mattress he never uses, and give you a nice thick blanket to warm you up a little.

The experiment had long gone from his mind, now he all thought about was making sure you were warm enough. Even through all your protests that he shouldn´t worry about you, and go back to whatever he was working on. But how could he ever do that when your normally warm and soft skin was now freezing cold.

Making sure you were alright and well was much more important to him than working right now. He also didn't want to deal with you being sick, but he didn't tell you that.

He waited for you to fall asleep, brushing your hair with his fingers, doing his very best to make you feel safe and warm. It didn't take you long to fall asleep, your face peacefully lying on the pillow he brought for you.

He didnt actually do much while you were sleeping, to distracted by your face to go do something else. Looking at your mesmerizing face was enough to entertain him for longer than he thought and would like to admit.

Its not like what he was doing before wasnt interesting to him anymore, it definitely was, he just found something else to spend his time on. Though its not productive, he will admit that, he couldn´t take his eyes off of you for longer than a few seconds. he considered drawing you, sealing your beauty on a piece of paper, but decided not to. He would rather have this memory all on his own, only within him and him alone. He also didnt even think he could capture your beauty with even the prettiest of paints.

People always compliment him on his art, drawings, paintings, or whatever they´ll call it at the time. But he doesn't think he´ll be even close to doing your beauty justice, he knows you´ll disagree, you always do when he says he can´t.

Maybe he´ll do it someday, but not know, as he is too lost in your beauty to process anything else other than you.

He loves you more than you and him realises.

thank u for reading, im very sorry for not posting, I'm trying to write but I just have no ideas and my mind is blank(also dealing with mental health issues), luv ya-Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts

#noelle´s maiden #gn reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #albedo x reader #noelle main #noellefan #albedo kreideprinz #albedo #albedo genshin impact

[conkers-thecosy]

Bagginshield-tober / Day 5 / Riddles

Hi folks! Here's my offering for day five of the "Bagginshield-tober" prompt list, by the lovely @smolestboop 💛

You can also find these little snippets compiled into one fic on AO3

It's unlikely I'll be able to post tomorrow because I have a stupid work thing in the evening that I can't get out of, but I plan to post a double-whammy on Saturday to make up for it!

~*~*~

“I have a new riddle,” Bilbo smiled over the top of his book, eyes darting up only quickly. “Would you like to hear it?”

Thorin had never cared much for riddles, in truth. It had always seemed a silly and frivolous waste of time to him before, labouring and weary under the burden of leadership as he had always been. Now he found himself more at leisure in the Shire, the only engagements not nearly pressing in any manner, and had learnt from Bilbo the joy of relaxation. 

He had certainly found more time to read for pleasure than he had before, and he no longer gained headaches from the activity due to the spectacles Bilbo had somehow procured for him - something Thorin’ pride would never have allowed him to wear before, but somehow didn’t bother him here. He had begun to craft for pleasure again, finding much joy in the simplicity of using his skill for nothing but his own fulfilment.

Riddles, however, were Bilbo’s pastime. Thorin knew how much the Hobbit enjoyed making them up and seeing if they worked, or even sharing any he found particularly amusing. He found a willing audience in Thorin, who loved to see the mischief and excitement in his green eyes whenever the topic arose. 

“I would like that,” Thorin replied, taking off his spectacles, then closing his book and replacing both onto the table beside his armchair. 

Well. It was exactly his armchair, but it was the one he sat in each night, opposite Bilbo who was often knitting, or writing into a little notebook, or just reading himself. Sometimes he asked Thorin to read aloud, as though the sound of his voice gave him comfort of some kind. 

“It’s not too tricky,” Bilbo said, not putting his own book away, turning a page delicately with one finger as he spoke. “Unless you look too hard at it, or perhaps don’t want to know the answer, that is.”

Thorin frowned a little. “Is this the riddle?”

“I suppose it sounds a little like a riddle all its own, doesn’t it?” Bilbo chuckled. “But no, I meant that only as a hint, of sorts. Are you ready?”

This one must be important, or particularly difficult then, Thorin reasoned to himself. Bilbo didn’t give hints usually, which meant he really wanted for Thorin to get the answer, or that he thought it might be too difficult. The dwarf lifted his chin a little, his long-sleeping pride pricked by the idea that Bilbo might think he couldn’t reason the answer without help. 

“Please go ahead.”

Bilbo flashed him another quick smile, as though having meant to challenge Thorin and jostle his ego a bit, then turned another page. “What fills this smial, but takes up no space. It is fine for one, but better shared. It is mine, but it belongs to you.”

Thorin frowned hard, trying to puzzle this out. It didn’t really make sense, how could something fill up a home, yet take up no space?

“Air?” he hazarded, and Bilbo’s eyebrow quirked with amusement. 

“Try again.”

Thorin went back to pondering, this time taking a little longer about it. Bilbo turned two further pages in the interim, before the dwarf spoke again. 

“Pipe smoke?”

“There had best not be any pipe smoke in this smial, Thorin,” Bilbo chastised, though with a laugh. “One more try.”

“I did not realise there was a limit,” Thorin grumbled, watching as Bilbo continued to look down at his book. He turned another page, and Thorin petulantly decided he couldn’t possibly be reading it that fast.

“Do you give up?”

“Of course not,” Thorin frowned, irritated by the whole business now. Normally this was just a little fun, a bit of light entertainment and something Bilbo enjoyed, and Thorin liked being part of. This time there was something different about it. Something heavy. Important. He felt like he was being told a secret, but he couldn’t fathom for the life of him what it might be.

“Well,” Bilbo closed his book at last and smiled fondly across at him. “Perhaps you need more time. Tea?”

With that, Bilbo was up and wandering out to the kitchen to make them a hot drink, leaving Thorin to stew over his words like a frustrated child. 

As it turned out, Thorin still didn’t care much for riddles, after all.

#bagginshield #bagginshieldtober #bagginshield-tober #the hobbit #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield #reshirement #fluff #conkers-theficwriter #stealing moments moments away

[sebastianwallows]

You and Me

Ominis Gaunt x reader

Summary - Request for “I'm absolutely obsessed with your ominis fics. this is the first time I've requested a fic ever but i was wondering if you'd write an ominis x reader fic based aroud the song 'come what may' from moulin rouge. i was watching it last night and realised its literally so perfect for him. thank you, sorry for the req i love everything you write <3”

Word Count - 932

Warnings - angst

A/N - I'm not one to write with song lyrics or anything so this will just be very fluffy, loving Ominis and reader okay after the fact I realized I went angsty on accident so whoops

Ominis wasn't completely sure where your head was at after everything that had went on with Sebastian and his uncle. He barely knew where his head was trying to grasp everything that was now broken and damaged.

The one thing he chose to focus on for the moment was you. He had rushed back to the castle for damage control and he knew you had stayed back with Sebastian. He was worried about you, but he also knew you could take care of yourself if it came down to it. You'd certainly proven that.

He paced the Undercroft nervously, hoping you would come to find him after things were taken care of. He didn't think he could face Sebastian right now if he were to show up instead of you. His ears perked up when he heard the door open and the sound of tentative footsteps walking into the room.

"Ominis?" Your voice was soft. He rushed over to you, enveloping you in his arms. He felt how you slumped against him, beginning to cry. The burden Sebastian had forced on the both of you was much too great.

"It's okay, Y/N. I'm here, I'll take care of you."

