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soracities · 1 year

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what are your suggestions for starter poetry for people who dont have strong reading/analysis backgrounds

I've answered this a few times so I'm going to compile and expand them all into one post here.

I think if you haven't read much poetry before or aren't sure of your own tastes yet, then poetry anthologies are a great place to start: many of them will have a unifying theme so you can hone in based on a subject that interests you, or pick your way through something more general. I haven't read all of the ones below, but I have read most of them; the rest I came across in my own readings and added to my list either because I like the concept or am familiar with the editor(s) / their work:

Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times (ed. Nick Astley) & Being Alive: The Sequel to Staying Alive (there's two more books in this series, but I'm recommending these two just because it's where I started)

The Rattlebag (ed. Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes)

The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (ed. Ilya Kaminsky & Susan Harris)

The Essential Haiku, Versions of Basho, Buson and Issa (ed. Robert Hass)

A Book of Luminous Things (ed. Czesław Miłosz )

Now and Then: The Poet's Choice Columns by Robert Hass (this may be a good place to start if you're also looking for commentary on the poems themselves)

Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World(ed. Pádraig Ó'Tuama)

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (ed. Kevin Young)

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (ed. Kevin Young)

Lifelines: Letters from Famous People about their Favourite Poems

The following lists are authors I love in one regard or another and is a small mix of different styles / time periods which I think are still fairly accessible regardless of what your reading background is! It's be no means exhaustice but hopefully it gives you even just a small glimpse of the range that's available so you can branch off and explore for yourself if any particular work speaks to you.

But in any case, for individual collections, I would try:

anything by Sara Teasdale

Devotions / Wild Geese / Felicity by Mary Oliver

Selected Poems and Prose by Christina Rossetti

Collected Poems by Langston Hughes

Where the Sidewalk Endsby Shel Silverstein

Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez

Revolutionary Letters, Diane di Prima

Concerning the Book That Is the Body of the Beloved by Gregory Orr

Rose: Poems by Li-Young Lee

A Red Cherry on a White-Tiled Floor / Barefoot Souls by Maram al-Masri

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Tell Me: Poems / What is This Thing Called Love? by Kim Addonizio

The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins (Billy Collins is THE go-to for accessible / beginner poetry in my view so I think any of his collections would probably do)

Crush by Richard Siken

Rapture / The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy

The War Works Hard by Dunya Mikhail

Selected Poems by Walt Whitman

View with a Grain of Sand by Wislawa Szymborska

Collected Poems by Vasko Popa

Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas (this is a play, but Thomas is a poet and the language & structure is definitely poetic to me)

Bright Dead Things: Poems by Ada Limón

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire,

Nostalgia, My Enemy: Selected Poems by Saadi Youssef

As for individual poems:

“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

[Dear The Vatican] erasure poem by Pádraig Ó'Tuama // "The Pedagogy of Conflict"

"Good Bones" by Maggie Smith

"The Author Writes the First Draft of His Weddings Vows (An erasure of Virginia Woolf's suicide letter to her husband, Leonard)" by Hanif Abdurraqib

"I Can Tell You a Story" by Chuck Carlise

"The Sciences Sing a Lullabye" by Albert Goldbarth

"One Last Poem for Richard" by Sandra Cisneros

"We Lived Happily During the War" by Ilya Kaminsky

“I’m Explaining a Few Things”by Pablo Neruda

"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" //"Nothing Gold Can Stay"//"Out, Out--" by Robert Frost

"Tablets: I // II // III"by Dunya Mikhail

"What Were They Like?" by Denise Levertov

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden,

"The Patience of Ordinary Things" by Pat Schneider

“I, too” // "The Negro Speaks of Rivers” // "Harlem” // “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

“The Mower” // "The Trees" // "High Windows" by Philip Larkin

“The Leash” // “Love Poem with Apologies for My Appearance” // "Downhearted" by Ada Limón

“The Flea” by John Donne

"The Last Rose of Summer" by Thomas Moore

"Beauty" // "Please don't" // "How it Adds Up" by Tony Hoagland

“My Friend Yeshi” by Alice Walker

"De Humanis Corporis Fabrica"byJohn Burnside

“What Do Women Want?” // “For Desire” // "Stolen Moments" // "The Numbers" by Kim Addonizio

“Hummingbird” // "For Tess" by Raymond Carver

"The Two-Headed Calf" by Laura Gilpin

“Bleecker Street, Summer” by Derek Walcott

“Dirge Without Music” // "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“Digging” // “Mid-Term Break” // “The Rain Stick” // "Blackberry Picking" // "Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney

“Dulce Et Decorum Est”by Wilfred Owen

“Notes from a Nonexistent Himalayan Expedition”by Wislawa Szymborska

"Hour" //"Medusa" byCarol Ann Duffy

“The More Loving One” // “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W.H. Auden

“Small Kindnesses” // "Feeding the Worms" by Danusha Laméris

"Down by the Salley Gardens” // “The Stolen Child” by W.B. Yeats

"The Thing Is" by Ellen Bass

"The Last Love Letter from an Entymologist" by Jared Singer

"[i like my body when it is with your]" by e.e. cummings

"Try to Praise the Mutilated World" by Adam Zagajewski

"The Cinnamon Peeler" by Michael Ondaatje

"Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself" by Paige Lewis

"A Dream Within a Dream" // "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe (highly recommend reading the last one out loud or listening to it recited)

"Ars Poetica?" // "Encounter" // "A Song on the End of the World"by Czeslaw Milosz

"Wandering Around an Albequerque Airport Terminal” // "Two Countries” // "Kindness” by Naoimi Shihab Nye

"Slow Dance” by Matthew Dickman

"The Archipelago of Kisses" // "The Quiet World" by Jeffrey McDaniel

"Mimesis" by Fady Joudah

"The Great Fires" // "The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart" // "Failing and Flying" by Jack Gilbert

"The Mermaid" // "Virtuosi" by Lisel Mueller

"Macrophobia (Fear of Waiting)" by Jamaal May

"Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong" by Ocean Vuong

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

I would also recommend spending some times with essays, interviews, or other non-fiction, creative or otherwise (especially by other poets) if you want to broaden and improve how you read poetry; they can help give you a wider idea of the landscape behind and beyond the actual poems themselves, or even just let you acquaint yourself with how particular writers see and describe things in the world around them. The following are some of my favourites:

Upstream: Essays by Mary Oliver

"Theory and Play of the Duende" by Federico García Lorca

"The White Bird" and "Some Notes on Song" by John Berger

In That Great River: A Notebook by Anna Kamienska

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

"Of Strangeness That Wakes Us" and "Still Dancing: An Interview with Ilya Kaminsky" by Ilya Kaminsky

"The Sentence is a Lonely Place" by Garielle Lutz

Still Life with Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty

Paris, When It's Naked by Etel Adnan

#ask #anonymous #beginner guides

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mitjalovse · 2 years

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Michael Kamen's career had a variety of surprises as we have seen, though I would dare to suggest he did a lot to bridge the classical and the popular with his opus. One of the pinnacles of the approach might be his collaboration with Roger Waters, when the latter did The Wall in Berlin. Yes, he did hold these concerts after the real one there got demolished, so the entire album gained another dimension. Of course, Waters continued to be Waters, which resulted in a rock opera on steroids, because he called many guests to transform the album into whatever he planned. Some cooperators surprise you, though. I mean, Bryan Adams doesn't sound like someone you would put your trust here, yet Waters' hunch proved to be correct, since the Canadian rocker presented a rarely shown side of his.

