#snowdrift

[redlightalmanaq]

Just following old man orders

[curlyboys]

i've been trying to write fluff but it's been a week so i've been indulging the angst and darker themes instead. here's a little something inspired by the winter olympic opening ceremony with athlete!Buck / security!Tommy (it is pretty fluffy in the end) 😣🏔️ #bt winter olympic au

It feels like rubbing salt in the wound. 

Buck's Winter Olympic dreams were destroyed three months ago during a training incident. Sabotage that wasn't even meant for him but he's the one who ended up with a crushed leg along with a crushed dream. And now they've got him raising a ceremonial flag on the outskirts of the opening ceremony in a twisted humiliation ritual as the announcers reduce his suffering to a few pitiful sentences and his team walks into the arena to represent their country on the world stage without him. 

He pushes through the condolences and meets excitement for the games at large with as much media-trained politeness as he can manage, forcing a smile for the global broadcast and for the officials. But that ever-present dull throb of pain that was numbed by the strong painkillers this morning is giving way to a sharp stabbing sensation every time he shifts his weight or breathes too hard, and his forearms ache from white-knuckling his crutches for over an hour.

If he didn't think it would tarnish what little is left of his public image he would hobble off the stage right now and find the nearest car or buggy to take him back to the hotel. Hotel, because he's not allowed in the official barracks because he's no longer a competitor, just another tourist in town for the games. They comped him the full two weeks and he's gonna stay to support his team and try to enjoy the experience from the other side of it all, but it still fucking sucks.

It fucking hurts almost as much as his leg.

The commentators are still talking, the cameras are still rolling, he tries to will away the tremor in his arms and ignore the pain in his leg and blink back the hot tears threatening to spill down his cheeks—

A big hand on his back stabilizes him and a murmured, "Come with me," almost sends him to his knees when he recognises the deep, warm voice belonging to the broad suited man who greeted him when he first arrived and is now escorting him off the side of the stage without bringing attention to it.

It's a short, quick hobble past faceless bystanders as he's ushered down an uncrowded pathway to a parked SUV with black tinted windows where the security man opens the passenger side door for him and helps get him situated inside.

The noise of the outside world, the bright lights and bustle of the event, the eyes of the world– it all goes blissfully muted and dim in the dark cabin of the vehicle. For a moment, he's alone. Those tears break free but they're more relief now and he swipes at them as he gathers himself. Even with the security guy taking some of his weight, the short distance here was a struggle and did his leg no favors.

"Thankyou," he says, when his knight in a padded navy winter suit settles into the driver's seat beside him. "You're, um. Security personnel?"

"Security Agent Kinard. But you can call me Tommy." Tommy smiles at him kindly, like Buck is a real person not a liability or a charity case or a prop, even though he probably looks like a mess right now. "Do you need a doctor?" Tommy's brow furrows in concern as he watches Buck try to awkwardly massage the twinge in his calf muscle.

It helps a little, so does sitting, but he can't really get a good angle on it. "No, um. J-just my meds and probably my heatpad, back in my hotel room."

"The Grand?"

"Yeah."

Tommy hums. "Fancy."

"I guess." There hasn't been time to enjoy the amenities since he arrived this morning but he did spot a large tub with his name on it which he plans to take full advantage of as soon as possible.

"We should be there in about twenty minutes," Tommy says, once they pull out onto the main road.

"Twenty?" It took them close to forty on the way in.

"I know a shortcut."

The prospect of a shorter commute has some of the tension leaving his body as he sinks a little deeper into the plush leather of his seat. And that isn't the only way Tommy has helped him tonight. "How'd you know?"

"The shortcut? I've been here a few months."

Buck files that away for later. Maybe Tommy can give him some recommendations of where to eat and where to go to avoid the crowds. "No, I-I mean about me, and.." he lets it hang, his fingers scrunching in the fabric of his pantleg.

"I heard about what happened. I'm sorry."

No, everyone's heard about the kid who got crushed by a snow plow. No fake niceties or forced platitudes. No pity, no disappointment. Just gentle sincerity and a simple observation and initiative taken to lessen Buck's suffering - a stranger. Buck's own handler had basically told him to suck it up because tonight was the closest he was ever going to get to being in the Olympics.

"But even if I hadn't– Evan, you were clearly in pain."

So much for hiding it well. There's probably a close-up shot of his arms shaking as he tries to hold himself upright and the sweat gathering on his brow in the chilly night air, streamed to hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Great.

"I was waiting for your team to help you."