Ominis knew he needed to be strong for you. He also felt he needed t convey how deep his feelings for you were, he felt desperate to hold onto you and hide you away from anyone who could curse you or lead you astray. It was his duty to protect you and to forgive you for trusting Sebastian.

He used gentle motions on your back, up and down to comfort you. You had nearly all your weight thrown onto him, clutching fistfuls of his robes.

You looked up from his chest to gather his attention, your voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn't think it would go this far. I just wanted to learn and I thought that's what we were doing. I didn't think he would — " your choked on sobs before you could finish the sentence, burying yourself back into his form.

"I never thought he would either. You're not anymore of a fool than I am, we knew his intentions. We never anticipated his methods." His voice was calm and you didn't know how he was able to speak like that. The gentle vibrations atop your head as he spoke were soothing.

You two stayed quite for a while until he guided you to have a seat with him on the stone floor. You sat across from him and he leaned forward to hold your hands in his. You only now calmed down enough to realize how strange it was that he was being so touchy with you. You'd held his arm or hands many times, but you truly hadn't expected him to sweep you up into his arms on arrival.

Nonetheless, you were grateful. It felt as though everything had fallen apart. Everything was going to change, but at least Ominis was still here. You'd grown to care about him more than he had even known. As he took your hands in his, you exhaled a sigh or relief, relief that you still had him.

"Y/N, I don't want to overwhelm you, but I would like to speak about something important. I need you to know how much fear I had leaving you with Sebastian after that entire scene. How much regret I would have had if...if anything worse happened.

"I've had few people in my life that I cared about so deeply. I love Sebastian even if I never see him again. I love Anne as well. They were always like siblings that I wished were really mine, but it's been different with you.

"You've become a dear friend, surely the only one I have left at this point, but I love you beyond that. I so often wonder where your future is going to take you and if it's in a direction that's far away from me, what could I do to follow if it did?

"I think about you every time we're apart during the day. I'm thinking about tracing the lines and divets of your hand while we walk. I think about feeling you in ways I never have been, in ways I've never felt anyone before, but I want to memorize every part of you."

You sat slightly stunned at his confession. You couldn't find the words to return his sentiments, so instead you picked up his hand and guided it to your lips, placing a lingering kiss to his knuckles.

"If I tell you I love you, Ominis, I just fear you will resent me for my part in Sebastian's error. My errors. It isn't fair to ask that of you, no matter what I feel."

He leans forward, nearly cutting your words off before replace his hand on your face with his own lips. You returned his affection with desperation as he swiped your lips with his tongue before pulling away.

"I love you and I can't lose you. It's you and I now."

You felt tears in your eyes once again, feeling undeserving of his sentiments. He nudged your hip with his hand, encouraging you to move over to his lap. He opened up his legs and pulled you between them, cradling you close to his body.

You murmured that you loved him too before he pushed a hand through your hair and guided your face up to his. You could see the soft look on his face even through his pale blue eyes before his lips met yours again.

#ominis gaunt #ominis #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis gaunt x oc #ominis gaunt x you #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy x reader

[prokopetz]

I unfollowed you a while ago because I was mad and self-conscious that you could just drop a tabletop game on a whim based on innocuous tumblr posts when I’ve been working on mine for five years with very little fruit. But seriously, how do you do that?

A few things:

1. Breadth of experience is more important than depth. If you want to write games quickly, being passingly familiar with dozens or hundreds of other titles is more valuable than being deeply familiar with one or two. Most designer’s block stems from trying to re-invent the wheel; it's a lot easier to figure out what a game addressing a particular topic would look like when you can think of five examples of how other authors have done so just off the top of your head.

2. Focus. What is your game about? What do player characters actually do? If you were only allowed to write one scenario for your game, ever, what would that scenario be? Pare it down to its essentials: explore dungeon, fight dragon, get treasure, repeat. Don’t write a game that does everything – write a game that does that, and don’t even think about anything else until your game can actually do it. You can worry about branching out later.

3. That focus in mind, keep your eye on the minimum viable product. It's easy to think of all the things you'd like your game to have, but what does it need to have? What's the absolute bare minimum feature set that accomplishes what you've set out to accomplish? The crudest sketch of a complete, playable game is worth more than an elegant mechanism that doesn’t actually work because half of its critical components don’t exist yet.

4. Publish early, and publish often. Get your game in front of an audience as soon as you possibly can, and take any feedback you receive seriously. Game design is an inherently iterative process, and until you've engaged with an audience, you're still on iteration one; this is another common source of designer’s block. That ties into the previous point: as soon as you've got that bare sketch of the outline of your game put together, get some eyes on it that aren't yours.

5. Don't chase after white whales. Try to have many different projects in various stages of development, covering as broad a range of subjects as your interests will allow, and accept that most of them will turn out to be unworkable. Set aside current projects and return to old ones as circumstances warrant; often, struggling with project A will provide critical insight on project B, even if they’re not obviously related to one another.

6. Originality is a sucker’s game. This goes back to my first point: if you see something another designer has done that feels like it would be perfect for your game, steal it. Be wary of bandwagon-jumping – a lot of games shoot themselves in the foot by imitating the latest indie darling wholesale, without adequately considering whether it’s really a good fit for what they’re trying to do – but also don’t discard a good idea just because somebody else thought of it first.

(That last one applies to stealing from yourself, too. Sometimes you’ll come up with a new idea and realise that some existing project can be dusted off and re-purposed with very little effort. When that happens, seize the opportunity!)

#gaming #tabletop roleplaying #tabletop rpgs #game design #swearing

[ashesandhackles]

HP Reread - Order of Phoenix (Part 2)

Chapter 13,14

"Ron was now so low in his seat that his nose was on his knees". when Hermione confronts Fred and George about them testing sweets on first years. Also, living with Weasleys made Hermione realise what is a below the belt threat for Fred and George: write to Molly. XD (also the reason Ron is reluctant to go against Fred and George, something he was willing to do last year in GOF with the whole blackmail scheme, is due to reminders of Percy as Ron now holds the Prefect badge.)

love that both Hermione and Ron had opportunities to not read the room XD Ron getting on Cho's case about being a Tornadoes supporter when its clear she wanted to talk to Harry, and Hermione with Luna after she expresses her support to Harry. And Hermione being like "No REGRATS" after Harry is all, "Do you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" XD

"And it looks like it's going to rain" "what's that got to do with homework?" "Nothing" Ron is training for Quidditch secretly <3 I like that his arc is trying to define himself on his own terms (esp after the falling out with Harry in GOF which was because he felt overshadowed) - and the fact he takes initiative to practise for Quidditch, to be on team, is a step in that direction.

Harry enters Umbridge's office, and immediately takes the scene as a battle of wills. An adult being horrendous/violent is not a surprise to him, so what counts as "winning" for him in this situation is to not show he is in pain, or to check the time for when he would be allowed to go, or ask or to even complain to Ron and Hermione about it. There is also a lot of shame surrounding abuse, and ideas of weakness in admitting something like that happened to you.

Ron and Harry having a moment - where Ron reveals he wants to try for Keeper, and Harry tells him about Umbridge. It is incredible that Ron, a peer, got Harry to open up about something that has shame surrounding it. Speaks to how safe Ron makes Harry feel.

