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hyunverse · 3 years

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BUNGA (FLOWER) | FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

gender neutral.

summary; you’re megumi’s dream person.

note; i wrote this bcs my birth name is actually a type of flower ugh the self indulgence also i like butterflies. also inspired by a song called bunga by masdo. i recommend listening to the song while reading. bunga means flower in malay!! also pls open the gif for better quality.

YOU REMIND MEGUMI OF A FLOWER. white orchids; they symbolize purity. and that’s exactly what you are to him.

fushiguro megumi remembers this one day when he and tsumiki had went to a flower garden together. he didn’t know why tsumiki suddenly felt like visiting a garden, but he followed anyway. he observed as his sister looked at the flowers around them, a smile never leaving her face and her eyes were practically sparkling. it felt nice to see his sister actually enjoy herself, especially after their parents got up and abandoned them, leaving tsumiki with all the house chores.

“look at all these flowers!”, tsumiki caressed the petals with her fingers, thumb gently gliding over the flowers, “they look so nice, don’t you think so megumi?”

megumi didn’t reply, he opted to stand beside his older sister. tsumiki explained the symbolisms of the flowers she knew of. the raven head looked stoic, as if he wasn’t listening to any of her words but the truth is, he was. he found the symbolism behind the white orchids particularly interesting. it suited the orchids’ physical appearance. white and innocence just made sense.

as the siblings chatted (though it technically was one sided on tsumiki’s part), a cat walked towards the duo. the ball of orange fur purred and nudged it’s head on tsumiki’s legs, immediately getting the teenage girl’s attention. she kneeled down, her previous smile growing wider.

petting the cat, she looked up at her younger brother, “aren’t cats so adorable?”.

“yeah,” megumi uttered. a lie. he wasn’t a big fan of cats, he found them annoying. dogs are better, that’s what he believed in but he didn’t have the heart to say that to his sister. not when she looks the happiest she had been in a while.

“and the weather’s really nice today!”, she added, eyes glancing up at the sky. the sun was glaring right into her eyes, so her pupils shrunk. she didn’t mind however, she had always loved sunny days. the sunlight shone right above their heads, and megumi didn’t like it. he could feel drops of sweat trickling down his back, causing his shirt to cling onto his skin. megumi much prefers when it’s cloudy, shades of grey in the sky, the perfect weather for staying at home and reading books.

even so, he just nodded, “mhm.”

shortly the sun started to set, spreading orange hues throughout the sky. flocks of birds returned to their nests, and so the fushiguro siblings made their way back to their abode. on their way tsumiki stole glances at her brother, letting out a dry chuckle everytime she notices the lack of expression on his face.

“you should smile more you know, megumi”, she ruffled his erratic hair, “you won’t get much friends if you keep on frowning like that”, she teased.

he grumbled, “i don’t care if i don’t have friends.”

megumi thought it was ridiculous. why would it matter, anyway? he’s fine being alone. people are bothersome; they’re too loud and they stress him out. especially the stupid punks in school who thinks they could do whatever they want. megumi simply shrugged and pushed his sister’s words out of his mind. scratch smiling and being likeable.

yet here he is, smiling at you. over no particular reason too.

currently, he’s walking along a beach with you. you; dressed up in a white sundress, a pair of sandals in your right hand. the sand burns under fushiguro’s feet but he couldn’t feel it over the fast thumping of his heart, he couldn’t feel the heat when his whole skin is tingling. he trolls behind you, walking over the footsteps you made. your sundress flows to the rhythm of your walk, flying slightly up when the wind blows your way, exposing the plush skin of your thighs. fushiguro looks away from your figure, his fair complexion tinted with blush.

you’re his best friend, he’s not supposed to look at you like that.

“it’s so nice here, megumi!”, you call out to him as you stand at the edge of the sea. waves crash, they trickle up to your toes. with a smile you hold up your hand for megumi to hold.

bashfully, megumi walks up to you and takes your hand in his. he’s reluctant, for he dislikes his hands. they’re cold and filled with callouses. so when you grip his hand as though you didn’t intend to let go, when your thumb rubs against his, he feels less insecure of his hands. the sensation of your hand in his is hot, it burns; however it feels nice.

megumi fushiguro hates warmth, but if it’s your warmth, he’d enjoy burning in heat.

the sand by the sea doesn’t feel hot on your feet. the waves get bigger and bigger; till they reach up to your ankles. you giggle because it tickled, the sound of your laughs reaching megumi’s ears. he turns to his side to see you crouching down, collecting the water in your hands.

that’s when megumi concluded, your whole existence screams purity.

a week later megumi meets you again. sometime at 11pm, by an oak tree—your usual meeting spot. the oak tree is large, it’s impossible to miss it. you stand under the oak tree, allowing dried leaves to fall onto your head, getting stuck in your hair. you know megumi would get all the leaves out of your hair. he does it everytime. he’ll pick out all the leaves out of your hair while lecturing you, though his words enter one ear then out from another. no matter how many times he says “i can’t do this all the time”, even he himself knows he would.

from afar megumi watches his best friend run around the flower field, chasing butterflies. your hair gets swept away by the wind as your hands stretch up to the sky, desperately trying to get a butterfly to land on your hand. you’re wearing a jumpsuit, the white color of the material truly brought out your skin tone. your complexion is glistening, and it makes megumi’s heart throb.

“they’re scared of you, y/n,” he finally says, putting both your hands down. the butterflies fly away from your sight, and you pout.

“but they’re so pretty,” you sigh, watching as the butterflies choose to fly anywhere but on your fingers. and then one lands on top of megumi’s shoulder.

your eyes widen, holding the sides of megumi’s figure to make him stay still. megumi could see sparks in your eyes when you admire the blue butterfly. soft is the expression you wear on your face. he likes it on you. that cute expression of yours makes megumi fall five times harder for you even when he knows he shouldn’t.

“you’re like a flower ‘gumi. it likes you.”

ridiculous, he thinks. you’re the flower. it’s obvious by the way your body moves under the moonlight, and how insanely beautiful you are.

fushiguro megumi doesn’t say anything in return, as always. he rarely does. if possible, he wants to avoid you from finding out just how in love he is with you.

after that day, you never show up under the oak tree, a few minutes distance from jujutsu high. he’ll wait for hours long only to be disappointed.

--at least not until his birthday comes, about a few months later. his face turns pale once he spotted you. you wait by the jujutsu high gate with a wide smile on his face, as if you didn’t ghost him for three months.

"glad to see you doing okay," the apple of your cheeks seem more prominent when you smile, megumi feels an urge to kiss them.

"i haven't seen you in so long," megumi mumbles, "happy to see you here today."

you grin and hold up your hand for him to take per usual, and didn’t mutter anymore words until the two of you reach a café in the outskirts of tokyo.

“nice café,” the raven comments , glancing at you. you’re wearing a puffy sleeved white blouse now—honestly, do you only own white clothes?

“found it on instagram”, you mutter, “i thought you’d like it. happy birthday, megumi.”

megumi smiles for the first time today. as a jazz song plays, he eats the birthday cake you purchased for him quietly. the cake tastes delicious (to be fair, anything you buy him is perfect) because it’s not too sweet. the fact that you remember his preference makes his smile grow a little wider.

you hum to the song and rest your head on his shoulder. it seems like the two of you are the only ones in the café—a much needed privacy. you’re usually touchy with him, and he prefers affection to be private. typically they make megumi blush, and he doesn’t want people to witness him all flustered.

“did you miss me, megumi?”, he replies to your question by nodding and placing his hand on top of yours.

serenity is this feeling, megumi thinks.

at the corner of the café stands an antique grandfather clock. it’s sounds are so loud, they resonate the whole environment. megumi suddenly becomes hyper aware of the sound, there’s a pounding in his head. the sound becomes louder and louder, to the point where megumi couldn’t feel your skin under his. he shuts his eyes close, an impossibly bright light glares his eyes.

“fushiguroooo!”, an annoying voice yells. itadori’s voice, megumi is certain.

the pounding in his head slows down. his sapphire eyes flutter open, and he realizes the light he saw was sunlight rays peeking through his blinds.

“seriously fushiguro, we’ve been calling you for an hour now. hurry up, we’re going out to eat in five. to celebrate your birthday”, megumi looks up to see nobara standing behind itadori.

they’re both leaning against his door frame. itadori is dressed in a yellow hoodie, while nobara rocks a coat over a turtleneck. the female sorcerer holds her toy hammer tight in her grip, her eyes boring through megumi’s figure. by her posture, megumi guesses she was about to hit him with the squeaky hammer if only he didn’t wake up sooner.

fucking menaces, they could’ve left him to sleep for a little more. he hasn’t seen you in so long, he wanted to sleep in to spend time with you.

finally rubbing his eyes awake, the boy looks at the vase of orchids sitting on his nightstand. he sighs before standing up.

megumi will find you someday, he promises. if you’re a flower, he’ll gladly be the butterfly.

✉ taglist: @aliteama @dearsukuna @cybergoo @hanniemilk @ariasann @soulasdarkascoffee @okusetomura @eidotheiapriv @maat-the-prescriptive @etoilezone @elipres @scarednekozz @iridescentkitsune @crapimahuman @nectar0sw33t @hq149 @bluedelphinium @bokutos-babyowl @behan @tdntu0 @sunaluvs @guardianangelswings @fairywriter-oracle @inu-makki @erinisbadger

tagging; @candleohappiness , @haru-senji <333

#fushiguro #fushiguro megumi #megumi x reader #fushiguro megumi x reader #jjkmag #megumi fluff #fushiguro megumi fluff #megumi imagines #megumi x gn reader #fushiguro megumi imagines #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader

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repo-net · 2 years

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Rose Under The Tree

It was a day like any other, defeating monsters and baddies, exploring the world around you, solving puzzles, and eating delicious food with your favorite floating companion. It's been a long day though, and it was about time to just head back and rest for now.

"Paimon thinks it's time we take a break now. We've been super busy today, and we still need to fix up everything around our Serenitea Pot's mansion! Ugh... if only Paimon's worries could disappear in the blink of an eye."

You just chuckle, patting her on the head as a thought swung by you... hmm... worries disappearing in the blink of an eye... it definitely did remind you of a certain someone.

