#I kind of wanted to go with the pink peony from the finale

[soopersara]

I've been fighting with the colors on this thing off and on for MONTHS now. I'm still not entirely convinced by how it turned out, but this is as good as it's gonna get for now.

Definitely proud of how that lily came out, though!

#zutara #zutara fanart #soopersara's scribbles #TBH I wasn't sure what type of flower I wanted Zuko to put in Katara's hair for a long time #I kind of wanted to go with the pink peony from the finale #but then I realized that I actually had to DRAW a flower #and lilies are easier #like A LOT easier #and I have been too damn lazy to set up my drawing tablet #(I did the whole painting with my mouse) #so I needed the easiest flower I could find

[writeroutoftime]

a secret language

pairing: 1940s!bucky barnes x fem!reader

summary: flower shop au - when bucky stumbles across your little flower shop, you're enamored. too bad he keeps coming in to buy flowers for his mystery women (using the prompts "you aren't over her, are you?/not even close")

warnings: none, just tooth-rotting fluff :)

words: 2k

a/n: a very very late entry for @ghostofskywalker's writing challenge from last year lol. when I saw the prompts for this challenge this was the first thought that came to mind. but life and writer's block gets in the way. now I know it’s not actually going on anymore but I just wanted to get this out, better late than never right? plus, I'm so excited for my first flower shop au! please enjoy!!

oOoOo

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of New York City was a cozy flower shop, hidden in plain sight on the streets of Brooklyn. Most New Yorkers buzzed past the faded, yellow building without a second glance, too caught up in their own mind to notice. Those who did take the time to venture in, however, found a beautiful secret garden in the heart of a concrete city. A warm and cozy oasis for those that crossed the threshold. Who would have thought your life would have changed so drastically with one fateful customer?

oOoOo

The bell above the door jingled merrily followed by the thud of hurried footsteps. "I'll be with you in just a moment." you shouted over your shoulder, placing the finishing touches on the bouquet in front of you.

Finally satisfied, you turned to face your newest customer and found your breath drawn from your body. The slight crack of electricity in the air didn’t escape your notice. Shiny blue eyes met your own and a lopsided smile graced your sight. In that moment, you were thankful for the counter between you to hide the slight shake of your knees. You quickly gathered your bearings and wiped your hands against your apron, offering a soft smile to the man in front of you.

“Hello. How may I help you today?”

“Hi, doll.” he spoke as his foot bounced nervously against the tiled floor. "I'm, uh, looking for some flowers for my Ma. You see it's her birthday today and I, uh, kinda -"

"Forgot?" you filled in, hiding your smile as best as you could. The man in front of you hung his head sheepishly at your words but nodded his head. "Well, you've come to the right place." you gestured to the bouquets of flowers around the shop. "What kind of flowers does your mother like?"

The man’s brows furrowed, and his mouth opened like he was going to say something, but simply grasped for straws instead. "The...pink ones?"

It was at that moment you couldn’t help but burst out laughing, despite your best efforts at professionalism. “What?” the man asked, flushing slightly, though he laughed along with you.

“I’m sorry, but the pink ones? I’ll take it you don’t know much about flowers, do you?” you asked.

“You caught me, doll.” he smirked. “Mind helpin’ a fella out?” he asked, flashing you another charming grin.

Holding up one finger, you turned your back once more and began to create a simple, yet beautiful bouquet. Buzzing around your shop you grabbed some orchids, a few peonies, tied together with a touch of baby’s breath. Gently wrapping the flowers in brown paper, you smiled proudly at your creation before turning back to the eagerly waiting man.

“Violia!” you presented, holding out the bouquet, waiting to see his reaction.

The man took the bouquet carefully from your hands and looked at you with a dazzling smile. “These are just wonderful. Much better than the “pink ones” I suggested.”

“You’ve got orchids for love, peonies for honor, and some baby’s breath to tie it all together.” you explained, pointing out each flower as you went.

“Well, I’ll be. I had no idea that flowers could have so much meaning, but I’m glad I had such a pretty teacher to introduce me.” he flirted. “How much for the bouquet?”

Though he seemed to be like a heartbreaker, there was something about his tone that seemed rather genuine, you named your price. “Discounted for a first-time costumer, in exchange for your name, of course.” you giggled.

Rather taken aback by your charm, the stranger answered. “James, but most people call me Bucky. And you are?”

“y/n.” you answered softly, silently repeating his name over and over in your head.  

Grinning like the Chesire Cat, Bucky took hold of his bouquet, offered you a wink, and headed out the door, throwing a “See ya, ‘round, y/n.” over his shoulder.

You decided you quite liked the way your name sounded on his lips.

The next day proved to be rather quiet, only the occasional customer every few hours. Broom in hand, you spent some time tidying up the shop when Bucky burst through your door, a grateful smile on his face. “Hey there, doll. Just wanted to say that my Ma loved the flowers, so thank you again for saving me.”

Bashfully, you looked at the floor then up at Bucky. “Well, it’s my job and my pleasure. Glad I could help bring your mother some joy on her special day.”

There was a small silence that followed as Bucky took in your shop and all the flowers that sprouted from every corner. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, looked rather disappointed, and tried again. “So, uh, you mentioned all these flowers having meaning. What would you recommend getting a gal you’re trying to impress?” he asked, and your heart fell to the floor.

Of course, this handsome stranger would already have his eyes on someone. They were probably sweet and lovely and knew how to flirt with handsome men. As best you could, you swallowed the hurt and pushed forward. “Well, you could go with roses, but that’s a bit cliché and you may be coming on too strong. You could also go with sunflowers for loyalty.” you suggested.

“Then I’ll have one of your finest sunflowers.” Bucky decided, leaning against the counter with a smile as he watched you flitter about the shop preparing his order. “Thanks, doll.” he said when you handed him the flower.

As he turned to walk out the door, you watched Bucky pause for a moment as though he was thinking, but ultimately kept going. Leaving you only with the jingle of the bell and the ache of your heart.

oOoOo

This was a pattern that continued for the next few weeks. Every Thursday during lunch, you looked forward to seeing Bucky walk through your shop doors with that same cocky grin. The two of you settled into a routine that consisted of him greeting you sweetly before asking for yet another flower recommendation for Bucky’s mysterious girl.

Each week you couldn’t believe this girl had yet to accept Bucky’s advances. Was she blind or something? And you weren’t just talking about her looks. Over the weeks, you also got to know about Bucky bit by bit. You learned about his family and Steve. About his hopes, his dreams, and you knew deep down he truly was a wonderful person. And because of that, you wanted the best for him and continued to offer your suggestions.

You gave him daises for new beginnings.

Lilacs for youth.

Lilies for admiration.

Carnations for devotion.  

The only flower Bucky had yet to get for this girl was roses. He told you he was waiting until he knew she would return his affection.

Each and every time, you sighed wistfully as Bucky left with his flowers, wishing you could be the one of the receiving end. Sure, you spent your entire day around flowers, but there was something so much more powerful about being gifted them by someone who cared about you.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that everything fell into place. Lunch on Thursday came and went without Bucky gracing your shop with his presence. You tried to mask your hurt by throwing yourself into work, but you still worried and hoped he was okay. Finally, as the day was coming to an end, you heard the jingle of bells.

“Sorry I’m late, doll.” Bucky’s voice called out. “I know you’re about to close, but I was hoping you could help me out.”

Knowing you couldn’t deny him, you nodded gently and waited for his request.

“I think I’m ready to finally get those red roses.” he explained, his confidence growing.

It was like the words pierced your heart. His mystery girl must finally be ready to accept Bucky’s affection – took her long enough. Wordlessly, you forced a smile and began to gather a few red roses to make a bouquet. As much as you wished you to keep your mouth shut, curiosity got the best of you.

“So, who’s the lucky girl you keep buying flowers for?” you finally asked, not sure if your heart could take the answer. In all the weeks Bucky had come to your shop, you avoided asking about this girl, but you just needed to know.

Bucky smiled bashfully, running a hand through his hair. “She’s something special. She’s incredibly beautiful and wickedly smart. She runs her own place and is always willing to go the extra mile to help people. But I don’t think she’ll go for a guy like me.” he explained, sighing rather dreamily.

“You really aren’t over her, are you?” you asked, heart aching at the thought of Bucky continually pining after this girl, and thinking you would never get your chance.

Bucky watched you for a moment, leaning against the counter. “Not even close.”

Ready for the exchange to be over with, you finished the bouquet and presented them to Bucky. “Here you are. On the house, since it seems like such a special day.” you declared.

Bucky took the flowers from your hands and looked at them with a smile before offering them back to you. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Is there something wrong with them, Bucky? You don’t think she’ll like them?”

“They’re perfect.” he reassured. “I’m just giving these flowers to the girl who stole my heart.” he told you with a wicked grin.

A few moments passed as you processed his words. The reality of what Bucky said hit you, but you forced yourself to stay calm. No, he couldn’t be implying what you thought he was. Carefully you cradled the flowers and looked into Bucky’s eyes. “W-what about your mystery girl? All those flowers you bought her?” you asked, lost for words.

“Well, uh, you see, doll. It’s been you, it’s always been you. From the second time I came into your shop I wanted to ask you out, but I was too scared. So, I bought a flower instead, and was still to scared to give it to you. I thought each week I would finally have the courage, but it’s taken me until now to tell you.” he confessed, cheeks and ears-tinged pink.

Your mind thought back to all the flowers Bucky had bought from you. There truly was no mystery girl? It had been you all along? Your heart swelled at the thought and a dazzling grin broke out on your face. “Oh, Bucky. You didn’t have to go through all that trouble and buy all those flowers you never got to give.”

“Actually,” he chuckled as he placed a leather-bound journal on the counter in front of you. “I did save them to give to you. All meanings intentional.”

Setting the roses aside, you moved to grab the journal and carefully flipped through the pages. You let out a small gasp as you saw that each page contained the flowers you had sold Bucky perfectly pressed and preserved. It was like a beautiful collage of a bouquet, telling you exactly how Bucky felt.

“I asked my Ma how to press them until I could man up and give them to you.” he explained when you remained silent.

“They’re perfect.” you whispered, tears briming in your eyes. “I have to say, I was getting rather jealous of this girl you were giving all those flowers to.” you admitted.

“Hey, don’t cry, shop girl.” Bucky comforted, brushing the tears away with the pad of his thumb. “You’re the only one for me.” he said before leaning over your bouquet journal and sweetly kissed you.

Your tiny shop swelled with love and warmth even more, and you knew this was only the first of kisses and bouquets with the lovely man before you.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #marvel imagine #marvel x reader #rita writes

[sattlersquarry]

hi libby! happy valentines 🫶 requesting #6 "i love you more than i did yesterday” with steve for your vday celebration

loving u! 🥹

Hi Bee! Happy Valentine's to you too! Thank you so much for this blurb request. I had a lot of fun writing it. Loving YOU! 💕

Want to request a fic or something else? Check out my Valentine's Event HERE . Technically you have 90 minutes left for any final requests!

Word Count: ~0.6k. Steve Harrington x Hopper!Reader

Requested by @sunlitide !

Steve Harrington loves you. 

He might be buzzed, but he knows it to be true.

After finally defeating Vecna, Joyce and your dad Hopper eloped on a whim. You had spent the past three months planning a belated reception. It’s an intimate affair, only the closest family and friends invited. 

Steve made the mental decision to tell you he loves you tonight, at the reception. It’s a romantic setting, with the banquet hall covered in twinkle lights and heart-shaped balloons.

He’s had a bit too much to drink and the music is loud and you’re on the dance floor with Robin and Max, spinning the younger girls’ wheelchair in circles at her request. You’re laughing and having fun and goddamn, you look stunning. Nearly ethereal, like a dream come true.

And Steve can’t stop himself. He puts down his beer and he marches toward you, clammy palms shoved in his pockets. 

I’m telling them tonight, he thinks. I'm telling them right now! No more waiting.

You notice him walking your way. You grin and meet him halfway across the dance floor.

“Hey, handsome!” you say. He melts at the way you straighten his necktie. “Wanna dance?”

“I have to tell you something!” he blurts out. 

