#still rooting for pink + red in my heart though

[ladadiida]

𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

once upon a time, you wished for alhaitham to love you back just as much as you loved him. that was years ago though; now as the acting grand scribe for the acting grand sage, you both were widely known for the hate you have for each other.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 love hate, unrequited love (or is it), angst, implied insecurity about physical appearance, inspired from the fountain scene in atonement by ian mcewan. i suggest you watch the video first so you can imagine how the scene would look like!

𝐰𝐜 2.5k

he finally found you.

the swaying grass crunched under the soles of his boots as he slowly and menacingly walked towards you with your back facing him, not aware of what was about to come. he was getting nearer now, and yet you still didn't turn around; it was either because you didn't hear him at all or because you didn't care about his presence. knowing you, the latter sounded more reasonable.

you were sitting on the grass, right beside the crystal clear waterfalls of chinvat ravine, legs crossed and hair tied to keep the strands from blocking your view, but the wind didn't spare you from its wrath. your locks swayed gently along with the breeze, flying and curling like the roots of the divine tree holding up the sanctuary of surasthana, exposing your bare neck to him. even with your long sleeved dress, you bathed in the golden sumeru sunlight, not caring about the heat at all.

though you weren't looking at him at all, alhaitham's heart stubbornly skipped a beat, its pace picking up the longer he stared at you. you looked so peaceful sitting in silence that he almost turned away and let you be in your own quiet world. or maybe he would just sit beside you if you'd allow him to, then the two of you would listen to the singing of the dusk birds together, along with the calming sound of the running water from the waterfalls.

in another time, he would like to spend his mornings, afternoons, and nights with you; but right now, as the acting grand sage of the akademiya, work was priority.

and so, despite not wanting it, alhaitham broke the silence. "if I may ask, what is the acting grand scribe doing here?"

he saw your body tense up, shoulders raising slightly. it took you a whole minute before you decided to glance at him over your shoulder. as he expected, your usually gentle eyes were already narrowed, ready to bite at him. your plump lips were pursed in annoyance, and it took every bit of his sanity to not lean in and swipe his thumb over it. your cheeks were already starting to turn into a shade of red that reminded him of zaytun peaches. it was probably because of anger, or irritation. or both.

beautiful, he thought.

"acting grand sage alhaitham." you greeted him calmly, as opposed to the emotions you had on display. "i can ask you the same question."

alhaitham crossed his arms and stared down blankly at you. "i have some files i need you to arrange, and they should be at my desk tomorrow morning."

without breaking off the eye contact, you blinked twice as if you were contemplating on what to say. then you shrugged, appearing not to care at all. "alright."

he couldn't help but to think that the old you wouldn't act this way. years ago, you would've nod slowly with a soft smile gracing your lips, a smile that was reserved just for him, and a pale pink hue would settle on top of your skin because you were too flustered to even speak a word to him.

but times have changed now. he should not be thinking about the past, for it will only hinder his progress in the present. but how could he not, when the only person he could blame for the reason for your change was himself?

alhaitham tried to hide his growing impatience, both for your stubbornness and your attitude towards him. he frowned and pressed on, "it seemed like you didn't understand. i am asking you to return to your office in the akademiya."

"you already wasted my time by searching for you. i spent a precious hour just walking around the city asking people if they somehow saw you when i could've spent that hour finishing the rest of my work. even katayoun didn't know where you are, so i had to find you myself." he continued, voice sounding more cross in each sentence.

you sighed, not affected by his rants. fully turning around, he saw a writing quill tucked in your ear and some papers stacked on your lap. you took one of the papers and showed it to him. "i'm checking some of the students' research proposals before i can submit them to you for approval."

"and you couldn't do that in your office?"

"unlike some of us, i can't concentrate on my work when i am locked up in an enclosed space." you quickly bit back, glaring at him. "working here is much better. i can breathe in some fresh air and watch the dusk birds if i'm feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending paperwork."

alhaitham thought of what you said and almost agreed with you. from where he was standing, he could see the bright blue sky, and not to mention, the entire view of the city.

but his pride didn't allow him to back down, just like always. he can tolerate you being mad at him and hating him with all your heart, but he can't stand it when you ignore him.

so he added fuel to the fire and lectured you, "while you're at it, do you have more complaints? don't hesitate to inform me if you lack materials or things that you will need. you have a high position in the akademiya now, so it is important for you to have your work done in a proper manner."

you rolled your eyes. "office rooms make me nauseous." you said straightforwardly.

that made him scrunch his eyebrows in both confusion and concern. "nauseous?"

"there's no windows." you grumbled under your breath. alhaitham inhaled sharply, finally understanding the situation. he made a mental note to speak with some of the matra later and make a request to transfer you to a new room. maybe even use some of his sage funds to buy new decorations just for you, so you wouldn't feel lonely and cramped inside your office.

while he was thinking, he noticed that you turned around once again, continuing to check the papers on your own. he watched you write, quick but your handwriting remained neat and pleasing to look at. this was one of the reasons why he chose you to become the scribe.

he wasn't satisfied with just watching you. alhaitham got closer and bent down with one knee. striking up a conversation again, he began, "let me see what you're working on."

you flinched at the sudden close proximity. he noticed it, and he tried to stop himself from smirking.

your grip on your quill tightened. with gritted teeth, you told him, "i'm not yet finished. please be patient."

alhaitham peered at you innocently, making you glower even more at his unaffected state. "i just want to check if you're doing it correctly." he simply said.

"i told you it's not yet finished. and what do you mean by correctly? i can manage just fine on my own!" you defended, now starting to raise your voice. while you were distracted, he took the opportunity to take the paper you were writing on.

you yelped and protested, "hey! stop!"

he lifted up his arm so you wouldn't be able to reach it, looking down on you with a strange glint in his beautiful turquoise eyes. seething in anger, you slightly sat up and pressed a hand on his chest in a rough manner to hoist yourself up without losing balance. you tried to ignore the feeling of his defined muscles against your palm as you tried to snatch the paper from him.

alhaitham froze. for a moment, he thought he forgot how to breathe because of how close you were to him. he could see the flecks of light in your eyes, the number of your thick eyelashes, and the many imperfections on the surface of your skin, yet they looked soft to the touch. and your lips, your heavenly lips, were only inches away from his own. the way they were slightly parted made him think of how they would feel.

he lost all focus that the paper he was holding slipped away from his fingers. your jaw dropped in horror, gaze following the paper in the air as it slowly flew towards the river. you got off alhaitham and tried to chase after it, but you were unfortunately too late. the paper had already met the surface of the water, liquid seeping on its thin composition.

you looked at him in disbelief. "what have you done?"

alhaitham sighed, waving a hand. "don't fret too much. just take the printed copy and submit it to me." he said.

"i didn't print one." you quietly replied.

he turned to you and stared at you like you've grown two heads. "what?"

in a louder voice, you explained impatiently, "that's the original paper. i haven't printed a copy yet."

hearing your words, alhaitham felt a huge headache. it was a grave mistake not to keep a copy of the akademiya's files.

"this is why I told you to always duplicate important files immediately after you receive them from the students in case they are stolen, destroyed, or lost." he spoke carefully, trying to avoid getting frustrated. "these are their research papers, and i'm sure that as a former akademiya student, you know how much value those papers hold."

your hands formed into fists. "do not talk to me like that!" you weakly shouted.

one of his eyebrows raised in question. "like what? like an acting grand sage pointing out their scribe's mistake?"

to his surprise, you started tearing up. bright red then blossomed on your cheeks, signalling the chaos that was about to reach its boiling point.

"like a pompous ass who forced me to become the scribe!" you yelled, and the shrillness of your voice hurt his ears, but he continued listening anyway. "if you're so clever and oh so better than me, then why didn't you just be the grand sage and scribe at the same time? you just have to drag me into your shit so you could embarrass me in front of the mahamata!"

"to embarrass you is far from my—"

you pointed a finger at him in a threatening way, your eyes shooting daggers as sharp enough to kill him. "speak another word and i'll kick you so hard in your groin that your children wouldn't be able to have the same genes as you."

flabbergasted, alhaitham didn't dare utter another word. but when you started to unbutton your dress, he let out a sarcastic huff.

"the water is not safe." he said, trying to prevent you from wading through the fungi infested river. you ignored him and continued to undress.

you were about to pull down the upper part of your dress when you glanced at him, mouth open as if you were going to say something. he held your gaze, waiting for your retort. however, nothing came, and you only scowled at him while you finally slipped out of your dress, the clothing falling down to your feet.

he knew it was improper to stare. he wanted to look away, to give you respect and privacy and also because it was the right thing to do, but he can't he can't he can't—

the lacy camisole you were wearing underneath the dress clung tight to your body. your bra straps were visible, and because the camisole's length can only reach the middle of your exposed thighs, he can almost see your underwear. you were half naked right in front of him, but you didn't seem to care. why didn't you care?

ah, alhaitham thought, realization dawning upon him as you carefully walked towards the river and tested the temperature of the water first before taking a dive. you became nothing but a colorful blur under the aquamarine waters.

it was quiet for a moment. everything was quiet, until a distant memory flashed in his mind.

"you don't pass my aesthetic preferences and ideals for a partner. i consider both character and appearance when it comes to choosing a significant other, should that day ever come." he explained quickly, trying to get out of this awkward situation. more students were gathering around them, and that was the thing he despised the most: attention.

it became even worse when your lower lip started to tremble. just how pathetic can you be? confessing your feelings in the middle of a public place, the feelings that grew within you just by working on a single project together. you brought this to yourself. this was all your fault to begin with.

"are you saying i'm ugly?" you whispered, shaky voice sounding upset.

his gaze on you remained impassive. "i wouldn't use that term. that's too harsh, don't you think? i'd say...you're just not physically attractive, that's all.

"i'm not planning to consider you as my partner in a romantic relationship, today and in the near future. so i advise you to stay away from me to save yourself from the humiliation. have a nice day."

a loud splash interrupted his thoughts.

when you emerged from the water, your hands were clutching the soggy piece of paper, grip gentle as to not rip it off. damp pieces of hair framed your face, and the camisole, now transparent, hugged your wet form. your jaw was clenched, due to the cold or your hostility towards him; he doesn't know.

oxygen was knocked out of his lungs. alhaitham swallowed a lump in his throat and clenched his fist, reminding himself to breathe. you walked past him, not meeting his eye, and picked up your dress from the ground. you dressed hastily, your wet strands drenching your clothing in the process.

after you buttoned up, you turned your head sideways, finally acknowledging his presence but not making eye contact.

"i never wanted to be the acting grand scribe." you said, voice calm once again. "still, i apologize. i, who does not have a single clue about being a scribe because i'm only a librarian, apologize for not knowing what this job entails. but for just one day, can you please stop reminding me that i'm not as intelligent as you?"

he stayed quiet.