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pitchsidestories · 6 months

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Baby It's Cold Outside II Alessia Russo x Reader

a/n: based off this request. We hope you enjoy a wintery oneshot.

masterlist I word count: 1602

Alessia Russo’s eyes were still closed as she discovered that your bed side was already empty: “Babe..?” It did not take you too long to come back to you and your girlfriend’s shared bedroom. You beamed at her excitedly: “Lessi, it snowed over night!” “Come back. It’s cold.”, the striker demanded, shivering from the temperature you brought from outside. Amused you asked her:” Don’t you want to go and see the snow?” “No, I want to stay in bed and cuddle.”, Alessia replied with a crooked smile. Grinning you remarked: “You don’t want to leave the bed, huh?” “No, it’s so warm and comfy.”, the blonde shook determined her head.

An innocent smile was forming on your lips while you proposed:” What if we go downstairs to the fireplace?” “But you want to go out into the snow, right?” “Yes, I’ll let our little puppy out and when we can cuddle on the sofa, okay?”, you admitted, already looking for the tiny golden retriever. Quickly Alessia got up from the bed: “Wait, I’ll get dressed.” “So, you do want to join us for a little walk in the snow?”, you realized happily. She confirmed with a nod: “Yes, I’m coming.” “Perfect.”, you mumbled.

During the time the English forward was changing into some comfy clothes you put on a leash on your very excited puppy.

Outside the nature was covered in a snowy white blanket which made it look like a scene straight from a fairytale your parents were reading to you when you were a child. But even fairytales did have a darker side to them and Alessias mood has been a bit down the recent days as you noticed.

Worried you turned to her:” Do you want to talk about what kept you up at night?” “Oh no, it’s fine.”, the taller woman shrugged her shoulders and tried hard to keep her tone light. Unconvinced by her reaction you begun: “Alessia..” “It’s stupid.”, the forward seemingly waved off your concern. Encouragingly you slipped your hand into hers: “You can still tell me, you know I won’t judge you.” “I know you won’t.”, she softly sighed. You waited out for her to further explain what has been going on in her brain:“So?”

“It’s just the pressure.”, Alessia answered honestly. Attentively you questioned her:“At the club?” “Everywhere.” The sad look on your girlfriends face touched you deeply, so you tried to mend her worries: “I know they want you to be the next Kelly Smith for Arsenal or the next Ellen White for England, but you know what?”

Alessia looked up. She was absentmindedly touching the snow on the bushes you passed. “What?” “You‘re best when you‘re you.”, you smiled encouragingly at your girlfriend. She rubbed the snow between her fingers until it melted, the corner of her mouth quirked up; “Thanks, love.” “You‘re welcome.” “I‘m just happy to have the day off.”, she admitted. You nodded thoughtfully; “Breaks are important.” Your girlfriend hummed in agreement but your attention was caught by a pile of freshly fallen snow.

You bent down to pick some up and shape it into a ball. It left your hands cold and tingly. Alessia watched you cautiously; “What are you doing?” You turned back to her with innocent eyes; “Distracting you for a bit.” And then you threw the ball. It hit Alessia right in the chest.

She squealed in surprise and looked down at the wet stain on her jacket; “Ew, stop that!” “Oh, come on.”, you laughed, happy to see her smile return. She pointed a warning finger in your direction; “I‘ll get you back!” “Try it!”, you teased. As you expected, your girlfriend grabbed a handful of snow and made her own snowball. Her eyes narrowed as she targeted you.

The snowball hit you on your shoulder as you tried to turn away, leaving bits of snow all over your clothes. “Got you!”, Alessia cheered happily. “Damn it.”, you cursed to yourself. When you turned your face back to your girlfriend, she already had both hands full of snow again and was coming towards you. “Oh no! No snow in my neck, please!”, you pleaded and tried to wriggle away from her as she tried to stuff the snow inside your jacket.

The coldness on your throat made you gasp. “Sorry. Here‘s some more.”, Alessia laughed, putting new snow in the collar of your jacket. You softly pushed her away with a shriek. You could feel pieces of snow slide down your clothes, directly on your skin. You almost immediately started shivering; “S-so c-cold.” “It‘s just snow. You wanted to go outside.”, your girlfriend shrugged but still wrapped you up in her arms while she carefully guided you to continue your walk. “Yes but someone obviously wanted to speed up this little walk so we can get cozy again.”, you replied, giving her deprecating look. Her ice-blue eyes blinked at you with innocence; “I don‘t know what you mean.” ”You do know that!” She rolled her eyes and sighed, her breath visible as a small cloud in the cold; “Let‘s go or I‘ll hit you with another snowball.”

“Is that the Italian side of you speaking?, you joked before continuing, we’re going, I could need a hot shower when we’re home though.” With a cheeky grin on her face Alessia agreed: “Oh yes, me too.” “We can do it together.”, you suggested with a playfully seductive smile. The striker winked at you: “Yes, so you can’t use up the hot water.”

A couple of minutes later you two hurried up the stairs on the way to your bathroom. Relieved you turned to your girlfriend as you reached the door: “Let’s get in there.” “Coming.”, the blonde whispered into your ear. Apologetically you looked down to your puppy:” No, little one, you’ve to stay outside the bathroom.” “Sorry.”, Alessia stroking the golden retriever’s fur before getting inside. Still, you promised your pet: “We’ll be right back.”

After you took a shower together you were entering the living room with two hot chocolates in your hands. The light of the fire was turning the scenery in front of your eyes into a warm glow. Cheerfully the taller woman remarked: “That smells so good.” “It tastes even better.”, you told her. “Thank you, love.” “Here you go.”, you handed your girlfriend her cup. She closed her eyes as she was taking her first sip:” It’s perfect.” “Agreed.”, you nodded. Her eyes twinkled as she pointed out: “That’s better than being out in the cold.”