Your brows furrow, and he inwardly groans. When he says it like that, it sounds like bad news. 

“It’s not bad news!” he adds. He’s overcorrecting, and you look even more confused. 

“Steve, are you okay?” you ask. “You look peakish.” 

He sucks in a breath and says it: “I love you, Y/N.” 

At the precise moment he drops the bombshell, the song changes from an upbeat pop song to a softer ballad. His confession has been heard by all the attendees. 

From somewhere in the crowd, Dustin shouts, “Go Steve! Get your Suzie!”

Steve blushes, a furious shade of pink spreading across his cheekbones. 

Thankfully, you aren’t embarrassed by Steve’s public declaration. On the contrary, your face shines with a smile. 

“You love me?” you say. “Really?”

“Are you kidding me?” Steve says. “Y/N, you’re amazing. Every time I see you, my day is instantly better. You’re funny, you’re kind, you’re so much smarter than me. You’re so hot, it’s ridiculous.”

“Oh my god, Steve,” you say with a nervous laugh, hiding your face in your hands. “My dad is, like, right there.” 

Sure enough, Hopper glares at Steve from across the dance floor. Joyce, on the other hand, looks thrilled.

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve says. But he can’t wipe the lovesick grin off his face. He holds your hands in his and squeezes them once, twice, three times. “But it’s all true. I love you more than I did yesterday. And I’ll love you more tomorrow, and a tiny bit more each day after that.”

Steve wonders if he’s massively messed up when your face screws up and tears gather in your eyes. Thankfully, you don’t sob and run off, horrified at his sentiments. Instead, you grab him by the necktie and pull him in for a passionate kiss.

“Whoa-oah!” Lucas catcalls. The rest of the guests whoop and cheer—except your dad, who looks like he wants to murder Steve with a salad fork. 

When the two of you pull away, you say, “If the kiss wasn’t proof enough, I love you too. A lot.” 

Steve beams brighter, and you lean in to kiss again, before you’re interrupted by the bouquet toss.

Joyce’s bunch of peonies, roses, and baby’s breath sails through the air and whacks you on the clavicle, before falling into your arms. 

Robin races over to you and Steve and slings an arm around each of you. 

“You know what that means, don’t you?” she says, a smirk on her lips. “You two are next to—”

“NOPE!” Hopper says loudly, snatching the bouquet out of your arms. “No weddings allowed. Not until you’re 30.” 

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x gn!reader #steve harrington x hopper!reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington #libby's valentine a palooza

[stardustndreamsofsilver]

Too Late To Go Back

Part Three

Danny x Reader (f)

Warnings: cursing

Find All Parts Here

The next couple of months were spent slowly building a friendship with Danny. It started as one or two texts a day and slowly progressed to several texts then to several texts and a short phone call and finally to texting all the time and one long phone call before bed. You kept things simple, asking about his day or how things were going with the band. Danny would always give more though. Talking about little things, like what he bought at the grocery, what outfit he decided on weaing that day, where he was planning on going and what he ate for all of his meals. It was sweet.

Although things were going well and you truly enjoyed your friendship, you knew Danny wanted more. He wanted to be together again. You could tell by the way he’d casually try to hold your hand when the two of you were out or drape his arm around your shoulders while you sat watching a movie.

One day, Danny called early in the morning and asked if you wanted to go with him to the spring opening at Cheekwood. Having never been, you agreed without hesitation. Danny picked you up about an hour later. While on the drive there, the two of you talked and sang along with your favorite songs. The two of you thoroughly enjoying the time spent together.

When you got the Cheekwood, you and Danny walk up the the admissions booth and he holds up his phone showing the attendant the two tickets he’d purchased. With a nod from the attendant, you walk into the garden. It was breathtaking. Tulips blooming as far as you could see. Pink ones, white ones, every color you could imagine.

While you were admiring all the flowers, Danny held up his phone and took your picture. Never wanting to forget how beautiful you looked amongst the blooms. Smiling down at the picture, he set it as his background and slipped his phone into his pocket.

Taking your hand, Danny walks with you over to where a jazz band is playing. The two of you stand and listen to the music. Swaying softly back and forth, you smile completely entranced by the music. Danny looks over at you and smiles. Running his hand along your arm, he takes your hand and pulls you against him. Laughing, the two of you dance in time with the song. When it ends, everyone claps.

“Hey, we’ve got a workshop to get to, come on!” Danny says, taking your hand and leading you over to the sitting area that is set up with a few long tables and stools.

Taking a seat next to Danny, you look over at him and ask, “What are we doing? What kind of workshop is this?”

“We’re going to learn how to make bouquets with fresh cut flowers. We get to keep whatever we make too!” He replies with a smile.

“Oh neat! This sounds so fun! I've always wanted to do something like this!” You say.

For the next hour, you learn the ins and outs of how to make the perfect bouquet. Yours has dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, roses, baby’s breath and other greenery. Danny’s is made up of lavender, peonies, dahlias, anemones, bishop’s flower and lady’s mantle.

You smile over at him and say, “This was so fun! Yours is stunning! If your day job doesn’t work out, you should be a florist.”

Danny laughs at that and says, “Only if you do it with me! I’d need all the help I could get.”

You and Danny spend the rest of the morning walking around the gardens and enjoying the beauty around you. Around noon, he asks if you're feeling hungry. You nod your head and say a little. With that, the two of you leave Cheekwood and head to the Bluebird Cafe. Pulling into the parking lot, Danny parks the car. You walk in and pick a table close to the stage. After ordering drinks and your food, you and Danny chat about your morning and how much fun you’d had. 

Soon, the drinks come and you take sips while enjoying the music being played by a local artist. Bobbing your head along with the music you smile and look over at Danny. “You guys should have a little surprise show here. I bet the fans would love it! Have a little scavenger hunt for clues that will lead them here and they can get in for a small fee and all the proceeds go to a local charity.”

“That’s a really good idea! I’ll have to bring it up with management and see what we can do! Maybe include the Electric Tomb to give out the clues. You know since everyone hates it, maybe that would get more people on board.” He laughs.

Enjoying the rest of lunch, you talk and joke with one another. Danny insists on paying and you let him with only a little push back. Getting back into his car, Danny asks if you’re still free to hang out or if you need to get back home. 

“I’m as free as a bird today. I’m all yours Danny boy.” You laugh.

Chuckling, he says, “Nice. I was wondering if you’d go thrifting with me? I’m moving into a new place at the end of the week and need some new furniture and stuff to put on the walls.”

“Absolutely! You know I love a good thrift sesh.” You say with a smile.

“Awesome. Let’s go shopping!” Danny says starting the car.

You find Danny a new burnt orange velvet couch and a 1960’s RCA console. Danny goes to pay and asks them to hold it for a day or two so he can have someone pick it up and take it over to his new place. While he’s doing that, you take one last look around and spot a framed Woodstock poster with a picture of Janis Joplin and Grateful Dead that you’d missed. Grabbing it, you carry it up to the register.

“Did you find something else?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, but it’s for me.” You say holding it up and showing him.

“Oh damn! How did we miss that?” He exclaims, eyes wide.

“I know, right? It’s going to go great in my living room. I’ve got the perfect spot for it.” You say as you lay it on the counter.

As you reach for your wallet, Danny quickly tells the person to add it to his bill. Looking up at him, you say, “No Danny, I’m paying for this. You’ve already spent way too much on me today.” 

“Nope.” He says, handing his card over.

“Danny!” You chastise.

“What? I like doing stuff for my favorite person. Don’t steal my joy!” He says, throwing up his hands.

Sighing and shaking your head, you poke your finger into his chest and say, “Fine, but this is it. I will pay for myself for the rest of the day.”

“Alright, alright. Whatever you say toots.” He laughs.

Going to a few more stores, you and Danny find a mid century kitchen table set and some art pieces and old band posters. With the day winding down, Danny notices you growing tired. He offers to take you home and you accept. He takes you back to your apartment and walks you up, carrying your Woodstock poster under his arm and a couple bags of clothes you'd gotten. Unlocking the door, you let the two of you in. 

“Where do you want this babe?” Danny asks.

You point over to the empty wall and he goes and sits it on the floor.

“Thank you for today Danny. I had a great time.” You say with a small smile.

“No problem.” He says, walking over to you. “I had a great time too.”

Looking up at him, you grin. “We should do this more often. I miss hanging out like this.”

Danny grins and nods his head in agreement. “I’ve missed this too.”

Closing the space between you, Danny wraps you in a hug. Swallowing thickly, you hug him back. 

“Well, you better get out of here if you want to beat traffic.” You say taking a step back.

“Yeah, I better get going. I’ll call you when I get home.” He says.

“Sounds good.” You say nodding your head and crossing your arms.

When Danny leaves, you close and lock the door behind him. Turning and leaning against the door, you heave a heavy sigh. Today had been wonderful. Amazing. You hadn’t had that much fun in a long time. But, something felt off. You loved being with your best friend, but you could tell that he saw things differently. He saw this as a step toward being together again. Which to you, didn’t feel possible.

Danny called half an hour later. Telling you that he was home safe. Something he’d picked up when you were dating. He continued talking about the day and how much he really liked being around you and being able to do stuff together. You agreed and reiterated how nice of a day it was. But, you couldn’t get over the feeling of him thinking this was something it wasn’t. 

“Danny, I think we need to talk.” You say over the phone.

“We are talking silly.” He teased.

Smirking and rolling your eyes, you continued, “I mean there’s something I want to talk to you about." Hesitating, you continue, "I know that at the beginning of all this you hoped we’d end up back together. But, I don’t want to get your hopes up. I love you, but I just don’t see us getting back together.”

“Oh–”

“I’m sorry.” You say, hating that you’re hurting him.

“Can I ask why or what I did?” He asks in a monotone voice.

“You didn’t do anything.” You sigh.

“Then why?” He whispers.

“You don’t feel like my person anymore.”

taglist: @demolitionndann, @ichoosetheroad-gvf, @gvfjakesjooty, @gretavanloverleaver, @lolipopsandgumdrops, @lightmylove-gvf, @positivegvfthings, @myfavsstuff-blog, @gretavangroupie

#danny wagner #gvf danny #danny wagner greta van fleet #danny wagner gvf #danny wagner fic #danny angst #danny x reader #soft danny #gvf blurb #gvf imagine #gvf fic #gvf fanfiction #danny gvf fic #greta van fleet #greta van fic #greta van angst #greta van fluff #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta fic

[necro-man-sir]

I know y'all like metaphors

So it's been on my mind for a short bit but it's a really fun way to think on things so I'm sharing it here.

The thought is gender is a lot like flowers. Like, listen

There are tons of different flowers, some bold and beautiful, some stinky and repulsive to most things, some with small blooms, some with large lush petals, every one of them has a meaning behind them, some only grow in certain places in the world, others are all over, some are stubborn and will grow in any condition available and others need specific care.

Even in the same species, each flower is different from each other.

There's the common ones most ppl think about, like roses and sunflowers, then there's the rare flowers most don't but they're still out there.

Some flowers only bloom once every few years, others stay blooming year round! They all serve their purposes, and even the most repulsive (to us) are adored by many. A corpse flower is just as important as a rose.

And that's not even talking about display. You can have a private garden or a public garden, or even both! You might not even have or like flowers. Maybe you only display some roses in your window from time to time, or you wear them in your hair every day!

And like, you can have your preferences within the common. For example, we'll use a rose as a metaphor for male.

There are so many varieties of roses! They're all roses, of course, but some are red, white, pink, some are even dyed into other colours like black or blue or green! All of them are still roses. And like, even though they're a common one to grow and love, not everyone likes roses, some people ONLY like roses! That's okay, it doesn't mean roses are good or bad, or that wearing them in your hair every day or keeping a private garden is good or bad. It also doesn't mean that if you grew up growing sunflowers, you can't go hey, I would actually like my garden to be a rose garden, now, even if I decide to dig them all up later and replace them with sunflowers again.

And like, there's no wrong way to have a garden. You can have a monoculture garden with only one flower, or you can have a huuuuuge garden full of every flower imaginable without caring if a few weeds start growing.

