#( she wants to squoosh him........... ) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gingerdusk · 11 months ago

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EXPLANATIONS

This whole thing was kind of fueled by spite. Why does Ocarina get to be the only one that splits like that.

I would get it if it was the child/adult split only. Still be a little salty because none of the other time travel games got that treatment, but it would make sense.

"The hero is defeated" WHY is this ONLY in OoT's timeline? Link can die in ANY game.

So all the splits are based off of unique endings/game overs you can get + timeline inconsistencies that should have branched.

Starting with Skyward Sword.

Why is this split like this? It's horrendous.

Yes! It is! Because the writers made timetravel inconsistent!

I have a whole post breaking it down that I made forever ago, but to put it easy, plain terms:

Zelda was dragged down to the surface by Ghirahim.

Link was destined to defeat Demise.

Link did it. Zelda was freed, because Demise was no more. Ghirahim was a sore loser and went to the past to revive Demise there.

Link killed him there, too. Then went home.

LOGICALLY, as soon as Demise was killed the second time:

Zelda should never have been dragged down to the surface because there was no Demise to defeat.

Zelda in the past should have been freed because Demise was no more again.

"Home" should have been fundamentally changed because there was no Demise. Do you get it. Everything hinges on Demise escaping, so if he's not there, the plot of Skyward should never have happened.

The points of breaking off, elaborated upon:

Demise killed in the past should have led to a future without the events of Skyward Sword taking place.

Hyrule Warriors woke up Fi early and flooded Skyloft with soldiers. That should have drastically changed the peaceful island, even if everything else remained the same.

When Zelda's dragged down to the surface, Impa is shocked. It was before the time she was supposed to. Impa should not be shocked, she should have known this happened as Zelda's bodyguard. The fact that she IS shocked implies she's from a past where that didn't happen and things went to plan. Different timeline where Ghirahim didn't screw things up.

The Imprisoned escapes and destroys the world. This is a unique Game Over. If we're counting OoT Link failing, we're counting this.

Pheoni vs Karane: TECHNICALLY speaking this affects nothing. And you COULD split hairs and make a timeline for every side quest Link doesn't do. But with this one, specifically, one locks you out of the other. You can't get Cawlin haunted and get him rejected. So there are parallel timelines in which Cawlin is haunted or not. You're welcome.

The Tree of Life you need in order to revive Lanayru has to be grown in the past. If you talk to Groose before you plant it, he talks about wanting to plant something there. If you talk to him AFTER you plant it in the past, he acts as if it's always been there. Congrats, Link, you split the timeline again.

A Demiseless, peaceful world exists out there, somewhere. Link crushed the Imprisoned with the Goddess Statue, so Demise should be dead. He didn't even utter his curse that trapped Link and Zelda in the cycle of hatred, he was just squooshed. Link, Zel, and Groose vanished from that timeline, though, thanks to Ghirahim.

The "real" timeline, which acts as if Demise was squished, but also Ghirahim is gone, but also Zelda went back in time and gave Impa the bracelet, etc. This is the "course corrected" timeline, and I think the Master Sword is responsible. See post for details.

This is pretty self-explanatory. Two out of three of the Goddess sisters can get houses, so there are technically three timelines, one in which a sister is doomed to hotel life forever. Then there's the unique game over clause; Vaati can complete his ritual before you get to him.

Four Swords is normal.

Ocarina of Time has that split that it normally has, "Link Fails" vs "Child" vs "Adult."

Queen Ambi's whole mess involves altering the past. Then with each Oracles game, you can pick a different companion.

Hyrule Warriors pulled more cast from this timeline.

Link's Awakening has two different endings, one where Link drifts alone, and one where Marin is a seagull. I'm counting them both as parallels. Then in Zelda II, the consequence of a game over SPECIFICALLY is the return of Ganon, because his monsters sacrifice Link's blood to revive him.

A small mess, largely because Cadence of Hyrule's multiple gamemodes. Do you wake Link or Zelda? Did Octavo do things right or think better of it? Did Ganon rise? Did Skull Kid get involved?

Majora's Mask is a bit more straightforward. Killing Majora as a child is different from doing it as the Fierce Deity, and then there's the whole moon falling thing. Then Twilight Princess gives you a game over WITHOUT Link dying if the carriage is left on fire too long.

This one's pretty normal. Hyrule Warriors strikes again to increase its cast, there's a unique game over for if Gongoron dies in Phantom Hourglass, then with Spirit Tracks, when Zelda asks you what you want to do after everything's all over, your answer influences what Link's ACTUALLY doing in the ending.

Hyrule Warriors' timeline catastrophe.

And finally, the end of the timeline. It splits based on whether or not Terrako existed. Then, with BotW, you can get a different ending based on if you have all the memories, in which you and Zelda go to Zora's Domain to check on Vah Ruta.

Ignore the working title for Tears of the Kingdom, we had no idea what it was then.

Hey do you guys wanna see the monster of a Zelda timeline I made pre-TotK based off Hyrule Historia

#loz #zelda #long post #like obscenely long post #timeline shenanigans #god this was ages ago #glad i finally finished the rant

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sargassostories · 4 years ago

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Treat

A little modern au Yennskier, for @lothlaer's bday.

