#otp: rooftop view

[akilice]

Reminder that Hakuno x Rin is REAL

#fate extra #fate series #fate #fate stay night #rin tohsaka #rin tousaka #hakuno kishinami #hakunon kishinami #hakuno #rin x hakuno #rin #hakurin #otp: rooftop view

[dailyhakurin]

Get you a girl who understands you the way Hakuno understands Rin

#fate extra #fate ccc #fate extra ccc #fate series #fate #fate stay night #rin tohsaka #rin tousaka #hakuno kishinami #hakunon kishinami #hakuno #rin x hakuno #rin #hakurin #otp: rooftop view

[keldae]

Soft OTP Prompts: person B: ‘i never expected it to be you’ person A softly smiling: ‘me neither’

Devi had always loved the stars. As a child, she would frequently climb onto the roofs of buildings in the Lower City at night and lay on the tiles, gazing up at the night sky and dreaming of being far away from Baldur’s Gate. On reflection, she supposed, one of the few upsides of her entire misadventure with being abducted by mindflayers (besides meeting the love of her life and her best friends) was being able to see the stars even clearer in the wilderness than she could in the city.

In the darkness now, she picked her way down an alley in the Lower City, holding Gale’s hand as she led him to a ladder that she had seen earlier in the day. Her half-Elf heritage gave her the benefit of being able to see clearly in the dark; as a human, Gale didn’t have that advantage. And honestly, Devi had to admit, it was nice to be needed by her strong, talented wizard for such a mundane thing as guidance down an alley in the middle of the night, having stolen him away from camp while their companions settled in for the evening.

Finding the ladder, she guided Gale’s hands to the wooden beams, then quickly scrambled up the rungs, hearing the wizard follow her at a slightly slower pace. On this level of the building they had climbed, she could see another ladder that would take her to the highest peak of the roof; once Gale had caught up with her, she led him over to the second ladder and climbed up to the highest level of the building. Short of scaling one of the guard towers on the wall between the Upper and Lower Cities, this was one of the highest points they could reach in Baldur’s Gate.

And the view of the night sky was well worth picking their way down a messy alley. Devi laid down as Gale conjured up a blanket to protect them from the roof tiles, sensing the wizard reclining beside her. “I told you that you get the best view from here,” she softly said with a little grin that he would hear in her voice. “It’s almost as beautiful as that illusion you showed me the other night.”

Gale hummed in agreement as he slipped his arm under Devi’s neck. “Magnificent,” he murmured, gazing up at the stars stretched out over the black void of the night sky. “They look so close, one could almost reach out and touch them.” As if to demonstrate his point, he stretched his free hand out, waving at the stars. 

Devi smiled and curled up into Gale’s side, resting her hand on his chest. He sighed in contentment, and for a moment, silence reigned before he spoke again. “While I was secluded in my tower, I spent many nights gazing at the stars – as beautiful as the gods, but equally as cold and distant, and as ungiving of answers or guidance.”

“Mmmm.” Devi’s fingers started tracing a pattern over the orb marking on Gale’s chest, just under his shirt. “When I was a child, I used to spend almost every night on a rooftop somewhere, wherever I could see the stars and pretend I was somewhere other than here. Sometimes my brother would come with me, but after he… he left, I just came out on my own, less and less, until I all but gave up on looking at them.” She shrugged slightly. “The stars are beautiful, but they’re like the gods – aloof and distant and not helpful for much.”

“People who navigate by starlight on the seas or in the wilderness would argue their uselessness,” Gale softly corrected with a slight chuckle. The arm that wasn’t wrapped around Devi’s shoulders came up to cross his body so his fingers could caress her cheek. “And they’re most beautiful when they’re reflected in your eyes, my love. You have a beauty and warmth that no star – or goddess – could ever touch.”

Devi smiled and caught Gale’s hand in hers, turning it so she could kiss his palm. “You would be the expert in such things,” she murmured. “My wise, talented, eloquent wizard.” She kissed his hand again, then softly laughed. “You know that almost nobody would have ever imagined us together, if they’d seen us a year ago? Me, a feisty, uneducated, rebellious thief with no thought or care for the Weave and even less regard for the gods…”

“And me, the brooding, washed-up wizard who believed his talents were wasted and that all he was good for was a lesson in folly and pride, and who believed that he would never find true love in any of the realms.” Gale leaned in to kiss Devi’s forehead, his lips lingering on her skin. “If I had been told a year ago that I would find the love of my life in a short-tempered Baldurian pickpocket with a fondness for daggers and a deeply buried heart of gold, and compassion enough to make up for all that the gods lack, I would have laughed in the face of whoever told me that.”

“And if I’d been told that I would fall in love with a wizard from Waterdeep who prioritised books and his tressym, and who had loved a goddess before meeting me, and who encouraged the best parts of me that I had learned to hide away from the world, I, uh… probably would have stabbed whoever said that.” Devi smiled as Gale snorted a laugh, then shifted slightly so she could drape her leg over his thigh, as close to him as she could get. “I expected my future to include whoever I could sleep with or scam to get ahead and get out of the Lower City, or for that future to end with being stabbed in a back alley.” She let go of his hand so she could trace his face with her fingertips. “I never expected that future to be you.”

In the starlight, she could see Gale’s eyes soften – and he waxed poetic about how her eyes reflected the beauty of the stars, without thought of his own! “Me neither,” he murmured, his hand rising to trace the tip of her pointed ear before caressing through her hair. “But fate has a way of laughing at the best predictions that people can make. I’m eternally grateful that life gave me you, even if its way of giving you to me… left a little something to be desired.”

Devi softly laughed. “You mean not every great love story in Faerûn starts with an illithid abduction and mindflayer tadpoles being shoved into the heads of the lovers in question?”

Gale chuckled. “Love, I believe our story is entirely unique in that regard. I, for one, still can’t believe that you saw a washed-up fool of a wizard, trapped in his own portal, with a tadpole in his brain and a magical bomb in his chest that was killing him, and fell in love with him. If I wasn’t so grateful for you, I would question your standards.”

“My standards?” Devi grinned. “You got pulled out of your portal and landed on top of a grouchy half-Elf thief who also had a tadpole in her head and was mad as all hells about it, and then ten minutes later almost got into a knife fight with another mindflayer victim who happened to be a vampire, as we later discovered. My standards are perfectly fine!”

That made Gale laugh out loud, a moment before he clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds of his amusement. He stayed quiet for a moment until he was satisfied that he hadn’t disturbed anyone else, then looked at Devi with a smile. “Gods, I love you,” he said, caressing her cheek again. “Short temper, kleptomaniac tendencies, proficient blasphemies, and all.”