You summoned the teapot in front of you again, and felt yourself being sucked in, entering another world... the experience of entering it truly never gets old. You head into the teapot's main area - that being the mansion right near it's entrance. A sigh of exhaustion escaped you as you opened it's doors and entered the mansion.

And to your surprise... it was sparkly clean. Not a single piece of dust or traces of dirt were left on the floor, nor the wall, nor the ceiling. Everything was in place. The furniture looked exceptionally well-cleaned too, and a bunch of things had been moved back into their original idle places, from chairs that were left too far from the table, or paintings that hung an angle too far.

You're thankful, and maybe you'd even be impressed too had you not already seen this sight before countless times and didn't already know what was the cause behind the state the place was in.

Another sigh leaves your mouth, this time out of worry as you walked into the mini library that was found in one of the rooms of the house, finding no one more than the familiar sight of who you figured was behind the cleaning.

"Zzz... the exam... I must..."

With the pile of books that were on the desk she was sitting in front of, it was to no surprise that once again, she'd been studying for the upcoming Knights of Favonius examination once more. But to do it seemingly right after she just did all your chores and work for you... it was clear any semblance of a "break" in her work as a maid was just going to be eaten up by her preparing for the Knights exam.

You approached her, looking over to see her face properly now, her head on her arms as she lightly snored, sometimes mumbling stuff about duties and being a maid/knight in her sleep.

Even when she's already out and down, she's still thinking about how to serve people and how to work even harder than she already does... honestly, you thought she was far too kind to be surrounded by the people she's usually with. Sure, she says she enjoys it, and she definitely does too by the expression on her face while she works, but you couldn't help but constantly feel like her kindness was being taken advantage of.

You picked up a nearby notebook, tearing off a piece of paper from it and getting out a pencil, and began to write on it.

Several minutes later, you reread through your entry once more...

"You've been pretty worked up again lately, I can tell. I was planning on doing my own chores and work for today, but you'd already beaten me to it, so I'm pretty much free for the rest of the day.

That said, now that I'm free, come see me under the tree in Windrise again once you wake up. I want to have a chat with you, and after that, I want to take you with me for a stroll. Just so you can finally take an actual break for once. You deserve much better than how you're treated by others, and I want to be a person that can show that.

I'll be waiting for you, then."

... and find yourself satisfied with it.

To add on to it though, you looked around your belongings and attached a small red rose to the corner of the paper, before finally putting it right on top of a book on her desk about the stories of Mondstadt's knights, making sure she sees it as soon as she wakes up.

A small smile curls on your face, as you just take a deep breath, pondering on the adventures you've had with her.

She'll always protect and help you and others, but for once, you just want her to feel less like a figure and more like a person for once.

And as you walked out and returned to Teyvat, standing under the city of freedom's mighty tree, and hear her voice not too long after you arrive...

"Honorary Knight!"

You want to he the one that helps her realize that.

#genshin impact #noelle #genshin noelle

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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Galactica, Chapter 43 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Hola muffins! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Adore threw a tantrum, but it may have been justified.

This Chapter: Bianca has some ‘splainin to do, Courtney plays pretend, Violet gets some exciting news, and Fame has a workplace scare.

***

The first thing Bianca did when she got home on Friday was kick off her stilettos, giving her poor feet a break after the long week. The second thing she did was feed the dogs, her beloved chihuahuas jumping around like crazy while she filled their bowls and freshened up their water dishes. And the third thing? She emptied almost a full bottle of Cabernet into a wine glass, carrying it upstairs to her room.

She opened the door, flipped on the lights, and that’s when she nearly had a heart attack.

Adore, who was on the sofa in her bedroom sitting area, had apparently been waiting for her in the dark.

“Jesus fucking christ!” Bianca said, clutching her chest, a wine stain already spreading on her area rug where she’d spilled in fear.

“Hello Bianca.”

“What the fuck are you doing sitting here in the dark, you psychopath?” Bianca crouched down, examining the stain. “Fuck.”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Normal people use a phone!” Bianca sighed, standing back up. “This rug is destroyed, by the way.”

Bianca pointed, doing her best not to spill again, the thought of having to make arrangements with a decorator already putting her on edge, but she guessed she’d just have Joslyn take care of it.

“Thank you for that.” Bianca shook her head, sitting down in the armchair across from Adore. “So, what’s going on?”

“I thought,” said Adore, “that you didn’t have any secrets from me.”

She looked wounded, like a child, and Bianca groaned internally. This had to be about Pearl.

“I don’t, pussycat.” Bianca set her wine down and leaned forward. “I’m an open book for you.”

It was true. There were things Adore knew that Bianca would never tell another soul--and vice versa. Bianca would never, for the life of her, lie to Adore. On the other hand, there were things that she just didn’t feel right bringing up.

“Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you tell me about Fame and Pearl? Huh?” Adore accused.

There it was.

“That wasn’t my secret to tell,” Bianca offered, hoping that Adore would believe her. She wouldn’t have lied, not if she was asked a direct question, but why open up a can or worms if she didn’t have to? Why risk hurting Adore, why betray Fame’s trust, all for this ill-fated, hopefully short-lived relationship with Pearl fucking Liaison?

“Bullshit!”

“Adore…”

“No, I don’t understand. Because you say you love me, you want to protect me, but you lied to me, you lied, for months, and-”

“I didn’t lie, I just didn’t tell you-”

“I’m gonna strangle you right now, bitch,” Adore said, seething with anger. “You fucking lied!”

The semantics argument would never work--Bianca could see that. So instead, she sighed, rubbing her temples, and changed tactics entirely. “Would it have made a difference?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“If I had told you everything. Broken Fame’s trust, told you all about everything I knew. Would it have changed the way you felt about Pearl? Would it have stopped you from liking her?”

Bianca knew her sister, knew that Adore would most likely have dug in her heels and wanted Pearl even more if a pseudo-parent figure had sat her down and tried to explain all the reasons why she was a terrible choice. If it was guaranteed to stop Adore from getting hurt, Bianca would probably have told her and risked Fame’s wrath.

“Well…” Adore paused, considering the question. “Probably not, but-”

“Well, there you go.” Bianca picked up her glass again and took a large sip. In all honesty, she felt a lot better that it had come out, especially without her having to be the one to tell. Maybe now, Adore would start to see Pearl for who she truly was.

“B…”

“Yes?”

Adore’s lip quivered, eyes shining with tears, and Bianca knew that she’d cave. She always did.

She moved to the sofa, wrapping Adore into her arms, her younger sister curling into her lap the way she used to, even if it was a bit ridiculous now, considering that Adore was so much taller than her.

“I’m sorry, baby girl,” she murmured into Adore’s hair as she rocked her.

“I need to trust you, B,” Adore cried, clinging to her. “I thought you were the one person who would always be honest with me.”

Bianca brushed her tears away, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Adore sniffled, nodding.

“What can I do to make it up to you? Hmm?”

“Can Pearl come to Thanksgiving?” Adore asked, perking up a little. The little rat seemed to have that answer ready awfully quickly.

“Ughh, Adore, you’re still with her?”

“Yes! She’s not the one who lied to me. She assumed I knew all along,” Adore said. “And besides, some of us are mature enough to handle real relationships.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry. But…” Adore shrugged, “When’s the last time you dated someone longer than a month?”

“Fine. Pearl can come to Thanksgiving,” Bianca said. Anything to avoid the dreaded ‘why don’t you ever commit?’ conversation.

Adore’s face broke into a happy grin, throwing her arms back around Bianca’s neck.

“Thank you, B! I always knew you were my favorite sister.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

***

Pearl was humming along to the music in her headphones as she made her way towards the laundry room, basket under her arms. Normally, Katya was the one who washed everyone's clothes, even taking Pearl’s too, but this weekend, Trixie had taken her to Coney Island, and Pearl was nothing if not a good roomie.

At least when it suited her.

Pearl pushed the door open, fully expecting the basement to be devoid of anyone she knew, but instead of bumping into some random neighbor, she saw Violet bent over and pulling her clothes out of the washer.

Pearl smirked, leaning against the doorframe for a minute to watch Violet stretch, her ass absolutely delicious in the tight yoga pants she was wearing. Violet stood back up, still not noticing Pearl, and while Pearl didn’t mind peeking, she didn’t want to upset the truce between her and Violet, so she coughed, causing Violet to turn around.

“Oh.” Violet looked genuinely surprised, her hands filled with workout clothes. “Hi Pearl, I didn’t-” Violet paused, looking at the basket under Pearl’s arm.. “... Are you washing clothes?”

“Yes?” Pearl smirked, “Did you think I didn’t?”

“Honestly? I did… Think you didn’t?” Violet bit her lip, tilting her head. “I’ve never imagined you doing chores, ever.”

“Good to hear that you’re thinking about me, Chachki.” Pearl grinned, satisfaction curling up her spine.

“Sure.” Violet snorted, moving aside so there was room for Pearl to walk into the small room.

“A girl can dream.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself.” Violet smiled, pouring her own clothes into the dryer. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“I think you think it suits me fine.” Pearl wiggled her brows. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be flirting with Violet, but it was impossible not to, least of all when it was so fun.

“Whatever.” Violet rolled her eyes, but she still looked amused. She started the dryer, but didn’t make a move to leave, Pearl noticing that she had a thermos and a stack of magazines, Violet grabbing one of them.

“My my Vivi,” Pearl closed the lid on the washer. “Planning to sit on the dryer?”

“What? No, ew, Pearl!” Violet slapped her on the shoulder with the magazine. “Shut up!”

“You can’t make me.” Pearl grinned, getting up and leaning against the small table Violet had put her setup out on. “So what are we reading?”

***

“Tati!” Courtney called out, waving to get her friend’s attention in the crowded Port Authority bus terminal. They’d both realized how much they missed each other at the Halloween party, with Courtney working crazy hours and living all the way up in the Bronx, and Tatianna staying with her cousins in New Jersey.

The truth was that Courtney had felt a bit disconnected from all of her friends recently. She still managed to at least text with Adore every day, but it was hard to keep up with everyone else--something she was determined to fix.

The girls hugged fiercely, then headed out, towards the cute brunch spot that Ivy had recommended. Courtney noticed right away that Tatianna seemed a bit reserved, not all all like her usual bubbly self.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, squeezing her friend’s hand as they waited for the light to change.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s been alright. I’m just getting a little bit frustrated with the whole modeling thing. I still haven’t found a decent agent, and all I keep on getting are these cattle calls. I just...ugh, sometimes I wonder if it’s all just a mistake.” She heaved a sigh, shoulders slumped, face dejected.