"Please Yen, please?"

"No."

"Please, I'll get on my knees and beg you, I know how much you love that--"

Yennefer turned and looked at Jaskier with a very sweet smile. It was too sweet, he knew instantly, and knew to be suspicious of all such smiles, but most especially from Yen.

"Alright, Jaskier. I'll give you what you want."

"No, that's okay."

"No, really, I insist. Go ahead. Ask for it."

There was a timbre of menace in her voice now, so Jaskier knew he'd better obey her. As much as he loved the punishments she could devise for him... he knew when not to test her. Mostly.

He turned to the bored teenager in the ice cream shop and said, "One scoop of Rocky Road, one of sea salt caramel." He glanced back at Yen, who was smiling encouragingly, and gulped. "In a cone," he added."

"Jaskier, don't you want some fudge on top?"

"Well, I didn't want to overdo--"

"With your finest hot fudge on top, please, my good man," Yennefer addressed the teen, who nodded and started scooping the sea salt caramel ice cream.

"No no no can you-- sorry, can you actually put the rocky road on the bottom? Thanks," Jaskier said with an appreciative smile and a guarded look back at Yen, who was looking out the window at the beach, seemingly disinterested. But Jaskier knew better.

The teen cleaned the ice cream scoop and dipped into the rocky road, then into the sea salt caramel. Jaskier licked his lips, drawn in by the promise of the ice cream, the cold, velvety touch of it on his tongue, the delight of walking along the boardwalk as it melted, maybe dripping on his chin, down his hand, licking off the sticky sweet chocolatey savory flavors.

In a moment he heard the register ding as Yennefer paid and he was being handed his cone. He kept his gaze steadily on her as they walked out of the shop and into the sunlight. But as they walked, as he heard the seagulls screaming, the soft waves rolling onto the sandy shore, the cold, tangy breeze and the warm sun on his skin... he opened his mouth and brought the perfect, beautiful ice cream to his face--

--and Yen SMOOSHED it all across his nose and mouth, laughing as she squooshed the cold, melting, sticky ice cream everywhere, letting it drip onto his new shirt.

So Jaskier lunged forward and kissed her deeply.

She squealed, but he only twisted his face around more, mashing the cold sticky sweet flavors across her cheeks and onto her dress as he held her tightly, until he flicked his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss, and she relented, her arms snaking around his body.

Across the street, Geralt sat on a bench next to Ciri, who was holding a balloon, both watching.

"No, dad-- I don't think I need any ice cream. Like, ever again."

#yennskier #happy birthday loth #this was short but gross thanks for the idea #my fic

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wintersweetbou · 4 years ago

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Decorum

Fandom: FFXV/ Kingsglaive. Warnings: Cussing, creepers getting their just desserts. Characters: Tredd Furia, Luche Lazarus, Crowe Altius, Pelna Khara, Crowe’s Mages.

Summary: Not much can stop Tredd Furia in his tracks. But a black mage smashing into him does. Especially if she asks for help involving an adventure to the arcade. He agrees, if Luche goes too.

Few things stopped Tredd Furia in his tracks. Very few. But a black mage slamming into him on the way home from work was one of them. Especially when said mage- Mira- squeaked, then proceeded to hide herself behind him. Tredd stood there, confused, yet docile. Best not to mess with or question Crowe’s mages- those who did often ended up on fire. Pedestrians flowed around them on the packed sidewalk. She tugged his weapon belts, urging him to turn his back to the wall, facing him to the slow-moving crowd. Tredd turned easily and stopped at the sharp tug to the back of his jacket.

The redhead felt her tap his shoulder blade, and he looked over to see her hand flashing over said shoulder. Enemy. Hold position. 11 o’clock. The larger glaive stiffened at that, searching the crowd. What could faze a black mage? This deep in Insomnia? Regular commuters and revelers making their way to their haunts this fine Friday night. Normal movement- there.

A man across the street, clearly looking for something, trying to be subtle, and obviously failing at both. Awkward movements, no target, clearly not armed in any capacity. Limp, receding hair. Sleazy businessman? Tredd raised an eyebrow. The double tap to his back confirmed the target. He leaned forward, reserve blade in his boot…

Mira tugged his belt. Hold position. The man glanced about, eyes lighting on Tredd. The glaive couldn’t help the vicious show of his teeth. The man flinched, eyes darting to the ground. He then sagged in seeming defeat and turned to trudge back the other direction in time with the crowd.

Mira leaned forward, pressing her head against the solid plane of Tredd’s back.

“Thanks. Stalker.”

“Stalker? Don’t you guys normally like your stalkers well done?”

“Drautos said if we torch any more we would be reassigned. Too much trouble to deal with. You think the fire would be enough of a hint.”

Tredd nodded, turning to face her. She sidestepped, neatly sliding into his side, pulling his arm to rest around her shoulders. He blinked and pulled her in closer to avoid the increasing foot traffic.

“Now they know that we won’t immediately use magic, they have grown bolder. Getting closer, taking pics...I hate it.” Tredd did admit to himself that the girls had it the worst. Plenty of citizens thought nothing of expressing their disdain towards immigrants, but especially to the women. Not only dirty Galahdians, but also female- the horror!