“I love you too, my cocky, mildly arrogant wizard.” Devi grinned at Gale’s chuckle and stretched up to kiss him. It was easy to lose herself in his touches as he kissed her back, seemingly trying to convey through his kisses how much he loved her – it was a sensation that made her weak at the knees and wanting him still more than she already had before. She swore she fell more in love with Gale every day that she was around him.

“Only mildly arrogant?” Gale softly asked when they finally pulled apart for air. He chuckled against her lips. “You both humble me and boost my ego, my darling. You make me feel like I can be ordinary Gale Dekarios with you and you won’t judge me poorly; and yet, the way you praise me makes me feel like I could take on the gods themselves.”

“I didn’t fall in love with the legendary Wizard of Waterdeep,” Devi said, smiling as she kissed him again. “I fell in love with the kind-hearted man who read books to me and snuggled me to sleep every night when I was having bad dreams, who just so happened to be incredibly adept with the Weave.” She breathed a soft laugh against his lips as she kissed him once again. “Although the offer to throat-punch Mystra still stands, after I finish killing Shar for what she and her followers did to Shadowheart.”

“The gods should tremble before you, and your temper, and your fierce desire to protect and avenge those you love,” Gale murmured, a fond smile on his lips. “First, we destroy the Absolute, and then we find a way to kill Shar, and then you can punch Mystra. After that, if you haven’t decided to go after any more gods, I’m taking you home with me to Waterdeep and giving you the life of peace that you deserve.”

“Any life with you is one that I want,” Devi breathed out as Gale leaned in to kiss her. “Whatever happens, I want to be by your side.”

“And I want to be with you, from now until the stars fade from the heavens.” Gale kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly. “I will not suffer anything or anyone to take you from me, my heart. I am yours, as you are mine.”

Devi smiled at his words, feeling her eyes burn with repressed tears of love for this man. “I love you, Gale Dekarios,” she whispered around another kiss.

“And I love you, Deviali Nulys.” Gale pulled back from their kisses just enough to gaze into Devi’s eyes; the stars overhead made his own eyes shine like he was among them. “My beautiful, perfect, compassionate little thief. How did I become so fortunate as to be here with you?”

“I spirited you away from camp when nobody else was looking and brought you up here?” Devi giggled as Gale rolled his eyes, an affectionate, if slightly exasperated, huff coming from him.

“You know what I meant, you brat.” Gale chuckled and leaned in for another kiss, his teeth just nipping at Devi’s lower lip and making her moan softly. He grunted as she gently nudged him onto his back, then straddled him, knees on either side of his hips and her hands just sliding under the hem of his shirt. “Is this what you want?” he breathed out as he pulled back for air. “Right here, on this rooftop?”

“I want you,” Devi murmured. “Under the stars, with nobody to see or hear us besides the gods themselves.”

In the starlight, she saw Gale’s smile in the same breath that she felt his hands slide up under her tunic, palms warm on her bare skin. “Then you shall have me, in any way that you wish,” he whispered as he pulled her back down to him. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Devi breathed out, easily losing herself in the pleasure of Gale’s kisses and touches and whispered words of love into her pointed ears.

#bg3 #bg3 fic #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #gale x tav #minor spoilers for Act 3 #deviali #kel writes #kel answers prompts a million years later #romance #lovers #stargazing

[vellaphoria]

(a very late submission for @yearoftheotpevent's February prompt: established relationship/long distance) Word Count: 4401 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: T Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Drake/Dick Grayson Characters: Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Harvey Dent | Two-Face Additional Tags: canon-typical violence, angst, hurt/comfort, established relationship, Dick Grayson is Batman, Tim Drake is Nightwing, social commentary on the US court system, Year of the OTP prompt event 2023

Summary: This isn’t the first time he’s seen Tim bruised and bloodied. It isn’t even the first time in the last few years, but it still hurts to see him that way. So many close calls. So many brushes with death… Dick’s tolerance for it wears thinner every year.

This is the kind of thing Batman has nightmares about.

Every moment counts in situations like this. Every single-

Dick adds no flourishes to his swing, hitting the rooftop running. 

“Nightwing,” he growls into the comms, trying not to let desperation leech into his voice. “Status?”

The line crackles with static.

“Damn it, Tim,” he hisses to himself, pushing himself to run faster.

The edge of the roof is coming quickly. He throws himself off of it, letting his grapple fly and wind around a distant gargoyle. 

“Oracle-”

“Already on it.”

The buildings of the district fly by him as he builds momentum, using it to clear a distance that would have been too far for anyone else to handle. 

Typing echoes on the other end of the line.

“His tracker is… there. Gotham Superior Courthouse.”

How predictable. 

“I’m five minutes out,” Dick hisses into the comms. 

“Make it less,” Barbara snaps. “The video feed keeps cutting out, but from the looks of it, you need to be there now.”

He throws the few safety precautions he’d been sticking to out the proverbial window, sacrificing rationality in favor of speed.

“Two minutes,” he says. 

“Faster.”

“I know.”

The wings of his cape flare out as he dives, building speed until firing his grapple at the last second, sending himself rocketing forward.

The city falls away beneath his notice, leaving nothing but the wind whipping around him and his pulse pounding in his ears. 

Finally - finally - the courthouse comes into view. And with it- 

The roof is long and flat. Dick hits it with a roll, letting his momentum carry him to his feet as he barrels across it in a dead sprint. 

Twenty or so hired mercenaries lie broken and bleeding on the oil and gravel roof. He side-steps the bo staff that Tim only makes out of the escrima sticks when his back is against the wall.

Even approaching from his bad side, Two-Face sees him coming. 

He spins, one hand holding a gleaming pistol. The other is wrapped around Tim’s neck, holding him as if he weighs nothing. 

“Stay right there, Batman,” Two-Face says, his voice a low growl sunk deep in his throat.

He’s too smart to point the pistol at Dick. He tried that sort of thing with Bruce, only to get a first hand demonstration of the best body armor that Bruce-level paranoia and ludicrous amounts of money can buy.

So, instead, he points it at Tim.

Continued on Ao3 :D

#dicktim #timdick #dc #jagn writes #yotp 2023

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Kai (The Snow Queen)

Favorite thing about them: When he's "himself," he's a kind-hearted, brave, intelligent boy, who isn't ashamed to be best friends with a girl or to do "un-boyish" activities with her, like planting roses or listening to fairy tales.