"have a nice day, acting grand sage." were your last words before you left him there standing dumbly on the grass. he can only watch as you walked away from him, hair swaying across your shoulders with each step you take. when you disappeared from his sight, he looked back at the water, the roiling surface yet to recover from its tranquillity, almost like you left some of your fury in it. alhaitham placed a hand flat on its surface, thinking about how the water touched your body mere moments ago, its calming arms caressing every inch of your skin. he doesn't want to feel jealous, but that he felt.

it has happened, much to his dread. you, who is possibly the only woman who can ever love someone like him, no longer have feelings for him. it was to be expected, but how can he live on when the only constant thing in his life finally left him for good?

alhaitham can only dip his hand in the water. it was the only closest thing to you that he could touch.

#genshin #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #genshin angst #genshin impact angst #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin fanfiction #genshin reader insert #genshin x reader angst #genshin impact x reader angst #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham genshin #genshin impact alhaitham #alhaitham #alhaitham x you #alhaitham x reader angst #alhaitham angst #alhaitham imagines #alhaitham fanfiction #alhaitham reader insert #alhaitham x reader smut #alhaitham x reader fluff #genshin impact x reader fluff #genshin impact x reader smut

[allfearstofallto]

saw yr posts abt submissive yanderes, and hear me out, tartaglia. i mean this from the bottom of my heart he is the one that wants you to do things to him, and while that’s not exactly submission i think it’s close enough?

just… in my mind he wants anything you’ll give him, he’ll give his body up to you, even if you punch and kick him, he takes it, sure he’d rather you treat him the way he would (does?) you, but any touch you give makes him feel like a wild animal.

tartaglia, who just needs you. idek i’m losing my train of thought 🙏

I don't think it's exactly what you wanted, but I got carried away and wrote masochist Childe👉🏾👈🏾. I hope that's okay!!! Personally, as a woman who loves femdom, it felt so good to write this though!! It was like I was going back to my roots.

TW: NSF.W Yandere themes, BDSM (bondage, sadism/masochism), violence, nipple play, unprotected sex, finishing inside, dub-con, overstimulation(?), choking

“Hurt me more,” he cooed while looking up at you with big, eyes full of anticipation. Drool leaking from his lips, his cheek was already red and warm from your stinging slap across it, “C’mon, I know you hate me. Now's your chance to treat me like you do.” He'd goad you with that same smug, smirk on his face.

Childe's big strong arms were tied with a rope to the headboard. The material was tight, digging into the flesh of his wrist anytime he'd struggle against them. But despite the aching pain you could imagine he was feeling, he showed a face of hunger, of desire for more.

His cock, large and twitching, was strained against his boxers, begging to be let free from its confines. When you brought another rough slap down across his cheek, you watched it twitch and leak and darken that already deep fabric with his precum, while he trembled with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

He'd grind his hips up, wanting you to free his aching dick, but you never did. You knew he could cum without it and he did too. Your hand would slide up his chiseled stomach, his body was always slightly colder than what it was supposed to be, and you squeezed one of his pink nipples between your finger tips. As hard as you could. Squeezing and twisting until your hand shook.

Lips clenched together, he muffled his own moans. His cock twitched in his underwear a few more times, the head of it rubbing against the precum he'd already spilled on his boxers .He came like that, the many shots of his semen continuing to soak the cloth until it began to drip down his cock again.

When he stilled from his orgasm, his body still twitching, he smiled at you lovingly. All the disgust you felt towards him still there, you'd turn away without a word.

You never took yourself to be much of a sadist, the idea of it being like a whisper of the night, never being brought to the day, but that was before Childe took you. Locked away in his home, falling victim to his torture that he called love, you felt animosity towards him grow. That animosity would turn into violent fits of rage, ones that he never took seriously. There was no way you could actually hurt a harbinger, especially without a vision, but that didn't stop you from trying. And one fateful day, you actually managed to connect a punch to his jaw.

It was your first time ever punching someone and felt more like you were hitting a brick wall than a person. You shook your sore hand out, immediately regretting what you'd done for the pain it caused you instead. But Childe stood there stiff, a little bruise forming on the side of his face. His eyes had rolled back, body beginning to shutter. His mouth agape, he let out a soft, low moan. You were going to tell him to stop joking around, that he wasn't funny, until he dropped to his knees in front of you, a wet patch forming on the front of his pants. Childe had cum just from your little act of violence.

While he loved the art of fighting. The rush that ending another life gave him, the way his body felt while he was throwing punches, it was an unmatchable adrenaline rush, he never knew he was one for pain. Pain from your hands felt different. It felt pleasurable. A familiar stinging followed by tingles that shot through his body. Only you could do that to him.

“You're incredible, my angel,” he moaned while kissing up your thighs, wanting to do more with this new found knowledge of his.

He had you laid back on the bed, pounding into your tender cunt with little mercy. Each long stroke of his cock made your toes curl from the unwanted pleasure of him hitting your insides. Your legs on his hips, you squeezed the sheets for leverage as you begged for him to stop, or at the very least slow down. He was going to fast, too drunk and clumsy from the satisfaction your dripping pussy was giving him.

Childe’s large hand engulfed your wrist, a feeling you were familiar with. Instead of holding you in place so he could fuck you deeper into the mattress with less struggle from you like you thought he would, he lifted it up and placed your palm to his neck.

“Make me,” he growled, lust clouding his eyes. Uncertainty caused you to tremble for a moment before you realized that this was Childe, nothing you could do could actually hurt him. He was asking for it, even going as far as to lift your legs higher, to thrust into you deeper, to make you try to stop him more.

You squeezed that muscled throat, choking him with the hope that he might actually die, but knowing better. He loved it, his already obnoxious moans were even louder than before. His thrusts felt even more rough, hips slapping against yours as you actually felt yourself growing a little aroused from this and he noticed too. A smirk on his face as he struggled to inhale, but still fucking you at that same brutal pace with those same deep, strokes.

He strained to speak as he tried to tell you he was cumming, his mouth just opening and closing, drooling down his chin. Childe forced his cock balls deep inside of you, going so deep with his length it almost felt uncomfortable. He began to cum, dick twitching like mad against your walls. Soft whimpers and groans would drop from his lips as you didn't let go of him, only squeezing his throat tighter.

His cock didn't get the chance to soften, he stayed hard as he started slow, shallow thrusts into your pussy again. The mixture of the pain of overstimulation and lack of air from your choking has him convulsing, but he didn't pull out, using his own cum as lube.

“Ah…hah…just say you want to milk me dry, my love, I'll keep going,” he managed to grunt through tears, his orange hair sticking to his forehead with sweat.

#mai<3 answers #genshin #genshin x reader #yandere genshin #yandere x reader #yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin x reader #yandere x you #genshin impact #yandere smut #yandere imagines #yandere childe x reader #yandere childe #yandere childe smut #childe smut #childe x reader #mdni

[delqcate]

-–— AUTUMN CHILL : FLUFFTOBER DAY 2

day two is finally here!! just a small sort of disclaimer, i have never experienced autumn/fall before but i am a lover of the season and aesthetic so this is just my idea based off of photos and films. also i'm back to my roots i love that for me 🫶 | flufftober | navigation

p.s. i appreciate your guy's love for the first fic. jellydoger liking my fic was definitely a small fangirl moment for me

summary: a game of hide and seek in the forbidden forest ends with worry over your cold hands

warnings/cw: no use of y/n , lots of descriptions , lmk if there's more

word count: 0.7k

paring: draco malfoy x you

Hogwarts always had a special charm to it when the chilly seasons came. The castle was already decorated with pumpkins and the air had never felt better, oh, and the leaves. The crunch as you step on them, how beautiful they look on or off the trees. Autumn in Hogwarts was definitely something worth experiencing.

Which is how you were able to trick Draco into a small game of hide and seek with you after some drinks in The Three Broomsticks. "I know you're here somewhere, darling. The leaves aren't really your best friend today." He calls out in a teasing manner while you were trying your hardest to not step on said leaves, no matter how crunchy they seemed.

The closer he got, the more you started to rethink your hiding spot. There weren't many places to hide in the forbidden forest besides trees, trees, and more trees— and as tempting as hiding in the leaves would be, that would be too much work— so you had to act fast and quick.

You quickly found a clear path but Draco was always close behind, staying still and silent to find you quicker. As you continued to run, you were definitely running out of breath, so as soon as you found a big enough tree to hide behind, you sat there and scanned your eyes all over the forest. Shades of orange and red fill your vision.

He felt close by as if he was right behind you. You weren't too tense since besides harmless creatures frolicking around, it was just the both of you, but you still had to keep your guard up. Something did catch your eye though: a leaf in the shape of a heart. Some parts of it were bent, but it also seemed natural.

A smile grew on your face as you continued to look at it, carefully pocketing it with the worry of getting it crushed. What you didn't realize, was that Draco—

"Boo!" He quickly taps your shoulders and yells, laughing as you flinch and slap his arm instinctively. "Draco!" Your breath was heavy, but you couldn't help but let out a laugh as well. He crouches beside you, your back pressed up against the tree and your legs curled up to your chest.

He had a soft smile on his face, perfect gray-blue eyes, and beautiful, kissable lips. He was perfect in your eyes, you were perfect in his. He leans in and gives your lips a soft peck before taking your hands in his.

"Your hands are freezing, love. I told you, you should've worn your gloves." He frowns, slipping off his own. "It's fine, I promise. I don't need yours, don't worry." She takes his hands to stop him, but he gently nudges them away, slipping one of his gloves on your hand.

"If you won't take both, at least take one. Mother made them..." He smiles, admiring the black gloves with the signature 'M' embroidered on the top with silver.

You look at the glove with a smile, it didn't fit properly, but it felt like it did too. Your eyes meet his and you let out a soft giggle as you noticed his face, his nose was pink, as well as his cheeks. You gave a soft kiss on all three spots, his cheeks seemingly getting more pink.

"The autumn chill hasn't been too kind to you now, hasn't it?" You tilt your head to the side a little to admire his face a little more, a small smile on your face. He chuckles and shakes his head, his blonde hair moving along.

"Maybe, maybe not. How about we warm up in the castle? The others are probably there as well anyways." He stands up and offers a hand to you, taking it graciously. "Sure. Oh, I wanna show you something I found!" You say as your smile grows wide, pulling out the leaf you found.

"Isn't it beautiful?" There was a sparkle in your eye, he loved that about you. He nods and smiles wide, wrapping an arm around you as if to warm you up from the cold weather. "Mhm, just like you." He kisses your head as both of you walk back to the warmth of the castle.

#★ — ﹙flufftober . . . 🍁﹚ #★ — ﹙daydreaming . . . 📜﹚ #draco malfoy #draco malfoy fluff #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy blurb #draco fluff #draco imagine #draco x reader #draco x y/n #draco lucius malfoy

[softdykellie]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ motion sickness part ii | ellie w.

previous part here | next part here soon

PAIRING: modern!ellie x fem!reader

SUMMARY: having grown up together, everyone knew eachother in jackson. when a brooding newcomer owner to a tattoo shop comes along apparently charming her friendly florist neighbor things seem to take a turn.

