#it's like you have a fever and it's like you're running up a hill in the winter and it's like you're singing at the top of your lungs

[thebirdandhersong]

😂😂😂 I SAID I WAS GOING TO DO IT BUT I DIDN'T THINK THAT MEANT I WAS GOING TO WRITE A WHOLE 2K WORDS TODAY

#well anyway it's here i guess. i'm already halfway through writing chapter 2 #boy HOWDY i love the feeling of writing like this #it's like you have a fever and it's like you're running up a hill in the winter and it's like you're singing at the top of your lungs #anyway i had SUCH a good time! #this IS a bit of a slow start. they're like 7 here and they're 8 in the next chapter.......... but things shall pick up eventually #at least i THINK. lol who knows!!!! #narnia story: two girls and a lion

[familyvideostevie]

a warm horizon

this was the second most voted from this poll, hope you enjoy! springtime with steve | fem!reader, 1k

"I'm telling you, it swelled up to the size of a...a...golf ball. No, a baseball. Right on my wrist, which made it impossible to actually play baseball for like, two weeks. " Steve's hands gesticulate wildly as he pantomimes something much larger than a baseball appearing at the base of his thumb. You look down at where his head rests in your lap and she that his eyebrows are furrowed in genuine angst. "And it hurt. So, yeah, excuse me if I swat at a bee when I see one."

"Swatting at them just makes them mad," you tell him, leaning back on your hands and casting your gaze to the blue sky. You should have brought your sunglasses. Silly boy, you think. Afraid of bees, of all things. 

"Swatting at them gets them away from me for long enough to run back to the safety of my car."

The spring breeze blows through the now-green grass of the hill and catches one of the edges of your blanket, flipping it over. You can't bring yourself to move to fix it. "And you'll abandon me?"

"Sorry, babe," Steve says. You look down again to find him grinning at you. His eyes sparkle in the sunshine."They don't come after you like they do me. I'm like honey, or something."

You flick his nose and he swats at you as if you're the offending insect."No idea why, since I'm much sweeter than you."

Steve pouts and you laugh. "Brutal. You're hanging out with Dustin too much."

You lower yourself to your elbows and then your back so that you're just as sprawled on the blanket as he is. "S'what you get for abandoning me to nature, Steve." Huge, fluffy clouds amble across the sky above you. Everything seems more beautiful, more alive during the first few weeks of spring. Everyone laughs a little louder and walks around with a spring in their step. 

"I wouldn't actually abandon you," Steve says. "You might have to defend me, though. I'm serious, I think I'm allergic or something."

"I can do that," you say. "I'll protect you from the big, bad bees." Steve snorts. 

"Alright, alright, I get it. They're just bugs." You reach down blindly to slide your hand into his hair as a somewhat sincere apology for making fun of him. He does handle pretty much every other critter fairly well -- he is a little freaked out by butterflies but lets you stop him when you see one on your walks. He catches fireflies with the kids and even takes spiders outside if you ask him to. But your handsome, brave, incredible boyfriend isn't at his best this time of year. 

"How's your hay fever?" you ask, eyes closing to enjoy the sunshine. On cue, he sniffs. 

"Fine. The new pill I got at the pharmacy last week doesn't make me sleepy, which is nice." But then he sneezes. "Shit." He sneezes again.

"I have tissues in my bag." The weight of his head disappears from your lap and you hear him rummage through your things. He'll be fine in a few weeks when everything stops blooming but until then you try to carry around anything he might need.

"Don't open your eyes," he says. "This is gross." It sounds more like "gwoss" as he blows his nose. 

"Oh, you think I don't find my snotty boyfriend cute?" Steve ignores you and settles back on top of you, his head higher up on your stomach this time. He likes to feel you breathe.

"Spring is bullshit," he says without any real venom. 

"It's not all bad," you chastise him. "The sun is nice. Your hair will get lighter if we spend enough time out here."

He hums. "Well, I do get to see more of your legs." You feel his hand squeeze your thigh. 

"Steve!" He's impossible. You tilt your chin so you can see him only to find him grinning up at you just like before, only now his nostrils are a little red. He is still so handsome it makes your chest ache. "You know very well you get to see them whenever you want."

"Don't I know it." You look away but feel his eyes on you still.

"What?"

"You're extra pretty in the spring," he says. "Just...happier. Lighter." Your face feels hot. It's disarming, sometimes, the way that Steve talks about you. Not only to you with compliments, but to other people. He tells old ladies in the grocery store about promotions you get at work and loudly sings your praises in rooms full of people. You took him shopping last week and when you came out of the dressing room in a new pair of jeans he asked the sales girl how she felt to have the prettiest girl in the world in her store. 

He's embarrassing and you love him so much. 

"You're extra pretty in the spring," you fire back. He reaches for your hand. 

You squeeze and he squeezes back. "I guess we're the greatest looking couple alive."

"Guess so." You wonder if you could fall asleep out here. 

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"We're on pickup duty at 4," you remind him. "But I'm happy to stay here for a little while longer." From your spot on the hill, it's easy to imagine that the rest of the world doesn't exist. It's just you and the boy you love on this blanket, enjoying each other's company and the warmth of the sun after a long winter. There are things you have to do, of course, and other people you love who you want to see. But it's nice to pretend, even for just a little bit.

"Me too," Steve says softly. 

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, masterlist here!

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things x reader

[lacyscabinet]

Sickness

Natalie Scatorccio x reader

NOT PROOFREAD

MASTERLIST

A/n: hi y'all!!! Sooo... sorry this isn't a request but a couple of days ago I was really sick and I thought "I wouldn't survive a day in the wilderness during winter" so I basically created a scenario where the reader gets a fever while stranded. Enjoy:)

After that cursed night when the desperation got the best of all of you and you all ended up banqueting over poor (but perfectly cooked) Jackie, everything started going even more down hill that you thought was possible.

The weather grew colder, there was no game in sight which was getting Natalie extremely frustrated and Lottie's cult started to form.

Your days were spent chopping wood in the burning cold, helping Mary in the kitchen trying to make the most of whatever you had or simply staying in the living room under a blanket, facing the fire and getting warm.

One particular morning Taissa took down a huge tree after you realized that soon the wood you saved up for the cabin was going to run out. So when she was done she passed you the axe and headed back to the cabin leaving you alone.

Soon enough it started to snow, and it's not like you could just go back inside, if you did everyone would freeze to death that night, and you thought to yourself "If Nat and Travis go out in the snow every day I can stay out here a little longer'

So you did. After four hours you had enough wood for a few days but you decided to keep going, chopping some more.

"What are you doing out here during a fucking blizzard y/n?" Suddenly a voice called out, Natalie and Travis came back from their daily (failed) hunt

"Chopping wood" you simply said, and Natalie shook her head "Come inside, you're gonna get sick, you're not used to staying in the cold for this long" she placed her hand on your back, guiding you back to the cabin.

At dinner time Mari served the watery soup she prepared and you all chugged it down to at least get the brief feeling of fullness for a while, Natalie sat next to you, her elbow colliding with yours every time she raised the cup to her lips.

Suddenly you let out a small cough and Nat's eyes immediately shifted on you with a worried expression "You okay?" She asked, you simply nodded and acted as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You ready to sleep?" Natalie asked as she got comfortable in your shared makeshift bed, you sat next to her with a tired look on your face, and Nat immediately realized that it wasn't just because you needed some sleep, she wrapped her arms around you and pulled you to her, placing a hand on your burning forehead "Shit" she mumbled "you're sick baby, you have a fever" you rested your back on her chest, closing your eyes, slowly the fever started to rise and suddenly you heard Natalie talking to Van "Wet this cloth with cold water or something we need to keep the fever down"

Seconds later the cloth was placed on your forehead and you softly whined at the contact "shhhh...I know it's cold but it will help" she cooed in your ear, suddenly you ended up in a coughing fit, your girlfriend's eyes widened and she instantly rubbed your back trying to reassure you.

After another couple of hours you finally fell asleep in Nat's arms, she stayed awake all night, checking on you and immerging the cloth in cold water periodically.

"Here, it's for her" Natalie heard Lottie mumble, looking up the brunette was holding a necklace with the tooth of the bear she killed at the end of the summer as a charm "It's for protection, the wilderness told me..."

"Shut the fuck up Lottie!" Natalie snapped at her "This is serious she's really sick and your wicca bullshit is not gonna help her, she needs paracetamol and cough syrup so if the wilderness told you where to find that stuff I'll be glad to listen but I doubt that happened so please, please, just leave us alone now"

Slightly hurt by her friend's tone Lottie backed up and went back to her bed, falling asleep.

After a couple of minutes you woke up because of a runny nose, Nat passed you a piece of cloth and waited for you to be done.

"how are you feeling baby?" She asked, scared that you were feeling worse, you cuddled up to her once more and mumbled "I feel the same" and even tho Natalie was slightly relieved that the pain wasn't encasing, she knew that you were still in pain "I'm so sorry y/n, I wish I could do something but I can't do anything and it's just-"

"No... it's okay Nat, you're already doing more than enough for me"

Natalie smiled, cradling your head on her shoulder waiting for you to fall back asleep, hoping that you were going to get better.

#natalie scatorccio #yellowjackets #natalie scatorccio x reader #nat scatorccio #nat scatorccio x reader #nat scatorccio x #yellowjackets x reader #natalie scatorccio x y/n #yellowjackets x you #writers on tumblr

[final-girl96]

Broken World: Chapter Fifteen

Everyone got into the vehicle they would be riding in and we left. While the rest of us turned left, Morales turned right. Dale was in the lead in the rv, Rick was behind him in Carol's Cherokee. Lori, Carol, and the kids were with him. T-Dog and Andrea were in the church van behind them, then it was Daryl and I with Shane behind us. “This is such a stupid idea,” I mumbled. Daryl grunted beside me, he had one hand on the wheel and was leaning on the window with his other arm. I'm surprised he responded at all. “Better than going off alone,” he said. I shrugged, “I don't know, Daryl, I think Morales was smart not to come with us.”

“O'course you'd run off. You're good at runnin’ off,'' Daryl mumbled. I rolled and scoffed. “I left because I had nothing in that town to keep me there. My family didn't want me. Hell, they didn't even notice when I moved out of the house. I left so you wouldn't have to look at me every time you came to the bar or saw me on the streets. I had no family and no friends in that town, there wasn't anything or anyone, for that matter, holding me back.” He scoffed again and mumbled something under his breath. I wasn't in the mood to even have this conversation with him.

“I didn't do anything to ya to make ya leave.” My head snapped to look over at Daryl. “You called me a fucking pig, Daryl! I was doing my job. Your brother knew the victim, he was seen with him the night he was killed. I don't know why you idolize him so damn much. He's a drug addict, he's racist and sexist. He does nothing but put you down. You're a better man than that Daryl.” He scoffed at me, “You don't know a damn thing about me or my brother. So keep your damn mouth shut!” I just shook my head and looked out the window. “Why the hell did you want me to even ride with you? I should have just gone with Shane.” I didn't get an answer for that question. Dale honked his horn and we all pulled off onto the side of the road.

Jim wasn't doing so well; he wanted us to leave him there. He was coughing up more blood, his fever was insanely high, and he was having delusions, but he was clear headed enough at the time to know what he was talking about. Rick didn't think it was right to just leave him there. He was so set on the CDC still being up and running. He had way too much faith in them having a cure. In his mind all we had to do was get there and they could help Jim. But that's not the case. Jim would die before we got there and he would turn. It was the best decision for the group and Jim knew that. Rick and Shane helped him up the hill and sat him against a tree. Everyone said their goodbyes and we got back into our vehicles to continue our trip to the CDC.

“Had your chance to go with Shane,” Daryl mumbled as we slowly pulled back onto the road. “Yeah, well, although I don't like you at this very moment, I still feel safer with you. Shane gives me the fucking creeps with the way he watching Lori and Rick.” Daryl hummed in agreement. The rest of the ride was in awkward silence. The sun was starting to go down by the time we got to the CDC. Just like I had told Rick, the parking lot and the road in front of the build was littered with dead bodies. The smell of rotting was intense and flies swarmed around them. “Like I said, this place is a bust,” I mumbled.