From the sofa you had an excellent view into your little back garden, delighted you couldn’t suppress a little squeal: “It started snowing again.” “You’re right.”, Alessia admitted but she couldn’t take her eyes from you as she enjoyed seeing you this happy about such a small thing. Enchanted by what you saw you said: “It looks so beautiful.” “You really love the snow, huh?”, your girlfriend asked as she was covering you both with a cozy blanket.

Dreamily you reminisced: “I do. It reminds me of the winters in Norway.” “Missing it?”, the striker wanted to know from you. Truthfully you replied: “Sometimes.” “Sorry.. maybe I can ask your mum for some Norwegian recipes, and we can bake something together soon.”, Alessia suggested. If you were not warm already due to the soft blanket and her warm embrace, you’d be by those words now:” You’d do that? That’s really sweet of you. Maybe we can make a menu out of it? Main dish Italian and the dessert Norwegian?” “Sounds delicious.”

“Oh yes. Looks like the little one is sleeping again.”, you draw her attention to your asleep puppy which lay right in the middle of you two. Lovingly Alessia glanced at the golden retriever:“He’s so cute.”

You nodded in agreement; “True.“ Alessia set her mug down on the coffee table in front of you. You could feel her shift next to you. Her head ended up on the arm rest of the sofa.

With a smile you realized that her eyelids were already half closed. Smiling, you reached over your dog to carefully rub her leg; “You can sleep too, love.“ Alessia shook her head, opening her eyes again; “No. I want to enjoy my free day with you.“ But her statement was immediately followed by a yawn. “It’s okay, you need that rest.“

Your girlfriend stretched out her arms towards you; “Come here.“ “Coming.“ Slowly you moved your dog to the other side of the sofa to not wake him up but the walk must have exhausted him as much as your girlfriend. When you finally sat right beside her, she put her arms around you and pulled you into a tight hug on top of her.

She sighed with content, her eyes falling shut again; “Is it too early to watch a Christmas movie yet?“ “No, I’ll put something on, don’t move.“, you laughed, temporarily exiting the hug and reaching over to the coffee table to get the remote. “Thanks.“, Alessia yawned as you picked the cheesiest Christmas movie you could find, knowing that your girlfriend will only be able to watch the first few minutes.

You ignored what happened on screen, your attention was on Alessia who was adamant to keep her eyes open. Slowly but surely, she had to give in, her breathing slowing down. You pressed a quick kiss to her forehead; “Sleep well, love.“ “Not asleep…“, she mumbled tiredly. You nodded with a grin; “Sure.“

The snow continued falling but you just couldn’t take your eyes off your girlfriend. She hadn’t looked this relaxed in weeks.

#alessia russo #alessia russo x reader #woso x reader #engwnt #woso #woso imagine #woso fanfics #alessia russo imagine #arsenal wfc #arsenal wfc x reader #arsenal women #lionesses #woso oneshot #awfc #engwnt x reader

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levisfavoriteteashop · 4 months

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aot men and where they would take you for a date

with: levi ackerman, armin arlert, eren yeager, jean kirschtein and erwin smith

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levi ackerman

levi is the type of guy that dislikes being basic and takes you out to a movie theater or something like that, so i can totally picture him taking you on more classy dates. he would definitely take you to an art museum, or to a play, like a show on broadway. I also picture levi taking you to a christmas market, or to an adorable small bakery, where he can also share tea with you. lastly, he’s the type to invite you to a dance, a real evening dance. levi is definitely not the type to just hang out with you at his place, when he wants a date he puts everything in it.

armin arlert

armin is a total sweetheart, and it is not surprising that he likes nature dates. I picture that he’d take you out on a picnic by the beach or in a field of flowers during summer and spring. During fall, he’d go to a pumpkin patch with you and in winter he’d definitely go ice skating with you, even though he may not be the best at it. he absolutely loves spending hours with you out there in the cold, watching how your nose and cheeks grow rosy because of the cold, and he would warm you up by giving you light pecks on the tip of your nose

eren yeager

eren is probably a little basic, he would take you out to a movie theater or to a restaurant. however that doesn’t mean that he puts little effort in it, because he pays attention to what you like or not, and he wants to make sure that it’s the perfect date for you. For example, when you go to a restaurant, eren would harass the staff to make you your favourite meal, even if it’s not on the menu. this boy is also the type to take you to the movie theater to watch a scary movie, because he hopes that you’ll get scared and cling to him for comfort. It may be a classic thing to do on a date, but eren still manages to make it adorable for you. even when you simply hang out at his place, eren will organise many things for you to enjoy, like baking together, or even drawing, despite the fact that his skills are very questionable in that matter.

jean kirschtein

jean definitely wants a date where the two of you can have fun and spend time together. of course he’s always down to go to a fancy restaurant with you or to just watch movies and cuddle, but he also likes to be adventurous. I feel like he would take you to an amusement park, and you two would end up clinging to each other while going down a rollercoaster. jean is also the type of boy to spend his money on a fair game, where he could win you a big stuffed toy. finally, jean would probably take you stargazing in a field at night, which is his idea of a perfect calm date.

erwin smith

i can picture erwin taking you on dates where the only purpose is spoiling you. i mean that he could take you on a shopping spree, and buy you all of your expensive jewellery and clothes. erwin would also book a spa massage for the two of you to enjoy. he would also bring you gifts and flowers every time he’d take you out, because the man loves spoiling you. finally, if the two of you want to go on a more creative and interesting date, erwin would probably take you hiking, or he would teach you different new sports. during the winter, the man would gladly go sledding with you, or even just take a walk in a snowy forest.

#attack on titan #aot fluff #levi ackerman x reader #armin arlert x reader #eren yeager x reader #jean kirschtein x reader #erwin smith x reader #levi ackerman fluff #armin arlert fluff #eren yeager fluff #jean kirschstein fluff #erwin smith fluff #aot headcanons #fluff

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longclawshilt · 27 days

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Question for Jon stans: so I think a lot of us expect Jon to leave the watch at some point in his story, whether in Winds or sometime in Dream. I tend to think he’s going to straight up desert the Watch, like going ‘fuck it I’m done here’ much like Bloodraven and Mance, instead of leaving on a technicality (i.e., a ‘he’s dead so he’s technically done his service’ type of thing).

BUT the question is, does he go north or does he go south? I think it’s reasonable to assume either direction works narratively.

We have this:

Lannister studied his face. “Yes,” he said. “I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers.”

Plus he’s been set up to parallel Bloodraven and Mance both of whom go north, and there’s this quote from AGOT that could be foreshadowing:

Far off to the north, a wolf began to howl. Another voice picked up the call, then another. Ghost cocked his head and listened. “If he doesn’t come back,” Jon Snow promised, “Ghost and I will go find him.” He put his hand on the direwolf’s head.

