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unclewaynemunson · 6 months

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Pt2 to this post

'Is something wrong?' Nancy asks, not long after the two of them have taken their familiar spots on the hood of Steve's car. They're basking in what might be the last warm sunlight of the year, looking out over the quarry, at a safe distance from the edge.

It's become a tradition the two of them share, ever since they reconnected back in March. It calms them both, to just sit here and take in the view, no one around but each other. Nancy is one of the few people Steve can share a comfortable silence with: sometimes they sit here quietly for what feels like hours, side by side, listening to music or to nothing but the birds singing around them. But they also have their best conversations here: it's the place where Nancy entrusted him she wanted to break up with Jonathan; it's the place where they talked about their shared past and decided they would always love each other as friends; it's the place where they finally talked about Barbara in a way they couldn't when they were younger. It's where Nancy talked about the ghosts still haunting her and Steve talked about how lonely he sometimes felt.

Steve huffs. 'How did you guess?'

'When you frown, you always do it with your whole face,' Nancy notes. 'So it's hard to miss, really.'

Steve glances at her side profile. There's a serenity to her features that's still relatively new. It means she's healing, slowly learning how to be happy again. It means she stopped waiting for the end of the world and started believing in a real future again. It makes Steve proud of how far they both have come.

'I had a fight with Eddie,' he confesses. 'And with Dustin, I guess.'

'What happened?'

He sighs. 'It's complicated.'

'Wanna tell me about it?'

The look in her eyes is kind and inviting. Steve hesitates. He wants to, but he doesn't know if he can. It's a risk. It's scary.

But he can't imagine Nancy Wheeler ever being careless with his secrets. He can't imagine her judging him, can't imagine her being as small-minded as most people in this town.

He was planning on telling her anyway, because things had been going so well with Eddie lately and – no, he shouldn't think about that right now. But maybe it would actually be nice to talk about it with Nancy.

'So, um...' His throat feels tight and his hands are sweaty. 'I recently discovered some things about myself. I-' The words get stuck somewhere on the way to his mouth, and he clears his throat.

Nancy doesn't push, but only gives him an encouraging nod, waiting for him to find his voice again.

'I found out I like boys,' he finally manages to confess. 'And I need you to know that – that that doesn't mean that what I felt for you wasn't real. It was. I loved you, and now I fell in love with a boy. And-'

'Steve.' Nancy's hand suddenly covers his, causing him to finally jerk his head away from the view over the quarry, to focus on her face again instead.

Her eyes are wide, and she squeezes his hand.

'You don't have to explain yourself to me,' she tells him. 'We're good. But thank you for telling me. For trusting me with this.'

Steve heaves out a relieved sigh, and Nancy smiles; it's that genuine kind of smile which reveals all kinds of dimples and soft lines across her face.

'We might be more similar than you thought,' she tells him, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks.

'Really?' Her words make his breath catch in his throat. He squints at her, trying to see her in this new light. 'Are you saying what I think you're saying?'

She shrugs. 'I don't know. I'm not sure yet,' she admits. 'Still figuring things out.'

'Take your time, there's no rush,' he tells her. 'But...' He bumps his shoulder against hers. 'When you're done figuring it out, talk to me, okay?'

She nods. 'Okay.'

For a while, it's quiet between the two of them. Some kind of raptor circles high above them in the sky. They both follow it with their eyes until it disappears among the tree tops west of the quarry.

'Is it Eddie?'

Steve blinks dumbly a couple of times.

'Wha- what?'

'The guy you were talking about. The one you fell in love with. It's Eddie, isn't it?'

'Jesus, Wheeler, what kind of sorceress are you?' Steve exclaims.

Nancy laughs again. 'You're not being as subtle as you think,' she tells him. 'The two of you have been hooking up for a while now, haven't you?'

Steve huffs dramatically. 'This is unfair. You know everything; I can't even tell you my own secrets anymore!'

'So what happened?' Nancy asks. 'You said you had a fight with him?'

'It's fucking stupid,' he sighs. 'Dustin was getting way too excited about the fact that I was gonna be hanging out with you, so I told him I was seeing someone. Next thing I knew, he was telling Eddie all about how I was seeing a girl.' He waves his hands around to make annoyed air quotations. 'I wanted to tell Eddie it was a misunderstanding, but Dustin was there, so I couldn't out us just like that, and he looked so betrayed and heartbroken... He didn't wanna listen to me.'

Steve sighs; he still can't manage to forget that look in Eddie's eyes when Dustin delivered the big news. 'I wish I would've talked about what I felt for him earlier. I should've been honest when I had the chance, y'know. But I was afraid he wouldn't wanna label what we had, that he wouldn't feel the same way – and now we're in this whole mess. God, he must hate me right now, Nance.'

To his surprise, Nancy gives him an unexpected slap against his arm.

'Ouch, what the hell was that for?!'

'What are you even doing here with me, Steve? You should've gone after him, tell him how you feel!'

'I tried, obviously, but he didn't wanna listen to me!'

'So make him listen! You're in love with him, he obviously feels the same way about you, and you let him leave to wallow in a broken heart he doesn't even need to have!' She rolls her eyes and slides off the car, adding something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like an exasperated 'Boys!' before she pulls Steve off the car as well. 'C'mon, time to get your ass over to the trailer park. Right. Now,' she says through gritted teeth. And, well, Steve knows better than to argue with a determined - and truthfully quite terrifying - Nancy Wheeler.

Read the last part here Taglist: @withacapitalp @ultimatedreamer104 @irregular-child @jcmadgirl @estrellami-1 @myguiltyartpleasure @hallucinatedjosten @jaybren @thew1ldblueyonder @melodymeddler @alycatavatar @zoeweee @lolawonsstuff @fairy-princette @saramelaniemoon @phirex22 @krazyperson @xxsky-shockxx (I only put people on this list who explicitly asked to be tagged. That's really no problem, I love to do that so dw about asking, but I got a lot of relatively vague reactions to the previous post that i'm not gonna dissect and interpret, bc I don't wanna clog anyone's notes unwanted. So just to be clear: i consider it a huge compliment if anyone asks for a tag but please do it clearly if you do!)

#look i can and i will exploit the miscommunication trope until yall are sick and tired of it #bc steddie is actually the perfect couple for keeping that trope believable #they're idiots with terrible communication skills it's canon #they WOULD #“can't you just talk to him?” “wait what i can????” IT'S SO THEM OKAY #nancy is the only sane person here i don't make the rules #don't mind me rambling about stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #platonic stancy #(i love platonic stancy they mean the world to me)#(i truly didn't mean to trick anyone into reading about them this just kinda. happened. idk)#this is making me wanna write more about their friendship actually they deserve their own fic #stranger things #fruity ficlet

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corvidcall · 2 years

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None Of You Know What Haiku Are

I'm going to preface this by saying that i am not an expert in ANY form of poetry, just an enthusiast. Also, this post is... really long. Too long? Definitely too long. Whoops! I love poetry.

If you ask most English-speaking people (or haiku-bot) what a haiku is, they would probably say that it's a form of poetry that has 3 lines, with 5, and then 7, and then 5 syllables in them. That's certainly what I was taught in school when we did our scant poetry unit, but since... idk elementary school when I learned that, I've learned that that's actually a pretty inaccurate definition of haiku. And I think that inaccurate definition is a big part of why most people (myself included until relatively recently!) think that haiku are kind of... dumb? unimpressive? simple and boring? I mean, if you can just put any words with the right number of syllables into 3 lines, what makes it special?

Well, let me get into why the 5-7-5 understanding of haiku is wrong, and also what makes haiku so special (with examples)!

First of all, Japanese doesn't have syllables! There's a few different names for what phonetic units actually make up the language- In Japanese, they're called "On" (音), which translates to "sound", although English-language linguists often call it a "mora" (μ), which (quoting from Wikipedia here) "is a basic timing unit in the phonology of some spoken languages, equal to or shorter than a syllable." (x) "Oh" is one syllable, and also one mora, whereas "Oi" has one syllable, but two moras. "Ba" has one mora, "Baa" has two moras, etc. In English, we would say that a haiku is made up of three lines, with 5-7-5 syllables in them, 17 syllables total. In Japanese, that would be 17 sounds.

For an example of the difference, the word "haiku", in English, has 2 syllables (hai-ku), but in Japanese, はいく has 3 sounds (ha-i-ku). "Christmas" has 2 syllables, but in Japanese, "クリスマス" (ku-ri-su-ma-su) is 5 sounds! that's a while line on its own! Sometimes the syllables are the same as the sounds ("sushi" is two syllables, and すし is two sounds), but sometimes they're very different.

In addition, words in Japanese are frequently longer than their English equivalents. For example, the word "cuckoo" in Japanese is "ほととぎす" (hototogisu).

Now, I'm sure you're all very impressed at how I can use an English to Japanese dictionary (thank you, my mother is proud), but what does any of this matter? So two languages are different. How does that impact our understanding of haiku?

Well, if you think about the fact that Japanese words are frequently longer than English words, AND that Japanese counts sounds and not syllables, you can see how, "based purely on a 17-syllable counting method, a poet writing in English could easily slip in enough words for two haiku in Japanese” (quote from Grit, Grace, and Gold: Haiku Celebrating the Sports of Summer by Kit Pancoast Nagamura). If you're writing a poem using 17 English syllables, you are writing significantly more content than is in an authentic Japanese haiku.

(Also not all Japanese haiku are 17 sounds at all. It's really more of a guideline.)

Focusing on the 5-7-5 form leads to ignoring other strategies/common conventions of haiku, which personally, I think are more interesting! Two of the big ones are kigo, a season word, and kireji, a cutting word.

Kigo are words/phrases/images associated with a particular season, like snow for winter, or cherry blossoms for spring. In Japan, they actually publish reference books of kigo called saijiki, which is basically like a dictionary or almanac of kigo, describing the meaning, providing a list of related words, and some haiku that use that kigo. Using a a particular kigo both grounds the haiku in a particular time, but also alludes to other haiku that have used the same one.

Kireji is a thing that doesn't easily translate to English, but it's almost like a spoken piece of punctuation, separating the haiku into two parts/images that resonate with and add depth to each other. Some examples of kireji would be "ya", "keri", and "kana." Here's kireji in action in one of the most famous haiku:

古池や　蛙飛び込む　水の音 (Furu ike ya　kawazu tobikomu　mizu no oto) (The old pond — A frog jumps in The sound of the water.)

You can see the kireji at the end of the first line- 古池や literally translates to "old pond ya". The "ya" doesn't have linguistic meaning, but it denotes the separation between the two focuses of the haiku. First, we are picturing a pond. It's old, mature. The water is still. And then there's a frog! It's spring and he's fresh and new to the world! He jumps into the pond and goes "splash"! Wowie! When I say "cutting word", instead of say, a knife cutting, I like to imagine a film cut. The camera shows the pond, and then it cuts to the frog who jumps in.

English doesn't really have a version of this, at least not one that's spoken, but in English language haiku, people will frequently use a dash or an ellipses to fill the same role.

Format aside, there are also some conventions of the actual content, too. They frequently focus on nature, and are generally use direct language without metaphor. They use concrete images without judgement or analysis, inviting the reader to step into their shoes and imagine how they'd feel in the situation. It's not about describing how you feel, so much as it's about describing what made you feel.