Least favorite thing about them: The way he turns into a cold-hearted brat who teases and mocks everyone after the mirror shards pierce his eye and heart. Of course it's not his fault; it's evil magic. But it arguably does reflect a change that all too often takes place in preteen boys as they grow up and learn toxic masculinity.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I love roses, stories, and songs.

*I love the beauty of winter.

*As a preteen and teen I could be a bit of a brat, but I outgrew it.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm female.

*I'm bad at math.

*I've never cared much for sledding.

Favorite line:

His response to Gerda's fear of the Snow Queen when they first learn about her:

"Only let her come. I'll set her on the stove and then she'll melt."

brOTP: Gerda.

In crossover-land, I might also like to see him befriend Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia. They have some things in common, after all, and C.S. Lewis probably drew some inspiration from the Snow Queen's captivation of Kai when he wrote the White Witch's captivation of Edmund. Although Edmund does worse things than Kai does, of course, and then has more of a redemption arc.

OTP: The most obvious choice is Gerda, though I don't think their love needs to be viewed as romantic, per se. (See "Unpopular Opinion" below.)

nOTP: The Snow Queen.

Random headcanon: The first winter back at home after his time with the Snow Queen, he'll be uneasy because the snow will remind him of what he went through. But for the first time, Gerda will fully appreciate the beauty of snow and ice, because it was in the Snow Queen's icy castle that she found Kai again and saved him.

Unpopular opinion: I wish more adaptations would go back to the original story and portray him as Gerda's platonic best friend. I don't think it's necessary either to rewrite them as siblings or to age them up and make them lovers. Whenever I hear of an adaptation doing one or the other, it seems to say either that the writers don't think platonic friendship can be strong enough to make Gerda journey to the ends of the earth to bring Kai home, or else that they don't think a friendship that strong can exist between a girl and a boy. Both of those viewpoints are nonsense.

Song I associate with them:

The hymn “Softly now the light of day,” because the Let’s Pretend radio adaptation in the 1940s used it as Gerda’s hymn, in place of the “rose hymn” Andersen wrote:

The lyrics Let’s Pretend used were

Softly now the light of day

Fades upon our sight away

Happy children, Lord, are we

Bless and keep us dear to Thee

I could also easily imagine text based on Andersen’s hymn lyrics being set to the same tune. For example:

In the vale where roses grow

The Christ-child speaks to us below.

Roses bloom and cease to be,

But we shall the Christ-child see.

Favorite picture of them:

In the rooftop garden with Gerda, by Arthur Rackham.

In the Snow Queen's sleigh, by Nika Goltz.

Also by Goltz: Gerda's embrace that melts the ice from his heart.

Gazing out the window with Gerda, by Christian Birmingham.

Also by Birmingham: in the Snow Queen's palace.

Also by Birmingham: leaving the palace with Gerda.

With the Snow Queen, by Susan Jeffers.

Also with the Snow Queen, by Debra McFarlane.

In the Snow Queen's sleigh, by Vladyslav Yerko.

Gerda's ice-melting embrace, by P.J. Lynch.

#character ask #the snow queen #hans christian andersen #fairy tale #kai #ask game #fictional characters #fictional character ask

[narcissa-black-supermacy]

42 please!! would you kill me for suggesting orion/walburga 💀 or lucissa, or any narcissa pairing (or narcissa&draco!)

42. What's their favourite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)

No, why would I!! All Blacks are welcome in this house, we do not discriminate. I was going to make this very angsty at first, but this lil drabbly drabble had a mind of its own, so here is just a lot of dysfunctional family chaos feat. Walburga trying to catch a break and just enjoy some thunderstorms in peace.

Send me an OTP question from the list and a ship and I’ll respond with a drabble.

-

There is something very poetic about thunderstorms.

The way the sky goes from being crystal clear to completely obscure in a matter of minutes at times, hiding the earth away from the carpet of stars above it that people usually take comfort in when they look up. It roars, and strikes, and rages, and there is something very soothing and comforting about its fury, about the angry cries of the sky, the noise and the flashes that it brings with it to tell everybody just how outraged it is.

There is something weirdly familiar about it, something that almost brings memories from the childhood; when you are so small and so insignificant compared to the world around you, and everybody seems to know better than you, always telling you what to do and how to do it, and the only comfort you can take is in the rage of the skies above when everything goes pitch black and rain pours down on earth, reminding everybody how utterly pathetic they are in comparison to the force of nature.

The rooftop of Grimmauld Place is a nice spot to watch the storms from, but it does not compare to the clear, wide view that’s visible from the balconies of her brother’s Manor, at the far outskirts of London. It’s a very lucky thing indeed that the weather seems to play so nicely with their plans this Christmas.

Walburga leans back further in her chair and relaxes, letting her lungs suck in the fresh, cold air of the storm outside as she raises a cup of tea to her lips to take a sip.

She hears the door to the balcony click behind her and Orion pushes through, slowly lowering himself into the chair beside her with a grunt. He heaves out a long, exhausted sigh and reaches for his pocket to pull out a cigar. “Have you seen the letter?”

“The one about Regulus?”

“Regulus?” Orion echoes, sounding surprised. He lights up the cigar with a snap of his fingers and pulls it away. The smoke he breathes out rises into the air, taking the shape of a small raven that rises up to circle above them. “Why, what did he do this time?”

“He, uh- transfigured some kid from his class into a bear carpet and hanged him upside down in the-- never mind.” She waves her hand in the air dismissively, the significance of the words suddenly dying out as soon as they are out of her mouth in the open. “What letter are you talking about?”

Orion presses his lips together. He floats the cigar up by his side for a moment and reaches for the inside pocket of his suit, fumbling around until his hand finds a yellowish envelope with Hogwarts' familiar red stamp on it. “Sirius was involved in some…” he pauses for a moment as he holds out the letter to her, pondering over the correct choice of words, “unconventional extracurricular activities.”

Walburga huffs. “Isn’t he always?” She reaches out to take the letter from his hand. She is just about to open it when her hand falters for a moment and she glances up at her husband. “Do I want to know?”

“I don’t know, Wal, do you?”

She pauses to consider the question for a moment. “Did it kill someone?”

Orion shakes his head. “Not yet, I don’t think so.” He picks up the cigar from the air and presses it between his lips to suck in another lungful of smoke.

Walburga reverts her attention back to the letter at hand. “Then tell that circus of a school to shove these letters down their throat.” She throws the paper up in the air and makes two swift cutting motions with her fingers, the letter successfully tearing apart to her eyes and flying outside into the storm, carried away by the waves of roaring wind around them.

