#icyh

[fablecore]

new year's nabemono with the ocs 🥘

[rommahh]

Blanket Forts and Promises

{This is apart of the fratrry universe I wrote two parts of. It can be read without the prior two works but like...wheres the fun in that. I just wanted to write something short and sweet. There will be more of these two. Love, R.}

Word count: 1.2 k

Read I Carry Your Heart here

Spring break. Literally the best time for any college student. At least thats what its supposed to be. Harry and Y/N were supposed to be on their flight to the nice and sunny Florida until a huge tropical storm hit. It was so bad that hundreds of flights going into Florida were cancelled. Y/N was devastated by the news of her flight cancellation. She was so excited to be on a beach with her bubs. She couldn't wait for swimming with him, yummy tropical dinners with him, she couldn't wait to do...things with him…in their beautiful hotel room. In all she just couldn't wait to spend a beautiful non-school related trip with her boyfriend.

Y/N sighed as she hung up the phone with an airline representative who helped her receive her refund on the plane tickets. She laid on her bed back at the farm watching as the rain poured outside. Her school did not allow for students to stay on campus during breaks unless they had special circumstances- leaving Y/N to come home. Harry was back on campus in the frat house. Y/N would have stayed with him, but the frat house was the worst place to be right now. It was gross there, having been completely run down by boys.

“Y/N! Can you get me one of the brooms from the guest house? Take the truck so you don't get wet!” Y/N heard her mom yell at her. ‘Get the broom?’ Y/N thought confused. Why would her mom need the broom from the guest house. Deciding not to question her mom, Y/N threw on her thick rain jacket and mud boots before grabbing the truck keys and driving over to the guest house.

The guest house was a mile out from the main house and barn. Between the house was a field containing whatever crop her dad was growing. The animals on the farm roamed on that piece of land as well. Parking the truck on the gravel outside of the house, Y/N rushed inside to grab the broom her mother ‘drastically needed.’

Y/N’s mouth dropped in shock as she walked into the open concept house seeing a large blanket fort covering the entirety of the living room. Hearing the door slam, Harry crawled out from the mass of blankets, a smile on his face seeing his girl's shock.

“Harry? What are you doing here? Oh my gosh what is this?” She was amazed by the large fort, shoving her wet jacket and shoes off her body. Harry grabbed her arm pulling her into the fort. The fort was being held up by the two couches and a few stools from the kitchen. Sheets were used as the ceiling and plush quilts and comforters were used to pad the hardwood floors. In the middle of the spacious fort was a collection of pillows, snacks, fuzzy blankets, and Harry’s macbook and charger. Twinkle lights encompassed the tops of the fort, wrapping around from stool to stool. Y/N sat on the pillows in the middle of the fort looking around shocked.

“I know you are really upset about our trip to Florida so I wanted to do this for you. Also our anniversary is coming up so...yeah.” Harry sat beside her rubbing her thigh as the girl took in her surroundings. Suddenly she leaped out of her seat tackling Harry down onto the blanketed floor.

“Harry, you are so sweet. I love it but how’d you even do this?” She layed on top of his chest chin resting on her hands as his hands rested on her lower back.

“I called your grandmother and asked her if there was anywhere in town to stay because I knew Florida would get cancelled and she told me to just set up here. She actually bought all of the snacks and found extra blankets and pillows. She knew how special I wanted this to be for you.” He softly spoke looking at her eyes filled with admiration.

“This is perfect bubs.” She kissed him, their lips moving together perfectly. She pulled herself further up his body. Leaning on her elbow beside his head, he turned his head to reach her for more kisses. She smiled into the kiss at his eagerness. He reluctantly pulled himself away from her.

“I actually bought you some new pajamas and fuzzy socks to wear tonight- they match mine.” He grinned cheekily. Pushing her off, he nudged her towards the small gift bag containing the clothes. She plucked the bag off of the floor crawling out of the fort to change.

She came back moments later in her matching pjs and socks as harry. The pjs had cute little puppies on it making Y/N giggle at the sight. She sat next to Harry as he scrolled through disney plus in search of the right movie.

“I think you're looking for Black Panther.” Y/N jokingly whispered in his ear. His laugh filled the fort.