Now, let's put it all together, looking at a haiku written Yosa Buson around 1760 (translated by Harold G. Henderson)

The piercing chill I feel: my dead wife's comb, in our bedroom, under my heel

We've got our kigo with "the piercing chill." We read that, and we imagine it's probably winter. It's cold, and the kind of cold wind that cuts through you. There's our kireji- this translation uses a colon to differentiate our two images: the piercing chill, and the poet stepping on his dead wife's comb. There's no descriptions of what the poet is feeling, but you can imagine stepping into his shoes. You can imagine the pain he's experiencing in that moment on your own.

"But tumblr user corvidcall!" I hear you say, "All the examples you've used so far are Japanese haiku that have been translated! Are you implying that it's impossible for a good haiku to be written in English?" NO!!!!! I love English haiku! Here's a good example, which won first place in the 2000 Henderson haiku contest, sponsored by the Haiku Society of America:

meteor shower . . . a gentle wave wets our sandals

When you read this one, can you imagine being in the poet's place? Do you feel the surprise as the tide comes in? Do you feel the summer-ness of the moment? Haiku are about describing things with the senses, and how you take in the world around you. In a way, it's like the poet is only setting a scene, which you inhabit and fill with meaning based on your own experiences. You and I are imagining different beaches, different waves, different people that make up the "our" it mentioned.

"Do I HAVE to include all these things when I write haiku? If I include all these things, does that mean my haiku will be good?" I mean, I don't know. What colors make up a good painting? What scenes make up a good play? It's a creative medium, and nobody can really tell you you can't experiment with form. Certainly not me! But I think it's important to know what the conventions of the form are, so you can appreciate good examples of it, and so you can know what you're actually experimenting with. And I mean... I'm not the poetry cops. But if you're not interested in engaging with the actual conventions and limitations of the form, then why are you even using that form?

I'll leave you with one more English language haiku, which is probably my favorite haiku ever. It was written by Tom Bierovic, and won first place at the 2021 Haiku Society of America Haiku Awards

a year at most . . . we pretend to watch the hummingbirds

Sources: (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

Further reading:

Forms in English Haiku by Keiko Imaoka Haiku: A Whole Lot More Than 5-7-5 by Jack How to Write a Bad Haiku by KrisL Haiku Are Not a Joke: A Plea from a Poet Who Has Had It Up to Here by Sandra Simpson Haiku Checklist by Katherine Raine

#poetry #haiku #writing #literature #anime life #long post #i want to apologize but i had to get something off my chest #and the thing was. i love haiku #and when i see posts on here about haiku. i get so angy.#well ok i really get more disappointed bc nobody is really engaging with the form on its own terms #anyway i hope you enjoy some of my favorite haiku because theyre in there!!!!!#i didnt really get into the history of haiku. and i also did not get into why i got really into it #but i will say that i was really inspired by Jacob Geller's video A Thousand Ways of Seeing a Forest #which is a lot about translation #(which i mean. as an interpreter AND a poetry-enjoyer. really appealed to me lol)

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sillyassboy · 7 months

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i should post here more ive grown too accustomed to twitter's character limit

anyway something that's been on my mind about bugbo recently is the way ive tried to kinda shift the perception of the series one way a bit too hard. when i saw even the slightest chance of people seeing bugbo as a horror series or an ARG with deep lore or whatever , i wanted to put it out there multiple times that this wasn't my intention at all and that bugbo was mostly just a stupid fun series in the style of old 2000s flash animations.

anyway im kinda worried now that people are using this to dismiss Any possible meaning behind the series. i love seeing people's interpretations, and there Are genuine things I want to convey through the characters. theres still no meta deep lore, that's for sure, but there a few characters, most notably bugbo and gerbo, who i have very specific ideas for in my head of what kind of people they are. if there's anything in the series to analyse, it's the characters.

I am kind of a dumbass sometimes so a lot of things in the series might contradict each other, but I really want to make sure at least the characters remain consistent. the worldbuilding is absolute nonsense, yes, and a lot of what happens in the series is comedic and stupid and played for laughs, but i really hope I can give everyone a concrete idea on what the characters are like. so far I think it's been relatively successful but im also worried that my constant re-iterating of bugbo just being Stupid Fun may have fucked with that a little bit. there is very much a certain way I want you all to see bugbo and gerbo, who I consider the two main characters.

and while im rambling about bugbo I wanna say here, don't get used to the tone of a familiar foe. as proud as i am of what we did for that episode, i consider it the tonal limit for the series right now. future episodes will be more in line with the feel of episode 1-2, and they will Definitely be shorter for the most part

ok bugbo ramble over

#bugbo #bugbo series #bensilly #this is a post from me BENSILLY!#fun and games and whatnot

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sseastar · 4 months

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✶ small things ; wang yixiang.

info. nicholas x reader. fluff. can be established relationship or friends to lovers. description. nico and his habits towards you in your friendship / relationship. just nico being a cutie and a menace. a cute menace. warnings. play fighting. physical touch. listen to. love 119 by riize

accidentally tickling you + the need to keep doing it.

you know that clip of nico just touching the exposed skin through fuma’s ripped jeans? and fuma getting ticklish because of it and stopping nicholas’s hands, but nico’s hand keeps gravitating back to it? i feel like nico would do this with you. initially, it’s usually just him gently grazing the skin on your arm or neck or knees with his nails or fingertips. the moment you squirm away, something in nico’s brain tells him that he needs to keep touching that same spot unless you really tell him to stop (you usually don’t). he also squeezes your leg or thigh just to make you jump. and then commences the game of you trying to catch nico’s hands before they can touch you again but still playing along because of course you will. you always have.

playful attacks when you’re teasing him.

there’s a video of nico just like, fake tickle attacking gaku during one of the &audition episodes that i just saw recently and my first thought was just nicholas going for your waist whenever you tease him for something. you tease him a lot whenever you get the chance because he, of course, does the exact same to you. so it’s no surprise to you anymore when you just kind of quickly scoot away after teasing him because you know what’s coming, and sure enough, nico’s hands just shoot quickly towards your waist after you like, talk about an embarrassing moment he had.

it used to just be something he had to decide to do (he knew whatever you were saying was a joke so that was his choice to retaliate) but at some point it just became second nature for him to start wiggling his fingers towards your sides. is it because he’s just gotten used to it? or is it because his hands know his need to hear your laugh? you may never know. nico also finds joy when he just brings his hands relatively near you and your giggles just fall out of your laugh without him even touching you.

feeding you.

with nico looking as if he would be a tsundere, the way he holds out food to the members without looking is so characteristic of that. there’s a couple of clips of him feeding harua by just holding out ice cream or tanghulu to his mouth without even looking. something about that melts my heart because it’s like he wants people not to make a big deal but he’s just too caring for me to ignore.

nico does the same thing to you. just holding his drink up to your lips if he knows you like his drink better than your own. holding up food combinations he wants you to try (like when he fed harua the seaweed) and patiently waiting for your opinion. if you can’t decide which dish you want to order, he would order both and let you pick which one you would like better. and of course, cooking you sausage wherever and whenever you want.

poking your cheek + tapping your chin.

i’ve seen nico do this a lot to euijoo and taki (especially in the scent of you behind). it seems to be his way of teasing but with affection, because he had done it after reviewing their scenes in the mv. i think it’s his way of saying you did well, i’m proud of you, and i think you’re absolutely adorable, but i’m gonna do this little cat scratch thing because i’m too shy to actually tell you (so lino-coded i love this).

nico will just randomly tap underneath your chin or poke your cheek, usually when it comes to times when you’re being complimented or getting flustered. he thinks you’re adorable with the way you suddenly can’t make eye contact and can only let out a stuttering ‘thank you’ and so he just has the sudden urge to make it worse by doing the whole underside of the chin gentle tap with his fingertip or knuckle.

making random sounds to get your attention.

i’m sure we mostly all know about nico’s “ooh sexy joo” clip, and if you don’t, you’ll probably find out soon. but something tells me that the way he hypes up euijoo and the sounds he makes along with it translates to you as well. a lot of times, when he’s bored and you’re not paying attention to him he just starts making those ‘oooooo’ sounds that he was making during their photoshoot behind. it’s kind of difficult to ignore the fake ghost sounds your best friend is making but it’s come to the point that if he isn’t making these sounds when he wants your attention, then something’s wrong and he’s probably jealous of someone grabbing your attention instead of him.

it’s not rare for you to be trying to finish an assignment at your desk with nico just sprawled out on your bed, limbs hanging off the sides of your mattress. when he senses you’re almost done, nico starts to make these sounds or just starts to hum your favorite song unconsciously, reaching over to you to play with your free arm or your hair, hoping that it’ll help speed up your progress on your work. spoiler alert: it doesn’t, but you don’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.

his tired clinginess in the morning.

just blank nico in the morning. tired baby will just go up to wherever you are, cooking, getting ready, brushing your teeth, whatever. he would just go up to you and cling close as he’s waking up, not with arms around you or anything but just standing with his chest pressed to the back of one of your shoulders as he watches what you’re doing, eyes unfocused and head slightly dipped towards you - he might not be a morning person but being around you makes it better.

sometimes you get surprised despite getting used to this habit because one moment, you’re in the kitchen pouring milk into your cereal. when your turn back from the fridge after putting the carton away, nico’s just standing silently behind you, not reacting to the little laugh you let out at your surprise like he usually would (he loves your laugh). instead, you simply take a spoon and drop it into your bowl as nicholas just brings his body close to yours and lightly presses his chest against your back. he watches you eat over your shoulder, simply opening his mouth when you bring up the spoon to it, and nuzzles his head into your neck as he chews, basking in the little pats you give to the side of his head and face.

hiding his face from or behind you.

as intimidating as our lovely boy can look, nico is just a shy baby when it comes to being teased or excessively complimented. you love how he gets when this happens and so sometimes you purposely praise him over and over again just to get him flustered. at these times, nicholas just hides his face from you so that you can only see his eyes (like in the ‘our diary - acrobatic’ video when k said it was his turn to do the last challenge and he hid his face behind the mats). the giggle that leaves your mouth only causes his heart to stir even more, and he tries his best not to giggle back as much as he feels like he needs to. he has a dark image to protect lol.

if someone else makes him shy and you’re near him, he goes immediately to take your arm and hide his face behind it with the cute high pitched nico laugh we love. more often, nico just steps behind you and plants half his face on your shoulder, again only leaving his eyes to be shown. euijoo had once said that nicholas one of the most important people in his life so casually, and the next moment, nicholas had already left your side and had his face hidden behind your shoulder. so cute.

⌕. author’s note ; did i disappear again? yes i did and i’m so sorry! i did have a lot of motivation to write over break but never had the time because of family plans, but! i am still working on current wips and starting to work on &team works! thank you for waiting!!

as always, please leave feedback and reblog with tags as it’s the most important thing when it comes to motivating writers on here! without feedback, i have less motivation to keep writing so pls pls pls do not just like and empty reblog! it gets very draining and unmotivating to see when that happens!