“Hey! What are you doing tonight?”

“Err...not much....”

“Please! Come with us! Please, please, please!” Mira’s puppy eyes, complete with fluttering eyelashes, may or may not have sealed the deal.

“Only if Luche comes with.”

Luche woke with a start to insistent rapping on his apartment window. The window which held a sturdy herb planter, six stories above the ground. He groaned, tossing his tablet and blanket aside, reaching to fumble with the latch. In tumbled Tredd, breathless and excited. All Luche wanted was a quiet weekend to sleep in and read. His expression clearly stated such, and Tredd was quick to explain nothing.

“We are going on an adventure.”

“What?”

“Adventure.”

Tredd manhandled a baffled Luche into jeans and a Kingsglaive hoodie- fuzzy jamma pants are not proper adventure attire, Luche!- and herded him out the door, down the elevator, and into the back of Mira’s van with a grinning Pelna Khara waiting for them.

"You guys ready for tonight? I'm not sure how much detail Mira went into." Pelna murmured, leaning back further into his seat as the van started to move.

Tredd nodded, throwing an arm around the shoulders of the increasingly confused looking blonde.

"We are making sure no creeps ruin mage night out!" Tredd flexed, earning a chuckle from Pelna and a facepalm from Luche.

"Was it really that hard to say? Just text me, call me, or hell, knock on the door like a normal person. But no. That is not what I got. Do you know what this"- he shook the snickering redhead- "goblin decided to do?"

"What did Tredd do?"

"The man warps up six stories to get his stupid feet all over my rosemary! I'm napping, hear a racket, and look over to see this freak in my planter like a deranged pigeon!" Luche groaned. Pelna cackled.

"I said adventure, and now here we are." Tredd grinned.

"What even is your friendship?" Pelna giggled..

"I don't even know." Luche mumbled.

Mira pulled into a parking spot smoothly, grabbing her jacket and hopping out. The boys quickly followed, glancing about.

"Most of the night is gonna just be us blowing our change on stupidly rigged claw games. Juno's always wanted the big axolotl squish, so by Ramuh, we are gonna get her that squish."

"And our job is to keep an eye out for douchebags?" Tredd asked, slipping on his studded knuckle gloves.

"Then what? Politely asking them to leave them alone? Or are we getting more...enthusiastic in our message?" Luche looked to Mira.

"Use your best judgement, vice captain."

Bass and flashing lights trickled out of the wide doors into the twilight air, where a group of familiar figures waited. Mira dashed forward, giving the girls hugs, with Kari, Juno, and Sabine gushing about what prizes they wanted. Luche and Tredd fell into step with the mages, watching their surroundings. Pelna slid in next to Crowe, slinging one arm around her shoulders casually.

“So I see you did manage to get the cavalry.” Crowe smirked, wrapping an arm around Pelna’s waist.

“Course I did. Gotta make sure Juno gets that Axolotl.”

Tredd had no idea that these stupid claw machines were so expensive. And very, very, rigged against the player. But the mages were addicted to the plushes inside, claiming that there was nothing softer or cuter. So he watched from his perch on a bench as they poured the day’s wages into the machines, slowly inching their chosen prizes closer to the surface-squealing with delight and disappointment at each catch and subsequent failure of grip.

The readhead glanced around, noting that nobody was paying attention to the glaives and that Juno was very close to wiggling that fat pink amphibian free. Its little eyes seemed to bulge when the claw gripped its head, and they plush lifted free for just a second, then dropped into a puddle of the machine floor. Juno hissed and hurriedly swiped her card. The other mages cheered her on, eagerly pressing against the sides of the machine, watching as the claw descended and finally delivered the chosen prize to an elated Juno. She popped it out of the prize door and immediately buried her face into the doughy surface, twisting back and forth in obvious delight. Tredd met Luche’s gaze and rolled his eyes. The blonde huffed in amusement and smiled as the mages returned, gushing about what prizes they were going to go after now that Juno had her squish.

“I dub him Bubbles the Eternal!” Juno giggled, alighting next to Tredd, pressing into his side to make room for the others.

“Bubbles the eternal?” Tredd scoffed. Juno squawked in outrage at the notion of an ounce of disrespect to her prize, immediately shoving the plush in Tredd’s face, the malleable plush easily squooshing around him.

Tredd froze, dumbstruck by the sensation. The squishiness. By the six, what was this thing made of? Dough? He had never felt anything like it. There was no resistance from “Bubbles”, even as Juno squished it back and forth along Tredd’s face. It moved like a liquid, and yet was just a plush. The mages cackled at his bewildered expression once Juno was done with the squish face noogie.

“What is that thing made of?”

“Clouds and capitalism, my dude.”

Mira found a machine a row over that held different colorations of hamster squishes, thus beginning another quest of rigged games and wasted wages. Tredd leaned against a pillar, watching Juno press her face into the glass, making silly faces. Trying to break Mira’s concentration. The claw descended on a white and orange hamster clinging to a sunflower seed. The prize lifted, to Juno’s dismay, and dropped cleanly into the slot, first try. Tredd didn’t notice the soft smile creep over his features. Mira clutched her squish close, happily bragging about her skill. Juno growled playfully, before giving her a noogie with her axolotl. Tredd felt warmth wrap his heart over their giggles.