And like, people shouldn't feel forced to grow a certain kind of flower, or have to cultivate one that needs a lot more care and attention than they have the energy or want to grow. Not everyone wants to have an orchid, not everyone can have one. Some people just want to have some dandelions they don't have to think about, they just are.

And like, sure some people like to act as an HOA and it sucks when you're told no, you can't have a plot of sunflowers or peonies in your garden for the neighbours to see! Don't let some HOA wannabe tell you what flowers to grow in your own damn garden, it's your house!

This is a lot of words to say that we are all so individual, beautiful, varied, and important. And there's a lot more that can be said about this metaphor considering the role genders play in our lives as well as what role flowers play for plants.

Not to mention, plants don't start life with a flower already blooming. They grow, mature, and then the flowers bloom. A lot of kids don't really have much concept of gender outside of the roles imposed upon them by adults around them, or their parents. Just like someone can be like yeah! this is my rose bush I'm growing, the package says that they are meant to be red roses, but then they finally bloom and oh! they're white roses! That's a pleasant surprise, still beautiful.

Anyway I'm taking this metaphor and running with it, I find it a really fun way to think about myself and what I like to grow, who I am, and what I display. There not a wrong answer, you can walk in with a dead cactus in a tomato can and say 'I did my best' and still be good here. (thanks allie for this visual I love him)

So yeah, don't let the HOA wannabe's tell you what flowers you're allowed to grow and where.

[pinewoodpipit]

so long, we become the flowers - Cowboy AU - Fic Beginning Meta

So, "we become the flowers", a.k.a. my cowboy au is finally out and being worked on! I'm super excited to be posting this. I'm delighted to have gotten it done already as I was hoping to have it posted before the 17th to celebrate the RDR re-port hahah. I got lucky!

Here is a link to the fic midpoint meta, posted along with chapter 5!

Here is a link to the post-fic meta, posted after the fic was completed!

-

General thoughts

This fic is meant to be a western style of story, and as such I wanted to follow one of the three western storylines (bounty hunting, revenge, and political stories). I chose revenge! Bounty hunting is technically in there too, but I’d call this more of a revenge story than one about picking up a bounty.

I kind of blended this Western revenge genre with Austen-style romance because ooughh,,, the romantic and homoerotic tension in wanting someone SO BADLY but not being allowed to make a move for fear of scandal… it’s tasty stuff.

The au is meant to be set in a fantasy alternate - real-world in many ways, but flowers can bloom whenever I feel like it because I want cute flowers throughout the fic. I wanted an early-spring discussion in the beginning of this fic, but Fade gives her a peony, which bloom starting from late spring.

The town was named Vennecoate both as a reference to Venice and also to Bloodwritten Silver. I chose Venice as the inspiration behind Venshire in that fic and I liked the reasoning well enough to do the same here - that reasoning being Venice is both a huge part of Valorant lore and also where the training range is. I just like it! I chose this specific naming style after a real old western town, too - Kennecott in Alaska, which was a mining camp abandoned after natural resources dried up in 1938. It’s a national historic landmark now and can be visited.

Fade and Neon are called Hazal and Tala in this au, but like I did with bloodwritten silver, I’ll be calling them and other named characters by their codenames just for my own sake in meta posts.

Neon’s dog is called Kidlat which means lightning… bc “lightning strike”… she has Lightning and Strike… I’ll go now

-

Moodboards

I made mood boards for Fade and Neon’s rough looks, as well as examples of their horses with their counterparts in RDR2. I also have Sims of them and their horses which I’ve shared before!

I’ve made more moodboards for this fic, but those are spoilers which I’ll only show in the fic ending meta…

Someone on Discord actually drew these guys too, and they managed to NAIL the exact vibe I was going for without ever even seeing the moodboards. Huge shoutout to WissyDumb / wizzul on discord! Sharing these with their permission of course.

They don’t have their piercings in the fic (piercings wouldn’t become commonly used until around the 1950s) and Fade actually has some trauma related to infection and disease (we’ll learn more about this later), so she wouldn’t risk it even if they were commonly worn at this time.

-

Playlist

I have a playlist for this fic of course, as I do with all of my larger projects. I imagine this will continue to grow as I work on the fic but I'll share the songs on there so far!

In A Week - Hozier (where the fic's title comes from)

Throne - Saint Mesa

Beautiful Crime - Tamer

Mausoleum - Rafferty

notre dame - Paris Paloma

Habibi - Tamino

Setting Sun - Lord Huron

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring

Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande

the fruits - Paris Paloma

labour - Paris Paloma

Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne

Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation

Hey, Little Songbird - Hadestown

She - dodie

Let Me In - Snowmine

Coyotes - Modest Mouse

Can't Help Falling in Love - Haley Reinhart

The Wolf - PHILDEL

Hand of God - Outro - Jon Bellion

Breathe (In The Air) - Pink Floyd

The Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd

Family of Me - Ben Folds

All Along the Watchtower - Bear McCreary

My Name is Carnival - Stranded Horse

Requiem on Water - Imperial Mammoth

Short Change Hero - The Heavy

Little Girl Gone - CHINCHILLA

I Wish A Bitch Would - Delilah Bon

One of Us - The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

No Surprises - Radiohead

Something About Us - Daft Punk

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths

Creep - Radiohead

Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues

Blood In The Wine - AURORA

Rawhide - Frankie Laine (hahah)

I See Red - Everybody Loves an Outlaw

House of The Rising Sun - Five Finger Death Punch

The Yawning Grave - Lord Huron

Burn The Witch - Shawn James

Grow as We Go - Ben Platt

Spectre - Radiohead

Long Long Time - Linda Ronstadt

Arsonist's Lullabye - Hozier

Pretty Little Head - Eliza Rickman

Never Love an Anchor - The Crane Wives

That Unwanted Animal - The Amazing Devil

Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood

What Makes A Good Man? - The Heavy

Asleep - The Smiths

The Everlasting Muse - Belle and Sebastian

Layla - Derek & the Dominos

Senden Daha Güzel - Duman

Resistance - Muse

We Could Be The Same - Istanbul - maNga

Last Flowers - Radiohead

Man of War - Radiohead

WHEWW this is a long one. Sorry!

#pipit writes #fic meta #cowboy au #own post #valorant #fadeshock #fanfic

[cherirb]

HIII THISIS ME FORMALLY ASKING ABOUT BG3 AND YOUR TAVS AND WHATNOT... OR ANYTHING REALLY !! IVE BEEN MEANING TO ASK BUT IW AS SOSO SCARED. FOR SOME REASON. (AND IF YOU ALREADY MADE A POST SOSORRY MY NOTIFS ARE ALL FUCKED UP AND WHATNOT YOU KNOW HOW IT IS)

HI. I AM MAKING THIS POST NOW I KNOW I SAID I’D MAKE IT EARLIER AND I REALLY WANTSD TO BUT. I HAVE BEEN SO SO BUSY AND ALSO THERE JS THE BURNOUT. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. Anyway thank you for asking it finally gave me the kick in the butt I needed to Make The Post!! Yippie! Under the cut bcs of length etc etc <3

Okay so first is my main girl Peony!! She’s my durge and I love her <3!!

Some info:

She/it. Kind of a girl but not really. Transfem <3

Asmodeus tiefling and a war cleric of Tiamat!

Using her to romance Astarion

She’s super pink because I love pink and it’s my favorite color. Yes it’s self indulgent no I don’t care. Heart <3

Similarly, her name is Peony because peonies are pink and I like them. Heart x2 <3

Aside from that, though, the main inspiration behind her design is that I love love love how pink and red are both Valentine’s Day colors / “girly” colors and the colors most heavily associated with blood and guts and viscera. Wanted to play around with the idea of a character who is kind of the physical representation of that. Of the way pink and red are associated both with violence and with love and femininity. The duality of the heart as both a symbol of romance and as the thing that keeps your blood pumping etc etc

As such, she is very much the embodiment of that concept! At first glance, she’s very soft and sweet and feminine and doting, but her behavior is pretty much the antithesis of her appearance! She Is An Asshole. And a violent one at that! She has very little regard for what is good or right or just or moral, but she isn’t just out for what’s best for her either, she likes violence for the sake of violence! Even if causing it isn’t in her best interest

This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have any kind of an interest in sex and romance and stuff tho. She does! The kinds of relationships that appeal to her are just a bit Fucked Up

Gets weird about the sight of guts and organs and blood and viscera, for example. Kind of girl who would be posting on tumblr about the inherent eroticism of cannibalism if tumblr existed in dnd

Annoys the rest of the party when she stops to examine and poke through the blood and guts of every corpse she passes. She’s not even LOOTING, she’s just Admiring, and everyone else can’t stand it (“let’s just get a damn move on already!”)

Also, I wanted to make her a war cleric of Tiamat *specifically* to further play into this concept. Like, everyone assumes clerics are good-aligned healers for the most part, so I wanted her to not reflect that AT ALL. She worships the living embodiment of avarice and hate and prays for MORE death and gore, not to heal it

In terms of backstory, I don’t have it Super figured out, but I imagine that she grew up in the hells amongst the large scale suffering and violence there and began to resent life and goodness as a result. She also developed her Fixation with viscera as a fucked up coping mechanism. Can’t be traumatized by the blood and guts if you train yourself to like seeing them, after all

Beginning to worship Tiamat is definitely where she really started to REALLY go downhill, though. Devoting yourself to hatred and malice and war is bad for you, it turns out!

I imagine she started this worship as a second Fucked Up Coping Mechanism. If the world is going to be cruel no matter what you might as well embrace it and worship that cruelness, yeah? Make yourself a part of it. Can’t be the victim if you’re the perpetrator, and it’s every man for themselves after all

Is drawn to Astarion initially because he’s also mean and a bitch! Like he’s not an asshole in the exact same way as her but she likes his Vibe. Is DEFINITELY suspicious of him at first, though. She can pick up on the fact that he’s Hiding Something, even if she doesn’t know exactly what. She actually respects it though! Doesn’t mind someone with a couple secrets, and she’s got a few herself anyway

She IS nosy, though— like a massive gossip— so she definitely does dig deeper until she Figures It Out. Doesn’t ever bring it up because it’s good to have blackmail and she isn’t THAT fond of him yet but she Knows

When he tries to bite her she initially gets angry because she assumed he was trying to sneak up on her and kill her. Not because she was offended at the concept of someone plotting to murder her, though, but because she thinks that it’s cowardly to SNEAK UP on someone and then kill them. A real “fight me properly if you want me dead bitch!!” moment

Then she finds out that he just wanted her blood and very much just went “oh? Is that all?” about it. Like doesn’t even bat an eye in the slightest. What already being Weird about blood and viscera does to an mfer

After they start getting closer, I’d imagine that they both have an “oh I can make them so much worse” moment about the other. But it’s like multiplying two negatives and getting a positive and instead of making each other worse they actually end up making each other better! They both realize that maybe they Do care, maybe they Do want good things for the other (and therefore for themselves) and are both very pouty and bitchy about it at first

In terms of her relationships with the others, I’d imagine it varies! She likes Lae’zel almost as much as she likes Astarion, and they get along pretty well. She thinks Gale is so so boring and tries to avoid him at all costs. Wyll has good stories but he’s also a goody-two-shoes. At least he can give good advice for slaying demons, though. She thinks he’s meh, overall. She sees SO MUCH of herself in shadowheart (manipulated/groomed into serving an all powerful evil deity) and it makes her SO uncomfortable. She doesn’t want to admit that serving the literal personification of violence and hate is Bad For Her, even if she can see how bad serving Shar is for shadowheart. So she tends to avoid her to avoid that uncomfortable feeling you get when you recognize your suffering in another even when you don’t want to admit that you’re suffering at all. She also feels that Karlach is a goody-two-shoes (much like Wyll) but tieflings have to stick together. She’s biased towards her and likes her, overall. However, seeing someone who’s suffered to the degree you have still be kind when you’ve chosen to be cruel is a hard pill to swallow, and while there’s definitely some resentment there for that, by and large it just makes her want to be Better, even if she wont admit it

Aside from the Angst, I imagine that she does have hobbies and interests just like everyone else. She’s still a Person, after all

She likes flowers, and in a world where she can settle down and be happy I picture her being an avid gardener! In this same world, I think she could use her obsession with viscera in a productive way by becoming a butcher! In fact, she probably DOES become a butcher, after she settles down post game

Cares probably a bit too much about her appearance for someone who doesn’t really like people all that much

Physical touch is her love language! She’s bad with words and doesn’t know how to pick gifts, quality time feels awkward when you haven’t yet learned how to act around people without assuming that they mean to do you harm (and that YOU mean to do THEM harm) and acts of service just aren’t her thing. But she sure as hell does know how to drape herself over you like a cat or hug you so tight you can’t breathe! Big on PDA. Of course, all of this happens after lots of discussion and boundary setting and Time, when it comes to Astarion specifically

Speaking of PDA, Karlach’s warm hugs (post engine fix) are her favorite :)

Predictably, she’s a carnivore who loves to eat meat. For her, the rarer the better (much to the disgust of her campmates and especially Gale, who won’t cook raw food, no matter how much she asks)

Probably takes up wood carving at some point as a more Productive coping mechanism, just so she can do something with her hands and a knife that isn’t violent. Her favorite things to carve are bunnies <3 (they’re her favorite animal)

Speaking of bunnies, she’d probably get a pet rabbit postgame as she learns to trust herself with delicate, vulnerable things again. It’d be a white one, and she’d name it Sugar, I think :)

Okay I think I will shut up now. I have thought literally SO MUCH about her and I’ve already written a barely coherent essay full of random stuff but!! There is still more in my brain. I will maybe talk about Seraph later, but this is already an essay so I’m leaving it at that! Thanks again Kosmo for asking and I’m so sorry about the length of this half incoherent ramble!!!