⌕. taglist ; @enhacolor @soobin-chois @koishua @chrysbibi

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delusionalblfan · 3 months

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as i expected throughout the whole episode i was so tense and with teary eyes. the whole damn episode. but i literally bawled my eyes out in three moments. the three of them made me stop watching to catch a breath and to just think about life and choices and stuff. i was so into them i felt sick to my stomach

1. when Babe kissed Babe's forehead three times, it got to me more than the whole scene of Babe realising Charlie was dead. it was so tender, full of regret of untold words, it was what Babe regretted not doing to Charlie before the race. it was a goodbye. it was a 'i cannot live without you'. a 'i respect and love you so much for everything you've done for me', a 'i do not deserve you', a 'you do not deserve this'. i felt it all. it was a detail that made all the difference to me and of which i am very thankful for. it was what my emotions needed to really make me go 'no! this is happening' and make me crumble

2. Babe alone at home with Charlie's gloves while reminiscing their times together. he remembered their first meeting as expected. but then he remembered moments that Charlie made him feel special, told him he is special, irrevocably and unconditionally told him he is the reason he ever tried to stop Tony. Babe knows that what Charlie has been doing is not for his own self, but for Babe. this moment Babe is feeling so much pain and so much guilt and it's palpable. and it's as if he feels like the gloves are the only good thing he gave to Charlie and he wants to hold on to them. he needs a physical thing to hold on to, given he doesn't have Charlie. he wants to keep the thing he gave to Charlie and thinks he likes the most. he wants to keep what he saw in Charlie's eyes was what he was most proud of. (Babe, news to you: you are it. you are what Charlie most wanted, most loved and most wanted to show off. you are what makes Charlie happy. you)

3. Alan and Dean's scene (PHENOMENAL) what a moment. seeing Sailub and Lee's emotions so raw that they are physically feeling it. that's the feeling i got. the hurting in their voices made me go crazy. i lost myself there. and i got the whole moment. Dean always felt like the outsider, haven't found his place and used that to self-pity, never spoke about it until recently and only now is doing something to not live in the shadows, but unfortunately by doing wrong decisions. they are family (remembering these men have no blood relatives, they are each others family and that's as valid as blood relatives. it's Family) i am sure they would support him if he decided to find his place somewhere on the racing world. but he was so desperate he decided to do it by siding with the person that has done most harm to his family members, and by harming a family member (i know nothing about mechanics, but he said it, he did want to scare Charlie so he would give up racing, so Dean was willing to make Charlie get into an accident to scare him). and Alan was so hurt. and i bet i know some traits of him so he must be thinking 'this is happening again within my family, the family i started, the people i sworn to protect, i must not be monitoring their feelings well, where did i do wrong, i definitely did something wrong'. but at the same time he knew Dean did a very bad thing, the was so hurt with Dean and so disappointed. and to make the (right!) choice of calling the police on a family member must be so hard. they will not be family like before. the trust was broken. and realising that this is the end, the way they physically gave up and bended. Alan grabbing him like he wants to embrace him still! i believe they get each other's point of view, but Dean was already so hurt by all these years (this boy has a fucking inner saboteur!) and false accusations but shattered by the fact that Alan could in fact, but to his eyes only now, show love towards him and Alan was so hurt that a family member hurt another family member (again) and still very regretful for what he could have done… this is unequivocally a breakup and it was very real and hurtful to watch

#this was very hard for me to write. i am grieving even though i know charlie didn't die but i am feeling it #i am grieving for a shattering family. for babe falling apart. for the hope going far away #i know netter days will come but for now i will mourn. i deserve this moment #thank you all the crew and actors for your unconditional love for the series and the great acting 👏🏻#pit babe the series #pit babe ep 10

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nicoline1998enilocin · 10 months

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Off Limits I | The one where it all began

PAIRING | Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 1.5K

SUMMARY | You get hired as a new team member of the Avengers, and get introduced to Steve by your father, Tony. You have heard and seen a lot about him, being Captain America after all, but you never expected him to take that much of a liking to you as he has.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Use of readers middle name (Lily) but Tony says Y/N when they're alone, reader's age is mentioned twice.

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Steve Rogers Masterlist | Series masterlist | Part II

''Are you ready for your first day, darling?'' Tony asked, and you are. You have been looking forward to this day ever since finding out you will be a part of the Avengers. You have been to the Avengers Compound many times of course, especially since your dad owns it, but you have never really been around the Avengers, at least, not since you were little. Once you started high school and college after that, you moved away for a few years to California to get your degree in criminology, which had piqued your interest ever since being a little girl. It turns out that this degree would be even more helpful than you thought before becoming an Avenger.

''Yeah, I am. But can we please stick to what we discussed earlier? I don't want them to think I became a part of the Avengers because of you. You know I love you, but I did this on my own and I want everyone to know that.'' you said, and even though it did hurt Tony a little bit, he was still accepting of the fact that you felt that way. ''Anything for you, Y/N,'' he said, and he means it. ''I'm proud of you, and I can't believe I will be working so closely with you now. It's a dream come true for me,'' he said and he pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, or ''papa bear hugs'' as you called them. ''I know Dad, but we should go now, Steve will be waiting and I don't want to make a bad first impression,''.

The two of you walk toward Steve's office, and Tony knocks on his door. ''Come in!'' you hear a deep voice say, and you get goosebumps when you hear it. ''Cap, I have someone I'd like you to meet. This is Lily (Y/L/N), and she is the newest addition to the Avengers,'' he said with a proud look on his face, and Steve is slowly looking you up and down. ''Hi, it's nice to meet you!'' you say with a cheery voice and extend your hand out to give him a handshake, and he quickly does the same. ''I'm Steve Rogers, it's nice to meet you as well,'' he said and the both of you felt a little shock of electricity when your hands touched. When he got up out of his chair you saw how big he is, towering over you, and it intimidated you a little.

''So, tell me a little bit about yourself, please,'' he invited, and you happily did. ''Well, as you now know I'm Lily, I am 25, and I've been born right here in New York. I recently got my degree in criminology at the University of California and now I plan on using the knowledge I got from that to help out the Avengers,'' you say with a proud look on your face, remembering how you graduated top of your class just a few short months ago. ''If you don't mind me asking, what is criminology?'' he asked with a bit of shyness laced in his voice, not feeling comfortable admitting he doesn't know something when Tony is in the same room as him.

''Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behavior, based on principles of sociology and other non-legal fields, including psychology, economics, statistics, and anthropology. It means I study the behavior of a criminal and the effect that has on society and people around them,'' you tell him, trying to keep it relatively simple and not wanting to use too many field-related terms. ''Sounds interesting! Congratulations on your diploma,'' he said and he gave her a big smile before moving on to the next topic. ''Has Tony perhaps told you what your role as an Avenger would be in your case?'' he asked and you shook your head, your dad wanted Steve to tell you that.

''Hm, alright. Your role is trying to figure out why the criminals do what they do when possible, and what we can do to stop them. This means you and I will usually be working together when coming up with a plan for missions. Besides that you will be trained in fighting by all of the Avengers, so you can be helpful in the field as well as behind the scenes.'' he explained, and you slowly let it sink in. You did have some training in fighting since Tony already taught you quite a lot growing up, but now you would be training more than you were used to. You were looking forward to it nevertheless. ''Sounds good!'' you say and let out a little chuckle, excited to be starting your new job as an Avenger.

''I believe that will be all for now, later you will have a meeting where everyone is present, so you can get to know the rest of the team, too. I have to run because I have another appointment now, but it was nice to meet you, Lily, I'm looking forward to working with you!'' he said with a big smile, showing his perfect teeth. ''You too, Captain!'' you say, but Steve quickly corrects you and says you can call him Steve, you don't have to address him by his title. ''I'm sorry. It was good seeing you, Steve,'' you say with a little wink, making Steve blush a little bit before he goes to his next appointment. ''So, what do you think Y/N?'' Tony asked, and you tell him how excited you are now that you know what your role will be in the team.

When the time for the meeting with all of the Avengers rolls around, you get nervous, meeting large groups of people has never been your favorite thing to do. You remind yourself it will be okay, they're gonna be your teammates after all, so they can't be that bad, right? Before the meeting you go to the bathroom to fix your hair and make-up a little, making sure your shirt is still neatly tucked into your jeans and your boots are still laced properly, you didn't want to make a bad first impression on them. Walking into the conference room, you notice you're the last person to walk in, ''You can sit here,'' Steve said, and he points to the chair he left open next to him. You say a soft thank you and give a small smile to Steve, and say hi to your dad.

''Now that everyone is here, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our team, Lily (Y/L/N). She will be a part of our team starting tomorrow,'' and she gives everyone a small smile while looking around the room. ''Welcome, Lily!'' most of them say in unison, and Steve asks you to introduce yourself further to the team. ''So yeah, I'm Lily, 25 years old and I recently graduated from the University of California with a degree in criminology. I will be putting that degree to use by working with Steve to come up with plans for your missions, and I will also be joining all of you to help you fight when necessary,'' you say with confidence now. Everyone introduces themselves quickly. Bucky introduces himself as Sergeant James Barnes, but you can call him Bucky. Next up there's Natasha and Wanda, Clint, Bruce, Peter, Vision, Scott, and Thor.

After the meeting, Tony brings you home, knowing how much a day like this drains your energy. ''So, how did you think it went?'' he asked and looked at you before turning his eyes back to the road. ''Well, it is a lot to process, but I'm sure that after a good night's sleep, I'll be more than ready to start work tomorrow,'' you say with a bit of a sleepy smile. ''Thank you for everything, Dad. I'm eternally grateful that you helped me to get this opportunity,''. ''You're welcome darling, I love you and I want nothing but the best for you, you know that!'' he said and he felt like the proudest dad ever. Although, he felt even prouder when you accepted your diploma a few months ago, and he was there to witness it. Your mom couldn't make it due to work, it was a busy time as a nurse and she couldn't get the time off, but Tony made sure he would be there for you, he would always show up for his little girl.

The next few weeks went by in a rush, training a lot with all of the Avengers, each of them is training you on different aspects of fighting and self-defense, but your favorite people to work out with are Nat and Wanda, because of all the girl talk you have, and Steve because conversations with him just flow so naturally. You have noticed that Steve seems to take quite a bit of a liking to you as well, which took you by surprise. You weren't sure why Steve would like you so much, but you didn't look into it too much. You just enjoyed the conversation, occasional flirty comments, and lingering touches as much as you could. Your favorite moments, however, would be movie nights with the Avengers where you could cuddle up to Steve. His body heat was always very welcome since you usually were pretty cold.

#steve rogers #steve rogers x female reader #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #captain america

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lumine-no-hikari · 4 months

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Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #11

Did you know that I like to make wire trees? I weave them myself, by hand. I'll show you some of my best examples:

I even made one of you. Here's what it looks like.

I like taking the trees I make and turning them into various weird handicrafts. I don't sell them; I give them away to people who have been good to me and to others. I'll show you:

Here is what became of the tree that I wove for you:

Easily, though, my best handiwork is this one:

It is a rainbow tree encased in an epoxy sphere. You can find an explanation of what it is within the letter I wrote for you a while back. Right now, it is in the hands of some very important people in Japan; I gave it directly to someone who might be able to help you. I hope that they are enjoying it, and I hope that they can see the love with which it was made.