“We pay them enough money to not have to deal with these atrocities ourselves.” She pushes herself up from her chair and swipes her hands against each other before turning back to the balcony door. “Shall we go back inside?”

The Rosiers and the Crabbes are yet to arrive, but Druella and Cygnus are already seated in the living room by the fireplace, discussing something over a bottle of firewhiskey and a copy of the daily paper while their two younger daughters are huddled over the table behind them. Regulus is seated at the other end of the same table, eyes running back and forth across the pages of a book in his lap, legs propped up on the table as he lounges in the chair lazily.

“Regulus Arcturus, take those feet off the table.”

Regulus raises his eyes from the book in his hands lazily, mouth half close around a slice of an apple in his mouth. Very slowly, all the while keeping his gaze locked with hers, he slides the feet off the surface of the table and lets them drop down to the floor.

“Where is your brother?”

“I don’t know.” He shoves the slice further into his mouth and bites on it loudly. “Outside.”

Walburga raises an eyebrow. “Doing what exactly?”

“I don’t know.” Regulus says again. He flips over a page in his book, then looks back up to her. “Testing out the new broom with Bella.”

“During a thunderstorm?” She steals a fleeting glance outside the nearest window. Well, if that isn’t just bound to end well.

Regulus simply shrugs, uncaring, and reaches over the table to grab another slice of apple from the bowl on it. Making her peace with the fact that she will not pull anything remotely useful beyond that out of her youngest, Walburga turns to the other end of the table, where Narcissa and Andromeda are seated at.

Now that she’s looking, she can see that there is a bundle of herbs on the table between them, tightly tied together with a red rope. Narcissa is holding up a candle to burn them, while Andromeda is holding it up from above. Underneath it there is a body of a large toad, opened up right in the middle with half of its organs outside on the table.

“What are you two doing?”

“Burning some sage, for luck.” Narcissa says casually, her eyes intensely fixated on their craft.

“We’re hoping that Bella and Sirius both get striked by lightning.” Andromeda adds in brightly, which earns her a pointed glare from her sister.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the blonde chasties, “we are trying to find out the name of my future husband.”

Andromeda grimaces. “Oh, are we?”

Walburga tunes out the rest of their bickering, eyes glancing between the dead toad and the bundle of sage floating above them. “If you want to draw a love interest, you should use lavender instead of sage.” She says, both girls immediately halting to look up at her. “And if you want to direct a lightning hit at someone, you need a personalised item, and the toad has to be alive for the ritual.”

Andromeda and Narcissa blink up at her, then turn to face each other. They exchange a loaded look before Andromeda pushes her chair back and bolts in the direction of the staircase. “I’m going to go get another toad.” She announces.

“And bring me some lavender!” Narcissa yells after her.

“Wal,”

Walburga turns around at the call of her name. Cygnus raises his glass in the air in greeting and sends her a wink. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?”

Walburga steps over to their sitting lounge by the fireplace and pauses by her brother’s chair to take the glass out of his hand. She brings it up to her lips to take a sip. “I suppose so.”

#this is the longest one ive written so far for this #1300wc? wow #i enjoyed this one sm thank you <33 #my writing #walburga black #orion black #the blacks #house of black

[mystery-salad]

how about 30 to 40 for Kai/Caithe?

Yessss lesbians hour!!!

30. What is their favorite place to kiss the other? (Cheek, hand, closed eyelid, neck, nose, etc.)

Kai loves kissing the top of Caithe's head, ruffling her hair with her nose and messing it all up~ She only does that in private though, they both have professional looks to upkeep of course. Caithe likes kissing Kai's claws, easily reachable and avoids the issue of fur in her mouth. She can at any time just walk over, take one of Kai's hands, and kiss it!

31. What’s the relationship like? Smooth? Rocky?

It started very rocky, they're both recovering from some shitty fucking lots in life and an innate distrust of others. There's a lot of ptsd to sort out and find what each others' limits are. But thankfully, they're also both stubborn ad with time they manage to end up in a very very strong smooth relationship.

32. How do they resolve their arguments?

By taking time apart to simmer down and think things over. They both can handle fights badly at times so they're used to calming down before they try to actually talk shit out. There were some rough fights before they figured that out though.

33. Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

While they both suffer from nightmares from past trauma, I think Kai is more prone to nightmares on a regular basis. Caithe tries to help ground her after the worst ones, reminding her that she's safe here and the team loves her, she doesn't have to cut and run before things go south.

34. Do they give each other nicknames?

Nope! It's Kai and Caithe all the way down.

35. What movies do they enjoy watching most?

They're not the movie watching kind of couple! Kai wouldn't have much taste for movies in general, and Caithe would be picky.

36. How’d they meet each other’s families?

They haven't! Instead they've started their own little found family. Neither of them ever return home anyways so it's not really something that's come up or they worry about. You could say Kai has met Caithe's family technically, but world meetings and work don't really count.

37. What do they like the least about each other?

Kai doesn't like how Caithe habitually hides things. She's trying to help her work on being more naturally open instead of only divulging things when Kai asks directly. Caithe doesn't like how Kai doesn't know how to relax on a basic level, it always takes some coaxing to get her to just sit still and relax and cuddle.

38. What was their most memorable date?

The two in general love roaming the holidays together, not being too social but buying festive foods and going to sit on a rooftop overlooking the festivities. It's a nice view for the two to just relax together~

39. What other couple would your otp get along with the best?

If they could get past the whole mortal enemies thing, Scarlet/Mai Trin <3

40. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all?

It's hard for others to tell with her face, but Caithe makes Kai smile a lot. She's very thankful it's hard for others to tell lmao

#dasozelotvonnebenan #nyokkai #thank u for all the asks friend <3

[joshneku]

post-NTWEWY shipping chart, updated w/ commentary

JoshNeku: Post-TWEWY (before AND), I prefer JoshNeku from the original universe, only my own timeline, where Neku gets 3 years not FRIDGED in Shinjuku, but actually alive and gets to finish school before he chooses to stay by Josh’s side in the UG while alive, without sacrificing his RG friendships. So, kind of like Signal to Noise, but different in parts.

Sho/Rindo: I love the imagery of Sho chaotically waltzing Rindo off rooftops as he flies them around in elegant golden circles, maniacally laughing here and there about math. I like the idea that he dispelled of the bird noise on purpose so they wouldn’t over-accumulate on the last day, and that Sho is not pure selfishness and I wanted actual character development for him should he ever succeed the Composer. He will never be suitable if he remains selfish, imo. I want Rindo to have a theme a bit deeper than just dealing with responsibility, as well. But as Rin is in canon, they’re not very suitable for each other, hunh. Regrettable. Maybe if NTWEWY went deeper on themes of apathy and mere self-interest...? But that’s like... the opposite of his very “in-group before all the rest” theme lol...