Both Hermione and Ron egging him to go to Dumbledore at different time: it's clear these two co-parents have discussed him. Also Harry discussing Umbridge with Hermione is operating under the assumption that Ron told her - and he would be right. Trio dynamics <3

Harry refuses to "trouble" Dumbledore because he feels abandoned by him, so he thinks he would write to Sirius instead: his safe space. <3

Hermione inviting him to knit hats with her. She is so happy that she can make all sorts of patterns now.

"She's nearly as nice as your mum": the way Harry understands this about Sirius, and the way Sirius also immediately understands what Harry is saying about Umbridge enough to come to the fire later. <3 also "Please write back quickly":(

I really, really love how Harry and Cho is written right down to the time we get to scenes with second hand embarrassment. Harry's crush on her is so endearing, and I like that he is comforted that Cho did not hate him for being alive when Cedric is dead (it's a casual throwaway line to Harry's own survivor's guilt)

"he got off on a mere technicality""many people I have spoken to remained convinced of his guilt" - the way Percy needs to double down and convince himself that he is on the right track.

"Nearly everyone in the wizarding world thought Sirius a dangerous murderer and a great Voldemort supporter, and he had to live with that knowledge for 14 years" the way this book emphasises how much Harry deeply understands Sirius. And also, now Sirius isnt cleared before his death hits hard.

Sirius' association of Hermione's worry for him as her sounding like Molly shows that he understands that Molly comes from a place of concern too. Also best evidence of their dynamic is not as prickly as it is made out to be.

Love the implication that Remus is just cussing Umbridge out in presence of Sirius. The comfort Remus feels speaks volumes.

"the world isnt split into good people and Death Eaters": an important quote, and given where Sirius comes from, a good insight into how he thinks.

Hermione looked upset when Sirius makes a joke about Kreacher, and this is because Sirius was the only adult to truly back her about Winky. Sirius knows she is right, just like he knows Dumbledore is right, Hermione invoking Dumbledore's name (like Molly did in the beginning) to get him to listen - he interrupts and changes the subject, because of how bitter he feels with regard to Dumbledore (just like Harry) + how isolated he is in a childhood home.

Sirius has personal bitter feelings about Dumbledore, but his eyes are clear with regard to the Order and what Dumbledore wants there: he warns the trio to not draw attention to the fact that Hagrid isnt there.

@artemisiablack masculinity meta covered 'less like your dad' moment in depth. My addition is - I am interested in Harry's complete understanding of this - not once does he become mad at this. Since he spends the entire book lashing out, isolated, disbelieved, he has a unique understanding of Sirius' position and is unusually forgiving of him. Remus tries the "what your father would have done/ wanted" route in DH, and Harry has far less understanding of it there because he is projecting himself onto Teddy's position.

Chapter 15, 16

I love the newspaper article about Hogwarts High Inquisitor. It is quite clearly a govt puff piece with support of a quote of a corrupt parent, Lucius Malfoy. The only dissent in the article comes at the end by Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Odgen, and Marchbank's quote of critique is something the prophet tries to diminish by having an article on her links with "subversive goblin groups" on page 17.

Lmao at Hermione looking sideways to see Harry's grade on his moonstone essay and when she gets neither Harry nor Ron's essay grades, she tries to engage them in a conversation about OWL grades. Until finally, Ron cracks and says, "If you want to know what grades we got, ask" and she is all,"I dont- I didnt mean - Well if you want to tell me". Such a poor liar LOL.

Ok I adore this detail of Fred and George naming the grades for them, and Ron raises his hand in mock celebration when they say "P is for poor" XD such a teenage boy thing.

Hermione retreated last time and came back with a new strategy. She came back to Umbridge's class reading the whole book. XD Umbridge tries to whisper to her, but Hermione speaks in clear, carrying voice so the rest of the class can overhear. Hermione rattles her enough that Umbridge forgets to whisper and then docks off points when she realises that Hermione outmaneuvered her. And then, Harry gets involved, to Hermione's distress.

"Yeah, Quirrel was a great teacher. There was a minor drawback of Lord Voldemort sticking out the back of his head" LOL

"Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again, I shall put you in detention": Dean whatttt

Harry loses his temper with Umbridge in Care of magical Creatures again, and both Ron and Hermione groan. Poor kids. This is a hard year for them.

Harry comes back with a very severe bleeding hand and he is relieved that Hermione is being sympathetic instead of critical (like she was at breakfast when McGonagall took points off).

"Harry saw with an ominous feeling that her face was alight with fervour SPEW usually inspired in her" this is so endearing.

I love the tiny shade of coolness in Hermione when she mentions that Harry beat her in DADA when they had a competent teacher. It bothers her gifted child-ness a bit, but she is okay because it was done in a fair setting.

How much do you want to bet Ron and Hermione discussed the idea of Harry being a teacher and kind of laid a conversation trap.

also, Harry having his survivor guilt induced rant about how much it could have just been him who died instead of Cedric: it reminds me of the conversation in Deathly Hallows where Harry tells Ron: "Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was. I've been trying to tell you that for years."

Hermione says Voldemort for the first time, and that calms Harry down. It tells him that she is taking what he said seriously.

love that Hermione waited two whole weeks to broach the topic with Harry again. And also introduced the idea of this being an idea for a larger group of people. She believes there is a larger group of people who would be interested in what Harry has to say and that it isn't fair to deprive of them of a chance to learn - and it feels like either she has been in conversation with these people and has been gauging the mood.

and she names Ron as part of her initial idea, and Ron looks at her all alarmed . here is the confirmation that the conversation they had was rehearsed. Ron joins the conversation and backs Hermione once he is sure Harry is receptive to the idea.

the barman looked "tall and thin" and "vaguely familiar" to Harry. Aberforth :D

the man in dirty grey bandages is the one who informs Umbridge about the meeting: he is referenced earlier in the book as the dude who blows up toilets XD

"A couple of people?" but this is a good demonstration of scale of Hermione's ideas and also her awareness that this would be something Umbridge would disprove of.

first meeting of Fred and Aberforth. Later in DH, he will talk of him with familiarity: "Aberforth is getting ratty.."

love that Hermione's initial go to was to use Harry's reputation to give her idea credibility and Harry disproves that line of speech with a ":sharp look" but her voice grows bolder and has more conviction when she talks about what Umbridge teaches them is rubbish. It's a nice moment of Hermione taking on a leadership role.

Zacharias Smith's interruption rattles the trio, and both Ron and Hermione try to redirect the conversation away from Harry. But Harry intervenes in this case.

While Hermione gets nervous again, Susan Bones interrupts and bolsters the conversation in Harry's favour. ("is it true you can produce a Patronus?") also, love the detail that Molly asked Ron not to spread it around XD

also twins leap to Harry's defense when Zacharias is rude again. XD i really love that the twins are so protective about him.

Ginny intervening in Hermione and Luna's spat with a "hem hem". Love that Weasley family has a set of people who can imitate people very well. Ron does it in DH too - he imitates Pettigrew XD

the cute detail of Cho fastening her catch in hopes of staying back, but Marietta was being too impatient, so she had to leave. Such a teenage move.

ok, I know OOTP is a bit of transient phase for Romione: but I love the body language detail of Hermione turning around and trodding on Ron's feet in a shop. It speaks to how close they are standing - and it feels like a test of boundaries (we see this later with Ron gifting Hermione perfume).

OOTP - Chapter 17, 18

the beech tree the trio sits near the lake is a regular, they sit here again post-Grawp chapters (and it is the same tree Marauders are sitting under in SWM chapter).

love that Ron thinks Hermione projects her virtues onto everyone else (which she does in some ways!), but Hermione clarifies that no one can tell Umbridge because she jinxed the parchment. Ruthless lol.