Somewhat recently, my therapist thought that he could turn my tree-weaving into a self-love exercise. The reasoning goes, we can look at trees and see that they're beautiful no matter what shape they've grown into. So he asked me to turn myself into a tree. I tried to weave a colorful willow tree. This was the result:

And you know? I've never hated a tree that I've made until this particular one. As you can see, it's nothing like the other trees I've made. It's a bit of a mess. It can't even support its own weight. It tried to be colorful and flowy, but really, it just ended up being loud, obnoxious, overly dramatic, and relatively useless. I thought about taking it apart so that it wouldn't be a waste of gemstone beads, at very least. But instead, I put it in a box and left it somewhere for weeks, so that I wouldn't have to look at it. I was disappointed and ashamed about how it had turned out.

But then I realized something. What if I'm looking at it from the wrong angle? What if it only looks useless because it is not in the correct orientation? What if it only looks like a disappointment because it's not in a place where it would thrive?

So I changed its circumstances. Its branches no longer look so noisy now that they're spread out and being used to keep it balanced. Whether it can hold itself up is no longer relevant now that its main focus is reaching and embracing. The branches bend under the weight of their circumstances, but they will not break, even if you let them help you to climb out of wherever you're at.

(It looks much better in real life than in the photos, I promise!! Haha!) The only times I ever really feel as though I am alive are when I am trying to reach for someone else and bring color and joy to their world. This tree does not stand tall and proud like my other ones do because the weight of the colorful leaves it carries is too much. But maybe that's okay; we have to be willing to kneel down in order to help the fallen anyway, right?

I think my therapist will be happy to learn that I've finally understood his lesson today. I will tell him about it next week.

May you, similarly, learn how to look at yourself and other people with the same marveling eyes with which you regarded the trees as you were looking out of the window in the inn at Nibelheim, when you first arrived there.

Please remember that you are loved. And please stay safe; I don't want it to be the case that all I have left of you are these random letters that I write to you.

Your friend, Lumine

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blackjackkent · 18 days

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Tiefling party time!

I really do feel like we could have cleaned up the giant blood sigil left from Rakha's reign of terror before inviting guests over, but what do I know?

Rakha is definitely REALLY nervous about this whole situation. She remembers when Alfira came and what happened to her, and this is way more guests now. The beast is stirring irritably in her brain at the flood of relative strangers and she knows, all too well, that she is capable of slipping tonight just as she did then.

So she keeps to herself, at least at first, which is how she ends up on the beach at the edge of camp with Wyll.

She didn't entirely mean to follow him, at least not consciously... but she's aware that she feels the strain in her head relax when she realizes he's there. Somewhere along the line, of all the members of their little band, he became the point where she feels the most at ease - he answers her questions without judgment. He has guided her first fumbling attempts to stand against the beast's hunger.

Even her trust in Lae'zel, firm as it is, does not quite bring the same sense of... comfort.

For a little while, she stands and watches him silently. He seems lost in thought, staring out at the slowly rolling surface of the river. Finally she takes a step forward; her boot knocks against a small pebble, sending it clattering along the rocky beach into the water, and he jumps, spinning around.

"Agh. Hells," he mutters sheepishly. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice I was gone."

She raises an eyebrow. Why? she wonders. Does he think his presence insignificant? Does he think she thinks his presence insignificant?

"Are you all right?" she asks quietly.

He smiles ruefully. "Oh. I'm deeply proud of you. A touch less so of myself."

She stares at him. Proud? Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not one of them. She has come far enough in the time since the nautiloid to know that there is a battle to be fought within herself - that there is more to her than the beast if she is willing to find it. But she has not come nearly far enough to believe that battle is being won, not yet.

But he says he is proud of her. And the fact makes her feel... strange. Warm. As if she has crossed some milestone she was not aware of reaching for.

Thank you, she wants to say - but then she registers the second half of his comment, and gives him a questioning look. Not proud of yourself? Why?

(A/N: Look at his poor sad eyes. :( Wyll needs a big hug stat.)

"In truth, I don't feel in a festive mood," he says with a slight shrug. "And I didn't want to cast a grey cloud over the night."

She nods, thinking he means the recent revelations about his father - which would be understandable enough - but he keeps talking. "I'm a devil. I love the people from the grove, but I unsettle them deep down. As I seem to unsettle everyone nowadays."

His face twists with sudden anguish, and he turns away, looking out at the water. "You don't want a devil at your party," he mutters bitterly. "Horns this sharp will pop the balloons, you see. And the guests won't take kindly to scars quite so monstrous."

Ah. She listens in silence, taking in these new details, filing them away. Wyll's transformation makes him like those who drew the teeth-lings into the Hells in the first place. It makes him look like their enemy. Like many people's enemies.

But not like hers. "You don't unsettle me," she says. It's a blunt statement, matter-of-fact. "You know that." There is much worse in me than anything you have ever shown me. And you have looked at me without blinking.

His head lifts and he looks at her intently for a moment. She can't quite read the expression in his eyes, but his voice is low and heavy with some sudden intensity. "If only half the world had half the heart you do," he says softly.

There would be nothing left living, I think, Rakha thinks with her own surge of bitterness. But she doesn't say it aloud, because she recognizes the compliment, even if she doesn't agree with it. What does he see in her, that he keeps saying these things?

And why does he see so little in himself?

For a moment they both stand there, eyes locked; the air feels suddenly charged with electricity. She finds herself wishing, out of nowhere, that she could show him what Gale showed her the other night - the depth of the Weave, the peace of it. The magic he carries is something very different, something darker, tainted by Mizora... but perhaps he could still channel it as she did...

The thought of the magic connecting them, of the intimacy that went with that bond, makes her feel suddenly unstable in a way that she can't define. For a moment she is almost certain one of those wild surges of magic is going to burst through her without warning and set the whole place ablaze.

But she holds his eyes with hers, and though her heart has suddenly started to thump like thunder... her magic calms, and the beast quiets, and she simply breathes, and waits, and hears the water lap gently against the shore by their boots.

He draws back suddenly, a brittle smile flickering onto his lips, and the moment breaks. "But off with you. This is your day! Have a dance. Enjoy the music."

She looks over her shoulder, back towards the party, and she clicks her tongue with a disinterested expression. No. She feels much more comfortable here with him, and perhaps that was why she walked this direction in the first place. "Can't you tell why I really followed you out here?" she says, with a gruff tone unaccountably laced with a sense of indistinct embarrassment.

He blinks, snorts. "Clearly Mol has put you up to stealing my britches so you can turn them into a flag for her gang." A pause, and then he adds, "Not that I'd necessarily object." His lips twitch in a slight, cautious grin.

She laughs softly. It's a sound she's heard so rarely from herself that it startles her - hoarse, low in her throat... but amused. "Nope," she says. "Guess again."

His grin widens. "Let me think. Why are you really here?" He snaps his fingers, coming to a dramatic conclusion. "You must be Volo in disguise, out here to harangue me for some tales of the Frontiers." He leans back on his heels and shakes his head in mock-sorrow. "What a cruel disguise! My nerves started hammering the second I thought *she* was the one looking for me."

It takes her a moment to parse this joke. She, meaning me. Ah... The idea that she would have that effect on him, after everything she's done... it doesn't really make any sense, even as he's articulating it. "Keep trying," she says, and her voice feels suddenly thick, unwieldy.

He hesitates; she sees his cheeks suddenly darken and his eyes flick away from her, the playful air fading abruptly. "It's a long shot," he says softly. "But maybe you've grown fond of me. Gods know I've grown fond of you."

There it is. Spoken out loud - by him, because she had no words for it. Fond. It feels... inadequate, but also correct. At the least, it encompasses something of the sense of safety and guidance he is able to instill in her.

She remembers the hectic, ferocious night with Lae'zel - which was also built on something of the same foundation. But this is not where this is leading, she can already tell. This is something different, something she has no words for.

"Maybe just a little," she mutters.

He smiles. Perhaps he registers something of her uncertainty, because his tone lightens deliberately. "Then we share a similar affliction, for I've grown fond of you too. Though I can't say I've earned the honor. I haven't even managed to kill one measly devil. I'm hardly a prime catch."

(A/N: We have the option for a persuasion check to ask for a kiss here. It's honestly more verbally direct than Rakha feels just yet, I think - an impulsive kiss immediately without the words would feel more likely - and I checked and it's just the one kiss anyway and then he sends you back off to the party regardless. So we're going with the more slow-burn setup here.)

She snorts dismissively. "You don't need to be the 'Blade of Frontiers' for me. Just be yourself." She respects his cause as one of the things on which she can model herself in the battle against the darkness in her head. But she has little interest in judging him for whatever ideals he has stood up for himself. He has done her that credit in return many times over already.

He shakes his head sharply. "The Blade *is* my best self," he insists. "On my best days, I've even lived up to the name."

There is something else he wants to say, she can tell - but he shakes his head again, visibly putting whatever it is aside in favor of a firm, sudden smile. "Now - you've got a party to get back to," he says firmly. "Don't forget - tonight is about you."

He draws closer for a moment, rests a hand carefully against her arm, and his smile softens. "There will be another time for us," he says, his voice low. And then, before she can respond, he turns and walks away down the beach.

#bjk plays bg3 durge #rakha the dark urge #eyyyy wheels in motion :D #like (unintentionally) with karlach we're not really getting to the deep romance stuff till act 2 i guess lol #tbh i've heard wyll's romance is a little lacking in content compared to some of theothers so maybe i will have to write some missing scene #as we go along #but i am pleased with this post as a starting point c:#tbh rakha is going to take a while to sort her feelings out regardless so it works out

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multifunctionalnitroglycerin · 1 month

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Leona and Diana Old Lore / New Lore. My take on it

Okay so, I am relatively new to the League community, with barely three years under my belt, but lore is one of the things that interest me the most about it. And well, the dynamic between Sun and Moon coded characters is one I never pass up in exploring. Leodia is arguably my favorite ship from League, but it's mostly the idea of it, with recent executions leaving me feel kinda... meh.

So apart from probably having read every single half decent fic under the Leona/Diana tag on Ao3, I have scourged the internet for their lore and have come across quite a few references of their old one. Never found the complete thing though. And possibly unpopular opinion, I like it better than their current one.

That is not to say that the old lore is any sort of masterpiece, and people could argue that it doesn't set them up to be lovers, but I think with a little bit of tweeking it can become really good. Many of my ideas are inspired from a fic I probably read like 2 years ago, also features an OC named Helena and has a side of Riven's inner struggle, Riven and Diana friendship and Rivelia. (I cannot for the life of me remember the name, I apologise)

My problem with the New Lore mostly, is that it's vanilla for a mountain of warriors and *cultists* it feels almost like High School AU but try to fit it into League, and yeah it's not it for me. Also the co-dependence of their ascension, and just Leona's whole thing kinda sucks. Like I can see how people might see it as romantic and poetic and whatever, that they ascended at the same time and Leona followed Diana up the mountain to keep her safe etc. etc. but that's kinda glossing over some issues especially with Leona's character.