I reluctantly walked with everyone towards the front doors. We zig-zagged through the dead laying on the ground, taking care of any walkers that got too close. The smell was so intense my stomach churned. I didn't like being this close to the city at night. I always tried to avoid going out into the city when it got back. I kept my light to a minimum while inside and stayed in the breakroom with the door shut and barricade. It wasn't the walkers I worried about getting it, there weren't any on my floor. I was more worried about people finding me. I got lucky with Glenn, but there were a lot of bad people out there roaming free, and the good people would turn bad. You'll do anything when it comes to surviving.

When we reached the front doors, the building was locked down tight. The metal gates were pulled down over the doors and there was no opening them from the outside. Night had started to settle in and more walkers were starting to slowly creep towards us. The children whimpered and held onto their mothers. “Rick, there is nobody here. We need to go now!” I hissed at him. “This place wouldn't be locked down if there weren't people inside.”

“Those people could be fucking dead for all we know. They work with very deadly shit, Rick! We need to go now! We can not be this close to the city at night,” I told him. Shane grabbed ahold of him and started to drag him away. Daryl, Glenn, and T-dog were taking out any walkers that got too close. “The camera…it moved! The camera moved!” Rick said, breaking free from Shane and started to pound on the door. “You're seeing this, man,” Shane told him, trying to drag Rick away from the door.

Rick was begging for whoever he thought was in there to let you in. “We have children, hardly any gas or food!” Shane was able to pull him away. “You're killing us! You're killing us!” Rick yelled. Walkers were getting closer, more showing up from all the noise that had been created by Rick banging and yelling. Shane tugged on Rick, pulling him away from the doors. We started to make our way back to the vehicles, taking out any walkers close by. The kids wrapped themselves around their mothers, soft cries and sniffles could be heard from them. Then the doors opened, halting us in our tracks and a bright blinding white light streamed out.

#daryl dixon fanfic #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #twd daryl #daryl x reader #daryl dixon fanfiction #the walking dead daryl dixon #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead fic #the walking dead #twd fanfiction #twd fic #twd #twd andrea #twd tdog #twd michonne #rick grimes #carl grimes #lori grimes #shane walsh #carol petelier #sophia peletier #dale horvath #twd Jacqui #beth greene #maggie greene #glenn rhee #hershel greene

[writefinch]

In Hot Pursuit (Part 3)

(more Catradora She-Ra slashfic, see previous parts here: https://www.tumblr.com/writefinch/728642200176574464/in-hot-pursuit-part-1

https://www.tumblr.com/writefinch/728754104388796416/in-hot-pursuit-part-2)

It got worse when she slept.

An hour before sunrise she stopped trying to sleep. Everything felt tender and she could feel roots and rocks digging into her under the bedroll, so she got up. She couldn't go further than a hundred meters in any direction for another hour, so she stood up and stretched, which felt good, really good, almost good enough to make up for how badly she'd slept. She had time to eat a whole meal-sized ration pouch of tuna pasta, and she actually heated up her instant tea to go with it. She wished she hadn't heated the tea; her cheeks flushed the second she sipped it. She cleaned up her camp, packed everything away, checked her maps and checked her pack and double-checked both of them again out of boredom.

The sun rose with a few minutes to go. The dirt under the tree had smeared into clay where she'd spent hours tossing and turning on top of it. It irked her, she was supposed to be able to curl up and sleep anywhere, Adora was the one who shadowboxed in her sleep. She scattered dead pine needles to conceal the depression, but even Adora would be able to spot it.

Her transponder buzzed and flashed green. She beelined for a creek nearby to refil her canteens. It was small and muddy but it'd be fine after a pass through a water filter, and a walk upstream through the shallow water would completely wash away her scent, at least for a while.

The cold water around her ankles shocked her awake. The next transmission point was five kilometers east from here, an hour's hike in this terrain. Scorpia said this estrus thing lasts three days, it's been one day, so all she needed to do was stay ahead of Adora, even just one kilometer ahead of her, for the next forty-eight hours. That was assuming that this thing broke like a fever and got worse until it stopped, maybe she'd get lucky and it'd peak today, and even assuming Adora caught up tomorrow - and why assume that, it's not like she doesn't run circles around Adora all the time - it'd probably be so mild by then that she could play it off as getting over a cold, and then Adora would have to accept that even sick Catra was a better scout than she was.

Spite hardened into determination as she pushed forward, channelling the nervous, gnawing energy into her step. She crossed the creek and set off up a hill, staying within the treeline wherever she could. If she moved fast enough, she could trick herself into thinking that the flushed cheeks and hard breathing were just from exertion.

X623, Y031, Z108. A clearing with a jagged lump of shale sticking up out from the dirt. At the top of that rock was a small antennae. Catra scaled the rock, connected her transponder to the antennae, and patched into the hailing frequency. A progress bar filled in the bottom of the tranponder screen as it relayed the last day's tracking data back to base.

'Scorpia, this is Catra, I'm at the second point, confirm when you've received the transmission.'

'Catra, this is Scorpia, all data successfully received, you're cleared to move on to the next point.' Instead of giving the next set of coordinates, she paused. Then, she said. 'So, how are you holding up?'

'Ugh.' She'd meant to think that, not say it. 'I'm fine. This estrus thing is driving me crazy but I'm halfway through it, right? It'll be over before Adora even sees me.'

'Right. About that, Catra, yesterday I felt lost after I couldn't give you any good advice, so I looked through my personal files and found a copy of the orientation document, with appendices.'

'Yeah?' Something gnawed at her stomach. She'd heard this tone in Scorpia's voice before.

There was a deep intake of breath through the transponder, and then '"First estrus in felid phenotypes occurs sixty Etherian days after the last suppressant dose and lasts between seven and twenty-one days with an average length of fourteen days. During this period, observed symptoms are flushed skin, tail deflection, spinal flexion, rubbing or rolling, treading of the hind legs, body and tail tremors, emotional instability and vaginal discharge." Catra, that's the appendix for your body type.'

'No. That can't be right. Read it again.'

Scorpia carefully repeated the paragraph. Catra shook her head, and had to stifle a sob when she heard the words 'between seven and twenty-one days' again.

'Fourteen days? I can't draw this out for fourteen days.' She winced as she felt her voice crack.

'It could be as low as seven days!'

'I can't draw this out for seven days!'

'I am so sorry.'

She glanced down at her hand. It was shaking, and her claws extended and retracted involuntarily. She lowered her voice. 'Scorpia, change the frequency to our personal encrypted line, and if there's anyone else in the room with you, get them out.'

A click, a crackle, a beep. Scorpia's voice sounded tinnier. 'Done, and I've been alone the whole time.'

'Okay, first question: estrus makes me feel really, really needy. Every time I slow down, my brain yells at me to curl up somewhere quiet and lick myself until I can't see straight. If I do that, what will happen?'

'You'll feel great! The appendix says "genital arousal is magnified significantly during the estrus period."'

'That'll cure me? Really!?'

'Oh! No, I'm sorry, it won't help that at all, it just feels good.'

'Gah!' Catra felt her teeth clench and her forehead pulse, and then a thought struck her. 'Wait, estrus is about mating, right? What if I trick my body into thinking that's happened?'

'Let me look, just one moment, ah, "during the estrus period, stimulation via vaginal penetration combined with firm pressure to the lower back and the application of viscous fluid to the cervical opening will trigger ovulation--"'

'Yes! Yes! Here's what I need you to do, first you need to find Entrapta and swear her to secrecy and tell her that this is for your own personal use, you need to make her build a cylindrical device with a rounded end sixteen centimeters long with a slight and I mean slight upwards curve, it needs a pump device filled with that goop in aloe vera leaves and it'd be good if it vibrates but that's not like critical, she's got to build it in the next five hours and that'll give you time to use an old Horde drone to airdrop it at the next--'

'"--however, this will not end the estrus period, and multiple ovulations can be triggered within a single felid estrus."'

'No!' Her voice cracked the 'no' into three syllables.

'I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more.'

'No, this can't happen! Scorpia, everyone is gonna--' her voice cracked again, '--gonna see me like this. I can't let this happen to me again!'

'What can't you let happen again?' Scorpia spoke with the softness of caution.

Catra stifled a sob, sighed, and sobbed anyway. 'Two months ago, I saved Adora, by extension saving She-Ra, the Heart of Etheria and the entire universe at the same time,' she said, hoarsely. 'It was really impressive.'

'You did a great job. I was so proud for you.'

'Do you know how they've all treated me since then? They're treating me like a hero! This is the first time in my life where I've done something great and nobody is trying to undermine ten minutes later! Nobody says it doesn't count because I didn't train hard enough, nobody is 'rewarding' me with a bunch of paperwork they think I'll fail at and nobody is telling me Adora did it better!'

'Yeah, people out here are a lot nicer than--'

Catra sighed. 'It's not cause they're nice, it's cause they're still deciding. They know I was the one who was always one step ahead of Adora, and they know I saved everyone. If people see Adora catching up to me, if they see me like this - needy? feverish? meowing? - then I'll go back to being treated like Adora's sidekick. I can't take that again.'

'Catra, I want you to listen to me,' said Scorpia, her voice unusually firm. 'The only person in the Horde who thought you were less capable than Adora was Shadow Weaver, and she thought that because she was a bad guardian, a bad commander, and a bad person. You were never a sidekick.'

'But don't you see? Right now, everyone loves Adora, and they're scared of me. If they think I'm a dumb little housecat who just wants to curl up in Adora's lap and purr and lift her tail, then I'm not so scary any more am I? They won't have to flinch when I look at them, they won't have to stay on my good side, they won't have to ask what I think about anything, they can just ask nice, loveable Adora what she thinks her sidekick thinks.'

'Catra! It's not going to be like that.'

Catra thought she sounded just like her, and for a moment wondered if Adora had given her lessons. Her voice hardened. 'I know it's not going to be like that. Scorpia, I've changed my mind, I'm not dragging this out. I'm going to beat her so fast and so hard that she'll have to re-think the entire exercise and prove to everyone that she's not my sidekick.'

'It's only a training exercise--'

'It's more than that and you know it!'

'I was going to say, it's only a training exercise, so, as your friend, why don't I modify your transponder and cut an hour off your daily rest period, just to give you a little edge?'

'You'd do that for me?'

'If you're not cheating, you're not trying. I had to forge paperwork all the time back in the Horde, with pincers, so our unit wouldn't fail half its inspections. I honestly kind of miss it.'

Catra felt tears on her cheeks again. 'You're the best. Thank you.'

'I know. The next coordinates are X829, Y042, Z055.'

'I'll see you there.'

* * *

She saw the outdoors for the first time when she was seven or maybe eight, all young kids, too young to be issued rifles as they marched around a small hill in the arable land south of the Fright Zone. It wasn't real wilderness, walking by the hedgerows of mechanically-tilled fields, across runoff-filled ditches that were more algae than water, through the copses of grid-planted timber trees on the hillside, but when you're three feet tall it might as well be the Whispering Woods. It took three hours to get to the far side of the hill and four hours to get back and by the halfway point they were bug-bitten, sunburned, chafed, thirsty, briar-scratched and exhausted.

It was wonderful.

She remembered the mint bush at the side of the trail, one weed among many, how she'd taken a single leaf between her thumb and forefinger and gently plucked it off, slick and waxy on the dark upwards-facing side, soft and almost fuzzy on the underside, and how it smelled like nothing else in the Fright Zone, like you'd given coldness itself a flavor. She remembered trying the same thing with a stinging nettle, and how hard she'd worked not to cry, and how Catra distracted her from the pain by challenging her to a cranefly-eating contest, which worked because she hadn't yet learned that Catra always won those contests.

It made the Fright Zone feel… delicate. The Fright Zone was a garden of pipes and right-angles that required constant tending to fix the cracks, the leaks, the mould and the pests. The outdoors was the opposite, it had to be hacked back and controlled to stop it turning into more of the outdoors. The wilderness grew its own possibilities, and the wonder she'd felt at that had never really gone away.