Until he noticed the man standing behind the claw game several machines over, clearly ogling the mages, with a cell phone obviously at the ready for pics. No shame whatsoever. THe entitlement on this asshole.The glaive’s blood started to boil. He watched, hands balling into fists, as this entitled asshole slithered forward.

The readhead crossed the distance to the celebrating mages. He scooped Mira up, crushing her to his chest. She, still too elated on her win to care about the uncharacteristic affection, happily hugged back.

Tredd stared at the other man over her head, daring him to come closer. A clear challenge. The creep sneered, taking a step forward, believing that all of the glaives had been muzzled. Tredd released Mira and squared up.

“Looking for something?”

“Aren’t we all, buddy.”

“How’s about you back off before I tear you apart.”

“Stand down like a good dog. Go on.” Tredd snarled and the lights flashed with a loud pop.

“Would you look at that. All of the security cameras are fried. Must have been an electrical surge.” Luche smirked, lightning dancing around his fingers. “Would be a shame if something were to happen when the cameras were off…”

“You c-can’t touch me!”

“I beg to differ.” Tredd snorted, cleanly sweeping his legs out from under him. Luche sighed and stomped down hard on the writhing man’s back, forcing the air from his lungs.

They turned back to the mages, gesturing to the wheezing lump, wordlessly asking if anyone wanted to get a kick in before he got up. The mages shook their heads and turned away, leaving the creep to scrape himself off the garish industrial carpet.

The group ambled to the next aisle, laughing and complementing Luche’s aim with the lightning magic. Tredd chuckled at Luche’s shy smile, complete with reddening cheeks. Crowe pounced, calling him cute, trying to get his blush deeper. Mira waited until the group was distracted by Luche’s squeaks to make her move.

“Thank you.” Tredd looked down to see Mira slipping an arm around his waist.

“Anytime.” He hugged back, pausing when she tugged, urging him forward.

“Which one is the cutest?”

“Er...the seal? ...The grey one?” She pulled him forward, tucking her head under his chin, swiping her card and putting his hand on the joystick.

“The trick isn’t luck. Add a little bit of juice through your hand while touching the button, the sides are metal to the shitty wiring connections. Just enough. Let a tiny bit bleed through…” He breathed out slowly, letting a tiny spark through his palms...the claw gripped the seal tight all the way to the prize chute.

He couldn’t believe it. How long had Mira known this cheat? Did she invent it herself, or...?

It was so damned soft. Tredd could not handle the soft, squeezing that fat little seal. Neither could Luche, when Mira pulled him aside moments later, winning him the white seal that had sat next to his grey. They rejoined the group, wordlessly marvelling at the texture. Pelna nodded sagely, flashing him a pic of his collection of shark squishes. The mages cackled, and continued on.

Mages, Tredd decided, were indeed chaotic forces to not be messed with, but were definitely fun to hang around.

#squishy #ffxv #KINGSGLAIVE #tredd furia #luche lazarus #crowe altius #pelna khara #Crowe's assorted mages #Creepers be creepin #But are also flammable #Soft glaives #The squishy claw machine prizes are the best #my fic

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natysadventureblog · 5 years ago

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Day Seventeen [Internship at Mingan Island Cetacean study]

22-Aug-2017

A very early day! And I was so anxious about it that I woke up 5 times or so in the middle of the night, thinking it was time to get up (the first one was before 1h, I think! Haha)!!

One of the interns is leaving, and she's taking the bus (which is what I'm gonna have to do when I leave), so I wanted to go with her to see where it was, and how it worked. But the only bus leaves very early, so I woke up at 5h20, and we left just before 5h30.

The bus stop is in front of the market, so it's a 5-minute-walk… it's pretty close, but it's not easy when you have a lot/heavy luggage, or it's raining.

The sun had risen 15 minutes earlier, so it still looked very nice, especially with the fog… oh, yeah… there was fog… I was pretty sure I would go back to sleep, at 6h.

She thought the bus was at 5h50, but it turned out it was at 5h55, and it was about 5 minutes late, but I could only wait with her until 5h55, because I had to be back at the motel at 6h, to radio the house to confirm that we were not going out because of the fog.

Oh!! I found a dead frog in the middle of the street!! I hadn't seen or heard any amphibians here… too bad it was dead (and pretty squooshed)!

When I got back, the other intern had already radioed them (because she was supposed to go on the boat I went last time) and, as expected, they said it was too foggy, but for us to call again at 8h15.

So yeah, back to bed until 7h30. Then I got up, got dressed, checked out what the girl had left behind in her room (I took the table lamp she had taken from the other room, because, since there are no windows, it's pitch black when you turn off the light). When I went up to the kitchen, I could see the beach, which meant that the fog was gone, so I was optimistic! By the time I finished breakfast, we called them again, and they told us they weren't sure yet, because there was still some fog, but for us to try and go to the house around 9h.

I had prepped most of my stuff last night, so I just made myself a sandwich to go, took a banana and a granola bar, finished getting ready and we left around 8h50.