EriShiki: NTWEWY robbed us. where tf is our confirmation that Gatto Nero is both Eri and Shiki’s brands, huh?! | EriShiki used to be my ideal relationship bc I used to be a fashion major and wanted a Shiki to my Eri :’) 

Eijiru: lol kimchi pizza shipping

Hane←Neku: Idol-crush, admiration, deep respect, and some leftover bitterness but ultimately forgiveness. I like things subtle and lovely, and very tactful on both ends. I like it w/ Neku still being most of all head-over-heels over Josh (regrettably for him). Doting Hanekoma would be lovely. I would love for them to have each other as a muse. I want Hanekoma to see Neku as a light of hope for the UG.

Hane/Hazuki: I just want Hazuki to learn how to give a shit like Neku and Rindo do, yo. imo he needs Hanekoma’s expertise if he’s to ever unfuck Shinjuku lmao lend him out for a deal with the Upper Plane xD

HazRin: I’m eeehh about the ship (not negative, just don’t care that much), but I like the art ppl draw for it. My gripe is that their character designs don’t match for me, that’s it, lol. I’ll only ship it in a specific instance, and maaaybe if a Swallow AU but don’t count on it. I don’t like that Hazuki’s interpretation is so limited/skewed to “he must be evil/weird/--it’s so biased. What, because we were against him at one point, he must be evil? We don’t know anything about him, and I’d rather people not make assumptions. I’d be fine if it didn’t seem like 90%+ of the content lol and some of the art is still nice for that interpretation but yeah, more open-minded takes on Hazuki would be appreciated, thanks. Like. Why is he a social pariah? Dude’s pretty normal? Lots of people don’t feel like they have something they feel that strongly for. It’s normal????? Sure, he scoured a city, but from the viewpoint of an angel...? For all we know the angels were right and Shinjuku really would have poisoned the other grounds. Dude was just following policy, no? If some angels have such a different view of the world, I don’t see the need to judge him for it rather than make him understand. imo people should be more willing to understand before judging others.

Cocogumi: Coco gives me that vibe, lol. and my dream relationship is w/ someone I can do couple cosplays with and go to South Italy in Matera (OTP related...) with for our honeymoon... if we can share hobbies, that’s extra cute. These two are visually appealing, but there isn’t much there either hunh, besides that Coco is doting. And shot Neku (partially) for her lmao...

Rindoka: Acceptable for a het ship for this kind of game, but that’s a low bar lol. Wow, Shouka has an actual personality!! But other than that, they’re a bit boring. Some of the art is cute. That’s it. I mostly dislike it because of ppl who ppl who act like the ship is more than it is, and people who go around bullying/ostracizing others for liking “problematic” ships.

Bret: They’re too similar tbh lol. two dumbasses in an idiot pod

Frin/do: pretty much every frin/do shipper I’ve met besides like 2 are antis. Turned me WAY off of it, but yeah, that Rindo doesn’t seem to care about him as much as like, Shouka for instance, doesn’t help. There just isn’t much there in canon imo, sorry. I don’t care for friends to lovers unless the pining is good personally

I don’t think HT Masuoka knows how old Neku is lol

Ayaka and Uzuki look good together visually, but haaaa.... nothing there obvi lol. You can tell I’m thirsty for good wlw. See, Saika/Ayaka in StN was good... yummy...

I really don’t like ships I find to be heterotypical lol... like if I wouldn’t ship it if they were mlm, I wouldn’t ship it as het, visa versa.

please give Rhyme a girlfriend i’m begging

#personal

[xchoco-mixturex]

Otp Ask.

Kuniper,

15, 21 and 8.

((why of course! :3))

THIS AS EVERYTHING WILL HAVE SPOILERS FROM TENKUU SHINPAN AND TENKUU SHINPAN ARRIVE!! SO YES! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! i will put a read more :3 otp asks: Kuniper

8. What were their first impressions of each other? Well canon wise we know Kuon was awestruck when she met Sniper and was crushing the moment he saved her from the harasser. Sniper also, we know at first she was pretty much a bit of a bother, but that's Sniper with pretty much everyone. We both know how they relationship developed with time and right at the moment is mutual respect, Kuon crushing on him still, but I can see him slowly crushing on her as time passes. (Andwehaveproofinarrive)

15. What are traits they dislike in one another?

Kuon finds Sniper too stubborn for her liking, like, the guy is stubborn as a mule. She could be suggesting him something for his own good but he would be like 'No.' the whole time.

Sniper on the other hand finds Kuon sometime overly naïve for her own good, too optimistic. But that's just her own confidence projecting up high, while in his point of view her optimism might bring her a lot of pain in the future.

21. How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse?

Both have changed for the better...A lot. Sniper boosted her confidence and pretty much told her like 'hey, you dont have to be perfect the whole time, you dont have to even be an angel the whole time, there will be people for you. Don't be perfect. I will stay, and when there is a risk of you doing something bad, I will be there to avoid it."

Kuon also learned how to be more confident and to calm herself down in moments of tension, like in the teams counterattack and that everything was looking grim, she thought 'what would the sniper do?' and calmed herself down and turned herself into a leader the crew needed.

She can, and will, destroy your arse if she must, and she could do it with no remorse since she has been TAUGHT to do so since she was small by her father (fuck you btw, mister shinzaki), but her meeting the sniper was enough for her to finally realize "Hey, friends are valuable, YOU are valuable. (hint to 'at your disposal' manga chapter where she just saw herself valuable since she had something of importance to give) They are not tools, neither you are."

Honestly the only reason the crew is still alive because she met the sniper mask and they are partners. That said by RIKA HIMSELF! (i mean even the villains fear her, come on....)

On Snipers pov, the mask affected him his views of emotions, quoting Umehara-san himself (snipers VA), Kuon is someone who makes Sniper feel. Something he was forgetting with the mask. And its something he has showed, even with the mask on, that was a trait of himself (its even on his name for petes sake--). She is the girl, that, even if he finds her too optimistic, doesn't mean he totally despises that. hell, her optimism and naivety as the thing that avoided him from k word himself when they first met. And from the mask program once again. Even in the sequel. She literally appeared in his worse moment, and she was his inspiration to keep on fighting, even showed in the rooftop back with the battle against great angel.

