#introspections

[sleepydrummer]

I am made of literature; I am nothing else and cannot be anything else,

Franz Kafka 

[pyropsychiccollector]

Natza - Thank You

            They’d seen the last of their allies off, and were headed back home. A pillar of the Balam Alliance – Oracion Seis – had been defeated, and yet it wasn’t a clean victory. A former foe, a ghost from Erza’s past had returned to aid them, and instead of being praised for it, he had been arrested by the Magic Council. Not only that, but Natsu wasn’t in peak condition, after eating Jellal’s Flames of Rebuke; certainly, he was in better shape than when he ate Etherion or Laxus’s Lightning, but he was more winded than normal, even with Wendy patching him up. And though he hid it well, Natsu was more withdrawn and lacked his usual exuberance.

            For these reasons, the team sent from Fairy Tail elected to take the “long” way home. … Or in other words, they chose not to take a carriage back, out of sympathy for the Pyro. Erza suggested that Gray and Lucy could take Wendy back to Magnolia by carriage, but no one took her up on that offer, and so they all camped outside for one more night before walking the final stretch the next day.

            “You’ve gotta stay by her side!!! For Erza’s sake!!!”

            … And understandably, out of everyone, Erza was the most restless. During the day, she mulled over how best to approach Natsu – because it needed to happen, preferably before they got back to Magnolia – and now that night had fallen… Erza wasn’t sure what to say to Natsu. She’d resolved to speak with him in the morning before everyone got up, but his words echoed in her mind, and she couldn’t sleep. So she stood vigil over friends while they rested, and she allowed her mind to reflect on everything that happened.

            Lucy told her that when she was poisoned, Natsu had been determined to save her… again… and had raced off to fetch Wendy, because the Sky Dragon Slayer’s Healing Magic had been her only hope of survival. It amazed her just how much Natsu cared about her; that had already become abundantly clear during the Tower of Heaven incident, but she also heard from Lucy that Natsu had begged Wendy to save her life, setting aside his personal feelings about Jellal’s revival for her sake.

            … Which brought her to the next point. Natsu’s uncontainable rage for Jellal. She’d only been regaining consciousness at the time, but she had heard his determination clear as day, he absolutely wanted to prevent Jellal from meeting her again. Because Jellal had brought her immense emotional pain.

            So… why? Why did she go behind Natsu’s back and confront the man herself? Why did she hide the fact she had been with Jellal, from Natsu especially, when Hibiki got in touch with all of them? Perhaps more important than all of that… why did Natsu still hold so much loyalty toward her? Why did he tell Jellal specifically that he needed to stay by her side? Lucy had expressed concerns that Natsu gave off the impression he wanted to kill Jellal, so his abrupt change in attitude troubled Erza… Especially in how he seemed to distance himself from her, no matter how cleverly disguised it was. He interacted with the others despite not having much to say, but he was especially reticent with her.

            Not for the first time, Erza wondered if she hadn’t been too harsh with him when telling him to stand down against Lahar. Granted, it was necessary to keep anyone else from being arrested, but to her recollection, she didn’t even talk to him about it afterward. She just went off to grieve. Now more than ever, she regretted putting off their talk. It pained her, seeing him closed-off like this – and she knew that she was at least partially to blame. They’d been building up a rapport between them after the Tower of Heaven and the Battle for Fairy Tail, and now that was grounded to a halt because of some questionable decisions on her part.

            ‘Hell, I didn’t even thank him for bringing Wendy back for me… For saving me. Again.’ Erza ruefully thought to herself, leaning back against a tree. She wanted to go back to how they were before this mission. To take back any mistrust she had for the Dragon Slayer. He’d done so much for her, and tried to do so much more… And for what? He’d asked for nothing in return. Everything Natsu did, he did because he cared for her. There was nothing complicated about it, and perhaps that was why it was so hard for Erza to wrap her mind around it. She was used to things being “complicated” for most of her young life, and yet Natsu’s earnest and heartfelt loyalty was straightforward. It was almost too sincere. Its “simplicity” touched her more profoundly than these lingering feelings for Jellal did or ever could.