Courtney knew exactly how she felt. She’d gone through the exact same thing when she moved to New York, trying desperately to go on as many auditions as possible. It was so disheartening to feel invisible. But she knew that Tati would make it--she was so beautiful, one of the prettiest girls Courtney had ever known, and the photos Courtney had seen were amazing.

“Don’t give up. I know it’s hard, but...I really think you’re gonna get a break soon.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. And actually… Well, I don’t know what their casting process is, but I’ve gotten really friendly with the head of our makeup department. Maybe I can give her your photos?”

“Are you kidding? That would be the best fucking thing ever!” Tati exclaimed, beaming at her.

Courtney smiled, hoping that she wasn’t over-promising, but thrilled that she seemed to have turned her friend’s mood around.

“That’s honestly so cool though, even if they don’t use me. You’re really making friends in high places!”

“Yeah,” Courtney said, a dry chuckle slipping from her lips. “Actually, there’s a show coming up in a few weeks too, like this private thing at the showroom for the holiday collection. I could try slipping you into the casting pile for that too. Raja is in charge of that and her assistant is super nice.”

“You’re such a fucking goddess, thank you!” Tati said.

“Anytime.”

“So then, are things going better at work? I mean, you’re liking it more?”

“Ummm…” Courtney sighed.

“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

She really tried to be positive about work. She tried to keep a good attitude, tried not to cringe in fear every time her work phone buzzed after hours. But sometimes, like on a Sunday afternoon when she just wanted to enjoy brunch with her friend but couldn’t keep the racing thoughts about everything she’d have to do in the coming week from intruding—sometimes it was hard. She hadn’t confessed this to her friends yet, for fear of it getting back to Adore. She just didn’t want to seem like she was ungrateful for the opportunity. But something told her that she could trust Tati.

“Well...it’s just...it’s really stressful. All the time, and I keep thinking that it’ll get easier, you know? But instead there’s just more and more and the hours are always long and even when I’m supposed to be sleeping, I’m always thinking about work or worried that I forgot something. Plus, I don’t think Miss Fame likes me very much and it’s just…”

“Shitty?”

“Yeah,” Courtney exhaled, surprised at how much of a relief it felt to unburden herself. “Sometimes I feel like...I’m barely holding on. It’s like I can’t...find the solid ground, you know?”

Tati nodded solemnly, stopping mid stride to turn and give Courtney a big, comforting hug. Then, she suddenly grasped her by the shoulders, a sly smile on her face as she said, “I know what you need!”

Courtney laughed, curiosity distracting her from her troubles as Tati dragged her down the block, right into a high-end boutique filled with clothes that they could never afford in a million years. In that moment, Courtney knew exactly what she was up to--a perfectly ridiculous game they started last year when the stress of school was getting overwhelming.

She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing when Tatianna found a sales clerk and “introduced” herself.

“Helloooo!” she crooned in a terrible British accent, sticking out her hand as if the woman should kiss it. “Tatianna Buckingham, Duchess of Hamptonshire, pleasure to meet you. This is my friend, Courtney Vanderbilt-Rockefeller, and we need gowns for a gala next week.”

The sales girl smiled patiently, asking them if they wanted some champagne.

“Sounds lovely, darling. Thanks ever so.”

The moment the clerk walked away, Courtney began laughing, whispering, “She totally knew you were lying.”

“So?” Tati challenged. “Maybe she likes to play, too.”

“Maybe,” Courtney giggled, pawing through a rack of floor-length beaded gowns. “Ooh, Tati dahhhling, this turquoise one would look positively diviiine on you!”

“I don’t know about that one, I was planning to wear the rubies and it might clash.”

“Then wear the diamonds, love!”

“Great idea! Alright, let’s try it on!”

The clerk returned with champagne, and Tati held out her glass for a toast, her arms already full of clothes to try on.

“To solid ground,” she said solemnly, and Courtney toasted her back enthusiastically.

“Cheers!”

They spent nearly an hour in the store, trying on gowns, resort wear and pristinely tailored ensembles, taking turns styling each other and then strutting around the dressing room as if it was a Paris runway. The whole thing was silly and fun and made Courtney feel like she used to: young and happy and free.

When they finally left the store to head to brunch, Courtney couldn’t help pull her friend in for a hug, whispering, “Thank you,” into her hair.

“Anytime, buttercup,” Tati told her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

***

“It’s here!” cried Kandy, and a murmur went through the whole design floor, everyone reaching for their respective tablets.

It had been almost an hour since the department head meeting ended, Trixie informing them all that Miss Fame’s office would be sending the team the final prêt-à-porter sketches that had gone to tailoring for production.

Of course Courtney would be slower than death, but Violet had still spent the whole 30 minutes constantly refreshing her email. She knew it was petty considering the number of people that were trying for it, but she really really wanted that jacket spot and she had a few other looks she thought were promising as well.

One, a breezy dress that could be dressed up or down depending on styling, and a top with beautiful sleeve detailing. But the jacket...if the jacket was chosen, then it boded very well for her chance of getting the opening or closing couture look, since the dress she was currently working on used some of the same techniques.

It was probably a pipe dream to even hope for a spot like that, being the newest designer, but Violet was going to give it her best shot.

Violet clicked on the attachment, lip between her teeth as she carefully looked through, doing her best not to skip anything.

The first sketch of hers that she recognized was a skirt, one of the simpler submissions that she hadn’t even felt 100% about, but it fit in with the casual separates. The dress that she liked was in there too--with a note to lengthen the hemline. She wrinkled her nose, hoping that the extra fabric wouldn’t make the skirt look dowdy.

Then, she found it on page 38 among the other outwear--her jacket.

She grinned happily to herself, beyond pleased and excited to have this major success under her belt and more determined than ever to perfect her couture submission.

***

“Courtney! I need the tailoring budgets now!”

Fame shrugged her coat off as she walked into her office, taking her coat and letting it fall, trusting her assistant to catch it before it touched the ground. Fame had just finished her weekly yoga and therapy, talking with her therapist over the phone while stretching out. She didn’t like the therapy, hated doing it actually, but she couldn’t discredit the fact that it did make her feel slightly less anxious to unload on someone once a week.

“Have you talked to Shangela yet?” Fame looked at Courtney, her assistant holding the budget out for her. “I want-” Fame paused, realizing that this was the first time in weeks that she had actually looked at Courtney, the pastel pink no longer in the blonde hair.

Or rather, in what used to be blonde.

“What’s that?” On top of Courtney’s head, was the most disgusting half inch of severely neglected roots, the hair making Courtney’s entire appearance look cheap and tawdry. “Where do you get your hair done?”

Courtney’s hand flew to her hair, covering up the roots as the color drained for her face.

“I do it myself. I’m sorry, I know I need to touch up-”

“Yourself?” Fame tried to remember if she had ever had to reprimand Violet like this, Courtney looking like an absolute disaster. “And how do you think your current hairstyle reflects on the company? And most importantly me?”

“Um...well, I-” Courtney bit her lip, and Fame sighed internally.

For the most part, Courtney had been doing alright. For one thing, she was no longer skipping around the place like a child, and seemed to be taking her job seriously, at least. But in spite of her meager progress, she still had so much to learn. Drug store dye? Did she think this was a strip club instead of a top tier fashion house?

“Remember. Only perfection is acceptable.” Fame said, her tone clipped and pointed as she strode into her office, then turned around and proclaimed, “That’s all,” finally shutting the door in Courtney’s face.

***

Sutan was sitting at his desk at work, a smile on his face as he was reading the email that had just ticked in from Violet.

Normally, it was nearly impossible to get a hold of the woman during work hours, the task even harder now that she didn’t have a work phone anymore, but judging from the excitement that radiated from her email, Violet had been unable to wait until she was off the clock to tell him that she had gotten not one, not two, but three pieces into the prêt-à-porter collection.

Sutan was just about to email her back with congratulations, his mind already racing with how they should celebrate, when he heard a tap on his door.

He was one of the only agents who had an always open door policy, his models and coworkers always welcome, Sutan more often than not getting visits from models that didn’t even belong to him when there was trouble on the horizon, girls coming by to share their frustrations or worries with someone who listened.

Today, however, it wasn’t a model who had shown up at his door.

“Oh,” Sutan smiled. “Tamisha, hello.”

Tamisha Iman was the current CEO of Elite Model with over 30 years of experience in the business. She looked gorgeous as always, her skin perfection even though she was in her mid 50s. She was wearing a red pant suit, her brown hair perfectly styled.

“What can I help you with?”

“Do you have five?”

“Of course.” Sutan raised an eyebrow as Tamisha stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It was years since Tamisha had last been upset with him, and even though she was a firm but fair boss, you never really knew. “Anything wrong?”

“Can I bum a cigarette? I just had the most terrible meeting with the L.A. office-”

“Ah.” Sutan smiled, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands over his stomach. “And who says I smoke?”

“Oh please,” Tamisha rolled her eyes. “I know you got the goods Amrull.”

“I thought you quit last year?”

“Don’t care.”

“Ouch.” Sutan laughed, opening the bottom drawer and pulling out the packets of cigarettes he always kept there. “I only have Camels.”

“That’s fine.” Tamisha had already walked over to his window, opening it and hiking up her skirt to crawl out onto his fire escape. “Are you coming?”

“Course boss.” Sutan smiled as he grabbed his lighter, listening to one of the few people he considered a friend bitch not the worst way to spend an afternoon.

***

Pearl climbed the stairs from the subway, she and Trixie having a rare weekday dinner without Katya since she was busy with parent-teacher conferences, so they’d opted for their favorite dim sum place downtown. As they began walking up the block, Pearl stopped short, her eyes opening wide.

“Oh my god…”

“What?” Trixie asked.

The whole time Pearl was speaking to Dahlia at Adore’s last gig, she was certain that she’d seen the dark-haired beauty somewhere before. Now, looking at the giant XXX LIVE NUDE GIRLS XXX sign, she finally figured it out. She used to use the seedy strip club as a meeting place, whenever she was trying to get info from a straight guy. Granted, that didn’t happen terribly often in the fashion industry, which was probably why she hadn’t thought of it. But as soon as she saw that sign, she knew. Dahlia worked there. Pearl could picture her clear as day, in nothing but a tiny little thong, chest glistening with glitter.

