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writingintheshadowsforever · 1 year

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Riri Williams x Reader Personal Space Heater

You grew up in California, and whenever it came time for a family vacation. Your parents always picked some sunny tropical paradise. You weren't used to dealing with any temperatures below sixty degrees, and snow was practically a myth to you.

Riri knew all of this prior to inviting you to spend Christmas with her and her mom. Usually you would go home for the holidays but your parents had finally been able to retire from their jobs. This year, and were currently traveling all around the world like they always wanted to. Initially, they did offer to send you, your older sister and brother plane tickets of your own. So all of you could fly over and meet them in Greece where they would be for the next week or so. But all of you turned down their offer, deciding it was best to just let them enjoy their journey together. Your parents always wished for alone time like this, and were only offering to be nice. That's the kind of parents they were, so you guys decided it was time to return the favor.

Your older sister decided to go home with her own boyfriend, who was eager for her to meet his family. He had met hers last year, and it was the same thing for Riri. Last year, all three of you had brought your significant others home, and this year, all of them wanted to do the same.

You thought Riri was being ridiculous when she forced you to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe.

"Babe, those thin hoodies and small ass coats aren't going to do any good in Chicago. You're going to freeze your ass off, " She told you.

"And we can't be having that now, can we?" You joked, shuffling through the jacket rack.

"No, we cannot." Riri mused her eyes, drifting lower and lower, admiring the view. Despite all her protests, you still chose to wear a pair of white jeans that were a little tight on you, and while she was worried. About you shivering to death in the pants due to the Boston cold air. She had to admit the jeans did your ass justice.

"Seriously, Riri, stop staring at my butt and come help me pick out an appropriate jacket. Our flight is leaving in a couple of hours, and we need to get there early to beat the crowd." You said, turning around to face her, knowing she was only half-listening to you.

Her eyes stayed glued to your backside until your body was fully turnt around. She looked back up, almost instantly giving you a grin despite the irritation on your face. "Alright, step aside. I got this, and stop worrying we're on good time right now. This store isn't even crowded. We'll be out in no time."

"Yeah but traffic is going to be a bitch" You reminded her.

Riri nodded her head in agreement, moving the jackets aside a little faster. So far, every time, she tried to let you pick out something you liked on your own. You completely failed the assignment while the clothing would no doubt be stylish and beautiful on you. The material was weak and nowhere near thick enough to for the Chicago winter. Not only did she not want to deal with your whining about being cold, but her mother would kill her if you showed up on her doorstep in insufficient clothing.

It took her about twenty minutes, but she was able to pick you out two strong winter coats, a few sweaters, and three pairs of pants. You had also found a pair of black snow boots and an oversized hoodie with your favorite band on it to add to the pile.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, babe?" You asked her as the cashier scanned the clothes.

"Naw mamas, I'm all good, unlike you. I'm actually prepared for the Chicago snow." Riri said, waving you off. It was the third time you offered to buy her something.

"I still think you're exaggerating about how bad it's going to be. I mean, if I can handle the cold weather of Massachusetts, then Chicago should be a breeze."

Riri let out a laugh. "Oh, and by handle, you mean you spend every waking moment locked up in your room with a five-hundred dollar space heater. That has enough power and range to keep the whole building warm."

"You say that like you don't crash in my dorm the second winter hits," you shot back.

It was funny because the same way you weren't really thinking about how cold it would be in Chicago. When you decided to go to MIT, you did no research about the weather in Massachusetts. Your first year when the cold temperatures hit your teachers had to threaten you with a failing grade to get you to attend classes in person. Your parents sent you back to school with the expensive space heater next semester. Riri did have one of her own, and while it did get the job done, yours worked wonders. When she walked into your dorm room, it felt as if you had an actual fireplace in your room with flames ignited. Of course, she crashed with you.

"Yes, I enjoy being as warm as possible, but unlike you, I still know what real cold is, and I'm going to enjoy watching you eat those words later on." Riri said, shaking her head.

You paid for the clothes and ended up buying her something after all. Riri spotted a Starbucks before the two of you reached the exit and wanted a hot chocolate along with two cake pops. No doubt there would be one in the airport, but you knew from experience the line would be stupid long. It was the last thing you wanted to have to deal with, so of course you got her what she wanted. Also, getting yourself a hot mocha with a chocolate chip cookie.

Riri ended up making the drive since you had to repack your bags with the new clothes. Traffic was heavy, but the two of you still managed to reach the airport about five hours early for the flight to Chicago, and while the lines were long. Both of you knew it could be much worse around this time. Once you and her were made through security and was fully processed for the flight. Riri fell asleep with her head resting on your shoulder.

You let her sleep for the entire wait time, knowing she had to be tired. The young genius woke up two hours early to finish packing for the both of you. Well, it was mainly your bags she had been worried about. Her snooping through your suitcases is how she came to the conclusion. You were completely unprepared for this trip to Chicago, and that's what really led to the shopping trip.

While you appreciated her concern and loved the way she was looking out for you. Deep down, you still weren't worried about the cold. How bad could it be?

Eight hours later, after one long flight with only a slight delay, your question had been answered, and you were regretting your decision to not change your clothes. Riri urged you to go in the bathroom and switch out of the tight jeans. One of the pair of pants that she picked out, but you stood your ground.

She didn't even try to hide the smirk on her face as your teeth chattered. While your the bottom half of your body shivered. You were smart enough to throw on the black wool coat with cotton padded on the inside.

"H-h-how ar-are we-we getting ta-ta-to your mom's? You stammered out the question.

"There are some Ubers down here come on," she told you, taking your hand into her gloved one. She could feel how frozen your hands were through the glove, and her eyes glanced down to see both of your hands bare. "Ma, where are the gloves I gave you?"

You looked away at the tone of anger in her voice. While she was probably taking joy in being right. The last thing Riri wanted was for you to be sick, which is why despite all the teasing she was doing. She made sure you had everything you would need to stay a little warm. "The gloves are in my bag. I didn't think I would need them, alright." You admitted falling back behind her as a cold gust of wind blew past.

You pressed your chest to her back and wrapped your free arm around her waist. Riri didn't protest at first, but then your freezing cold hand touched her bare stomach. She jumped a foot in the air with a shriek. A few people glanced at the two of you, and one guy shot her an apologetic look as his girl stood behind him with her hands stuffed in his pockets. If anyone knew her pain, it was him.

"Y/N, have you lost your damn mind?" She cried out, releasing her grip on your hand as she wiggled out of your hold.

"My hands are cold. I'm cold," you whined, wrapping your arms around your waist. Pressing your hands into your own jacket as tight as possible.

"Yeah, I get that, but what's wrong with my jacket pocket?" Riri asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Body heat is better," you said with a shrug.

"Bruh, you do that again, and I will revoke all your cuddling privileges," Riri threatened. Her hands held out in front of her to ward you off.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry now will you please." You begged motioning for her to turn around with your head.

Riri raised a single finger at you with a stern look, warning you not to try anything funny. Nevertheless, she turned back around so you could resume hugging her from behind. This time, your hands slipped into her jacket pockets. The two of you finally made it to an Uber, and after putting the address into the GPS. He started the drive to her mom's house. The car ride was silent as you cuddled up to her in the backseat.

Riri paid attention to the route he was taking, not just for safety reasons, so she would know when the trip was almost complete. Halfway through, she dug in her bag, pulling out an extra pair of gloves. "Unless you want to see my mom strangle me to death, put these on."

You slipped the gloves on without argument, murmuring a quiet thank you.

A few minutes later, the driver pulled up to a two-story dark blue house with the edges of it painted white. There was a big porch leading to the front door with chairs set up on either side. There were Christmas lights lined up on the outside along with a few reindeer statues in the front yard.

"So much for waiting for me to put up the decorations," Riri grumbled under her breath. She opened the car door and got out waiting for you to follow before shutting it. The driver let the window to the passenger seat so you could pay him. Meanwhile, Riri got the luggage out of the trunk between the two of you. There were four suitcases with only one belonging to her. You packed a little more than she did, considering this was her home.

"So this is your last chance to back out if you're having any second thoughts." Riri said, fumbling with her fingers with her eyes directed at the snowy ground.

You could feel the nerves coming off her in giant waves, which surprised you. Up until this point, she had been nothing but calm about this whole thing. Heck, when you took her home last year to meet your parents. Riri handled it with ease. Nothing fazed her, not even when your siblings cornered her with if you hurt my baby sister conservation. That every other girlfriend you had in the past seemed to dread more than anything.

"You know I would grab your face and kiss you right now, but my hands are starting to freeze through these gloves. Come on, Ri, you know there's no such thing as second thoughts with me. At least not when it comes to you, I'm sure about everything when you're involved. Let's get inside before both of us freeze our asses off, " you told her.

She found herself releasing her deep breath she didn't even know she was holding in. At your reassurance, the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach seemed faded away just like that. Riri lifted her head up to see you standing there shivering as snow fell from the sky. But you had a big grin on your face with your hand extended out for her to take. She did tugging you closer to her so she could press her cold lips to your own. In a heated kiss that would warm both of you up.

"Riri Williams, if you don't get in this house and bring that girl of yours in here with you. I'm going to come out there and drag both of you in here by the ear. It's below zero out there with a blizzard going on. Now is not the time for y'all to be out sucking face. This is not a Hallmark movie." A woman's voice yelled from the porch combined with the sound of a screen door flying open.

Riri pulled away as heat rose up on her cheeks due to embarrassment. You covered your mouth with both of your hands to muffle your laughter. "Sorry, Momma, we coming."

"Right now," her mother demanded and disappeared back into the house.

Riri let out a groan as you shook your head in amusement. "I'm so glad you find all of this to be so funny."

"Hey, you kissed me," you said before bursting into laughter bending over with your hands on your knees.

"Help me with the bags before she makes good on her threat," Riri snapped, smacking you on the shoulder. You straightened up a few seconds later to slide a duffel bag onto your shoulder and to take the handle of one of the rolling suitcases. Riri might have sounded frustrated, but you could see the humor in her eyes.

You followed her into the house and was presented with. A spacious and cozy living room on the back wall was the furniture consisting of. A large dark gray sectional sofa with a futon at the bottom and a recliner in the corner of the room. A big glass table was positioned in the center of the floor covered in little whatnots and two jars filled with candy on either side. On the other wall of the living room, there was fifty-five to sixty inch flatscreen TV with the Samsung logo on the front. It was resting on top of a big brown TV stand with a cabinet area at the bottom.

A cop drama was playing with the volume set pretty low, making background noise.

"Momma," Riri called out, setting the suitcases off to the side. She motioned for you to do the same as she headed towards a doorway. You dropped the duffel bag on the floor by the suitcases and hurried along right behind her.

The doorway led to a kitchen covered in white tiles floor with a brown dining room table with six chairs pushed in. The kitchen was a mix of modern and old schools with an island in the middle matching the brown table. A brown-skinned woman who had maybe an inch on Riri was at the kitchen sink with her back to both of you. She was dressed in a black shirt with some blue sweatpants and a pair of black bedroom shoes on her feet. A blue bandanna was tied on top of her head, but box braids spilled out of it, going down to her back.

"Riri, I hoped you took those shoes off at the door. No tracking in my kitchen." The woman said without turning around.

"Shit," Riri muttered, turning back around to go do just exactly that. She gripped you by the waist, moving you along as well. Both of you left your shoes by the door along with a set of others before making your way back to the kitchen. By now, her mom was done in the sink and was mixing some raw chicken in a bowl of seasoning.

Her mom paused her cooking to wipe her hands and come over to both of you. Immediately, Riri threw herself into her mother's arms, who wrapped her arms around her in bear hug. "It's good to have you home, my little genius."

"It's good to be home, momma," she replied, burying her face into her mother's neck. They stayed like that holding each other for a solid ten seconds. Before her mother's warm brown eyes settled on you standing in the doorway. You gave her a little wave with a small smile.

"Alright, come on, introduce me to your girlfriend. She's the first one you bought home in forever." Her mother said, pulling away.

Riri took a step back and took you by the hand to pull you forward. "Mom, this is y/n. we've been dating for about a year and a half. Y/N, this is my mom."