Now the new take on Leona's character is really interesting, and a complete 180 from the old lore and actually the idea isn't so bad, if they ACTUALLY DID ANYTHING WITH IT. Now as a person that definitely doesn't overanalyze literature and fictional characters for fun, Leona's new lore is such an interesting take and could be taken many directions if someone chose to explore it and go a bit deeper that "genocidal close-minded bigot".

At first read Leona is really just that. She does what she is told no hesitation, no questions asked and turns on Diana also no questions asked. But let's take it a bit deeper shall we?

I have no intention to make it as though Leona holds no blame for her actions or that she is a paragon of virtue, cause she is not. But if we dive in her story a bit more we could perhaps understand how she came to be what she is. Because under no circumstance do I think she is that daft. Especially if she was with Diana for years. Some of that curiosity must have rubbed off on her. Then again she could have just ignored everything Diana said about the Moon and her research. I guess we'll never know.

I do not intent to ramble about Leona in this post. But I'll give you some clues as to why her backstory and the whole Targonian premise is important. She is born practically into a cult, or well a religion with really strict and particular disciplines. So already an environment with very particular ideas and particular ways to enforce them. She is the daughter of two really strict and proud parents in said cult, who seem to care more abt her achievements and punishments than anything (Grade A parenting), - She doesn't even send them that letter in the end - and she is the golden child of the Solari. So what do we have in our hands? An affection starved perfectionist suffering from gifted child expectations. NOw take that and put it in the Solari premise of religious fanatism and voila!

(I will probably at some point make a separate post abt this, because I really took a deep dive in Leona's character when writing my Ruination fic - that I wont ever post anywhere probably - and I have a LOT to say)

So in the old Lore the Rakkori are the warriors and defenders of the mountain, a bit heavy on the bloodthirsty side though, hence the right of Kor. A coming of age ritual battle to the death. (What else could it be). Leona being the only one that refuses to kill her opponent and friend, is sentenced to be executed, but before the execution could be carried out, she is claimed by the Golden Sister as the Sun aspect with a beam of golden light.

I feel that Leona's ascension in particular is really important in the old Lore, because in such a warlike culture she was rewarded for showing mercy. She was chosen because she chose mercy over mindless slaughter. Something that could potentially be really important later on, in a mountain where half its indigenous people have slaughtered the other half??

Point 1 I like from the old lore: The Sun chose Leona because she was merciful. (Or had a semblance of a moral compass)

Moving forward the lines kinda blur for Diana, mostly cause I am not sure what I remember is actual lore and what is related to that magnificent fic.

Her curious truth-searching nature is ever present. She discovers hidden texts, burned pages and embarks on a journey of knowledge that leads her to climb the mountain. Only she is in the company of an elderly woman I think? Anyhow, she finds - is lead to - an alcove, an old temple and the relics of the Moon Aspect. Overjoyed at her findings she dons the armor takes it all down to the elders, they call her a heretic, brand her, and intent to kill her, when she begs the Moon for help and ascends. Either her or the moon blast kills every elder in the room she gets blamed either way, and the chase begins.

Diana is at her core an academic and a researcher, that researches. She has her Indiana Jones moment in the mountain and there is a process a ritual to it, instead of I just climbed up saw unimaginable terrors and now I am the aspect of the Moon (over-simplified I know. The climb judges worthiness). There is something about her checking old dusty books, and deciding to brave the climb looking for answers. About her choosing to be helpful -kinda as a mirror to Leona sparing her opponent, Diana, the one that keeps to herself - apart from when arguing abt academics and scriptures consciously engages with and helps a stranger, guiding them up the mountain and helping them along the way when the trip became too arduous.

Point 2 I like from the old lore: The ritual of the process in Diana's research and ascension and the mirroring with Leona, minor though it is, that they ascended - sooner or later - after an act of kindness that contradicted what would have been expected of them.

Point 3 I like from the old lore: The brand. Like it just adds another layer to Diana's character. And is a much better explanation for its presence than Moon magic. Also the amount of complications this act has, its just delicious. I mean THE DRAMA. and ofc THE TRAUMA. I don't think she'd go near a fire for months.

Point 3 I like from the old lore: The independence of the ascensions. It gives us the chance to see them grow and evolve as their own people before the thread of fate that binds them together appears. We get to see one without the other, and that would later make their dynamic more interesting.

But How are Leona and Diana connected?

In the old lore they aren't. I think. Leona is like a blood hound that needs to kill the heretic.

In the fic, Leona's dad was one of the guards in the room when Diana ascended and was killed, which in the context of the story adds a layer of betrayal between them, as up to that point they were lovers. And you know what, I really like that idea. And I was thinking that perhaps we could try to get the best of both worlds. Though it might be difficult to fully develop the idea.

Lore Idea:

So the Rakkor ans the Solari are different factions. Solari = priesthood, Rakkor = Warriors. Leona's family are Rakkori, and they are simple people, her father works as a guard for the Solari Temple, something that is considered a bit of an honor despite that fact that the factions don't rly see eye to eye about everything. Right of Kor happens when they are around 15 (Yes I want to traumatize a bunch of teenagers that train to fight, kill and defend since they could walk) and Leona's story proceeds as we know it. She then gets taken to the Solari temple to be educated in their way and train to become the figurehead of their faith. (Like that Leona has already had the chance to develop some critical thinking, and to experience sth different.)

She gets there and all the acolytes younger and older look at her starry eyed, because the elders told them so and because they see her like a bit of a Messiah. (Plus I doubt a bunch of scrawny academics and priests to be have seen anyone their age with that musculature). All of them apart from Diana, who as always isn't particularly impressed by the paragon in training of the Solari faith.

Leona is relieved to get some normal person treatment, even if it is from the broody girl with her nose in a book half the time, and like the cocky 15year old meathead she is, she wants to show off a bit and perhaps win her favor. Shenanigans ensue and Diana unlike the other people that desperately want to befriend Leona, is not impressed.

Another point of similarity is that Leona - that has ascended already mind you - would have a few questions and oppositions to all that mumbo jumbo the Solari say about the Sun and the Moon. So after she flops exceptionally in one oration or sth class, with saying something positive about the Moon that has the students look at her with horror, and the priest fuming and screaming punishments - light ones, because the Sun chose that clueless miscreant, and he doesn't want to fall out of her favor - Leona manages unknowingly to win inquisitive Diana's intrigue - and favor, (but don't tell anyone about the last part).

A tentative bond forms. It gets solidified when Leona stops a few bullies from beating Diana to a pulp, and the dark haired girl in return helps her pass a class she was having an exceptionally hard time with. Diana - who in my head is a year younger - does eventually get charmed by the surprisingly goofy and sunny disposition of the Sun Aspect in training. (Don't get this wrong Leona will still act like a 15 yo that has had to train and fight every day of her life) Diana asks her countless questions about life outside the temple and they discuss theology together, either trying to help Leona understand, or trying to make sense of Diana's findings. (The Rakkori in my head are far more neutral abt Sun and Moon, more like if there is light and I can see I am happy, whether its the Sun or the Moon. "There was even that one traveler from some big city, Pilt - something was it, that even said that the Sun and Moon are like orbs in the night sky, one is a star rly close to us and the other is like a smaller planet or something, can you imagine?")

The become friends, the Nightless Eve happens, and then they become lovers. Leona starts suffering from all those expectations and the charade she needs to put up, she has more hours with classes and training she gets tutored by the priests, punished more severely when se speaks out of line or says something borderline heretical, yada yada. More people like her and she likes the attention. She doesn't abandon Diana though, and she always defends her. Things get difficult as the years go by but still they persist. (We could include some homophobic sentiment in the Solari, or even sth downright misogynistic, which would add complications with Leona's state as the Radiant Dawn, and the wlw relationships as they would not be seen as real substantial relationships - add asshole trying to flirt with Leona bc her relationship with Diana isn't real cause they are both women- DRAMA)

Leona is 18 passes her final exams, and Diana is 17 when Diana's arc happens. They have a huge fight about faith and contradicting it and if it is worth it. (No one wants to bandage their lover's whipped back that is practically a mosaic of scars at this point, or nurse them to health after sever dehydration - cause yes apparently standing naked in the sun for three days can do that). Diana storms off angrily. Finds an elderly woman in the base of the mountain that needs help going up (Silver sister in disguise). She helps her up, and when they are like 3/4 up and rest cause Diana's everything hurts the woman disappears. She looks around, finds the temple, sees carved proof that the Solari and Lunari co-existed gets the relics and climbs back down excited to show everyone her findings.

Meanwhile Leona has left for an emergency Solari mission or sth, and hasn't told Diana. Diana goes to the priests, they don't believe her, she invokes her right to be judged by the Aspect or sth, the priests pretend that Leona is still around and doesn't want to see or help Diana (Strike 1 of betrayal). Diana feels betrayed and hurt and fears for her life. The priests give the order for her to be branded and executed on the spot. Leona's dad who had been in the room and had met Diana, tries to plead her case from an outsider's perspective. One of the elders reprimands him and threatens him with death.

They brand Diana with the moon Symbol on the forehead, and are about to place her face down in the flames and / or slit her throat, and Iasur can't have her dying thinking that Leona betrayed her (A bit of family honor and afterlife beliefs - honor is a huge deal-, and a bit of a soft spot for his daughter's closest companion). He tries to fight his way to her, and gets killed in the process. Diana witnessing Iasur's murder prays to the moon for help, and seconds before breathing her last breath, she ascends. Pillar of Moonlight and heavenly fire burns everything to a crisp, and Diana remains alone in the middle of the room, barely breathing and clad in the garb of he Moon aspect. She takes one look around her and speeds away from the temple.

Leona returns three days after to find the council and her father dead, the council room in ruins and apparently Diana to blame. On top of that Diana is missing. Leona is presented with the case and believes Diana to be her father's killer. She vows to avenge him and kill the Scorn of the Moon, because her Diana wouldn't do that. It must be the moon spirit. and yes apparently Moon is bad because dad and Diana are gone bc of it. Leona is determined to save her lover from the Moon's clutches and set her free the only way she knows how, with killing her.

And thus their journey begins. Leona becomes more and more of a puppet from here and on driven by anger and betrayal and Diana feels abandoned and betrayed, with nothing left in the world but the glow of the branding mark on her forehead and the knowledge that her lover wanted her dead.

And as for their path to reunite again and achieve peace? Well Leona needs to be merciful, and Diana needs to guide and support someone through the right path.

Thanks for reading this huge ass post. Again MANY credits to that amazing writer on Ao3, if I find that fic I'll put a link here, cause its phenomenal.

Take care and see ya next time!

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gendervapor14 · 2 months

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8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

9. How do you find new fic to read?

10. How do you decide what to write?

(if not answered already), and 37 & 38! Fanfic ask meme❤️

ooh hello!! thank you for these!! i did answer #38, but i'll answer #37 for sure!

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

ooooo as a music nerd i love this question and i apologize for how longwinded my answer is XD i don't do many songfics or much song-related writing [*shoves the title of two fights for freedom under the rug*] but i do have a ton of playlists and songs that make me think of specific characters or fics. to answer this question, i'll just pick one called "Fever Dream" by Dirt Poor Robins. specifically the part starting just after the 4:00 minute mark. the lyrics make me go INSANE with this idea for a dark/horror dq bros fic where doflamingo realizes that corazon is just a false identity and he can't do anything to get his brother back and it drives him even more insane. these lyrics make me crazy Now here comes the liar (lion) Clawing at your door Drunk on the blood of your brother And he's back for more (apparently the lyric is actually "lion" rather than "liar", but i hear "liar" so therefore i declare it is "liar" for the sake of my own brainrot) imagine a fic where rosinante is the one psychologically tormenting doflamingo!! unsure if i'll ever get around to writing it, but it'd probably have a similar vibe to blood gone sour.