            Even now when he ‘refused’ to talk to her, Erza doubted Natsu would truly hate or loathe her. Maybe their friendship would ‘backtrack’ a bit, but he wouldn’t… Natsu wouldn’t turn his back on her. It wasn’t in his nature. And yet… Erza didn’t even want their friendship to suffer. She liked the rapport they were building, how close they’d been getting. Erza didn’t want to give that up. She couldn’t fathom what it was going to take to patch things up with him, but she was determined to make it happen.

            And it was with this determination that Erza quietly moved over to Natsu and sat down next to him, her fingers soothingly going through his pink locks. She hadn’t been this intimate with him in a while, but it still felt very relaxing.

            “I can’t thank you enough, Natsu… for everything. I’m going to try harder for your sake, because I want to understand you. You’re very precious to me…” The scarlet knight murmured, smiling softly. Perhaps it was easy to say all this because he was asleep, but really, it was just preparation for the “real deal” tomorrow. That’s how she assured herself, even while she let out a few tears.

            Because he was facing away from her, however, Erza had no way of knowing that Natsu was awake, and had heard every word.

[theemotionmachine]

Small Talk vs. Big Questions: How to Build a Deep Connection With Anyone

Small talk is nice, but it's the big questions that allow us to build a deeper connection with others - whether it’s a lover or a friend.

Click here to read more

[thesupercorpcollection]

Touch - Musetotheworld

Word Count: 746

Summary: Lena isn't used to someone caring about her. Especially not when someone cares as much as Kara does.

[thesupercorpcollection]

Symphony of Light - Brittahkiin

Word Count: 1, 283

Summary: Lena reflects on her personal growth through her relationship with Kara

[infinityandmadness]

[Left at Bellamy’s door. It’s the Nintendo Switch 2! The hot new gaming console everyone wants! The little note on top says: “Happy holidays! From your secret admirer”. Inside the box, however, is just two light switches.]

Walking away from his motorcycle, he had just gotten off work about an hour before. Walking up to the porch, he spots the box easily by the door. Giving an unconvinced look, he turned his head, to look around the woods around his house, then back toward the box, “That’s a trap.” Was all he said before giving a shrug and picking up the box, taking it inside. Soon dropping it off on the island counter in his kitchen and, already knowing a Switch 2 wasn’t in it because of the weight, or lack thereof, he opened the box and tossed out the light switches, “Hah.” Grinning, his nose curled slightly, amused, “Not bad. Funny. Could be useful, though. Need to fix some of the lights around here.” Tossing the box to the side, he turned away and continued with his nightly rituals. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d ever gotten…a present? Not for years, anyway. That made it more amusing, he supposed to himself. Though, he was curious about who had gone all the way out into the woods, to do this. But decided, it was a mistake, that left him with two free light switches. 

[infinityandmadness]

Does your character have a type? What is it? (Romantic, platonic, and sexual relationships are all valid for your answer)

Well, he is interested in others, to varying degrees. Romantic, of course, but not very strongly. He probably prefers his platonic relationships with others, even those with more romantic spins, or at the very least, sexual ones? Since he's not actually been in a romantic relationship, with the way his life has gone so far, he's not found any time lol. He's more of a waiting for his Princess Bride kind of romance or something, to be honest! Which is the baseline of his 'type' of thing for this? Though he's certainly content with the flings he has every now and again while on the lookout for something more solid. But values his more platonic relationships to others far above any of it. They are a lot more fun, in his opinion, than the flings. Because being able to share a hobby with someone you enjoy the company of is great, right? He does like those who are good, however, and sees him and doesn't let him just keep to his avoidant tendencies, locked away at home. Especially while he's having his little goo monster messing up his life. Maybe at times, dreamily, he hopes someone will save him, or help him save himself. Or something along those lines. His type is mainly people who either entertain him, save him, or make his life more interesting overall. Those who make him more curious about the world outside of his isolated bubble.