You held out your hand for her to shake "Mrs.Williams its so nice to finally - whoa, okay." You let out a small gasp of surprise as she knocked your hand away and pulled you into the same bear hug. She shared with her daughter just a minute ago. You were a little hesitant at first, but eventually, you did return the hug.

"Don't be shy sweetheart you're practically family at this point. My little girl hasn't ever brought someone home even when I would beg her to. The fact that you're here lets me know you're something special, honey, " She told you.

"Mom," Riri whined.

Her mother gave her a wink as she finally released you. "Why don't you two go get settled in. I'm cooking dinner for tonight, but there is some leftover lasagna in the fridge. If you don't want that, it's early in the day. I'm pretty sure Riri would love to take you out in the city. Just have some fun and enjoy yourselves. We can catch up at dinner."

You and Riri ended up going out into the city after eating some of the lasagna that did not disappoint. Despite the cold weather, you loved sightseeing the city of Chicago captivated by the beauty of Riri's home. Now that you were in the proper clothing, the cold wasn't as bad, and you were ready to take full advantage of the mountains of snow. You were like a little kid pulling Riri into a vacant parking lot to make snow angels, build a snowman, and do every other cliche activity. You witnessed people doing on TV during Christmas movies. Riri didn't mind one bit even though she grew up in this weather and had done these things a million times. Doing it with you made her feel like it was the first time.

The sun was getting ready to set as the sky started to turn a dark blue. By the time the two of you made it back to her house, Riri went into the house to wash up and attempt to get a quick nap in before dinner. Her mom was sitting in the recliner watching The Brothers and informed her. The food would be ready in about two more hours. You were still outside sitting on the front porch watching the snow fall.

It was when the winds started to pick up and get stronger with each breeze. You called it a night and went inside. Riri was in bed buried under the covers, and there was a small space heater going, making the room slightly warmer than the rest of the house. You shrugged out of your jacket, socks, and gloves before slipping into the bed with her. She let out a soft hum to greet you and turned her body around to face you.

"How you feeling, Ma?"

"Snow is freaking beautiful but got damn I'm freezing," you whispered through chattering teeth.

"I told you to come inside and watch the snow fall, but you never want to listen." Riri gloated, shaking her head with an amused smile that you could barely make out under the darkness of the duvet.

"Well, it's a good thing I have you to warm me up then, huh?" you commented. Riri wasn't sure of what you meant at first but found out a second later. When your feet pushed their way under her legs. You grinned as Riri let out an even louder shriek than the one from earlier. No doubt your toes were the coldest part of your body.

"Holy shit y/n" Riri shouted, attempting to scoot away, but you let out a whine stretching your legs out to follow her. You wrapped your arms around her waist to pull her back.

"Okay, okay, your feet can stay, but you got to chill," she complained, squirming in your arms. As your hands found her bare skin again. "You lucky I freaking love you because your ass should be on the floor for that little stunt."

"Come on, you're used to this. I'm not, which means you have to be my personal space heater."

"Man, you could've given me a heads up, at least."

You shook your head. "You would've said no."

"Damn right now come here let's get some sleep before the food is ready. I'm tired, and my mom will not tolerate us ditching dinner." Riri opened her arms, letting you settle in her embrace with your face buried in her chest.

"Oh yeah, I love you too, Ri,"

Riri gave you a quick squeeze indicating she heard you, and both of you fell into a blissful sleep.

#mcu imagine #riri williams x reader #riri williams imagine #marvel imagine

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densitywell · 10 months

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Orympost I dare you. Consider me the sick fuck egging you on

me reading this ask

ok so. i love Orym so much and I truly have too many thoughts abt him to be contained in one post so let's just start with the trauma, the thing that defines Orym not just as a character but also discursively. this discussion often feels very surface level, not much more than a simple acknowledgment that Orym is sad bc dead family. which is a shame, bc the thing that really strikes me about Orym's grief is not simply that he has it but how deeply it has shaped him, consumed him. the death of his family often gets used as a reason no one should ever challenge him on anything ever, which is an incredibly unproductive and unhealthy way to view trauma, and also obscures the much more compelling and poignant truth; Orym is absolutely not handling his trauma productively or healthily. i have made a meme to further express my feelings on the matter.

so, i remember quite well the first time i watched Orym's resurrection in episode 34.

when he sees Will in the afterlife and says, the most sincere he's ever sounded (and he is so sincere all the time), "I really wish I could stay." and in that moment i realized; oh, Orym would rather be dead right now. Orym would rather be dead right now, because it would mean he got to be with Will and Derrig.

another moment i think about a lot: when he's talking with Uther, a member of the Gorgynei, in episode 42, about naming his sword and about their times traveling, and Uther says: "it's nice to have a home finally, after traveling for a long time. i hope you and your friends can find a home, or return to the ones you have."

and Orym says: "I'll think of a name [for his sword]."

it's a fun kind of synergy that Orym is a dex based character who is also, emotionally, so slippery and avoidant. always deflecting. he's defined by his steadfastness in battle and his stubborn refusal to change outside of it. it's notable how stagnant Orym felt, as a character, up until the Issylra arc. very intentionally so; he's likely been in a state of paralysis for much of the last 6 years. he really wishes he could stay. i don't think he's accepted that he can't.

or that there's reasons not to: of all of the many Orym moments i think about all of the time, the one i think about by far the most is his conversation with the Wildmother, all the way back in EXU, when she tells him, so lovingly:

"There is so much I would have you see."

that, more than anything, is the line that defines Orym to me. you can see glimpses of it, in his love for the Hells, his amazement when he's dancing with the spirits or watching Ashton blow 200 gold gambling; on the other hand, in his refusal to really engage with the gods debate (as stated by Liam himself) or his continued discomfit with some of his friend's oddities. there is so much world, so much beauty, so much love still out there for Orym to experience, if he would simply let himself. revenge is nice, i hope he gets it, but it will simply never be enough. it will not give him the capacity to love fully again, and if he gets the revenge and not the love he will end up empty, hallowed out, leading a life always wishing he could be somewhere else.

right now he's regressing, reduced down to nothing but that painful wound, abandoning even so much of his kindness and reason. the hells can help, and they should and they will, because they have so much love to give. but Orym will have to open himself up to it, to them, first. i really hope he does!!

#orym of the air ashari #critical role #cr #he is so sad!! i don't know if you all understand how sad this little man is!!!#orym cr #okay i hope this all flows decently i can simply not look at it any more. downloading bg3 as we speak #long post /#wavebiders #thank you for this excuse to throw a small section of my many many feelings abt orym into the ether!!#crposting

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berrychanx · 1 year

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Purin Fong - Character Development

I love Purin so much, either in the original, manga or the remake. I feel like the remake truly captured her chaotic energy, she’s always moving, she never stops.

She embraces the Monkey Spirit inside her, seeing her being an hyperactive child inside the museum and acting like a monkey was pure bliss to me...funny how no one had the guts to stop her. I guess she’s just a force of nature, nothing can stop her intense energy.

Reject Humanity ... Return to Monke

I’ve already told my opinion on Purin new transformation sequence which can be found here Despite its introduction being rather short and fast compared to the other girls transformation, I love how it incorporates her animal traits and folclore, seen by using the tail as spring to jump. Seems like something she would do (how that works let’s not question it) To me she stills remains the same as her original counterpart but with a few extras making her more fun and relatable a bit to my family members.

Let me explain, I have 8 nephews (I have 2 older brothers, 1 has 6 kids, the other has 2)

,i have a niece 1 year older than me, a niece 1 year younger than me and the rest is 2 to 3 years apart and we’ve all grew up together. My brother is the man of the house, the only one working and umm my sister-in-law...let’s not talk about her, she’s a mess, let’s say she’s like Purin dad in that aspect.. absent.

Despite her ruling her house with an iron fist, she never did any house chores....she would leave the work to me and my 2 nieces and later when the rest was already in Purin siblings age they would too help around the house.

This was something the manga always had implied, that despite Purin living alone wit her siblings they would help her anyway they could.

In small things like cleaning the dishes Like @godtierwallflower mentions is nice to see Purin paying the same attention to all of her siblings in New, unluike in the original where she seemed to favorite the girl. Her working as a street performance to raise money for her siblings is STILL ADDRESSED in her Petit Mew Mew Introduction. And like I’ve mentioned in the episode review.

I’m glad New changed her father background story, to quote GodTierWallFlower they’ve changed to a vaguer “working overseas” instead of a “traveling across the world to improve his martial arts” because the latter was very rooted in the tropes of 90s anime like Ranma) And he’s behavior of a father makes it more reckless, when he has a dojo back at home ... But still speaking of her father

In New, even if he’s working over-seas, he’s an absent figure in Purin development a growth as a person, his face is obscured, and he’s turned away and distant, looking elsewhere, because that’s all Bu-ling’s image of him is.Meanwhile, her mother is facing them with a bright smile, the same sort of smile and exuberance that Bu-ling wants to have..

It isn’t even clear on whether he supports them financially or not. Bu-ling still does her best to earn her own money, and lives frugally, even making candy instead of buying it.

His role in her life is defined by absence, in a way that her late mother’s is not She feels her mother’s presence in everything, talks to her while she’s going to sleep, searching for the ghost of her in little things. She’s dead, and she still is the one pushing Bu-ling’s dreams and motivating her.

Even now, towards the end of the series, her brothers are always in her thoughts, thinking about their safety and their future.

She even invites TaruTaru to live with them, once the battle is over, her siblings would like him without a doubt.

She’s a great kid, I would love to continue to follow her growth as a character . It would be so interesting to see what Purin becomes in the future. What career she chooses, how her relationship will TaruTaru develop, etc. I wish i had more to say, but there’s still episodes left and I wonder what wait us, specially by the finale.

#tokyo mew mew #mew mew power #tokyo mew mew new #analysis #purin fong #mew purin #mew pudding #Bu-ling Huang

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primoredial-jade · 2 years

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hiii congrats on 500 !!! <3

may i have a drabble with kazuha + amaryllis flowers + almond tofu? :D

WELCOME TO:

jade’s 500 fabulous feast special!

prompt: the wind will always lead him back to you.

pairing: kaedehara kazuha x gn!reader

cw: fanon regarding kazuha’s bandaged hand, descriptions of burns, minor spoilers of kazuha’s story quest, minor spoilers of kazuha’s family history, love confessions, mutual pining, reader resides in inazuma, some angst, happy ending*

to my dearest @kazucafe 🤍

"how long will you be gone for this time?"

kazuha feels a deep ache in his heart at your innocent question.

this time, because he had already left you behind in inazuma countless times already in his pursuit for freedom, this time, because there would be many more in the future where he would have to leave again.

the wind blew gently around you two. he could smell the faint traces of melancholy, of grief, and of longing.

"the alcor will likely finish with its round trip in two months time," he answers after a beat of silence, "i will return back then," to you.

you hum in response, fiddling with the grass underneath your fingertips. here, sat atop the highest peak of araumi with the one person you had tried so hard to not fall in love with, it was hard not to get emotional.

when he initially left, it was not exactly on his terms. he had been a fugitive on the run, wanted dead or alive by the nation he used to be able to call his home. ever since his travels with beidou, kazuha had found love for wandering. he wanted to explore the world, see what everything had to offer, as his father had wished.

you understood, of course you did.

"just like the wind, you belong everywhere and anywhere all at once," were your final words to him before he went on the run. he had taken your words with him everywhere he went, reminded of your pretty eyes and teary smile.

"it'll be a long trip," you began, turning to him, "let me re-bandage your hand before you leave?"

a wistful smile appears on his face. there was only one person ever allowed to see the admittedly grotesque injury on his hand after gaining possession of his dying friend's vision, and that was you.

kazuha easily surrendered his hand into yours, watching as you carefully unraveled it to show more of his skin. once the final linings dropped to the ground, you could only stare in muted shock at what greeted you, despite having seen it many times in the past.

gashes of charred, burned skin accompanied battle scars that had healed over time. this was the hand of a samurai, one of the strongest people you knew. he trusted you enough to show you one of his very few weaknesses, and that made your chest palpitate.

in silence, you applied a salve to dull the ache that he undoubtedly suffered during battle. kazuha's fingers involuntarily flexed whenever your fingers trailed over his palm. despite many of the nerves there lost after the burns, your touch still sent electric shocks through his body.

you took your time to wrap a fresh bandage over his hand, and he noticed the way your hands were shaking.