WARNING: alternative universe! purposefully all lower case. multiple part series. not a very eventful beginning as ellie’s relationship with reader is slow burn but it will start evolving after this one seriously trust me!

WORD COUNT: 632

ellie. you tasted her name on your tongue and melted into the feeling, flushed. dina had certainly manifested her wishes into fruition, you thought. stared at the girl for way too long, getting familiar with her features and vacant gaze towards the alcohol filled shelves against the main bar wall, freckles like starry war paint, eyebrow scar, pale green iris, peach pink lips, auburn hair gently brushing her shoulder at length. breathtaking, you immediately named the feeling, but she looked worn, tossed around. you blamed it on the bruised eye, caught onto sky grey vibes.

a silly game blossomed into your heart years ago, the inspiration for your flower shop really: how everyone you meet could be described by the floral language. dina thought hers too common, but it was your favorite, a daisy, standing for loyal love and “i’ll never tell”. jesse, a white jasmin, sweet love, amiability. even abby, coriander. you did not know the girl at all, but you saw red carnations grow behind her in the way spiritualists would claim to see auras. red carnations; “my heart aches”.

“flower shop girl, yes, that’d be me”

“cute” she mumbled sipping on the beer dina had given her before promptly pretending to be busy elsewhere though noticebly eavesdropping.

“you’ve got a lot of tattoos on you” jesse pointed matter of factly, earning a chuckle “perks of the job?”

“the job” ellie repeated his words in light humor as if minimizing her own career with the sound “yeah, i guess. you want one?”

“fuck, yeah! maybe a dragon up my back or or you know a snake, i don’t know, what do you usually draw?”

“pretty things” she answered before taking you off guard with a head movement that pointed you out amongst them all “like her” she twisted her body around to meet your face “what would you get, flower girl? roses?”

“the sun” you answered “what does that say about me?”

ellie smiled a weak smile, raising the sleeve of her grey t-shirt to expose a beaming sun by her bicep, detailed sad expression in black ink across its center. you took notice of everything. ferns and a moth grew from her hand to the very end of her forearm and covered scars you could only assume to have been self inflicted. a sword pierced through the spare space of skin next to a phoenix and finally angel wings alongside a well hidden initial: J. you wouldn’t ask, but you wanted to.

“trying to figure that out myself”

you hadn’t noticed when abby left, only that she was gone when a couple dollars slipped past you towards the ground from the countertops, extra tips for dina. you wanted her extroverted ways to carry the conversation, ask the newcomer about the altercation, but she seemed to enjoy playing dutiful dedicated owner more. small talk failed you, and ellie was uninterested.

you planned out your next meeting in your head, showing up with cookies as they do in the movies, catching glimpses of her sketches on the wall, giving them backstories to fill the gaps. it wasn’t so strange to be eager as you were taking into consideration how rare these opportunities had presented themselves: you never left jackson, not even on vacation. the world was meant to turn on its axis but you were destined to stay still, an agoraphobia rooted into your veins like movement would burst your chest open, bloody and broken. the flowers had been a therapist’s idea: to take care of something innocent as a purpose, exist outside the shell of a body you painfully cared for in pure obligation. your personal garden arsenal though, had meaning. yellow tulips, that’s what you were. the flower for unrequited love. the one tattooed by ellie’s hipbone you were yet to see.

#ellie williams x reader #ellie x reader #ellie the last of us #softdykellie #ellie williams #ellie x fem!reader #tlou #abby x fem!reader #the last of us fanfiction #ellie fanfiction #modern!ellie williams #ellie williams fanfic

[abyssal-ali]

'tis the damn season

Pairing: Luka Couffaine x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T | Ao3 | Masterlist

WC: 3.8k

A/N: For my wonderful Twinsie @wildbookcat 💜 Beta'd by @sneksnacc

Tiny flakes of powdery snow danced through the air, carried around by the whims of the wind. Luka envied their carelessness. Somehow, he had ended up at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport, waiting for his high school ex-girlfriend, who was also his little sister’s best friend, and thus someone he couldn’t avoid.

It wasn’t even that he was still heartbroken about the end of their ill-fated relationship (lie), or that they had ended on bad terms (was both parties being broken-hearted and depressed for the next several months ‘bad terms’?), the issue was that he didn’t know how Marinette was going to react.

They were now both adults, had a collective handful of ended relationships under their belts, and were mature enough to look past that summer, right?

Another gust of wind blew through the man-made wind tunnel–aka the main doors exiting the airport–and caused a shiver to go down Luka’s back. He was still affected by his reptilian Miraculous, though he’d returned it after Hawkmoth had been defeated seven years ago. He wondered how Marinette would deal with the snow and chill when she arrived, since she was even more attuned to her Miraculous than he had been, and she continued to wield the gems occasionally. Ladybugs didn’t like the cold either.

The doors slid open, another batch of travellers entering the snowy grey afternoon with a shiver.

A pink pom-pom caught his eye, and Luka stepped out of the car to wave at its owner.

“Marinette!”

Her head turned to him, surprise overtaking her features, before being replaced by a smile. “Luka!”

Her cheeks were already flushing pink, matching her coat and hat, Luka noticed when she stepped back from la bise. He picked up her suitcase, slung her bag over his arm, and motioned towards his blue VW Golf.

“Your parents were busy with the holiday rush, so they asked me to come get you when I was over there saying hi yesterday,” Luka explained, getting into the driver’s seat once he’d stored her things in the hatch.

“Couldn’t stay away from their pain au chocolat, huh?” Marinette teased him easily.

Luka exhaled soundlessly as he pulled away. Maybe this would go okay, after all.

“You know it. So, how long are you here for?”

Marinette settled back in her seat. “I’m not actually sure. I want something new, but old…no, familiar, at the same time.”

Luka hummed. “I hope you find it.”

“Thanks. So, why are you here? It’s been a while since either of us were in Paris,” she commented, blowing hot air on the window and doodling hearts and smiles with her fingertip.

“I thought it was time. Haven’t seen Ma and Juleka in a while, and I have friends here I wanted to catch up with. I’m currently on a break from producing, so I figured now was as good a time as any.”

“Right,” Marinette agreed. “It’s nice to see you again.”

And now the awkwardness was seeping through the car.

“You too; it’s been awhile,” he said softly. “I’m always happy to see you.”

Even if it hurts when I don’t.

Her gaze darted down to her mittenless hands, fidgeting with her short, buffed nails. Luka could see the calluses from being constantly pricked on the pads of her fingers; a thin red scrape on the side of her hand likely came from brushing against a pincushion the wrong way.

The snowflakes had gradually become larger and more frequent, so Luka turned on the wipers.

“So, I saw you snagged the honour of designing Clara’s outfit for the Grammys next year,” he commented to break the silence.

Usually, he was fine with silence, especially around Marinette, who often needed it, but right now he was acting very unlike himself. Coming back to Paris had stirred up all these old feelings and actions, and he cursed it in his mind.

“Yeah. I’m hoping coming back here will provide some inspiration. I want to pay homage to her roots,” Marinette explained. “We could go for a drive around all our old haunts, maybe. Oh, but you’ll probably be busy, sorry. I can drive around.”

“I’m not that busy.” He blurted the words before he thought. “You still don’t have a license, right? I don’t mind being your chauffeur.”

The snowflakes appeared to have come from Marinette’s sparkling eyes. “Thank you, Luka!” She watched him drive in silence for a while. “You haven’t really changed, even though you’re famous.”

He flicked a glance at her, slowing down for a red light. “You think so?”

She nodded. “You look older now, because you are, obviously, and your image-controlling people have changed your appearance somewhat, but at your core you’re still the same Luka I know from seven years ago.”

The light turned green, and Luka wondered if it was a sign for one delusional second before he pressed the gas again.

“Is that a compliment or not, Mari?” he asked, settling for a teasing inquisition instead.

‘It’s a good thing!” she insisted. “Okay, you’ve matured, but your essence is the same. You’re like…like a nice red wine! Aging improves a good thing!”

“Oh, so you’re calling me old now?”

Mari sputtered. “That’s not what I said at all! And men say women take things too seriously! Pfft!”

Luka couldn’t hold back his laugh as Marinette crossed her arms, her puffy jacket turning her into  a cocoon of pink.

“I know what you meant, Mari; thank you for the compliment.”

She sniffed at the traces of humour in his penitent tone, but uncurled her arms.

“There’s the bakery. We should just have missed the closing rush,” Luka glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “Have a good time, Marinette.”

“Thank you, you too! Oh, you can text me when you want to go for a drive. I still use the same number.”

“0-474-152-772?”

A wave of pink coated her cheeks. “You still remember it?”

I stare at it for a good half hour every week debating calling you or not. Of course I know it; it’s seared into my memory.

“Yep. I kept my old number too.” He popped the trunk and lifted her bags out.

“0-516-352-772?”

“Yep. Say hi to your parents for me!” 

He placed her bags just inside the door, and then beat a hasty retreat. Why do you still remember my number? 

~~~

How could she forget his number, when it spelled out her name?

Marinette sighed, waved goodbye at Luka’s car, then shut the door, ready to greet her parents.

“Maman! Papa! Guess who’s home!”

“Marinette! Sweetie, you made it!” Once the overwhelming hugs and bises had been exchanged, her parents looked curiously at the empty space behind her. “Luka got you here safely?” asked Sabine.

Mari nodded. “He was waiting for me at the airport; he asked me to say hi to you for him. He said you were busy with the holiday rush.”

Tom agreed. “We were sorry to miss picking you up, but our seasonal helper was sick, so we weren’t able to close and get you after all. Luka coming by and being free was fortunate.”

“It was nice to catch up with him,” Mari agreed. “I’ll just bring my bags up to my room and then we can catch up while we make dinner?”

“That sounds good,” agreed Sabine. Tom brought the luggage up, then left Mari to settle in after one more hug.

Looking around her room, Mari smiled at the remembrance of all the memories she had made in the pink space. Pictures clothespinned to her wall of fairy lights danced in the breeze as she twirled, releasing a deep breath and closing her eyes at the peace of being home again.

She could feel the ideas coming for Clara’s outfits.

It was a brilliant idea to come back to Paris.

~~~

It was a horrible idea to come back to Paris.

Why had he said yes to picking Marinette up?

Why had he said yes to driving Marinette around?

Why had he answered her text as soon as she sent it, at 2:08 am?

Why had he showed up at her door at 7:30 am, why had he let Tom drag him to the kitchen and feed him pastries (okay, that one was self-explanatory), why had he lingered and chatted, why why why.

The answer to all his questions was sitting in the passenger seat of the car he was borrowing from a friend, looking devastatingly beautiful and chattering away about how things had changed since she had left, a year before he had, and contrasting it to Los Angeles.

If he’d wanted to hear about her failed relationships after she defeated Hawkmoth, broke up with him, and moved away, he would have asked.

Luka was well aware that he was sulking, but he didn’t care at this moment. They were driving by College Francois Dupont, and the memories of that time weren’t the most pleasant.

“Ooh, I have an idea! Can you park here? I want to walk around for a bit.”