“I believe you,” Tyrion said, but what he thought was, And who will go find you? He shivered.

(Tyrion III)

There’s also symbolism in him embracing the name “Snow” and living in the snowy north….

But then we these quotes from AGOT as well that’s essentially about him finding the Wall to be stifling and equating freedom with the south:

“Yes. Cold and hard and mean, that’s the Wall, and the men who walk it. Not like the stories your wet nurse told you. Well, piss on the stories and piss on your wet nurse. This is the way it is, and you’re here for life, same as the rest of us.”

“Life,” Jon repeated bitterly. The armorer could talk about life. He’d had one. He’d only taken the black after he’d lost an arm at the siege of Storm’s End. Before that he’d smithed for Stannis Baratheon, the king’s brother. He’d seen the Seven Kingdoms from one end to the other; he’d feasted and wenched and fought in a hundred battles. They said it was Donal Noye who’d forged King Robert’s warhammer, the one that crushed the life from Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident. He’d done all the things that Jon would never do, and then when he was old, well past thirty, he’d taken a glancing blow from an axe and the wound had festered until the whole arm had to come off. Only then, crippled, had Donal Noye come to the Wall, when his life was all but over.

(Jon III)

He had no destination in mind. He wanted only to ride. He followed the creek for a time, listening to the icy trickle of water over rock, then cut across the fields to the kingsroad. It stretched out before him, narrow and stony and pocked with weeds, a road of no particular promise, yet the sight of it filled Jon Snow with a vast longing. Winterfell was down that road, and beyond it Riverrun and King’s Landing and the Eyrie and so many other places; Casterly Rock, the Isles of Faces, the red mountains of Dorne, the hundred islands of Braavos in the sea, the smoking ruins of old Valyria. All the places that Jon would never see. The world was down that road … and he was here.

(Jon V)

And if Jon is to live his best wildling/crow-deserter life, it’ll be about finding freedom - just like Mance.

Plus there’s the whole thing with him seeing three different trees which could serve as representing his arc in the series, and the final tree faces south…

Just north of Mole’s Town they came upon the third watcher, carved into the huge oak that marked the village perimeter, its deep eyes fixed upon the kingsroad. That is not a friendly face, Jon Snow reflected. The faces that the First Men and the children of the forest had carved into the weirwoods in eons past had stern or savage visages more oft than not, but the great oak looked especially angry, as if it were about to tear its roots from the earth and come roaring after them. Its wounds are as fresh as the wounds of the men who carved it.

(Jon V, ADWD)

So which one is it?

Also if you think he goes south, where does he end up? 👀

#I’ve always been a jon deserts and goes north truther - but that’s also because I’m a jon will be king of winter truther #not in a ruling sense but more of a mythical combination of wildling king (mance) and god (bloodraven)#but I just saw a really interesting meta about how going south is more thematically resonant soooo 👀#yes this is assuming jon lives at the end which I think he absolutely does #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #jon snow

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the-outer-topic · 3 months

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1920 A Long Way from Nowhere - Russell Smith

In the early days of aviation, flying an airmail route could be a treacherous affair. This was especially true when pilots had to navigate over the Rockies. A mechanical problem could mean a forced landing on steep slopes covered on trees, rocks, or even snow. Here our pilot has found himself in such a situation. Having survived setting his aircraft down on a snowy slope, he now consults his charts in an effort to determine his location and how far he is from the closest road.

#russell smith #aviation history

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discount-shades · 4 months

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Dead or Alive: Family

Dead or Alive: Sugar and Jake

A/N: Someone asked if I was going to write about when Sugar told Jake she couldn’t have kids so here it is. It got away from me a bit…

Pairing: Jake Seresin/Reader

Warning: Trigger Warning: Abortion, Fertility problems, Western themed violence.

Word Count: 1200 ish

Summary: Some updates on Sugar and Jake after they leave the Dagger Gang.

Previous Masterlist Next

Frozen, you stare at the sheets before you. A smear of blood blemishes the otherwise snowy white bed linens. Another month and you were not pregnant. Blinking back tears, you pull out the sanitary belt from where you had tucked it in the back of the drawer before dressing for the day. Your time of the month was only a few days late and as much as you fought against it, as much as you tried to squash it down, you had hoped that this time it would be different.

Angrily you began to strip the bottom sheet off the bed. You had just put fresh linens on yesterday. Now you had to spend an hour washing and ironing it all again. You dump the sheet in the wash bin on the porch and begin filling it up from the pump by the back door.

Jake had been away last night. He had spent the evening on guard duty at the local jail cell. You shake your head ruefully at the change in circumstances. Move a few states east and Jake would be the prisoner that needed guarding and not the deputy holding the keys.

You will never forget the day that the sheriff had arrived at your door. Jake had volunteered to ride in a posse a month earlier and had helped apprehend a man accused of murdering a gold miner a few towns over. You weren't sure of the details, you only know that Jake had saved the sheriff's life.

When you answered the door the sheriff had held up wanted posters with Jake’s and your real names without saying anything. As you stared into eyes the uncommonly accurate likeness of your own poster you had felt your stomach drop to the floorboards. You tore your eyes away and gazed at the blue sky and the California mountains towering over the small farm you and Jake had built. The dirt road trampled into the dirt led to the idyllic little town you had settled beside. Everything you had ever wanted was right here and you had brushed aside a tear, sure that the jig was up.

You clutched at Jake’s hand as the sheriff spoke. “Before these came in I was planning on asking if you wanted one of these officially.” He had held up a shiny, sliver deputy’s badge to Jake. “I did some thinking and the offer still stands for Mr. Smith.” He used the fake name the two of you had been living under. “Or I’ll allow Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin and his wife one week to leave town, if that is your decision.”

He handed the badge to Jake. “If you want the job Mr Smith, I expect to see you tomorrow and I’ll read you in.” He passed you the posters. “If I do not see you tomorrow I will be back in a week to arrest the both of you.” With a final look that ensured that you and Jake understood his meaning, he tipped his hat and walked away.

That was seven years ago now and the only thing that had changed was the sheriff was now talking about retiring and had been encouraging Jake to run for sheriff when he did. Your mind returns to the task at hand and you grab the soap and washboard and begin to scrub the stain on the corrugated washboard. Once the mark is as clean as you will get it you wring out the heavy sheet and hang it on the line. Maybe you won’t bother ironing it again. Jake won’t care and no one else would notice if your linens had wrinkles.

After milking the cow and collecting the eggs you head inside and start on breakfast. Jake should be home soon. You are just finishing breakfast when he canters up on the pinto horse he had taken to riding since retiring Jet. The old black gelding now spent his days teaching manners to weanling foals and napping in the shade. You turn to smile at Jake as he walks through the door but your lower lip begins to tremble when you see the look on his face. He knows what the sheet hanging on the line means.