"something on your mind?"

you smile sadly, finishing up with his bandages before rebutting, "always so attentive."

kazuha shifts his gaze to overlook the sea, breathing a deep sigh when he feels you release his hand. "any matter of yours is of great concern to me, i hope you know that."

"did the wind say that?" you attempt to joke, but his ruby red eyes now focused on you conveys the truth behind his words. you falter, pursing your lips to get ahold of yourself. "i'm just going to miss you, kazuha."

he doesn't say anything for a long moment. you can practically hear your heartbeat in your ears at your confession, unsure of what his reaction— or lack thereof, means. before you can stutter out an apology, kazuha firmly takes one of your hands, eyes full of determination and love.

"i'm sorry," he says, voice cracking. it makes your own tears spring to your eyes.

"i underestimate how much impact my voyages have on the people who care about me. i'm always thinking about you," he admits, eyes softening as he looks at your face, "everywhere i go. always."

a watery laugh escapes your mouth at his confession, so inexplicably joyful that you consume his thoughts just as much as you do his.

"i'll be waiting for your return," you say, tightening your hold around his. "no matter how long it takes. i'll be right here."

kazuha lets out a shuddering breath, bringing your conjoined hands to his mouth. the sweet, warm press of his lips to your knuckles sets your heart ablaze, heat running up your neck.

kazuha was like the wind. unpredictable, always moving, never staying in one place.

still, the wind would always find a way to come back home to you.

—amaryllis flowers - pride, strength, determination, love

—almond tofu - a warm kiss on the back of the hand

#jade's 500 fabulous feast special!#kaedehara kazuha x reader #kazuha x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #reader insert #kazuha fluff #genshin x you #genshin impact #kazuha #kaedehara kazuha #kaedehara kazuha imagines #kaedehara kazuha | primoredial-jade

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scotianostra · 8 months

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Happy Birthday Christina 'Licorice' McKechnie, born on October 2nd 1945 in Edinburgh.

This is always a difficult post for, I say Happy Birthday to Licorice, but in my heart I think she is dead, she was last heard from in 1990, and the last sighting of, "Likkie’’ as she became known, was hitchhiking across the Arizona desert.

Christina ‘Licorice’ McKechnie was born in Edinburgh in 1945, there is nothing about her early life online that I can find, her story starts when she was known around the folk clubs of Auld Reekie, reciting poetry, it was around this time she left home-and was set to marry, the late great Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch. The banns had been called, (Banns were a legal requirement and were an intention of marriage, posted for people to see in their parish,) the wedding never took place, Jansch left Scotland for Morocco.

Likkie began a relationship with Robin Williamson who along Robin,Clive Palmer and Mike Heron had form The Incredible String Band, the group split for a time when Williamson and Likkie went travelling but reformed on their return as a duo with Heron. They later played on the same bill as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, Likkie joined then as vocalist and they recorded the album, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion.

The band went on to have success touring but had limited commercial success. They got involved with Scientology in the 60’s and it is said to have contributed to a decline in their music quality, they did however play Woodstock in 69, they were scheduled to play the first day and a fee of $4500 had been agreed, this would have been a huge sum for them back in the 60’s and you would have thought bigger things beckoned. The band didn’t appear on the film of the festival as they refused to play in the rain, their slot was taken by the fabulous Melanie (Safka) who later wrote “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” about her day. “String Band” played the next day on a mainly rock day, the world missed out and so did they.

By late 1969, they had established a communal base at Glen Row near Innerleithen, Likkie and Robin split around this time although she remained in the group till 1972. After a failed marriage to musician Brian Lambert she featured on an album with Williamson and his Merry men and an album with Woody Woodmansey’s band U-Boat. Beyond this, it's believed that she may have bounced around, living perhaps in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Sacramento.

The Diversity of Classic Rock website reports that McKechnie's sister last heard from her in 1990, when McKechnie had been recovering from surgery in Sacramento. The site is also one of many that claims McKechnie disappeared in the Arizona desert, but this has never been conclusively proved.

Time to hit the kitchen to grab a few grains of salt because Reddit has also weighed in on her disappearance, with unproven theories ranging from a Scientology connection to parsing the words of former bandmates who wish (emphasis on the present tense) her well.

Redditors also claim that McKechnie's family hired private investigators to find her, though they were unsuccessful. Others counter that she's been traced via a basic internet search to a small city in the States. The confusion is enough to make any casual sleuth hope that McKechnie just grew tired of the spotlight and is now happy in her anonymity.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Likkie is dead, or if she is living way off grid somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic celebrating her 78th birthday.

#scotland #scottish #history #flower power #Th incredible string band #edinburgh #Happy Birthday?#Woodstock

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harvardfineartslib · 1 year

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Zarina Hashmi (1937–2020), known professionally as Zarina, was an Indian-American artist and printmaker. She was born in Aligarh, British India. After receiving a degree in mathematics from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1958, she went on to study various printmaking methods in Thailand, Paris, and Tokyo. Zarina was a world traveler and lived in many different cities from Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, New Delhi, Bonn to London. Zarina lived and worked mostly in New York City. Home was a recurring theme in her work.

“I am only a small part of a big universe, but we all have stories to tell. I am already eighty years old and time is running out. To quote the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, ‘I don’t have enough time to tie my end to my beginning.’

I have learned a lot from my wanderings around the world and have always been very curious about how other people live. Now, in my old age, I want to go back to where I started. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I never left my house of four walls in India. I will never know the privilege of living out my days in the country in which I was born, speaking in my mother tongue. There is truth to the phrase, “You can never go home again.” I do not feel at home anywhere, but the idea of home follows me wherever I go. In dreams and on sleepless nights, the fragrance of the garden, image of the sky, and sound of language returns. I go back to the roads I have crossed many times. They are my companions and my solace…

…But, now, at this age, I wish I hadn’t left Aligarh. I wish I was back in the house with four walls. I never expected to spend these years here, in a foreign land, in a different culture, without my family. In a way, these forty years have been my days of solitude. I yearn for home. Home isn’t bricks and walls. Home is other people. I often have a dream in which I’m sitting in our courtyard and everyone around me is saying, “Oh, I’m so glad you’ve decided to come back.” When I wake up, I realize that I was sitting amongst the dead. Nobody is left in our house at Aligarh. Rani is gone. My parents are gone. Home has become another foreign place.” - Zarina

Image 1: Front cover with an image of “Wall”

Image 2: On the left page featuring “Door,” “Entrance,” “Courtyard,” and “Wall” On the right page featuring “Sky,” “Earth,” “Sun,” and “Moon” from Home is a Foreign Place, 1999

Zarina : paper like skin Allegra Pesenti; with contributions by Aamir R. Mufti and Sandhini Poddar. Los Angeles: Hammer Museum, University of California; Munich: DelMonico Books/Prestel, 2012 English HOLLIS number: 990137311030203941

#AsianAmericanandPacificIslanderHeritageMonth #Zarina #IndianAmericanartist #Womenartists #Home #AAPIHeritage #AAPIHeritagemonth #AAPI #HarvardFineArtsLibrary #Fineartslibrary #Harvard #HarvardLibrary #harvardfineartslibrary #fineartslibrary #harvardlibrary

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fioreofthemarch · 1 year

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Finding Her - Chapter 7

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ]

Log date: 15:30. 6th month, 15th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Mild

Dear Reader,

I am sitting down now to recount the events of the past three days. I feel as though I could instead recount the past four and a half years, for everything that has occured in that time seems to have led to this day.

I have never had the talents with Sheikah technology that some of my clan have, my Auntie Purah especially, so please forgive any spelling errors. I have written out all my thoughts on paper and am transcribing them slowly into this Purah Pad, as Master Link asked of me.

Actually, I will recount some events of the past, for it is all relevant. It began some four years ago, when I first met Master Link. I had grown up hearing stories of his bravery, so when he finally arrived in Kakariko Village, I found myself quite awe-struck. Now I look back at that girlish time with laughter — I used to hide my face at the sight of him! And yes, while Master Link is unique among the Hylians for his strength and dedication, he is as approachable as any other, and I count him among my dear friends. You can imagine my joy when not too long after Master Link came to us, he returned with Princess Zelda.

I expected the Princess to be very grand and intimidating, but instead when she met my grandmother and I in the Elder’s House, she bowed low before us, and expressed her humblest thanks to the Sheikah for saving Master Link’s life and for serving her family until the very end. She said she could never repay what the Sheikah had sacrificed, and hoped only to assist us with whatever we may need in future. She even turned to me and said (and I’ll never forget it), ‘Link has told me so much of you, Lady Paya, and your dedication to your people. My grandmother could not ask for a better heir’

Heir! There had never been talk of me one day leading Kakariko Village. Me, the shy, sheltered girl who could hardly look a young man in the face! And yet — Princess Zelda had absolute faith in me from the beginning. Since then I have vowed to always put my absolute faith in her, no matter what.

That faith was tested however, not long after the Upheaval. But I will recount those events later. Oh, an entire hour has passed! I must do my rounds of the Ring Ruins and check on Master Link before supper. Last I heard, he was helping Trissa uncover where the cuccos of our village have been making their new roost.

---

Log date: 19:00. 6th month, 15th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Cool, rain overnight

Dear Reader,

I am sitting down again to transcribe my thoughts, having finished a supper of egg and rice curry that Master Link made. I encouraged him to cook for the three of us (myself, Link and my aide Dorian), as he told me earlier today that cooking always improves his mood. But I am getting ahead of myself again.

When I was younger, I treasured the peaceful calm of Kakariko and was frightened of the outside world. That changed not long after I met Master Link and Princess Zelda and heard of their many travels beyond the village gates. From then on I longed for some change to Kakariko Village, one that would breathe life back into our home. I prayed for it! And I suppose my wish was granted when the Ring Ruins fell upon us on the day of the Upheaval. It has only been two months since then and now Kakariko brims with activity; researchers, tourists, traders and curious travellers. It is my duty as Chief to welcome and watch over them all.

Three days ago, a new traveller made their way into Kakariko Village. He rode a speckled horse and kept his hood drawn, though his face was red and puffy as though he’d been crying. His clothes were sodden and slightly singed, and he carried no weapons. Riding into town, he paused very briefly to witness the enormous ruins that landed on our village, looked to where myself and Master Tauro stood conversing (but did not wave), and then went straight to the Inn. This, being closed, could not house him, so the traveller sat down by a tree, made a campfire for himself and went to sleep.

Only then did I see, when he lowered his hood, that he was none other than Master Link! This sent the town into a hushed frenzy. The Princess’ own chosen protector, here, and looking downright despondent! What on earth could cause Master Link to be so glum? I could not abide by what that would do to everyone’s spirits. I had to act.

I summoned all my strength, marched over to where Master Link was napping, grabbed him by his strange new arm and dragged him into the Elder’s House. I boiled water for a bath, gave him a towel, and directed him to remain in the upstairs room until he’d bathed and was ready to tell myself and Dorian all that had happened. He reappeared an hour later, fresh but still morose, and handed me this Purah Pad.

‘Been keeping notes for a month. It’s all in there,’ he said. I bid Dorian to take Link and find the innkeep Oli so that he (and any other guest!) might have a proper bed that evening, and while they were gone, I read.

I read and read, every entry and every photograph. Goddess preserve me. I cannot imagine what Link and Zelda have been through. In fact, I can barely fathom it. Zelda, trapped in the past? Some great evil beneath Hyrule Castle? Secret stones and a Demon King? I feel as though I am reading the ancient texts kept in my grandmother’s library, not the words of a Knight of Hateno Village.

I slept little after reading the contents of the Purah Pad, and was grateful to meet with Master Link the next morning to discuss. I had many questions but asked few. It is the Chief's duty to counsel, not to interrogate. I began by asking Link what had caused him to seek us out. He said he wanted to go somewhere familiar, and that in Zelda’s absence he figured her most trusted advisors would be the best place to turn. He recounted seeing Zelda in Hebra and Eldin, and hearing rumours that she had been seen all over Hyrule but was acting strange. He said he feared perhaps she had been changed somehow, towards malicious ends.