[purpleprincessonfyre]

And now something a bit soft, inspired by an idea that @jackiequick gave me that devolved into a full fledged Found Family fic. Sorry not sorry.

Marvel AU - Not Your Barbie Girl

Characters: Liane Felton and Jason Underwood aka JJ

Mentioned: Ethan Lensherr, The OG Avengers, Rochelle Romanoff-Felton, Rei Stark

Setting: The Avengers Tower, post Battle of New York

Themes: Found Family, Grumpy and Sunshine friends

IB: Not Your Barbie Girl by Ava Max

Liane was stressed. She was pacing her room back and forth, her music nearly blasting, her bed strewn in dresses and outfits, shoes cluttered across her floor and she was clenching her pillow tightly, trying not to scream. She was not doing well.

Ethan had asked her on a date. Yesterday. He was very slightly nudged by his brother Cole into saying it outloud but Liane had said yes almost immediately. Actually she'd shouted it. Causing everyone to stop in their tracks as her cheeks turned a deep shade of peony. But Ethan had smiled, that dumb sweet grin that made Liane feel special.

But now she had the arduous task of choosing what to wear. Smart? Casual? Smart casual? Streetwear? Black tie? She was racking her brain trying to predict what kind of date this was going to be or how her date was going to dress. Ethan wasn't really a suit person but what if he wore one tonight? There were too many options.

Finally Liane settled on a classic look of hers; white collared blouse, pale pink sweater, plaid grey skirt, white knee socks and black Mary Jane heels. She smiled as she put it on, feeling that confidence she had before and stepped out of her room to check with the other girls about her outfit choice.

But as Liane entered the main area she realised how quiet it was. She looked around and only saw one person. Jason Underwood. She frowned, clearly confused.

"Where did everyone go?"

"Nat's off training Rochelle and a few of the others, Bruce and some of the guys including Rei are at the lab and the rest are busy. I'm only here so the Tower isn't left unsupervised."

"Oh. Okay. Do you...do you mind if I get your opinion on something?"

"Go ahead but it might not be flattering," stated Jason, his eyes still fixed on his newspaper. Liane stood in front of him in her outfit, smiling.

"Does this outfit look good for my date tonight with Ethan?"

"Sure it does." Jason replied, still not looking up. Liane sighed.

"At least look at it."

"Fine." His gaze flicked up to her outfit then back to his paper.

"Yep, you look like your usual...pinky self."

"I- But what do you think? Be totally honest."

Jason lowered his paper, making eye contact with her, not sure if this was a trap or not.

"You want ME to be honest?"

"Brutally honest."

"Fine." He put his paper down, sat bolt upright and fixed his gaze on her outfit. He looked her up and down carefully before he spoke, having made up his mind.

"You dress like a Boarding School Student who thinks they're rebellious for wearing nail polish and earrings at school. You're on a date, not taking your SATs. All you'd need to top it off is a dog in your purse and a crucifix necklace to show them just how devout you are."

"Okay now you're just being rude."

"You wanted honest! And honesty is I don't like your outfit. You need to find something new."

"Wait what?" Jason stood up and got up to Liane's eye level, using all his skills acquired from being a godfather to Rei to try and talk some sense into Liane.

"You have spent your whole life dressing the way people expect you to dress, talking the way people expect you to, dating the way people tell you to and living the way people think you should live. Why don't you figure out who the real Liane Felton is for once?"

"N-no one's ever asked me that before...I- would you come shopping with me? For new clothes?"

Jason stopped still. He hadn't expected that. He turned around and saw her hopefully eyes and remembered that despite her reputation she was still so young. And naive. And he was literally her only option. If anyone could help this poor girl salvage a personal style from the wreckage of her preppy barbiecore closet then it would have to be him.

Jason held out his hand kindly, smiling.

"Let's get you some new clothes, Doll."

-----

The unlikely duo got out of the car and headed into the mall, in search of new clothes for Liane. Liane strode ahead, her eyes determined while Jason followed behind closely, also slightly acting as a guard dog to her since she wasn't the most liked person in the world.

They headed into the first clothes store they saw and grabbed a basket.

"Okay so what is your signature colour right now?"

"Uh pink?"

"Exactly. Not that pink isn't pretty but of course but maybe it's time to add some other colours to your closet. Pick out an outfit in every colour of the rainbow. A jacket, a dress, pants, a suit, skirt, you name it. And well we'll see what your new thing is."

Liane grinned. If there was one thing she excelled at, it was making an outfit. Soon the basket was overflowing with shades of crimson, ochre, tangerine, emerald, azure, navy and lavender and some whites and blacks were thrown in for good measure. After being satisfied with her choices, Liane marched into a dressing room with her outfits ready to try each of them.

Jason took a seat outside the changing area, ready to critique each look. Eventually Liane emerged in a red dress, topped with a red coat, black boots and a red hat. Jason raised an eyebrow, amused.

"A bit Carmen Sandiego for you."

"I dunno I think femme fatale suits me."

"Try again, Miss Scarlet."

Next she entered wearing a sunny yellow 50s style dress with white heels, a little cardigan and a bow in her hair. Jason tried not to laugh.

"Tell me about it, stud."

"Oh man! Not Sandra Dee! I was going for Marilyn.."

She kept trying on outfits in varying shades and pulling funny faces when Jason gave his verdict until he stopped her when she reached green, looking her up and down.

"None of these are working...what colours do you have left?"

"Blue, dark blue, black, white oh and purple!"

Jason's eyes lit up. He took Liane by the hand and led her back to the room.

"Try the purple jacket with this top, these pants and those mini gogo boots."

Liane nodded, seeing his vision and stepped back into the dressing room to redress, hopefully the final time. When she finally emerged Jason beamed from ear to ear. Liane was wearing a turtleneck styled white top with high waisted blue jeans, a purple leather jacket, white mini gogo boots with gold hoops in her ears and had stuck her signature heart-shaped sunglasses in her hair like an Alice band.

"What do you think?"

"I love it. It's mature, the colour suits you so well and you don't look like a school girl. And it's understated too. Very nice. But what do you think?"

"I really like it, it's so comfy too!"

"Liane Felton we have found your colour. But don't be afraid to experiment with other colours too don't limit yourself."

"Who knew you were so good at fashion?"

"Clearly I didn't."

"Ethan would be crazy not to be impressed by that outfit too."

"You think so?"

"I know so, Doll."

Liane smiled softly, then flung her arms around Jason's neck, standing on her tiptoes to reach as she hugged him tight, engulfing him in a cloud of her candy scented perfume. He was taken aback at first but realised she probably really needed this hug. Reluctantly he wrapped his arms around her in the hug, smiling as she held him close. Sometimes it was easy to forget that these Heroes of the Future are still pretty scared young people with fears and needs.

None more than Liane, who had been her mother's personal doll since birth. He'd heard the stories and the rumours but now he knew the real Liane he had nothing but sympathy for her. And after having dealt with her father in previous skirmishes and work, he felt sort of protective of the bubbly blonde princess. And she finally had a chance to break out of her shell for once and be her own person.

Hope you enjoyed!

Tagging: @jackiequick @gcthvile @cherrysft @blueboirick @meiramel @askstevella @ask-missparker @ask-starrk @therealdaydreamstark @thechoooooosenone @wizzzardofoz @finlayholmes @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh @missstrawbs2001

#liane felton #liane's blog #askliane #marvel roleplay #violet pyre #marvel ask blog #mcu fandom #ask my ocs #ethane #uncle jj #jason underwood #glenn powell #amanda seyfried

[hopefullysomewhere]

Ghost story

His bicycle comes to a sudden halt. He sighs. It's clear I slowed him down. Far behind, he doesn't mind that there's not much air. He says to me, "Nini, you're slow.", as though he's mad at me. One day, he'll know that he embodies this concept: adventure. Because he is whole. As opposed to me. I grasp his steps: to take some of his fervor, to take some of his density. I whisper to myself: ''You are nothing''. My dirty hair gathers above my skull. Then, they soar. I love it when they hit my candy-pink cheeks. He goes further into the forest, and I stay there, watching his muscles move like a ghost hardened in a dream.

I am one of those who freeze because I know what separate from the dead. What is life, what isn't, Vic doesn't know anything about that.

But he finally settles. With the tip of his foot, he shapes the soil into small circles. His breathing intensifies as if preparing to say something.

But he doesn't speak; he speaks little. Yet, he doesn't know how to disappear into silence. The resin clogs our pores, and we settle on rocks speckled with lichen. It's summer in the north. We place the food on our laps and explore the dry meals with our crooked fingers. In the sky, I search for a pink cloud to go to. He looks under his feet, head lowered in boredom, and says to me:

-You say we can see it from here, but I don't see it.

-Sometimes, when you try too hard to see it, it moves, I say. You have to act as if, as if you were looking for something else, like a salamander, a precious stone, Ossie's sock, anything that works differently, from another order. He spits a glob that tangles with the yellow grass, seems annoyed to have succumbed to following me.

''Sounds like another one of your lies. ''

Then silence again.

No need to justify myself. Vic will convince himself that the abandoned house doesn't exist until a wrinkle of suspicion grows near his right eyebrow. He thought the same about Marie la Sanglante's story. ''It's true, I swear on Ossie's head'', I told him, and he didn't believe it, and I repeated that it was true, and then he insisted until the truth exploded when poor Ossie died of diphtheria after, just for fun, we uttered the name of the bloody virgin in the mirror. He picked up his sister's torn nails in the gray parking lot. He wondered if lies had the power to kill someone. Peonies rose in the asphalt cracks. No one walked in the parking lot after the little one's death. It was said that her ghost undulated above the vacant lot, a kind of rhythmic dance to the flowers' growth. This time, it's the same. I really saw the house. I was inside. Glass shards bulged the windows, and baby cries stained the walls. My legs lifted towards the door like two different beings; my hand pounded on an ice wall until it resonated in the center of the body, a point in the middle of the stomach, where I would want Vic to touch me, where I would want him to dig a hole to deposit kisses. Slowly falling from his lips, small nits would resist, clinging to the ribs. Thus, wings would sprout from the stomach like a volcano, a lepidopteran from the front of the body, swinging, holding onto ocelli that imitate cat eyes. From his touch, I would become a fairy elytra, a cluster worm, the poison of desire. Under inverted nights, I would increasingly seek to blend into other skins. In the chrysalis, the locks would yield, causing the unveiling of hidden things. I tell Vic:

''In the center of the house, that's where you can find Ossie. There's a ladder, and if you climb it, you'll reach where matter can't escape, the place before birth where Ossie went. She will arrive from an unrecognizable horizon. Eat a peony just before. I turn off the light sources for you. In total darkness, you can open your eyes. You will see all the colors encountered with closed eyes. Only there will Ossie's radiation be accessible to touch.''