Luka dutifully pulled over, parking in an empty space between the school and the Methodist church down the block.

Marinette strolled around the quiet street, the fluffy flakes floating down muffling her footsteps and muttered monologue. 

She returned to him eventually, scribbling away at her sketchbook.

Luka’s hand raised before he realised what he was doing. 

“Luka? What are you doing?”

He blinked down at her, his hand frozen as she glanced up at him from under her bangs.

“You, um, snow-”

Why was he making this awkward? Biting the bullet, he gently brushed the accumulated snow off the top of Marinette’s ponytail.

She flashed him a smile and climbed back into her seat.

“Where to next, Mari?”

~~~

“So, any plans for your break?” Mari clutched a mug of cocoa in her hands, careful not to drop it over the edge of her balcony on the head of some unsuspecting passersby out admiring the lights.

Luka leaned his back against the balcony, blowing on his own mug. “I haven’t made anything firm yet, but I expect my schedule will fill up rather quickly.”

Mari hummed. “I guess I should book our hangouts while you’ve still got room for me then, Mr. Hot-Demand.”

“I’ll always have room for you, Mari.”

She smiled at him before turning back to the cityscape. “I’ve missed this view.”

The real view nudged her shoulder. “Old memories coming back, huh? I’m glad you’re able to miss it, Mar.”

“Did you miss it?” She turned on her back to be companionably side-to-side with him.

“The city? Not so much. The people in it? Yeah, I missed them a lot.”

She nodded in understanding. “Did you miss the people who weren’t in it, too?”

He sipped his cocoa. “Everyday.”

~~~

Marinette opened her eyes, breathing deeply. There was nothing like a full ten hours of sleep in your childhood room, warm and cozy under blankets as the snow drifted by the window hypnotizingly, your secret love snuggled up beside you-

Oh yeah, she’d made Luka stay the night, saying it was too cold to walk back home as her excuse to have him sleep here. Her fingers brushed a teal lock back from his forehead as she took in his peaceful features. Honestly, they weren’t much different from his usual everyday expressions. She envied his calm, never being able to stay still for long. 

Luka shifted, blinking sleepily at her, a sleepy smile curving his lips. “Morning, Mari.”

His arm raised to trace a feather-light path down her cheek to cup her neck and pull her towards him.

She let him guide her closer, her breath catching in her throat.

“Mari, if you’re up, could you help out at the register for a bit?” called Sabine through the door.

Luka jerked away and Mari rolled out of bed with a thump. “Be there in a minute, Maman!”

“Are you okay?” he peeked over the edge of her mattress.

“Just fine,” she rubbed her behind. Luckily, the duvet had cushioned her fall.

“Er, sorry about that,” Luka ran his fingers through his messy locks.

“It’s fine,” she shrugged off the hurt, grabbing a pair of jeans and a flower-embroidered sweater off the back of her chaise. “Want me to save you anything for breakfast when I go down?”

“A quince pastry would be nice.”

“Got it. See you!” She fled down the stairs to the secondary powder room to change and twist her hair into a braid. Ready to suppress the feelings stoked by Luka’s earlier actions, she washed her hands and prepared to face the public.

Luka wandered downstairs a while later, looking neat and as if he hadn’t slept in her bed and almost greeted her with a kiss before they were interrupted and then ignored it. 

She could feel Sabine and Tom pause in their work as they took in the situation and incorrectly interpreted it.

“Oh, I thought we missed you leaving last night, Luka,” smiled Sabine. “Are you-”

“Here’s your pastry,” interrupted Marinette, thrusting the napkin-wrapped goods into Luka’s hand. “You’re lucky I saved you the last one.”

“Er, lucky, yeah. About that. Can I talk to you? Later, I guess, when you’re not busy,” he cast a glance at the blatantly listening bakers. 

“Sure. We can go for another drive in about an hour? Around one?”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then. Bye, Tom, Sabine.” With a wave, he ducked out the door, leaving a bill in Marinette’s now-empty hands for the pastry.

She turned to her parents. “It’s not what it looks like. It was late and cold and I didn’t want him walking home in the snow-”

“Mhm,” Sabine raised a knowing brow. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Marinette shook her head. “Not yet.”

~~~

Luka shook his head, sending accumulated flurries flying off his hair. He’d had the most lovely dream, waking up to Marinette cosying up to him in his bed, smiling at him lovingly. Except it hadn’t been a dream, and he’d almost kissed her.

He was not going to go down the path they’d travelled in school, with the secrets and barriers between them. She still didn’t know he knew she was Ladybug and the Guardian, and she hadn’t told him. He wasn’t going to lie to himself; it hurt a little.

Realistically, he knew there were several reasons why she wouldn’t bring it up (not the least of which because she didn’t want to dredge up those traumas again) but emotionally, he was simply hurt by her still not trusting him with her identity even though she’d entrusted Sass and literal timelines to him.

Still, his therapist in the States had done him good. 

He was going to tell Marinette he knew on their drive this afternoon, get everything off his chest, and then leave it in her hands while he returned to LA and broke his heart over her for the last time. Yep, sounded like a good plan.

~~~

Marinette climbed into the car. Luka closed her door, crossed the front, and slid into the driver’s seat. 

“Where to?”

“I thought maybe we could just drive around this time, unless there’s somewhere you wanted to go?”

“No, that sounds fine.” He took a sip from the mocha she had supplied them with, humming appreciatively. “This is perfect; thanks, Mari.”

“You’re welcome.”

He started the car and pulled away. 

They drove in silence for a while, occasionally pointing out some place they and their friends had adventures at. 

Luka pointed at the tip of the Eiffel Tower. “That thing was destroyed more times than I can count.”

She made an agreeing noise, thinking back to some of the battles the Tower had seen. 

“Marinette, I need to talk about something with you.”

She nodded, looking at the un-Luka-like tension in his body language. “Okay.”

“I was Viperion, on the Miraculous team. I reset so many timelines. It was impossible not to know who my allies were, with all the mishaps occurring. I’ve known you were Ladybug for years.”

She stilled, breathing stuttering as old trauma resurfaced. Someone knew she was Ladybug, something bad happened.

Reminding herself that Hawkmoth was gone, she wasn’t Ladybug anymore, and she was safe, she regulated her breathing and thoughts. 

“I knew you were Ladybug when we were dating, and that your identity was why you were so hesitant to open up. I thought now would be a good time to tell you that you don’t have to keep that secret alone anymore.”

“Luka, I-”

“It’s okay, Mari. I didn’t hold it against you. After all, we were all kids. Just thought I could even the score before I leave, since we both know each other’s secret,” he muttered. 

“I- you-” she stuttered, falling silent as her thoughts whirled.

“I’m flying out tomorrow afternoon,” he broke the silence after a few minutes. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told another soul and I never will. But, if you ever want to talk about it…you have my number.”

She nodded, still processing. “Thank you, Luka. For- well, everything. I’m sorry for what I put you through.”

He gave her a smile meant to be reassuring and forgiving, but she knew it was fake. “Have a happy new year, Marinette.”

Strangely feeling like she’d been broken up with, she closed the car door and walked into the bakery, where her parents met her.

“Everything okay, sweetie?”

She shook her head. “I think I need to take you up on your offer to talk about it.”

~~~

Luka packed his suitcase methodically, thoughts with one person miles away.

He wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected when he’d told her he knew. 

Maybe for her to ask him out again since they had no secrets between them anymore? Okay, that was his wildest dream, but he supposed she hadn’t changed that much, still taking her time to process things. Not that he blamed her–having a magical emotional terrorist attacking your city didn’t exactly inspire impulsive actions regarding your feelings.

His therapist had told him that there were seasons in one’s life, and sometimes people were only meant to be with you for a season, like a flower. Others were like trees, there no matter the weather. He wanted her to be a tree, but maybe she was only a flower. Whatever she was, he’d always remember the beauty of her blooms and the sweetness of her perfume. 

“‘Tis the damn season,” he mumbled, slinging his guitar case over his back and picking up his suitcase.

He’d left her with a reminder of his phone number. Hoping she’d call him one day, he drove to the airport. He only realised he’d chosen the route that took him by the bakery as he passed it, peering in the window to catch a glimpse of Marinette working the register. 

~~~

Marinette wasn’t having a good day. She’d taken forever to fall asleep, tossing and turning as she stewed over Luka and her parents’ advice.

They’d understandably been surprised by her explanation of the inner workings of her and Luka’s short-lived relationship, but provided some valuable outside-perspective commentary.

After a fitful sleep, she’d been working the register while her parents worked on a rush-order of pastries, her mind consumed by thoughts of Luka.

“Here’s your change, ma’am. Have a happy new year!” Handing the coins over, she wiped her hands on her apron and tidied up the counter space.

Clean up complete, she ran upstairs to change into jeans, boots with Ladybug pom-poms, a turtleneck, and her favourite Viperion hoodie she’d worn thin.

She tossed a quick goodbye over her shoulder to her parents and ran out the door, waving her hand at an approaching taxi. 

“International airport, please,” she huffed, buckling her belt.

“Hope you’re not late for your flight, mademoiselle. The snow is slowing traffic,” said the driver.

Marinette clasped her hands to stop her nervous fidgeting, calling on all of Tikki’s luck that she’d arrive before Luka’s flight left. 

~~~ Luka wasn’t having a good day. He’d slept off and on, was leaving his first love behind, and now he couldn’t even do that because of the sudden snowstorm. All flights were postponed or cancelled for the time being.

So far his flight was only cancelled, so he found a comfortable piece of carpet to claim and began strumming an imaginary guitar while he waited for updates.

Snippets of lyrics floated through his brain as he composed a piece containing his feelings in the moment. 

“I won’t ask you to wait…if you don’t ask me to stay…” He hummed softly.

The sound of running feet made him look up, curious who thought they were late for a flight that wasn’t taking off.

“Marinette?” “Luka?”

She paused in front of him, catching her breath.

“Why are you here?” he asked cautiously, getting to his feet.

“To see you,” she panted. “Didn’t want you to go.”

His heart picked up pace as if he’d been the one running through the airport. “Really?” “Really. I want you. I have for years. Is there any way you can stay?” she asked softly.

“I’ll stay any way I can if you ask, Ma-ma-marinette,” he grinned. “I love you. I never stopped.”

She tiptoed to be face-to-face with him. “I love you too,” she whispered in his ear before greeting him with a soft kiss. It felt like home and the beginning of everything and the end of everything and the past and future all wrapped up into one amazing kiss in the present.

He cupped her face in his hands, resting his forehead on hers.

~~~

Luka drove them back to the bakery, keeping her hand entwined with his. They stepped into the entry, stomping snow off their boots. Sabine and Tom greeted them as if it was an everyday occurrence, though Marinette saw the happy spark in their eyes.

“Just in time for the party!” boomed Tom. “Dinner is ready; let’s sit!”

After a festive new year’s eve dinner and delicious buche, Luka and Marinette carried their flutes of champagne up to Marinette’s balcony to watch the firecrackers and revellers beneath them.