This was all deeply troubling. I revealed to Link that I had seen Princess Zelda only weeks ago. She had arrived in the village on the day of the Upheaval, dressed in strange clothes, and forbade anyone to investigate the floating Ring Ruin above the village graveyard. He asked me how she seemed, and Link – I know you will read this. I must admit that I lied. I said I saw nothing out of the ordinary except her clothes. The truth is, her whole affect concerned me. Zelda had always been so kind and warm, but the Princess that I saw that day was stern, cruel even, and spoke to me as though I was a stranger.

Despite my unease, I suggested to Link that sometimes, there are simpler explanations than the worst ones. He considered this, and nodded in agreement, saying, ‘Let’s hope you’re right’.

Ah, the hour grows late again. I will finish my tale in the morning. As a final note, I will remark on the moment I knew all was not lost. After our discussion, I had a favour to ask of Link. Lasli’s grandmother had been unwell, having wandered too close to the Gloom-covered chasm north of the village, and none of our medicines had proven effective. I asked Link if, in his travels, he had learned of any herb or remedy that could combat Gloom sickness.

Link smiled. ‘I know just the trick,’ he said. Taking the Purah Pad in hand, he materialised a handful of large flowers with otherworldly black and gold petals, and said, ‘Sundelions. I need to thank Josha for them next time I’m in Lookout Landing.’ And with a bow, and remedy in hand, he departed for Lasli’s home.

---

Log date: 10:00. 6th month, 16th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Showers easing

Dearest Reader,

I believe this may be my final entry into this Purah Pad. I have grown fond of the device. It has a calming glow that reminds me of blue nightshade and of clear nights under the stars. I can see why Master Link keeps it so close and makes it his travel companion of sorts.

On the second day after Link arrived in Kakariko, I invited him to join me on my rounds of the village, visiting the researchers at each of the Ring Ruins. I told him he could rest as long as he needed, but that some light exercise might be beneficial to his spirits. He told me running around Hyrule in pursuit of a Princess was exercise enough, but was happy to join me.

The Zonai Survey Team members were thrilled to meet Link and explain their work on the Ring Ruins. Gossip travels fast among researchers (for they love to talk), so many had already heard of his adventures in Hebra and Eldin, and swore they would do all they could to help find Princess Zelda. I could see no reaction on Link’s face at their pledge, only an affirming nod. Whatever he was really feeling, he could not tell them.

Later, there was a light rain falling as we walked past the fields of carrots and plum trees in the centre of the village, until suddenly the clouds above us split and bright sunshine streamed down. I could not help but pause and take in the sight. It was at this moment that Master Link began to speak.

‘I saw a vision on my way here,’ he told me, and then explained the geoglyphs that had appeared across Hyrule. I know now that these are the symbols my grandmother has departed in search of. ‘There was a man of the desert, a Gerudo, leading an attack on Hyrule. Zelda was there, protecting them from him. It got me thinking…’

I could not help but interject. ‘Ah, that maybe that is why she cannot reveal herself to us? Because of some danger from the past that survived to our time.’

He nodded, and I was satisfied I was correct — until I saw tears in his eyes. I had no choice but to inquire directly. ‘What wounds you, Master Link?’

His face settled into a gentle smile as he blinked away his tears. ‘I just wish I’d been there, to help if I could,’ he said. ‘I miss her, you know?’

There in the sun shower, I finally understood the depths of his grief and pain at being wrenched so suddenly from his partner, who had been an anchor for him for as long as he could remember. However, among the gloomy clouds of his countenance there was a single ray of hope — one fueled by a quiet but boundless love. Link’s faith in Zelda had been tested, and it had survived.

I had one final piece of counsel for him. I advised that his prior doubts about the Princess were not a failure on his part, and that Zelda would want him to be thorough and critical in his investigations. I said that Hyrule is a land of mystery, and in times such as the Upheaval, one cannot beat oneself up for feeling confused. He laughed a little at this, and I cannot express the relief I felt at seeing some joy returned to him. He thanked me for our time together and announced that he planned to stay another day or two to help out around the village where he could.

As I write, Master Link is currently aiding Wortsworth with translations of some Zonai stone tablets that he came across in the skies above Eldin and Hebra. When he returns, I will hand him back this Purah Pad, but not before I ask another favour of him. Not for me, but for himself — to see in photographic colour how strong he is, and to see that he is alive, thriving even, in a time of great turmoil. I hope Zelda will someday see this too, so she can understand how hard he worked to protect this Kingdom of ours that I know she loves so well.

By the Goddess’ Grace,

Paya, Chief of Kakariko Village

The final log is accompanied by a portrait of Link, taken on the balcony of the Elder’s House. He stands with an upright posture, outfitted for adventure: a sword and shield over his back, his Zonai energy cell at his belt, a Hylian hood clasped around his neck. There is a sorrowful calm on his face, but determination too. The sun is behind him and his hair is shining.

Caption: You will look back at this moment as your lowest. I encourage you to look back on it as the one with the most potential.

#totk #tears of the kingdom #tloz #zelink #legend of zelda #tloz fanfiction #tears of the kingdom fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #finding her #this weeks episode is hosted by a SURPRISE GUEST

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ember-da-toon · 24 days

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TWST OCs so far

Okay. so here are the basics I've got for my Twisted Wonderland Ocs, I have four so far and some of them don't have that much detail but I tried.

Anyway, let's start with my Yuu/MC-sona.

Sterling Bellham (Yuu-sona)

19 y/o

He/Him

Human

Ramshackle Dorm Prefect

Magicless

Favourite subject; Alchemy

S/o: Leona Kingschollar

Student of Night Raven College

Personality:

Aloof. Relaxed. Pacifist.

Appearance:

Tanned skin. Shoulder length Dark purple hair. Dark blue eyes. Loose turtleneck. Black jeans. Silver rimmed glasses.

Likes:

Keeping up with studies. Being on time.

Dislikes;

Getting nagged.

When he got dragged to NRC against his will, the previous night was supposed to be him heading to his actual college. He is now unfortunately placed with the Freshmen since he's new.

He does his best to take care of Grim, really he does. It's not that different from the little sibling he has back in his own world. More often than not Sterling's memory of his origins slip away day by day and he gets anxious about it sometimes. He would write letters he wished he could send to his family back at home and use them to keep track of his memories of them. It is unclear if he will completely lose the memories of his family or regain them once he returns to his original world.

-~-~-~-

Onto my character based Ocs!

-~-~-~-

Freyr Cellestino (Rapunzel + Tiana-esque) (Tangled & Princess and the Frog)

19 y/o

He/She

Mage

Ex Octavenielle Student

Favourite subject; History

S/o: Idia Shroud

Bakery Owner

Signature spells;

“What Once was Mine”

-Heals wounds that have their wound wrapped with his hair (hardly blots when in use)

-No side effects

“Wither and Decay”

-Drains negative magic from nearby mages for a short amount of time (basically intaking other's blot to himself instead (VERY dangerous))

-Easily drained and tired when in use

Personality:

Bubbly. Energetic. Extroverted. Playful. Creative.

Appearance:

Pale skin. Freckles. Long bright blonde hair. Purple dress shirt. Brown slacks. Green eyes.

Likes:

Baking. Painting. Reading. Sewing outfits.

Dislikes:

Sitting in one place for too long.

Freyr was raised by his single mother that worked as the local healer as that was her signature spell. His mother was always kind and taught him all about medicine and how to brew potions into remedies. When he was younger he used to get sick a lot, most of the time, it was because of some sort of curse that was put on him when he was born. His hair was to be kept long and groomed well, if it gets cut, it will lose it's shine and powers also rendering the cheerful boy to be lethargic and sickly. It would last days, spanned into two weeks once, before Freyr could finally get out of bed.

His mother did her best to find a cure for him since it was difficult to keep his hair so long without it trailing behind and becoming a tripping hazard. She is still searching for a cure while maintaining her small business alive despite Freyr insisting he doesn't need a cure and is able to live his life with the curse if he managed it properly.

His mother was also the one that taught him how to bake since he wouldn't be allowed to go outside when he was sick. He'd be left alone in the house while his mother went out to sell her remedies and treat the neighbors. He'd spend most of his time in the kitchen baking all sorts of treats and trying different recipes. He would even pack them into her mother's travelling bag whenever she had to leave town for an extended period of time. He learned to be independent at a very young age with the frequency of his mother travelling about. At least his mother would bring back exotic or rare ingredient for him to try and bake them into his recipes when she returns.

Jericho Tenebris (Shank/Vanellope-esque) (Wreck-it Ralph 2)

19 y/o

He/They

Mage

Ex Ignihyde Student

Favourite subject: PE

S/o: Malleus Draconia

Street racer

Signature spell;

"Setting the Pace"

-Controls an individual's movements however they please (includes their form of transportation, car, motorcycles, brooms, hell, even trains)

Personality:

Mischievous. Rebellious. Unkempt. Ignorant.

Appearance:

Dark skin. Grey hair with violet streaks. Crooked nose. Leather jacket with studs. Platform boots. Ripped jeans. Piercings.

Likes:

Smoking. Skipping classes. Used to play pranks on school faculty.

Hates:

Being told what to do. Sitting in one place for too long. Snitches.

Jericho was a rather difficult kid back then. He used to sneak out a lot when he was younger, hanging out with the wrong group of kids, pranking others etc. Despite all of his actions being a cry for attention for his parents, they barely bat an eye at him. At all.

As he grew older he couldn't really care less about what his family thought of him anymore, they never cared about his grades, the never cared about him skipping school, they never cared about his attitude and brushes away any of his attempts to try and connect with him so he ran away from home.

He was fourteen when he left home and was adopted by a group of street racers. They took him in after thinking he was a lost kid and just kept him. They were rowdy and unruly sure, but at least some of them knew how to straighten the others to make a good example in front of him. They raised him well, managed to teach him proper manners and etiquette and not be a menace all the time.

Loqman Khasyis (Naamari-esque) (Raya and the last Dragon)

17 y/o

He/Him

Beastman (Albino saltwater crocodile (based off a southeast mythology))

Scarabia Student

Favourite subject: History

S/o: [Undecided]

Martial Arts Champion

Signature spell;

Sudah jatuh, timpa tangga

-Enhances someone's bad luck for a day

Personality:

Cunning. Charismatic. Sly.

Appearance:

Black hair. Tanned skin. Deep brown eyes. Flexible. Strong stature.

Likes:

Adventuring. Keris practice. Stargazing.

Dislikes:

Indoors.

He was raised by his two mothers on an island that is rather remote to the rest of the Twisted Wonderland world, but it thrives with magic all the same. Nature and technology there work in tandem very well with how the people's culture manages to combine the two elements throughout the years.

He was taught martial arts at a young age and how to imbued it with magic but never used to cheat. His mothers were strong warriors that serve their island to guard and protect it from foreigners. Despite being remote to the rest of the world, they are very up to date with the economy and politics. They don't send out representatives much since they prefer to keep to themselves anyway.

He won many tournaments and was a very enthusiastic kid. He was passionate about his martial arts skills along with it's deep-rooted history to his home. So, when Loqman was given the opportunity to study at NRC, he took it with stride and vowed to learn more about the rest of the world, that's why he's so interested in history and never gets bored of it.

-~-~-~-

So, that's all I have for them! My babies. My beloveds.

Loqman is also a very self-indulgent oc just so I can make more Ocs based off of my country, take a guess where he's based off of.

I can't wait to continue with the story and get to know the characters more so that I can fit my Ocs better with them.

I'll be posting sketches of them soon, I promise, but so far I've designed some Picrews of how I envision them!

#twst #disney twst #twst wonderland #twst oc #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #oc #my oc #oc x canon

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gendrie · 1 year

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arya iii

im feeling spoiled by all the arya chaps

arya thought about doing smth mischievous but didnt bc of yoren’s ass whooping

"it was a beautiful helm...arya would watch him polish the metal" she thinks he’s cute

arya is frustrated by how slow theyre moving and wishes she could go off on her own but understands she cant bc the others provide for her too

she shared her rabbit leg with gendry!!!! arya's generosity is such an underrated trait.

the farmers wouldnt give the NW free food despite what they do for the realm, but arya does with sam

another dose of carnage

arya admitting she is scared to hot pie is a big deal. their dynamic is so funny. she beat him to a pulp and now they’re becoming pals.

arya realizes that yoren wouldnt want her to fight so she 'tried to look afraid' at the wolf warning. she’s starting to act already

wolf pack sighting!