His face brightens for the first time. He almost smiles and gently pushes me off my bicycle to tighten a bolt. Now we roll at the same speed. The visions of penetrating trees resemble each other. We go in circles. Vic points to a flat ground, protected by bent firs. He would like to sleep there. I go to fetch some small wood. A fire rises between our two faces, and intoxication sets in. On all fours, I approach, rocks under palms, under feet, and ask if he can hold me. He sweeps the sky, gathers the stars, and does it. We sleep a light sleep, punctuated by shadows of monsters in the eyelids of a dying fire. Vic kisses me in the dream: soft, supple. The ground yields to the comfort of lips. In the morning, Vic resumes his usual indifference while eating boiled eggs. He doesn't ask: why aren't you eating. He doesn't ask: do you want one of my eggs. When we resume the trails, I stay behind, enveloped in sadness like a labyrinth, amazed to see real tears cross mud puddles. The rain accompanies.

I was taught that time here aligns with energy, operates to the rhythm of the water cycle. In hyperspace, cells decline more than elsewhere, evaporate into stratus. I fear our water bodies. Threatened with dissolution, I follow the New World porcupine, the myopic, the solitary one, who escapes vision before being inscribed in memory.

The bikes are left at the foot of a mountain from which Vic hopes to locate the abandoned house. The climb is so steep that you have to cling to the roots to avoid tumbling. After a few hours, the slope levels out. On the plateau, the grass appears surprisingly green, lustrous fruits hang abundantly, and I devour an apple. Children's laughter fills the air. Ossie's little voice sings: Oh, you who are my friend You can see well where I live Oh, you who survive me You can see well from where I cry

Hearing Ossie makes Vic very agitated.

''She is over there'', I said.

He goes back, rushes down the hill; no matter how hard I run after him, I struggle to keep up. I fall several times and decide to let myself roll down with stiff arms along my body.

There it is, the house. In front, a free-standing sculpture of Marie la Sanglante. The infanticidal mother in front of the mirror decomposes Vic's face. Lost inside its forms, he learns fear. He thinks she resembles me. I tell him:

-Let's go inside. It's dangerous to stay in front of the sculpture for too long. Tell me she didn't talk to you. He avoids my gaze and replies into emptiness:

-No, no!

We take the ladder. On the second level, Ossie sings louder and large black winds rise to surround us. Each gust seems to carry a face. Vic says something is crushing him to the ground. He breathes poorly, very scared. I tell him: ''now you are in this darkness that reproduces colors. You can open your eyes.''

His body drifts into a close-death; I tell him to trust. Amethyst stones carve into the dense matter, and I tell him to trust. ''Your lungs are breathing even if you don't know it.'' A huge hand rests on his abdomen. It's Ossie's. And I tell him to trust at least his little sister as she compresses his chest. He sees, like me, the sap flows, the microcosms that compose us. He says ''it's beautiful'' and blinks. All his limbs detach into dust. The moon reveals the grains evacuated from him and me. And I tell him to trust because it is through this path that he will access Ossie. Swimming without synapses, without interpretations, without the birth of the world. Blood still circulates. Arteries plunge into the limbo where dead children await judgments like perched choristers.

On branches, he finds comfort, a hope spotted by myself in the filters that separate from life. He borrows a bit of my perforated skin, pushes back the taste of peonies; he says: Nini, not now, but smiles with his full teeth. I usurp his lifted heaviness. It's halfway that we soon finish circulating through the living.

Vic lied. The Bloody One spoke to him as she speaks to everyone. And my voice overlaid with hers.

#poetry #litterature #horror story #gothic #goth aesthetic #goth girl #romantic goth #poets on tumblr #nature #weirdcore #odd #bizarre #ghost

[geminoir]

ok so it’s the last day of february but i said i would do it and i finally forced myself to concentrate enough today post-work to make it happen so here are my 2022 beauty/skincare favs. ty to the ever-lovely @lovergirl for tagging me 🤍🤍🤍

1. Charlotte Tilbury’s Walk of Shame/Walk of No Shame lipstick - perfect rosy, bitten lips, not quite red and not quite pink but both, at least on me. Used to wear Bond Girl/MI Kiss on the daily but then discovered this. Like that one but more punchy. Still go for that on occasion but WoS is my holy grail now.

2. Chanel Chance eau Tendre - easy to wear to work, it’s light, floral, fresh, hint of citrus. Probably overpriced for how low the sillage is and that it doesn’t feel like the most complex scent ever but I like it and it doesn’t feel like just water in a bottle nor cleaning product in a bottle.

3. A’Pieu Pure Block spf45 - Korean sunscreens are fucking amazing and better than French ones any day

4. LA Girl Pro-Conceal corrector in ‘light beige’ - a lot of people think this is too thick but I find a small dot that I can blend out with my foundation brush or fingers will correct my dark circles without needing setting or a concealer on top. I have really bad creasage, I’m dry as hell and I have darker undereyes. This saved me. It’s getting harder to find so I’m looking for alts while also stocking up when I can find this.

5. BotanicChoice Retionol Gel - Idk what the concentration of this is so don’t ask. But it worked for me and I’m already chronically dry. It took about two months for me to adjust. Now I’m at the point where I probably need a higher concentration because I can use this each night as long as I moisturize after but for now I’m content to stay at this level. It took a while, but it’s been close to two years now using it on and off and all my surface level congestion got better, my texture improved, my skin became a lot closer to “glass skin” than it was before (but still not the full on tret kind of glass skin, but remember I’m dry as hell). Their website is shit but I’m about to run out of my supply and I need to figure out what to do next.

6. Rimmel Maxi Blush in Wild Card - What the Dior Rosyglow is for fair people, this is for me. Instead of creating that babydoll flushed glow, this creates a vibrant, pink-red peonies in full bloom kind of flush on my tone. Blends out so well considering it’s highly pigmented. You can use it softly or go all the way, it’s beautiful no matter what.

7. Maybelline City Bronzer in 200 - only golden toned bronzer from the drugstore to exist that I know of. Beautiful - not grey, not orange, not pink or red, not even neutral. Golden.

8. St. Ives Collagen Moisturizer - they need to stop making scrubs and stick to this moisturizer. It’s quite light though. Despite being so dry, due to my dermatitis, heavier moisturizers cause congestion for me if I use them like two nights in a row. This has a really light texture, gives me glazed skin for a while when I use it and has ceramides. Haven’t found anything that has worked for me better yet. It might exist but I gave up looking after a while since this is cheap and doesn’t cause any issues for me. Only thing is it’s relatively light for a nighttime moisturizer, but you can always layer with a humectant of some kind. Ideally, if I wasn’t wearing makeup, I would reapply this sometime in the afternoon.

9. Maybelline Lifter Gloss - this shade is Topaz which I love. I think it’s the Fenty GlossBomb original shade dupe. These really are so comfortable, buttery, un-sticky, un-gloopy, moisturizing glosses. I wake up the next day with soft lips. I wasn’t a gloss girl until these came into my life. I get it now. I also like Petal and Opal. They have more and I want them.

Okaaaay that’s all from me for now. I tag @capricornpropaganda @thecapricornwifey @afropiscesism @longlashedingenue @hazyhhoney @smokedsalmoniloveyou if you would like to!!

#mine #tag game

[jessatthefront]

a little piece i forgot about

SUBJECT: New Beginnings

It’s been a while since we last spoke. Well about 84 days and 19 hours to be exact. 

I would say how have you been but we’ve known each other too long for those kind of pleasantries and small talk that equates to nothing. 

I don’t like how we left things but that’s beside the point that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to speak to you. You were always a great listener. Or you always pretended to be. 

I moved out of mother’s house (finally)! She was glad to see me go, I think. I moved in with Stacey - the one from the easter party who had the egg booty shorts that had “p-egg me” on the bum. She’s been really supportive throughout this whole thing to tell the truth. Her arms are always open, and her liquor is always full. Not that I touch that stuff anymore. 

She managed to set me up with a job, it’s just as a receptionist but I get to talk to different people all day and get all the office gossip. You would love it. The manager has three kids with three different men all from different departments but none of them know because she keeps on telling her husband that they’re his! The money isn’t great, but I haven’t got too many expenses nowadays, so it evens out. 

I still think about you every day. I can feel your hair on my cheek. I walked into Lush the other day and I could find the exact soap you used just from scent. Apparently olfactory senses are one of the best memories. Or something like that I wasn’t really listening truth be told but it sounds right. You always had such a great sense of taste. In everything really, shows, clothes, everything. I miss that. You telling me how shit my dress looked without just one tiny change. You never even seemed to do anything but your presence could just change things. 

I put some new flowers with you today. I thought peonies would be appropriate because god forbid you ever had “boring basic roses”. They’re pink. That was your colour, that was you. I never thought of it before but now every time I see it, I think of you. I could live in that colour.

I’ll visit sometime next week I think, give everything a good tidying. 

Lots of love,

Your dearest friend  

#poetry #writing #creative writing #love poetry #loss

[nervouscupcakeinspace]

BTS FIC RECS (PART 2)

Jeon Jungkook/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope

Don't Get Charmed by shikiso

When an injured omega is found on their territory, Jungkook's instincts scream danger. He is the pack's omega, they don't need another one. Jungkook is doing a good enough job by himself, protecting the den and soothing the tension off everybody's shoulders.

Why is the pack so adamant on keeping that useless omega in ?

They have Jungkook, they don't need Hoseok.

Why can't they even see his little game ? Hoseok definitely knows how to play the scared and helpless omega. But, if he manages to trick everybody, he can't trick Jungkook. He is immune to his sweet scent and sweeter eyes.

He won't fall into his trap.

Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin

Omega Drip by sugamongoose

Park Jimin is the kind of alpha who makes you coffee and asks about your day before reducing his partner to a crying, writhing mess on his organic cotton sheets. He doesn't even seem to care one bit that Jungkook is a broken omega who doesn't get wet when he's supposed to.

“Are you busy right now, alpha?” Jungkook asks, holding his breath in anticipation. He can already visualise getting on his knees for the smaller man, can imagine those soft-looking hands petting his hair in approval when he shows just how good his mouth is.

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Namjoon | RM

Every Kind of Way by Oh_Hey_Tae

And then he realizes, quite belatedly, that he’s not supposed to be shaking the hand of the barista. Because that’s weird. And uncalled for. And really, really weird.

So Jungkook draws back his arm, grips the straps of his backpack, and promptly flees the building without a word spoken. Which is fine. Sometimes you have to get out of awkward social situations and blacklist particular cafés and adjust your route to school to avoid said café and the barista with the heart shaped face and his sweet pea scented hands. It happens.

“Jungkook-ah, meet Kim Namjoon.”

And sometimes during your bi-weekly dinner one of your good friends introduces you to said barista with the terribly soft hands who also happens to be getting his masters in social work to help underprivileged youth in inner city neighborhoods. Which is fine. This is fine. Jungkook is doing just fine.

 (Or: Jungkook adores everything about Namjoon except that the man can't catch a clue.)

Here Is What I Know by Oh_Hey_Tae

There are flowers growing on Namjoon’s arm. They aren’t real flowers, of course. That would be absurd. Impossible. Ridiculous. But Namjoon spends most of his lecture on Kant watching the garden of ink bloom on his skin, beginning at his pinkie and spreading across his wrist, trickling down to his elbow, curling up and around his bicep and out of sight under the sleeve of his shirt. Irises and peonies and roses and sunflowers. The girl who’s sitting beside him is staring, and when caught, gives Namjoon a bright-eyed grin before glancing back to the board. Namjoon spots a faded smiley face inked into the skin of her thumb, what looks to be a grocery list scrawled over the back of her hand. Notes or reminders from her soulmate maybe. Soulmates. Huh. It looks like Namjoon has one of those now.

try to resist, i still want it all by exarite

At first, Namjoon doesn’t think much of him.