9. How do you find new fic to read?

i usually do a nightly prowl under the one piece fandom on ao3 and either filter by most recent fics with rosinante or bell-mere. otherwise i read recs that are bumped on discord servers, or stories friends write! i'm actually terrible at reading tho i don't read nearly enough. when i have free time, i usually use it to create.

10. How do you decide what to write?

excellent question. i make a list of priorities. sometimes it's disorganized lists on my phone, sometimes i use calendars. first and foremost are things with due dates, so zine work, or gifts for exchanges, birthdays or holidays. next i prioritize stories that are works in progress, but already posted on ao3. i hate having incomplete works posted on ao3, so i strive to get them wrapped up asap. then it's a rabid thunderdome of all my other wips and ideas all wrestling for victory for who gets to be created XD i'm constantly bursting with ideas i never get to work on, unfortunately.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

i'm gonna go ahead and promote spitfire and ice because i busted my ass on this for the crackpair event and i was actually really happy with the result? i was assigned makino x kuzan, so i threw bell-mere in there too just to shake things up, and then i fell madly in love with bell-mere x makino and their flirty banter. it captured my heart in a way i was NOT expecting. i guess the tags aren't particularly interesting to most, so it's relatively unknown with only 4 kudos and 31 hits. but look at this!! “Hey, I’ve gotta ask you something.” She leaned over the counter once Makino settled herself and refilled the pitcher for the next round. “Would I still be wanted here…after hours?” With a tight smile, Makino rested her hands over the tabletop. “We’re closed for customers after hours. I need some time to tidy up the place.” “Right, right…” Pretty gray eyes wandered. “But in this situation, I wouldn’t be a customer.” With an amused chuckle, Makino folded her arms over her stomach. “What do you want me to say, Miss Bell-mère? Do you want me to welcome you to my private quarters upstairs?” That exposed chest filled with air. “I wouldn’t be against an invitation.” smh. well, at least i'm proud of it!

ahhh sorry i got so rambly XD i had fun answering these! thank you so much for the questions!! here's the list if anyone else has a question, or wants to reblog it for themselves!

#fanfiction ask game #genwrites #music #donquixote brothers #belle mere #bell mère #bellemere #makino

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msmargaretmurry · 6 months

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writing meme

i was tagged by @postoperation AND @bropunzeling AND @vivathewilddog wow ily friends but calm down (❤❤)

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason.

first fic: the oldest timestamped fic on my ao3 is Golden Boys, a quick little pk subban/john tavares fic from 2012. i want to say it's short and sweet but i honestly haven't read it in ten years, so who knows 😂 there are some bandom fics and a tsn rpf fic on there that are older than that one but i imported them from livejournal in like 2015 and didn't backdate them properly, and i don't feel like figuring out which one is actually the oldest, and also don't want to draw attention to them because woof, that is some old old writing of mine.

last fic: this is for keeps, the one-year anniversary timestamp for head above water ❤ i had actually wanted this to be longer/a richer story but i've been struggling a lot with writing this year and so i just ran out of time and decided short and sweet was better than nothing. i am happy with it, though; i think it hit the most important beats i wanted to hit!

any fic written for a fandom/ship only once: homeland, the mighty ducks adam/charlie fic i wrote for yuletide a couple years ago. i feel like i answered an ask about this one recently so sorry to reiterate but if this hadn't been on a deadline it would have been five times as long and five times as angsty, lol. but also if it hadn't been for yuletide i probably wouldn't have written it at all, so it's all a wash i suppose. despite the deadline of it all though i enjoyed writing this one and think there are some really lovely bits of writing in it.

favorite fic in the fandom with the most works: this is one direction, which i wrote exactly one fic for, so i guess it's my favorite by default: the very best of, which i wrote in the complete haze of peak pandemic quarantine and now feels like a total fever dream. but it was fun! i love the bits of fake journalism and fake songwriting i did for it.

a fic you wish more people had read: come and make the hymns of you, which i can't really complain about fewer people reading because it is a fic for a relatively small fandom written twenty years after the thing came out and about a decade after that fandom's fic-writing peak. i'm really proud of it, though! i think it's one of the best things i've written! it was really fun getting to write in a style that i don't usually get to use for present-day rpf stories, and i love the character voice i developed for webster.

the fic you agonized over the most: i agonized a LOT over HAW, but i think that the land between our bodies still wins here. writing that fic was truly like pulling teeth. like i am very glad i finished it for the exchange and also i'm very glad people enjoyed it — tbh people enjoying it is the only reason i have any fondness for it 😅 — but from a personal standpoint i don't know if i'll ever get over how shitty i felt while writing it to properly enjoy it for myself. but maybe i will! i certainly hope so!

fic that sprang fully formed from my mind: The Next Next One, for sure. what a fun and fulfilling writing process that was. i mean, it's a long fic, so there were definitely parts that were a little tougher to get through than others, but overall it was such a smooth creative process. all of the plot pieces just fell into place. huge shoutout to @postoperation and @moregraceful for being my very encouraging captive audience as i word-vomited it into emails until i got the whole story out ❤

a work you are proud of: okay okay yes fine it's head above water ❤❤ i was actually super unsure about it when i posted it, but after taking some time to let it breathe (and to talk with so many of you all about it) i did end up really proud of it, and i've had such a good time continuing to play in that universe 💞

i am tagging (and attempting to tag folks i haven't seen tagged 😂): @irrelevanttous @grittyreadsfic @loveisworry @the-ships-to-rule-them-all @lilcrickee if you want to! no pressure!

#ask #my fic

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crystalcanis · 4 months

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Teaser for 2024!! Chapter 1 might have ended but the horrors continue.

Where to read my comic! LINK (coming to tumblr sometime this year hopefully)

I'm going to put some personal thoughts regarding chapter 1 below, it's there if you want context on how I see this story, but it can be ignored if you don't want to read a wall of text! I hope the teaser looks nice and spikes interest! I think this next chapter is going to be a fun one.

Arc 1 Chapter 1 was written when I was still in highschool, I have graduated college by now :' ) So needless to say, I am very excited to be jumping into the second arc of this story and be done and over with the stuff my teenage self wrote.

I scripted Arc 2 Chapter 2 relatively recently (almost done scripting Arc 2 Chapter 3 too), so it has my current writing style and pacing! I'm really proud of it personally, I think its fun but I guess there is that underlying fear of people maybe not liking my current approach to the characters. Specially because I know this comic seems to be the favorite amongst my current two because of how long it's been around! Even if I made little edits on the way, Chapter 1 was basically the same script my teenage self wrote... I had to follow the planned pacing and events, and oh gosh there are so many scenes I would write differently (all the ones before we meet Noriel, basically.)

My biggest personal complain with chapter 1 is that I don't think I was clear enough with the theme of the story nor did I give it much justice : ( and that in part goes with my younger self just, not having enough experience writing heavier topics at the time. This story is based on my personal experiences with xenophobia, it's about xenophobia, back when I scripted chapter 1 I knew how it FELT like, but now as an adult I have been able to go deeper and analize why I feel that way, why people treat me the way they do, and much more that I plan to properly explore going forward. This doesn't mean that other people connecting with this story through other forms of bigotry like racism, transphobia, homophobia etc is wrong, though! I have seen your explanations for why and it's sooo so fair, I don't mind this story reasonating with how general bigotry feels like at all, intersectionality is a thing for a reason. But I wish to explore xenophobia as it was intended :]! It's personal to me. And the world of Ales is so HUGE! Chapter 1 did not give the worldbuilding justice either! There is so much to explore and I'm excited! I can't believe my younger self wanted to end the story here, man. Insane.

The only thing that's closest to my current writing style in chapter 1 is actually the flashback with Noriel and Kana we saw this year! That wasn't part of the original script, and I added it in preemptively, knowing I would need it for context in the new chapters but that I wouldnt have space for it later, it needed to happen Now or never. So I guess that's a good reference for what to expect! But fear not, just because chapter 2 and onward is technically an updated approach to things, that doesn't mean what happened in chapter 1 wont affect anything! Quite the contrary oh boy! What happened in chapter 1 is a big catalyst for so many things that happen in this story, and why Noriel and Kana act the way they do. I think it's going to be great and I can't wait to share it, I just hope other people like it as much as I do!

#canisart #wings ioa #kana #[spoiler character]#webcomic #oc #art #comic teaser #original character #original comic #original story #angel oc #devil oc #human oc #humanoid oc #I am soooo so excited for HER

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genevievemd · 1 year

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What was Ethan’s reaction to the very first spicy/suggestive picture he received from your MC? Was it early in their relationship or did it take them time? What picture was? Do you think he used to receive pictures like that from previous partners? I mean he “hates texting” but…

Kicking it Up a Notch (NS*FW)

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Genevieve McClure) Format: Texts Rating: M Category: fluff, smut Trope(s): and one of them uses social media

Summary: the first time Genevieve sends Ethan a spicy photo, and things go from hot to hotter,

Warnings: adult activites mentioned, suggestive themes, NSFW

A/N: The answers to anon’s questions are below the edits.

What was Ethan’s reaction to the very first spicy/suggestive picture he received from your MC?

See above lol He was shooketh. Not something he ever expected from Genevieve.

Was it early in their relationship or did it take them time? What picture was?

It was about 6 months into them officially dating. So, December of 2020. While they had been sleeping together for almost a year at this point, they’d only been really and officially dating for 6 months and that distinction was what helped Gen feel confident to send it.

This is also after she’d finally told Ethan about Ryan, and her past trauma from and with him. And how it changed her relationship with sex, it’s not something casual for her and takes a lot of trust for her to go there with someone. So, again while they’d been sleeping together for a year, it was only in recent months that she felt like she could 100% trust Ethan and that his feelings for her were real. And with that trust and security came an awakening for her. She wanted sex more, she felt confident with it and was more open to new things. (New to her, but in term of the nsfw realm they were relatively normal and not that exciting of things.)

Now she could felt like she wanted and could send him photos and articulate her desires and horny thoughts more.

In comparison to what she sends him not, a photo of her in the tub was pretty pg, but at the time, it was a very big step.

One that even Ethan knew took a lot for her to do. He was both proud and extremely turned on.

Do you think he used to receive pictures like that from previous partners? I mean he “hates texting” but…

I think so. He’s an elder millennial, so he really did grow up with technology advances. There’s no way he wasn’t part of the first wave of sexting and nudes. I HC he got them from a few of his past girlfriends (not Harper tho) and ONS, he also had a collection of printed out photos stashed away that they’d given him. (He never looked at them, mind you, but he kept them because he didn’t feel right throwing those kinds of photos away)

So, he wasn’t new to spicy texts, but I do think he didn’t like them all that much. I picture him getting one and then immediately calling the GF at the time, instead of continuing the texts.