"ive been traveling this road for 30 yrs and never had an issue" - man whos about to have a big issue

the sound of screams on the wind that she hears is so haunting

davos i

'i owe stannis-' here we fucking go

it all feels a bit tyrannical even by asoiaf standards

1st azor ahai mention

but it aint this dude wearing wearing protective gear over his whole body to grasp a walmart littlebringer. embarrassed for all involved.

"abominations born of incest" strong words in a world where incest is allegedly normalized

no doubt my man the sealord got one of these letters

davos and stan always have top tier dialogue

atheist king holding a grudge over annoying older brother calling his hawk weakwing 20 yrs ago

theon i

hes so cringeworthy

"wolf gods" like that tho

idk why but i was kinda surprised to see a euron ref so early bc he doesnt even show his face until affc?

longtime hostage with delusions of grandeur returns to the home he idealized for years only to find lil connection to the culture of his homeland and the people including his own family who are virtually strangers and dont trust him bc of his association with their enemies. honestly, this has a lot in common with how i see sansa’s homecoming playing out.

#asoiaf reread #im gonna be going thru it when i get to affc/adwd and the arya content takes a sharp decline lol

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pandoraimperatrix · 1 year

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Wandering Worlds

DickKory | Core Four Centric | Cannon Divergence | Longfic

Summary:

The story begins with the death of Dick Grayson. His life taken by his own brother, Jason. Consumed by grief, Rachel gives in to despair, losing control, a portal opens, but from it no destroyer of words come through. Instead a man who looks just like him, how can he be? The Titans, and especially Kory has to mourn their fallen leader and deal with this stranger with a lot of issues of his own. After that, when everything seem to be settling, Kory is forced to return to Tamaran, but she wasn't as alone in her destiny as she thought, neither her family of choice was willing to let her go that easily. But politics in Tamaran can be as complicated as travelling across universes.

————————————–

Part Four – Voyagers

Chapter Twenty-four – There is no other home but you

Entering Palagar Palace was like entering a time machine.

Instead of the rationed food they had been served in hiding due to the war, a sumptuous banquet was served, filling the room with rich smells Kory hadn’t been exposed to since childhood. She blinked back tears, forcing a smile as she sat at her place of honour. It was everything as it should had always been and nothing as it should be at all. Where was her mother’s hand to guide her? Where was her father kiss to bless her? And if that ideal of life was truly lost, if it was all a lie... Then...

What was this all for?

Flowers covered the recent reconquested palace’s main hall from walls to floor and high born Tamaraneans in their silks and jewellery chatted and danced under the torches’ golden light that giving their various shades of deep brown and copperish skins and ethereal dewy aura. The whole scene weighted Kory’s heart with nostalgia, it was like if Kory only blinked or waved her hand, everything would disappear.

READ ON AO3

Karras held her hand a little tighter and Kory turned her face to him, displaying what she wished looked like a besotted gaze to the masses. Her smile threatened to crack when she was met with his concerned green eyes, but she held fast her mask, annoyed that he couldn’t bother to do the same.

”I love Karras, he is my friend, I do not want to blow his head off,” she sing-songed internally.

Letting go of his hand to pick her goblet o zorkaberry whine, Kory took a sip of the bitter beverage. She would get used to it, even if she doubted that now, even if it took a thousand years, she would learn to to accept her destiny, she would find a way in her heart of hearts to love...

Love, she thought, lived in a shiny tower by the sea, stars and stars away. And there was where her daughter was going, no matter the cost.

“So it is true?” an ancient voice rose above the conversation across the table. “There are aliens amongst General Xoyan’g men?”

“It is,” Karras answer with a tired voice, he didn’t loathe the old man like Kory, he had even served at his Palace in Ellk’ir, but even him found the old man tiring “Lord Kimmus.”

“Absurd. How can we even trust these outsiders? Haven’t we learned nothing good can come from barbarians?”

Kory pretended to take another sip to hide her rolling eyes, from all the good people that died in the war, that old fucker Kimmus had to survive. Of course, the coward. Always too busy somewhere else when needed in battle, ever-present to demand advantages every time he thinks he can get away with it. Kory always despised him, but her father went to Okaara with him, and always made clear that she should be respectful, didn’t matter if she felt there was nothing to be respectful of.

“Where these aliens come from?” Kory asked, ignoring the xenophobic man and pressing for information since the presence of outsiders within their army was another thing Karras had found not worth of mentioning to her.

“I love Karras, he is my friend, we will marry to save Tamaran and I will not break his neck on our honeymoon,” she sanged internally a little louder.

“I’m not entirely sure, my lady,” Karras answered, “they seem to have suffered a great trauma and do not remember and the language is not one Xoyan’g is familiar with...”

Kory frowned, horrified at the feeling she might agree with a man she loathed but unable to help herself.

“Karras, how can Xoyan’g let them into his army? They might as well be spies!”

Karras’ face fell livid and she could see the eyes of every single noble men and woman on them. So much for their united front.

“Or, they can be Tamaraneans,” he paused for effect, “or from allied peoples, meddled beyond recognition by Psions. We do not know,” he paused again, this time to chug the rest of his drink. “But the fact is, my lady… We take all the help we get. You’ve been distant for a while, and might be under the impression that we still have, within out battalions, the quantities that your father, the late king, had… We do not.”

Kory felt the ends of her locs sizzling, the nerve he had of being condescending when the reason she wasn’t up to par with the information was because her dearest fiancé wasn’t sharing.

“My father, the King,” she reminded him and everyone that might be listening and everyone was listening, “lost his crown due to outside meddling. Kommander would never have usurpe6the crown if she didn’t have been aided by the Citatel and their Gordanian trash. And now you say you are accepting aliens in our armies and you think I’d not protest? You are out of your mind.”

Karras looked like he was singing internally to himself too. But Kory could urge herself to feel not even a drop of regret. Saving her life and protecting her secret were not favours. She was his Queen by right, and it was time for him to remember that.

“I agree with the Princess,” she heard someone say.

“I understand your worries, my love,” Karras said stiffly and then he turned to their court, “all of our worries. But we have yet to find reason to distrust the loyalty of these friendly outsiders. Xoyan’g said they have been paramount to his success in the reconquest of the southern kingdoms.”

“So what?” Kory continued filled with righteous anger, “If nothing he should be ashamed to need such help. This is ridiculous, it’s like he’s just waiting to be surprised when the snake egg, he’s so comfortably sitting on, crack and bite his ass.”

Laughter spread across the table with people slapping it and making the plates shake and glasses spill.

“She’s very much her father’s daughter, my son,” Kinnus said in a disgusting tone, “good luck taming this wildcat.”

Karras sighed and signed for his cup to be refilled. Kory rolled her eyes, this time not bothering hiding it.

“You’ll have time to take your worries directly to General Xoyan’g, my darling, he and his men promised to join us until the end of the night.”

Kory threw to Karras what could only be a condescending smile and busied herself with her food, if she was grateful for one thing, was to be able to eat Tamaranean food again. It took her so long to get used to Earth’s flavours, even when she didn’t have any memory of her planet of who she really was, her stomachs turned in sight of food… And being stuck in East Europe in those first days didn’t help either. The mere idea of being forced to eat beets and cabbage brought back nightmares.

And if she was successful, Kory would never have the opportunity to introduce her daughter to her favourite traditional dishes. Her baby would never have the joy of sharing glorg with her friends at Okaara after a hard day of training or sucking on sputflinks right from the sentient trees.

She would never remember of her mother saying how much she was loved before bed.

Kory’s hand shook, but the burst of imminent tears was interrupted when the cacophony of newcomers started filling the great hall.

“Oh, Xoyan’g is here,” she heard Karras saying, and joined to stand up with him, she trusted her hand forward, with her palm up, and he put his hand over hers as costume, she was still getting used of being touched my one of her own species, it was strange, too much information. She missed guessing, the mystery, she missed showing and being showed by her or her partner’s own volition. There is something more sincere on having the choice of making another know how one feels instead of automatically being robbed from the information by bodily chemical processes.

So, when she saw the aliens that accompanied the General, she pulled her hand away as if Karras’ skin burned hers.

Her old friend and now fiancé could never know of how she felt when she saw them, and especially the man wearing a high-ranking tamaranean armour, chestnut hair braided back like she had taught him to, and the same hazel eyes their daughter inherited.

---------

[Insert dramatic music]

So... It has been a while, so long that Titans got cancelled. I am angry and sad but not surprised

Fuck every single billionaire and every single leech that doesn’t work for the betterment of thee world and live of speculative capital.

Do not know when the new chapter comes, I’m between cities again, literally typing this from a hotel room while hungry, angry, frustrated and poor.

So, comment please, I need all the dopamine you can spare

Edit: My life is a little less chaotic now as things are falling in line I STILL NEED THEM DOPAMINE MOLECULES PLEASE INTERACT WITH MY WORK AND MEEEEEEE

#dickkory #Dick Grayson #Koriand'r #Nightwing #Starfire #Kory Anders #Richard Grayson #WW #Wandering Worlds #my fic #show: Titans #HBO Max Titans #DCU Titans #Titans Live Action

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world-catalogue · 3 months

Note

Dear Crow,

You so carefully catalogue us, our stories, our homes. I would like to know about you! Tell us of your home and your family and I will tell you of mine.

Best,

Elin

Oh, dear! It has been a busy few days… ten days? Apologies, Elin.

My world… admittedly, it’s been a little while since I last visited. But where I come from, we are not humans, but avians - similar to those here on Earth, or World-87, but with wings and talons.

I had three younger siblings, Akihi, Lelan, and Yerr. My first name was not Crow, but it’s something I’ve adopted as a second name of sorts. My first name was Noraleus.

Akihi was the second child, and she had white speckles in her wings. She was loud, and quite a handful when she was younger. She’s a musician nowadays, and a good one.

Lelan was next, and he was more reserved. He had pure black wings like mine. He’s a teacher at the local school.

Yerr was the youngest, and was quite worried about being behind the rest of us. They always liked nature, and ended up working on a local farm.

My mother and father were adventurous people in their younger years, and settled down in this town to start a family. They were good parents. My father passed away early, though, when I was nineteen.

He gave me his Crystalline in his will, and someone to contact to learn about world travelling. I wish he was here to see me now.

The village was small, on the mountain, and surrounded by pine forests. It was great fun to explore after school. It was a tight knit community.

…I hope to return someday. For good. But there is much more I need to accomplish before I can retire, haha!

- Crow

#writblr #crow answers #original character

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greyfix · 6 months

Text

Children

Title: Children

Ship: Keith Kogane/Lance McClain

Summary: Keith and Lance are children with the weight of the world on their shoulders. At only 16 and 17 years old these children were made Paladins of Voltron, Blades of Marmora, Saviors of the Universe. Those weren’t titles meant for children.

Word Count:6.1k

Requested By: n/a

Warnings/Tags: Angst, Fluff, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Pining Lance, Lance is a mess, Insecure lance, Galra Keith, Keith is bad at feelings, Keith is a mess, Blade of Marmora Keith, Blade of Marmora, Naxzela, pining keith.

Author’s Note: listen, i know i never write anymore. But, shit happens you know?

I’m taking requests and commissions again though so hopefully that will change, i have menus posted on my linktree. You can Instagram message me ( @greyfixx ) or email me ([email protected]) and i’d be happy to write your stories. Thanks guys!

Ao3, Tumblr

Lance wanders the castleship often now. He spends much more time walking around aimlessly than doing anything productive that’s for sure. Hunk and Pidge seemed as though they were always making some revolutionary advances. Always inventing something or tweaking something. Lance could never keep up.