In the present, her quads burned as she hauled her way up the slope. She found herself missing Bow and Glimmer. She'd see a weird plant or a shortcut or an animal track and she'd get that tiny impulse to turn her head and halfway-think to say 'Hey guys, look at this!' before remembering she was alone. Also, a teleport or even a good rope arrow would come in clutch right now.

Still, there were silver linings to solitude. There was a kind of freedom to it. Hard to make a lot of noise when you're the only one there, less shapes to silhoutte against the skyline, less scent to leave on the trail. It stripped away distractions, it gave her space to listen, it gave her time to think.

It also gave her time to not think. Without the thoughts and voices of others to crowd it out, she could let her mind empty out until nothing but the shape of her training remained, and her instincts would fill in the gaps. You couldn't follow a trail this quickly thinking hard about it, she'd been moving at a light jog for hours like a truck barreling down a highway on autopilot, the track marks and hints of scent like tail lights seen through heavy rain, nudging her steering one way or another to keep her on the road.

With all that had changed since the Heart incident, all the Horde territories that had gone dark overnight, the nootectonic shifts which had turned lethally-dangerous First Ones waste zones into traversible territory, the enticingly dangerous ancient ruins springing forth from the soil, the Princess Alliance needed a strong cadre of pathfinders just to map the new Etheria. It was Catra's mission to recruit a promising team, train them, send them out into the field, and use them to train a whole corps of scouts. It had been Catra's idea, lock, stock and barrel.

Catra hadn't asked Adora to join her. She'd left the files where Adora could see them, and she'd talked about it where she knew Adora would overhear her, and then she'd spent all day being hard to find so Adora had to run around looking for her. When she finally caught up with her, Adora very casually and very cooly asked her, with no hint of neediness or fear-of missing out, if she could be part of the operation.

'Adora, I could get used to hearing you beg…'

That little smirk of hers was criminal.

She was glad Catra had talked her into doing this dry run, no trainee scouts, just the two of them. There was clearly some rust to shake off. When they'd both been cadets, they'd been allowed to do the Raider Assessment and Selection Course, a miserable six week ordeal of long marches, reduced rations and constant discipline. The only personal items they were allowed were a toothbrush, a uniform, and the Raider's Handbook, a comprehensive guide to Horde light infantry doctrine and procedure. She'd brought along her old copy of the handbook, and she read a few pages at the start of each nightly rest period, wincing as she recognized her mistakes. It was nice to be able to spot these things before a trainee could point them out.

It was mid-afternoon when she reached Catra's last campsite. At first it was a guess, based on the 'slow' look of the tracks around the clearing and the timing of when their last rest period took place. She saw leaves and pine needles lying in piles like leaves and pine needles don't, and when she nudged the pile with a stick, she saw a depression in the dirt as if someone had laid down a rucksack or a bedroll. She got low to the ground, and sniffed. Catra.

She crouched down next to the tree, drank from her canteen and ate - raisins, an oatmeal bar, a block of spicy chili cheese. She opened her map. She'd checked off the last transmission point, and followed with her finger to Catra's last campsite. There were five potential transmission points Catra could be headed to from the last one. This campsite ruled out one, assuming she wanted to reach the next one before tomorrow.

Something felt strange. She looked down at the impression in the dirt. Catra was a quick sleeper, and she's light. She wasn't the type to wear a hole through the mattress tossing and turning all night. Had she been trying to level out the ground? Or trying to rig together some piece of equipment? When she got bored and didn't care who knew it she liked to scratch stuff up, but there was no sign of that, no claw marks and no wood shavings. It was suspicious.

Which was normal for Catra, in all honesty.

She stood up and continued walking. There was a creek nearby on the map. She needed to go there for water. She knew Catra would have gone there to mask her scent, which she clearly needed because Adora could practically see her smell today. It would be difficult with the water washing away prints and scent, but if she could work out if Catra had gone upstream or downstream she could rule out another transmission spot either way.

When she reached the riverbank, she saw the entry pawprints in the soft mud. That meant Catra hadn't just crossed the creek, she'd waded in and continued on through the water. That would make her scent impossible to track.

But it didn't?

It was faint, sure. It faded and shifted as the breeze changed, but its traces still lingered on the banks of the creek. Almost right away, she knew that Catra had gone upstream. There were a dozen points where Catra could have crossed but one just… it just smelled like Catra! Not long after, once she waded across the creek, the trail picked up just as strong as before.

Adora stopped, crouched, and thought.

Catra never smelled this strong before. The smell was strong and strong in a weird way too, more concentrated and more Catra-ish, like a fighter cutting weight before a match, condensing her bodily essence as she sweated out all her excess water. She didn't know how, but Catra was clearly marking her scent deliberately. She wanted to be found.

For a moment, Adora thought Catra was patronizing her. Catra considered herself the better scout by far, and she wasn't completely wrong. This was just her way of ruffling Adora's hair, calling her 'squirt' and reminding her who was learning from who out here.

She then remembered Catra would never do that. That was what she would do to if she felt cocky. When Catra wanted to prove her skill, that meant complete domination of her opponents. And if she wanted to demonstrate total superiority, to beat Adora and force her to her knees, why would she make her trail easy to follow unless--

Catra was preparing an ambush.

That would technically be a victory condition, she thought. The hunter team can't exactly accomplish its objectives if its lone member is gagged and hogtied at the runner team's feet. She grinned wide, and blushed a little.

Things had been wonderful since the Heart of Etheria, and the nights and days she'd spent in Catra's arms had been the sweetest of their lives, but it had been so sweet and so pure it had almost scared them, as if they had found themselves back in a dream that they might wake up from at any moment. As much as she'd never admit it to Catra, she craved a little spite, some rivalry, some… claws, and some teeth.

And right now, she wanted to see exactly how Catra was gonna scratch and bite once Adora pinned her to the ground and rubbed her face in the dirt.

#catradora #fanfic #story #she ra

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

|| 5 SONGS THAT ALWAYS INSPIRE YOU TO WRITE YOUR MUSE. ||

1. I'm the Mountain — Stoned Jesus

I'm the mountain, rising high It's the way that I survive I'm the mountain, tell my tale The greatest story's now for sale I'm the seaside, I'm the waves I'm the one that makes you crave I'm the valley, I'm the hills Look at me, I'm standing still I'm the mountain, I'm the plains Tell me now, am I insane I'm the spirit, I'm the source I'm the roots, I am the doors I'm the roads, long and hard running out of my heart I'm the mountain, climb me up And we're never gonna stop

2. Goliath [Alternative] — Woodkid

A sustained heart pain and a dark fever How did I get fooled by such a savage curse? The more I forgive you, the more it backfires Now you're dancing through the smoke like nothing else matters Where are you going, boy? When did you get so lost? How could you be so blind? How could you be so blind?

3. Mob Mentality — Earthside (feat Lajon Witherspoon & Moscow Studio Symphony Orchestra)

Finally A moment to myself And I realize I know who I am But not what I’m living for I need a reason that isn’t a rhyme I need a meaning that isn’t a reason why I’ll leave you all with a scar, a permanent mark For when death do us part Because it’s hard to face Knowing we all will fade away

4. The Pursuit of Knowledge — Zach Hemsey

I’ve seen the treasure that waits for a man to find I’ve seen the consequence when the sun and the moon combine I’ve seen the peaks of mountains that reach out and touch the sky The struggle to survive and the desert where dreams have died I’ve seen the best and the worst that we try to hide The salt of the earth and the evil of humankind I’ve seen the wrecked and ravaged and scavengers rummage through debris And those that searched in hope, finding meaning where none once used to be And some that stormed the beaches Some that pledged allegiance Some that scorched the earth for motives that they don’t agree with Seen some get lost among the current of their grievance While the tide of death and birth left some speechless I’ve seen love bring some to their knees And some lift hearts when they smile for no reason I’ve seen fairytale endings to believe in And now I see a man who’d see the same if he’d but seize it

5. The Ascent - Caligua's Horse

Forward Like loss could colour cloud and distance edify A farewell to sunrise The decaying heartbeat of the sky So as the hills drink deep We watch survivors trace their old calligraphy In blood Forward, with all I took with me A spite of my design Too long the lesson All it took to leave my hate to lie What a privilege it is to watch the day's last colour die Teaching us to climb Forward now Through Forward now Through And into your hands, I leave all that I could not reach You are the worlds colliding We built a world Your sails unfurled

Tagged by: @xxlordalexanderxx

Tagging: @rxdhairxdsirxns @thxpatriarch @shatteredwastes @nomercyleft @forbiddenwoodlands @liightbrngr @dethqveen @cursedfortune @dragonskxn

#ooc #ooc dash games #music from the mun's playlists #music for hriob

[rainbowfic]

Today's prompt list is: Avocado

Theme: Music 1. The full moon is calling / The fever is high / And the wicked wind whispers / And moans - The Eagles: One Of These Nights

2. And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune / Then the piper will lead us to reason / And a new day will dawn for those who stand long / And the forests will echo with laughter - Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin

3. All the people we used to know / They're an illusion to me now / Some are mathematicians / Some are carpenter's wives / Don't know how it all got started - Bob Dylan: Tangled Up In Blue

4. There's room at the top they are telling you still / But first you must learn how to smile as you kill / If you want to be like the folks on the hill - John Lennon: Working Class Hero

5. Heard the singers playin', how we cheered for more / The crowd had rushed together tryin' to keep warm / Still the rain kept pourin', fallin' on my ears / And I wonder, still I wonder who'll stop the rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival: Who'll Stop The Rain

6. The exodus is here / The happy ones are near / Let's get together / Before we get much older - The Who: Baba O'Riley

7. Keep me in a daydream / keep me goin' strong / You don't wanna save me / sad is my song - Stevie Wonder: Superstition

8. But oh how it feels so real / Lying here with no one near / Only you and you can hear me / When I say softly, slowly - Elton John: Tiny Dancer

9. What'll you do when you get lonely / And nobody's waiting by your side? / You've been running and hiding much too long / You know it's just your foolish pride - Derek and the Dominos: Layla

10. Now she walks / through her sunken dream / To the seat with the clearest view / And she's hooked to the silver screen / But the film is a saddening bore / For she's lived it ten times or more / She could spit in the eyes of fools - David Bowie: Life On Mars

11. Then the door was open and the wind appeared / The candles blew then disappeared The curtains flew then he appeared / saying don't be afraid /Come on baby... and she had no fear - Blue Oyster Cult: (Don't Fear) The Reaper

12. Seeing her skin feeling silky smooth / Colour of cafe au lait / Made the savage beast inside / Roaring till it cried More, More, More / Now he's at home doing 9 to 5 /Living his brave life of lies - Patti Labelle: Lady Marmalade

13. This city desert makes you feel so cold / It's got so many people but it's got no soul / And it's taken you so long to find out you were wrong / When you thought it held everything - Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street

14. Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions / I keep my visions to myself / It's only me / Who wants to wrap around your dreams and... /Have you any dreams you'd like to sell? - Fleetwood Mac: Dreams

15. Too hot, too greedy / How could you leave me / When I needed to possess you? / I hated you. I loved you, too. - Kate Bush: Wuthering Heights

16. There is no pain, you are receding /A distant ship smoke on the horizon / You are only coming through in waves / Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying - Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb

17. Love is an angel disguised as lust / Here in our bed until the morning comes / Come on now try and understand / The way I feel under your command - Pattie Smith: Because the Night

18. But there are times that you feel you're part of the scenery / All the greenery is comin' down, boy / And then your wife seems to think you're part of the / furniture oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice - Supertramp: Take The Long Way Home

19. But what a fool believes he sees / No wise man has the power to reason away/ What seems to be / Is always better than nothing - The Doobie Brothers: What A Fool Believes

20. You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name / It felt good to be out of the rain / In the desert you can remember your name / 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain - America: Horse With No Name

--

RainbowFic is an original fiction (and more) community on Dreamwidth. The pinned post has more information.