“That strip club,” Pearl said. “Let’s go in!”

“What?” Trixie sputtered a laugh.

“For a drink! Real quick…”

“No way bro, not on your life.”

“Come on!” Pearl begged, reasoning, “Katya wouldn’t care, she’d probably think it was funny.”

“Maybe so, but I’m not interested,” Trixie told her firmly.

“Please, Trix? There’s a girl there that is just like...so fucking hot. I just want to see if she’s working tonight.”

“I’m not interested in helping you cheat on your girlfriend with a stripper, either.” Trixie looked absolutely disgusted with her. He was really the worst wingman in the world.

“It wouldn’t be cheating! We talked about it and agreed that we should be open.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!” Pearl grinned, spreading her arms. “I’m living the dream.”

Trixie snorted and shook his head. “If you say so.”

“So will you come inside?”

“Still no.”

Pearl sighed, continued to follow him up the street to the dim sum place, all the while entertaining herself with images of what Dahlia looked like on stage… Her tall, luscious body wrapped in silky lingerie. The subtle scent of her perfume lingering even as she walked away, swaying her perfect hips.

***

The scent of spices was filling Sutan’s kitchen, music playing while he chopped up the last of the chili, humming to himself as he rocked back and forth to the music, a glass of wine getting picked up once in a while.

“What are we listening to?”

Violet was sitting at the table, filing her nails and drinking her own glass of wine as she watched Sutan, but most importantly his ass in those jeans, cooking dinner.

“What?” Sutan looked over his shoulder. “Are you seriously asking that? It’s the Temptations? They’re the only band from the 60s that matters.”

“Really?” Violet looked at Sutan, actually a little surprised at how passionate he seemed to be about music. If Violet was being totally honest, she always preferred instrumentals, vocals often only distracting.

“Yes, really?” Sutan huffed, “Youth these days.”

“I’m sorry,” Violet laughed, the man sounding genuinely offended.

“You better be.” Sutan smiled, tipping the last of the chili into the pan. “Or I might not give you your present.”

“My present?”

“Yes.” Sutan wiped his hands on the tea towel. “Watch the stove, would you?”

Violet was about to protest, but Sutan had already walked off. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to watch, the pasta dish Sutan was whipping together way above her level of cooking skills.

“Here we go.” Sutan walked back into the kitchen, holding a white box, a white ribbon wrapped around it, the word Dior printed on it in gold.

“Is-” Viole stood up, suddenly feeling boiling hot and overwhelmed. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Well,” Sutan grinned, putting the box down on the table in front of her. “Depends on what you think it is?”

“Sutan, I-” Violet didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to think.

“Come on,” Sutan gave her a gentle push with his elbow.

“Are you serious?”

“Open it.”

Violet's hands were shaking as she reached for the ribbon and opened the box. Violet pulled the white paper away, her fingers making contact with the soft purple leather. Her hand flew to her mouth, covering it as she looked into the box, completely overwhelmed before she snapped to Sutan, a look of surprise and confusion on her face.

“Congrats on your designs being picked, lovely eyes.” Sutan smiled. “After getting a good look at your bag at the park the other day,” He raised an eyebrow, Violet remembering that she had shown it in his arms when she had spotted the pug. “I figured you needed a new one.”

“Oh my God, oh God.” Violet could feel the tears gathering in her eyes; she didn’t want to cry, but she was simply so overwhelmed.

Sutan always paid for their meals and their dates, refusing even the sight of Violet’s credit card, but it had never been anything like this before, never a gift that so obviously said, ‘I’m your boyfriend and I care about you.’

“Don’t cry darling,” Violet felt Sutan’s arms around her, pulling her against his chest as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Take a look at it.”

Violet nodded, crying as she pulled the Dior Diorissimo in the most gorgeous pale purple leather out of the box.

“A cool designer bag for my cool designer girlfriend.” Sutan grinned, pressing yet another kiss against Violet’s hair. “Hopefully, it’ll be able to withstand the abuse of all the things you insist on lugging around.”

“This is,” Violet didn’t know what to say. “I-” She turned her head, looking up at Sutan. “Thank you. This is… Thank you. I love it.”

#rpdr fanfiction #thedane #veronica #galactica #vitan #adore x pearl #bianca del rio #adore delano #pearl liaison #violet chachki #courtney act #tatianna #miss fame #raja gemini #tamisha iman #trixie mattel #lesbian au #m/f au #fashion au

5 notes · View notes

szopenhauer · 4 years

Text

When was the last time you cried and what was the reason?: family issues

Do you believe in ghosts?: maybe

If you could live on the moon, would you?: almost all of it belongs to Tom Cruise so no

What is your favorite time in history to learn about?: I just like many interesting history facts in general

When is the last time you felt discriminated against because of your gender?: not sure which situation was last

What race are you?: caucasian, white, european, polish, slavic

What is your favorite sex position?: I’m not into sex tbh Have you ever lost your SO to another person?: yup

Have you ever had a thing for a friend’s parent?: no

Have you ever believed in Santa Clause? from what I remember

Have you ever thought you were getting a surprise party, but you really weren’t? nah and I don’t like surprises so I’m glad I never really had a party like this

Have you ever forgotten someone’s birthday? I suck with dates

Has a friend looked bad in a profile picture and you didn’t tell her? it was my opinion but if they liked their pic then it’s their problem

Does it take forever for your internet to load websites? sometimes

Have you ever pretended to listen to someone but you really weren’t? yeah :x

Are you a bad driver, or do you know someone that is? I know some that are bad yet say they’re oh so awesome at it ugh!

Have you seen the animated movies Tarzan? sure

Have you actually called 911 for an actual emergency? If so, what was the emergency? not me but my parents

Do you sleep in the living room a lot? I never do

Did you enjoy watching The Flintstone’s growing up? yep

Do you wish you were born in a different year? kinda wish I was born after war and die before 2020 or even live in another time period

What do you buy more: Movies or candy? neither

Did you used to eat chapstick when you were younger? ewww, noooo, not even toothpaste

What made you pick up the last book you started reading? I was watching a movie and heard that book has a different ending so I had to see for myself Have you received any bad or troubling news lately? shitload When was the last time you were relieved about something? I wish I was... What about your life concerns you the most? my health related issues mostly but also money and fam, love life, religion etc. Is there a common thing most people seem to do without trouble, but it scares you (talking on the phone, driving, interviews, etc)? When was the last time you had to do one of these kinds of things? there are, recently

Describe a time when you were there for a friend? were there in person? When was the last time you went somewhere for the first time? days or weeks ago What is a situation that makes you feel especially confident? umm... Hypothetically and generally speaking, how would you go about breaking up with someone? Is there anything you would make sure to say, or perhaps not say? depends Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? I guess I’m easily offended Is there a belief you have that most others around you don’t have? Do you share this belief with others, or do you tend to keep it to yourself? sure, might talk about it if asked and in the mood If you’ve moved out from home, what was the scariest thing about it? What was/is your favorite thing about it? I didn’t move out yet but there are dark scenarios I imagine that could happen and they concern me What are your thoughts on “forgiving” murderers or rapists? Do you think it’s even possible to forgive these people? I wouldn’t forgive a rapist but particular murders can be justified If you could learn about anything without the stress of grades or cost, what kind of classes would you take? who cares about grades and cost when you have no possibility/talent/ability anyway?... Last item of clothing you purchased - do you wear it often? didn’t wear it yet Has anything made you feel nostalgic lately? lots What was the last chore you completed? I just helped mom around kitchen and bathroom - przynieś/podaj itp.

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you commit the most? sloth?

Has anyone ever told you that you’re incapable of whispering? nope, my mom is incapable, she whispers louder than when she’s normally talking to someone

Who was the best kisser you’ve ever dated? I’ve only kissed one person in my entire life

When was the last time you watched a YouTube video? yesterday

this one

and I plan on doing smth similar

Do you personally think Wikipedia is a reliable source? one of the most reliable sources that are available for free

When you were a child, did you ever want to become a wizard/witch? meh

Do you want to repaint your walls? I prefer to move out

Would you rather have hardwood floors or carpet? hardwood

Who would you say is the most selfish person you know? majority of society

Have you ever made out in a movie theater before? waste of the movie

How old were you when you got to go on your first date? dunno what I can count as one

Would you call your parents over-protective or under-protective? weirdly protective

Did your parents ever let you play in the pits of those multicolored balls? never had a chance to

Has anyone ever called you a good kisser before? I had my moment

Have any of your siblings ever had a crush on your significant other? she’s into men so...

Do you know someone who cares about themselves more than their child? it seems that most of parents act this way

What’s your favorite hairstyle you’ve had so far? hmm...

How many dogs do you have, if any at all? 1

Do you think biting is weird or sexy? biting hard is very dangerous and I’m not into being bitten but I might/can bite a little

Would you rather be called hot or beautiful? neither but I'll “believe” slightly more in being beautiful than hot I think

Have you ever had a pet turtle before? yep

Do you still sleep with your parents when you’re scared sometimes? just once I had a bad night and my dad was working overnight so I went to my mom’s bed but then I left in the middle of the night anyway as she was snoring, not that it usually bothers me

Have you ever met someone with two different color eyes? saw pics on the internet only

How many surveys on average would you say you’ve done in your lifetime? shitload

Do you enjoy going school shopping? tiny bit as I enjoy shopping in general?

Do you think Pug dogs are adorable or just plain ugly? adorable

Have you ever met someone who completely resembled their pet? lookalikes

Has anyone ever knitted you something before? sure

Do you think there is a soulmate out there for everyone? then why some ppl die single?...

Do you like short or long surveys the best? it’s not about length, I need interesting questions

Have you ever bought fake money and tried to make it pass for real? I didn’t try to make it pas for real wtf

Are your siblings nice the majority of the time? *rolling my eyes*

How many uncles do you have? don’t know nor care as they don’t give a shit about me

Do you freak out when a thunderstorm comes along? nah, sometimes I feel physically bad because of it tho

How often do you shower? basically everyday

What is the absolute worst thing about high school? from my personal experience - stress

How many sodas do you usually drink in one day? I don’t drink soda for years

Have you ever met an annorexic pregnant woman? woah I can’t imagine that

Have you ever simply looked at someone & could tell they were homosexual? oh well...