At the house, no one was in a hurry because they weren't really hopeful… but we were gonna try. I mean the other boat should be fine, because it stays by the shore, and they wouldn't be looking for whales anyways. Our boat was taking a session, so if we couldn't go where we were meant to go, we would try and go around the islands. Plan B sounded pretty good to me as well, since I haven't been to the islands and I REALLY wanted to see puffins (they don't come to the continent and they are leaving for Newfoundland)!!

As I was looking out the window, waiting for them, I finally saw the fog they were talking about… because I could see the sea, and it was cloudy, it looked like it was just water and sky… but then I realized that the island in front of us was pretty much gone!

We left for Mingan at 9h30, and then left the harbor just after 10h. The sea was very calm at first, but in about 10 minutes it was already very different! It wasn't bad; it was what we consider “sea state 2”, but considering that “1” is very flat, when you're on a speeding zodiac, you can definitely feel the difference!

Once again I forgot to put my gloves on, so my fingers were freezing, but I was gonna wait until we stopped to go to my backpack and get them.

I saw a few puffins!!! But it was all too fast, and the lighting was bad, so they looked almost all black, even though I was seeing their ventral side… but I could see their shape, as they quickly flew away from the boat… I need to photograph a puffin!!

The sea had calmed down again just before 11h, but less than half an hour later, it was at 3!! You can definitely feel that!! I hit my knee so many times that I was sure I would have some bruises!!

And then… we finally spotted a spout!! It was a fin whale!! My first fin whale!! The second largest animal that has ever lived!! Just… wow!! Because you only see a very small portion of them, it's hard to imagine their actual size… but it was amazing!! But the lighting was too bad for photos, so we left…

I was the one who saw the next one!! Another spout… this time from a humpback whale!! My first humpback whale!! They were able to ID him while we were taking photos, and his name is Adiego.

The whales have a breathing pattern; when they come up to breathe, they surface a few times before actually diving. During those, we get to take photos of their dorsal fins, or the chevron, in the fin whale's case (those are markings on the right anterior side, which we can use to differentiate them); then, as they dive, we can take photos of the peduncle and the fluke, in the humpback's case. That means that we can stay with the same whale for quite some time, because after it dives, it takes a good 10 minutes or so to surface again, and by then, it's somewhere else, so we need to wait to hear/see the spout again, and approach them again.

Oh! We had a few porpoises swimming around the boat on one of those moments when we weren't moving!! They're too fast though, so I still don't have a good photo of them!

We found a couple more fin whales, then stopped for lunch at 13h. But then we saw a humpback, and started recording again… and it turns out that this is one I recognize! It's a new one, that it's not in the catalog yet, so the girls hadn't been able to match it last week, and I was able to match, and then I saw that it was the same whale… it's a pretty small animal… It must be a young one!

And then one of the fin whales decided to join us, and it was awesome to have lunch with them around!!

Oh, something I never thought I would do was pee out of a boat, but days at sea are very long, so it's really hard to hold it in… and once we stopped for lunch, we all took turns going to the back of the boat to pee… and it was actually not nearly as bad as I thought it would be (at least on this boat), cause there's a perfect place for you to sit and hold on to, so you won't fall in the water.

We then saw other 2 humpbacks with the one I know, but when they surfaced again, after diving, it was just the 2 new ones.

Half an hour later we found 2 more, and once again I was able to recognize one! Another one that has no match, but has a very distinctive fluke, completely black, but with many white scars, and a rounded edge… and we needed to take a biopsy from it!!

The arrows have modified tips with a foam to make them not go deeper than 3 cm, which is enough to get both skin and blubber sample. The skin is used for DNA test, so we can tell the sex, and who is related to; the blubber is used to measure hormones (so it's possible to tell if a female is pregnant) and contaminants, which get accumulated in the fat.

It took 3 attempts to actually hit the whale and get the samples, and during those, I was responsible for taking photos (so we can see where the arrow hit). The camera is very big, and heavy, so that weight around my neck, plus looking through the camera and such, made me sea sick. But I wasn't feeling it in my stomach, but in my head, so I didn't need to throw up, I was just feeling blah.

We found another humpback, then the same fin whale from before, but I wasn't turning my head too much; just taking the notes… then, as moved for a while, I started feeling better, and the sea went back to “1”, so my head finally went back to normal, after almost two hours.

We found another fin whale and decided to call it a day, because it was already 17h30 and the lighting was bad, and there was fog on one side… but then, 10 minutes later, we found 3 new humpbacks, one of them being a calf!! Unfortunately, the calf never fluked though.

By then, the sea looked just like a lake! There was total silence, and we could clearly hear the blows! At one point, there were those 3 whales, 2 more on the other side, then one more, and another one… mostly humpbacks, but also that same fin whale from before; others we weren't able to get to, and there were porpoises and a seal… and we had just seen a minke!! It was fantastic!!

We approached the 2 humpbacks, took photos, then went back to the 3, to try and get better shots. We then went back to the 2, because one of them needed to be biopsied. Thankfully we got that sample on the first attempt!

We went back to the 3 whales for the last time, then called it day, once again, at 18h30.