Forcing an overly cheery greeting past your lips you turn back to the stove so you don’t have to see the disappointment in his eyes. “It’s scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast today.” You begin to plate the food, hoping that the familiar routine will calm your emotions.

Jake’s arms wrapping around you finally slows your movements and you lean back into his chest. “It’s never going to happen.” It is easier to speak the thought that has been sitting in your mind for years if you do not have to look him in the eye.

“You don’t know that.” His lips are soft as gently kisses your temple. “It might still happen.”

“No,” You sigh, finally ready to confess the secret you have been keeping from your husband. “It won’t.”

Turning in his arms you look up into his green eyes. “I was pregnant before.” You watch his eyes widen in shock but he doesn’t let you go, in fact he tightens his grip on your waist. “It was before us, I was barely 18.” You continue waiting for him to push you away.

“It was before the quickening, but it had recently been made illegal so a doctor wouldn’t do it.” You can’t read his expression and don’t know if you should continue but find that you are unable to stop. The secret has been eating at you for years. “I tried tansy, pennyroyal, gin, hot baths… but nothing would work, eventually the madam where I was working made it happen.” You brush a tear away and drop your gaze, unable to meet his eye anymore.

“There was an infection. A doctor did treat me for that, and he said I might never be able to get pregnant.” You watch Jake’s chest as he takes a deep breath and sighs it out before pulling you in for a hug. He gently cradles the back of your head as silent tears slip down your face.

“So it will just be you and me then.” His chest rumbles under your ear at his words and you pull back to meet his eyes sniffing.

“Are you ok with that?” You search his face as he smiles sadly down at you.

Jake gives a little shrug. “I can imagine my life without children.” He gently kisses your lips. “What I can’t imagine is a life without you, Sugar.”

“You would have been a great father.” You say thinking about seeing him interact with the local school children.

“And you would have been a great mother.” You brush a tear away at his words but your heart feels lighter at his easy acceptance of your past. You no longer have to pretend that you are expecting to get pregnant. You no longer have to fake anticipation and hope that you have long given up on.

“I guess it’s just the way it goes sometimes.” You are finally able to bring a small, sad smile to your lips. “Some things are not meant to be.”

#jake seresin #hangman #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin/reader #hangman/reader #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #top gun hangman #topgun maverick #western!au

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fibula-rasa · 4 months

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Christmas Films of a Century Past

(updated!)

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to watch somewhere 50-60 Christmas and Christmas-adjacent silent films from before 1920 to put together a playlist for you all.

I chose these as a representative selection. My general criteria were:

Christmas should be central to the story

The plot should be novel to a modern viewer or something a modern viewer would be surprised to see so early on film

The list on the whole should have a variety of settings and narrative structures

Here’s a direct link to the YouTube playlist, if you want to watch them all in one go. (They are all shorter than feature length!)

Two quick presentation notes:

Some of the videos have music and some don’t, so you may want to check your volume level.

The intertitles for some of these films are not in English, so be sure you have captions turned on for English translations.

READ ON BELOW!

1. Santa Claus (1898) (UK)

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Directed by George Albert Smith

Short and sweet, this film sees children put to bed by their nanny on Christmas Eve and Santa Claus coming down the chimbley to fill their dutifully hung stockings. Director G.A. Smith used his own patented technique of double exposure to show Santa’s arrival without cutting away from the children’s room. Santa Claus might not pack the punch of a Méliès trick film, but it’s a fun novelty and is purportedly the first appearance of Santa Claus on film.

2. The Little Match Seller (1902) (UK)

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Directed by James Williamson

This one’s a quick but effective adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson tragedy featuring impressively well-coordinated superimpositions.

3. The Christmas Angel (1904) (FR)

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Directed by George Méliès for Star Film Company

The Christmas Angel follows an impoverished girl driven into the city to beg on a snowy winter night. First she’s chased away from a church by more seasoned beggars; then she’s thrown out of a poultry seller and harassed by police. On the verge of falling asleep in the snow, a rag-and-bone man rouses her and offers her help. Later, the girl passes out beside a road but is luckily spotted by a wealthy couple on a car ride. When they learn of her plight, they bring her home along with food and gifts.

Though not as fantastical as some of Méliès’ more famous works, The Christmas Angel is still highly stylized (and stylish) and features special effects that are photographed beautifully. It’s also worth noting that the version of the film included here is the American cut. The original French cut, titled Détresse et Charité (Distress and Charity), did not include the sequence with the wealthy couple and instead ends with the girl dying in the snow.

4. The Night Before Christmas (1905) (US)

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Directed by Edwin S. Porter for Edison Manufacturing Company

This is the first time the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” was put on film. Loosely following the poem, we see Santa Claus prepare for his yearly trek while a middle-class family prepares for his visit. When Santa heads out, we are treated to an extended panning sequence with a fully painted backdrop for a mini Santa and his reindeer to glide across. When Santa arrives at the family home, he chaotically dumps presents and decorations around their living room and makes a large, decorated tree appear out of thin air. (Across many of the movies I watched to put this post together, this seems to be a favored scenario for the jolly fat man around this time—and it’s delightful.) The family then wakes to find their gifts and the film closes with Santa directly wishing us a Merry Christmas.

5. A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907) (US)

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Directed by J. Searle Dawley and Edwin S. Porter for Edison Manufacturing Company

Even at the risk of this list being too Edison heavy, I couldn’t leave this great short out. While walking with his mother, a rich little boy encounters a poor little girl alone in the cold. They take her home to play and warm up. When the boy learns that the girl doesn’t believe in Santa because apparently Santa doesn’t visit poor children, he hatches a scheme. On Christmas Eve, the boy holds a stake out near the fireplace and takes Santa hostage, tying him up and holding him at gunpoint. The boy then forces Santa to visit the girl—going so far as shimmying down the chimney himself to let Santa in the front door. When the girl wakes up to a beautifully decorated tree, new toys, and a full stocking, she can finally believe in Santa Claus. While I’m generally not so into stories about supposedly benevolent rich people, I do love the implications this story has on how Santa Claus works and I also find the means with which the boy gets his way hilarious.

6. Il Natale di Cretinetti / Foolshead’s Christmas (1909) (IT)

[& Come fu che l’ingordigia rovino il Natale di Cretinetti / How Greediness Spoilt Foolshead’s Christmas (1910) & Il Natale di Cretinetti (1911)]

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Directed by Andre Deed for Itala Film

This entry is a three-for, which I hope you’ll excuse, but I couldn’t decide which Cretinetti Christmas to share! Cretinetti, the comedic persona of filmmaker Andre Deed, is an absolute agent of chaos.