Do you have the ability to read someone without even knowing them? sometimes

Would you rather eat or sleep? sleep

Are you one of those die hard Twilight or Harry Potter fans? am not, especially Twilight - I didn’t read/watch it because it sounds awful

Have you ever cried while watching a movie trailor? yes

Have you ever learned that someone had lied to you all along? sadly

When was the last time you had a physical injury? this ending week

Have you ever wanted to be a lawyer? not really

Have you ever had to bail someone out of jail before? nope

Is there anyone in your imediate family who was adopted? no

Do you know anyone who doesn’t have any common sense? I meet many ppl like this often on the streets or online

Do you think you look anything like your parents? I know I do

Who is the skinniest person you know? Is it because of a disease? when it comes to look or weight? disease though

Is this year the best one you’ve had so far? r u joking?...

What color is your significant other’s hair? natural or dye? XD

Are you ashamed of anyone in your family? yeah The best Christmas gift you ever gotten? The sims 2 as I dreamed of it and didn’t expect my poor parents will afford and give it to me ever, I was so moved that I cried and my sister was jealous and angry

Who is your favorite actor or actress? can’t decide

What is cuter: kisses on the forehead of the cheek? I don’t consider them cute when I receive them but kind of awkward actually but giving them is a different story

Do you believe in evolution or creation? smth in between, it’s complicated

What group would you say you’d normally fit into the most? I feel that I wouldn’t really fit any

Are you better at drawing things or painting? drawing

Have either of your parents ever called you a failure before? I am a failure

How long have you been on the computer right now? too long, about 6 hours Name three black things that you can see? celphone, pendrive, necklace would you perfer to do the dishes or hang washing/laundry? dishes

2 notes · View notes

allisondraste · 5 years

Text

Temperance (14/?)

Pairing: Nathaniel Howe/ Female, Non-HoF Cousland

Story Summary: Nathaniel and Elissa were childhood friends, but time and distance tore them apart. In the aftermath of the Fifth Blight, and Ferelden’s Civil War, both Elissa and Nathaniel must attempt reconstruct their tattered lives. As a series of events lead them to be reunited, both are reminded of so many years ago when things were much simpler.

Chapter Summary: Puberty woes and expressions of familial bonds. Isn’t that what it’s like for everyone at fourteen?

Note: Since this is a puberty chapter, there are some slightly more mature themes than I've had in previous chapters. Nothing explicit by any means, and nothing I thought would warrant a rating change. But in case any of my readers are sensitive to such things there are light mentions of physical changes and menstruation.

First Chapter Previous Chapter [AO3 LINK]

Highever, 9:19 Dragon

Nathaniel wasn’t going to survive the summer, at least not if his body had anything to say about it. Traitorous skin and bones, muscles and nerves, everything tense and aching in tandem at the slightest hint of stimulation. His senses did not seem to discriminate either: women, men, statues of anyone including Andraste, unusually shaped plants, and sometimes, on the days where the Maker really wanted to punish him, a slight breeze. Being at Highever, around Liss in particular, made everything worse.

More days than not, it felt like his skin was on inside out, sensitive to every small movement and touch. Sometimes her presence across the room was enough to knock the wind out of him. Other times, she didn’t even need to be physically present at all. Just the thought of her drove him crazy. It did not help the matter that she had changed since the last summer he had spent with her. She had grown taller, and the soft lines of her body had become curves -- not that he had looked. In fact, he tried desperately not to look at her.

It was something Liss made incredibly difficult. For as long as he had known her, she had always been outgoing and affectionate. She made herself seen and heard no matter where she was. At present, she was in the gardens, sun bouncing off her hair as she sat on the stone steps with Rila, talking and laughing, arms waving about erratically. The two must have made up since what happened the previous summer. She probably was still not supposed to be with servant girl. It would take more than her parents’ warnings to stop Liss from doing as she pleased.

Nathaniel was so engrossed in watching the girls talk that he barely noticed Fergus waving a hand in front of his face and speaking to him. “Hellooooooo? Are you even listening to me?” The other boy moved from waving to grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.

“I’m listening,” he lied as jerked away and directed his attention to Fergus again. After all, they’d been speaking before he’d gotten -- well --distracted.

Fergus eyed him skeptically, eyebrows raised, grin spreading across his face. “Really? Because it looked like you were staring at my sister.”

“I heard every word you said.” Nathaniel ignored the obvious attempt to tease him. “You met the daughter of some wealthy Antivan merchant the last time you were in Denerim and spent a day together. Her name is Oriana, she is the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen, and now you think you’re in love.”

“No, Nate,” he said cheerfully, patting Nathaniel on the back roughly, “I know I’m in love."

“How can you be in love with someone you just spent one day with?”

“It was a glorious day,” Fergus said, winking and wiggling his brows and Nathaniel rolled his eyes. A wistful expression crossed Fergus’ face as he continued, “Besides, we’ve been exchanging letters ever since.”

“You’re actually serious.” Nathaniel was genuinely surprised. The other boy had spoken to him about girls more times than he could count. Sometimes, he wondered if there was much else on Fergus’ mind beside which Bann’s daughter he could woo at the next festival -- something he was actually good at. He had an easy charisma that Nathaniel envied on most days. Talking to people, being likable in general, was not something that came naturally to him.

“Of course I am,” Fergus blurted, sounding more offended than he was, “ What do you take me for?”

“Not serious. About anything… Ever.” He offered Fergus a smirk. “Especially not about girls.”

“I’m a changed man,” Fergus said, lifting his chin and puffing out his chest.

“Right.” Nathaniel couldn’t help but laugh at him. Even at his most earnest, Fergus was hard to take seriously. “I feel sorry for Lady Oriana.”

“Between you and Liss, I swear,” Fergus said, shoving him playfully, “Brats the both of you.”

Several silent moments lapsed between the two boys. Nathaniel could tell Fergus had something he wanted to say, and was thinking over just how to say it. It was not typical for him, so it had to be serious, or at least something he perceived to be.

“I know I give you a hard way to go.” He laughed, though a serious expression followed, “But I’m glad to know you, Nate. I know things are bad for you at home sometimes — not that it’s any of my business — but you’re as good as a brother to me, and I’ll always have your back.”

“I…” Embarrassed, Nathaniel turned his gaze downward to look at the stone beneath his feet. “Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know.” Fergus shrugged. “Just thought you might need to hear it.”

Nathaniel didn’t know what to say, though he searched and searched from something equally sentimental. He settled for a simple, “Thank you. Same to you.”

It was almost too polite, and he knew it, but Fergus appeared to be satisfied with his response, slapping him on the back again before announcing that he’d be going to the kennels again, to check the latest litter. It had been years, and he had still not managed to have one of the hounds imprint on him. Odd, considering his demeanor made him an ideal match for a mabari. And yet it didn’t dampen Fergus’ spirit. Nothing seemed to.

Returning his attention to the garden, Nathaniel noticed that the girls were gone. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed in his conversation with the other boy, but figured that Rila had to return to her chores, leaving Liss to attend lessons or combat training. Unless, of course, she’s gotten in trouble, then, there was no telling where she may be hiding.

He set out to look for her. As uncomfortable as it was to feel the way he felt about her, that didn’t change the fact that she was his friend and he enjoyed her company. He would suffer physical agony if he had to, but he wouldn’t waste his summer avoiding her -- especially since he’d hardly spent time with her at all the year prior. Father made sure of it.

He searched for her in all the usual places, but Liss was nowhere to be found. Neither Aldous nor any of the trainers had seen her. The former made some remark about the “insufferable girl,” and Nathaniel bit his tongue, thanked him and headed back out down the hall. There was no point in debating with the stubborn old man. The only reason he didn’t like Liss was because she was smarter than him and he knew it.

Resigning himself to the fact that she would turn up eventually, Nathaniel headed toward his room to grab his archery gear. Over the past few years he’d built up a small collection of archers’ gloves and thumb rings, as well as tools for making arrows in the field. Not that he’d ever actually been in the field with a shortage of arrows. He still thought it would be a good skill to have. Just like picking locks, although he kept the fact that he had taught himself to do that a secret. He didn’t know what would happen to him if he were accused of stealing something, and he didn’t care to.

Pushing open the door, he was immediately met with a shrill, but muffled shout. “Go away! Leave me alone!”

The sound had come the girl lying face-down on his bed, face buried in the pillow beneath a mass of blonde curls. Entering the room and closing the door behind him, Nathaniel stood some distance away, perplexed by the whole situation.

“Liss,” he asked hesitantly, not wanting to upset her further.

“What don’t you understand about ‘Go away’?” Her question was pointed, sinking into him as well as any knife could have. He tried not to let it get to him, though. She was mad at something, but it couldn’t be him. He hadn’t even talked to her yet… unless that was the problem.

“I understand it just fine, but—.”

“But what? ” Another knife, right to the chest.

“This is my room,” he said as calmly and patiently as he could, despite his hurt feelings.

Liss’ head shot up and she scowled as she eyed the room critically, taking in each piece of furniture as if it wasn’t immediately obvious that this wasn’t her room. There were not nearly enough books, flowers, or candles.

“Oh,” she said, letting her head fall back down to the pillow muffling her voice once more, “Sorry.” She lay motionless, clearly with no intention of leaving.

“Is...everything all right?” Feeling as if he could move more freely, he began to mill about, gathering his things.

Liss didn’t answer with words, but rather growled an emphatic “ugh,” picking up another pillow and placing it over her head. It reminded him of how Delilah had been behaving the past few months. Adria had explained it to him, how girls’ bodies change when they start to become women. It all sounded frightening and unpleasant, and it made him grateful for all of the strange things his body did. Annoying as they were, it was not that.

“Your instructors are looking for you.”

“Well, they can keep looking. I’m not going,” she huffed, but immediately softened, turning her head to the side so her big brown eyes met his. They were glistening with tears. “I don’t feel like it.”

“Delilah has days like this too,” he said, continuing to busy himself with his things even though he already had what he needed. He didn’t want to annoy her with unnecessary eye contact. “We’ve never really talked about it, but she does.”

“Oh?” She seemed to perk up and rolled so that she was on her side completely. She picked at a loose thread on his coverlet. “Does she skip lessons? Probably not. Delilah’s perfect.”