Harry is so worried about Hedwig that he nearly forgets that she had a letter for him:( also the tenderness in the Harry-Hedwig here: and how annoyed she is with him for letting Grubby-Plank take her, and how that makes Harry feel.

Snape's reaction to Umbridge when she mentions DADA post, obviously sore subject for him, because he believes Dumbledore would not hand him that position out of lack of trust. In HBP, he mentions that he believes Dumbledore believes it will cause a relapse in his old ways - but in HBP, the year Dumbledore gives Snape the task to kill him, he is effectively also handing over his complete trust by giving him that post. (ofc, the job is jinxed, so there are reasons why Dumbledore didnt do it before- but I am looking at this in terms of an emotional dynamic between the two. It also adds an interesting layer to Dumbledore, someone who would refuse all sorts of temptation due to his own youth and how he projects those fears onto Snape)

Crookshanks coming close to the fire to put his face close to Sirius <3 Hermione has to pull him back to stop him from singeing his whiskers.

Hermione takes Sirius' advice about Three Broomsticks being a place that would be harder to overhear- her meeting with Rita and Luna later in the story takes place in Three broomsticks. Despite her reservations about Sirius' judgement at this point in the story, it's an interesting look into how her mind works.

What is the Mundungus-Aberforth backstory? He was apparently banned from Hog's Head 20 years ago. Is it the same tight spot Dumbledore bailed him out of?

Molly's perceptiveness about Harry's relationship with Sirius comes into play in her message that she asks Sirius to pass on. In the beginning of the book, she challenges Sirius' guardianship ("who else has he got?"), and here she has retreated to "though she accepts she has no authority over either of them and begs them..".

Love that Sirius tells Ron to tell Molly that he has passed it all on, "because I don't think she trusts me to." Sirius wants her approval.

Ofc Hermione suspecting this to be the case is one more reason the book is Hermione vs Umbridge. I also think, and this chapter demonstrates, with Hermione being the one with DA plan, creating failsafes, asking to think up a name, she functions as the leader-behind-the scenes.

Also Hedwig sitting on Dobby's topmost bobble is the cutest image.

Hermione bringing up the fact that Dobby's plans aren't always safe - with regard to room of requirement. I wonder if she was doubling back on the DA after the initial Sirius enthusiasm, and the enormity of what they are doing scared her for a moment. Or it was a need to double check.

ooh, Ginny had come in with Dean and other Gryffindors. Given that Ginny dates Dean in the next book, it is a significant point to her social circle.

"That's a majority - motion passed": Hermione XD

Harry being so cute that he decides not to point out that Neville's first attempt at Disarming when Harry is facing away from him does not actually count XD

Lmao @ twins going after Zacharias Smith. They are clearly very annoyed at him making jibes at Harry (as they displayed last time at Hog's Head).

Ok, Dean's enthusiasm is really <3 I forget that Dean's respect for Harry is what drives Dean's moment in DH, where he puts weight behind Harry being the Chosen one in the conversation. This, combined with how excited Neville was about disarming Harry, shows how the Gryffindor boys view him.

Chapter 19, 20

Queen Parvati has produced such a good reductor curse that she reduces an entire table full of sneakscopes to dust.

Hermione "trying to look modest" when Terry Boot is all admiration that she can do a NEWT level charm. LOL.

Loved the conversation between Harry and Hermione: he tells her it reminds him of the Dark mark, and she admits that is where she got the idea from. It is something she got out of Harry's retelling of the most traumatic night of his life, and I like that she stores details like this and treats information as information.

"Hey Potty I hear Warrington's sworn to knock you off your broom on Saturday" "Warrington's aim is so pathetic I'd be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me": XD

Hermione kisses Ron on the cheek when he looks lost and miserable, and it is like the kiss brings him back to himself <3 he touches the spot slightly. (also she has to stand on tiptoe to do it. Ron is tall)

Angelina does not wince when Montague tries to crush her fingers. Go Angelina!

Lee trying to drown out the words of the terrible "Weasley is our King" song by shouting his commentary. Lee Jordan is King!

Draco actually wrote the lyrics for Weasley is our king, and Pansy was conducting it from the stands lol. Says a lot about the character dynamics here.

Harry holding George back, while the combined efforts of Angelina, Katie and Alicia are needed to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy XD and then of course Harry releases George when Draco insults his mum.

Hogwarts really doesn't care about verbal bullying. An entire song to wind up the Gryffindor Keeper? Okay. Muggle duelling after extended provocation? Oh good lord not.

Hagrid is back and so begins hints of my least favourite plotline: Grawp.

Chapter 20, 21, 22

Hermione wearing her own knobbly elf hats. So cute. I love how it is a little thing she takes pride in.

Ron being his caretaking self and really pressing about how Hagrid has been attacked. XD

Hagrid irritably calling them nosy and interfering and then his beard twitches and Harry grins. Harry bargains his Dementor story for Hagrid's tale.

Trolls on Polish border and a disagreement with vampire in Minsk? Gimme this bar tale!

love how much the everlasting fire imagery comes with Dumbledore: he offers the giants (via Hagrid) : everlasting fire. (there is Fawkes, and there is the inferno he uses against the Inferi)

Maxime being super impressive by both roughing it (Hagrid being all "she is such a well dressed woman but..") and also saving Hagrid from giants by being fast with her wand.

Okay, Hagrid going misty-eyed at memories of Maxime being fiery at the thought of attacking Death Eaters, and Harry allowing him 30 secs of reminiscences before clearing his throat, lol.

Hermione asking about Hagrid's mother and being scared of broaching the topic, and Ron covering for her<3

Thestrals first make an appearance through gnarled yew trees - to emphasise their connection with death. Nott, Harry and Neville are the only ones who can see them.

Neville being upset that his answer might have made things worse for hagrid, but truthfully, this entire segment is an exercise of Umbridge enjoying wielding her power.

Ron being greatly amused by Hermione's skiing holiday, and Harry being envious that Ron would go to Burrow until Ron tells him he is invited. And Harry feels guilty at the thought of Sirius being alone at Grimmauld Place for Christmas, and considers persuading Mrs Weasley to invite him. :(

Angelina sending Harry burning reproachful looks cos she had to recreate the Gryffindor team. XD Also, Ginny is on team as Seeker!

The tension building between Harry and Cho: how he resists the urge to walk past her several time after she beams at him, and how he hangs back hoping to get a Merry Christmas from her.

Cho is dealing with so many confused feelings in this scene: the what if about Cedric, and seeing Harry react heavily to his mention, she feels upset that she burdened him with her feelings, she says, "I know it must be horrible for you… me mentioning Cedric, when you saw him die. I suppose you want to forget about it?" and when Harry doesnt answer, she expresses her admiration and attraction.

the other half of him wanted to take it to the grave, Imao, Harry so dramatic.

"oh, are you that bad at kissing?" "dunno. maybe I am." "of course you arent." "how do you know?" LOL. The trio in this scene.

"emotional range of a teaspoon" - its a funny line, but it also conveys Hermione's feelings for Ron and how much she wants to disavow them at the moment, because he is "the most insensitive wart she had the misfortune to meet". XD The scene is also set around Hermione writing an essay to Krum.