He looks familiar, but he’s too far away for Namjoon to really see or scent out his dynamic. He’s cute, but Namjoon's not new to cute boys either. He's far too used to handsome, and pretty, and everything in between in the industry.

But then he stands up. Namjoon's eyes catch on the swell of his belly, and every nerve in his body lights up, his mind going blank, and—

Oh, he breathes. He's pregnant.

::

Namjoon fucks a pregnant Jungkook.

just let me adore you by elle_O_moonchild *

Rockstar omega Jungkook has never let an alpha tie him down. He was independent, and happy, and had no need for a domineering knothead to mess up his career and lifestyle.

But powerful and wealthy alpha Namjoon only wants to spoil the pretty omega rotten.

or

A smitten alpha Namjoon gets a weary omega Jungkook to go on a date with him and shows him just how good they can be together…

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Seokjin | Jin

more and more and more by moonsuns

"If you haven’t had sex by the time you’re twenty, then I’ll have sex with you. That way you’ll have a guaranteed end date for your virginity.”

“Do you promise, hyung?”

"I promise."

The problem was, Seokjin never expected to be called on it.

you shouldn't give it to me (good like that) by jamaisvore

opposites in the eyes of the media, but a perfect match in each other's arms.

or: supermodel!jk x rockstar!jin

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM

Pull Me Under by Oh_Hey_Tae

It’s been two weeks. Hoseok has managed to survive two weeks of Kim Namjoon’s progressively darkening thighs and his cheek craters and his swooshy hair and that stupid laugh he does that makes him sound like a bleating sheep.

Yoongi looks over his shoulder. Stares. Slowly draws his gaze back to Hoseok. “Are we discussing the same man who tried to brush his teeth with sunscreen yesterday?”

“Ew, he did that?”

“Your voice says that’s disgusting but your face says you’re enamored.”

Hoseok presses his palms against his eyes until he sees colored spots. “Make it stop, hyung.”

  (Or: Hoseok works at a summer resort and Namjoon is the newest lifeguard. Chaos ensues.)

fall underneath by crycoby

“Is this secretly about your huge crush on Namjoon?” Jimin asks, his fingers digging into the back of Hoseok’s neck in a way that is frankly criminal. “You know that if you like him, you’re going to have to be more direct. He doesn’t like to assume things about people and… He overthinks a lot,” he finally settles on diplomatically.

Hoseok groans, half because of the pressure and half because the idea of talking about this, about any of this, about any of the gnarled mess that is the clutch of Hoseok’s emotions in the knot of his chest, gives him hives.

//

hoseok could talk about his big messy feelings about namjoon, or he could talk around them instead and just hope for the best. yeah. that sounds good.

Methods of Mutual Stress Relief by Only_A_Fangirl

Hoseok cringes, “How weird would it be if I actually asked to jerk off in here with you?”

“Very,” Namjoon answers instantly.

Hoseok nods, “You can choose the porn.”

Namjoon blinks, “Are you for real?”

lyre lyre lyre by oliviacirce

Namjoo regrets every life choice that has led her here, to the hard wooden floor of this dance studio, where she's lying on her back like a beached whale.

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Taehyung | V

the long and winding road by moonsuns

Hoseok is (basically) forced to go on vacation and leave his stressful idol life behind, at least for a little while. He wasn't expecting to find Taehyung, that's for sure. (He's glad he did, though.)

Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin

Procurement by FlyYouFools1 (WIP) *

Seokjin and Namjoon have waited decades for a little of their own. Taehyung just wants to pay for his little brother's education.

Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Taehyung | V

Dandelion Love (part of the (Not) Destined series) by almostsophie1

Taehyung is twenty-one when the word on his wrist turns ashen. The kind of love that soulmates share is forever out of reach.

(But enter one Kim Namjoon, who doesn't think the same.)

Kim Namjoon | RM/Min Yoongi | Suga

Bleeding Love by beebalm

Yoongi was already dressed and halfway to the door, nothing but a dry chuckle and a See you around when Namjoon asked for his number.

OR

It's not that Namjoon is hurt Yoongi only ever wanted him for a one night stand. And he doesn't have a crush. He just wishes they didn't have to keep seeing each other all the time.

Kim Namjoon | RM/Park Jimin

but i want it anyway by ameliabedelias *

Park Jimin’s roommate goes to study abroad for a semester. Kim Namjoon takes over the lease.

only lingering around you by moonsuns 

“I don't. I mean...this is going to sound awkward, but I’m...not really looking for a relationship right now.”

Namjoon considers, for a moment, elaborating and telling Jimin about everything with Hoseok, but there wouldn't be any point in that. And also, Namjoon is pretty sure that Jimin doesn't care about any of that anyway.

And he's right. At this, Jimin outright laughs. It isn’t a mean laugh, but Namjoon is pierced by the sound anyway. “Who said anything about a relationship, or even feelings? It’s just sex.”

Or, Namjoon and Jimin are friends with benefits.

Kim Seokjin | Jin/Min Yoongi | Suga

운명 (Fate) (part of the (Not) Destined series) by almostsophie1

Yoongi is part of that three percent population left without a soulmate word. It doesn't matter if he falls in love, because love isn't meant for people like him.

(Then he meets Seokjin.)

candy on my lips (part of the just desserts series) by moonbabie

Anonymous advice columnist and baby bi Kim Sujin meets queer club president Min Yoonji, and does the following: writes some cheesy advice columns, cuts her hair, and figures out her shit. (aka a queer romcom meets emotional constipation, self-discovery, and clueless wlw)

Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin

pull me closer in the backseat of your rover by moonsuns

Jimin had just wanted to get off. He didn't think he'd end up with a boyfriend at the end of it all.

Or, another friends with benefits AU.

Nip & Bloom by sugamongoose (WIP) *

The year is 2021, and yet traditional and oppressive views of alpha/omega relations run rampant in the Korean society. Unmated Park Jimin is placed in a government programme which pairs delinquent omegas with support mates to make them more comfortable in their submission. Jimin’s alpha for six months turns out to be Min Yoongi, a tiny music producer who wears fuzzy sweaters, and who won’t stop talking about his kitten Holly.

“You look like an omega,” Jimin blurts out. The strange alpha flashes him a smile that reveals the pink of his gums. “Is that something you prefer? I saw your file, and it said you identify as queer.” “Oh, you looked at my file just to see if I like to fuck other omegas? Knot swelling yet?”

POLY RELATIONSHIPS

OT7 - Relationship

indiscentsible by cloudyworld *

Jungkook had been a little disappointed when, after all the build-up and speculation, he'd presented as a beta. Betas are great! They play an important role in society: level-headed, big-picture thinkers, the solid foundation that holds everyone together. But that pull of instinct that comes with being an alpha or omega, the feeling of belonging... He was crushed at the thought he might never get to have that.

In a pack with three alphas and three omegas already, presenting beta was a gift; Jungkook learns to see that too.

Precious Mettle by glitterandgilt (WIP) *

Jin loved his nest. He'd built it very carefully from the ground up. Spent centuries on selecting the individuals he wanted to spend the rest of his immortal life with. He was proud of his nest and protected it with a possessive love that rivaled a dragon's guard on their trove.

Jin didn't get the chance to go through that evaluation process with his newest treasure. But he would never let it go.

Or

When Jin's blood is stolen and used to sire a new fledgling, Jin has two choices: to ignore the strands of magic binding him to his new childe, or to lay claim to another jewel for his collection. He chooses the latter and drags his entire nest into a situation none of them were anticipating.

Kim's Seven by Gobi17 (WIP) *

Jungkook, 17 year old YouTuber, is in awe of the 6 hot boys who have adopted him online.

Bangtan are a dangerous group of vigilantes who seize the opportunity to kidnap the stepson of their latest target.

Found Kin by Adaptive_Artist (WIP)

Jungkook is starving. Food doesn't make anything better, and his teeth ache like someone is hammering on them. He thought he was cursed. Turns out he's a hatchling kin, and is now the precious baby of the renowned Kim nest. He's also growing little fangs.

Huh.

love bites (series) by feraljk (WIP) 

Summary from the first fic:

newly-turned vampire jungkook still has a lot to learn, but his hyungs are there to help him. taehyung enlists yoongi and jin to teach the fledgling how to teethe and helps him discover how much of a bonding activity teething can be.

or: trans koo and tae teeth on their hyungs and also come

Isn't it lovely? (all alone) by hopefully2020

At age eighteen, all citizens are given a concentration that will determine their fields of study. A small empty square on their wrist will gain a color corresponding to their skill set. Everyone’s fear is that their square color is black, meaning they are destined for a life of crime. When Jungkook turns eighteen, he waits anxiously for his square to gain color, only to be presented with a blank square. He is shunned by his family, having to struggle through high school while trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life. Jungkook's life gets flipped upside down on the day of his twenty-first birthday when the store he works at is robbed with Jungkook at the cash register. Fearing for his life he believes he is going to die, only to be saved by a figure in black with a mask covering his face. To make things even worse, Jungkook suddenly becomes the target of one of the largest drug syndicates, solely because of his new connection to his savior and five other men who turn out to be the biggest crime lords in Seoul. What happens then, you ask? Well, then the blank world Jungkook always saw starts to drip with black, just a little bit.

blueberry peaches (a serendipitous summer) by elle_O_moonchild (WIP)

Jungkook spends a life changing summer working at a beachside car wash and meets 6 new lovers who change his heart and life forever.

Jeon Jungkook/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM 

Falling For an Alien From Amalthea 5 by Pyotr_Keats78 (WIP)

Jungkook has been in and out of the hospital for years with various medical problems. Eventually, his heart becomes so weak that no human medicine can save him. Believing he will die never having come out as trans to anyone, he gives up. That is until his brother Jimin tells him, “You have two choices, Jungah: you can stay here in this hospital and get high every day until your heart fails you, or you can go to Amalthea, grow a parasite, and live.”

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin

Mentoring on Marsa by FlyYouFools1

Jungkook comes to the planet Marsa after being promised a full scholarship to Marsa National University. When the scholarship falls through, his academic advisor gives him the number for a mentoring service for newly stranded omegas on Marsa. With rent due, no way home, and no success in finding a job, Jungkook calls the number. The organization sends him Min Yoongi, a fellow omega who's been living on Marsa for 8 years. Yoongi teaches him how to survive. Jungkook's first attempt at survival is alpha couple Jimin and Taehyung.

Features: Yoongi doing his best to teach Jungkook how to manage handsy alphas, handsy alphas (like all of them are touchy) taking liberties with omega protagonists, and my best attempt at writing problematic but entertaining sex. A lot of fluff too, actually. The alphas are fluffy as hell with the omegas, and pamper them a lot, even though their actual behavior is wrong.

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga

November (series) by cuttothequickk 

Summary from the first fic: 

Sometimes, Jeongguk gets so lonely he doesn't even feel alone anymore. He's practicing, and he's very good at it. Loneliness. Being alone. It's blustery cold, and the leaves are falling from the branches of trembling trees, and Jeongguk is alone in a big city, shivering without a jacket, trying desperately to keep himself warm.

There is no one, and then there is someone. Two someones. The lovely winter boys from Daegu, Taehyung and Yoongi, opposites and equals, so loving and in love.

It would be ridiculous, really, if Jeongguk didn't fall for them, too.

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM/Min Yoongi | Suga

how, or when, or from where by moonsuns

“Stop calling it my quest,” Namjoon whines, and Hoseok laughs.

“You’re the one that said it first.”

“I was drunk.”

“Well, the bad thing about going out with people, is that you can’t take back the stupid shit you said when you were drunk. Especially when they’re way less drunk than you.”

Or, after Namjoon almost dies, he decides to go on a quest to live his best life, and takes Yoongi and Hoseok along for the ride.

(* Personal favorites)

MASTERPOST FIC RECS PART 1

#bts fic rec #my fic recs #mine #koobi #jikook #namkook #jinkook #namseok #vhope #namjin #taejoon #namgi #minimoni #yoonjin #yoonmin #ot7 #bts poly #bts

[jobean12-blog]

Peony in Love

Pairing: Bucky x reader (Dad!bucky AU)

Word Count: 546

Summary: Bucky and his daughter find the perfect flowers for a special occasion. 