Chanting filled the air, little sparks in the distance showing where firecrackers had been set off.

“10! 9!” The countdown to the new year had begun.

“My new year’s resolution is to have the woman I love become my girlfriend. Will you be my girlfriend?” Luka asked.

“4!”

Marinette nodded vigorously. “Yes!”

“3! 2! 1!” 

Horns sounded, firecrackers popped, and hollers filled the air, but Marinette and Luka heard none of it, too wrapped up in each other. 

“Joyeuse annee, Luka.”

“Bonne annee, Marinette.”

#ali writes #Lukanette #Fic #Marinette dupain cheng x Luka Couffaine

[rattini]

I don't think I've done a proper introduction to my Dark Urge.

A pallid imitation of a tiefling known simply as Savine, cursed with a fragmented mind and compulsions so grim, she detaches herself to escape.

Trained in melee and ranged combat, she relishes in intimate dagger attacks and sniping from the shadows. She's not averse to using her teeth, claws, and even tail to dispatch targets with ease.

With her dark past looming above her and an illithid tadpole tadpole burrowing deep within her skull, she must battle two forces compelling her to do their bidding.

More under the cut, more [ here ] also.

Closest friends: Jaheira & Lae'zel

Sees Jaheira as a mentor figure, as well as a friend. Deeply appreciates her patience and understanding without coddling. Their communication is rooted in sarcasm and poking fun at each other.

Savine liked Lae'zels attitude from the start, and I think the feeling was mutual. They didn't bother to open up until later on though, as their tough outer exteriors began to melt. They also have a fair bit of rivalry when it comes to fighting, it's mostly light-hearted, but since both are stubborn and hot headed, often blood may be spilled.

(also Astarion, despite their beginnings being rooted in lust. She had to remind him when things got serious that she sees him as a friend first and foremost, that she's grown to care for him because of their growing friendship, not just the physical intimacy they've shared)

Colour:

The three colours represent how she changes, red to pink to blue in relation to act 1, act 2, and act 3.

Plant:

I was going to pick a carnivorous plant but ended up settling on Calla Lillies because they are dark, pretty, and toxic.

Animal:

Originally I chose a weasel, because of their speed, agility, stealth, and ability to take down prey bigger than themselves. Savine is taller and more intimidating than her original design though, so the wolverine fitted better. It's still an animal known to take down prey larger than itself, but it's also bigger and more fearsome.

Scent:

Blood, embers, and jasmine. The former two fairly self-explanatory, she is an assassin and a tiefling. Jasmine is her "clean" scent and the scent of perfume she would choose.

#ocs #oc: savine #the dark urge #dark urge #durge #bg3 #bg3 posting #bg3 durge #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 dark urge #Spotify

[sunsunnysideup]

Ladynoir July 2023 - 1. Wedding Bells

He huffed a laugh.

It was quiet, absent-minded, as if he didn't really mean to make a noise in the first place.

"What?" she says, turning to face him correctly.

The smile grows in his lips, and he continues to stare ahead, the twinkle of the lights reflecting in his eyes.

"The sky is so pink right now, I was thinking about how that would smell like."

 Her face suddenly scrunched up.

Sometimes, Chat would talk with this soft, almost melancholic voice, so different from the chirpy and playful one she had grown accustomed to, and it usually meant he was about to say something profound; After all this time, the switch didn't surprise her anymore, it was just like him to be sentimental.

 But what do you mean what the sky smells like.

 "How could you smell something like that?" she says instead.

Chat looks down to the city, that content smile still on his lips.

He seems to hesitate for a second, but ultimately decides to speak up.

"When I was little, my mother used to read this story for me" a loud inhale, and he's looking at the sky again "it was about a girl who could smell colors, and hear emotions"

 Ladybug is watching him intently, and had this been any other time it would have probably made him crack a joke, or, considering how calm he seemed, place a blush on his cheeks.

This time though, he can only keep going, memories flowing in his mind.

"It was my favorite one, I memorized it all; I'm sure mom was tired of reading it again and again" he giggles. "She kept doing it though."

A heartbeat passes, and he continues to talk. "I remember it, happiness was a flute melody, and red smelled like strawberries; Sadness was a piano song, and purple like washed laundry."

It's a lovely memory, she thinks, and it makes her wonder what could've changed to go from the soft, loving smile he seemed to be directing to the long gone memory, to the concealed sadness that he seemed to reflect every time he, rarely, would talk about his current home.

 "After a while, my mom and I went from reading the book to imagining other scenarios in it." His voice brings her attention back to him. "It was a short story, but my mom continued to talk about how that girl would grow to find more sounds and smells along her life, yellow smelled like popcorn, orange like a peach" in a whisper, smile now gone, he says "peace sounded like the ocean, and love, like the tinkle of a bell".

 Sitting down at the edge of a rooftop, watching the now setting sky, her heart seems to beat slower for a second.

Maybe it was the sound of his voice, or the way he told the memory.

Maybe it was the fact that he'd share something like that with her, something that was obviously so very precious to him, and allowing her to peak into it.

She can almost see him as a little boy, tiny hands holding onto the blankets as he curls up in bed, listening attentively to his mother; and it makes her heart ache just a little bit, in a feeling she wouldn't be able to explain.

 Then, he looks at her, and the smile is back on his face. "I always thought that tale was at least a little real, and I still wonder about those kinds of things" he laughs, his voice leaving the softness from before, getting playful instead. "Like what the pink in the sky smells like".

 She can’t help but smile, it was just like him, and there was something in the warm, silly boy sitting beside her, that just seemed to belong right there, in what made him be him. Chat Noir who believed in ghosts and sang his heart out on rooftops, who gifted flowers and believed in kid's stories.

That same feeling of belonging seemed to tug at her heart; Without asking for her permission, something rooted in place.

Looking at his eyes, still shining from the reflection of the late lights and maybe a little mist, she thinks she might be able to name that feeling now.

 A bell tinkles in her ears. _________ @ladynoirjuly link on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48285550/chapters/121775635 This is my writting exersice. I love ladynoir, and i used to love writing, but gosh i havent done it in YEARS. I have to retake it and for that i have to practice, so i know this is probably gonna be far from perfect but we gotta start somewhere. Anyways! ill do my best to write every day. Maybe ill succeed, maybe not... but ill try! I wont ask too much of myself yet, so these might not be of the best quality, but we'll get there.Also i know this doesnt particularly count as "wedding" bells, but... this is what came to my mind, SORRY. See you tomorrow! bye bye!!

#ladynoirjuly2023 #ladynoir #miraculous ladybug #fanfic #short #im doing my best

[mintywolf]

Trick or treat!

*drops a snickers and a plastic spider ring in your bag* Thank you!

So before I arrived at "Delilah is trying to lull Matilda to sleep, permanently" as the undercurrent of the dream sequences in chapter 12 of Remember Us, the connecting thread was "trees Matilda has fallen out of," beginning with her family's apple trees and ending with her waking up dead on the Sun Tree and freeing herself from the noose. Then I realized that oh no she shouldn't actually have that last memory and also I wanted more of a feeling of eeriness and slow-building dread as Imogen became aware of Delilah's presence throughout all the little vignettes. But here's a snippet of that earlier draft.

Without awareness of having left the road, she finds herself on the grounds of an indistinct but familiar farmstead, with the sketchy suggestion of a sunlit apple orchard ahead of her. Only one tree has any distinct shape to it, and Imogen’s heart squeezes with fondness as she recognizes a dark-haired little girl of about five amid the branches, wearing a patched pinafore over a red dress with a matching ribbon in her hair. She is maintaining a wobbly balance on a low-hanging bough as she reaches out for a higher one, and Imogen starts to walk faster. Catching the branch, the child tries to heft herself up, but she can’t get a knee up onto it and before Imogen can reach her she slips and falls out of the tree, landing hard on her bottom on the grass below. Though the fall isn’t far, it’s enough to startle her, and Imogen arrives to find her biting her lip to keep from crying.

“You all right, honey?”

“I fell down,” she whimpers, turning a pink-cheeked face up to her with big, dark, tearful eyes that are unmistakably Matilda’s. As Imogen crouches down before her she puts up her arms and clings to her neck with a sob. Imogen wraps her arms around her and holds her close, leaning her cheek against her soft, sun-warmed hair that carries the scent of apples, and leaves, and clean laundry.

“I’ve got you, babygirl. You’re okay.” She looks around the orchard, seeing nothing but a few indistinct trees and a patch of surrounding grass that blurs out of focus after a few feet. The apples above are only paint-like daubs of color. “Are you all alone here?”

Matilda sniffles, and shakes her head.

“Who’s here with you?”

The child leans back to look up at her, the last of her tears giving way to a wide, familiar smile. “You are, silly.”

Imogen lets out the breath of a laugh. “That’s true. I’m here to bring you home, honey. D’you want to come with me?”

Matilda puts the forefinger of one hand in her mouth and with the other begins studiously patting the freckles on Imogen’s cheek one by one. After a moment or two she gives up the count and lays her head on her shoulder with a sigh. “I hurted my head,” she confesses.

“Yeah, you did,” Imogen murmurs softly in commiseration, “But we’re gonna make it better, okay?”

“Muh-huh.”

She stands, setting Matilda on her feet in the grass, and takes her hand. With the other she tugs on the string to make sure it’s still tethered. “Come on,” she urges, as an apple tree crumbles out of view. But there’s no one there to answer.

She is walking through the streets of Whitestone on an early morning in spring. Few others seem to be about; she catches a whiff of cinnamon from the window of an ill-defined bakery where the blurred figure of a baker is setting a tray of buns out for display, and the shadow of a passing chimney sweep, but meets no one. With no thought to her destination she finds herself in Dawnfather Square, where the air is heavy with a honey-like scent from the overhanging branches of the familiar tree, now benevolently crowned with white blossoms.

At its roots a fair-haired lad of about thirteen, accompanied by two other boys, is leaning on one hand with a casual attitude, but as Imogen draws closer, unwinding the yarn, she can see the dark-haired girl cornered against the tree trunk by his outstretched arm, a pale and awkward thing all long limbs and big eyes like a foal. She shrinks back into the shelter of the tree, regarding him with a wary, hopeful expression.

“I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot, yeah?” he says, and his voice sends a squirm of recognition up Imogen’s back.

“Leave her alone!” she shouts, “Go on, get! All of you!”

“I want to make it up to you,” the boy continues, as if he hasn’t heard, “Got something really special to show you that I think you’ll like. Why don’t we go for a little walk, just you and me?”

“Don’t trust him, Matilda,” Imogen implores, and though the boys seem indifferent to her presence, Matilda’s big, fearful eyes cast a brief glance in her direction. She looks back up at the boy.

“My friend — my friend says I shouldn’t trust you.” His eyebrows knit in confusion for a moment, then he huffs out a dismissive laugh. “Oh, your imaginary friend, is it?”

“She’s not imaginary! She’s real!”

“Freak,” snorts one of the boys at his back.