Harry agreeing mindlessly to Ron's "he's a grouchy git, isn't he?" "bit grouchy, yeah." Also LOL at role reversal. Hermione was the one who said that Krum looks grumpy, and Ron was like, "who cares what he looks like" lol.

Harry wishing Sirius's head appears in the fire so he can ask for advice on girls XD

Harry's ridiculous dream before the nightmare conveys feelings of competition that he feels with regard to Cho's feelings for Cedric , and there is also a sense that he wants to give back to Dobby because he came to the room to set up Christmas baubles with Dobby's head.

Mrs Norris spots them on the way to Dumbledore's office (McGonagall shoos her), but the cat informs Filch, Filch informs Umbridge.

I love the implication here that Dumbledore is conducting a meeting with portraits (many of whom are in important wizarding institutions in the country, which means he gets information from everywhere). The discussion falls silent and portraits pretend to sleep as soon as there is a knock on the door.

"but in essence divided?" + the imagery of two serpents coiling and undulating in air. This is a reference to Voldemort's torn soul in Harry, but also the twin imagery between Harry and Voldemort is strong here.

also the comical whimsy of the portraits is there throughout the scene - them pretending to sleep but raising their eyelids enough to watch Harry, them yelling at Phineas to wake up, and finally, the witch with a wand that looked like a birch rod XD

love that Harry as a protector is embedded in Ginny's mind. She asks him directly what is going on, instead of the adults in the room. Harry reinforces this association by stepping directly in front of her in the climax chapters when Bellatrix threatens her.

ah the implication of Sirius being in his day clothes, and the whiff of a stale drink about him :(

Ron gives Harry a fleeting look(but does not challenge it) when Harry changes the story to as if he is watching the vision from sidelines, later on in the same chapter, he admits to seeing it through snake's eyes for Sirius and also admits to wanting to attack Dumbledore. Sirius gets the detail that Harry wanted to attack Dumbledore first.

Oh Sirius. :( It's such struggle for him to remain calm in a scene when Fred, understandably upset, hits at something below the belt. Sirius, who is a man of action, who ties his worth to doing hates being in this position. But once they sit down, he tries hard to be a host - giving them Butterbeer, suggesting they go to bed…

Ginny being curled like a cat and her eyes reflecting the firelight is such a sensual image.

"Harry and Sirius looked at each other often, intruders upon family grief… waiting… waiting". Again, the emphasis on how Harry views Sirius.

Sirius cooking for the Weasleys, Sirius saying "the more the merrier" and Molly beaming at him, and them cooking together <3

"well, he doesn't tell me anything any more" - not only does Harry confess the details of the vision, he also allows himself to tack on this resentful sentence of Dumbledore keeping him in the dark.

This is a bit of a moment for Sirius where he wants to assure Harry things are alright before admitting that the vision is worrying him - its one of the few moments in the series that Sirius is not entirely honest with Harry. So he goes to Dumbledore about this next to figure out wtf is going on - which is what arranges the Occlumency lessons.

LOL, the entrance to St. Mungos is a bit creepy, with dummy beckoning you closer with its jointed finger for entering.

Dilys (the headmistress) counting the Weasleys as though to report to Dumbledore who is visiting.

An old man with a hearing trumpet is here to see Broderick Bode.

Mrs Weasley panicking there is a werewolf in public ward, and Mr. Weasley assuring the man that Remus finds his condition easy to manage. Remus really never lets it show, unless he is bitching about Umbridge to Sirius. XD

Poor harry spends the entire chapter thinking that Weasleys had something "accusatory" in how they looked at him (a reflection of his own feelings of guilt), and he keeps being proven wrong: Molly hugs him and thanks him for saving Arthur's life, and Fred and George offer him extendable ears saying Harry has the right to listen in on their father. It makes the end of the chapter, where they are most likely worried about him and scared for him, all the more sad because Harry is going to think they are afraid of him

Chapter 23, 24

Harry's paranoia driving him to a point where he thinks he needs to go to privet Drive to keep other people safe.

Like Sirius, as angry as Harry gets at Dumbledore, he instantly obeys his instruction. And again like Sirius in his depressive episode, Harry also retreats to the room with Buckbeak, and refuses to eat.

hermione asking Harry not to tell Ron that skiing is not really her thing cos he kept laughing too much XD

Hermione and Ginny tag-teaming Harry out of his mood, leading to the "I forgot" "Lucky you" moment. And Ginny gives Harry the knowledge that gives him immediate comfort. Ron joins at the tail end of the conversation, where he senses Harry has started calming down. (He had previously looked down in response to Harry's angry glare)

Sirius singing "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" and his delight at having the house full, "especially at having Harry back":(

Sirius and Remus sending presents that shows both of their tacitly approving DA. Lovely shade to Remus' characterisation. Also how sweet of Tonks to send in a small model of the Firebolt.

Remus comforting Molly about Percy and the implication later that Sirius and Molly are cooking together again - Molly "sounding like she had a bad head cold" and Sirius bringing in turkey.

"The perfume is really unusual Ron" - Ron spotting that Hermione is indeed, a girl. What an awkwardly cute romantic-but-is-it gesture.

Kreacher's den - that is the boiler room where he sleeps - really makes me side-eye the stupid house elf plot that says Walburga and Regulus were "kind" to Kreacher. Sure Jan.

Christmas is the time where there is an uptick of patients who have come in cos of a family argument XD

Remus going to the forlon werewolf in the ward. :(

the Healer who ran after Ron through six portraits to offer remedy for spattergroit XD this will come in handy in Deathly Hallows.

Hermione sounding "slightly breathless" at the sight of Lockhart. Her crush remains XD

Neville saving the wrapper he got from his mum.

Harry being suspicious of Kreacher's behavior is why he is the lead detective of a mystery novel character. XD

Sirius is that character whose presence is just so powerful that his mood infects everyone: whether he is cheerful during the beginning of the holiday, or when he is depressed near the end of the holiday ("oozing under doorways like noxious gas"). Intense boy.

Harry egging on his castle which was tussling with Ron's pawn, lmaoo. "Squash him, squash him, he is only a pawn you idiot." I will say that the "Lucky you" scene and further on put Ginny among the trio. She is sitting with Hermione and Crookshanks, watching Harry and Ron play chess.

Snape and Sirius scene: this is an incredibly fun scene with two characters who are quite a match for each other's verbal sparring, and it also lays out their priorities. Sirius' priority is Harry, and he undercuts the power Snape is trying to establish in the scene by claiming ownership of both the house ("it's my house, you see") and Harry (I'm his godfather"). Snape's priority is Dumbledore's orders + the Order (and he rubs the fact that he is doing an important role to hit undercut Sirius' power in return).

The history between these two also muddies the scene with other complicated things. The moment Sirius stands up to emphasise that Harry shouldnt be bullied, Snape's, ever the hypervigilant against his former bullies, goes to his wand in his pocket. (we see a version of this in SWM, where James calls to him, and "Snape reacted as though he was expecting an attack").