Author’s Note: This is for the @redhead-wine-and-literature-club​ Love in Bloom Challenge and day 1: Peony (I’m a day late :) These flowers are so beautiful and I love them! Hope you enjoy and thank you all so much for reading! Much love always! ❤❤❤ Divider by the lovely @imerdwarf​

Warnings: Soft and sweet fluffy fluff

“Daddy what kind of flowers are we going to get? There are so many to pick from!” Sam says excitedly, as she runs from one bin of flowers to the next.

Bucky surveys the choices. He knows exactly what he wants to get, he just has to find them.

“Come here little doll. I found them,” he calls to Sam.

Sam rushes over and looks up in awe at the bouquet of beautiful pink peonies.

“Wow, I love these! And they’re pink!” she squeals, pulling Bucky’s hand down to bury her face in the soft petals. “I bet Mommy will love them.”

Bucky nods, a soft smile on his face as he brings them over to the stall cashier. After paying he and Sam walk hand in hand down the street back to your apartment, her little arm swinging between their bodies.

“Hey Daddy?” she asks, slowing down and looking up at him. “Why did you pick these flowers? Don’t all girls like roses? These don’t look like roses.”

Bucky kneels and looks first at the flowers and then her little face, so much a reminder of yours.

“Well, you’re right. Girls do love roses, but Mommy loves Peonies best,” he explains before bringing them to his nose and inhaling.

“Why?”

Her question makes him smile.

“The first time Mommy and I went on a date I brought her peonies. I remember I went to the flower shop and looked around and around and I couldn’t pick! Finally, I saw these and they just looked so pretty. The lady at the shop told me that these flowers mean love and romance and happiness so I knew they were the right choice.”

“Because you love Mommy so much and she makes you happy right?” Sam gives Bucky a wide grin, teetering on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

He kisses her cheek. “Yes. Exactly. And you. I love you both so much.”

“I love you too Daddy! Let’s hurry, I don’t want Mommy to start the cookies without me!”  

You’re in the kitchen, preparing to make cookies when Bucky and Sam arrive back home.

“Hi Mommy!!! Did you start without me?” Sam asks, rushing over and grabbing her stool.

“No, of course not baby. Just getting all the stuff ready.”

You look up and catch Bucky standing by the door, his eyes soft and a sweet smile on his face. His metal arm is partially hidden behind his back and he winks.

“Hi baby doll,” he whispers, crooking his finger at you.

Sam giggles and gives you a push in his direction. You walk over and kiss his lips, humming at the feel.

“What’s behind your back Buck?” you ask before pulling away.

He brings the peonies around front and you quietly gasp, wrapping your hand around the stems and bringing them to your face to smell them.

“Oh Bucky. They’re so beautiful,” you coo, letting your fingertips ghost over the silky petals. “Thank you.”

“Do you remember?” he asks, his gaze flitting over your face.

“I do. Perfectly. You were like a dream come true. And you still are.”

He kisses you again, only pulling away because Sam unceremoniously drops the stainless-steel mixing bowl.

“Oops,” she says sheepishly and you all laugh.

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #dad!bucky #bucky x reader fluff #bucky fluff #bucky x you #bucky barnes drabble #dad!bucky au #dad!bucky x reader fluff #bucky barnes imagine #bucky #bucky au #bucky barnes au #rwlc love in bloom challenge

[stiltonbasket]

For the Age reversal AU: hey, what about the shit-show of the Jin Zixuan and Qin Su's engagement?

brief a/n: please consider reblogging if you like this ficlet, since the Age Reversal AU is entirely based on reader prompts!

Qin Su's mother never wanted her to marry Jin Zixuan.

In fact, that dubious honor was once meant to go to the first daughter of the Jiang sect, whenever one arrived. But Yu Ziyuan gave birth to a son not long after Jin-furen had hers, and the two boys took an oath of sworn brotherhood when Jiang Wanyin was five years old, still so small and shy that his mother had to bribe him to make him let go of his own brother and stand next to Jin Zixuan.

Even so, Madam Jin would have insisted her husband wait for Jiang Wanyin’s sister before betrothing her son. She would have, and she did; but that year Qin Cangye discovered a new gold mine within his territory, and Jin Guangshan came to visit his old friend, with his lips dripping with sympathy for the one fellow zongzhu that had no male heir to succeed him.

Qin Su’s father had no son, could never have a son, because he loved Qin Su’s muqin dearly, and she died delivering their only child and begged her husband never to consider a marriage alliance with Lanling before she drew her last breath. Qin Cangye upheld her wishes, dodging around all of Jin Guangshan’s veiled hints about uniting their two houses through their children--but then Jin Guangshan offered an amendment to a trading law that limited advantages for subsidiary sects with less reliance on the Jin clan, and Qin Su was engaged to Jin Zixuan on the latter’s sixth birthday.

There was no reason Mother could have had to be against such a thing, her father told her. Apparently Mother didn’t like Jin Guangshan very much--he had something of a reputation when it came to women--but surely that was stuff and nonsense, Father said. If he were, there would be claims of illegitimate children all through the Jianghu, and Qin Cangye has never heard of his best friend having a bastard child. And he had enough sway with Jin Guangshan to ensure that his daughter could come back to her natal home as often as she liked, so she could even live separately from her husband until he succeeded the current Jin-zongzhu.

And hence, Qin Su grew up as Jin Zixuan’s intended wife, trained and molded into the kind of bride a Jin man would like regardless of her own wishes in the matter. She has never been out in the sun without a parasol at formal events, never been allowed to hunt save at night to safeguard her lily-white skin, never allowed to appear in public without being draped in robes of more gold than cloth, bedecked with stitched peonies instead of the pink Laoling rose; and in the same vein, she was taught how to paint and dance and sing and host gatherings of varying sizes by the time she was twelve years old. She cultivates at Jin-furen’s insistence because Jin-furen wants a strong wife for her son, one who won’t die after giving birth to a daughter and leaving her husband without a legitimate heir like Mother did--for Qin Su is meant to continue Jin-furen’s own bloodline, and keep one of Jin Guangshan’s many nephews from becoming Jin Zixuan’s heir.

It would have been better if you engaged him to Ziyuan’s next child! Jin-furen roared, when Yu Ziyuan became pregnant with a daughter not long after the betrothal. There was no vigor in Tang Xia. In ten years of marriage, she had no children, and when she finally managed to bear a child it killed her! If the same happens with Zixuan--you should have waited for Ziyuan to have a girl, for she would have been as strong as her mother, and you would have secured your son’s future along with your own!

Qin Su still wonders if she was meant to hear that, though she supposes it hardly matters. Jin-furen approves of how well she cultivates, and grudgingly admits that she is as beautiful as her late mother, so perhaps they can live harmoniously as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law someday.

Jin Zixuan is nothing but awkward around her, but that hardly matters either. The moment he fathers a son with Qin Su, he is well within his rights to have nothing more to do with her.

“What are you saying, Qin-guniang? That--that’s horrible!”

Qin Su glances up, startled. She’s still not quite sure how she ended up telling Wen Qionglin all this, though he sensed her discomfort when the subject of her engagement came up in conversation and demanded to know the reason behind it.

Damn, she thinks, as Wen-gongzi leaps off the rock he was sitting on and wrings his hands, distraught. Why didn’t I leave it at saying I hated to flout my mother’s last wishes?

There was just something about Wen Qionglin--something that made her want to lay her deepest fears bare to him, and somehow made her so desperately proud of what power she has, since they are equals when they hunt together and no one, no Jin Zixuan nor Lan Wangji nor Jiang Wanyin can rival them. Qin Su is swift where Qionglin is steady, agile where he is strong enough to break stone where his bare hands, and their minds have worked in unison right from that very first night-hunt, when Qin Su sent an arrow through his guan in the dark and pinned the poor boy to a tree.

“It’s all right, Wen-gongzi,” she says, heart twinging at the anguish in her friend’s face. “I’ve had a lifetime to get used to it.”

“You deserve better!” he cries. “Maiden Su, you deserve so much better! Not--not that Zixuan is a bad sort, he’s not--but your in-laws don’t appreciate you, and he doesn’t love you, and you deserve--Su-guniang, you--”

Qin Su reaches out and takes his hand. It’s much bigger than hers, dry as paper, and suddenly she wonders--if only very briefly--what it might be like if she never had to let go.

“It’s all right,” she soothes. “I can hold my own with my in-laws, and Zixuan and I don’t dislike each other. It’ll be a much more...straightforward marriage than most.”

He meets her eyes, wet amber glaring into placid brown, and for a moment she thinks that his look like coals glowing in the heart of a bonfire.

“No, it won’t,” Wen Ning says at last. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #wen ning #qin su #ningsu #age reversal au #my fic #AYYYYYYYYYYYYY we got some plot goin finally #GO WEN NING

[bluefirewrites]

‘A Flowery Back-And-Forth’- Juke Florist!AU

Juke AU where Julie’s mom had owned the Petal Pushers Floral Company, now run by her Tía Victoria and she helps by delivering orders on her bike. 

Another riff from the Triad Chat Vault. Happy JATP Appreciation Month!

"Alright, I'm on it, Willie!" Julie calls out, slipping the arrangement in her basket, foot primed to pedal-

"Wait!" Willie sidles up to her with a conspiratorial smirk, "Can you do me a teensy weensy favor?"

Her eyes shut, already groaning, "No, no. Willie, no-"

The skater sticks out his bottom lip, pouting, "Please? I'm willing to pay for the 'Julie Molina Special'"

Julie points to the sign hanging in the Petal Pushers shop, "Do you see a 'Julie Molina Special’ or arrangement up there?"

Willie presents her a wad of cash.

She eyes it warily, "You're shelling out so much for this, aren't you?"

"It's Alex," he says, eyes twinkling, "He deserves the best," he elbows her playfully, "Right?"

Shit. Romance isn't dead after all.

And Julie does need the money.

"Okay, fine," she pockets the cash and mounts her bike "One 'Julie Molina' delivery special coming up."

"Yes!" he hugs her from behind, careful not to squash the flowers, "Thank you. He'll appreciate it for sure."

"I'm doing this for you," she rings the bell and starts rolling down the street, "And you better properly introduce me to your boyfriend next time!"

"Here you go, courtesy of your boyfriend,"

"Will do!"

Julie bikes over to the address, not too far from her house. 

“He’s in band practice right now, so take the flowers there,” Willie had told her. 

She could already hear the music flowing from the garage as she pulls up and parks her bike. Carefully scooping up the bouquet, she knocks on the double doors. 

It takes a moment for anyone inside to notice the knocking due to the loud music (which is pretty good from what Julie has heard so far. And she doesn’t really listen to much music anymore). 

The guitars and drums are put to a halt. Then a voice calls out. 

“Who is it?” 

“It’s Petal Pushers Floral Company. I have a delivery for an ‘Alex Mercer’?” 

“Cool. Come on in.” 

Heeding instruction, she pushes the doors open and walks inside. She spots Alex immediately, by the drums. The blonde raises his hand and Julie comes forward with the large bouquet Willie ordered for him.

"Um..." Julie e starts, rubbing her hands together nervously, "There's more."

"Thanks!" Alex blushes, admiring the rainbow of flowers collected.

“And the card,” 

Alex quickly swipes the card, eyeing his bandmates in case either of them would dare to steal it and read it outloud. He reads the note to himself and he blushes even more. 

“Happy One Month, Hot Dog,” he recites an excerpt for everyone, to which they all go ‘aww’. Then Alex nods at her, “And you’re Julie, right? Willie tells me all about you. Thanks for coming by.” 

“Really no problem. Just doing my job. As a delivery girl and his friend.” 

Speaking of friend duties...

Then she looks around the room and shrinks in on herself seeing that she does have an audience, one that she recognizes. 

There’s Reggie from her Home Ec class and the other boy, Luke, she thinks, the one she always spots with a guitar case in his hands.

"Um..." she starts, rubbing her hands together nervously, "There's more."

"Oh," Alex says, surprised, "Really?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't know what it is that makes me love you so...I only know I never want to let you go...'" she sings, snapping to the beat, trying hard not to look at anyone else but Alex.