So if someone finds her useless he will personally headshot them because she is the one who made him keep pushing and holding on. She. is. his hope.  sorry for the long text, i adore them, thank for asking me about them :3

#choco answers #choco rambles about tenkuu shinpan #kuniper #thanks for asking #spoiler #spoilers #ts spoilers #hri spoilers

[akilice]

Made matching pfps for me and my friend : )

#fate extra #fate stay night #fate extra record #hakunon #hakuno kishinami #rin tohsaka #tohsaka rin #rin tousaka #hakunon kishinami #hakurin #hakuno x rin #rin x hakuno #my art #otp: rooftop view

[dailyhakurin]

A compilation of Rin being such a girlfriend aka if CCC doesn't want me to ship HakuRin then why are they so cute?

#fate extra #fate ccc #fate extra ccc #fate series #fate #fate stay night #rin tohsaka #rin tousaka #hakuno kishinami #hakunon kishinami #hakuno #rin x hakuno #rin #hakurin #otp: rooftop view

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

Hello! Could you reply to 3, 11, 15, 38, 50 from the OTP cast for Jacob and Nollie?

Hello there, @sofia-t-g! I certainly can! ^_^

---

3. Who hogs the cover/ Who loves to cuddle?

Nolie is the cover-hogger. Jacob is the cuddler.

11. Who likes horror movies/ Who likes romance movies?

Jumping into the modern day for a moment, both of them actually enjoy horror movies. (Except during the occasional moments where Jacob decides to be a little shit and tries to scare Nolie during a particularly tense moment. He usually gets a pillow in the face when he does that, though.)

As for romance films, Nolie enjoys them more than Jacob (usually favoring historical romances over modern ones), but it’s not uncommon that he’ll join her when she’s watching one, just because it’s another opportunity to cuddle her. (And then there are the few times where he ended up getting into some of them more than her, but he’d never admit to that.)

15. Who is scared of the dark?

Mmm...I wouldn’t say either one of them are particularly scared of the dark. But if I had to choose, Nolie is probably the one who would be more scared, but more of what could be lurking in the dark, rather than the dark itself. However, more often than not, it’s her overactive imagination that gets the best of her, so she ends up scaring herself over nothing more than she’d like to admit. (She really needs to stop reading those gothic novels before going to sleep.)

38. Who likes to star gaze?

They both do! They’ve spent a good amount of time sitting on the rooftops of London, just chit-chatting and staring up at the stars, appreciating their beauty. Jacob has also gotten very good at pinpointing the best spots to do so, where the city lights aren’t so bright, so they can enjoy a better view of the night sky.

50. Who is the hopeless romantic?

Psst! Don’t tell anyone, but it’s totally Nolie. While playing up her more practical side on the surface, she secretly romanticizes and fantasizes about all sorts of things. (So, you can only imagine her surprise when Jacob came crashing into her life, as he was NOT the sort of man she envisioned she’d end up falling for. haha) Blame it on all the books she’s read and the amount of times she’s been to the theatre. Don’t bother asking her this, though, because she’d never admit it out loud. lol

#sorry for clogging y'all's dashes with these #they're just fun asks to answer #Jacob Frye x OC #AC OC: Magnolia #(just blacklist that tag if you don't want to see it) #ask replies

[third-rail-vip]

Ooooh you knew I was gonna swoop into your ask box for my favs 😉 Can we hear about 3,4, and 6 for Mac / Ivy? 🙂

💜 Oooh thank you so much for asking!! You know I could talk about these two forever :) These were fun! she says sneaking off into angstville for the first one

This gorgeous screenshot was taken by the wonderful @mayihavethisdanse who I have now pledged my soul to! 💜

Mac x Ivy

3. Most common argument?

They don’t really *argue* argue to be honest. Ivy doesn’t react well to arguments that look like they might escalate to shouting, she has to remove herself from the situation pretty quickly. Their arguments, such as they are, tend to veer more on the snarky/sulky or just plain bickering side.

One of the main things they get into ‘discussions’ about is her work with the Minutemen, which she gets very little monetary return for, and that combined with her tendency to burn herself out trying to do too much for them (especially when she’s burying feeling about other things and trying to distract herself), is something that MacCready takes issue with. He’s very good at getting her to strike a balance between altruism and self-care through self-preservation. She doesn’t do so well while he’s in the Capital Wasteland. There are arguments when he gets back, with her, her companions who he thinks let her get in that state, even though they are back to not being a ‘they’ at that point.

The main thing Ivy will bicker at him about is his smoking. She regularly tells him that the cigarettes will kill him and that it’s ridiculous that he gave up swearing but not smoking, which is a far worse habit. Although like a self-destructive hypocrite she does get into the bad habit of smoking his brand while Mac is away in the Capital Wasteland. She’s a bit of a self-destructive little madam when she wants to be.

4. Favourite non-sexual activity?

If they are stuck in a settlement, their favourite downtown activities would be lounging around reading together, or cooking together. Ivy is a pretty decent cook, and Mac isn’t too bad himself - he just has to chase off Codsworth to be allowed to get involved in the cooking.

Now if the two of them can get away together, of an evening they like to find a quiet spot high up on an old freeway or a rooftop - somewhere with a good view. Ivy loves to watch sunsets and sunrises, Mac loves to watch Ivy watch them. Sometimes they’ll stop up all night, just sitting and talking, and occasionally sharing a bottle of Vadim’s god awful moonshine. The moonshine tends to lead to games for passing the time. These vary between using plastic plates to frisbee as ‘clay pigeon shooting’ (a bad bad idea! if you ever hear random gunfire while wandering through nighttime Boston, it could be these half-cute fools on a rooftop). They also do ‘bad lipreading’ while spying on the local raider/gunner camps. Or on quieter nights they settle for making up stories about the sordid private lives of the pre-war people who lived and worked in the dilapidated buildings around them.

6. What is their favourite feature of their partner’s?

Haha ok, hello and welcome to fluffy territory. turn back before it’s too late!

So a headcanon I have for these two is, when MacCready first meets Ivy and she shakes his hand, he instantly notices how soft her hands are and thinks “ugh, vault-dwellers…never done a day’s work in their lives.” So from then on when he has any contact with her hands he notices any little calluses that builds up from where she holds weapons, any nicks/scratches she gets from breaking into buildings or climbing ruins. He’ll ask or comment on them and she points out the old pre-war things, like thicker skin on parts of her fingers from carrying hot plates as a waitress or the scar on her finger from sharpening a pencil with a craft knife in college.