They both throw emasculating insults at each other: Snape goads him about hiding in his mother's house, while Sirius calls him Lucius' lapdog. So essentially, what these two men are saying in the scene is - Sirius: "Stop tormenting Harry" and Snape is saying (especially with the jab about how Lucius knew it was Sirius): "You are putting the Order at risk". Poor Harry stuck at forcing these two grown men apart, standing immobile between them, hand outstretched. XD

Sirius forcing himself to be cheerful around people, and Harry noticing his face fell back into a brooding expression when the focus isnt on him:(

Ugh, Harry just not wanting to leave Sirius behind and the way his chest is constricting at thought of parting. And Sirius giving him a way to contact him, and then giving him a one armed hug. These two loved each other so much:(

The adults fell silent when Harry came in for breakfast, and Tonks was nervous about staying too long in the square (she even threatens Stan for simply saying Harry's name loudly). I wonder what is happening here? Are they being watched/followed? I would have loved to know more behind the scenes Order stuff. Interesting how Tonks takes the lead in this two man job, and how she splits them up, tips Stan to move them along etc etc. More glimpses of her Auror! self.

Harry saying Voldemort's name unnerves Snape, and he almost rubs the arm where his mark is. It shows that Snape is indeed, scared of Voldemort. (also Harry asking the right questions - "why can I see from snake's mind if its Voldemort's thought I am sharing?" smart cookie. It's because Nagini is a Horcrux.)

"well for the first attempt that was not as poor as it could have been" is Snape almost unwillingly complimenting Harry lol, and then he offers feedback in his typical bad teacher way: "remain focused, you wasted too much time and energy shouting. You are handing me memories you fear"

After Harry sees his mother and father in mirror, and Cedric's death once again: Snape looks "paler than usual, and angrier". I dont think he expected to encounter Lily again.

"fools who wear their heart proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked easily - weak people in other words - stand no chance against his powers". Snape is talking about himself, especially teenage Snape who joined the Death Eaters. We see a glimpse of teenage Snape later on, lying on grass and throwing swear words at James even without his wand, throwing a slur at his best friend because he is humiliated - "easily provoked, who cannot control his emotions". This is such an interesting chapter because Snape is talking about himself and there is recognition of who Harry is, away from his projection of "James' son". Snape's lip curl when asking about Ripper the dog, and Harry thinks Snape is mocking him (but interestingly, he never uses it to mock Harry - now or in the future, because it disturbs his James projection on him), but these words show that Snape is recognising himself in him. He hates it and will disassociate from the realisation until near the end of the series. Which gives weight to the "look at me" moment. He is asking Harry to really see him, and asking to be seen in return ("look at me")

Harry asking whats in the department of mysteries, unnerving Snape. Because it holds the prophecy Snape had overheard, but it also tells Snape that this is something that is haunting Harry for months (as he will later tell Dumbledore). Harry and Snape stepping on emotional landmines around each other - it makes for very interesting scenes, but good god, this is such a bad idea.

Hermione looking at Fred and george's Invisibility Hats and puzzling out how they work, and compliments how cleverly they used the charm.

Hermione asking Ron to check up on Harry since he looked ill all evening. <3 these two co-parents.

#harry potter #harry james potter #hp reread #ron weasley #sirius black #hermione granger #remus lupin

[lazywerebat]

hello again 🫶

i am the biggest sucker for angst and comfort

how would you feel about this, the lost boys x trans male reader who’s got really bad daddy issues

the type of daddy issues they make you find comfort in men, seek their love and approval for everything, just really bad attachment issues

so it’s just the reader and his daddy issues affecting how he is with the boys 🫶🫶

Losing My Mind !

Polyam! Lost Boys x TransMan! Reader With Daddy Issues

a/n; thank you for request! i think i may or may not went overboard with this but idrc cuz it was rlly relatable to write! i wrote it based of off a this very very relatable song to me! hope you dont mind that TvT!! also at very end i decided to turn reader into a vampire because that just came to me :))

word count; 6.2k

warnings; reader having bad daddy issues! reader having multiple panic attacks! reader having suicidal thoughts ( not mentioned but hinted )! reader being turned into a vampire!

“LEAVE ME ALONE”

you yelled as you slapped your room door and locking it. You could hear banging on door and yelling coming from other side.

You were laying on the floor in silence and fear, asking yourself over and over again ‘Why the hell am I here?’ and are you losing your mind? Your world has turned to dust ever since you came out to your dad, you thought he would be happy to have a son, you always heard from him that you were meant to be boy. How he would could you his perfect son and now when you are, everything turned upside down. You felt like no one was around, if you could scream you would but you couldn't make a sound. You knew you were slowly dying inside while tears were coming from your eyes and won't stop. You knew you would be like that all night until you heard a sound like someone is throwing rocks at your window. You slowly stood up, wiping away your tears, trying to looking like you weren't crying. You open window to see your four boyfriends waiting for you to come, shit you forgot you were supposed to meet them at boardwalk half hour ago. You didn't bother dressing up because you were wearing [band] t-shirt, jacket Dwayne gave to you, black ripped jeans and boots. At this point you didn't care how you looked around them you were happy that they were in your life and that you could trust someone. You hoped your dad wasn't in living room or near it, you were slowly coming down stairs trying to not make any noises until you exited the house. That went pretty well,

“Heyy baby!”

you heard one of your boyfriends call, you went to them and gave them all kisses and hugs. Soon after that you went to boardwalk as promised, none of them questioned why you didn't show up at promised time. They probably thought you forgot cause of your bad memory issues but what was important to them is that you were there with them. Boys and you were walking down boardwalk looking at many rides and many arcade Santa Carla has to offer. You would asked them if you could go to some rides, go to arcades or anything, which happily they would agree not questioning why you needed their approval in first place, they thought it was cute you asked them to make sure its okay with them. You were having fun until your eyes landed on your father, whose looking at you with either anger, disappointment or both. You didn't realise you went away from boys, everything was mute to you and that feeling was coming back. You didn't knew what boys seen in you and when they looked at you. You were sitting on floor, back against some building, head between your knees while arms hugged your legs. That question repeated in your head ‘Should I end it all?’ if you couldn't be free from all of this or boys seen a fighter in you not ready to leave with a burning desire to live. You felt a hand on your shoulder and someone speaking to you but you couldn't manage to hear what they said. Feeling of bare chest, hand stroking your back while other hand hold you tight made you realise you were in Dwaynes arms. By that you knew others were with you or they were near. You couldn't really see your surroundings as your vision was complete blur. You just heard him comforting you, making sure you were alright and yes or no questions. You closed your eyes as you calmed down, you went more into his chest seeking for more comfort and he happily gave you more. Soon you felt kisses all over your face, some praises and hand stroking your back.

“Is he feeling alright?”

questioned David, Dwayne looked up to him and nodded. David was glad you were doing better. After you calmed down you went to beach. You were sitting on Dwaynes lap as he was giving you kisses on your neck and cheek, David was next to you while Paul and Marko were in ocean, splashing each other and laughing. You watched as they swam in ocean which some people called life. You were always looking for an escape from everything happening in your life recently, you didn't know what that would be, maybe reading comics, drawing, reading or sleeping? You didn't know. Maybe it could be just staring at ceiling in your room as memories of your father and you flooded your mind, how you would have a fight, having good moment together, him teaching you how to properly use a gun and many many more. You were drowning and drowning in memories of your father and you that you didn't realise David was calling you.