Allura seems as though she always has some diplomatic stuff to tend to with Shiro. If you asked Lance, he’d tell you that’s just an excuse so they can do whatever they do when they're alone. Plus, hanging out with Shiro is like, well it is, hanging out with your commanding officer. It’s hard for me to be comfortable. He would hang out with Coran sometimes, helping with some of the castle maintenance. It almost reminded him of being back home doing the chores. He never thought chores would be something he missed.

Still, when the lonely day was done, he had to return to the cold sterile room. It was so lifeless. Despite the trinkets he’d collected from his travels strewn around the room, the lived in clutter, it still didn’t feel like his room, no matter how hard he tried. Pictures weren’t as prominent in space, he’d noticed, at least not hard copies or for decoration in general. I guess they went completely digital a long time ago. So it wasn’t common for one to have photos of their family hung up around their homes. He wonders if people keep photos of their families outside of earth, or if it isn’t something people generally care about? For Lance, who’d spent his whole life surrounded by his siblings, it was so terribly lonely. Almost like living in a hospital room that never had a visitor.

So he slept in his cold white bed with his thin sheets and flat pillows. He wore his thin pajamas and the unreasonably comfy castle bathrobe. This was his new normal. His new home. He’s always been so grateful for his family, the original one, and the new ones he had created along the way. That’s what made him so sad, that he had a whole family here and he still felt alone.

It wasn’t always like this. Lance suspected that they didn’t really have enough time to worry about it as things changed. Now, between battles, there is silence. What does the silence hold for the soldiers in the war? These are the thoughts that plagued Lance as he fell asleep.. There weren’t many sweet dreams on the other side of the unconscious curtain waiting for him.

This is how he had felt since Keith had left. On the outside they seemed to be all bitter arguments, competitive bravado, and rivalry. They both knew though, that on the inside, they were closer than anyone else on the team. And that was their business. Their banter was just that, banter. It only takes a little bit of care to see the flirting smiles and friendly wrestling through the veil. When the fighting is done and it’s time for the brains behind the scenes, Keith and Lance learned to stay out of the way. They weren’t geniuses, or commanders, or Royalty. This wasn’t their job.

Each evening he spends longing for the company he wishes he had. He wishes for just one night things could be back the way they were. He wishes that if he does have to be lonely, he shouldn’t have to be the only one. . He considers it. He also considers the embarrassment of it. Calling the Blade of Marmora Headquarters to talk to his friend because he misses him? They’ll laugh and hang up. Probably give Keith shit for it, and i don’t want to mess things up for him. We’re soldiers. We’re supposed to be doing more with our time than talking to our friends on secure military lines.

He accepts his fate.

Though it may be silent between battles, for those who are much more than soldiers it was time to make a lot of noise.. Building a good public image. Recruiting to the cause. Diplomacy, gaining allies. Creating a Coalition.. Coran had them traveling to a new planet each and every day putting on shows and meeting people. Selling Voltron.

It wasn’t a big deal in the beginning. Just a script reading here and there, and Lance always loved Drama as a kid, so he was more than happy to comply. It felt like filming a cheesy TV commercial, and it was fun. Over time, as the audience got larger and larger, Coran got more intense. Their characters became perverted versions of themselves. Lance was now “Loverboy Lance.” He was nothing but a good looking airhead. There wasn’t anything more to him than his ability to get laid everywhere he goes. Because that’s all it takes to be a Paladin of Voltron, apparently.

Coran had become increasingly erratic. He’s talking differently, and twitches everywhere he goes. He’s taking dangerous risks, not only with diplomacy but with their safety.

Lance was starting to believe that that’s who he was. Maybe he is the only one who hasn’t noticed yet. He isn’t anything but who they believe he is. Loverboy. What is a loverboy without love? Just a boy. Just a boy in a play. Just a boy with the weight of the world in his universe. Just a boy. Alone. In a hospital room.

When Lance realized that the pressure of being a part of this war drove Coran to believe he needed a brain worm to do the right thing or to be good enough. Coran, the purest being on this ship, resorted to drugs to be as good as everyone else. Lance knew he was lonely too. He wanted it to stop, because though he didn’t care too much about himself, he certainly cared about his family.

So Lance grew angry. He was so angry all the time that his family was diminished into nothing but comic book characters. His best friend is depicted as nothing other than comedic flatulence. Pidge rendered a fraud who uses fake words. They aren’t recognized as the amazing scientists they truly are. They should be. Keith. He made Keith all angry and lonely. Can’t he see, that’s not who Keith is.

Keith has raw power and talent. He’s the potential to do something amazing for the world. He’s an anomaly and he is so important. There is no one more important than him.

Lance is the one filled with anger and sadness and loneliness.

Keith is hopeful.

And things keep piling on. He is lonely. He is sad. He is angry. And Hope is gone.

Laying on his gurney in his cold hospital room, in his magical alien castle, Lance picked up his space tablet and dialed the space number for the secret space soldiers.

DIAL

Lance called the Blade of Marmora’s direct communications line.

“State your Business.” Spoke a dark gravelly voice.

“I’m Lance, Blue Paladin of Voltron. I’m calling to speak to Keith Kogane? The red Paladin of Voltron?” He was shaking. This is pathetic. How could he be doing this right now, there’s no way Keith would want to talk to him. He’s probably got a bunch of new muscle-y galra friends.

“Should I provide you with his direct communications line?”

Lance froze for a moment. Why wouldn’t he be able to call Keith? Why would the Blade stop him from communicating with his Paladins? That would be ridiculous. “Um yeah, yes please, that would be great, um, yeah.” He stammered out in rapid succession.

He rattles off a bunch of numbers and symbols that Lance makes sure to write down before speaking again. “Will that be all?”

“Um yes, thank you so–”

Beep.

He hung up on me!!

Once he got over the scandal that was the rudeness of what could only be referred to as the ‘galra receptionist,’ he sat in silence for a while. He stared at the string of numbers and symbols. “Keith’s Direct Communications line.” He doesn’t really know what stopped him from getting it before.

It wasn’t long before he typed the number into his tablet.

!0070/01812/12-12! → DIAL

He hit the flashing dial button before he could talk himself out of it.. Inter-Galaxy phone calls didn’t have a dial tone like on earth. There’s a loading screen. If the person you’re calling hasn’t answered by the time the circle is filled, the signal will be canceled and the call will drop. Messages can be sent as well but it wasn’t customary to have your tablet on you at all times, as it would be with a phone on earth. It’s more like having an I-Pad instead of a phone. If you really wanted a response it was best to call.

The circle is barely filled in when the screen explodes in color. It was Keith. His brows furrowed and lips pursed for a moment, until his eyes widened and his teeth showed. He smiled. That wasn’t at all what Lance was expecting.

“Hey, Keith. It’s been a minute.” His voice wavers as he speaks.

“No shit! Is everything okay? You’ve never called before-” he started to look concerned again.

“No! No not at all…” He trailed off. He knew if he said this he would never hear the end of it, but he didn’t want to start the call on such a negative note. He went with what can be interpreted positively.. “I missed you man. It’s lonely around here when you’re gone.”

Keith laughed. When he caught Lance’s eyes and realized that he wasn’t smiling with him, his face dropped. “You don’t mean that?”

“Of course I do. Everyone here is so much smarter and more important than me. I hang around on my own most of the time.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the lone wolf. You’re usually a social butterfly.”

“Everyone’s so busy I don't want to bother them.”

“Well I haven't changed from my lonely ways, so you must annoy me like the butterfly you are.”

“...What?” Lance held back his laughter.

“Shut up.”

“The butterfly I am.” The smile seeped through and before he knew it the both of them had dissolved into hysterics.

“Shut up. I missed you too. I don’t exactly fit in here.”

Before Keith could get another ‘shut up’ out Lance teased,“Are you sure it isn’t just because you aren’t purple?”

“I’m pretty sure that was a little bit space racist.”

Lance gasped.

They talked for hours upon hours. They smiled and laughed until they felt their cheeks go raw and their abs get sore. They talked until their faces turned stoick and they had run out of good things to talk about. They talk until things get serious, and then they keep talking.

Keith tells Lance how he feels worthless because he has always been a prodigy at the things the BoM excel at. The things that Earth doesn’t hold as honor the way the Galra do. Now, he’s nothing special.

Lance tells Keith how he feels like he’s been deluding himself into thinking he belongs. He tells him how he doesn’t believe he’s a true Paladin, and that he’s probably just a placeholder for him or Allura. That the persona that the public has for him as ‘Loverboy’ is so entirely impossible because the only person he loves is so far away that he can’t even tell him that every day.

They talk about how lonely they are. And they promise each other that though things can never be perfect, they will always keep each other company.

However, as many hours as they wish they could spend together, everything comes to an end. Keith has private training early in the mornings and the Castleship will be landing in a different timezone. So for Lance, first thing in the morning is about 4 in the afternoon (If you think about earth time, measurements are fine and dandy in altean, but dates are hell.) and he has to go straight to a diplomatic dinner party.

They say their goodbyes, and part with smiles on their faces.

When Lance turns over on his bed, his pillow is wet until the morning. Or 4 O’Clock in the alien planet’s evening He wakes up sore from his hiccupping breaths and dry from the salt on his skin.

Keith on the other hand forces himself to fall asleep immediately. When he wakes up he throws himself into training. He doesn’t apologize to himself or anyone else for the extra bruises he cost that morning. Anyone who spoke to him was met with a scathing comment about their mother. Most stood clear of him that day.

That night was too good to be true.

They spend months in this circle of suffering. Each day they would spend in anticipation of the joy they would feel when they saw each other. By the time they are able to get on the phone, they can’t stop smiling.

The joy lasts for a while. For a few hours. But every night the call has to end. Every night they have to say goodbye again. Every night they come crashing down from their high. They are hit with the weight of the various crises and the pressure only increases with the added emotions. At the end of the call, they have to say goodbye. Every night.

And I can't even say I Love You.

For Lance, the worst part is that no one noticed. He spent his days finally in a better mood, and his friends weren’t phased. It was such a dramatic change, how could a friend not notice the smiles that had grown so scarce. How could they not notice the bags under his eyes were gone, and he was no longer covered in bruises from his early morning training bot sessions. He felt so much better yet to his friends it was as though nothing had changed. Or they didn’t care to notice.

The Blade of Marmora was absolutely baffled by Keith’s change. Though Keith was much better at hiding it, he had learned in his months spent with the Blade that Galra rely on their sense of smell for this kind of thing much more than they would rely on their interpretation of body language. Pheromones change and there is nothing you can do about it. The Galra use it to communicate, though generally in passing the smell is like hearing the hum of conversation in a large crowd.

He didn't notice it at first. He thought he was imagining the stares he could feel grazing the back of his neck. It took one of the other people in his training group giving him shit to realize it.

“You need to learn how to keep your scent under control..”

“... What?”

“You’re scent. We can all tell you’re excited or anticipating, or whatever, you don’t need to broadcast it, have a little control.”

“What do you mean by my scent? You’re sniffing me??”

“Dude what?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Ha ha very funny. Just keep it to yourself man.””

“Seriously, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’m a little bit concerned because on earth we don’t exactly make a habit of smelling each other.””

“Earth?”

“Yeah? Haven’t you noticed I'm not exactly purple?”

“I mean, yeah, but I didn't realize you were from the middle of nowhere. I’ve never even heard of that country.”

“It’s a planet.”

Keith could tell that he is holding back his laughter now.

“The Empire hasn’t gotten as far as my planet yet, so I didn't know I was part galra until very recently.

“I don’t know if i’m the person to explain it to you, i don’t have the greatest understanding of it myself either.”

“Just tell me before someone else does.”

“I think it’s like pheromones? We can smell the hormones and the smell changes with your emotions.”

Keith sighed, before stalking back off to his room. This was the first time he contacted Lance during the day.

Keith: I just found out galra can sense pheromones.

Lance: You wut?

Keith: Apparently depending on our emotions we smell different.

Lance: Can you? Smell emotions?

Keith: I never thought about it. I definitely smell a lot more than humans can. One of the Blades told me that most galra learn to control it. Maybe humans don’t emit strong enough pheromones for me to smell.

Lance: Is it like, rude to have emotions?

Keith: I wouldn’t be surprised. Galra never seemed like a race of emotionally sensitive people.

There were invisible boundaries. To keep them from having too much hope, too much happiness. At first the boundary was just speaking to each other in general, because of course they couldn’t be happy together if they weren’t together.