Until his wife, of course. ‘

A/N: Thank you for these questions, nonny!

Gonna reblog with the tag list because why the f not? Right?

#ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #open heart #ns*fw #ethan x gen #text fic #asked and answered #anonymous

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ijwrsmff · 10 months

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An Outing With The Kids (Klee, Says, Diona, and Qiqi with a Platonic! Parent-Like Reader)

This. This is so cute. I am super proud of this piece. It’s also 3 times longer than what I usually write XD the idea just took me away. So here it is!! The long awaited platonic-parent story.

Sayu was visiting Mondstat, for the first time in a long time. She was perhaps too young the first time, because it didn’t seem like she remembered much of anything. You had talked to the priestess in Inazuma, and she entrusted you with keeping her safe while here. You had no problem with this whatsoever, you loved the little girl. She could be very sweet. A little mischievous sometimes, but sweet regardless.

She wanted to see anything and everything. It was fun that all of the regions in Teyvat could be so similar, but so different. Mondstat was a far cry from Inazuma, and Liyue was different in its own right as well. Sumeru was gorgeous, but it was much easier to get straight up lost. Without knowledge of the region, you could be walking for hours with no idea where you were. So in that way, you were thankful Sayu wanted to visit Mondstat. Now rather she really wanted to see it, or just wanted to see you, was up in the air.

“I wanna see…the Knight’s place.” She said, swinging her arms as she walked next to you. It was so cute to see, she acted very mature sometimes, but you knew she just wanted to be a little kid. Who were you to stop her?

“Oh! The Knights of Favonius headquarters? I can take you there! You might like Jean, but she can be pretty busy.” You headed in that direction, making sure she was right by your side, and continued. “She has an anemo vision as well!” You smiled at her, seeing the smile on her face as well.

She seemed even more excited than before, and you found yourself letting out a small laugh under your breath. “I can’t promise we can talk to her for long, but I think it would be nice for you to see her. I’d like to see her too, it’s been a while.” You stated, wondering just how long it had been since you’d seen the acting grandmaster herself. You had been traveling so much recently, so it had to have been a hot minute.

It didn’t take long to arrive, since most of the main city of Mondstat was relatively close together. Sayu seemed like she was bouncing in place, excited to meet the person you’d told her about. Walking in the door, that excitement only doubled. You heard a voice you recognized, and knocked on the door and confirmed that feeling.

“Y/N!” Klee yelled, and ran up and hugged you. “I missed you!” She looked up at you with puppy eyes, and you raised an eyebrow, placing a finger to your head, looking deep in thought.

“Now…did I miss Klee?” It was teasing and she knew it, but her eyes watered anyway, and you remedied the situation by picking her up, hugging her close. “I sure did! I missed Klee too!” You gave her a little spin in the air, and she giggled happily.

You realized where you were once more, at the clearing on Jean’s throat. However she didn’t seem upset in the slightest. She loved to see how good your relationship with the kids in town was. If you thought she was upset before, seeing that big smile on her face made you think differently.

“Oh?” Jean said, “Who’s this?” She leaned down a bit and looked at Sayu. Jean was also fantastic with kids, but more so when she wasn’t working. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Jean, the acting grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius.”

Sayu just hid behind you, clinging to the back of your shirt and peeking out around your side. With how much excitement she had before, it certainly disappeared seeing her in person now. She could be a very shy child, and she was very far from home which probably didn’t help.

Jean respected that Sayu was nervous, and changed topics. “As for the matter at hand…Klee has been saying she wants to see the play in Liyue. I don’t know how she heard about it, but she’s been trying to go there for some time now.” She sighed, “I wanted to find someone to escort her, so you came at the perfect time. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to take her there.”

Klee hugged you even closer, wrapping her arms around you. “Please, please PLEEEEEEEASE TAKE ME TO SEE YUN JIN IN HER PLAY THING!” She pulled back only to look at you closely, with those adoring puppy dog eyes she knew always worked on you.

You smiled at her, and looked over to Sayu, “Well. It’s up to her. She’s my guest right now.” It was hard to see Sayu past Klee, who was clinging to you as if you’d ever drop her…

“Play…sounds nice.” And she hid fully behind you once more. “We have plays in Inazuma…I wanna see other place’s plays.” It was almost a whisper, but you heard her clearly. It brought a smile to your face, as Klee cheered in excitement.

You didn’t make it past the Cat’s Tail, when Diona came running up. “What are we doing today? Going somewhere without me?” And she pouted. But the pout quickly turned into a smile, seeing Klee and Sayu now holding hands. Supposedly so one didn’t get lost.

“We’re heading to Liyue,” You started, “We’re going to explore and see the town. Maybe watch a play while we’re there.” Her eyes quickly turned to stars, if it were even possible, “You’re more than welcome to come if it’s alright with these two!”

You looked back to see them share a serious glance, before looking at Diona and nodding. It made all three even more excited, and they smiled at each other. Adding another one of the kids to your journey. It would be nice, no responsibilities for a while, allowing the kids to just be…kids.

The journey was long, and all the way from Mondstat to Liyue was filled with conversation, each child growing close to the other. It warmed your heart, and you loved it to the core, that they trusted you enough to take care of them. You always would, even if you were apart for a while. They may as well be yours at this point. You considered them as if they were adopted kids. And seeing them get along? It was a truly peaceful moment.

You reached Liyue after a while, and Klee almost ran off, but Sayu pulled her back. They looked in awe at everything, and their eyes shone bright with excitement at the new area. Something told you that after this…they might all be begging you to bring them back there. But it brought another question to mind, while you were here with these kids.

What was Qiqi doing? While she may be older than those kids in some ways, it made you wonder how long it had been since she’s played with other kids. Making up your mind, you said “Let’s head to the pharmacy! I have someone I want you three to meet!” And you smiled, as they followed you to your destination.

Before you knew it, you were there. The kids looked around, and you leaned over the counter, knowing Qiqi was usually behind there. She was just so small. Hard to see if you didn’t know. But you were used to it by now. “Qiqi?”

Confirming your assumption, you saw the little head with purple hair lean up to see you. She gave the smallest of smiles, which you were used to. “Y/n?” She said in her usual soft voice.

You turned to see the other three girls, who all practically jumped on the counter to see who you were referring to. Qiqi looked a bit surprised, and the other three looked intrigued. “Girls, this is Qiqi! Qiqi,” You pointed to each girl as you said their names, “Klee, Diona, and Sayu!”

Before Qiqi could say anything back, Klee’s stomach rumbled. She looked surprised by the noise, and then feigned, falling towards you. She looked up, and had those…same…little pleading eyes. “Y/n…I want ice cream.”

It was a silly response, and you muttered, “I don’t think that will fill you up…” And you sweat dropped a bit. You patted her head, and pondered. There were many good places to eat while you were in Liyue. You were thinking of the places when you heard Qiqi’s quiet voice.

“Ice cream…Qiqi’s never had ice cream.” Now it was your turn to be surprised. She had plenty of opportunities, there were often ice cream sellers in most regions. Especially restaurants. You had to wonder…why Baizhu never got her any.

The three girls made noises of shock, and Klee jumped up on the counter. At least…as best she could. She was trying desperately to hold herself on it. Legs kicking and dangling bellow, and arms pulling all of the weight they could so she could look at Qiqi. “We’ll get you ice cream. Promise!”

Diona put her hands on her hips, “But if she hasn’t had it before…” She placed her hand to the side of her head for dramatic effect, “How will we know which flavor to get?” She tilted her head and looked at Qiqi, “Is there anything you DON’T like?”

Klee let herself fall back to the ground, and grabbed your hand, looking at Sayu and Diona, before signaling them to follow. “I got a plan!” She dragged you off, and Sayu plus Diona followed right behind, leaving a very confused Qiqi in the dust.

Klee got down the steps from the pharmacy, and stopped. “I…don’t know where to get ice cream.” She looked down at the ground and kicked a couple times. She did that a lot, and it was always cute.

The response and action made you let out a louder laugh. “Oh hun…this way.” You had to wipe a tear from your eye, you laughed so hard. The fact she was so willing and compassionate for wanting to do something as simple as get a stranger ice cream…it was so kind. So mature. Kind of. She could be mature. When she wanted to be.

You led the girls to the ice cream stand. The man smiled at you, and gave a general price range for the ice creams. Nodding, you showed the girls they could get whatever they wanted.

Klee answers first, with a “COTTON CANDY AND GUMMY BEARS AND WORMS AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS!” To which it seemed everyone stared in shock briefly before smiling. Mature? Maybe sometimes. But not right now. Right now, she was just your average little girl with way too big of a sweet tooth.

“Just…don’t tell your brother I let you have that.” She nodded in response, but you knew she wasn’t going to tell him. You and her knew how to keep secrets. But…even so…he always seemed to know something was off. Most he did was sigh, but you were more inclined to not risk anything with him.

Sayu was next, not even looking at the menu and arrangement of different flavors of ice cream. “Mint chocolate chip…please.” She looked away from the man, and he nodded, not that she saw it. Back to shy-Sayu.

Diona’s was quick and easy, just vanilla. Then the real problem arose. “What flavor should we get Qiqi?” You asked, letting the girls decide. That was apparently the wrong decision…or so says your wallet.

Klee looked very determined, and somewhat serious when she said “One of each.” And held out her hand, determined to give him YOUR money, herself. “P-Please!” At least she was being polite. Somewhat.

“Klee…there’s 10 flavors. We can’t carry all that.” You tried to reason, but she only thought for a brief moment before responding. Ah, what it was to have children. They may not be your own, but you were proud of them anyway. However you did have to try and use logic with them.

“Easy! One of each! But two scoops on each one.” She crossed her arms as he made her ice cream, and you could see the man fighting a laugh. “Wait…” She counted everyone’s hands. “We’re one hand short…” She pointed back at the ice cream, as if she just solved world hunger, “Easy again! We let Qiqi try Diona’s vanilla ice cream so she can try every flavor.”

“HEY!” She yelled, “Why does it have to be my ice cream?” She took the ice cream from the man with a small “thank you” before turning back to Klee, hiding the ice cream behind her hand, despite everyone knowing she had it.

In the background, the man continued to make ice cream. It was his job, but he was trying so…so hard not to laugh. Even more so when he saw your exasperated face. “Klee…Qiqi can try my ice cream. It’s okay.” You turned to the main with an apologetic expression. “One of each…five on each scoop. All…all different ones.”

Klee ignored everything for a moment, enjoying her ice cream. At this rate, it would be gone before the man even finished making all of your ice cream. “Klee! Be careful you’ll get brain freeze!” You held your 4 scoops of ice cream in the cones, and had the girls grab the extra ones. “Now come on! We gotta see Qiqi before all this ice cream melts!” You smiled, having handed the man money a long time ago.

The girls let out some cheers, and you all ran to the pharmacy. Luckily it was a cooler day, and it was pretty close. Baizhu was there when you arrived, and he looked confused at all of the children with ice cream…and you…also with ice cream. “Well now, what do we have here?” He chuckled.

“Qiqi’s never had ice cream before!” Diona stated. She walked over to the counter and peeked her head around. “Are you gonna work all day?” She raised an eyebrow, and reached the ice cream out for Qiqi.