“Oh am I, I could've sworn I was looking for tangled?” His eyebrow rose as he continued the banter. He clicked on Black Panther, setting the laptop on top of a stack of flat pillows. He started pulling the snacks over ready to chow down. “Your mom made us sandwiches to eat. I swear I would live with your mom and grandmother for the rest of my life if I could.” He moaned at the sight of the thick sandwiches.

They ate so much food from sandwiches, chips, and sweet tea, to pieces of cake and assortments of fruit. Harry laid back full of all of the junk he ate. Y/N rubbed his full stomach chuckling at his extraness. They laid together watching her favorite movie on top of those fluffy blankets and digesting their food. Eventually, as two horny adults do, they both started to get handsy. Harrys hands drifted down to hold her bum and her hands brushed the muscle that stretches into his goodies.

He turned his head to look down at her only to find her already staring at him. He closed the space making their lips touch. This kiss was sloppy and rushed. Tongues pushed and prodded each other as hands touched intimate places. And just like Y/N wanted...things happened.

The next morning, Harry woke up wrapped in the arms of his girl. Her bare chest warmed the side of his face as her arms cradled  his head- fingers interlocked with his hair. Their legs intertwined with each other. Harry never felt happier in his life being wrapped in his lover's arms having shared a night full of laughter and genuine love. He detached himself from the girl and reached into his backpack. He pulled out a small box- smaller than a bracelet box- and just stared at it. Opening the box, he pulled out the promise ring he had been saving up for since christmas. He used all of his Christmas money and did some extra paid tutoring on campus to buy the simple jewelry. Its band was a pretty gold color, two strands twisted with each other to come together making a knot. Sliding back over to Y/N he slowly lifted her left hand and slipped the ring on her finger watching it as ifit on her finger perfectly.

He wouldn't propose just yet but he could promise her a lifetime of love and a commitment to carrying her heart with him everywhere he goes.

[randykorn]

Hey if Gansey had died, what are some of the mourning scenes y’all would have liked to see?

[fablecore]

I still reread I Carry Your Heart every so often. You first started it during a very difficult time in my life, and it saved me a little (a lot, actually) to see such a yearning story about legacies and what it means to save people and the hidden cost of it all. I liked being wrapped up in Kizuna's wit and charm. I liked seeing the broken bits shine through in her and Yuuka, and I liked the way she admitted to wanting to be a little disgusting so people would stop looking at her like that, and I liked the way her shame is always at war with her need to be good enough.

I have enjoyed all your works through the years. You write such charming, evocative pieces. I've read all your One Piece fics, and I was here for Aika, and I started reading jjk when Seri dropped because I wanted to know the source material to better appreciate her journey. I think I keep coming back because there is something so human and compassionate in the characters you create. They are all so, so flawed, but they are never treated as any less deserving of kindness or growth or agency, and I think that is maybe why your works continue to resonate with me, even when I have left their original fandoms behind.

Somehow, I Carry Your Heart is even more special to me than that. I don't really have the words to describe it, but it is always there, in the back of my mind: the way Kizuna tries to push Shinsou away, initially, and the way he uses his quirk on her; every explosive interaction she's ever had with Bakugo, every box of pocky she's ever stolen... (I could go on, but somehow this has gotten very long without my noticing.)

Mostly, I am sending this ask because I just wanted to let you know how deeply your writing has touched me. Thank you for all the stories you have shared with us so far, and I am eagerly looking forward to many more to come.

wow... what an incredibly precious message 🤍 you've treasured kizuna for all this time. and you read jjk for seri. ah 😭🥺

some people—readers and writers alike—have the urge to punish characters as if being young and stupid is a moral failure. thank you for seeing so many admirable qualities in how i write. i think it shows what a kind person you are.

i hope you have a wonderful day :''-D please look forward to new chapters… soon! i’m a slow writer but i do my best (i think this is becoming my new sign off)

[fablecore]

May I ask what the status is on “I Carry Your Heart”? Are you on hiatus/lost interest in the fandom? I’m sorry if my phrasing sounds rude/aggressive!