#prompt list #prompts #writing prompts #rainbowfic original #color list

[sleekervae]

The Neighbour [3.8]

Masterlist

A/N: I laugh when I think about how I wanted to have this chapter up my Halloween. Whoopsie lol. Anyway, who's been listening to Fever Dream on repeat? Because my go-to-jam is Off with the Head and Toxic in You -- highly relatable 😂

Little shoutout to @imabee-oralizard for inspiring me to finish this latest smut-venture with King of the Damned. I could write a better in-depth version but this pretty much enlists all the qualities I love about that song.

Little disclaimer: There are drugs mentioned within this chapter. I'm not implying that any of the members of Palaye do these specific drugs, it's purely there for plot purposes. But we're also adults and some drug use is referenced in some of their songs so... don't @ me pls.

Warnings: smut ahead, mentions of drug use, alcohol consumption

---

They sat curled up together in the back of an Uber, the hills quiet and glimmering with the eerie haze of orange decorations. This time tomorrow, the neighbourhood would probably be crawling with kids zipping up and down in their costumes, toting giant bags for candy and never being satisfied when parents would assure that enough was enough.

Eva always liked Halloween, though she hadn't embraced it as much these past couple of years. She was excited when Remington suggested matching costumes for the season, never having the opportunity before with past exes. And the gleam in his eye when he pulled out his Halloween decorations was all too endearing to her.

His hand stayed firm on her thigh, just creeping over the hill of her knee. He looked too good in his suit, hair messy and dark makeup smudged beneath his eyes. He reminded her of that meme; "looks like they could kill you but are actually a cinnamon roll" type of joke. He didn't help her case by conveniently going without a shirt under that suit jacket.

"Emerson's gonna' be late," Remington huffed, glancing at his phone.

"You guys live in the same house," Eva pointed out with jaunt.

"And I'm not his keeper," he replied, "One day, he'll just be Shy's problem,"

"Somehow, I doubt she's complaining," she chuckled, "So, besides Caity, will I know anybody at this thing?"

"Of course. Andy's there, Hannah, Ash, and if you meet anybody you don't know, you just tell them you're my girl," his eyes crinkled over his mask.

Eva simpered, "... Or your wife," she joked.

His brow popped and he shifted closer, "Maybe one day you'll be doing just that," he murmured.

"What? Being your wife?" she chuckled, "I'm only twenty-four, Rem,"

"I always forget you're a little younger," he replied.

"Because I don't act like it?"

"Because you're too smart for me,"

Eva slapped his arm, "Oh cut it out, honey,"

A bemused giggle rumbled from his chest as he leaned over, nuzzling her nose through their masks. It was all they could do within the Uber, despite the driver's dismissive glances in the rearview.

"You look amazing in that dress, babe," he whispered, his eyes shooting up and down the expanse of her little black dress.

Eva blushed, squirming in her seat when his hand moved further up her thigh, "You're not so bad, yourself,"

"You know it's not too late," he surmised, "We could ask this guy to turn around, go home, pick out a movie and not watch it,"

She rolled her eyes, "Wasn't that my idea?" she queried, "In fact, weren't you the one who assured me we weren't going to be staying long? And besides, what about our driver?"

"I'll leave him a good tip," he whispered.

"That's very kind of you," the driver suddenly said, and Remington and Eva jumped apart, "But we're here,"

And sure enough, they had pulled up in front of Caity's house. Remington hopped out first, running around to the other side and opening the door for Eva before she could reach the handle. They wished the driver goodnight and made their way inside

It was only nine o'clock and already Caity's house was in full swing of an adult frat party. Billboard hits played in the background to incessant and random chatter, all of it getting lost amid the clinking of empty bottles and raucous laughter from strangers. Eva held tightly to Remington's hand, walking just a foot behind as he tried to look around for Caity. Despite her fears, Eva was put at a little ease seeing there weren't as many people here as she thought.

"Heyy!" Caity suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She threw her arms around Remington first, then Eva, "You guys came!"

"Of course we did," Remington grinned, bumping Eva gently with his elbow. Eva nudged him back.

"Caity, you look beautiful," she commented, and she couldn't lie. Caity was dazzling in her silken black pantsuit and silver heels, her long skeleton acrylic nails clinging to a blue solo cup.

"What about you? You look like the modern-day Vampira! Where did you get that dress?" she beamed back.

"-- Shy," Eva shrugged sheepishly.

"God, she always knows the best places to shop," Caity looped her arm with Eva's, "Remi, I'm stealing your girlfriend! Hayden just bought this delicious apricot whiskey -- you have to try it!"

Eva took one more fleeting glance at her boyfriend, giddily agreeing as she was pulled into the kitchen.

"Caity, play nice with her!" Remington warned.

"Always," The slender blonde winked at Eva before pulling her along.

Caity's kitchen was beautiful as always, and on the counter sat a variety of different liquors, sodas, and juices to mix up whatever the guests wanted. A group of girls were crowded around the bottles, chatting like starlings on a spring morning.

Caity shouted for their attention, "Ladies! Shut up and pay attention!" she hollered, "This is Eva, she's Remi's girlfriend,"

Eva waved politely, "Hi,"

One of the girls, a darker blonde, scoffed dismissively, "Another one?"

"No idiot, this is the same girl from May... right?" a short-haired brunette asked.

"Yes," Caity assured with a huff, "And get off Remi's back, Thea,"

The blonde shrugged listlessly and continued to sip on her drink. Another brunette came running over to Eva, "Don't mind Thea, she's a monogamy-is-a-prison-type of person. I'm Amy! Let's get you a drink!"

Remington meanwhile took a seat beside his pal Andy, watching as he and a few other guys were immersed in a poker game.

"Who's winning, boys?" he asked.

"Ash thinks he is," Andy said.

"Andy's cheating," Ash counterpointed.

"These guys can't keep a good poker face to save their lives," Hayden deduced

Remington simpered, "Deal me in next round. I'll show you a real poker face,"

"You're on, Leith," Ash challenged.

Just out of the corner of his eye, two boys got up from their spot on the wall. They had been chatting between each other when they saw Remington come in, and they couldn't resist striking up a conversation.

"Hey Remington! Long time no see!" Carson, a skinny hipster type with long hair, greeted him first. Andy refrained from rolling his eyes beside Remington, trying to focus on his cards.

"Hey! What's good, boys?" he fist bumped them both.

"Where you been, man? We missed you at the last few get togethers," Sam, a shorter and somewhat stout counterpart to Carson, pointed out.

"He's been busy," Hayden told them.

"Oh, you back in the studio?" Carson asked.

"Sort of, yeah," he nodded.

"He's also been spending his time with somebody who's got long, pretty eyelashes," Ash scooted closer to the singer, mockingly batting his own eyes at Remington. Remington laughed him off.

"Shut up! You got a girl, hot shot?" Sam asked.

"I do," he confirmed.

"Lemme' guess --"

"No, she's not a groupie," Remington stopped Carson short.

"She's not?"

"No! Rem pulled himself a college educated sweetheart," Andy beamed, nudging his friend in the ribs.

Remington rolled his eyes, "C'mon, I didn't exactly 'pull her',"

"That's not what Sebastian said," Ash grinned.

"He's being modest," Hayden added.

"Well, congrats man. Love to meet her, sometime," Carson said.

"She's in the kitchen! I'll introduce you later,"

"Great," Sam then adjusted the lapel of his suit jacket, sitting over his suit and tie t-shirt, "Hey by the way, if you guys are interested we got a new stash in this week," he lowered his voice as he spoke.

"Some of the cleanest blow we could get our hands on," Carson added, "But just because we like you guys, we'll cut you a deal,"

Hayden was the first to shake his head, "Not tonight, man. I'm not feeling it,"

"Neither am I," Ash agreed, "I'd rather drink my poison tonight," he raised his beer can to make his point.

Carson pouted, "Aw, come on. Andy?"

"Count me out," Andy huffed, "Last time I took that shit my head was pounding for twenty-four hours straight,"

"Ah, it's their loss," Sam sighed, "Come on, Remington. You never let us down,"

"Yeah! How about a couple lines?" Carson suggested.

Much to their chagrin, Remington too denied their offer, "Sorry boys, I'm with them,"

"You serious?" Carson huffed, "Lemme' guess, the girl told you she didn't like coke and you're pussying down to get her --"

"Bite your tongue, Carson!" Andy warned.

Remington's grin turned into an unimpressed scowl. Sure, he had done some coke before, he had done a couple of different drugs before. He and his brothers liked to experiment. And he was honest when it came to Eva, he never wanted to hide anything from her -- especially when it came to some of the more explicit poisons. She didn't like the idea of cocaine, and Remington didn't blame her -- he was already hyper enough without a line, so he decided that he would avoid it when he could; especially when he had Eva with him.

"He's got a point, Remi! You used to be one of our best customers!" Sam said, "Is that why we haven't seen much of you?"

"Does the girl even know you did coke?" Carson asked.

"Yeah, of course I told her! And I'm sorry, guys," he shrugged, "I'm just not interested tonight. Someone else here probably would be,"

"That is if Caity doesn't catch you trying to deal," Hayden reminded them.

Sam scoffed, "She hasn't caught us, yet,"

"And the night is still young," Remington pointed out.

"You guys want in on the next round?" Ash asked them.

Carson shook his head, "Nah. Would love to stay but we have a quotta to meet,"

"Good luck, fellas," Sam waved them off as they sauntered off to schmooze their next potential client. Hayden simply rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why Caity has to keep inviting them," he muttered.

"They went to high school together," Andy said.

"You still hang around with your high school drug dealers?" Hayden asked.

"Mine is shipping Bring It On CDs out of his mom's basement," Ash said.

Andy nudged Remington again, "Dude, you told Eva you did coke?" he was smack astonished at the notion.

"Well, it's not like I was doing it every week," he said, "I told her, though, I did it now and again. I don't want to lie to her about that stuff,"

Ash glared at Remington, almost studying him. He then picked up a lower valued poker chip and tossed it at his head. It bounced off of his cheek.

"Hey! What was that for?" he asked.

"Clean shaven, honest, denying drugs... who are you and what did you do to Remington Leith?" Ash asked.

"He's the healthier version," Hayden pointed out.

"The version who's in love," Andy awed.

Remington rolled his eyes, shoving at Andy to shut up when Ash suddenly threw down his cards.

"Full house, fellas! Read 'em and weep!" he announced with pride, showing off like the acclaimed Poker Masters on TV. Andy relented and threw his cards down, sulking in defeat, "Declare me the Poker King!"

"Nice play, man," he huffed.

"Not so fast, Poker King," Hayden then put down his cards, much to Ash's chagrin, "Four of a kind,"

Remington leaned over next to Ash, smirking coyly, "Read 'em and weep,"

"Fuck," and Ash pushed his money over to Hayden.

Eva pursed her lips as the whiskey simmered down her throat, coughing up a little hint of the apricot essence. She wasn't much of a whiskey drinker, but she could get used to this sweeter stuff.

"So, how's your mom doing?" Caity asked, keeping quiet enough so the other girls were out of shot.

Eva shrugged listlessly, "Alright, I guess. I haven't spoken to her yet,"

Caity cocked a brow, "Then how have you --"

"My dad. I think this is the most we've talked since... I don't know. Since I went off to college," she explained.

"And you're leaving this week?"

"Yep,"

"So you're gonna do it?" Caity asked, pointing at her torso, "You're gonna go and... snippety snip?"

"I don't know," Eva refrained from laughing, "I have to get some tests done and then we'll see,"

"Is Rem coming with you?"

Eva shook her head, "No, it's not the right time,"

"To meet the family, you mean?" Caity asked, "Is there ever a right time?"