Qiqi looked to Baizhu, and he smiled, patting her head. “Go on. Take the rest of the day off. Hang out, make friends. Just be careful.” He winked, and moved to stand behind the counter, taking over the role from Qiqi.

You didn’t have to ask her twice. She ran excitedly around the counter and gestured for you all to follow her out of the shop, before Baizhu changed his mind. “Sit?” She asked, not always one for many words.

You thought for a second, and smiled. “I know just the place.” It would be perfect. To your knowledge, none of the girls had ever gone there. Not even Qiqi, who lives here. There really was no better place.

You had to pull a few strings, but you were here. The look on the girl’s faces was more than worth it when they got the perfect view of all of Liyue. Upon the edge of the Jade Chamber. It was a mixture of intrigue and awe on their faces. Qiqi knew of the Jade Chamber, but she had never been there. How could she? Working for Baizhu and rarely doing much outside of that didn’t leave much room for something like that.

The other three were beaming, as you all ate your ice cream together, even if a good bit of it had melted down your arms. There was but a moment of silence, before there were cries of joy as well as random banter. They fought over which ice cream flavor they’d bet Qiqi liked most. Before long, she had tried each and every one of them.

“So Qiqi…what’s the verdict?” You asked, looking at her primarily but seeing the other three waiting in anticipation in the background. She had tried them all, and looked deep in thought. It took her several moments to speak on her decision as she made up her mind.

“I like…all of them.” The three girls looked shocked, and you couldn’t help but laugh. Klee, Sayu, and Diona all burst into arguments. Sayu mostly stayed quiet, and Klee looked distressed as Diona all but screamed her protest.

“Come on! You have to pick a favorite! We all have one!” She groaned, and you could see the irritation clearly on her face. For some reason, she was taking this very…very seriously. What did you expect? She was still a child. However her look of irritation scared Klee and Sayu, while Qiqi seemed unfazed by it.

Qiqi tilted her head ever so slightly, “Um…then…my favorite…is vanilla.” Her face didn’t give anything away to the girls who didn’t know her well. But you? You knew. She picked that because Diona asked. It made you laugh a little bit, but you tried to hold it in. She didn’t want a confrontation, and she probably saw Diona as more of a threat considering the other two were much more tame.

Diona hopped up, and dropped her ice cream over the edge. She didn’t seem to care all that much. “See! I knew it!” She plopped back down next to Qiqi and put an arm around her shoulder. Qiqi leaned away slightly, but otherwise didn’t protest. “You have good taste! The best if I do say so myself!” She put a hand over her heart and had that glimmer in her eye.

The laughter you were holding in? Yeah. You couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was seemingly sudden, and it caused some of the people working at the Jade Chamber to look at you oddly. The girls looked equally surprised, and found themselves laughing with you after a moment.

Klee jumped up after your bouts of laughter, and looked mortified. “Y/N!” She yelled. “I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THANK YOU! THANK YOU FOR THE ICE CREAM AND TAKING US HERE!” She was being loud again, but this time the workers smiled and continued on.

Sayu chimed in next, “Yeah…thank you.” She cuddled closer to your side. “And…I love you.” It was almost hard for her to say, but it meant the world and more to you. She hid her face in your side, and curled up on your lap as she usually did in moments like this. She’d fall asleep sooner rather than later, lying there.

This caused Klee to jump up again and scream that she loved you, going to your side and pulling you into a hug. She was much more affectionate than any of the others, not caring as much of what people think of her. She giggled and smiled, resting a head on your arm, not quite tall enough to reach your shoulder itself.

Diona scoffed, and smirked at you. “I suppose you’ve earned my love.” And she went to your side, not being as affectionate. She sat, and leaned her arm against yours. It was small…to some. But bigger than you could say. It wasn’t often she’d be so openly “lovey-dovey” with you. But perhaps she was feeling slightly jealous of the attention the other girls gave.

Qiqi looked to the ground, and whispered just loud enough for you to hear. “Love…do I…love? Can I love?” She looked at you, then at the girls around you. “Maybe…” She whispered, moving behind you. She clearly didn’t know what she was doing, but she patted your head a couple times. Then decided to do something you didn’t expect from her.

She leaned forward, and rested her head on top of yours, placing her arms around you. “I…I think I love you.” She let a tear or two slip, now realizing she could do things others did. She could be a child, she could express love. She could find brief moments…of happiness. And above all, she could love.

You loved all of them dearly. This moment meant so much to you, to bring the girls you considered daughters together. Make an odd little family. Each girl was unique, and so unlike each other. What did you do to deserve all their love?

Rather you felt you earned it or not, you whispered back an “I love you too.” You knew…you would do anything for these girls. You had known for a long time. That you wanted to see them grow up. Be a part of their lives. And protect them from anything that came their way. You hoped they knew that too, and valued your love as your valued theirs. Things…were going to be okay, you thought as you looked up to the clouds in the sky. Yeah…things were going to be just fine.

#platonic! reader and Klee #platonic! reader and Diona #platonic! reader and sayu #platonic! reader and qiqi #genshin klee #genshin sayu #genshin qiqi #genshin diona #platonic relationships #x reader #/reader #gn reader #I don't even think there's a swear word this time

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theoddcatlady · 4 months

Text

Problem Child

TW: Child Abuse

As a social worker, you’re bound to come across some really messed up stuff. I’ve been at this job for nearly twelve years and I’ve seen everything. Joel was raised in a kennel with a dog, he were so small I thought he was two years younger than he really was. Andrea went into a doctor’s appointment only for the doc to find out the kid had contracted chlamydia. Sophia who had been tied to a bed and beaten to ‘get the devils’ out of her. Fynn had been choked for enough time by his stepdad to have permanent brain damage.

But all of those kids have homes now. They were adopted by loving families. I send them cards on their birthdays. Joel is obsessed with Disney and went to Florida with his mom during summer vacation. Andrea now speaks regularly at sexual abuse seminars and helps other victims come forward about what they went through. Sophia wants to be an astronaut, Fynn is beating the odds and making us all proud with all he’s accomplishing.

I can’t say the same for Bonnie.

Bonnie only crossed my desk recently, her original caseworker had retired and no one else wanted to do checks on her. I couldn’t imagine why until she was sent back into the system. That’s when I cracked open that file and gave it a long read.

No one knows where Bonnie came from. They found her in the backseat of a car that had been in an accident, the driver appeared to have suddenly swerved and ran into a tree. It killed him instantly. However, when the driver was ID’d, he didn’t have children that age. The girl wasn’t one of his relatives, and she was found in a worn out carseat that had the name ‘Bonnie’ scrawled on it in black crayon.

As much as it irks me to say this, she was the perfect case for an easy adoption. Blue eyes, blonde hair, six months old and perfectly healthy. Exactly the kind of child that anyone would want. It’s no surprise to me that a lovely young couple brought her into their home within a week. I even found a newspaper clipping announcing that the Johnson’s family has grown by one. Cheesy, but cute.

But not even three weeks later and Bonnie was sent right back into the system, with no explanation other than ‘she’s a handful’. I did some digging and it does seem that the perfect Johnson couple were not nearly so perfect. A well check revealed that the garbage can was filled to the brim with wine bottles and Mr. Johnson had been fired from his workplace for embezzlement.

I actually looked them up to scrape up that last fact, I had gotten far too curious.

The next couple seems to be an even better fit, the Morrisons. They’d already adopted three year old Lily the year prior and they were excited to grow their family again. Mrs. Morrison was a teacher, Mr. Morrison was an accountant. Lily was a happy, healthy girl.

Well, she was.

Two weeks after Bonnie joined their perfect family, Lily was diagnosed with leukemia. This was out of nowhere. It worked fast. Before the year was out the family had shrunk, and the Morrison family had to buy a coffin that should never have to be made so small.

Everything fell apart after this. Mrs. Morrison started having an affair with one of her students, Mr. Morrison came home to them in bed and in a rage he shot them both. The teenage boy didn’t survive but Mrs. Morrison did, although she’d never be able to walk again. During the trial it came out that Mrs. Morrison felt like she was no longer in control of her actions, she claimed she was sleepwalking when she seduced her student and brought him into her bed. Funny part is, Mr. Morrison said he had no idea where he even got that gun- he didn’t own one, and it wasn’t registered to him either.

Obviously, little Bonnie had to be sent back into the system while her parents were sent to prison for statutory rape and murder.

I wish I could say it got easier for her from here… but it didn’t. Not at all. It got worse even. Not every house was as perfect as the Morrisons could’ve been. There are so many ‘parents’ out there that are in it for the paycheck. Frankly, they got what they deserved when Bonnie entered their house.

I was on the computer all night to see the path of destruction that laid in Bonnie’s wake. Housefires. Unexpected deaths, some explained, some not. Illness. Erratic and violent behavior. The most saintly of people became depraved maniacs, devolving into sexual deviants that sold their kids to sickos and downloaded terabytes upon terabytes of illegal porn. Big brothers began gutting cats and big sisters were found with their wrists slit in the bathtub. Parents threw children out the window on the second floor. Jobs were lost. Homes destroyed.

And the only thing in common with each and every one was Bonnie.

The last house probably had it the worst, the Raders. This poor couple hadn’t a damn clue what they were getting into when they adopted Bonnie, they’d already adopted three other ‘problem’ children who came from abusive pasts so they probably thought that Bonnie would be nothing new. Nothing unexpected.

Mr. Rader went into work last week and killed nearly every one of his coworkers with a shot gun. No one was spared and it ended only when he turned the gun on himself. The only survivor had managed to hide herself in the closet and she said that he didn’t say a word until everyone else was dead. Then she heard him start to scream uncontrollably, the screaming grew louder and louder until it was cut off by the final shot.

I can’t say the rest of the family had it easy. On the same day, Mrs. Rader drowned the youngest child in the bathtub, while the older children ran down the streets, naked and wailing. They finally managed to flag down a neighbor and told her, and I quote, ‘Mom’s gone crazy, she’s going to kill us all just because of Bonnie!’

When the police finally got home, Mrs. Rader had hung herself off the shower rod while Bonnie was busy drawing flowers in the basement. It was like she didn’t even know what was going on upstairs.

I’ve seen a lot of children, many who might be concerned ‘problems’. But Bonnie takes the cake. This child is a jinx in human form and I have no idea why.

So this is why I’ve agreed to foster Bonnie. I cannot let this child go into another home knowing what I do now.

Bonnie is one of the most beautiful children I’ve ever seen, dark golden curls and those wide eyes are such a bright blue they make the sky seem drab. She’s quiet, always says please and thank you, and I’ve yet to see any typical trouble making behavior- stealing, hoarding, lying, destroying.

I questioned her about all her previous homes, how her entire life she’s never spent more than seven months in a house. At the time we were enjoying dinner, and Bonnie looked up from her mac n’ cheese to ask for some applesauce. When I poured her some applesauce in a bowl, she took it and then she started talking.

“I’m a very bad thing. I can’t do good things, no matter how hard I try, and everyone around me gets hurt because of it. I’m sorry, I’ll try to do better this time.”

I pity this child. I don’t know if I trust her, but I do pity her. I only hope I can avoid the fate of Bonnie’s other families.

#my stories

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