In the 1909 film, Cretinetti attempts to bring a tree home for a Christmas party. The destruction escalates wildly, culminating in an entire building falling to pieces.

If you can believe it, the stakes are even higher in the 1910 film, when Cretinetti can’t resist sneaking out of bed on Christmas Eve to snack on the candy decorating the tree. When Santa sees what Cretinetti has done, he chides him and takes him back to his workshop—which is apparently in heaven. Destruction ensues. Cretinetti then proceeds to cause havoc for Saint Peter, annoying god so much that he calls the devil to come get Cretinetti. Cretinetti is then chased to hell where demons try to cook him alive. Thankfully, spoiler alert, it was all a bad dream and he wakes up on Christmas morning with a terrible stomach ache.

The 1911 film returns to localized chaos. Cretinetti has a run-in with a mail carrier and his Christmas packages get mixed up with one of the carrier’s parcels. The parcel contains three bottles of ether which then begin to emit gasses in the middle of the family Christmas party.

I wasn’t familiar with Cretinetti before reviewing films for this list, but I’m definitely going to seek out more of Deed’s movies. Each of these films had well-executed chaotic slapstick; over-the-top in all the right ways.

7. Making Christmas Crackers (1910) (UK)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Produced by Cricks & Martin Films for Clarke, Nickolls, & Coombs Confectionery

To start, if you’re not sure what a Christmas cracker is, it’s a colorfully decorated paper tube that makes a cracking noise as you pull it open. Inside the tube is a paper hat, a joke, and/or a small toy. It’s a traditional part of UK Christmas celebrations.

This short starts as a documentary of the workers at Clarke, Nickolls, & Coombs constructing the crackers. It’s a fun thought that as early as 1910, people were interested in watching how mass-produced consumer goods were made. It’s also fun to see these skilled workers ply their trade so deftly (even though wages and working conditions were likely less than ideal). The film ends with a family celebrating around a Christmas tree topped with a functional giant cracker.

8. A Christmas Carol (1910) (US)

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Directed by J. Searle Dawley for Edison Films Manufacturing Company

There are so so so many film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol made before 1920 that it was hard to choose which one to include on this list. In the end I chose this 1910 version for its economy of storytelling, fluid use of special effects, and for Marc McDermott’s great performance as Scrooge.

9. Broncho Billy’s Christmas Dinner (1911) (US)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Directed by Gilbert M. Anderson (Broncho Billy) for The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company

Gilbert M. Anderson was an incredibly prolific and popular filmmaker and star of early American film, particularly in his role as Broncho Billy. As was typical for Anderson, he’s pulling triple duty on Broncho Billy’s Christmas Dinner as the star, director, and producer. The film features a simple and heartwarming story.

On Christmas, Billy comes across a young woman in peril as her horses got startled and are now pulling her cart along wildly. Billy manages to wrangle the horses and in gratitude she invites him to Christmas dinner at her parents’ home. Unfortunately, her father happens to be the sheriff. But, all is well, as it turns out that Broncho Billy’s been given a pardon and the sheriff welcomes him to the table gladly.

The enduring appeal of outlaws or criminals getting into the Christmas spirit is fascinating to me and it’s cool to see such an early instance of the story!

10. Le Noel de la princesse / The Little Princess’s XMas Gift (1911) (FR)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Produced by Société Générale des Cinématographes Éclipse

In all honesty, this is the least Christmassy (but also probably most christian-y) of all the films I included here, but its style and novelty stood out. The sets, costuming, and production design are lush. It might also be one of the weirdest Christmas stories I’ve even encountered.

After Lord Othberg passes away, the conniving Otto plans to assassinate the baby prince in order to inherit the lordship himself. He poisons the baby, but the princess prays for her baby brother to come back to life as her Christmas gift. An angel appears to her and they summon Jesus, who resurrects her baby brother. Of course, they then place the revivified baby in the castle’s nativity scene, to the joy of all but Otto.

11. Ida’s Christmas (1912) (US)

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Directed by Van Dyke Brooke for Vitagraph Company of America

With a more classic Christmassy story, Ida’s Christmas tells us of a family who are facing hard times. Ida (played by a very small Dolores Costello) has her eyes on a pricey doll. Meanwhile, her mother seeks out employment with a wealthy family. The matriarch of the wealthy family overhears Ida’s wish and decides to buy the doll for her as a surprise. Later, Ida is distraught to find that the doll has been purchased but comes across a wallet that someone has dropped. She considers taking the money, but chases down the owner instead. The old man gives her some reward money for returning the wallet. Ida rushes to see if she can buy the doll, but has second thoughts when she thinks about how much her family could use the money. She arrives home with the money just in time for a Santa-esque old man to show up bearing packages and an assurance that the wealthy family has work for her father. The film ends with the family celebrating an unexpectedly Merry Christmas.

It’s a sweet story that hits so many beats of what we now consider traditional Christmas tales.

12. Рождество обитателей леса / The Insect’s Christmas (1913) (RU)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Directed by Władysław Starewicz for Khanzhonkov

Fair warning, if you thought The Princess’s XMas Gift was odd, you might need to ready yourself for this one. Stop-motion virtuoso Władysław Starewicz (Ladislas Starevich) spins a tale about a tiny ornament of Santa/Ded Moroz coming to life on Christmas and going out into the wild to bring Christmas joy to creatures small and smaller, including a frog and a ladybug. Starewicz’s animation is as impeccable as ever and the short is imaginative and quirky.

Honorable Mention:

Dance of the Seasons (1900)

Christmas Dream (1900)

Christmas Eve (1913)

A Christmas Carol (1914)

Snow White (1916)

A Winter Straw Ride (1906)

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chaotic-on-main · 4 months

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Snow Day with Erwin

moodboard and drabble for @bita-bita who requested a romantic snow day with Erwin Smith <3 content: fluff, modern au, daddy kink, age regression implied word count: ~600 (holy shit I wrote something under 1k words)

Winter is one of your favorite seasons. The chill of the air, the crystalized fog of your breath as your feet crunch on a snowy path. It's all so peaceful. Even better is the company you get to have on snowy days.

Erwin glances down as you both walk in the park just down the street from your shared apartment. The park itself is massive, able to hold a body of water big enough to be a lake. Swimming in it now are a myriad of swans and geese, all heading to their final destinations for the winter. Above comes a light flurry of snow. It's not enough to be a white out, but enough that you stick your tongue out and try to catch as many snowflakes as you can.

“Make sure to watch where you're going.” Erwin's soft yet stern voice says. He's tightly holding your gloved hand in his own so that you don't go too far. You look up at him and scrunch your nose as you respond.