"Probably a better time than having your estranged mother on dialysis," she shrugged back, "And then to have my sister picking at me: 'you wasted your money on your degree! what the hell did you move to California for? How much money are you wasting over there? Go get an actual job, Eva!' And so on and so on,"

Caity smiled empathetically, "You know you won't scare him away, right? If that's what you're afraid of; the guy's been through hell-and-back himself,"

"I know," Eva nodded, "It's not about me scaring him off though, it's just about the people in my family picking and pulling apart our relationship and then maybe scaring him off,"

"But he loves you anyway, regardless of whether or not you come from a crazy family. Hell, show me a family that isn't crazy,"

A loud smash suddenly echoed from the other room, followed by one of Caity's friends hollering a panicked "Sorry!"

Eva snickered, "I see your point,"

"My actual point," Caity interjected, pouring them both another shot of whiskey, "Is that Remi loves you enough that he wouldn't get scared off by your family; no matter how strict, scary, and dramatic they may be. I mean -- how bad are they, really?"

Eva scoffed, "You know the family from Shameless?"

"Yeah. That bad?" they shot back their whiskey.

Eva held her breath momentarily and swallowed, sputtering out, "Just as toxic but without substance abuse,"

"What if I came with you?" Caity jokingly offered, "Give me a bottle of pinot and a platform stage and I'll Jenny Jones the whole thing,"

Eva paused momentarily, "Um... Caity..."

Caity raised a finger at her, "I'm not promising that it won't end in murder, you see," thus prompting an amused snigger from the writer.

"Don't tempt me,"

Emerson and Shy arrived a bit later, much to Eva's relief as she was becoming lost in a cluster of chattering, sparrow-like girls, trying to keep up between those trying to get to know her and others all-together ignoring and steering conversations elsewhere.

One of the girls, the short-haired brunette with a Tinkerbell face and chunky purple platform heels, had taken a particular interest in Eva. Her name was Gigi, also a Seattle native, and once she found out that she was dating Remington, she had a plethora of questions. She was obviously a little drunk from the way she exaggerated and slurred her vowels, though nonetheless, Eva found her to be quite entertaining.

"There's no way!" the young model gabbed in awe, "There's no way in hell Remington could land a girl like you!"

"Wha -- how come?" Eva queried.

"Because!" she exclaimed, "You're -- like -- super smart and pretty and he's... he's Remington! The boy likes to -- like -- hang upside down and howl at the moon!"

Eva laughed in surprise, "I -- I've never seen him howl at the moon, but -- okay," she replied, "How did you guys meet?"

Gigi smiled casually at her wine glass, "I was -- like -- a model in a music video! Don't Feel Good or something like that; I don't remember. But it was a lot of fun! Oh, the boy was sooo cute! You should've seen him! He was so scrawny and kinda shy but -- oh mama! He got -- like -- a sexy-ass voice!"

Eva brought her glass to her lips, slyly hiding her smirk as she sipped her drink, "He certainly does,"

"Has he asked you to be in a video with him? You should for real do it! It's so fun!" Gigi beamed.

"He has -- I mean, I have!" Eva nodded, bouncing along as Gigi's bubbly attitude began to rub off on her, "I have. I think it'll be out in a couple weeks,"

"Ooooh! What did you do? Do you model, too?"

"No," she chuckled shyly, "I was just an extra. I'm a ghost writer, actually,"

Gigi gasped like a little kid then, "Oh shit! You mean you -- like -- write ghost stories?"

"Uh -- not exactly, I --" however, she was cut short when Thea walked by, casually bumping into Eva to get to Gigi.

"Hey," she tapped her shoulder, hardly acknowledging Eva at all, "I'm going to the bathroom, come with me,"

Gigi pouted, almost appalled at the notion of being dragged away, "What? Why? I'm -- like -- talking to Eva!" she whined, "She writes about ghosts!"

Thea glanced sideways at Eva, nodding dismissively. Eva grinned politely, "Ghost writer,"

"... right," Thea droned, then she took Gigi's hand, "Come to the bathroom with me. Let's go!"

"But Thea --!" Gigi hardly got the chance to protest as Thea dragged her away from Eva. Eva glanced at her shoes, at a loss for words as she looked around the kitchen. Shy came up behind her, tapping her long stiletto nails against her solo cup.

"I never liked Thea," she admitted, "Girl walks one runway in Paris and suddenly she thinks she's Kendall Jenner,"

Eva scoffed, "Is she like that with everybody?" she asked.

"Pretty much," she huffed, "Caity can't stand her,"

"... Then why is she here?"

"Friend of a friend," Shy shrugged, "Besides, someone probably told her Remington would be coming, anyway,"

Eva's eyebrows popped up, "... Why does that matter?"

Shy huffed, "She and Remi hooked up once -- years ago! Like, I don't even think they'd put out their first record yet, she was just a model for a video. Anyway, he told Emerson about it and Emerson told me once because she was being a bitch to me, too,"

"So, what's her problem, then?" Eva asked, "She wants what she can't have so she takes it out on us?"

"I told Caity to stop inviting her to these things but Caity doesn't want the drama," Shy shrugged, "I doubt Remington even knew Thea would be here, he doesn't talk to her anymore,"

Eva wasn't upset over Remington and Thea, it wasn't her business and quite frankly she couldn't care less if they had been close in the past. In the past being the optimal point. Thea wore her disdain for Eva on her sleeve, and if she was going to continue to be disrespectful towards her then they were going to have a problem. Eva didn't take well to confrontation most of the time, however she always stood up for what was fair; after all, it wasn't her problem that Remington wanted her and not Thea.

Gigi bitched and whined the entire time Thea dragged her to the bathroom, tripping over herself in her platform heels and bumping into a few others.

"Thea! Slow the fuck down!" she huffed as she was yanked into the bathroom. Thea slammed the door shut with a loud slam, pulling up her purse and aggressively digging through it.

Gigi pouted some more, "Why are you --like -- upset? Are you mad at me?"

"No!" she snapped angrily, "I'm mad at Caity!"

"Why? I know Caity doesn't have Ciroc but that's -- like -- no reason to be so bitchy!" Gigi replied.

Thea glared at the stumbling brunette, "Gigi, she fucking invited Remington but she didn't tell me that he had a new side piece with him!"

Gigi stared at her friend, completely dumbfounded, "Thea, she's not a side piece. Remington's -- like -- in love with her! Ask anybody! Ash said he's been like a puppy dog all year --!"

"Oh, would you just shut up?" she snapped again. She pulled out a small bottle of nasal spray, shoved the spout up one nostril and inhaled deeply. Gigi meanwhile was plastered against the bathroom door, still watching her friend with hazy eyes.

"Is this all because you -- like -- sucked him off for -- like -- thirty seconds and then he never called you? Are you still mad about that?" she queried.

"It wasn't thirty seconds," Thea grumbled, feeling herself now beginning to calm down, "And yeah, Gigi, he fucking humped and dumped me and the next time I saw him after he could barely look me in the eye. What a fucking creep!"

"Ugh! Who cares?" Gigi whined, "Why are you still so mad about it?"

Thea shifted the conversation, "Did you tell her?"

"Tell who?"

"Eva,"

"Tell her what?"

"About me and Remington!"

"What about Remington?"

"Oh, for fuck sakes!" she threw the nasal spray back in her bag, "Did you tell her that we fucked?"

"No! Why would I do that?" Gigi asked, "It's not her business, and he doesn't like you anyway so what does it matter?"

Thea shook her head, completely ignoring Gigi's rambling, "I could hear Andy going on and on: oooh! She's so pretty! Ooooh! She's so kind! She's got a bachelors degree! Whoopti-fucking-doo! What's she got that I don't? Hmm?"

Gigi stared silently for a moment, her jaw hung open until she drunkenly blurted, "She went to college! You didn't!"

Thea rolled her eyes, "And?"

"... and she's --like -- nice to me," Gigi admitted, "And she doesn't pull on me,"

A raucous commotion suddenly broke out outside, muffled by the door, though it was obvious that whatever was going on had captured almost everyone's attention.

"What's going on?"

"Probably beer pong, I don't care," Thea grumbled, "All I need is one shot. I mean -- how great is she really? She's not in the industry! She could never keep up with his lifestyle!"

"You really -- hicc -- need to move on, Thea," Gigi groaned, "Eva's really nice. You should give her a chance. It's not her fault --like -- Remington fell in love with her and not you,"

Oh, how those sentiments echoed in Thea's mind. She couldn't help the way she felt, she was attracted to Remington -- unhealthily so but it was an attraction nonetheless. She found him fascinating, handsome, edgy and so damn charming! Thea was so young when they'd met, she had stars in her eyes when she -- a young model on one of her first casting jobs -- got to make the acquaintance of a rock star. So he wasn't a full rock star, yet, so what? He was so fucking beautiful to her!

And yet when her opportunity came, when she followed her gut and trusted him, she was left in the dust to pick up what was clearly nothing special to him. It broke her heart, seeing him over and over with different girls who were all the same. They all had the same thing that she did, and just when she speculated that her time had come, he waltzed in with this -- child -- with liked to bat her doe eyes and ramble on about dead poets. What a fucking downgrade, she thought, what does she have that I don't? Honestly!

Whatever rationality that had possessed Caity to pierce his ear on the spot was gone as Remington pinched his throbbing, bleeding lobe. Liquid courage was more to blame than anything else, that and his own willingness to try anything once. Perhaps later on he'd ask Emerson about earring care -- that is if he wanted to wear an earring. It had never really been his thing.

He dabbed droplets of blood between his fingers, reaching absentmindedly for the bathroom door knob when another body collided into him. Gathering his surroundings, his demeanour deflated when he met eyes with Thea.

"Oh! Sorry, Remington!" she awed, quickly smoothing out her velvet skirt.

"It's cool, Thea," he replied swiftly, not eager to get trapped by her again.

Gigi exited the bathroom after, stumbling around Thea and she met eyes with Remington briefly, "Hey Remi. Oh shit! Are you bleeding?" though she didn't stick around for his answer.

Thea however found her opportunity, immediately spotting the stain on Remington's ear and fingers. She reached out with her hand, "Woah! What happened?" she touched his lobe with two fingers, eyeing the wound cautiously.

"It's nothing," Remington pulled away casually, "Caity wanted to pierce my ear,"

"And you just let her?" Thea queried.

He simply shrugged back, "I'll try anything, once," he tried to slide past her again, "Anyway --"

"How've you been?" and like that, the bleeding lobe was suddenly disregarded.

"I've been pretty good!" he nodded, "Busy, but I'm doing well,"

"And your brothers?"

"Them too,"

Thea nodded eagerly, "Oh good. So, what have you been up to? We haven't seen you around in a while. Feels like you're almost forgetting about us," she tried to tease.

Remington smiled politely, "Well, we are smack dab in the middle of a pandemic so I've been distancing myself from a few people. Listen, I hate to do this but --" he pointed to his ear, "I really want to clean this up before it stains my jacket,"

"Oh, of course!" Thea nodded, her gaze momentarily flickering to Remington's jacket and the lack of shirt underneath. An idea then popped into her mind, "Why don't I give you a hand?"

Remington nearly bit down on his tongue from how quickly he refuted, "Uh -- no. That's okay, but thank you,"

It wasn't that Thea was a bad person; well, she was a bit self-absorbed, and she knew how to put her foot in it without realizing. But mostly, Thea represented a time to Remington that he would most rather forget. He was fine acknowledging her, he could be polite and move on; but he was astounded that it had been well over five years and she still didn't get the hint that he wasn't interested in her the way that she wanted.

"Oh c'mon, it'll only take a second!" she urged, stepping closer and closer into his personal space. Her hand reached out again to touch his ear, clammy and cold and not a pleasant feeling.

Before he had the chance to fight her off again, another voice slithered in and cut their tension,

"Pardon my interrupting," it was as though Eva had appeared out of thin air, her arms crossed over her chest and her dark blue eyes staring down both Thea and Remington.