Nathaniel laughed; his sister was far from perfect. “Sometimes she does,” he answered instead of speaking badly about her, “She stays in her room and likes to drink tea and take hot baths. I guess it helps.” He shrugged.

“Mama says it means I’m a woman now,” she sighed, “I’d rather not be a woman, I think.” Laughing, she sat up and slid off of his bed, facing him and wringing her hands nervously in front of her. “Sorry I came into your bedroom without asking. I’m so used to using it to hide when you’re not here.”

“It’s okay. I’m not mad about it or anything.” He nodded and picked up his bow and quiver, which he hung over his shoulder. “I was just worried something was wrong.”

“Oh no,” Liss blurted, and he jumped slightly. She was twisted around looking at her skirt.

“What’s wrong?” He dropped his things and rushed over to her.

“Nothing,” she said, throwing her hands behind her and backing up against the wall. She laughed, but he could tell she was upset.

He was torn between wanting to make sure she was okay and not wanting her to bite his head off, but he thought it worth the risk to ask, “You sure?”

Her eyes darted from side to side and settled on looking at the ground before her. She sighed heavily, stiffened, and looked back up at him with a threatening expression. “Promise you won’t tell.”

“Promise.”

Liss turned slightly and tugged at her skirt, revealing a small, yet noticeable stain that looked like blood. At first he panicked, internally, about why she might be bleeding, but then realized what it was and settled down.

“Oh,” he said, blinking, unsure how else to respond.

“Just ‘oh’? You’re not going to laugh, or tell me it’s gross?”

“It’s not funny,” he assured her, stepping closer and smiling, “Or gross. Actually, it looks to me like you just sat in something.”

“Nate,” she hummed affectionately and returned his smile, though she still looked upset. “I think it’s pretty obvious what it is. Ugh! And I have to walk all the way to my room like this.” More tears though he could see her visibly fighting them. “Sorry, I just… keep crying. ”

Nathaniel stood awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, not really sure on the appropriate way to respond. The entire situation was far outside his comfort zone, but he didn’t want to embarrass Liss by telling her so. She trusted him and he wanted to help.

“I have an idea,” he announced, closing the distance between them and examining the waist of her skirt more carefully. “Can you, I don’t know, twist it around a bit?”

Her face brightened as she seemed to understand what he meant and pulled at the waist of her skirt until the stain was at her side instead of behind her. She examined the spot and frowned. “It’s still very obvious, don’t you think?”

He grinned and offered his arm to her, playfully. “Not if I walk by your side, my lady.”

The ensuing giggle that escaped her was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. He wasn’t sure he’d ever made her laugh like that, at least not directly. She hooked her arm through his eagerly, and his chest swelled, but he did his best to stay calm.

After all, this was no different than any other time they’d touched or hugged or walked arm-in-arm. When they reached her room, the kiss she placed on her cheek to thank him was no different than any other time she had kissed his cheek. Only it was different. Completely. Now, he noticed how her arm felt in his, the way her hair smelled, and how soft her lips were. It was misery and it wasn’t at the same time.

Returning to his room, he grabbed his things as he intended before and headed to the archery range. He welcomed the distraction even more than he had been before. If he couldn’t get past his feelings for Liss, he’d just ignore them, bury them in the hay target he filled with newly made arrows. That should do the trick. It had worked for other feelings he wanted to not have well enough.

“Nathaniel,” a gentle voice called from the steps leading down to where he stood. He turned to see the teyrna waving at him, the smile on his face as gentle as her voice. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

He nodded, knots twisting in his stomach at the thought of what could make Lady Eleanor seek him out. He hoped he wasn’t in trouble.

“Come! Walk with me,” she said, motioning with her arm, and he obeyed, following her up the steps towards the battlements. The last time he’d walked the battlements had been when he’d received the news of his mother’s death. He hoped this time would be more pleasant. “I just spoke with Elissa. She told me what you did for her.”

“What I did?” He thought for a moment. “Oh, that. ”

A grin spread across the teyrna’s face that made him nervous. It was too wise, too knowing. It made him feel as if all his secrets were bared before her.

“I can’t say I would have expected a boy your age to act with that amount of grace and sensitivity.” She chuckled. “Fergus is older than you, and I know he certainly wouldn’t have. I just wanted to say thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my lady,” he answered, bowing his head to show respect.

The teyrna offered him another smile, this time with a sadness to it. He got that smile from adults many times. It usually preceded an apology about his mother or followed discussion of something less-than-noble his father had done. He hated that kind of smile.

“Your father is a respectable man, and a loyal ally to our family,” she began, looking out over the battlements, “But, for as long as I’ve known him, he’s been cold, harsh, and temperamental. When Bryce told me off his wish to take you in for the summer, I quite expected you to be the same. You look so much like him.”

It wasn’t the first time Nathaniel heard that, but it still stung. He wished he looked more like his siblings, with their soft features and pretty noses.

“But you’re nothing like your father,” she continued, “It seems like no matter what life throws at you, you remain thoughtful, gentle. You have your mother’s heart. I know she would be so proud of you.”

“I…” His throat burned as he choked back the tears he refused to let fall. “Thank you.”

Lady Eleanor stopped, turned, and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. “You care for my daughter a great deal, don’t you?”

Nathaniel’s face grew hot as he steeled himself, trying as best he could to conceal the embarrassment. “She is my friend, my lady, my best friend.”

“I am glad she has you,” she said with another knowing smile. He wished she would stop. “I’m glad we all do. You’re a fine young man, and as far as I am concerned, you’re part of the family.”

Unable to conjure up words to appropriately express his gratitude, and with some amount of concern that he might cry in front of the dignified woman, he nodded and bowed his head again in response.

“That’s all I wanted to say,” the teyrna said, patting him gently on the shoulder, “I’ll let you get back to your archery. Who knows, maybe someday, you’ll be as good a marksman as me.” She raised her eyebrows playfully and disappeared down the steps.

Nathaniel lingered atop the battlements for a few moments longer, appreciating the cool breeze, and processing all that had just happened. Just as Fergus’ words earlier that day, the things Lady Eleanor said to him meant more to him than he could put into words. For years, he had envied the Cousland family for their wholeness, when his own family was tattered and torn to pieces. Yet, somehow, without even knowing it he had become part of it, something for which he would be forever grateful. Inhaling deeply, he headed down the steps and back to his target, an immovable smile on his face.

#dragon age #dragon age origins #nathaniel howe #nathaniel howe x cousland #cousland #temperance #update #cw: menstruation #my writing

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fireeaglespirit · 5 years

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@fireeaglespirit @viviane-lefay i do worry sometimes with the stories I write if things might be too much for you. To be fair I dont think in any fanfic Ive ever written anything too explicit but now Im so conscious of other people’s viewpoints and being inclusive that it is a concern. Ultimately I write what I want to/need to but I am aware it might not be for all tastes hence always trying to follow ratings etc.

Replying here so it doesn’t cause any problems with OP, etc..

Ohh. I’m sorry if this worried you.. tbh this was very random and I wasn’t even thinking about fiction when I rb this. This one reminded me of a few times I went out with friends and colleagues and I just felt starkly asexual, lmao

About my tolerance regarding sex and explicitly in fiction, I’ll be honest with you…

There’s hardly anything I could say I wouldn’t read about. I just don’t feel ‘triggers’ or anything of the sort, no hard feelings when it gets to fiction and I value your will to be conscious of other viewpoints but its practically impossible to cater to all tastes like you said, so don’t worry about it much… there’s always someone out there who will feel offended and others who will fiercely love it.

As for myself, I’m very tolerant to sexual content in fiction, idk? I don’t seek it out particularly but its not a deal breaker either.

I know some asexual people are less tolerant, I usually just get a ‘meh’ feeling whenever those subjects are touched in much detail, idk some works do get nasty and bothersome because of much detail involving sexual practices so I just give up on them or put them aside when they bring me no joy but I gladly consume material with sex on it as long as I like some aspects of it. Also, I’m good at ignoring or glossing over things I don’t like in fiction… when I read explicit scenes with intercourse it does nothing to me and my eyes focuses on the sentences I loved such as regarding the feelings between the characters and subtle interactions instead of the physical/carnal aspects of it, and this makes it all worthy it.

Even so, some works might become overwhelmingly depressive or repulsive so I might put them aside even if I enjoyed an aspect of it or I might just skip through them and this happened recently to a series of fantasy books I tried to read which were actually really good but they were so overwhelmingly and unnecessarily dark and had an horrid oppressive atmosphere towards women an sex so I just felt no joy reading them? Its not like I was traumatized by its tone but it felt like a chore and I couldn’t care about it further and no character inspired me whatsoever that the world could change for the better, so I dropped them.

But its not like I’m judging it, I just feel weirded out to some things and I just imagine the kind of mind that takes upon themselves the chore to write a whole series of book which has nothing but suffering and misery in them, especially concerning women, lol. We already had this shit in history and still have in some places in the world so I kinda feel like its not interesting for me to read about it in a fictional setting, especially if I don’t feel like the writer is going to challenge the setting.

But I’m aware most people are much more sensitive… these things can be horrid for those who are more sensitive, and perhaps my own asexuality protects me from feeling it fully as I don’t even think of myself as a being capable of partaking in this (weird, I know), so I have problem even projecting.

But I did felt really strongly for the way women were oppressed absurdly and had their agency completely obliterated, so that sparked a sort of empathy or kinship in me which made progress in such book a chore…

You got my point and this just illustrates a bit my relationship to fiction and things that irk me since you were interested in my opinion… I have another example of fantasy book with lots of sex in it:

I read asoiaf even thought its full of sexual stuff but I don’t feel joy at these parts, yet the work is so good on other themes that I ignore it for the most part… but even so, recently I’ve read F&B and it was kinda overwhelming on the sexist aspect with myriads of female characters turned into child brides and raped and dying at their childbirth repeatedly it just got very tiresome and repetitive near the end, because there where almost no counterpoints to it, unlike in the main series where the situation is dire for women but we have characters challenging it more often and idk. F&B just lacked on that front.