“I am!” You can feel the ears on your winter hat flop with every step. Your winter outfits are never complete without a cute animal on your head. Erwin chuckles as he watches you intentionally shake your head to make them flop more.

Eventually, you both make it to the part of the park that you've been excited for the past few days. The playground. There are a few kids running around, enjoying their free time from school. But the swing set is empty, and that's where you run to.

You dust snow off the seat with your mitten before plopping right on the cold rubber. Erwin is slowly making his way over to you, his oceanic blue eyes smiling your way. He doesn't seem exasperated because he knew this was coming.

When he’s close enough, he leans against the metal pole that holds up the swings. His cheeks and nose are tinted pink from the cold. Against his complexion, it's rather handsome. One of his large bushy eyebrows raises when you don't stop staring at him.

“What is it?”

“Will you push me?” You ask as you spin the swing around so that the metal chains twist above you.

“What do you say?”

“Um. Please?” You smile up innocently, feigning ignorance to what he was really asking from you.

Erwin steps closer, but instead of behind you, he stops in front. He bends down so that he's face level with you, but even then, you still have to tilt your head up to look at him. You note the tiny snowflakes that have latched onto Erwin's blonde eyelashes.

“What do you say.” Erwin repeats, his voice low though his face remains relaxed.

“Please, Daddy?”

“That's my girl.” He gently grabs you by the chin and pulls your face up even more to meet his warm lips. It's a chaste kiss but sweet nonetheless.

The rest of the day consisted of nothing but the best things. After the swings, you dared Erwin to a snow bunny building contest. You won, of course. Technically, his creation was well made, strategically put together so that it would keep shape for a while. But, the rules (made by you, of course) deemed you the winner.

On the way home, Erwin holds your hand tightly and picks up celebratory hot chocolates from the street vendors. The snow starts picking up just in time for you both to land at the doorstep, and part of you is sad because you would like to stay out just a little longer. But then, Erwin promises a delicious dinner and a movie on the couch, and that was that.

There is a day left of my winter event! If you'd like to request something, go here for the rules! <3

#sky's winter event #sky's moodboards #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #erwin smith #erwin smith x reader #x reader #erwin x reader

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skyward-floored · 5 months

Note

Heard you wanted Zelink

I offer you this

Feel free to ignore if you want this kinda got long lol

Hope you have a good day 😊

~~~~

“Hey. ‘S been a while since you passed out after a portal.” He says upon noticing Four’s eyes open.

“Has it now?” Four mutters, rubbing his eyes.

Standing, he offers the smith a hand. But Four’s not even paying attention, looking at the snowy dusting on the ground, the flakes falling gently from the sky.

Four smiles.

Not just a smile, it’s a giddy grin showing his teeth, eyes brighter than the snow around them.

Then he’s on his feet, sprinting through the gates even as he slips on ice and bursts through the castle doors.

“Uh…”

Time smiles, heading after him.

They all follow, making hushed bets under their breaths.

Then Four tears past them in the opposite direction, screaming, a young woman chasing behind him and shouting threats even as she laughs. Snow drips off of her face.

Time laughs, shaking his head. They follow again, now blatantly making bets.

“She’s gonna kick his ass. Fifty rupees.”

“No way am I taking that bet-”

“I’ll take it!”

“Don’t, he doesn’t have the money.”

Laughter.

“A yellow rupee says that she kicks his ass then they have a make out session.”

A scoff.

“The Smith? No way.”

“He’s like, sixteen! Hormonal teenager!”

“As far as we know he’s twenty!”

“No way in hell is he twenty!”

“He’s gone to a bar and got alcohol, he can’t be under twenty.”

“Oh, like anyone waits until they’re actually twenty to drink.”

“Boys, boys. Enough.” Time says, then grins mischievously. “That yellow rupee plus a purple one that that make out session is how they get together.”

They watch Four burst out the castle doors, laughing in a way that they’ve never heard from him before, pleading for mercy as a girl who has to be Zelda follows him out and screams for him to get back here.

~~~~

On the castle grounds, Dot continues her chase of him. A laugh tears from his throat as he slips on a patch of ice, and she makes a lunging tackle that sends them both to the ground.

Him on his back in the snow, still laughing as snow falls on his face, her landing painfully on his stomach.

He swears he’s never felt more alive.

“Sorry!” She laughs, moving to look at him.

Not climbing off of him.

“Are you ok?”

He nods, still laughing too hard to reply properly. He didn’t even realize how much he missed her.

She laughs again then, neither of them moving at all.

Snow dusts her hair, little drops of water clinging to her eyelashes. Her cheeks are bright red from the cold, or possibly the snow he threw in her face. Definitely not from their rather awkward position. Nope. Definitely not. It’s because her face is cold.

Her blue eyes find his hazel ones, and everything else disappears. It all seems natural in a way that nothing else does.

He leans up on an elbow as she leans down. They both pause. “I missed you.” She whispers.

“I missed you more.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Yeah huh.”

It’s not so much a kiss as they’re both laughing still, but they make it work.

And then they make it work better when she climbs off of him and he sits up.

For a second, she is the only real thing in this world. The only relevant thing in life.

Then one of his friends whistles loudly, and they spring apart. He feels his ears flushing as he lays back on the ground, tugging his mitten off to give them a middle finger. Dot’s laughter makes it worth the merciless teasing he’s going to get for this.

~~~~

“I could be beheaded for this.” He laughs, knowing it would never happen. From the look Dot shoots him, she knows it’d never happen too.

“If you don’t want to-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

And he tugs his boots and over tunic off, sitting next to her on the bed.

“Somehow, I thought this would be less awkward,” she says finally, laying down.

He laughs. “Thought about this a lot?”

“Link!”

But she’s laughing, throwing an arm around him when he lays down too.

He wraps an arm around her, too, pulling her closer when she nestles up to his chest.

For- for warmth. Of course.

“Relax, Link, we’re fine.” She says softly.

Right. They’re fine. She’s fine, he’s fine, that’s all that matters right now.

So he nods, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

“Yeah. Good night.”

He feels her smile. “G’night.”

~~~~

“Good morning.” He says softly, pausing the little braid he’s been making in her hair.

Dot’s green eyes look up at him, blearily and half asleep. He smiles.

She manages a sleepy grin.

“Don’t stop.” She says softly, closing her eyes again and shifting closer to him.

So he resumes the tiny braid, then starts another one.

She’s got seventeen and a half tiny braids in her hair by the time a guard knocks on her door and wakes her up for a meeting at court.

“I have to go.” She mumbles, making no move whatsoever to get up.

“I know.” He says softly, finishing the tiny braid. Eighteen. His fingers itch to start another one.

“Maybe the princess has taken ill today.”