We arrived in Mingan at a quarter to 20h, and the captain took the session back, so she could have dinner, while we unloaded and refueled the boat. It was already 20h30 when we finally left.

I helped them unload everything at the house and got to the motel around 21h. I met the new intern (a girl from Belgium), had dinner, took a shower, and was barely able to do anything else!!

I'm dead tired!! It was a veeeery long day!! But definitely worth it!! =)

#biologist #internship #conservation #marine biology #Canada #MICS

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ahedderick · 1 year ago

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Ok. The year was 2016.

My son was trying to do a junior-level woodworking project with some shelves. My father set him up with wood and a couple of tools in the greenhouse. While we were working, someone moved a small board that had been sitting on the greenhouse bench and

ruined a very small mouse nest that had been underneath. The normal thing to do would be try to replace the wood that was moved and wait for the mama mouse to come back and reclaim her (singular) baby. However, we weren't sure we could put that wood back at the exact correct angle so that the mousling wouldn't be squooshed and Grandpa's cat was Right There.

My daughter, who was ten, had some Strong Feelings about the situation and imparted them to me eloquently. Loudly. Unceasingly.

"All right," I conceded, "gather up the Mouse and we'll take her home."

The mouse barely had her eyes open, and would need to be "bottle" fed with an eyedropper.

Back at home K rushed about getting the cage ready, then I had her read the text from the Orphans book and mix the formula. We heated a minute quantity of formula and attempted to install it inside the mouse. No, nothing doing, there was furious whisker cleaning and sneezing and squinchy faces but no actual consumption of formula. Not a surprise, really. I washed the formula off the outside of the mouse, which wun’t easy, neither, and returned it to K for cuddling.

I suggested the name ‘Maxine.’ Maxine is an inch and a quarter long, sans tail. Everybody with a boxer, bulldog, or pitbull seems to want to name it ‘Max.’ I find some sophomoric humor in owning a mini-Max. Next morning Maxine had four dropper feedings, and started solid food. Thank heavens she already has her eyes open, this process won’t be very lengthy. K brought her into the kitchen just as I was sitting down to my bowl of oatmeal, so I set one (One!) milky, sweetened oat on my hand. Drama ensued. Maxine wanted the oat, but could not figure how to get it in her mouth. After a great deal of licking, small jumps, and some assistance from her left front paw, she managed to consume. One. Oat.

Whisker hygiene is very important. Oatmeal is not conducive to good whisker hygiene. A lot of post-oatmeal whisker maintenance is necessary. Do not interrupt someone who is cleaning her whiskers. You will get a Dirty Look.

So we settled into a routine. I had 'custody' of Max while the kids were in school. She was one of the most expressive animals I have ever met. It's not that animals can talk, but - some of them let you know so clearly what they want . . . ?

A Play in One Act with Cake:

Maxine Mouse: A-hem

Me: Er, what?

MM: It is 11:00, and I noticed that you have tea and cake while I am getting small drops of formula.

Me: Ahh, would . . you like some?

MM: Yes, please.

{small crumb of lemon cake is removed and placed on the table}

MM: nibble nibble MMMMMMM!!!! nibble nibble nibble nibble nibble nibble nibble !!

MM: Isn’t sharing nice?!

Me: yyyy-es, yes, very companionable.

MM: Time for a mousenap! I’ll just curl up right here!

Me: That’s my hand. I need my hand. You sleep in your nest.

MM: No! Your hand is warm and cozy! I’ll sleep better right here!

Me: But, I

MM: Wah! I need love and warmth!!

{dramatic scuffle ensues, ending with mouse in mouse nest}

A: Here are your crumbs and fruit. Enjoy!

M: I don’t WANT crumbs and fruit! I want chicken salad!

A: That’s MY lunch; you have appropriate mouse food.

M: (skitters down my arm and starts rapidly eating my sandwich)

A: Oy! You! Vermin! Chicken salad isn’t mouse food!

M: (with her mouth full) I am NOT vermin, I’m a guest. And I want chicken salad!!!

A: Sighs, breaks off a small bit of sandwich

A & M: {Busy munching noises}

Well, anyhow. Mice grow up very quickly. At a certain point, Maxine politely made it clear that she was a big girl, and it was time to say goodbye.

We took her to a field very far from any neighborhood cats, and created a safe 'house' for her. I removed a shovel-full of dirt from the ground underneath a tree, her nestbox went in there, then we set a large flat stone on top so she effectively had a mouse-sized fortress. A dried gourd with a small cache of food and two exits in different directions completed the structure.

When I set her at the opening, she darted inside, then came right back to the entrance. The kids and I watched silently as she darted in and out, learned her way around her 'front yard', and eventually settled in for a wash-up perched in a small shrub. I gave her one last little cheek-scritch, and we said goodbye.

Maximum

Reminder to myself, re-tell the story of Max Mouse later.

#farmblr #mouse #white footed mouse #deer mouse

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jeaneybean · 6 years ago

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So I haven’t done a recap in a while

TL;DR previously on this campaign we broke into a vampire’s house, murdered him, looted it, the gang dug up a body and ‘let’ her brother take her somewhere that wasn’t a mass grave, and Vera lied like no other to a vampire’s major domo.