“Matilda, get away from him,” Imogen warns her, “Get out of there.”

The girl takes hold of a low branch and begins to climb, scrambling up with a nimbleness that suggests this isn’t the first time she’s explored these branches. Despite the gawkiness of her adolescent limbs she is surefooted and quick, and soon higher than Imogen would like. “Leave me alone!” she shouts down, as the boy clambers up after her.

“Or what?” he teases, “Are you going to cast a spell on me?”

“Let’s see your magic, witch girl!” shouts one of the boys below.

“Turn into a bird and fly away!”

Matilda backs out cautiously onto a narrow bough that bows unsteadily under her grasping bare toes, and suddenly Imogen remembers a story from the fireside about a tree, a fall, and a scar.

“Honey, wait!” she calls. The girl freezes, but as the boy sets his foot on the branch there comes a crack like a breaking bone, a little yelp, a rustling of leaves, a snowfall of white petals. Springing from the ground, Imogen rushes up with her arms outstretched to catch her and

She is lying on her back in a field, with her arms stretched out at her sides like a toppled scarecrow.

#reply #critical role fanfic

[girl-among-mts]

9. Celebrate

Rose was perhaps more judicious about the intel she’d uncovered than the New Alliance might have wanted. She was careful to send a majority of the informative files back to their assignment officer, but loaded the more sensitive reports onto her datachip, including the Commandant’s journal entries.

To her astonishment, she might have even found the vials of Micron-gel, though it was hard to tell. There were no labels, no markings of any kind, and the contents looked black rather than red. They’d been hidden in a compartment under the broken writing desk; she’d sawed it open with her vibroknife.

Stuffing her findings into her bag, she wriggled her way back into the crisp, Arkanis air. Hux was nowhere to be seen, though the speeder was still parked where they’d left it.

Maybe in the past she’d have been worried at his absence or felt a creeping uncertainty, not unlike loosing track of a krykna spider in your bunk. But Hux never strayed far.

Trekking up towards what would have been the Academy’s main hall, she spotted him on a crumbled rampart, staring out over the cliffs to the sea below. Their momentary respite from the planet’s storms was waning, darkening clouds casting him in dramatic low-light.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked without turning, hearing her footsteps on the stone.

“Yeah, um…” Rose shifted her stance, unsure how much Hux knew.

“Good,” he said, cutting off her hedging. “Then we may depart.”

There still wasn’t any concrete evidence that *he’d* been the baby mentioned in the project notes, but…

“There’s… nothing else you want to do? Before we leave?”

He turned to her then, looking tired; well-worn. “I can think of nothing more than... perhaps celebrating on the ashes.”

His words tugged at her heart.

“You… really hated it here, didn’t you.”

His mouth pressed into a thin line, tearing his gaze away to stare out over the sea once more.

“Everything that made me has its roots here, Rose. Everything I am. Everything I’ve done.” He smirked, though it was twisted and self-deprecating. “To think some lowly bastard child could achieve so many terrible things.” Quietly, he added, “Perhaps my father /was/ wrong about me.”

With that, he quit the rampart, brushing past her back towards the speeder.

Rose watched him go, a lump twisting in her stomach, before turning back to the darkening sky.

Carefully, she took out the datachip and vials, holding them in her hands. With resolve, she snapped the chip in half, tipping up on her toes to dump both it and the vials over the edge, watching their long descent down the cliff side.

They were so high, she could barely make out the delicate glass tubes smashing against the jagged rocks below, staining them an almost imperceptible dark red.

Then the ocean heaved, frothing pink against the rock, and dragged it all back out to sea.

#gingerrose #armitage hux #rose tico #general hux #gingerflower #gingerrosevss #microfic #gingerose

[kitsuvil]

kaedehara kazuha - comfort (gn! reader)

y/n plans a surprise to comfort kazuha on the anniversary of the day that tomo passed away

the note kazuha left for you reads,

"i won't be home until late today. you can eat dinner alone, don't wait for me, i'll be safe."

you had just gotten home from helping out around town, to see that your boyfriend wasn't home yet. you knew why that was, but you decided to not voice it. not everyone can be sulking on a day like this, the world still needs to keep moving and you were going to take that drive and stick with it.

so, you quickly packed and left for naganohara fireworks. you were going to pick up a package that you had ordered in advance knowing what today was and immediately get to making him a surprise for when he returns. his late best friend would've wanted him to enjoy today instead of be depressed and just reminisce, after all. you only knew him from afar back then but just like everyone else, you were heart broken to find out what happened when it did. tomo's legacy still lived on in everyone's hearts and when kazuha was able to finish what tomo started, it struck a nerve in everyone's hearts.

"hello, this is y/n, i should have an order waiting to be picked up?" i ask yoimiya's father, who is stationed outside of the shop per usual. he looks at me strangely for a second, before it clicks. "yoimiya dear! can you get the kaedehara's fireworks from inside the shop?" he yells out. quite loudly, may i note. "of course!" yoimiya stumbles outside.

"hey, y/n! here's the package! tell kazuha i said hello and that i hope he's doing well, i'm so happy you're doing this for him and i'm rooting for you that it makes him a bit happier, i've got to get back to work now though!"

"thank you, yoimiya!"

and just as quickly as she appeared, she vanishes back into the store. she never fails to brighten my day with her cheery personality, even on busy and glum days like this.

but i should probably get back to the task at hand. now that i've got the fireworks that i wanted, i'm free to buy all the ingredients i want. i had conveniently heard of a new catch of perfect quality good fish, so i might as well put the situation to use.

i wanted to make some dried fish, adorned with autumn leaves to remind him of his home. it wasn't too difficult of a recipe, but there was many other things for the surprise i was planning so i had to hurry. though one thing at a time is probably a better plan.

after a short negotiation session with the fish seller, i got some discounted fish that was in beautiful shape and i rushed home. "maybe i should scrap that plan of one thing at a time," i glance at the time, the minutes ticking by as the sun began to grow lower.

though other than prepping food and creating the atmosphere for a beautiful picnic outside, there was nothing much else to do except wait until the star of the day came home. i sat on the grass beside the decorations and food i'd placed, admiring the view of inazuma. the sun was nearly gone, leaving a smooth and beautiful mix of colors in the sky, shades of pink, purple, orange, and red sparkled everywhere in the clouds. the trees that were visible from afar added earthy tones and later, the fireworks would only compliment the scenery more, almost as if it were straight from a painting.

"y/n?" a voice comes out from behind me.

"kazuha, welcome home!" i turn around, taking a look at the man of my dreams.

"what is all this?" he comes closer, taking a seat right next to me.

"some sort of a gift, to you and tomo both."

"is that why there's three plates laid out?"

"right you are, my love."

"this is... thank you, you should've been restimg now, i'm not sure why you waited so long for me."

"it felt right, i tried thinking of ways to cheer you up and make this a happier day and this was the best i could come up with."

kazuha and i share a minute of eye contact, no words spoken but every emotion shared.

"and don't judge my cooking, this is one of the first times i've ever tried to make a dish dedicated to someone else, i hope you know how stressful that is." i vent, trying to come up with a topic so we're not sitting in silence anymore.

"i could never judge your cooking and i doubt tomo would either, y/n. you feed me every night anyways, i would have a lot of audacity to poke fun at you for that, trust me," he takes a bite.

"i'll trust you on that one."

we continue eating, sharing words about how life would be if tomo was still around and just talking about how things have been as of late. there is no other time i would appreciate more than this.

"hey, guess what zuha? the sun set and the surprise isn't over yet," i nudge him and wink.

"really? what else wonderful things could you treat me to?"

"you'll see, i'll be right back," i run down to where i place the fireworks, activating them and then hurrying back to kazuha.

"look!"

with a boom, the first firework lights up the night sky. "how else would you celebrate something if it wasn't with fireworks?" i laugh. "you actually... i'll have to go thank yoimiya for setting these up for you, i know she's always busy," kazuha notes while staring up at the bright colors.

we stay quiet for the rest of the duration, leaning against each other as we admire the beauty.

"i know you'll always continue to pay respect to tomo and so will i, but we can't be so somber. if you're going to celebrate the life of someone you have to do it right. and i would never leave you alone in that, kazuha," i caress his face, planting a kiss on his lips.

"thank you, y/n," he embraces me and though i cannot see his face, i can imagine the tears that streak down it.

this. this story right here. has been sitting in my drafts since november of last year. so i thought i'd finally try to finish it and post it. not one of my most proudest works but you can't go wrong with a little bit of y/n comforting kazuha <3

(not rly proofread ngl)

#kazuha kaedehara #kazuha x reader #genshin comfort #genshin impact #genshin #hoyoverse #kazuha #fluff #genshin fluff

[rise-of-the-ancients]

For You, My Love…

A stone tablet was gently placed onto Terios’ table unexpectedly. With a grumbled sigh, Terios lowered his burger to his plate and crossed his arms to his chest. Weary eyes shifted upwards to see an eagerly waiting hedgehog batting her eyelashes and smiling warmly. AmyRose, Bygone Village’s only linguist anthropologist (and curator of the Bygone National History Museum), was always fascinated with the Ancient’s culture… specifically mythology and stories of love. Ever since Sonic dropped the ball and slipped Terios’ secret out to the others, the linguist had brought him many tablets and scrolls to decipher from the museum’s archives. Some, he admitted, were quite charming to review. It was nice to see that someone still cared for ancestral roots and voices from the past. Other made his blood boil and scoff at their existence. He had to remind himself not to bring biased perspective on their translations and meaning whenever he assisted her.

However, he was in no mood to assist Ms. Rose in the anthropology labs at the museum. He was not in the mood for translating tablets that consisted of flatbread recipes and witty jokes. Today was meant to be a period of tranquility and peace. All he wanted was a bit of peace and quiet from the others around him. Though he questioned if retreating to Meh Burger was the wisest option for solidarity, especially since Bygone Village was more active than usual. He should have expected such with all of red and pink heart-shaped decorations across the village square. It would also explain the reason for Amy’s very formal looking attire. Not that he cared much anyways. Perhaps he should’ve just stayed secluded in his cave on the outskirts of the village today.

“What is this,” he mumbled.

“The dress? Oh! Sticks, Percy, and I are doing a Gal-entines Day thing today since the boys have their own thing going on. Sonic asked me to pass the invitation to you since we ran into each other earlier. There’s nachos and video games and—“

Terios shook his head. “Not the dress,” he said in a lowered voice, “I meant the stone tablet.”

“Oh! Cliff gave me this while he was on a dig in Crater Lake,” AmyRose squealed. “I think that it’s a memoir. Stones that are polished and retouched with ochre paints appeared to be highly valued in Ancient culture. It’s been cared for immensely… even after the war over a thousand years ago! I know that you wanted to be left alone today, but this one is just too interesting to ignore. Do you think that you can help translate these glyphs for me? Please? Just something simple to note on a White Card?”