It’s totally valid to take a break from a WIP or if you did abandon it, I just want to know if it was put on hold for a bit or if you are writing a new chapter :)

Anywho! Please take care of yourself and stay safe!

oh you’re not rude at all! icyh is on hiatus because i’m not feeling much inspiration/energy for it, especially since i really want to finish mnp.

as you can probably tell i have quite a few things going on at the moment, but i’m still really happy you’ve enjoyed kizuna’s story! i attempted to learn a tiny bit of ainu grammar in the shizunai dialect (it was the only comprehensive ainu language book i could find online), and researching ainu history in order to write kizuna was... emotionally very moving. i think anyone who’s a fan of manga or japan should take time to learn about kayano shigeru, his book our land was a forest, and the ongoing obstacles of modern day ainu rights.

[fablecore]

Hello~ I've been working on a fanart of Kizuna, but I had wanted to incorporates elements of her Ainu heritage into it. Specifically I wanted to add the attush robe, however in my research I found out the pattern differs on region and it's passed down from mother to daughter. So I wanted to ask if you had a pattern or design in mind for attush robes for Kizuna or Yuuka?

:O omg what!! hello!!! ainu robes are g o r g e o u s, and i'm excited you're researching textiles for kizuna!! traditional textiles are so freaking pretty!! cut for a long answer and a bit of cultural context.

from this essay, which i like purely for its direct quotes from ainu historians:

Sermaka omare is an Ainu phrase that encompasses the main motif of their artwork, which is protection for one another. Visual elements of Ainu artwork found on garments consist of labyrinths, braces, nets or fences, thorns, and swirls that thwart and repel harmful spirits.

The word sermak means “back” or “shadow.” It was thought that evil spirits could more easily enter the body from behind, perhaps because it is a universal human blind spot. When an Ainu exited a home, their host would say, “sermaka omare,” translated to “put something on your back” (Dubreuil 293). In Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans, Philippi’s research uncovers a similar phrase; sermak orke, from the Ainu epics called yukar. Philippi claims that this term absolutely refers to supernatural protection and that the word sermak literally means “behind.” In the yukar, sermaka also refers to “any type of being or object which hovers behind a person and provides protection” (Philippi 350).

Through interviews with Japanese writer Shigeru Kayano, Dubreuil discusses the most important symbolism of Ainu designs: protection. In her essay, Ainu Art: The Beginnings of Tradition, she states that, “traditionally women embroidered a simple ’rope’ around the neck, front openings, sleeves, and hem on the earliest garments to keep evil spirits from entering the body” (296). Originally, the rope would have been a dark blue color, and Kayano stated that this likely began when “an Ainu mother working in the mountains or fields with her baby would encircle the infant with a rope to protect it while it slept. Any evil spirits in the area would not be able to enter inside the rope to harm the baby” (296). Kayano does not give Dubreuil details about a specific material or type of rope, other than that it would have been dark blue. The protection simply comes from the rope symbolizing a barrier. Protective patterns such as these covering the upper back are ubiquitous in Ainu garments.

here's an interview by chisato dubreuil, who is ainu and an art historian. there's a passage where she specifically talks about the patterns of ainu design:

Some people say traditional Ainu designs are so abstract, no one can detect what they represent, while others believe that they see animals such as owls or bears in them. Could you comment further?

Neither is true. First, there isn’t anything to detect in Ainu designs. As stated we believe that the evil gods (wen-kamuy) are so clever that if there was something ‘hidden’ in the design, they would know, and they could enter the image and cause great harm. The beautiful art on the clothes, platters, etc. is our way of honoring and respecting the gods, but the designs are not spiritual in any way. Importantly, tradition dictates that all designs be original. To make a ‘reproduction’ would be disrespectful to kamuy. When looking at a robe, the designs may look the same, but each is different, although admittedly the design differences may be subtle. Part of the problem is the subtle differences between design elements; for example, eight out of the nineteen design elements identified are variations of the whorl.

ALL THAT THAT BEING SAID. kizuna's favorite robe was sewn by her great-great-grandmother, but it somehow still looks new. the whorls and thorns cover the hem and back like so. on certain occasions when the wearers of the robe have confronted life-threatening danger, the abstract pattern on the back has been seen by their enemies to shift into the face of a grinning fox. but the veracity of this has never been confirmed, either because there have been no survivors to confirm it, or because those who've survived would not further tempt the gods.

you can do with this what you will!