“Hey Y/n. You okay?”

he asked while looking at you, you shaked your head to stop memories then look at him while nodding signaling to him your fine. He just looked at you to confirm it and you gave him a smile,

“Im seriously fine Davey, don't worry!”

you reassured him. This time he was one to nod, you didn't know if he believed you or not, you also didn't know if he was reading your mind. You knew that they were vampires, they told you themselves. You were looking around the beach until you spotted a father and a son having nice moment together. You had that feeling again like you were bounded in chains with a stone in youre chest while lungs were filling with memories, you were drowning in them so fast and it was getting harder and harder to breath. Boys noticed your behaviour and took you to cave, they probably read your memories and knew what was going on. You were this time in Pauls arms, David walking around the cave, Dwayne sitting on couch observing everything while Marko wasn't here, you didn't knew where he was. After some time he came with some bottle covered in some shiny gems or whatever they were called as he gave it to David who came to you. You looked at him,

“Come on kitten, drink up, be with us for eternity and forget him.”

he assured, as he was holding bottle in front of you waiting for your answer as everybody else. You didn't care, you knew you would be safe with them that they would protect you forever. You were still recovering from what happened at beach, so your hands were shaking but you open your mouth. You watched him grin while he poured liquid in your mouth as you heard cheering from others.

“We know exactly someone perfect for your first kill handsome.”

Paul mentioned as he held you and gave you kisses. You drank all liquid from bottle and smiled, David held your chin as he kissed you. You knew you were perfectly safe and protected with them.

#the lost boys #tlb 1987 #the lost boys 1987 #tlb #lost boys #the lost boys david #the lost boys dwayne #the lost boys marko #the lost boys paul #tlb david #tlb dwayne #tlb paul #tlb marko #x trans male reader #trans male reader #polyam lost boys #poly lost boys #tlb polyam #tlb poly #the lost boys david x trans male reader #the lost boys dwayne x trans male reader #the lost boys paul x trans male reader #the lost boys marko x trans male reader #polyam lost boys x trans male reader #poly lost boys x trans male reader #reader with daddy issues #trans male reader with daddy issues #daddy issues #korvin does stuff

[ghostdrinkssoup]

Imo S1 Will is a good person. He secluded himself from society to not harm others. He gave up on fulfilling relationships. He was taken off the police force because he let someone stab him instead of pulling the trigger. Who did he actually kill? Just Hobbs, a serial killer who was going to kill Abigail. And he even tried to quit in Coquilles. People like to bring up how he covered for Abigail but at that point he thought Nicholas Boyle was the Copy Cat and attacked her. If he was a bad person he would just be any old cop who kills as much as possible.

hello !! it’s always so interesting to see how people interpret the show and its characters because I view will very differently. I think much of my opinion stems from 1) the nature of his character progression 2) his worldview as shown/set up in the show’s first season and 3) his foil dynamic with hannibal. I’m tempted to write a detailed explanation and tear s1 apart piece by piece but I want to actually sit down and write a separate post about it so I’ll spare you the details and just give you the infodump summary ✨

s1 will is complicated because 1) not all of will’s persona is false (he doesn’t like meaningless violence, for example) and 2) I think he lacks a level of self-awareness concerning his own nature. he’s not entirely ignorant, but he is in denial. he’s a recluse because it’s the nature of his person suit: it’s meant to repel people, rather than lure them in (this changes in s2, honeytrap will my beloved 💖). his empathy is extremely overwhelming for him, yes, however he also has a taste for righteous violence. killing hobbs exposed that, and the rest of his arc follows an internal battle between his preconceived normalcy and his lack of remorse, as well as the thrill he gets from punishing those he feels deserves his wrath. you can understand his worldview by watching the opening lines of the show, as well as the choices he makes during the following seasons, and how each shape his character arc. there’s also a lot of “unmasking” and “seeing” and “becoming” imagery sprinkled throughout this season. these all set up his character arc too

he does try to quit in coquilles, but it’s because he feels himself unravelling. of course jack manipulates him into staying, and since will so desperately wants to believe he’s a good person he latches onto jack’s idea of “saving people” and refuses to leave the job for the remainder of the season. he doesn’t want to confront his own nature, he doesn’t want to unmask himself, and he wants to hide from the truth of himself. he doesn’t refuse the possibility of a relationship with alana when the opportunity presents itself to him despite said isolation, but I think this is because his desire for her is synonymous with his desire for “stability” and “conformity” (hello there heteronormativity)

it’s also important to note that most of his delusions surrounding abigail are tied to a desperation to prove he’s still a good person. he idealises her in his mind and it takes him a long time to realise she’s the bait, even though it’s the most logical conclusion. the reason hannibal is able to manipulate will into keeping quiet and lying about abigail is because he proposes that her killing boyle and him killing tobias is the same as will killing hobbs. hannibal is aware of will’s denial and uses it against him, creating a situation where if will was to condemn abigail or hannibal’s murders he would have to confront himself, which he doesn’t want to do. if will only confronted his own nature, he would’ve figured hannibal out in that scene. but he doesn’t, because by seeing hannibal, he’s forced to see himself. the rest of his arc follows a similar trajectory, for both himself and hannibal. we also can’t ignore the fact that the moment will accepts himself (and realises hannibal is in love with him) the first thing he does is break a dangerous cannibal out of prison NSBSJSJ

still, does all this make will an “evil” person? he isn’t any old cop who kills as many people as possible, you’re right. he’s not a monster, but I think that’s the point. he’s an incredibly complex, human character. we’re meant to empathise with him, but at the same time he exists beyond absolute “good” as well. especially when much of his suffering is tied to repression of the self, as well as unwavering moral conformities. he’s a lot more interesting than the “haunted hero” persona if you look beyond it. also I think using “good” and “evil” to describe will isn’t helpful in an analytical context simply because the show goes out of its way to blur moral absolutes? he exists within the complicated grey, blurring with hannibal. again, much of the show is about deconstructing polarities, particularly the difference between humanity and monstrosity

#oh wow that was a long response ‘summary’ my ass LMAOO #thank you for the ask !! ofc this is all just my personal opinion and you’re not obligated to agree with me #I love a good debate and all that :’)) #but no I’m gonna analyse s1 will in More Detail when I get time #I’ve been rewatching s1 so all this is still very fresh in my mind 👀 #hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannibal meta #will graham #hannigram #ask response #ghost speaks

[suengmi]

context: gn!reader, bff!hyunjin, bff!chan, lots of silly humour

prompt: fluff/comfort drabble where chan/hyunjin get you off your desk cause you are too stressed for your upcoming regional language exam as its important and you are burnt out as hell

warnings: no warnings needed, kinda proofread, a/n at bottom

wc: .9k

╌╌╌╌  it's the hundredth, or maybe two hundredth page that you've read on this one subject. you had dreaded this, knowing how important this was for your future.

it had been a long month, you weren't behind by any means, just frustrated with the work load you had sitting before you on your desk at home.

the regional language exam.

the one exam you were most worried about, the one that eventually pushed you over the edge.

as you look down at the page you see the words almost dancing, your vision blurring the more your eyes widen to try and make sense. there's a word that stands out to you, but you cant remember what it was. every fibre in your being needs to know this word, wants to know this word. for the life of you, you can't remember.

being interrupted by a groan from your friend, you turn to look behind you. chan, his usual cute expression now replaced by a hard frown as he tries to write something, his tongue sitting on the edge of his lip. hyunjin is beside him, pushing his legs out and stifling a yawn, enjoying the satisfied feeling of a good stretch. how can they be so damn calm? everything was riding from this.

it's when you look back to your page you realise you're about to crack. the words no longer make sense, the symbols scrambling more the harder you look. you can feel it, the tears forming and your mind finally breaking.

hyunjin laughs at something on his face and shows chan, making him chuckle too.

you can't take it any more, every sound was grating in your mind. you'd never been this close to burn out before, maybe you already were.

hyunjin laughs again, scrolling through his phone.