Screw it. He starts braid number nineteen.

“With a terrible headache, right?”

“And horrible stomach pain.” She smiles.

“That would look horribly suspicious.” He muses. “She spends the night with her friend and then she’s mysteriously taken ill the next day.”

With a long sigh, she shifts slightly. He lets her go reluctantly.

“A maid will be here soon. I don’t know if you want to leave or not, but it’s up to you.”

He sighs, sitting up too and climbing off the bed. “I’ll go.” He sighs. He really doesn’t need any more rumors about him going around.

“How long will court take?”

She pauses, thinking. “It’s a simple petition case, someone who’s jailed is asking for another look at his case. It should be rather short.”

“Alright.” He yawns, pulling his boots on and then his tunic. She sits next to him, gently nudging his face so he looks at her.

Her hands cup his cheeks, thumbs brushing the dark circles under his eyes.

“I’m fine.” He says softly. “I know they look bad but-”

“What happened?” She asks quietly, fingers now tracing down his cheek.

“Just… long nights.” He shrugs. “On the ground, early mornings, hard fights… it’s… exhausting.”

“Did you sleep last night?”

He shrugs awkwardly. “Yeah, a little.”

She offers him a small smile.

“It’s not even the worst part of this… adventure.” He mutters.

“Don’t tell me that.” Dot says, eyes snapping open to look at him again.

He forces a laugh, and she relaxes.

“The worst part is being away from you, of course.” He says, smiling.

She smiles back, shaking her head.

Then it fades, and she’s leaning towards him and he’s leaning towards her and their foreheads touch briefly.

“I wish…”

She’s so close to him that her lips gently brush his with the words he really can’t focus on.

The door bursts open without warning, and they spring apart with a jolt. But not before the suddenly very sheepish maid saw them.

Dot laughs nervously, covering her face with her hands. He groans, half laughing too.

So much for no rumors.

~~~~

He makes it about halfway through the day solely off of caffeine. Not sleeping is much easier when you’re moving all day.

But when he’s laying around, reading or talking to people? Yeah, they notice quickly when he starts dozing off doing random things.

“Four.” Legend says after he jolts himself awake for the fifth time and rubs his eyes. “Go to sleep.”

“ ‘m fine.” He mumbles, eyes drooping again.

“Didn’t sleep well? Figured you would, you’re home after all.”

“Yeah… guess that’s the problem.” He mutters, leaning his head on Legend’s shoulder.

The vet frowns at him.

He shrugs awkwardly, eyes closing. “It sucks being here knowing I’ll just have to leave again.”

“Oh.” Leg says understandingly, nodding.

But before he can respond, someone comes in and says the king’s summoning him.

And the king asks him to do a few things before he leaves.

And despite how he really doesn’t want to… he agrees.

Because he’s the hero, dammit, he does whatever is asked of him. Despite quitting being a knight years ago, he still does whatever his king pleases.

With a long sigh, he goes to try to find Dot, but she’s not in the library or her room.

And then he’s exhausted.

He doesn’t bother with the other things he was going to do, just flops down on Dot’s bed even though she isn’t in here and lets his eyes drift closed.

Five minutes, he tells himself. Five minutes he’ll let himself rest and then he’ll get up and go deal with whatever it was the king told him to do.

Next thing he knows, a door clicks quietly and he’s groggily forced into awareness.

“Shh, sorry, go back to sleep.” Someone says softly.

Gentle hands rub his back lightly, a blanket being placed over him.

He can't even protest, body pulling him back into sleep as whoever sits next to him on the bed.

Next time, it’s with gentle fingers ruffling his hair, soft humming coming from the person next to him.

Dot.

He shifts slightly to look up at her, smiling sleepily when she looks at him. She smiles back.

He shifts closer to her, blinking groggily as she wraps an arm around him and pulls him closer.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” She whispers.

“Mhm.” He mumbles, eyes closing again. “How was court?”

“Oh, it was terrible. The criminal was accused of stealing from a shop, several witnesses saw him and the shop owner- all of them testified. And the man still pleads innocent. An absolute mess.” She sighs.

“Sounds awful.”

She laughs. “I can’t complain. You’re out there traveling through time and risking your life, and here I am complaining about having to sit in court.”

“No, no. Court is awful. I’d rather go on seven more adventures than sit through court. You have to do it once a week. I think you’re the true hero of this era.”

She laughs. “Maybe you’re right. I should go on your quest for you, you can stay here and go to court.”

“Hylia above, I’d rather die.”

She laughs suddenly, uncontrollably.

And Hylia above he’s in love with her.

The realization snaps through him like electricity, making him jolt and look up at her.

She pauses, too, smile fading. “You ok?”

He blinks. Nods, shaking himself out of it. “Yeah, of course.” He smiles again.

Takes a slow breath when she smiles, too. He can’t tell her now, now when he’s about to leave again.

But he will, someday.

When he’s back for good.

~~~~

“Let’s go outside!” She whispers excitedly, poking him.

“”It’s like… three in the morning.” He mumbles groggily, sitting up even as he says it.

She could ask him to lasso the moon for her and he’d find a way to do it.

“It snowed.”

That gets him up.

Grinning, pulling a warm cloak on over his pajamas, shoving boots onto his feet, following her outside.

It’s tradition for them to have a snowball fight the first time there’s enough snow on the ground.

Ever since they were… six, maybe seven.

So that’s exactly what they do- hurl snowballs at each other until the sun is rising and they’re both breathless and laughing in the light of the morning.

She beams, cheeks flushed with the cold and snow in her hair and she’s never looked more beautiful.

I’m in love with you, he wants to say.

Almost says it, when she meets his eyes and smiles. For a second, he’s brave enough to do it.

And then the moment passes, he takes too long and he just flicks a bit of snow in her face as if that was his plan. She throws her head back and laughs, scooping up a handful of snow.

“Hey!” He protests quickly, backing away.

She throws it at him.

He ducks away from it, sticking his tongue out at her when it misses.

Makes one of his own when she throws another at him, missing by a large margin but they’re both laughing too hard to care.

Laughing too hard to talk, just throwing snow at each other frantically.

Oh well.

He has all the time in the world to tell her.

~~~~

WAH ANON??? you can’t just sneak up out of nowhere and drop this in my inbox I’m yelling this is so CUTE THEIR SNOWBALL FIGHT AAAAAH THANK YOU 💖💚💖

#answers from the floor #anon #linkeduniverse #linked universe #Four/Dot #lu four #lu Dot #fic #long post #I love four and Dot so so so much #and w #wait #did you put a snowball fight in because of that one fic I wrote with them?#...or is it just a funny coincidence ha #well either way THANK YOU THANK YOU #THANK YOUUUUUUU <333

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