Last episode left off with Vlad’s father tearfully greeting Fyodora, asking the group why they’d came and how they met and whatnot. And that’s when Havilah failed his first control shape check of the full moon, turning into a wolf right in that great hall. He instantly grabbed his wolf and went outside to sulk, despite Vlad’s father Valery being like ‘no that’s just something that happens’. Werewolf dad is pretty chill with puppy problems.

Vlad and Valery go out hunting to get meat for the table and everyone except Havilah have dinner in the great hall. Introductions are made around the table, Vera giving a very diplomatic telling of how the party met up with Vlad. Jake does his normal Jake stuff after popping out of the necklace and Magnolia starts throwing rolls at him. Wolff Wolf skitters behind him and snaps up the rolls every time they hit the floor. Valery tries to figure out how Nitahn got his affliction, mostly trying to see if it was Vlad doing it. Vera doesn’t confirm or deny this, stating that it was necessary and bringing up how Juno would’ve turned him int he great hall anyway and they got to one up her. The entire party confirms that Nitahn is a big ol puppydog.

Valery offers the party sanctuary for however long they need, and Oz def makes a note that Vera mentions nothing about taking it despite being into her sixth months of being preggers. After dinner Vera brought Nitahn some Venison and talked to him for a bit, squooshing his face and wiggling his nose because he’s a cute wolf and also because ‘I can’t mess with you like this when you’re a human’ before heading back inside.

Jake also bothers Nitahn, using his newly gotten suggestion spell to have Nitahn fetch. This annoys Nitahn severly, and pisses off Oz pretty bad because Oz doesn’t like the entire Enchantment school. Oz scolds Jake pretty badly for taking away their friend’s free will before being like ‘yeah it’s probably best we don’t talk for a while’. Oz then goes to Nitahn and tattles on Vera for not asking to stay despite her state and puppy Nitahn is like ‘thank you for bringing this to my attention, boof.’. After that, Oz goes to Magnolia and again tattles on Vera.

Meanwhile Vera is having a time up in her room, finishing letters and getting herself real upset. This follows down to breakfast, where she’s very quiet. The mail carrier shows up to the distrust of everyone but Vera, and letters are passed out. Nitahn got a few from his family and three from Jasna, Vera got three from her husband and two from Nik, Oz got one from his mom and one from Vera’s husband. Vera sends off four letters: one to her husband, one to Nik, one to Jasna, and one that it takes her a bit to hand off. She instructs the carrier that it isn’t to be delivered to the Medvedev house, that it is to be left in care of either Mishti Isha or Vera Medvedeva. It’s a letter to her brother. After that Vera excuses herself from breakfast and goes up to her room, where she stays. Her letters get her caught up on city goss and Nik’s scrounged up every bit of werewolf/vampire politic information that he can.

Jake goes down to town and tries to get a loan from the bank, going with all of his usual chaos. He tries to get a loan to open a pancake shop, turning into a short copy of Vlad when the banker says he’d need a voucher. He also tries to use suggestion, leading the banker to realize that he’s tried to alter his mind but still is super confused about what’s going on. He tells Jake to come back tomorrow and Jake happily leaves.

Vera doesn’t show to dinner, citing not feeling well. Valery visits her in her room where she is hiding behind Bear and offers to let her stay in the keep until after she has the baby. Vera’s mostly dead to the world and is like ‘yeah, whatever they decide on I’ll do’. Which is good because Vera’s normal reponse would be basically ‘aw heck no’ to the idea of staying in one spot.

Valery repeats this offer to the group and Oz tattles on Vera to Valery, and Valery’s like ‘yeah no she’s very pregnant’. Magnolia spends another meal chucking rolls at Jake and Wolf-Wolf gets more snackums.

Jake heads back to the bank the next day to fuck with him more, and Vera tracks down Oz to ask him about something he’d mentioned during the great hall, about how dying wasn’t so bad. Mostly she just wants to tell him that should he need help in Spee, Selina isn’t that far away. Oz advises her to forget he said that, as he’s not legally allowed to discuss it. Vera is like ‘cool. Just remember if you need help I’m a lwayer.’ and Oz also realizes that Vera is looking bad. He inquires if she’s okay and Vera’s like ‘yeah, no, not really’ and eventually admits that now that they have downtime she’s got time to think on stuff. A year ago she was in the capital dressed in nice things going to parties, and now she’s out here up to her elbows in blood of terrible people. And she really, really prefers the second to the first. Oz tries to comfort her by saying that it is the blood of awful people, but Vera doesn’t seem to comforted.

She also finds Magnolia and brings up the idea of silvered claws for bear. Magnolia agrees to the idea, and also brings up that Vera looks pretty wrecked. She offers to spend time with Vera, and Vera’s like ‘yeah I’ve been crying a lot and I don’t like people to see me cry’ and Mags is like ‘well, I can look away’ and Vera admits that’s what her husband does.

They have a bit of downtime, and one day Fyodora comes up to Nitahn and is like ‘so there’s someone talking to my father and i am not cool with them, come with me?’ and they go to eavesdrop on official business. Nitahn, however, recognizes the voice: Anton Bellek. He instantly bursts into the room and is like YOU.