Buck doubts his 'team' - not his real team, just the people hired to make sure he held up his end and didn't embarass anyone - even noticed. They were willing to let Buck stand on his busted leg for as long as was needed if it meant good publicity; they'll gladly cart him out as a symbol of resilience and unity but the second those cameras are off it's back to talking about who will fill Buck's place and what brand deals he has lined up.

Still, he should probably let them know he hasn't tripped and broken his other leg. "I should text them."

"I already handled it."

"You– wait, what d'you mean?" Buck gets a good look at Tommy's profile as he answers, taking in his strong stubbled jaw and Roman nose and the dark blue of his one visible eye lighting up with each set of passing headlights.

"My team informed your team that the temperature had dropped below acceptable levels, that your condition would worsen if you stayed outside any longer, and that we were going to take you back to your accommodation immediately. And if they had a problem with that they could take it up with the OSC." Tommy looks away from the road long enough to meet Buck's eye.

He hates how vulnerable he sounds when he asks, "I-is that true?"

"It's not untrue," Tommy says, voice wry, jaw ticking. "Unfortunately, those people with you tonight were glorified publicists. They only care about how things look. It's my job to keep you safe, and that's what I did."

Buck smiles despite himself. "Was I in danger?"

Tommy's mouth is a hard line as he shakes his head at the road. "Only of being exploited."

A fresh prickling of hot tears has Buck blinking rapidly to clear his vision, turning his gaze to the snowy scene out the window. How is it someone he just met cares more about his wellbeing than the people employed by his employer? Former employer? Things are still up in the air about what role Buck will play once he's healed enough to show them he won't be reduced to a footnote.

[wangxianficrecs]

Snowdrift by Rainewritesfanfics

Snowdrift

by Rainewritesfanfics

G, 1k, Wangxian

Summary: Lan Qiren goes to Yiling a year afterwards, looking for something of hers to bury. Instead, he, or rather A’Zhan, finds a little boy with her smile. Kay's comments: I'm so weak for stories where the donghua canon gets picked up and little A-Zhan immediately imprints on A-Ying when he sees him in Yiling and forces his family to take him home with him. Bonus points for Lan Qiren being in unrequited love with Cangse Sanren and not being as asshole about it. Excerpt: “What is it, A’Zhan?” Lan Qiren asked, smoothing the ribbon back into place and trying to ignore the voice in the back of his mind that said it should be his brother’s place, and not his, to do these things. “Shufu, there is a boy in need of aid,” Lan Zhan said gravely. “This way.” Lan Qiren blinked, but he allowed himself to be led down the bustling market street. It heartened him that Lan Zhan was so diligent and considerate even at this age. He would surely make their sect prouder with each passing year, just like his brother. Lan Zhan directed him to a narrow alleyway, where a small figure in threadbare garments knelt in the snow. The child was gaunt, his hair matted and wild, and his bare arms littered with teeth-shaped wounds in various states of scabbing and scarring. Lan Qiren could not see the child’s face, but he could see the boy playing with Lan Zhan’s rattle drum. “I gave it to him,” Lan Zhan said at Lan Qiren’s questioning look. “That is very generous,” he praised, patting his head. Lan Zhan didn’t even let him touch the toy, and yet he had gifted it to this child? “Wait here a moment.”

pov lan qiren, canon divergence, good uncle lan qiren, child wei wuxian, child lan wangji, pre-canon, gusu lan elders bashing, location: yiling, street child wei wuxian, grief/mourning, unrequited love, hopeful ending, one-sided cangse sanren/lan qiren

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[dk-thrive]

Breakwall - Far and Close (Snow drift on breakwall). 6:25 am. 21° F, feels like 11° F with 10mph winds from the west. February 24, 2026. Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT (@dkct25)

[stinkysussenger]

I don't want to draw TTTE characters in my "style" because I think it kills their charm (also I know the eyes are different size but I did this in MyPaint where I can't cheese fixing it with Transform)

Edit: okay, maybe I'm too harsh on myself, haha

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Sunday 7 September 2025

Using one plant species or cultivar often provides a more striking display. This window box of the annual or short-lived perennial Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum, sea alyssum, snow-white carpet, sweet alison, snow in summer, snowdrift) provides a summer show and filled the nearby seating with a honey scent.

Jill Raggett

[ilikeit-art]

[biggest-butch-tsunami]

Upcoming look at an ask I was really excited to get about some non-canon dragons of mine, so here’s my wofsona/og oc, Snowdrift! I think I posted she before but it was not as good as this..

Moving to DA! You can find me here, and are still free, of course, to request and send in some wofs for me to draw :3