Terios drummed his fingers on his arms with a frown. “OMEGA is just as capable as—“

Just as he was about to finish his statement, Terios heard a cackle of laughter from behind. His eyes grew wide and his ears flattened as he listened to the cackling turn into screams. Terios shifted his eyes upwards to study the facial expressions of hedgehog next to him. Her once bright smile had turned into a sour grimace as she winced, sucking in her breath through clenched teeth as she watched the scene. Terios didn’t need to turn his behind his back to know what the situation was about.

“Step back,” he informed her as he reached for the stone.

As she opened her mouth to question his statement, the hedgehog let out a squeak as the table snapped in half. Terios, still seated, peered over the tablet to look at the remains of a once perfectly good table. Waddling from side to side in content, cyan colored eyes flickered open and observed it’s surroundings. After scanning the scene, the gray colored stone chirped in content to see Terios’ face. OMEGA. Of course OMEGA was getting in trouble when he wasn’t supposed to. Bringing him out in public to experience the new age of social development had seemed like an admirable idea at first. But seeing the rock golem’s head strive to cause chaos and purposefully run over people’s toes was causing some problems. He should have left him home, or at least in the care of the others. The mortals of this time period were not so used to mystical things as they once were a thousand years ago.

“TERIOS!” The rock golem’s head said gleefully. “GUESS-WHAT? MORTALS-IN-THIS-TIME-OF-AGE-ARE-EASIER-TO-SCARE. I-EMERGED-FROM-AN-INFANT’S-CRIB-AND-SCARED-A-LADY-WALRUS. SHE-SCREAMED-AND-THREW-ME-IN-THE-AIR!”

Terios shook his head and frowned as the rock golem cackled some more. “You know full well that you’re not supposed to be seen by the mortals. They’re too simple-minded to understand what you are.”

Amy cleared her throat and watched him hike his shoulders up. Most, not all mortals were ignorant and simple-minded. That was an understatement. He knew better.

“So…” Amy started, “do you think that you could translate real quick?”

Denying Amy once was a mistake that he vowed to never do again. He knew of the power that she contained when determined.

“Fine,” he mutter, “after this, I desire nothing more than to be alone.”

Terios turned the stone tablet to view on his lap and paused with his breath clenched between his teeth. Delicate relief carvings defined with ochre paint detailed a signature pen that he knew all too well. Even the score markings on the back, indicating an erased word, were a callback to a simpler, more loving time. As his eyes quickly skimmed the note on the tablet, Terios’ chest tightened as he read the final line, “for you, my love.” It was a poem that his soulmate had written to him many years ago. One that he had thought was lost as soon as the cold wars between the Ancients and Lyric began. Terios chuckled to himself with a faint smile. His fingers traced lightly over the ochre paints and faint etchings of the glyphs. It had been too long since he had seen the tablet. What a beautiful sign from the universe to show that their love for each other was still strong in spirit.

“That is classified information.” The hedgehog stood from the table and tucked the stone to his chest, “tell your antiquarian friend that I am pleased with the recovery. I will be apprehending this now.”

“W-Wait,” AmyRose stammered. She flung her arms around OMEGA—who had rocked back and forth for attention as he chirped a song—and trailed close behind the Titan. “Terios! You can’t take that! That belongs in a museum!”

“It belongs in my care. It was addressed to me.” Terios says as he tapped his clawed finger to the name scribbled towards the bottom.

“What do I tell Cliff? He’ll want to know what happened to the tablet.”

Terios turned on his heel and flashed her a cocky grin. “You’re very bright, Rose. You’ll think of something. Goodbye.”

And with that, Terios took his leave with the table held close to his chest. The ebony hedgehog studied the stone with care, running a finger over the engravings towards the bottom. “I love you too,” he cooed with a smile. “Always have, always will.”

#OMEGA the Golem #Sonic Boom #mystery anon #Hey look! The start of a new chapter! #AmyRose the Hedgehog #Terios the Titan #my au #Quick Archaeology Note: a white card is about the size of an insect card with basic info on the artifact that has a serial number and… #… a site number with location and a photo. These are also the worst smelling cards to have on file. Coming from me—an actual archaeologist #HAPPY (early) VALENTINES DAY #The Anthropocene #Short Story

[checkoutmybookshelf]

You Have My Attention: Celestial Kingdoms First Lines

Ok, I am in general a fan of mythological retellings, and this duology and its accompanying short story collection are lush, engaging, and heartbreaking all at once. So of course I had to share the first lines. DotMG and HotSW are pretty bog standard, but because there were only nine short stories in TotCK, I decided to give you the first lines of all nine as well because this is my blog and I make and break the rules at will! So let's see how Sue Lynn Tan catches her readers.

There are many legends about my mother. Some say she betrayed her husband, a great mortal warrior, stealing his Elixir of Immortality to become a goddess. Others depict her as an innocent victim who swallowed the elixir while trying to save it from thieves. Whichever story you believe, my mother, Chang'e, became immortal. As did I.

-- Sue Lynn Tam, Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Night cloaked the sky in darkness, draping shadows across the earth. While this was a time of rest for the mortals, on the moon, our toils were just beginning. Winter white flames curled from the splint of wood in my hand. Crouching down, I brushed away a stray leaf from the lantern, wrought of translucent stone and twisted strands of silver. As I lowered the splint to the wick, it caught fire with a hiss.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, Heart of the Sun Warrior

Light filtered through the gauze screens that covered the windows, the wooden frames latticed in a pattern of squares. I blinked, trying to adjust to the dazzling brightness, my mind still sluggish. Slumber had been hard won--I'd slept with the curtains pulled back from the posts, though it did little good.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Rise of the Sunbirds," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

The skies were afire. Gone was the calm blue of day, the pale wisps of clouds drifting across the heavens. No longer did the moon and stars light the night. Our world was dying.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "The Ten Suns," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

Chrysanthemums were flowering in the courtyard, their slender petals curved in rich purples, yellows, and reds. Above, the trees were losing their coats of green, donning jeweled shades of amber and garnet. A coolness infused the air, refreshing my senses.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Goddess of the Moon," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

Night had faded. The dawn streaked with Ash and rose. The lanterns were still lit as I strode toward Xingyin's chamber.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "The Snow Ginseng Root," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

The lake was encircled by ancient pine trees. They reminded me of my home in the cloud wall--my courtyard, always fragrant with their woody scent. Except here, the rust-colored bark was veined in gray like a web of shadows had been strewn across it. Their feathery needles glinted as though tipped in Iron, clinking ominously as the wind blew.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Battle with the Bone Devil," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

General Mengqi and I flew in silence upon our cloud, the other soldiers following behind us. They were the "demons" I had feared and dreaded from the tales, but they did not seem markedly different from other immortals. Just more arrogant and unpleasant, I decided, my irritation at the general's earlier condescension unappeased.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Return to the Jade Palace," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

The moon was a bright curve, ringed by stars. Will there ever come a time that I look upon them and not think of her? I longed for and dreaded the day.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "A Rival's Spirit," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

The light of the evening sun slanted through the window, casting the room in gold. Sunset was approaching, the moment I had been anticipating since yesterday. My attendant tentatively offered me a black brocade sash, unused to my indecision.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Sun Moon Teahouse," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

Snow lay heavy upon the branches of the plum blossom tree. Clumps of ice clustered around the pink petals, a glittering frame to their beauty--all the more striking because of the barrenness surrounding it, the land stripped of its verdant glory.

-- Sue Lynn Tan, "Home," Tales of the Celestial Kingdom

#sue lynn tan #daughter of the moon goddess #heart of the sun warrior #tales of the celestial kingdom #book quotations #book quotes #books and reading #books #books and novels #book recommendations

[deus-ex-mona]

A Love Letter for Valentine’s Day: Chapter 7

and the person you love the most in the world is...?

previous part (chapter 6)

next part (epilogue)

mona: Thanks for coming, everyone!

mona: (Since I have sufficient time… I’ll do the emcee performance I watched on the DVD too.)

mona: (A call and response that’s related to this time of year sure seems like fun…!)

mona: Well, then, since today is Valentine’s Day…

mona: If you have a person you’re in love with, lemme hear your voices!

mona: Yeah, yeah… that was pretty good! Next up will be…

mona: If you have conveyed your feelings to the one you love, let out your cheers!

mona: Eehhh, there’s so many of you?!

mona: It sure takes up a lot of courage… to convey your feelings to someone else… but still…

mona: You guys are so amazing! Maybe it’s because it’s Valentine’s Day, or something?!

mona: (All of them… have experienced “love” way more than I have.)

mona: Thanks for coming to today’s performance in spite of all of that!

mona: To those of you who came with your loved ones, and to those who didn’t, be sure to enjoy the performance all the way till the end, okay?!

mona: By the way, to tell you guys the truth… I’ve been in search of a certain something in preparation for today.

A smile subconsciously spread across mona’s face when she heard the audience’s response of “What was it?!”.

mona: It was the meaning of the feelings of love!

mona: I thought really long and hard about what it meant to be in love with someone.

mona: At one point in time, I had watched a DVD featuring an artiste that I’ve always liked with utmost focus.

Mona: Hmm… This doesn’t seem to be it…?

mona: At another point in time, I had also asked my Big Sis “What do you think the feelings of love are?”.

Sena: Y-you start wanting the other person to think of you as cute, or something…? Or maybe just thinking about that person fills you with energy, or something…

mona: And, after all of that, I then asked my Dad and Mom “Why did you get married to each other?”.

Yusuke: It became the norm for us to be together all the time, and we got married to each other as an extension of said norm.

Ayako: I feel at ease just by being near your daddy. He’s the only special guy around, you know?

mona: Despite that, I wasn’t able to find a clear answer in the end.

mona: I have yet to fall in love with someone, after all.

mona: No, I mean… I had just thought that I haven’t fallen for anyone yet, that’s all.

mona laughed internally as she listened to the commotion arising from the audience.

mona: (Pfft… Well, to be fair, this sure seems like a lead up to an announcement that I am in love with someone, or something.)

mona: (But too bad. I’m… everyone’s idol, after all.)

mona: Hey, did you guys know this?!

mona: The feelings of love are… the exact same feelings I have towards all of my fans, namely, all of you Monacas!

mona: It sure seems that I’ve been in love with all of you guys this entire time!

mona felt as though the temperature of the venue had risen with the sounds of the audience’s cheers.

mona: I’ll put all of my feelings of love into my singing, so please listen up, okay?!

mona sang with all her heart as the song began to play.

mona: (Let my feelings get through… to all the beloved people out there whom I really love!)

mona: (Thanks so much for rooting for me all this while. Thanks so much for never failing to energise me for this entire time.)

mona: (I always get nervous right before a performance, but the moment I step out onto the stage, all of that tension just blows away when I see everyone’s faces.)

mona: (I feel at ease when everyone is there for me… I’m able to be “mona” thanks to them.)

mona tossed the heart-shaped confetti she had prepared beforehand out towards the audience.

mona: These are my feelings for all of you!

mona: Please accept them!

mona: Happy Valentine’s Day!