So, this shows a bit my sensitivity towards sex is more related to sexism and the feeling that women are confined to their reproductive aspects: motherhood, childbearing, marriage, sensuality, etc.. I don’t have a problem with sexual intercourse per se as you can see, but that’s from my unique point of view and I know some asexuals are more repulsed towards it, but you asked my opinion…

So, if its consensual sex: its not my cup of tea but I don’t feel like its a deal breaker…

Just to give you a positive sex example: when I see an OTP of mine getting to the point of having sex I think its pretty sweet, like when Jon and Dany consummated their love on that boat… I was happy for them, for all that it means, the symbolism between the union of ice and fire and just two characters which I love dearly, finding happiness and comfort in each other. What’s not to love about it??

This is a rare stance I can say I saw a pair I ship get to that point xD

I love shipping as you know, but its more about the psychological aspects and potential for character development and even when I’m reading fanfic about my OTPs I enjoy more the angst and symbolism than the ‘hot’ parts which usually just makes me go ‘meh’ (again).

So this makes me say: when sex is the focus of works I could feel like I’m too asexual for this, even if it regards an OTP, it just doesn’t have a very exciting effect on me or I’m not explicitly interested in this part of a relationship, when so many other things caught my eye… sometimes subtle interactions and dialogue and and gentle approximation (touches, caresses, kissing, etc..) is so much more exciting for me to read about than the ‘thing’ itself, lol.

To sum it up: when its there just for p*rn or even worse, shock value it just makes me go ‘meh’ or ‘ugh’ or ‘uhh why am I even reading this?’

This reminds me of Vivi’s take on the ‘hiero gamos’, in this case I just say I might even enjoy the theme as long as the scenes involving sex are meaningful and passionate and the aspect I value the most about them are sublime and platonic instead of carnal but I’m aware the carnal aspects are very important for the characters and the audience so I also worry when I get to show my stories people will think they lack sexual content ^^ I get you.

Now that you know my feelings towards sex in fiction, to a broader sense I just wanted to say..

There’s no way to guess people’s sensitives but it doesn’t mean you need to walk on eggshells afraid to trigger people all the time, hell no! I’m all for freedom of creation. At least around me there are no metaphorical ‘eggshells’.

Everyone has their own set of opinions which makes them unique, not just me, I mean… even so I will let my snowflake syndrome show but I’m quite peculiar if you could say, so I sort of grew a strong ‘carapace’ towards the world as I deal with people with completely different views and values on a daily basis which might make me have inflamed political opinions while at the same time, I’m very flexible and forgiving when it comes to fiction in general.

I don’t expect much of the population to be like this so I’m also self conscious when it gets to writing my own stuff because I know people can feel very strongly about it and you’ve seen the way fandom reacts to minor things and bash creators when they perceive flaws in their work… I’m just not a judgmental person, its not in my nature. I just ignore things in fiction if I don’t like and I became even more relaxed over time in regards to this all, lol I nearly reached a ‘nirvana’ as I don’t even feel strongly negative feelings in regard to this.

Snarky and bitter comments from time to time? Yes… but no hard feelings. RL needs my hatred, lol so I don’t have it to spare with fiction any longer.

Anyway, on an unrelated sub note… as you might have noticed, I don’t feel comfortable about current fandom trends and specially policing, and with reason as this gets very serious and quick with literally ‘wave chain reactions’ of hatred sparked apparently from nowhere. I hope people could create more freely instead of the political correct police and restraining of creativity we have now. It was good for a while and I’m all for diversity and change in status quo (for the better), but I think this has gone too far and I perceive a lot of rigidity in fiction right now due to fear of fandom backlash we have creators afraid to make their thing and afraid it isn’t ‘inclusive or progressive’ enough… so they bend themselves endlessly until fandom ‘approves’ them, but even so someone is bound to scream and say the work is offensive and the cycle of hatred is restarted.

I know this reply was like a huge egocentric monologue and I strained with non related issues at the end, but you asked my thought on this so I tried to convey it with detail.. including things related to the perception we have concerning fictional themes and I just kinda had to vent at some parts of it.

etc…. This doesn’t mean I forbid judgment from others or criticism or that I forbid people from harshly criticizing works of fiction, just that sometimes it gets more harmful than beneficial and scare people off, and I felt like saying that.

Anyway,,, just want to say nonetheless I find it very sweet and considerate that you are taking different opinions in mind while writing, but you don’t need to worry at least from my part, and I don’t think you ever got even close to being explicit in your writings so there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

#beyond-far-horizons

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vide0-nasties · 6 years

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hello you wonderful human being 👋 send you questions 9, 16, 24, 26. have a nice day~

hello to you, too, anon!! 👋👋👋 i had a pretty decent day, and i’ve got some asra-heavy answers for you bc i’m a SUCKER FOR ASRA.

9. Does your apprentice have any special abilities that youheadcanon and cannot accurately be expressed in the actual game? What are they?

How strange she felt explaining her ways to another. No onehad ever…remained interested long enough to investigate her workings. But hereis curious Asra, growing evermore ravenous with every answer she nervouslyfeeds him with her fingers.

What’s that face for?This place reeks of iron. Really? You cansmell it? I can always smell iron, and it stings from my nose to my gut. Why? My mother was a selkie, one of thegentle folk, and iron hurt her. Are you aselkie too? No, but I have her attributes. Large fingerwebs, dapples, enormousteeth. I nearly can’t drown, and I can outswim everyone I’ve ever met.

“What about the travelling witches? The Sisters?” he asks,half-sleeping with his head in her lap. The scar is still fresh to her, but hewouldn’t know.

“After my mother killed my father, I was adrift at sea ninegruesome days. A doctor helped me escape imprisonment, because I looked nearenough alike to her to be hanged. He sent me to the Sisters with his word, andthey began to train me,” she tells him, fingers in his hair, sweeping his temples.

“I thought,” Asra yawns, sinking into her touch, “I thoughtyou already knew magic.”

She shrugs. “Some. My mother refused to teach me, wanting meslavishly dependent, but I watched her and learned. When the Sisters took me,my skills were a danger, out of control. They gifted me reins. For that, I playedthe butcher and spilled blood on their behalf.”

Asra’s eyes fly open, mouth drawn into a hard frown, takingher wrist in his hand. “You’re not a tool, Eustacia. Don’t talk like that.”

“It’s all I’ve ever been, Asra.” She smiles and tucks a curlover his ear. “If it soothes you, technically I am a duchess. I inherited myfather’s duchy when he died.”

“You’re a what?!”

#’s 16, 24, and 26 under the cut!

16. Does your apprentice have any scars or tattoos? Whereare they? Describe them?

“You’re stunning,”Asra breathes, staring at her naked body for the hundredth time, “I have to look at you.”

Over the course of her life, she has turned her skin intoher very own holy text—green-black ink hammered and needled into the pallor ofher hide.

Eight-pointed stars representing the eight winds of chaosmagic sit on the backs of her hands. Patterns of sacred geometry wrap aroundand snake up her arms, her legs. Over her chest are potent sigils older thanher mother, runes more ancient than time. With these runes, and help from oneof the Sisters familiar with chaos magic, her back has made into a nearencyclopedia.

Little grotesques fight for space among the symbols:sharp-teethed bats, roaring lion’s heads, boars, roosters, snakes. One leopardseal, on the back of her calf. A feral looking pig on the top of her foot, alittle red hen on the other. “Sailor’s superstition. Pigs and chickens can’tswim. Sailor blown overboard? God will take mercy on the animals, take them toshore.”

Asra comes to a rooster hanging from the gallows on theinside of her calf. He smirks up at her through his lashes. “I know there’s astory behind this one. Tell me?” he purrs.

“My cock hangs below my knee. You wouldn’t believe how manybets I’ve won with him.”

The lines from her bottom lip to the dip of her throat—spiraling,intricate tangles. The phases of the moon, down the center of her forehead. “Haveyou ever been fourteen-years-old and wanting to piss off your mother?”

A bloated scar over her shoulder—a glance from a sword. Alumpy one around her knee—nearly lost her leg to a cannonball, and would haveif not for powerful healing magic. Cross-hatching over her palms—“Curse workand quick sigils, you know that, Asra.”

Vengeful gouges in her brow, an angry canyon pinching thefold of her nose and hugging the lean apple of her cheek. “You know I wasglassed,” she mutters, running her fingers down his thigh. “You were rightthere.”

“I know,” he tells her, taking her face in his hands andkissing the pallid markings. “I’ll never forget.”

They find each other’s hands and the scars they put there.Bite through your lover’s hand, unstopping until blood is drawn, and your loveis truly true. They had, filling their mouths with blood, and they wear theteeth marks like wedding rings.

24. Outside of magic-related workings, does your apprenticehave any hobbies? Do others know about this hobby or do they keep it a secret?

Eustacia has to keep herself entertained while alone at theshop, and that’s easier said than done for a person with the attention span ofa gnat or minnow. Always, she’s midway through a hundred projects andactivities.

Dozens of half-read books lie around her home, while thesame four get read and reread until the spines fall apart. Six crocheted blanketsin various stages of completion hide in a trunk under the bed, countless skeinsof yarn and spools of thread in a spectrum of colors dominate a wardrobe thatwas once meant only for clothes.

Handmade jewelry is forgotten unfinished among mountains ofhomebrewed and boutique makeup, only to be plucked to safety months later,finished, and forgotten in one of a half-dozen jewelry chests scattered onshelves.

The bathroom is a cacophony of homemade beauty spells andmundane cosmetics. Blessed lotions, charged bath salts, enchanted body scrubs,towels uncountable with runes stitched into the hems with black or red thread.Body butters, face masks, hand crèmes, lip balms, under-eye serums, hairtonics, pots of hair-stripping wax, what feels like thousands of oils, and a crateful of jars of hair wax and pomade.

It’s a miracle that it’s feasible to step foot insidewithout being killed by an avalanche of product.

Her many handmade nail lacquers sit in a chest next to amassively overstuffed, well-worn armchair, along with nail files, cuticlepushers, more oil and hand crème, andthe ingredients needed to curse and un-curse her nails to be unbreakable.

Sometimes, she wonders how Asra can manage to keep hissanity in the utter chaos and confusion, but when he returns from his travels,he’s so well-adjusted she’s left baffled. He’s also a terrible enabler. “Here,I saw this and thought you might like to give it a try,” he tells her,grinning.

26. How does your apprentice sleep? Do they sleep with a tonof pillows and blankets or none? Do they toss and turn? Weird things they do intheir sleep?

“Pick a hand,” Eustacia tells Asra, apropos of nothing, twofists held up.