Remington swiftly batted Thea's hand away, panic swelling in his gut, "Eva! It's not what --"

"Sh!" she held up a finger, moving to step between her boyfriend and the pushy model, "Thank you for your help, Thea, but I can take it from here," she assured, "You can move along, now,"

Thea scoffed, "You're the one who can move along, sweetheart. I was having a private conversation,"

"With my boyfriend," Eva pointed out, "Who -- seems to me, anyway -- made it very clear to you that he didn't want you to touch him,"

"But --"

"So I'm going to take him and get him cleaned up. And you can go and do... something else," she shrugged, smiling as politely and stiffly as Pan Am flight attendant, "Thanks for looking out for him, however,"

Thea's lips popped open, either from the shock of being talked back to like that or she was trying to muster up some cocky come back. Needless to say, Eva was smug as she stormed off in a huff. Remington meanwhile was still when Eva turned to meet his gaze. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but he'd seen Eva be confrontational enough to know that he wasn't eager to be on the receiving end on one of her tell-offs.

"Eva --" she cut him off when she smiled up at him, chuckling to herself when she finally acknowledged his bleeding ear.

"Is this what everyone was yelling about over there?" she asked incredulously, "I didn't know you wanted to pierce your ears,"

Remington was paused momentarily, mustering up his voice while trying to calm his fluttering chest, "I didn't. Caity just talked me into it. How does it look?"

Eva wasn't an expert on piercings my any means; she only had two herself. Though she had gone with enough friends to Claire's to get an idea of what ear piercing entailed.

"It'll be okay. C'mon, we better clean that,"

Remington sat on the toilet (lid down) as Eva ran the cold water and wadded up some tissue. The door was shut and effectively blotting out the other guests and pulsating music. He continued to pinch his lobe, now slippery and sticky from the ooze and it overall wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

"Did it hurt much?" she asked.

"Not really," he shrugged back, "Liquid courage definitely helped, though,"

"Well, you know if you wanted to get your ears pierced we could've just gone to Claire's. You get a free jab with a starter kit," she mentioned, crouching down so she could clean the ear.

Remington chuckled at the notion, inhaling sharply at the cold sensation that rippled down his neck and spine, "You're not upset with me, right?" he asked timidly.

Eva withdrew the tissue, seemingly perplexed by his question, "Why should I be upset with you? This isn't the craziest thing you've done, and I doubt it'll get infected --"

"Not the piercing. Thea," he replied, "I didn't know she was gonna be here tonight, I should've told you about her,"

She moved her hands to his lap, rubbing his knee reassuringly. He was staring at her like a puppy that had just been scolded, even mid-sulk he was easily the cutest person she had ever known.

"Thea," the name rolled off of her tongue with a edge of bitterness, "It's funny, I thought I left girls like her behind in high school. I guess it's true what they say, though," she reached up to clean the piercing again, "We never do grow up,"

"Eva, I'm --" Remington took her hand down, holding it tightly.

"Do you like her?" she asked suddenly, "Just in general, do you like her?"

He shook his head quickly, "No. She's so fucking self-absorbed and whiny. And clearly obsessive," he replied.

"Did you ever feel anything for her?" she asked.

He breathed in slowly that time, "Once, barely a fleeting thing, though,"

"And do you ever think about her outside of when you see her?" this time she squeezed his hand, staring up at him with those big doe eyes that made his heart swell every time.

"I don't have the time because I'm too busy being obsessed with you," he smiled with a false air of smugness.

Eva smiled too, genuinely however, "Then why are you getting ready to apologize for something that you didn't do wrong?"

"Because I do all the time," he huffed in a fit of pity, "I never want you to get the wrong idea and lose trust in me. That shit's my worst fucking nightmare,"

"Rem, I came out with you in a little black dress, mingling with a bunch of strangers I don't know while we're smack in the middle of Rona. I wouldn't do that if I didn't trust you," she explained, "I trust you regardless of where we are or what stuffy wannabe models try to flirt with you. It's my bed you sleep in, anyway,"

He simpered, pushing some of her loose hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed and traced the line of her jaw, basking in how soft and warm her skin was, "Your bed is really comfy," he pointed out.

"Even more so when you're in it," she dabbed at his ear a couple more times before standing and discarding the tissue, "You want to see it?"

Remington stood up, reaching across the bathroom counter and studying his new piercing with intrigue. It still throbbed from the after pain, and God only knew he would probably feel it more in the morning. However he had to admit, it didn't look too bad.

"What do you think?" he turned to Eva. She leaned back against the edge of the counter, eyeing the subtle puncture while shamelessly ogling the rest of him.

"Sweetheart, you can pull off literally anything," she replied, dropping her voice into an almost whisper, "It's kinda hot,"

His gaze shifted from the mirror to her reflection, her sweet and. sultry body outlined in that silky, velvety dress that he could probably tear right off of her in one fell swoop.

"Speak for yourself," he took hold of her hips, fingernails scratchy at the soft velvet, "I didn't know you could be so possessive -- especially over me,"

Her lips curved to match his smirk as she reached out with her right hand, her fingers slid up the smooth lapels of his jacket until they met bare skin. She felt him shudder through her touch, and like a switch had been flipped the color had disappeared from his eyes. The scolded puppy was gone and a lustful predator stood in his place.

"Well, I don't appreciate people trying to take what's mine..." her voice was barely above a whisper.

Remington chuckled gleefully, his spiced cologne flooding her senses as he came down to whisper in her ear, "Aren't you the one who told me that I belong to myself?"

"Absolutely," her left hand traveled a different path, coming down to palm him through his slacks, "This is reserved just for me, though,"

Remington's only rational response was to reach out and lock the bathroom door.

And that was how they'd found themselves here...

Like a claw lock his hands gripped her hips, holding her against him as she sat up on the sink counter top. Her once-cold hands were warmed up under the thin material of his suit jacket, pleased and exhilarated that Remington chose not to wear a shirt underneath. He was so close to her, consuming her every sensory receptor and yet she couldn’t enjoy him fully. How easy it would be to unwrap him from his jacket and slacks, and yet Eva had to wait like an impatient child to get her presents on Christmas. Her only reprieve was rocking against him gently, grinding her hips into his. And from the way he clutched and pawed at her, Remington was restless. On the one hand, he enjoyed teasing her relentlessly; on the other, all he wanted was to take her hard and fast against the bathroom counter.

Caity would fucking kill him if she ever…

Though all thoughts of pause and rational action were scarce to them both. Eva clung desperately to him, her head tossed back as he tasted the sweet salt of her neck with his tongue, soothing the love bites with gentle kisses that made her heart flutter and her stomach coil. His right hand slid under the soft velvet of her dress hem, crawling higher and higher up her thigh until he could stroke over the wet spot of her panties. When she shuddered against him, his smile mirrored that of a smug demon, bending her to his will with hardly a touch.

Just behind her, a long bathroom mirror reflected back their image in what little light was available to them. Remington stole glances between kisses, his dark brown eyes glued to the curve and ripple of her spine, mesmerized by her hair swaying briskly from side to side. He couldn’t bear to tear his gaze away from the mirror, watching her undulate beneath him was the most mesmerizing thing.

"Fuck... you're so pretty," he whispered coarsely against her ear.

His attention refocused on the fingers pulling at his clothes. First it was his jacket being unbuttoned, then it was his belt. He could feel her touch magnified, slathering and stroking him and ultimately undoing his pants. He loved when Eva became needy, watching her sweetness slip away in favor of desperation drove him wild. Her fingers were cold to the touch yet blended so deliciously against his warm skin, and his breath caught when she grasped him.

Eva suppressed a cunning grin, slowly moving her hand up and down. She circled his head with her thumb, Remington bit down on his lip so hard Eva feared momentarily he may draw blood. His eyes fluttered closed, his head falling forward in pleasure; they both giggled as he almost knocked into her.

Remington pulled back from her neck, glaring up at her hungrily. He yanked her in for a quick kiss as his hand slid around to pull at the dress zipper. He was in awe when he found she wasn't wearing a bra. Remington ran his thumb over her left nipple, the sensation of cold hands against burning flesh made her shiver. He latched his mouth around her right nipple, sucking and swirling his tongue around the bud before pulling away with a pop.

Eva never let go of his cock once, fumbling her rhythm but she stayed determined to get him off.

The music continued to pulsate outside, voices echoed and carried and there was always the fleeting fear that someone may try to open the door, or Caity or Hayden may have come along and demanded to be let in, so they stayed as quiet as they possibly could in their circumstance. Nevertheless, the thrill far outweighed the crime.

Without uttering a word, Remington stilled Eva's hand, instead working hastily to rid her of her panties. Eva bit down on her lip to suppress the gasp that echoed when he pulled her closer to the counter's edge. He pushed his swollen tip against her pussy. She moaned softly, now pressing her lips together. Remington pushed further into her, thrusting in and out during the process. Eva bit her lip as he pushed further and further, sweaty and relieved exhales leaving them both when he began to fuck her.

He grunted softly when he felt how tight she was, "You okay, baby?" he gripped her hips for better leverage. Eva's eyes began to water from the sensations, every nerve with her body was hot and needy.

"Yes," she nodded swiftly, one hand clutching the counter edge while she stayed clung to him, "Please, Rem,"

"Ah, ah! Don't make a sound," he teased, "Imagine if Thea could hear you right now," he laughed when she punched his bicep.

"Maybe she should," she whimpered, "Listen to how I make you fucking come for me,"

His hips snapped faster and faster, rubbing deliciously inside of Eva. Remington was going to come any minute, and judging by her heavy eyes and stifled moans, Eva wasn't far behind.

"I love when you talk like that," he grunted, shuddering and shaking as he spilled inside of her. And she came not long after, burying her face in his neck to muffle her lustful cries.

They settled down together, the bathroom was still and silent, minus their exhausted panting. Eva sat back on the counter, reaching to push Remington's hair off of his sweat-slick forehead. His lips turned up into a blissed-out smirk, he felt deliciously satiated paired with a rippling sense of pride. He had made a mess of Eva yet again, and yet every time he loved watching her slowly regain her senses. She was a sight to behold; her dress was hanging off of her shoulders, her lipstick kissed away to a faint tint and her dark blue eyes heavy.

He took her in his arms, laying kisses from her jaw and up to her forehead, whispering darkly in between, "Mine,"

Eva whined sweetly as she kissed him, following with a keen grin and a sudden, but brief, lick to his cheek.

"Hey!" he turned his head, giggling like a child, "What was that?"

"I'm laying claim," she decided, "You know the sentiment: I licked it so it's mine?"

He laughed harder, pulling her in to kiss her again, "May I?"

Eva chuckled bashfully, tilting her head back, "You may,"

#remington leith #remington leith imagine #remington leith smut #remington palaye royale #palaye royale imagine #palaye royale #fever dream #emerson barrett #sebastian danzig #the neighbour #eva kuznetsov #original female character #original story #band blog #band imagine blog #band imagines

[itwasthisorthemilitary]

March 6, 2024

(Tumblr is testing my patience please for the love of god POST. If this works I'll follow up with pictures separately)

Approaching this topic delicately because as much as I don't want anyone state-side to be concerned, the reality of my situation currently is that my homestay is in a state of evaluation right now. Personally, I feel safe and have not been in any situation that feels unmanageable. However, this town has less than 500 people in it and when a member of my family is not widely respected in town, the Peace Corps has to evaluate if my remaining in this house is safe. I've made it clear that I would really like to stay where I am because we are 4 weeks into training and I have very strong relationships with not only my immediate family but also my neighbors and their volunteers. Moving houses would be the TALK of the town and I feel like I would never regain the same social footing I have right now if I was the volunteer who was relocated. A developing situation that adds to the million things on my brain at all times. I feel supported and I have a feeling that now that it's been addressed things will resolve.

Yesterday I had a 102⁰ fever all night/morning because every Monday we receive vaccines and this one hit me extra hard. A fever like that in this heat is really just adding insult to injury. So yesterday I had a very restful day and today I feel totally fine.