Lance, evidently, broke that one. Keith wished it were never there in the first place.

Keith was the one to break the next boundary and Lance was overjoyed. He kept his tablet on him at all times, though he was careful not to let anyone see. He wanted to keep this to himself. Just for now.

Each time he got a message from Keith, he had to force himself to not smile. It was becoming a problem. At least for a while.

Soon, not only were the nights terrible, but the days became just as painful. The light drains out of the both of them as they no longer spend their days in excitement to speak to each other but in increasing agony over their distance. Their feelings for eachother grow larger and stronger. So strong that every moment they aren’t allowed to feel it hurts more.

They lose the time to talk. The war is becoming back to back battles once again. Manpower is needed more than ever so not only is Voltron busy, but so is the Blade. The Coalition is a lot, but there is only so much. It’s difficult to organize universe wide diplomatic meetings, even for Allura.

The lows that follow leaving each other bleed into the days when no time can be found to speak. They bleed into the days where all that can be spoken of us ugly. The days of war. Of death. Of sacrifice. The days where the fight for freedom goes on and the soldiers grow weary.

Still the same problems prevailed. Lance’s turmoil continued to go unnoticed. He continued to be invisible in his own home amongst his own family.

Keith longed for his family. For Lance. He wished he could be with them. He wished so hard that it was very apparent to anyone who had a sense of smell worth their salt knew. He was now considered a flight risk. This he scoffed at. As if I’d leave all of you to die just to go home. That’s the catch. His love for his family and his refusal to allow lives to be lost to an empire as vial as Zarkons. He won’t abandon the war, not even for his own happiness.

Then the day comes. There is a planet called Naxzela. It’s primarily a military outpost for the empire. If the Coalition is able to take and free Naxzela from Empire control, they will have gained control of a third of the Galran Empire.

The entire Coalition is gathered, doing their best to stop the Empire, around a planet called Naxzela. They fight with everything they have. Every second, someone dies. Every second a ship falls from the sky, not only on their side, but on the Coalition's side as well.

Voltron is on that planet. Keith’s family is on that planet. Lance is on that planet. Keith fights harder. Another ship drops from the sky. Another. Another. Another. Another.

Voltron returns. Alive. That’s the good news though, an when it comes to war, it never outweighs the bad. They come back with information. They say the planet had been habitable only because of Altean terraforming technology. Haggar had tapped into this technology and turned the planet into a bomb. The battleship is the detonator. Both the planet and the ship are protected by shields.

The whole Coalition opens fire.

Not a scratch.

“Maybe not with our weapons.”

Keith takes off, dodging the lasers he soars directly towards the battleship. If our weapons can’t take down the shields, we need something more. The full force of a Blade of Marmora fighter ship just might work.

If i don’t succeed we will all die. At least this way only one of us is gone. At least this way the pain will go away.

He didn’t close his eyes as he approached his death. He wasn’t afraid. He knew this was the right thing to do. He chose this, he would not shy away from it. So he looked right at the thin purple glow that would be the end of him. He stared and confronted his death. The veil blinked out of existence.

He jerked the ship away and went sailing just by the edge of the ship. He had stopped listening to the commotion on his audio comm. It was time to tune back in.

Lotor.

Lotor had saved his life.

After the battle, Keith finally was able to return to the Castleship. To return home. Immediately when he steps off his ship a force knocks into him and he nearly topples him over. It’s so warm. He can smell him. He really is home.

“You fucking idiot!” Anyone could tell that Lance is screaming, despite the fact that he’s muffled by Keith’s shoulder. “How dare you.”

Keith doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t know which words to choose. He is so happy and so sad. So he is quiet.

He is quiet and so is Lance as they walk to the infirmary. They ignore the aftermath of the battle. They ignore the Paladins, the rebels, the Blades. They ignore anyone trying to get their attention. Hand in hand, they are the silence between the battles. Lance's eyes are soft when the pod closes. Keith is glad that is the last thing he sees before falling into a deep sleep.

It is three days before he leaves the pod. Lance waits there in the infirmary the whole time. Coran says that most of his injuries weren’t from the battle. There were minor bruises, sprains, even some fractures from weeks past littered across his body.

Lance waits for three days and he doesn’t say a word to anyone besides Coran when he’s questioning after Keith’s progress. Even then his speech is limited. This is when his family finally notices they’ve missed something.

Over these three days Lance practically moves in. One of the gurneys is claimed as his. The white floors are littered with the tissues he hasn’t bothered to pick up. The bowls and spoons he used for the occasional food goo have created a pile in the corner. There are five blankets. Two on Lance’s gurney (he’d always thought they were too thin) and three laying on the floor just by Keith’s pod. One to lay on, two to keep him warm when he sleeps on the cold white metal.

He spent a lot of time thinking, while he waited. He thought about a lot of things. Mainly how he almost lost Keith. He almost lost Keith before he was even able to tell him how he truly feels. He spent a lot of this time regretting. He regretted not telling him the most. They both knew. They knew their lives were on the line and they made that their reason to live in fear. They chose that as their reason to not take responsibility for themselves, their reason to run from their own feelings, their reason to punish themselves.

This is war. Lance realized. This is war, and I am brave enough to be fighting it. I should be allowed to love before I die.. Especially if I'm risking my life for theirs. To make sure they don’t have to. If I die out here I don't want to die in regret, never having lived my truth.

The fourth morning he laid awake on his blankets staring up at Keith. He didn’t look ill at all anymore. He must be almost completely healed by now, he looked just like the Keith that had left. Almost. He had grown taller, his hair had gotten longer. He joked about it being a mullet before, but now it was more than long enough to be braided. He wished he could, it was something he did for his sisters back home.

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the electronic schwooop of the pod-shield lowering. He doesn’t have time to get up on his feet before Keith is toppling down.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Lance says immediately, when Keith falls into his arms. He holds him tightly. It isn’t long before Keith does the same. They both know that Coran and Allura would have been alerted to Keith’s discharge from the pod and would be heading down to check on him. They took the time they had alone to hold onto each other.

“Is this real?” Keith asks, his voice is so meek. So thin and quiet.

“Yes, my love. This is real. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Keith melts into Lance's arms. “I’m home?”

“You’re home.”

They hear footsteps outside the infirmary door before they see anyone. They aren’t surprised to see the whole team walk in. They would all want to see Keith when he was better. Lance wasn’t the only one who had missed him. He was family.It would be wrong if they didn’t want to see him after the stunt he’d pulled either.

Shiro is the first to stalk into the room, with his big muscular body and his big powerful steps. “What the hell is going on here Lance? You’ve been uncollaborative and disrespectful for long enough. It ends now.” He shouts in his best commanding officer voice.

Keith flinches. Lance squeezes him for a moment, before standing up. “You lost your right to give me orders. If i’ve been ‘uncollaborative and disrespectful’ then it’s obviously been a long time since you’ve looked in a mirror. Especially when your reaction to seeing your brother for the first time in months fall out of a pod because he nearly killed himself.”

Shiro opens his mouth to speak only to be cut off. This time it is Coran.

“I think he’s right, Shiro.” His voice is tense and serious. This never happens. “Let the boy speak.”

Lance almost smiled. It seemed, recently, that Coran was the only one who truly cared. At the very least, he understood.

“Keith almost dies, and your reaction when he comes out of a pod, three days later probably still coming down from an adrenaline high not only from his near death experience but from the drugs that pod pumped him full of. Your brother comes home from zero contact and your reaction is to storm in and make demands?” Lance speaks to his family. He speaks to his family in a situation other than battle for the first time in weeks. Months. “You really think you’re the one who deserves answers?”

Lance kneels next to Keith once again. “You need food, water, and to relax.” His voice was soft now. “Do you want to go back to the bedrooms and wait for me there?”

Keith stands up. “I’m going to stay here. With you.” Same old Keith he sounds like. Only Lance could hear the slight quiver in his voice.

“Lance?” Hunk spoke, concerned, “Buddy, what’s going on? What are we missing?”

Lance almost laughed. It was a surprise to him. He hadn’t smiled without Keith in a long time. This wasn’t the context he wanted that to happen under. “What have I been doing?” He said decidedly.

Hunk looked confused.

“What do you mean by that?” Pidge.

“These last few months. What. Have. I Been. Doing>”

“The same as the rest of us.” Pidge spoke in that matter of fact way of hers.

“Yeah, you helped with the performances. You're loverboy Lance!”

“Exactly. I was Loverboy Lance. That explains so much.” Lance decides that they won’t ever realize on their own. He must open their eyes himself. He must be the one to hurt them. “When have you ever seen me do more than flirt with someone? When was the last time I went home with one, or brought one here? Hell, when was the last time I went on a date?”

Silence.

“I flirt. I sign autographs, I joke, and I tease. I have never been a player. I’ve never been Loverboy Lance, not in the way we showed the public. That’s not who I am. Just the same as any of you. Hunk, you are so much more than comedic flatulence, Pidge you aren’t a fraud you’re a genius and you know enough words to fill the script with that the audience will go home knowing how to turn their garbage disposal into a roomba. Allura, you’re your own Paladin, not Keith and there are so many amazing things about you that would make you just as interesting as Keith.

“Keith isn’t the Lone Wolf. He’s just lonely, he always has been. None of us ever pur in the effort to change that, so why would he in return?” Lance turned to Hunk. “You were my best friend, Hunk, and this hurts so much. It hurts so much to know that you can’t see me for who I really am. I look at all of you and see my family and then I wonder, where did you go?”

“I spent these last few months in Silence. I knew I wasn't good enough to keep up with you Pidge, Hunk. So I stayed away. I knew I would never live up to your expectations, Shiro, so I didn't bother with you either. I knew you didn’t want me around Allura, so I didn't stick around. I knew i would be left behind.

“Eventually I stopped speaking.”

Lance stopped then. He took a deep breath. “None of you noticed. My own family had made me feel as though I didn't belong, and so I stopped belonging. Of course you guys were so caught up in being amazing that you didn’t notice. That much I don't care about. This is what is important.

“How old are you, Pidge?”

“I’m fifteen, you know that.”

“Hunk?”

“17.”

“Back on earth, none of us would be considered an adult. We wouldn’t be allowed to go through the airport alone. We wouldn’t be allowed to buy alcohol. We wouldn’t be allowed to have an input in our government. We would be children.

“Here, on this ship, far away from our planet. We are war heros. We live in a castle that doubles as a spaceship, or a spaceship that doubles as a castle, and we are Paladins. We fight in battles on a larger scale than any one of our ancestors have ever fought in. We are soldiers.”

Lance could feel the tears streaming down his face. “More importantly though, we are children.”

Lance stalked out of the room.

Keith followed. Even when he’d caught up, Lance didn’t slow down. He was sobbing now. Just like he had each night when they ended their calls. This time, however, Keith was there. This time he could intertwine their fingers. “Lance.”

When they finally arrived at Lance's bedroom, hospital room, whichever you prefer it’s all the same to him,they both sat up on the bed. Keith held Lance as he cried. He cried and cried and cried and cried. They didn’t know how long they’d been there, but it didn’t truly matter. What did matter was that they were together. Between the sobs Keith could hear Lance mumble something just clearly enough to respond.

“I love you too.”

Lance looked up, those deep blue eyes so sad and so afraid, yet so full of hope. He looked intensely at Keith. “We are just children, I did mean what I said back there. We could die at any moment. I don’t want to let that stop us anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I love you Keith, and I don't want to live my life in fear of losing you. I want to use the time we have. This war would last the rest of our lives, whether they end early or decades from now. Why should we waste it?”

Keith had never thought of it that way. He had let the thought of losing Lance consume him so deeply that he’d never thought of how it might feel to have him fully. “You’re right.”

“I want to be with you. At this point I think it’s hurting us more to stay apart than it would to be together. Well I guess it’s hurting me, I can't really speak for you – Wait what did you say?”

“I said you’re right. We should take advantage of the time we have.”

Lance was speechless.

“If you leave your mouth open any longer you might catch flies. I told you you were right, don’t get used to it.”