"would you shut up?!"

an awkward silence hits the air, both of your boys looking up at you. they stare at you for a moment, not really sure how to react to your outburst of frustration.

suddenly, you feel awful, you never talk to your friends like that. this wasn't you, this was damn burn out.

"hey, you, uh, you good?" hyunjin says as he tilts his head to the side, his eyes searching your own.

"shit- i'm sorry i'm just..." you trail off, feeling embarrassed with what you did.

chan stands from his chair, using the back of his legs to push it back. as he walks to your side he just holds out his arms, his fingers wriggling for you to bring it in. "come on, get away from that desk."

you eventually melt into his touch, tears spilling over the edge as you cry into his black jumper. chan was always a softy, he didn't always know what to say but he knew when you needed a hug.

hyunjin stands and joins in the hug too, wrapping his long arms around your waist to wriggle you around.

"stop!" you say trying to get out of the gorilla grip both of them have on you.

"no, not until you stop crying." hyunjin laughs, squeezing you tighter.

"oh you want it tighter? is that what they said?" chan says in a mocking fashion, clasping his hands behind you so you can't escape.

"no no!" you squeal out, your mind finally seeming to calm down a bit.

it's not even a second later where both of them raise you up and throw you onto your bed, much to your protest.

"what are we gonna do?" hyunjin asks chan, fingers tapping on the bottom of his chin in thought.

chan hums, copying hyunjin's stance, his brows comically frowning. "i've never seen it this bad doctor, i think they need the good stuff."

"oh, we can't, that's only for dire situations!" hyunjin gasps, shaking his head. "we can't!"

chan takes in a sharp breath, eye wide as he looks at you. "we have to doctor, get it, get it now!"

your giggles fill the room, your mind reeling with the display of theatre in front of you. hyunjin runs out your door, socks sliding along the wooden floors as he skids around the corner.

it doesn't take long for him to run back, a whole tub of ice cream in his hand and three spoons.

"it's not or never doctor." chan says to hyunjin, taking the tub into his hand.

hyunjin covers his eyes, turning to dramatically place a hand on the door frame. "i can't look, you do it!"

chan flops onto the bed, his hands out to you with the ice cream tub on them.

"quickly!" he yells into the bed, voice slightly muffled.

with a laugh you take the ice cream, your hand eagerly opening the fresh tub.

"did they take it?" hyunjin questions, his voice cracking in a fake cry.

"yes doctor, you've saved the day!" chan laughs, sitting on the bed next to you.

hyunjin turns from the door frame, hand on his heart as he sighs. "that was close."

it's right this second that you realise how grateful you are for your friends. you're still worried about what's going to happen, if you're going to pass or not.

when you look up at them both they're still laughing, fighting over who gets the next scoop of ice cream. at least with the two of them there to support you and egg you on, you knew you could do it. this is exactly what you needed.

but hey, if you were gonna fail you'd fail together at least.

-

a/n: ow my love ): i know it can be so damn stressful, sorry this took longer than i had anticipated, make sure you're drinking water and fuelling your body ♡ you can do this!!! ended up being not drabble sorry lkjdljalsk i didn't know if u wanted both in there but here ya go

#hyunjin x reader #chan x reader #bangchan x reader #stray kids x reader #myfic #stray kids fic #skz fic #skz #hyunjin x gn reader #bangchan x gn reader #bangchan #hyunjin #this is SOFT #i had fun writing this!!!

[atmosghoul]

Thinking about insomniatic Aether but it’s because his quintessence abilities means he can pick up other ghouls and siblings emotions and we’ll this happened at 1am enjoy.

Aether spends an hour and a half tossing and turning before he realises the restlessness keeping him awake is not coming from him or his pack but from a sibling of sin all the way across the abbey.

He reluctantly gets up and goes to track down the source. He follows the trail. It feels like a thread barely there but pulling him strongly.

He comes to a door and realises he doesn’t know who this door belongs to. He makes it a point to try and learn most of the siblings names and where they sleep in case of nights like this but he finds himself blank.

He sighs and glamours himself before he knocks gently, realising this might be a new initiate. He hears a gasp followed by muffle scuffling before the door is cracked open just a sliver.

A meek face peaks through and Aether can smell their fear spike. He offers a gentle smile and a soft wave of his hand.

“Uh hi,” he says barely above a whisper. “Sorry to bother you I just thought you might could use some help,” he gives a pause allowing them to reply but continues when they stay silent, still only able to see a portion of their face through the sliver of the door.

“I’m Aether. I’m one of Papa’s ghouls,”

More silence, but the door opens just a sliver more and they readjust their position so their full face is peeking through. Large green eyes slightly sunken due to exhaustion and possibly crying, shaggy brown hair in messy waves that fall in their eyes. Aether can see the tension already start to relax but there’s still fear there.

“Did they tell you about us ghouls?”

They take a moment but nod. Aether smiles wider and waits for any word from them but gets nothing but a face of fear attempting to be hidden.

“Can I come in? I usually offer the new siblings a bit of a welcome wagon but I wasn’t aware we had one. When did you arrive?”

They open the door wider and leave it open as they turn and walk towards their desk to grab something but don’t answer.

Aether notices the room seems more lived in than a new sibling’s should. Furniture moved out of its default arrangement, wall decor clearly having been there a while.

The sibling turns around holding a notepad with two words written on it.

Not new

Aether stares in confusion at the paper being held in front of him, wondering why they weren’t speaking “Oh I’m sorry I’ve never seen you around before. How long have you-“

He stops as the sibling turns around placing the notepad on the desk and writing something else before gently pushing it towards Aether again.

Face me when you talk

Suddenly it clicks and Aether feels like an idiot. He remembers hearing about a new initiate but never got the chance to meet them and in the fuss of going on tour he’d forgotten to introduce himself when they got back. A week ago.

He turns to the sibling and tries to recall the handful of lessons he’d taken years ago. Bored on the road during his first tour discovering humans had created a whole way of communicating with their hands.

His sign language skills are admittedly pedestrian but he gives his best effort.

I. Sorry. Not. Realise. My name A-E-T-H-E-R. Want. Help. You. Bad sleep.

The sibling smiles at the effort. They sign back a bit fast for Aether’s comprehension especially so sleep deprived as he is but he picks up the important bits.

They introduced themself as Rian and Aether has to ask them to spell it again because he thought they’d spelled Rain.

After a few times of Aether struggling Rian explains that they can read lips well enough and promises to sign slower so Aether can keep up.

Aether explains about his quintessence magic and what brought him to their room so late and Rian apologises before explaining that they’d been having trouble adjusting to life in the abbey. Being the only deaf sibling was difficult. The rest of the clergy were nice enough but trying to make friends was difficult and it had been weighing on them.

They chat through most of the night and Rian agrees to help Aether with his signing before they say their goodnights.

As Aether is headed towards the door he turns back to Rian and taps their shoulder.

You want help sleep? He signs.

Rian looks at him puzzled. Aether laughs and explains, speaking this time, that he can use his quintessence to help ease them to sleep before he leaves.

Rian agrees and Aether goes about explaining how it works before instructing Rian to lie in bed and get comfy.

Neither of them realised how often an occurrence nights like this would be.

#idk man #I’m having many thoughts about this now #I have to work tmrw and this is gonna be all I’m thinking about #aether ghoul #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #ghost #ghost bc #aether #atmos writes