I think her hands really are a favourite feature. He loves watching her pick locks, and sketching (especially with things like charcoals where she’s smudging a lot for effect). She’s constantly fiddling with her hands, can’t seem to keep still. When they’re together he loves just playing with her hands or letting her fidget at his (especially eventually when there’s a ring on her finger). Oh and she can play guitar and piano (you’ll even catch her singing if she thinks nobody is listening), so getting her anywhere near either instrument is fascinating for him to watch. Other features he’s fond of: her smile - there’s just that little bit of a cheeky smirk that lingers somewhere on her top lip and is just too much fun to tease out. And her laugh that comes along with it, like an explosion of giggles that’s so hard for her to control and can come on at the worst time if something tickles her sense of humour or she’s just in a giddy mood. The freckles - Ivy wore more makeup when they first met (old habits) so you couldn’t really tell how freckly she was, but come some sunshine and no foundation she slowly gets a dusting of freckles galore. Mac knows the patterns by heart.

For Ivy, it’s got to be Mac’s eyes. On more than one occasion she’s been caught speechless by them, and Mac definitely uses that to his advantage. In a dull and colourless wasteland, she could drown in those ocean blue eyes. They’re so expressive, it’s no wonder he keeps them shadowed under the brim of his hat half the time because they give away too much. With time she learns to navigate them like a sailor, she can see the storms brewing and when it’s smooth sailing ahead. She also happens to be rather fond of his arms. I know he has a rep for being a skinny little thing, but I’d say he’s probably got the build of a climber, he’s lean and wiry, and climbing is a beneficial skill for any sniper who wants to get up high for a good vantage point. It’s given him pretty strong arms, excellent for hugs or lifting up/carrying girlfriends who make poor life choices during battles, or for other reasons.

OTP question meme link

#otp asks #mac x ivy #maccready #robert joseph maccready #ivy kendrick #sole survivor #maccready x f!solesurvivor #fallout 4 #my oc #gorgeous screenshot by mayihavethisdanse #dea i’m still flailing ❤️❤️ #tumblr app messes up formatting so badly!

[huxianposts]

shiho for the character ask

ANON, YOU GET ME, YOU KNOW ME

favorite thing about them

ight i know we BARELY see shiho because atlus is a punk ass, but all the scraps showing her, she owns my bones. i love how self-aware she is, how she has a pretty firm opinion of herself and the world. like, the canon admission from Ann about how Shiho was the only one to go up to her, other people’s perceptions be damned, just to shittalk Ann’s art? and that’s how they became friends? i am. deceased. Ann’s SL scene when Shiho’s on the rooftop again, facing the past to try to see for herself her own strength and weaknesses... that level of courage and extreme awareness to challenge the self, to face down the location that launched the game’s trajectory, just to see if any of that ‘weakness’ was still there that might hinder her future... i’m... hhhhh

least favorite thing about them

she’s perfect. there’s nothing i don’t like about her. but... if i’m thinking.... her and Ann’s own fears and insecurities hindering themselves from being truthful to one another, and ultimately causing heartbreak and pain instead.... that burns me alive. she didn’t want to worry Ann, she just wanted to be strong, someone Ann could be proud of while facing all of that physical abuse during training...so she just. kept silent. even when to the viewers, we can tell that both girls are lying, that they’re both suffering and it really comes out in obvious ways-- but because they both have a fixed view on each other that’s loving but not honest, was so trapped within their own problems and how they were handling it (WHICH, VALID AS HELL), they...basically isolated themselves, even when their friendship was their whole world

favorite line

i’m basic but tender as hell. her “I love you” line has me ripped open. idgaf if the line was platonic/romantic or whatever-- she said it from the heart, she said it so sure and steadfast, with that smile-- as if it was a simple fact of the universe. the sky is blue, the world revolves around the sun, and “i love you”, are all immutable facts. p5 is a clown game that makes me shriek but suzui shiho is the real phantom thief that stole my heart.

brOTP

as i said in the mishima ask, the shiho/mishima/ryuji jock solidarity dynamic is a dynamic that would make me combust happily. i honestly kinda see shiho being this seemingly neutral faced girl, and it turns out she’s kinda wild af in the sense that, if she’s curious and thinks it’s comedic material, she’s going to try it. Mishima i feel like would play up her whims because she’s persuasive and he’s easily swayed by her words and his own curiosity. ryuji, despite appearances, is the mom friend, and probably comes to scenes where Shiho’s getting Mishima to wrap her up in bubble wrap and then throwing her in a pit of volleyballs for maximum bounce or whatever (”my name is Suzui, and you’re watching jackass” “WILL YOU GUYS QUIT IT”)

i do dream of a akira/shiho dynamic. i think they’re pretty similar people with the same morbid dry sense of humor, but they’re also a bit competitive with one another? constant minor clowning and little petty jabs just to keep things spicy, esp since they’re friends with sunshine blonds where the little dry teasing probably goes over their heads or somethin lmaooo

OTP

Annshiho. i’m not even being subtle, y’all lmao. not even subtle.

nOTP

this i’m not really sure...tho, i don’t really see her with any of the guys, except. maybe akira. maybe. but highly likely in the wlw/mlm solidarity context lmaoo

random headcanon

she’s lactose intolerant. ann eats all these sweets and dairy in front of her, but she’s a supportive gf/friend that will indulge in the treats (i say that, but she would probably look god in the eyes and walk backwards into hell while eating a whole gallon of ice cream, just for the kicks). 

unpopular opinion

i think the popular unpopular opinion is that she should’ve def been a phantom thief lol but.... unpopular opinion... i know i’m guilty as hell of it too, but like, i wish most art of her was just her, and not automatically annshiho. like yes, i LOVE annshiho, but i also really like shiho solo ahhh that’s why the #shihosunday is a freaking gift, ngl

song i associate with them

emo song: “Let Go” by Frou Frou

happy song: “Perfect Love” by LOONa

favorite picture of them

i seriously don’t have any pictures on hand atm for anything dkjalja but def her smile when she says “I love you”. it’s sweet and hopeful and tender to my soft heart...

#thank you for the ask! #asks #anon #long post #p5 #persona #shiho suzui #i love her so much i don't think you understand

[universallongings]

I'm stealing some of yours because I want to know your answers too! Top 5 restaurants we’ve eaten at together, Top 5 memories from all our trips, Top 5 Tim/Lucy moments

Jumping around with these to save the hardest one for last! ;) 

Top 5 Tim/Lucy Moments:

1. “You hungry?” — I know there are a million things to love about the entirety of him saving her/holding her/being the one by her side in the hospital. But to me, this is the definitive “soft Tim Bradford” moment and it RUINED me. Food is my love language, so the idea of him bringing Lucy her favorite food was just the world’s biggest unspoken “I love you.” And not only that, but the unguarded affection in his eyes and his voice when he asks her if she’s hungry is perfection.