Lance had been a man of words all night. He was sick of it. He grabbed onto Keith’s jawline and pulled his lips toward his own. He was so warm, like fire against his skin as they kissed. They’d been playing this game for so long. The kiss was the greatest thing Lance had ever experienced, or at least it felt like it in that moment. They kissed for a long time. Longer than they should.

It was Keith that finally broke the kiss. He only broke away for a moment, before burying his face in Lance’s shoulder.

“We have to talk about it, you know.”

“Not now. You make me so happy. I just want to be happy right now. It’s been so long since I've been happy.”

“That’s okay. You’re allowed to be happy. That’s our mission from now on. Happiness.”

They spent the night in Lance's room. They took their last opportunity to relax. After everything that has happened, not only over the course of the last few hours, but over the course of the last few days, weeks, months. They deserve peace, even if only for a moment.

The next morning they walked out to breakfast hand in hand. They had a calm conversation with their team. With their family. They spoke about how they felt so alone. They spoke about how they’ve spent so long being too afraid of death to love each other. They spoke about how they are so scared all the time, but never scared for themselves. They would all die for the cause at a moment’s notice, but they still feared the death of their friends and family.

Everyone shared how they felt, not only Lance and Keith. Pidge shared how scared she was. She was so young. Hunk shared how he felt so guilty for being the cowardly one, and wishes he could be brave like the rest of the Paladins. Allura tells them how she believes that she is only a Paladin because of her father, as though it was some sort of obligation. Shiro expressed that he was so afraid he wasn’t qualified to be the leather of a universal revolution. Coran worries he isn’t useful.

They all feel so alone. So isolated that they couldn’t find comfort in their own family.

They came to an understanding. Allura and Shiro, and Coran realized they were wrong for putting so much pressure on a bunch of teenagers that didn’t know what they were getting into. Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all realized that they didn’t have to pretend to be braver than they were.

Especially because they were the bravest in the universe.

Even war heroes are allowed to have a weakness.

Especially if they’re children.

#fanfiction #fanfic #angst #fluff #voltron #unresolved emotional tension #pining lance #lance is a mess #insecure lance #galra keith #keith is bad at feelings #keith is a mess #blade of marmora keith #blade of marmora #naxzela #pining keith #keith x lance #voltron: legendary defender

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the-fiction-witch · 7 months

Text

Elisview Manor

Media IRL

Character TBS

Couple None

Rating Spooky + lil angsty

I sat on a leather seat, red with black buttons. My feet were on a well-worn wooden floor, small dust and dirt spots lingered between the lines of the wood where it had been swept quickly. On each side of me windows out to the cold and grey world that I was to call my home. The windows of the black coach were lined with red silk. The sound of horseshoes on cobblestone rang in my ears, with the occasional crack of the coachman's whip bringing me into focus. It wasn’t raining yet the sky was as dark as charcoal with swirling clouds and rumbles in the distant horizon. My small leather boots sat on my feet the laces pulled slightly too tightly making my littlest toe go slightly numb from the pain, My stockings tight to squeeze me close, my bloomers down past my knees, sixteen kinds of cotton laters between myself and my black dress, the cotton laboured with lace, ruffles and black quilted buttons. My sleeves reached my wrists with lace at their hem, my gloves reached my elbows hiding any chance of my skin being seen, the dress reached inches from my neck with more ruffled lace and my black ribbon tied as a choker with a bow. My hair pulled and pinned to hide it away under my well-wired hat allowing me to hide my face if I was to simply tip my head.

Across from me sat the lady who had collected me, I’d estimate her to be in her late twenties to early thirties, likely a spinster in a practical dress with a high neck and low sleeves red with black accents. She watched the window barely paying me any attention at all but every so often she’d glance at me from toe to hat tip and scoff before she returned to her view.

“No point pouting girl. You should think yourself lucky, many girls would only wish their lives to have taken such a turn” She said

“Do not think I am ungrateful Miss.” I spoke up “Merely still in my time of process”

“Well you’ll have plenty of time for that” She said with a smug grin

The coach continued on its way carting me away to a fate I didn’t know.

I suppose I was used to it, from the moment I was born I had been carted and carried most of the time to places I had no say in at all. My mother and father travelled endlessly. I never knew why, I didn’t ask. It wasn’t ladylike to question my parents, or at least that’s what I had always been told. But now I had no parents to question at all, I was given the news rather unceremoniously that a fever had taken them both in the night leaving me an orphan. I grieved for them of course but my panic set in, unsure what my fate would be as I had no other family to mention, my fears were the workhouse, the streets or worse. But word came that I did have somewhere to go. My mother had left in her will that I had a godfather and it seemed now he was to be the one to be responsible for me at least in the time between now and when I would surely be married off.

I had never met my godfather, thankly I was unaware I even had one.

But she was right, I should be grateful that I had somewhere to go, even if I wasn’t sure exactly where this somewhere was, or what it would be like.

Soon enough the coach arrived, stopping abruptly, the lady was first to exit so I slowly followed her down the wooden steps, onto the grey gravel stones.

Before me sat a huge house of old red stone with tall gothic windows with stained glass, the place seemed huge and yet lifeless. Not a single light came from any of the windows, the only thing that brought light to the world was two square lights that hung on either side of the thick wooden door.

“What is this place?” I asked

“Elisview Manor. You’re home for the foreseeable future” She said “Come along then, we haven’t got all day” she said making her way inside, I followed her as the coachman began to unload my bags and cases.

I stepped onto the well-worn stone, uneven from the many feet that had walked on it, once through the door the darkness continued, a black and red stone mosaic floor and a spiralling black wood stairwell, a metal chandelier hung low with candle wax dripping down, corridors leading to other such dark rooms. She headed up the stairs to the second floor so I followed her up the stairs to a long seemingly endless corridor with a red rug, littered with doors and old dusty paintings.

I followed her through the hall until we reached a large black door which she tapped on before opening it wide and standing outside.

For a moment I was puzzled but I stepped past her and inside the room.

The room was so dark I couldn’t see the room at all, all I could see was two large windows and little light cascading through them lighting a dark wooden desk, some bookshelves and a fireplace littered with objects, the fire burning with a low glow.

A man sat at the desk deep putting quill to parchment with a candle beside him. He was a tall man, thin, with dark hair, he seemed aged, tried, weary almost of all before him.

For a moment I stood in silence on the small rug.

“Miss Y/n Y/l/n I presume?” he spoke up

“Yes sir” I nodded bending my knees to slightly curtsy,

“Let me look at you.” He said as he returned his quill to his inkwell and he stood coming around the desk before he looked at me. He observed me head to toe, every inch of me, everything he could. “My goodness…” he said “You look just like your mother,” He said “Forgive me. It has been quite some time since I saw your mother and… the sight of you. You remind me of her,” he said

“Many have said so sir,” I answered

“When news arrived to me, about your mother. I admit I wept for hours, to think that this world may be lost for a beauty such as your mother. The least I can do is uphold what she always asked of me”

“Always asked of you?” I asked

“You’re mother and I grew up here, In this very house. Course it was significantly greyer than” he said for a moment I tried to imagine it but I couldn’t think how this place could seem any greyer “When the Lord of the manor died suddenly without any other family to take up the house, the county used it as a children's home for those who had lost their families young. You’re mother and I happened to be two of those children. Luckily I found my way in the world and bought the house when I was young as a home for myself and for those I cared for.”

“Like my mother?”

“Yes, dear. Like your mother. She lived here with me until she met your father and the two moved away. That was the last I saw of her. But we had spoken up until her death. We made a promise when we were young to always protect one another, as we grew older and had our children the promise was extended. I was to be your godfather, to protect you if ever anything was to happen to her. Your mother is also godmother to my son for the same reason. As soon as word of her death reached me I made sure to send for you.” he explained “Elisview is to be your home, for as long as you need it. Even if you choose to go I promise as long as I live you shall always have a home here, I’ve had the staff sort you a room on the third floor overlooking the river, It was your mother's favourite. My staff are on your call, anything you need you have only to ask.”

“Thank you, sir. I could not ask for more” “It’s the least I can do.” he said “You won’t see me much. I'm afraid my work depends on travelling and even if I do not work in winter, I am a creature of spring and I follow her blindly. When I am here I will do my best to spend time with you, but the house and grounds are yours to enjoy. I'm sure you will find things to take up your time.” He said “Marybell!” he called and the woman returned “Take Miss y/l/n to her room let her settle.”

“Yes sir” she nodded

“Thank you sir” I nodded

“I hope you’re very happy here” he smiled, kissing my hand. I smiled and followed Miss Marybell out of the office room and up to another room on the third floor.

It was a tall grey door that she quickly unlocked and let me inside. The room was a beautiful pale grey stone with black and white striped walls and half-high wooden cladding, two large gothic windows with stained rose and lavender flowers in the glass. A Large circular window in the centre that looked out to the winding river with a window seat littered with cushions, a large fireplace with a tall mantle with flowers carved into the stone, a painting above the fireplace in a silver frame with a painting of some rolling hills, a small chaise sofa and dusty chair, a large wooden wardrobe with a mirror in its centre door, a few small shelves, a desk with two chairs and the edge of the room a box bed the front edge of which lined up with the wall so if you were to close it’s wooden doors it would seem as if the bed wasn't there at all, the box bed’s shutters carved with flowers, a large chandelier hung over the room and a door leading to a small bathroom with a bathtub, toilet, sink and mirror.

“This is to be your room, The master has very graciously gifted it and its furnishings to you. I suggest making oneself at home” She said leaving the key on the desk before going to the door

“Thank you Miss Marybell, Please tell the master of the house I am very thankful and grateful for what he has given me.”

“I will do it. Get some rest girl you’ll find the nights in Elisview last.” She said before she left.

I made the most of my time, unpacking my bags, and finding places for what little items I had with me. Every so often I stopped when I heard strange sounds beyond the walls, it always sounded… like someone was creeping through the walls but I discarded it from my mind, it’s an old big house It’s just my imagination. Once I had unpacked I took the key in my pocket and headed out into the house to explore, to find the kitchen, the dining room, study rooms, and all sorts of various little rooms many of which were dark, dusty and seemingly empty. I found myself in a deep part of the house like a back wing of the house, even darker than the front of the house, I looked around trying to find myself either somewhere else to go or find my way back.

“What are you doing here?” A voice spoke up making me jump as I turned and saw a figure down the hall shrouded in darkness,

“I-I’m sorry”

“I don’t like to repeat myself.” The voice snapped “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know if anywhere was off limits”

“Well, it is.” He stepped forward revealing himself, He was tall, and thin, with a head of blonde hair dark at its root, he wore tall riding boots, high-waisted black trousers with red buttons at their front, a black button-down shirt tucked in tight, a red textured waistcoat unbuttoned over him, a leather-bound book in hand. “Off Limits to you anyway”

“I’m sorry I didn’t know” I answered nervously “Please forgive me”

“I’ll ask you again. What are you doing here?”

“I was merely trying to explore the house”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” he snapped “What are you doing in my house?”

“You’re house?”

“What are you doing here? What is it you want? Why are you here?” he asked stepping closer with each question “I know your little game, I’m on to you just see that I’m not,”

“Please, I don’t know what you're talking about”

“Yes, you do. Showing up out of the blue, I don’t know what you are after But I will find out.” he said “So just tell me so we can get this over with, Money? Status?” he asked, circling me as he spoke “Whatever it is. I’m on to you. And I’ll be watching you” He warns “Whatever it is, give up because I am not letting it happen, so pack your bags and leave.” He snapped before he began to head up the stairwell

“I’m not leaving. I’m staying here” I answered

“Fine. Stay out of my side of the house.” he Warns “And stay away from my father.”

“Your father? The master?” I asked coming to the stairs to look up the spiral

“No. The bog monster. Yes the master” he snapped down at me

“You’re his son?”

“You know I’m starting to think I don’t need to worry about you. My god your dense”

“Who are you calling dense!”

“You princess. Now out!” he demanded

I rolled my eyes and scampered my way out of that part of the house soon enough, returning to my room, and one thought came to my mind.

What a rude boy.

#thomas sangster #tbs #thomas brodie sangster #tbs smut #thomasbrodiesangster #tbs imagines #thomas sangster imagine #tbs imagine #thomas brodie sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster smut

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