Today was GREAT. I love Wednesdays because I get up at 5 am to do laundry and there's nothing better than having it all be clean. After laundry, Carlo and I walked up the Bueno Vista (it's just a big hill) to watch the sunrise because for two weeks I've been talking about wanting to do it and I finally did! So by 7:30 am I already had like 10,000 steps and was feeling really accomplished. Then I had breakfast and studied Spanish with Liv before we headed to class. Today's afternoon class was my favorite so far, we went on a hike to do tree identification with a local farmer and it was so cool. I saw a SLOTH! I also saw a cinnamon bush and when you scratch the bark it smells amazing. Typically our afternoon classes are info sessions so getting to do this was really hands on and so lovely to be moving around. Then after class I headed to the further river spot (near the chicken farm) because its been days since I've been in the water and even though it's a far trek it's so worth it. This river is kinda running! It gives me the illusion of being cleaner (I try not to think about its proximity to the chicken farm). We saw some of those Jesus lizards that ran across the water on two feet.

Very fulfilling day where I felt challenged both physically and mentally. My sleep schedule here is so consistent and I'm really loving being up before sunrise while it's still so quiet and cool. My next goal is to get a picture of my Teva tan because it's epic. Also I was never really a big pineapple girl but if you're gonna pick it from a bush and then immediately cut it up for me...I'm a changed woman.

Daily I'm reading, journaling, drawing, exercising, and eating the freshest food. Above all, my friends here are unmatched.

P.S. my calves are gonna be TONED 10+ Miles most days up and down these STUPID hills.

[speakergame]

Speaker, Seer, Silence

(Spotify Playlist)

Track List:

01. California King - Larkin Poe I've got a funny feelin' / Something that I missed or misread / My feet are on the ceiling / Running, but I can't get ahead / I've got a funny feelin' / Honey, is it all in my head?

02. Honey Honey - Larkin Poe Guess you could say we're complicated / But whatcha gonna do / It's not like we could give it up / It's not like we would try

03. On The Road Again - Willie Nelson On the road again / Goin' places that I've never been / Seein' things that I may never see again / And I can't wait to get on the road again

04. The Adventure - Angels & Airwaves I want to have the same last dream again / The one where I wake up and I'm alive / Just as the four walls closed me within / My eyes are opened up with pure sunlight

05. To Be Human - Sia & Labrinth Just 'cause I predicted this / Doesn't make it any easier to live with / And what's the point of knowin' it / If you can't change it? / You can't change, can't change it

06. These Dreams - Heart And the full moon that hangs over / These dreams in the mist

07. Side by Side - Sleeping At Last The mouth is a mirror / We must watch what we say / There is no language for what we've seen / Only the sweetness that bends us to our knees / And all of these fumbling words / To explain what it means

08. After the Storm - Mumford & Sons And now I cling to what I knew / I saw exactly what was true / But oh no more / That's why I hold / That's why I hold with all I have

09. Silence - Delerium ft. Sarah McLachlan In this white wave / I am sinking / In this silence / In this white wave / In this silence / I believe

10. World on Fire - Sarah McLachlan I watch the heavens but I find no calling / Something I can do to change what's comin' / Stay close to me while the sky is falling / I don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone

11. Wild Horses - The Sundays No sweeping exits or offstage lines / Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind / Wild horses couldn't drag me away

12. Carry You - Ruelle & Fleurie You are not alone / I've been here the whole time singing you a song / I will carry you

13. No Plan - Hozier Sit in and watch the sunlight fade / Honey, enjoy, it's gettin' late / There's no plan, there's no hand on the rein / As Mack explained, there will be darkness again

14. I'm Only Me When I'm With You - Taylor Swift And I don't try to hide my tears / My secrets or my deepest fears / Through it all nobody gets me like you do / And you know everything about me / You say that you can't live without me

15. Satellite Call - Sara Bareilles This is so you'll know the sound / Someone who loves you from the ground / Tonight you're not alone at all / This is me sending out my satellite call

16. A Fire On A Hill - Hands Like Houses Learning how to make a name from the words we can't keep in / Learning how to strike a flame, and draw fire from nothing

17. Thousand Eyes - Of Monsters and Men I'll be the calm / I will be quiet / Stripped to the bone, I wait / No, I'll be a stone, I'll be the hunter / A tower that casts a shade / I lie awake and watch it all / It feels like thousand eyes

18. Alligator - Of Monsters and Men I am open and I am restless / Let me feel it out / Let it all come out / Wake me up, I'm fever dreaming

19. Blood Harmony - Larkin Poe God gave mama a singin' voice / Mama passed it down to me / Always with me, near my heart / Beat in rhythm with her melody / More than flesh, more than bone / When you sing I don't sing alone

20. Man in the Mirror (cover) - Boyce Avenue I'm starting with the man in the mirror / I'm asking him to change his ways / And no message could've been any clearer / If they wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change

19. Gimme a Minute - PVRIS Just gimme a minute, gimme a minute / Thought I got through it, maybe I didn't / Thought it was over, maybe it isn't / Just gimme a minute, gimme a minute

#speaker game #playlists #the speaker #the seer #this is the only playlist that I add to as the story goes jsyk #the others are complete as they are #but I add songs to this one as Plot Things happen :3

[actual-sleeping-beauty]

Fame and Art and Life and Love

a parallels post starring Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine and Midnights by Taylor Swift

***florence lyrics will be italicized // taylor lyrics will be bolded***

we argue in the kitchen about whether to have children, about the world ending and the scale of my ambition, and how much is art really worth? the very thing you're best at is the thing that hurts the most. but you need your rotten heart, your dazzling pain like diamond rings, you need to go to war to find material to sing. // all they keep asking me is if i'm gonna be your bride. the only kinda girl they see is a one-night or a wife. // he wanted it comfortable, i wanted that pain. he wanted a bride, i was making my own name, chasing that fame, he stayed the same. all of me changed like midnight. // fuckin' politics and gender roles and you're not sure and i don't know

i need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing, my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology // sometimes i feel like everybody is a sexy baby and i'm a monster on the hill. too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city, pierced through the heart but never killed // everybody agrees, everybody agreesssssssssss

but a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape, just when you think you've got it figured out something new begins to take // all of me changed like midnight // you see all the wisest women had to do it this way, cause we were born to be the pawns in every lover's game

and i was never as good as i always thought i was, but i knew how to dress it up, i was never satisfied, it never let me go, just dragged me by my hair and get back on with the show // do you hear my covert narcissism i disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman? // i'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror, it must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.

sometimes i wonder if i should be medicated? if i would feel better just lightly sedated? // i said, "okay, but let's discuss this at the hospital" // when my depression works the graveyard shift all of the people i've ghosted stand there in the room // is it okay? is it you? or have they come to take me away?

i'm always running from something, i push it back but it keeps on coming, and being clever never got me very far // something different bloomed, writing in my room. i play my songs in the parking lot. i'll run away // i called a taxi to take me there // everything you lose is a step you take

something's comin', so out of breath, i just kept spinning and i danced myself to death // the pressure and the panic you push your body through // i should not be left to my own devices they come with vices and prices i end up in crisis // i hosted parties and starved my body

i came for the pleasure but i stayed (yes i stayed) for the pain // he wanted it comfortable, i wanted that pain

i thought that i was here with you, but it was always just an empty room, cause it's always the same // remember lookin' at this room? we loved it cause of the light. now i just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time

if they ever let me out, i'm gonna really let it out. i listen to music from 2006 and feel kind of sick. but, oh god, you're gonna get it, you'll be sorry that you messed with me // karma's on your scent like a bounty hunter, karma's gonna track you down, step by step from town to town

and in my darkest fantasies i am the picture of passivity, waiting for you side of stage, suppressing all my private rage // you should find another guiding light, but i shine so bright

i met the devil, you know he gave me a choice, golden heart or a golden voice // it's me, hi, i'm the problem, it's me // it must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero // she's laughing up at us from hell

am i your dream girl? you think of me in bed, but you could never hold me, you like me better in your head // baby boy, i think i've been too good of a girl. did all the extra credit then got graded on a curve

watch me shimmer // best believe i'm still bejeweled

i am nobody's moral center // you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talkin' // and the voices that implore, "you should be doing more," to you i can admit that i'm just too soft for all of it

all the things that i ran from i now bring as close to me as i can // this is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. the floors we pace and the demons we face.

and if i run fast enough could i break apart? as empires crumble and cathedrals flatten in my heart // god rest my soul, i miss who i used to be, the tomb won't close, stained-glass windows in my mind

and every song i wrote became an escape rope tied around my neck to pull me up to heaven // these desperate prayers of a cursed man spilling out to you for free

i couldn't help it, yes i let it get in, the helpless optimism of spring. worn out and tired and my heart near retired and the world bent double from weeping. and yet the birds begin to sing // uh oh, i'm falling in love. oh no, i'm falling in love. oh, i'm falling in love. i thought the plane was going down, how'd you turn it right around?

i was always able to write my way out, the song always made sense to me, now i find that when i look down every page is empty // dear reader, burn all the files, desert all your past lives and if you don't recognize yourself that means you did it right

and have i learned restraint? am i quiet enough for you yet? // ladies always rise above, ladies know what people want, someone sweet and kind and fun. the lady's simply had enough.

but if i was free to love you, you wouldn't want me would you? unavailability is the only thing that turns you on // i've blown apart my life for you, bodies hit the floor for you, break me, shake me, devastate me, come here baby // and if i was a child, did it matter if you got to wash your hands? // and the god's honest truth is that the pain was heaven // you're a crisis of my faith, would've, would've, should've, if i'd only played it safe

sometimes you get the girl, sometimes you get the song // but the call, it always comes, the songs like children begging to be born, and oh i guess i got my wish // i guess sometimes we all get just what we wanted // i guess sometimes we all get some kind of haunted // on the way home i wrote a poem

if i make it to the mornin' i should'a come with a warnin'. and if i make it to the stage i'll show you what it means to be saved. oh you know i'm still afraid. i'm still crazy and i'm still scared. but if i make it to the stage i'll show you what it means to be spared! // it only feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind // the jokes weren't funny, i took the money, my friends from home don't know what to say. i looked around in a blood-soaked gown and i saw something they can't take away // you should find another guiding light, guiding light, but i shine so bright

and when it came it was stranger than i had ever imagined, no cracking open of heaven, but quiet and still // they said the end is comin', everyone's up to somethin', i find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings

so tell me where to put my love, do i wait for time to do what it does? i don't know where to put my love // no one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so i've been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless, this is the first time i've felt the need to confess. and i swear, i'm only cryptic and machiavellian cause i care // i wake up screaming from dreaming one day i'll watch as you're leaving cause you got tired of my scheming for the last time

i don't love you, i just love the bomb. i let it burn, but it just had to be done. and i'm in ruins, but is it what i wanted, all along? // every single thing i touch becomes sick with sadness, cause it's all over now, it's all out to sea

my montage of lost things, my shiny trinkets of grief // i find the artifacts, cried over a hat, cursed the space that i needed. i trace the evidence, make it make some sense why the wound is still bleeding?

#taylor swift #florence + the machine #parallels #midnights #dance fever #yes this has been rattling around in my brain for months just never quite this crystallized #there's also a lot of other parallels (stuff taylor has said on stage is mostly what i'm thinking of) #but i limited this specifically to the albums and the midnights prologue

[hozukitofu]

a fic where at the top of the scale of horrendous social crime a mafioso can commit is having kids before marriage while being involved (clutching pearls in affronted Asian auntie noises). What we can look forward to as part of the vegaspete profit package:

Vegas turning up one day with a kid swearing up and down that it's a Theerapanyakul

Polite Asian panic from the top down, obtaining paternity tests tracking down who's the mother looking up Vegas' fornication history and turning up with NOTHING

Meanwhile vegaspete is the previous taped-up-don't-talk-about-it issue suddenly gets the unveiling ceremony since the volatile half of that equation done and turned up with a kid WHILE SINGLE he had INCONVENIENCED the clan

Coup <<<<<<< having a baby unmarried

Korn trying to make good matches to foist the trouble nephew off to no avail

even if he's hot his reputation automatically puts him in a list of 'people I wouldn't marry even on pain of death'

People actively pay Korn to NOT marry Vegas it's so dire

Vegas meanwhile is firmly aboard the 'let Pete have as many options as he wants I don't want to influence his decisions' people look to Pete to make an honest man out of him and salvage the situation

Pete receives the equivalent of corporate mafioso puppy eyes like... "would you consider... marrying this unhinged insane dude who you're sort of involved with" over meals where he attends with Vegas and the baby kinda baffled kinda enjoying the power trip and mostly freaking out holy shit that's a baby?? there is a baby in the middle of a mafia meeting??