2. “Tim Bradford finishes what he starts.” — COME ON. Everything about this moment is gold. Her fishing for the truth. Him giving it to her with no doubts that she’s why he’s staying. The way he looks at her lips. The way she smiles in response. Her LAUGH. To me, this is the foundation of what a relationship between them could look like, and it looks so good.

3. Lucy stealing his money clip — This was when I went from being a casual shipper for the first few episodes to falling down the rabbit hole entirely. It shows us that Lucy gives as good as she gets and that he likes it. And it shows that there’s so much affection right under the surface already. It’s flirty in the best way because there’s distance between them so they can lean into what they’d never lean into in person yet, and there’s a reason why it’s the source of my OTP tag for them.

4. “You riding with me tomorrow?” — The whole scene in the gym before he gives her the ring back is GOLD but this, the shy, sweet, disarmingly adorable way he asks her if she’s coming back to him is the best. He’s not hiding his affection anymore, and if there was any doubt that somewhere in the recesses of his heart he’s falling for her,  this scene proved that he’s a goner. 

5. “You think I’m good at things? Can I get that in writing?” — The entire virus plot was great for them, but this moment, with her trying to make him smile and it working, even if she can’t see his face, is just exactly who she is for him. 

Top 5 Restaurants We’ve Eaten at Together:

1. Bouchon 2. Kitchen 76 at Two Sisters Vineyards 3. Treadwell 4. Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge 5. Mon Ami Gabi 

Top 5 Memories from Our Trips:

1. Our entire second/first “full” day in Vegas last June — It was everything I’d dreamed Vegas would be and more. It was a day of cereal milk lattes and hotel hopping and avocado toast and sitting in that beautiful pool and just talking and taking in the most beautiful blue sky and skyline I’d ever seen. It was putting on makeup while listening to Lady Gaga and knowing we looked damn good and finding Secret Pizza and finding myself slightly gin tipsy from that amazing cocktail and finding out that Gaga sounds even more incredible singing Shallow in person. It was listening to dueling pianos and coming back to that insane view out our window and my feet never really hurting despite my heels. It was one of the best days of my life, and it was all because I got to spend it with the best person I know living a dream I never thought I’d actually be brave enough to make come true.

2. The Chicago rooftop bar — The decision to prolong our last night in Chicago with good drinks and even better conversation solidified in my mind why we are perfect travel partners. Talking for hours about everything (and especially about why Game of Thrones is a disaster) on that rooftop was worth how tired we were the next morning. ;) 

3. Our airport hug in Orlando in 2016 — Never have I needed an airport hug more. I also remember how happy some of the people around us looked seeing me run up to you and hug you, and that’s always stuck with me. We’ve had some great airport hugs, but that still might be my favorite. 

4. Our first day in Niagara on the Lake — From discovering Nina Gellateria to drinking ice wine in an ice cave, it was the perfect day of exploring a place I’d always wanted to come back to as an adult with someone who was ready to explore with me. We may never be wine experts, but that wine tour was so much fun (mainly because we both just sat back, content to drink and listen to other people try to be experts) and then the day ended with dinner at sunset on literally the most beautiful patio I’ve ever eaten on. It was like a dream.

5. Literally every Bellagio Fountain moment, but especially when we just happened to stumble upon them playing “Believe.” It was a moment of ridiculous joy for me, and to be able to share it with you was the best. Those fountains are magical, and watching them with you gave me the same feeling as sharing all my favorite WDW attractions with you.

Honorable Mentions: Our happy tears after Happily Ever After, every time you let me wander into stores full of things I should not even be looking at, that first breakfast at Bouchon when we realized just how much food I was actually getting, feeding Amy grapefruit cake through the grates at the Brown Derby Lounge, and the walk back to the hotel after meeting Zachary Levi in NYC. 

#ask box fun times #kekela717 #the ann to my leslie #my beautiful tropical fish #i just want to drink on rooftops with heather again why is the world awful???? #WE HAVE SO MANY MORE EXPENSIVE STORES TO NOT BUY THINGS AT!

[writeblrfantasy]

There was nothing there, and heat wafted up from the stone floor, but the view of the city was worth it. A bit of breeze drifted up here, ruffling Harlan’s hair and cooling the sweat gathered on his face. The sounds of the city did not reach up here. Harlan had not realized how loud it had been until now.

Oshama let them bask in the quiet for a moment before speaking. “I don’t ask for much for myself, but I knew I shortly after I began my rule that I would need a haven like this. Only I, Reusse and Kassina ever come up here. We’re the only ones who know you can come up here.”

“It’s beautiful,” Evan said, and Harlan nodded.

“It’s more like a breath of fresh air, figuratively and literally,” Oshama added. “On the days when ruling an empire gets too overwhelming, I come here in between meetings or after dinner.” He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of refreshing wind. The air up here was not thick and hot. “Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning. This is where I come to breathe.”

Harlan knew what he meant from things Cygnus had said. “I feel trapped,” he’d said once, one of the many times in bed. Harlan hadn’t been able to tell if Cygnus was talking to himself. “Ruby can go to the country, Amina can take two weeks off with Evan to start building her new house, even you can go to the markets during the day and say hello to everyone. But what can I do? Fall into bed and pass out after work every day? That’s not much of relief, is it?”

No, it wasn’t, but Harlan had been too afraid of breaking the air to say anything. It was probably best that Cygnus thought him asleep for these nighttime rants.

“I have plans,” Cygnus had said. “Things I want to improve. Cities I want to build. Alliances I want to forge. All in the interest of making Eingard better and stronger and safer for the people. But then Lord Oaf and Lady Dunce come to me to settle their petty little argument and I feel like I’ve just gone in a circle.” A sigh had followed, and a pause, during which Cygnus was probably checking if Harlan was still asleep. “I don’t know how I’ll ever get any of it done. I like being king for the prospect of improving Eingard, but prospects are far from reality.”

Cygnus had no rooftop. He never had.

-excerpt from Orenda, The Eingard Series

cygnus and harlan (ship name cygnan, as dubbed by my best friends) are my ride or die oc otp and i would die for them okay

there is,,,much of harlan waxing poetic about cygnus in orenda

taglist: @erinbeatty 

let me know if you’d like to be added to the tes taglist!

#excerpt from my wip #writeblr #fantasy writeblr #writing #bean's excerpts #the eingard series