He’s wary, and has every right to be. Usually, when shepulls this, bad things happen. That’s what happens when your first personalitytrait is usually given as ‘dangerouslyimpulsive.’ “…Left,” he says, pointing.

She groans and drops her hand. “Fucking hell—fuck me—god dammit. Get up. We’re making the bed before…ugh, we’re making the bed before bed tonight.”

Really, it’s not nearly as much of a chore as she makes itout to be in her head, despite the inexcusable amount of jewel-tone downpillows and blankets. Even the massive rabbit fur blanket on her side isn’t toounwieldy. Asra stands back and admires the freshly made bed, and looks to herwith a smile. “Now, if we take baths, we’ll sleep like the dead.”

“If I sewed you to the side of my head, I would never have abad idea again,” she tells him in agreement.

By nature, she’s nocturnal, and running the shop leaves herhateful and sleep deprived. Asra keeps strange hours himself, but she’s closedthe shop tomorrow in celebration of his return, and he has to push himself tostay awake with her. Freshly bathed, wearing clean clothes, they do make it tobed before the night has burned away.

At first, she faces away from him, battling her physicalnature and neediness, but she loses the fight. “Asra…?” she whispers into thedark, knowing he’s awake and thinking too hard.

He needs no further question, and they tangle together. Asrapresses close in her arms, head against her chest, and she curls around him,burying her face in his hair. “G’night, Eustacia,” he sighs, relaxing.

“Dream sweetly, master,” she bids him, holding the nape ofhis neck. He’s the only thing that’s ever felt like home, ever since she wokeup hearing his voice, feeling his hands, and smelling his scent.

Through the night, she shifts and turns about, but they’rehardly out of contact. He presses against her back, forehead against her neck.They sleep spine to spine. They wake only to grope for the other’s hand.

Asra manages to force his way half on top of her, and shedoesn’t even stir, letting him sleep against his shoulder. He doesn’t stir whenshe makes guttural, jerking noises deep in her throat, teeth snapping togetherwhen her jaw reacts. He calls it clonking and says it helps him to sleepbetter, because it lets him know she’s there.

In the morning, the bed is completely unmade, they smile ateach other under the blankets, and they won’t bother to make it again for twoweeks.

#holler holler get $#rags wrote a thing #Asra #OC: Eustacia #i didn't stick to the 300 word limit on half of these and i'm not ashamed #i'm surprised by the amount of fluff considering i'm me and i write what i write #thank you anon!!#Anonymous

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lotsofdogs · 6 years

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Our Wednesday + Toddler Battles

Helloooo! How is everyone doing out there? Our week has been a decent one so far and the days have passed in a blur of weekday craziness that included working, toddler chasing, volunteering at Serenity House and reading a new book that had me all kinds of FREAKED OUT and intrigued. (More on that below!)

Since I don’t feel like I’ve really had a chance to chat with you guys since Monday, I wanted to stop by today to share a quick glimpse into our Wednesday. It wasn’t anything special but sometimes it’s the day-to-day normal life stuff I find myself drawn to writing and reading about most.

Morning

My morning began like most mornings do around here with a quick and easy breakfast that I ate while working my way through my devotionals. I made myself a bowl of triple chocolate protein oatmeal (served in a glass storage container because all of our bowls were in the dishwasher) and loved every chocolaty bite!

I’ve had a few people ask about the devotionals I’m doing right now and I’m actually making my way through two. The Women’s Devotional Guide to the Bible is the one I’m loosely following that actually gets me reading my Bible. (I have the Life Application Bible which is FABULOUS for anyone who needs serious help deciphering scripture… ME!) When I say I’m loosely following the women’s devotional, I mean it. The devotional is quite intense and I use it more or less as a reading plan that I break up over the course of a week.) Trusting God Day by Day is a much faster, easier devotional featuring a new scripture everyday, followed by a few paragraphs from Joyce Meyer breaking the scripture down, applying it to real life and diving into it a little deeper.

Once I wrapped up my devotional, said goodbye to Ryan and got about 30 minutes of work done, Chase was up for the day and ready for mom’s attention. When I heard him making noise on the monitor, I went into overdrive and packed his lunch for preschool but left half of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the counter in plain view. You can probably guess what instantly became his breakfast when he caught sight of the sandwich…

Plus some sliced strawberries and blackberries on the side!

I wanted to report back here on some of the struggles we’ve had related to battling Chase’s strong will and rapidly-increasing preferences and opinions that center around everything from getting dressed and going to bed to leaving the house, diaper change protests and more. For a solid month or so now, I’ve felt like I’ve been going into battle with a two-year-old multiple times a day for one reason or another. Whether it’s forcing Chase to wear anything other than his reindeer footie pajamas (the HORROR) or telling him we have to leave the house when he’s 100 percent enamored with his trains, I’ve felt completely exhausted by the end of the day multiple days a week. Fortunately, I’m slooowly beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel (sometimes) and I owe a lot of it to DISTRACTIONS.

Chase’s curiosity is at an all-time high and he feeds off my moods and my excitement so I’ve been trying my best to approach certain situations that often escalate into battles with a distraction on hand and ridiculous mom enthusiasm. Here are a few examples:

Diaper Change Battles: I come equipped with something new to show Chase to distract him enough to avoid a kick and wiggle-filled diaper change. These “new” things range from one of mom’s lockets/bracelets, Chase’s forehead thermometer, a toy he hasn’t seen in ages, dad’s electric toothbrush, etc. Nothing special, just something different that instantly piques his interest.

Car Seat Battles: UGH. These are HORRIBLE mainly because Chase somehow turns into a mini-Hulk when he fights his car seat and I can feel my adrenaline rise and my temper begin to flare as he thrusts his hips up and does everything he can to resist the buckle. My current solution: Orange Monster! I don’t know where this came from, but Chase loves oranges, so I’ve been slicing up an orange in a small bowl to give to him during car rides. We hype up the orange before loading him into the car and say Chase is the Orange Monster. We make ridiculous growling noises and the whole nine yards. Lord help me if we run out of oranges one morning!

Bed Time Battles: Chase was often morphing into a wild man before bed and I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that we were skipping bath time some nights since we spent so many days inside when the weather turned cold and he wasn’t really dirty at the end of the day. Big mistake! Bath time helps him unwind and CHILL OUT and we try to make this the last thing we do before pajamas, stories, prayers and bed. No more running around and playing on his PlasmaCar five minutes before bed! He was waaay too hyped up to settle down and meltdowns occurred on the reg.

Getting Out of the House Battles: When we need to leave the house and Chase is protesting, giving him a “job” seems to really help get him out the door. He’s all about setting our house alarm, pressing the button to open the garage door, giving Sadie a treat, etc. Anything to distract him and make him feel like we need his help to get out the door often serves as a good motivator for him to put his toys down and get a move on!

Of course these don’t work like a charm every time, but they are helping a bit so I wanted to pass them on just in case any of you out there are in the phase of toddler meltdowns, too! And if you guys have any tips for handling toddler meltdowns, I’m all ears!

Chase and I managed to get out the door without too much of a struggle (thank you, Orange Monster!) and made it to preschool on time. He ran into his classroom without so much as a “See ya, Mom” and I headed off to Burn Boot Camp for a workout with my friend Laura.

We went through a leg workout that ended up being a serious booty burner!

My glutes were on fie-ah after that one!

After the gym, I rushed home, ate an RXBar and went into blogger mode, quickly assembling everything for a mini food photo shoot for a crock pot recipe I hope to share on the blog next week. I made the recipe earlier in the week, so it just needed to be photographed which made the process much faster than usual. Phew!

(Still 100 percent loving my $15 food photo backdrops from Esty! I’m using the 2ft x 2ft size in the above pic.)

After snapping a ridiculous number of pictures, I sat down at the computer to do some photo editing and responded to a few emails before I couldn’t ignore my body’s need for a shower any longer. I quickly showered, worked on the computer for a little longer and then made myself a smoothie that looked like a gray cloud of despair.

(In my smoothie: Almond milk, spinach, peanut butter, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, chia seeds, frozen banana and wild blueberries.)

Afternoon

With smoothie in hand, I headed off to a quick 10-minute eyebrow appointment before it was time to pick Chase up from preschool.

A little over a month ago, I got my eyebrows done for the very first time in my entire life and I’m SOLD. I hope to keep up with them as much as possible and notice a huge difference not only from the waxing/shaping but from the tint! The tint has been KEY for me as a natural blonde. I was always so terrified to do anything to my brows because they’re so light and I worried that waxing them would make them disappear but the tint has been a game-changer.

Here’s a before/after from yesterday’s appointment:

I’m far from having enviable eyebrows but I think it’s an improvement! (Note: Both the before and after are photographed without any eyebrow makeup/fillers.)

I picked up from Chase immediately following my appointment and we headed home for an early afternoon snack, playtime at his train table and a reading of Green Eggs and Ham before nap.

And yes, we are now the family who has a GIANT giraffe and a GIANT train table in their living room.

Thankfully Chase went down semi-easily and I was able to make myself lunch (reheated crock pot leftovers) and knock out some additional work for about 90 minutes before he was up again.

Once Chase was up, we spent the rest of the afternoon at home, making cupcakes for a birthday party play date we have on the agenda this afternoon, playing and doing some household chores in preparation for my father-in-law’s visit later today. Ryan arrived home from work right in time for us to pile into his car and head out to an event we had at our church in the early evening.

Evening

The event included dinner (totally forgot about that one when I made this week’s meal plan) so we filled up on baked ziti while we learned about child dedication.

When we arrived back home, we did an express version of Chase’s bath before settling him in his crib. Ryan and I climbed into bed a little after 9 p.m. and then I read my face off because I absolutely could not put Final Girls down.

After I mentioned feeling less-than-enthused about the previous book I read on the blog, both Courtney and Heather highly recommended Final Girls to me, saying they both read it in only two days because it was so suspenseful. Well, apparently this book has a two-day reading window because after beginning it on Tuesday night, I ended up reading for waaay too long last and also finished it in two days. Talk about a page-turner! I’ll share more about it in tomorrow’s Things I’m Loving Friday post, but it was a GOOD one.

Now I’m off to the gym to squeeze in a quick workout before welcoming my father-in-law in town today! Hope you guys all have a great Thursday!

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/wednesday-toddler-battles/

#health #fitness

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