The most persuasive contender turns out to be his grandmother who has insight into the human psyche and tapped into the 'baby fever' button of Pete's regimented brain where before he buried the animal want to have kids

now that there IS a kid he sort of can see the possibility of starting a family (satisfying filial duty) AND marrying the love of his mafia life (satisfying romantic instincts)

It's almost as if fate said they were meant to have a child together

aaaand he's HOOKED like a sucker fish on grandmother's bait

The reasons why Pete is the only running candidate on the Approved List of People Who Can Marry Vegas: he's loyal to the clan, he's loyal to Vegas, Kinn set a precedent of Theerapanyakul marrying their bodyguards, the family doesn't have to worry about silencing mouthy spouses since Pete is more tight-lipped than Vegas, he hasn't booked it to the hills screaming yelling and shooting at Vegas yet (knife scrapes are acceptable and even encouraged forms of foreplay) and they kinda deserve each other, they just need a push

The baby is a solution AND complication to vegaspete's weird post-torture post-dramatic-declaration post-resignation post-usurpation like it's been a long six-months for everyone and at first the no label thing is cute but living in sin is ok living together WITH a baby??? that's upsetting everyone's Asian sensibilities

Plus Vegas is getting truly sad on the pining scale it needs to stop

The clan baby-trapping Pete for Vegas is a VISION Asian families WILL do this no questions asked

The series (and possibly every series out there) with its emphasis on the families you choose as the place of love and a place where you can turn it around no matter how shit it can get and Vegas is genuinely going to single parent another child he chose, Macau turned out alright

No heroes no villains (no extremes no path that is truly fixed = always a chance at redemption) + living by the doctrine of honesty + constant external validation of his unhinged feelings for Vegas = vegaspete profit

They bicker about their wedding details while in the sex dungeon and continue their bickering into training + meetings + school pick-ups drop offs

Jokes on them tho Tankhun is planning and paying for EVERYTHING

The baby is a ring bearer and marched down the aisle by a gleeful legion of bodyguards

#kinnporsche #vegas theerapanyakul #vegaspete #pete phongsakorn #kp thoughts #kp fic idea which i will never write #but it's living rent free in my head #theerapanyakul shenanigans #can't even laugh bc this is a scene of a southeast asian documentary on filial piety and societal pressures

[comfort-questing]

"reluctant caretaker"

you're not even mine.

properly you're one of Edden's apprentices. one of Edden's silly local youths with more mana than sense, come up the hill to try your chances at the local mages' tower. but Edden's out home with the winter fever this week and of course this is when you explode a lamp glass in the middle of the workroom?

why don't you ever do this kind of thing when she's here to pick up after you?

oh. I forgot. you do it then too. I'm just on the other side of the hallway ignoring the yelling.

well, come with me anyway. I think we've got a healer's kit somewhere. take this towel, you're bleeding on the floor. no, not that towel! that's already covered in ... oh, never mind.

don't touch anything. don't... stop looking like that at my workbench. sit there. sit... on the rug. no, no - too much blood - sit on the floor.

all right. let me see your arm. got all the glass out? what were you trying to do anyway?

oh. yes. attenuation for focused applications of ... stop squirming like a street brat with a splinter. you're a mage's apprentice, have some dignity.

we'll need some water. where's... oh, all right, that jug will do. hold your hand out.

stop squeaking.

so if you're attenuating your mana field for addressing a smaller task you need to work more slowly. doesn't Edden teach you lot anything? it's a slow progression. a staircase, not a waterfall.

blast. we're almost out of this salve. please... tell one of your noodle-headed compatriots to get some in the village tomorrow.

hold still! I can't bandage your hand if you keep turning that way. I said stop looking at my workbench, I don't run a -

well, I'm glad you're able to appreciate the sight of some proper magic apparatus. no need for flattery. I won't be buttered up like that... oh, what was that? no, it's not a glass bird, it's a pressure monitor. something you definitely don't use across the hall...

there, that's a terrible knot on the bandage but I'm no healer. just let me know if it comes untied. try not to untie it.

yes, I can show you how the pressure monitor works. what I'm doing here is working on the transmutation of matter at various levels... no, stand over there. you don't have to go yet, just don't touch anything.

please just don't touch anything.

#whump #hurt comfort #whumptober2022 #whumptober day 17

[ethereousdelirious]

This incredibly short emeto thing just like... happened?

This is REALLY outing myself but I just got into Sa.murai Cham.ploo so... Don't @ me if this contradicts canon I'm only like 3 eps in

Jin's dragging his feet a little. Not enough to make Mugen want to kill him for it, but just enough that he notices. Little missteps here and there, the scrape of wood against dirt. It's been getting worse as they walk, though the hills have mostly leveled out into flat forest, peppered by the occasional upraised root or fallen tree to jump over

Or clamber over, if you're Fuu.

They've been walking for so long that she's run out of things to nag them about, and now she walks a little ahead. The idea had been to walk with Fuu in the middle, Jin in front, and Mugen taking up the rear, but Jin's pace has slowed so much he's barely keeping up with Mugen now. There's a sheen of sweat on his brow and upper lip and the only thing keeping Mugen sane over the course of this excruciating trudge has been watching Jin grow paler and paler as they go. If he really loatens for it, he can hear the occasional irritated growl from Jin's stomach, hear him swallow thickly and sigh through his nose.

Clearly, something's not agreeing with him.

His nausea seems to be reaching a peak now, one he'd been heading toward with his forearm braced across his stomach, clenching a fistful of his haori. He's breathing way too fast now, eyelids fluttering behind the flash of his glasses. Oh yeah, this is it.

"Hey, Fuu!" Mugen stops, lacing his fingers behind his head. Her call of "Ugh, what?" overlaps with his: "You might wanna stop for a sec; Jin's about to throw up."

"Whaat?" Fuu says again, whipping around so fast she nearly trips. Mugen snickers, though he's saving the bulk of his cruel glee for Jin, who's leaned against a tree with his eyes screwed shut.

Jin shakes his head, throat bobbing and stomach growling. "No…" He says, and his eyes open so he can glare at Mugen with that stupid superior frown tugging down the corners of his mouth. It's not so badass now, when Jin is so pale he almost looks green under the sunlight and the leaves, when he's shaking with the effort of holding everything back, when dashes of black hair swirl like ink across his cheeks. "I'm fine." His body hitches forward and he tenses, then swallows.

Mugen smiles and shakes his head. He knows a stifled gag when he sees one. He considers saying so, but eh. Might as well hang back and see what Fuu manages to inflict on him.

Sure enough, she comes flying in with her hand out, reaching up to feel Jin's forehead. "Oh!" she says, her exclamation so forceful that it ruffles Jin's hair. "You're burning up."

Well, shit. A fever like that can be dangerous, too dangerous to take lightly when they're out in the middle of nowhere. Mugen takes a breath to impart this sage wisdom, but it's like Fuu's acknowledgement has kicked Jin's legs out from under him. He lists to the side (oh, too avoid Fuu's shoes) and throws up all over the forest floor.

The stoic asshole doesn't even have the good sense to be pathetic about it, no moaning or crying or anything. He just doubles over, one pale hand splayed against a tree trunk, and retches.

"Ew!" Fuu jumps back, nearly knocking into Mugen, and dammit, he's too freaked out to laugh. Not that he really cares what happens to Jin, but shit, this would be an awful way to go. A guy like Jin deserves to die at Mugen's hand, not flat on his back in the throes of a fever.

Still, he can't resist a little snark. "Told you so."

Jin lifts his head up, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose. "Sorry… Fuu…" he breathes.

He staggers back a few steps, face ashen, and Mugen lunges because he knows what happens next, and then he's got Jin's full weight on his chest, strands of hair in his mouth (gross). His glasses have finally fallen off, balanced between his cheek and Mugen's chest. Mugen grabs them and tosses them to Fuu. "Well… shit."

#emeto #ethereous writes

[guardianmedical]

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This, in turn, contributes to your overall well-being. A stress-free journey to the clinic sets a positive tone for your medical appointments, allowing you to engage with your healthcare providers more effectively.

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#Medical Clinic Near Footscray #Doctor Near Box Hill #Doctor Box Hill #Medical Clinic

[lifeinperpetualreview]

2022 Music In Review

Post-Spotify Wrapped and as the final albums of the year come out I wanted to dedicate one post to music for the whole of 2022.

I may have binged some of these albums more e.g. Taylor Swift and Harry's House which aren't very groundbreaking but a lot of that was data limitation and general tune catchiness - it was a VERY strong year for pop and a very minimal year for indie/rock music actually.

This list is based on their technical delivery artistically & sonically as well as pure enjoyment.

Favourite Albums this year:

Renaissance, Beyonce - this album was easily her best work, the truly authentic club anthems honouring her uncle Johnny and the ballroom scene of the 80's is groundbreaking stuff. It slaps, hard.

Mr Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar - wow, this album is deep and the messages buried are so important that it makes even the heavier songs a compelling listen.

This Is What I Mean, Stormzy - sonically Stormzy keeps moving on so much, which is good and bad but I rate his desire to push himself so highly and there are some beautiful tracks on here that make me pine even for unrequited love.

hugo, Loyle Carner - the absolute master at soft jazz rap, he shows so much growth as a person as always lays his life bare for everyone to learn from.

MOTOMAMI +, ROSALIA - a new convert to ROSALIA, her ability to bring her authentic flamenco heritage to mainstream pop in a new and explosive way is tantalising. She had me shimmying on the subway I tell you.

Sonder, Dermot Kennedy - was waiting for this album for year and it's moved on in production values that sound higher quality. If you're in need of a cry, this is the album for you - not groundbreaking but a truly heartfelt album.

Harry's House, Harry Styles - harking back to the start of the year this album truly lifted the spirits in a pretty dark time, beautifully synthed up electric pop is a move-on again for Harry and he's really owning his sound.

Midnights, Taylor Swift - binged this on repeat for a week, a classic TS album full of well-written catchy bangers and a great new style. Absolutely nothing groundbreaking about it and not really a big differentiation in style like folklore was but a solid album with AMAZING marketing.

NO THANK YOU, Little Simz - to be honest, this was a late surprise release so I need to listen more. I'm not immediately grabbed as hard as her last album which had some more jazz/afrobeat backings. This album is serious and has something to say, it's just sometimes harder to listen to.

Where I'm Meant To Be, Ezra Collective - an amazing discovery late into the year of these British-based black artists coming together to make an incredible community-inspired album of jazz/afrobeat bangers that are the perfect accompaniment to basically any moment.

BRIGHTSIDE, The Lumineers

Caprisong, FKA Twigs

ATTENTION: MILEY LIVE, Miley Cyrus

Dance Fever, Florence + The Machine

SOS, SZA - could be higher but only just came out!

Notable additional songs that slapped this year, not in strict order:

Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush. I'm always happy when Kate Bush gets her time in the limelight again and I feel like this song encapsulated a moment in time this summer and I love that a whole new audience discovered KB!

Afraid To Feel, LF SYSTEM. This was such a lovely little summer banger.

Nail Tech, Jack Harlow. There were a few too many lazy duds to list the main album but I really liked this song specifically.

Starlight, Dave

In The Club EP, Mahalia

go, Cat Burns

WAIT FOR U (feat Drake & Tems), Future

Last Call, Khalid

Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Ray

IFTK, Tion Wayne (La Roux)

Something In The Orange, Zack Bryan

I Burned LA Down, Noah Cyrus

Vegas (Elvis), Doja Cat

Stay With Me, Calvin Harris with Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Pharrel Williams

she's all i wanna be, Tate McRae

All in all a very good year for pop music, and I'm interested in trying to diversify my music taste in 2023.

#renaissance #beyonce #music #2022 music #2022 review #kendrick lamar #loyle carner #stormzy #rosalia