I'm so gonna kill Willie for this...

She clears her throat. And goes for it. 

"'Cause you started something, can't you see...That ever since we met you've had a hold on me...”" she starts moving around the space, spinning and dancing like an old-timey singing-gram.

Coming back around, she catches eyes with Luke, and she immediately averts her eyes, turning red.

No, Julie... just keep singing. This would all be over soon. So you won't have to keep embarrassing yourself in front of cute boys...

“It happens to be true.... I only want to be with you!" she finishes on own knee, with jazz hands.

She's met with a round of applause as she stands up, feeling awkward.

"Wow!" Reggie claps, "Your boyfriend got you flowers and a pretty girl to sing you a song."

"That was great," Alex beams at her, "You're really good!"

She blushes, waving off the compliments, "Not really a thing we do at the shop, but Willie insisted."

"What a shame," Luke finally pipes up, his eyes never having left her ever since she walked in, "I bet a lot of people will buy flowers... if they're being delivered like that."

Julie swears she's glowing red like Rudolph at this point, with the way he stares. 

Julie walks her bike up to the garage, finding only Luke there playing away on his guitar.

"Thanks..." she mutters shyly, rushing out the door and towards her bike, “Have a good one guys. And you sounded great by the way.” 

“We’re Sunset Curve,” Luke shouts after her. 

“Tell your friends!” Reggie follows up. 

Julie politely waves at them and bikes away, all too keen to continue on with her route and try to put this whole embarrassing moment behind her. 

If only Luke Patterson was planning to do the same. 

Ever since she made the delivery, the guy would try to flag her attention at school. With a ‘Hey Flower Girl’ and striking up conversation, which throws her off balance. 

She tries not to associate with people in the music program as often, not since she left due to... personal reasons. (Flynn is a notable exception)

Julie would be friendly, to Alex and Reggie to an extent as well, (to Alex especially since he is Willie’s boyfriend), but she’s just trying to get by with her busy schedule of school and her job at the flower shop. 

She goes to work after school two weeks later and makes her rounds with the deliveries Tía sends her on. Tía only gives her the remaining orders that the trucks couldn’t take, last minute ones that are within riding distance.

(Julie can’t wait until she’s able to get her license and really make a contribution to her family’s business). 

She’s just about to call it a night when Tía surprises her with one last minute arrangement. A call made while she was out. 

It’s about 6 at this point, getting darker and so she packages the bundle of peonies quickly, puts it in her basket and looks at the address. She rolls her eyes when she reads where it’s going and who it’s for. 

She knocks against the door, bearing the small bouquet of peonies, "Ahem?"

It startles the boy and he fumbles with his instrument. He looks up to find her standing there and grins. Soon, the guitar is off his person and he's meeting her at the door.

"Hey," he greets.

"Hi," she smiles, although confused, "Delivery for 'Luke Patterson'?"

The boy glances around the empty space before feigning realization, "Oh! That must be me!"

"Looks like," Julie couldn't help but giggle. She gives him the flowers, their hands making brief contact during the exchange. 

"You like peonies?" Luke sniffs the flowers, playing with the paper wrap.

She pulls back, clearing her throat. She wants to ask that question at the forefront of her mind, but she really shouldn’t assume anything about their customers. But she couldn’t help but wonder who the flowers are for. 

So she just settles for: "Nice arrangement.”

"They're pretty, yeah,"

He tilts his head, "But are they your favorite?"

Julie purses her lips, "Nope. Not really."

"I swear you give me a peonies kinda vibes,"

"That's a thing?"

Setting down the flowers onto the table, Luke nods, "Oh yeah. Don't you try and guess what kind of flowers people would buy when they come in?"

"Sometimes,"

"But still," he pinches a peony from the bunch and offers it to her and Julie's breath hitches.

"For you,"

She crosses her arms, despite the butterflies. Instead of accepting it, she raises an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not one to take a customer's flowers,"

He shrugs, "Consider it a tip?"

"Why? ‘Cuz you don't have any money?" she jests, making her way down the driveway.

"C'mon, Julie," he calls from the open garage, "Here." he holds out the flower again.

Rolling her eyes, she mounts her bike, "I'm not a peony-kind of girl, remember!"

"I'll figure out what kind of girl you are," he says, almost like a promise.

"Good luck with that!" she shouts back, racing down the driveway and onto the street.

The last thing she sees is him grinning like an idiot in the doorway, tossing aside the peony, and watching her ride off into the evening.

Little does she know that this is only the start of their little flowery back-and-forth...

Tagging: @blush-and-books​​ @lydias--stiles​​  @thedeathdeelers​​ @ruzek-halstead​​, @pink-flame​​, @ourstarscollided​​, @nottheleastbrave​​, @echocharm17618​​ @smolfangirl​​ 

#juke #jatp #juke au #julie and the phantoms #palina #juke-box #blue draws stuff #julie x luke #luke x julie #flower delivery girl! Julie #mannnn #we tossed around so many ideas in the chat #gonna bust some of them out for appreciation month #curious to what else we came up with? 0.0 #my girls inspire me so much :)

[selfetishizing]

the star of my summer nights

August 12, 1:43 AM

A night of drinking for Ash’s birthday. Only one of them comes home drunk.

“You’ve gotta duck, babe,” he coos, and it kind of reverbs in a kaleidoscopic rain of words, making Eiji’s mind twirl in a cyclone of two-hundred kilometers per hour. Eiji groans at the throbbing in his head, made more severe by the soft pet-name bestowed to him by this suspiciously too-kind stranger.

“Y’got no business callin’ me ‘at,” Eiji slurs brattily, though following his instructions as obedient as a lapdog. He rests his chin in the space between his neck and shoulder, feeling flaxen wisps tickle his cheek. His citronnade hair glows as he carefully steps into his house, flicking the lights on.

“If not ‘babe,’ what d’you prefer? Buttercup? Bunny?” Eiji’s heart sinks and he lets out this frustrated, whinnied noise from the exhale of his nostrils. His voice has this kind of playfulness to it and it makes Eiji hotter than he already is, melting right onto his back like molten wax. “I know for a fact you love that one.”  

“Eiji. E-I-J-I. That’s my name! Given t’me by my mother on a sunny day in Izumo!” Eiji whines, childishly untangling himself from him. The guy’s got quick reflexes, quickly sliding the door shut and pressing Eiji back against it before he could fall back and split his cranium open like a watermelon. “Lemme go! I can walk! I can—”

He only presses harder against him, making sure that Eiji feels the ridges of his shoulder blades against his chest and the small of his back on his pelvis. Somehow, this gesture’s got him absolutely winded, deflating all of the air in his lungs and promptly making him shut up for a second to take the situation in. He’s currently got this handsome foreigner in his home. Has Eiji against the door, vulnerable and powerless. It didn’t help that everything was spinning in counterclockwise circles, making every viable route to safety unclear.

Oh.

He smells so nice, like freshly brewed lapsing tea. Like what a fireplace feels like after trudging in a blizzard. Snug. Homey.

He likes it.

It stirs something in him, titillates him in a complete sensory overload that he feels like he could explode.

“You have a very beautiful name, Eiji,” he tells him suddenly, and Eiji has no choice, zilch, but to stop and reconsider his tactics. “Your mother must’ve loved you very much to give you such a meaningful name.” Eiji cocks his head to the side, taking in his profile and blinking as if it’d make his vision sharper.

His heart races, the man’s voice suddenly doesn’t sound so ear-splitting. It thumps right there in his breast and he’s scared to death that the man can feel just what he’s doing to him, condensing him into a vat of mandarine marmalade. Eiji wonders what’s going on in his meandering mind and sort-of, kind-of wants to eat up every one of his words and follow its winding path down to madness. He knows just what to say, how to say it. Knows the right inflection to get Eiji’s mouth to dry, get him weak at the knees.

“I’m tired,” Eiji whispers, surrendering himself to the currents. “Take me to my room. Take me to my room upstairs and leave right away.”

“Yeah. Of course,” he says. “Anything for you.”

He trudges up in slow careful steps. The wooden steps creak under their weight and Eiji feels like he’s lived that sound time and time again with someone he can’t seem to remember right now. Racing up and down. Sitting there as they blow on their morning coffee. Being pressed against the railing, kissed and tasted when they were both too impatient to make it upstairs. Eiji closes his eyes to dive back into those memories to search for a face to match the hole in the portrait of his every day.

The man staggers into his room and fumbles for the light switch before bee-lining to the bed to rest him down. Eiji unlinks from him a little reluctantly, scooting back to the far side of the bed away from upon realization that he misses the warmth radiating from his body.

“Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” he coos from the other edge of the mattress, promptly shrugging his hoodie off and tossing it to the ground.

Eiji purses his lips and looks out the window at the deep violet crepuscule, yearning for something he knows he shouldn’t have.

“You should.... You should probably go now,” Eiji tells him unsteadily, voice absent of any conviction.

The man crawls over to him, peridot eyes obscured by his threadlike hair and all of the alarms in Eiji’s head goes off at once. Even so, he lets it all unfold; lets him be close to him just for a second as if to test the waters. Eiji holds his breath until he’s blue, examining his eyes for a motive. He’s got him so entranced that it takes a minute for Eiji to realize he’s laying next to him, facing him, holding his hand.

“I’ve got a boyfriend."

“A boyfriend,” he echoes back with a hint of amusement, like the very thought of him with a significant other is nothing short of risible.

“Yes! And he won’t like it if he sees you here!”

“He’s… Right here?”

“You dope. Weirdo! My boyfriend’s nothin’ like you!” To be honest, Eiji can’t really remember what he looks like right now, but he feels it strongly there in his heart. Remembers the space between his fingers. The pink scars that mar his ivory skin. The shape of his lips. “I love him very much!”

“Uh?” Eiji can see him blinking his eyes in disbelief. He’s making fun of me. “Er, I mean, pfffft. What’s so lovable about this guy, anyways? Can’t be better than me.”

Eiji furrows his brows and pouts, screwing his eyes shut to immerse himself in sensations of his beloved. “He’s smart and funny and the prettiest person, like, ever.”

“Is he prettier?” asks the man with hilarity, propping his head up on an elbow.

No comment.

“He makes the best omelets, and he reads me to bed— even when he’s tired! Gives me the best shoulder rubs! Lends me his jacket when I’m shivering outside so I don’t catch a cold ‘cause that’s just the kind of person he is!”

“Yeah?”

“He’s scared of pumpkins ‘n natto, but that don’t change that he’s kind ‘n sweet ‘n caring! I love him, more than anyone! More than myself!”

“This guy sounds like a real looney if you ask me,” he chuckles.

“He’s… My bestest friend in the whole world. He’s—” But before Eiji can blather more about his significant other, the man hovers over him and captures him mid-sentence; coaxes him into a kiss before he can make a bigger fool out of himself. Eiji squeaks out in bewilderment, offended that this man had rudely cut him off as he was loudly professing his affection for the entire neighborhood to hear.

He kisses him kind, kisses him sweet, kisses him caring; strokes him with lava-dipped fingertips on the curve of his hip and further up, careful to not overstep the border between simple lip-locking and slightly-more-than-lip-locking.

Eiji’s only ever been in bloom when he’s with him. They fit together like needle to threadbare, making floral embroideries with every press of their peony lips. He traces vines and leaves onto Eiji with every caress of his finger on his cheek, his neck, his shoulders. The way he’s sprouting flowers onto his forehead finally gives Eiji a moment of clarity.

“He’s... me,” Ash whispers.

Everything finally clicks into place.

“You’re you.”

“Mm-hmm. And you’re sweet.” Ash taps his nose.

“Where did you go?”

“Was always here.”

Exhausted and waiting out the last dregs of his intoxication, he pulls Ash’s head into his chest and cradles him, breathes him in. 

“Then stay the night.”

“Kinda planned on it.”

#my writing #ash lynx #eiji okumura #asheiji #banana fish #this is in case i don't finish my fic for ash's bday lol #this is an old chapter from my ficlet collection #deleted because the ending was ooc but edited for tumblr #if you've read this before #no you haven't skjdfbkjabf #fic