The red and pink confetti waltzed through the air, much like how the petals of the cherry blossom trees would dance along with a blown breeze in the season of Spring, which was approaching increasingly sooner with each passing day.

Mona found herself holding the desire of wanting to continue to shine as “mona” well into the future, regardless of how many times the seasons would change in the years to come—.

#mona ga koi wo shiru hi #just honeypre things #sorry about the unnecessarily long text at the end my vocab gave up on meeeee :( #just the epilogue is left!! then bodyswap event is a go!!!!

[danurso]

Ayaka: Err. . . .amber, may I talk to you for a moment?

Amber: Sure! Whatcha need?

Ayaka: Well, it's just that after I came here, I managed to see how close you and the traveler are, and how well your relationship works. You two confide everything to each other and can talk about any topic like it is no big deal.

Amber: *sheepishly* Do we now? I guess we just got used to each other after a while. Still, what do you need?

Ayaka: *fidgeting* well. . . .i. . . .need some *pink* r-relationship advice.

Amber: sure. Just ask away what you want to know.

Ayaka: How do you make it easier to talk to your partner? Ever since me and Thoma started dating, just talking about anything makes me really nervous.

Amber: Oh, that's normal. I was the same back then with aether *sheepishly* I ended up missing most of my shots because of how nervous I got whenever I went on commissions with him.

Ayaka: Then, how did you get so comfortable around him? Every time I stand near Thoma I feel like my heart is going to explode.

Amber: That's normal too. And i guess the best solution for that is time, me and aether have been together for a year now, so we're just used to each other at this point, But if you need something more immediate, you could try telling jokes.

Ayaka: Jokes?

Amber: yeah, something to make both of you laugh, it usually helps out a lot to clear the tension when you can't speak up normally.

Ayaka: but. . . .i-i don't really know how to make good jokes.

Amber: Oh that part is easy, just make a short story for the setup and finish with an unexpected punchline.

Ayaka: d-do i really need to do that!?

Amber: Of course, no joke is complete without a punchline.

Ayaka: but. . . .won't that make him mad?

Amber: I doubt it, normal people usually don't get angry with jokes.

Ayaka: then. . . .i'll try my best.

Amber: *thumbs up* I'll be rooting for you.

*Later on*

Thoma: *serves her tea* Here it is, my lady.

Ayaka: Thank you thoma. *Sips her tea.* . . . .

Thoma: *sits down as well* . . . .

Ayaka: . . . . .

Thoma: . . . . .

Ayaka: *pink* . . . . .

Thoma: *pink* . . . . .

Ayaka: Uuugh, this is so awkward. No, I got this, just gotta remember what Amber told me, everything is gonna be okay. . . .i still don't like this though. Thoma.

Thoma: Y-yes, my lady.

Ayaka: D-did you know that i-i really like the story of the loud duck?

Thoma: R-really? Why?

Ayaka: Because. . . . . .BECAUSE IT ALWAYS MAKES ME QUACK UP!!!

The line ended with her sending her fist full strength forward and colliding with Thoma's face, sending him flying back through the paper wall.

Ayaka: O-oh my god. *Rushes to him* i-i'm sorry! I was too nervous and put too much strength in it!

Thoma: *rubbing his cheek* Oww. . . .your strength never ceases to amaze me, my lady. Though, could I know what have i done to deserve that?

Ayaka: Was. . . .was that a bad joke? Did I do something wrong?

Thoma: What are you talking about my lady?

Ayaka: It's just. . . . *Pink* A friend told me that a good story set up followed by a strong punchline can make for great jokes. Did i do it wrong?

Thoma: Pfff. . . .hahahahaha.

Ayaka: *extremely confused* It. . . .it worked?

Thoma: Hahahaha! *Wipes a tear away* My lady, what do you think a punchline is?

Ayaka: Isn't it a line followed by a punch? Wait! Should I have punched first!?

Thoma: *chuckles* My lady, a punchline for a joke is a line that twists the story in an unexpected way and packs a figurative punch to finish off a joke, you don't really punch people during a punchline.

Ayaka: Oh. . . . . *red* I'm so sorry Thoma! I had no idea that-!

Thoma: It's okay, I get it. I got to laugh by the end so it still worked in a weird way.

Ayaka: Still. . . .

Thoma: But why the sudden interest in learning to make jokes?

Ayaka: I just. . . . *Fidgeting* I-i heard making jokes can help ease the tension and make it easier for two people to talk.

Thoma: Oh. . . .*pink* so that's why. I suppose that means I'm not the only one who becomes a mess trying to just act normally.

Ayaka: *Shakes head.* It's just. . . .whenever you're around i get anxious and self conscious about everything i do, i-i don't want to mess this up.

Thoma: Yeah I know the feeling. To be completely honest, I never really thought I had a chance with you my lady, so every day I feel like I'm stepping on eggshells, one misstep and it's all over.

Ayaka: That would never happen! My feelings aren't so shallow that one mistake would end it all.

Thoma: *smiles* Took the words right out of my mouth, my lady.

Ayaka: . . . .can you stop that?

Thoma: what?

Ayaka: *pink, looks away* What did you promise me you would do when it's just the two of us?

Thoma: R-right. I'm sorry my la- i mean, Ayaka.

Ayaka: *smiles*

Thoma: *pink* D-does hearing me say that makes you that happy?

Ayaka: Yes. I love the sound of your voice so hearing my name is quite pleasant.

Thoma: *red* . . . . .

Ayaka: *blush* I-i mean-! The sound of your voice is nice! Not you-! I-i mean-!

Thoma: It's okay. I-i get it.

Ayaka: *red, with steam coming from the top of her head* I-i'm sorry, for becoming such an embarrassing mess.

Thoma: It's fine. I-it's not like I'm doing any better.

Ayaka: But-

Thoma: Still. *Pink* I wanna try and be a better boyfriend, as best as i can.

Ayaka: *redder, feeling his hand on top of hers* I. . . .i will do my very best too.

???: Aww, Aren't you two the cutest?

Thoma/Ayaka: *flinch, looking at Yae and Ayato who stood at the doorway* Y-young master/My brother!?

Ayato: We were hoping to use the room to discuss matters, if you two lovebirds don't mind.

Both of them got red from head to toe and jumped several feet away from each other.

Thoma: Y-young master, w-we were just-!

Ayaka: How long have you been there!?

Ayato: Since Thoma came crashing through the wall. You seriously need to work on your jokes my sister.

Ayaka: *covering her bright red face* P-please excuse me! *Runs off*

Thoma: Aya-! I mean, my lady, wait! Please excuse me young master. *Goes after her*

Yae: Fufufu, innocent love is quite adorable, don't you think.

Ayato: It is for sure. Though I don't know if Thoma will survive if she keeps telling such jokes.

Yae: Well, I think it's quite charming.

Ayato: Do you now?

Yae: Yes.

Ayato: . . . . . .Did you know that once, two blind men-

Yae: *smiling* You try and finish that sentence and I'll smite you off of the face of this planet.

Ayato: *shrug* Well, i tried.

#genshin impact #genshin ayaka x thoma #ayaka x thoma #genshin thoma #thoma #ayaka #genshin ayaka #thomaya #kamisato ayato #yae miko

[axiolotl]

did some planty stuff today!

mainly, found places for all my tradescantia now they're back home again (i brought them to work while friend was over and is allergic to them)

the tradescantia:

these are:

tradescantia zebrina 'burgundy' (deep purple, green stripes)

tradescantia blossfeldiana 'Nanouk' (light pink & green stripes)

tradescantia pallida 'purple heart' (the ones in the front right)

tradescantia albiflora albovitatta (the green & yellow/white one)

the places: the living room! (left before, right after)

this involved moving my grow light set up around -- this is where i keep my hoyas and pilea pepperomia! i put my dracaena and the t. burgundy & t. nanouk under the lights, because if they get sufficient light they look sooo good bushy (instead of leggy). only time will tell if this ends up burning them, which, has happening to the nanouk before lol.

i moved the dracaena there bc he is the odd one out along my pothos wall and i want to see what more light does for him

also moved t. purple heart above bc it looks pretty cascading and maybe...itll catch the grow light and get more purple...

the places: my bedroom

1st is near my headboard; usually t.albiflora is in a nice, deep red pot, and not next to my neon pothos, so he kinda looks almost lackluster next to my neon lol

2nd is on my 'pothos wall'; i might put it on the higher shelf, but i do love the cascading effect to break up bushiness & fill in white space!

3rd is right by my desk, and my string of turtles and t. burgundy can finally be reunited :) i have gotta figure out how the heck to make these guys cascade though

there's a large t. burgundy still at work, and my mom has my rooted cutting of t. nanouk, so i'll have to find places for those but...thats for later me to figure out lol

i also watered all the tradescantia with some mosquito bits-water (i'd steeped it a couple days ago) because there's been random gnats in the apartment and i can't friggin figure out where they're coming from!!! they might also be fruit flies from the kitchen but better safe than sorry!!! the newcomers must be cleansed!!!!

#it might also be the very sad spider plant i got back from my cousins but sticky traps havent caught any gnats... #plantposting #ellis.txt

[mrseeker]

Love hurts but so do you.

(Verse 1)

In the land of wide-open plains, where love is pure and true, I found a kindred spirit, a love meant just for you. Our hearts danced like fireflies, beneath that big sky above, But little did we know, this story holds a twist, my love.

(Chorus)

Oh, it started sweet and free, under that old oak tree, But now the song has turned, oh how it pains me to see, Losing you, my companion, who filled my days with glee, The fear of losing parts of us, it's haunting you and me.

(Verse 2)

As the seasons changed, so too did our love's vibrant hue, Roses we once cherished, now dull and fading too. The vibrant reds and pinks, now a melancholy blue, Symbolizing the fading bond, as we bid love adieu.

(Chorus) Oh, it started sweet and free, under that old oak tree, But now the song has turned, oh how it pains me to see, Losing you, my companion, who filled my days with glee, The fear of losing parts of us, it's haunting you and me.

(Bridge) I lay here in this bed, haunted by the echoes of the past, Unable to find solace, this pain is enclosed, made to last. Pieces of me, scattered like fallen leaves on the ground, Fear holds me captive, as I try to make no sound.

(Verse 3) The ones we held so close, now distant memories in our minds, Their laughter and their love, forever etched in our binds. But as we tread this road, filled with sorrow's loom, We must remember our roots, and let love's light consume.

(Chorus) Oh, it started sweet and free, under that old oak tree, But now the song has turned, oh how it pains me to see, Losing you, my companion, who filled my days with glee, The fear of losing parts of us, it's haunting you and me.

(Outro) Though the colors may fade, and the fear may consume, Love will guide us forward, dispelling all the gloom. For in our hearts, a flame still flickers, a beacon of hope, As we navigate this journey we'll find ways to cope. Through trials and tribulations, our love will endure, For in the end, it's the strength of our bond that is pure. So let's hold on tight, and let love lead the way, In this land of wide-open plains, where our hearts will forever stay.

I'm the owner of this song

#song lyrics #short poem #heartstopper #pain #feelings