Meanwhile, Vlad knocks on Vera’s door and is like ‘So there’s someone here to meet my father on offical business and I don’t think he’s good. We should get the group together?” And vera’s like “Fine, help me put on my armor” “I think his name was Anton Bellek?” “-sounds of Vera scrambling across the room, throwing her door open- Okay let’s fucking go.’

They go down and vera’s like ‘so will you be okay heading in there?’ to Vlad and he’s like ‘Yeah, no, it’ll be fine.’ “He (Valery) wont’ hit you?” And that’s when Vlad learns something about Vera he probably didn’t want to get confirmation on and is like “Yeah, no. That’s not the kind of person he is.” And they initally hold back, but they hear Nitahn inside and Vera’s like ‘oh goddamnit’ before breaking in themselves.

Anton greets everyone pleasantly. Vera holds onto her temper for a bit and apologises to Valery for bursting in before turning to Anton. Anton’s looking for allies! Anton is also still super evil, though not enough to knock Vera unconcious. Magnolia’s hiding behind Vlad, making sniping comments whenever she can.

Anton gives a grand speech and he’s good at it, and Jake’s like ‘yeah no he sounds legit’ and the whole fucking time Vera is grinding her teeth and quickly losing any composure she has. She starts calling him out on about every point, adding in there the whole ‘hey, I’m a paladin, I can literally see you’re evil’ and he tries being like ‘I kill people to eat, I have to drink the blood of living creatures’ and Gremlin Oz is like ‘what about getting concent first’ and Vera’s like ‘Can’t you eat animal blood? I’m not evil because I eat meat’.

She goes on her own rant about understanding the desire of being up to your elbows in blood and she admits: She wants a war too. She all but begs him to fight against whatever nature he’s got from being a vampire and offers out her holy symbol as kind of a peace offing. Anton doesn’t take it and curls his lip up at it.

Anton departs, making some dark comments about Vlad and Valery as he goes. The enitre party sees shadows detach from the walls and go to him, and Oz passes a knowledge arcana to know there’s a preestige class that lets you summon shadows. Vera’s like ‘yeah, that tracts’.

Vlad is goaded by Magnolia to talking with his dad for the first time since they first arrived and he’s like ‘listen laws are there for a reason, but Anton’s right. We have to change. We can’t be a neutral party or we’re going to be targeted by everyone. We can’t stick to the old ways when there’s almost no one left here’ and Valery seems to be ackwnolaging this.

Vera makes a parting note to everyone to watch the shadows, and goes to Vlad’s room and is like ‘hey can I stay here tonight and make sure you don’t get eaten by shadows’ and he agrees. She spends her night laying on bear and quietly praying, because vera doesn’t afraid of anything but herself, and she just admitted to everyone that she wants to start a war and she really likes being covered in blood.

Things are chill for a while, until one day at dinner Oz hears a crash int he kitchen. Before we can prepare, but with enough time to make sure there’s no sneak attacks, nine werewolves storm the room. Three enter from the kitchen side, six from the main entrance. One wolf goes for Jake, two go for Valery. On the other side, one goes for Vlad and two go for Vera, while all three archers take shots at Valery. They hit him in the shoulders, and one in the face directly in his eye. He reacts by hulking out into a werewolf. Y’know. Like you do. Vlad doesn’t turn into a werewolf, choosing to instead swing his axe at one of the werewolves previously attacking Vera.

Magnolia and Oz take a quick second to talk about Vera, who has neither armor nor arms on her because she hasn’t been wearing them. Oz assures Magnolia he can protect Vera, and Magnolia encourages Vera to climb up on the table. Vera’s like ‘yeah, that was my plan’ as she climbs up on it and summons Bear in her place. Bear responds to this by going for the wolf that Vlad attack, full round attacking and killing it. Magnolia climbs on the table and reaches out to tap Valery with a Bear’s Endurance. Oz blocks Vera in from the other side and casts Slow on the remaining five werewolves on our side because Oz is an unholy terror. Jake hits himself with mage armor like a good boy. The werewolves with their crossbows drop them and draw short swords before slowly starting to move towards the group.

Valery slashes at a nearby wolf and Vlad turns into a werewolf for the extra beef. Vera slaps bear with Divine Sacrifice and turns him loose on the werewolves, where Bear starts to just slap them the fuck around. Werewolves have DR. Bear doesn’t care. Bear overwhelms it. Magnolia casts Foundations of Stone on everyone on the ground. Oz casts stoneskin on himself.

A few other highlights: Bear did what I’d been hoping he’d do forever, crit on a Divine Sacrifice blow. 46 damage in one hit, he turned one wolf to mush. On our side of the room he tore through everything. Oz got hit once and shrugged it off thanks to stoneskin. He also cast haste on the party, and flesh to stone on one of the werewolves. Valery dragged a werewolf that pulled a silver dagger on him into a melee with Nitahn climbing in. Vlad offered Vera his axe to protect herself and Vera very unhappily had to turn it down because she’d probably fucking use it. Mags cast Balor Nimbus on herself and went to join the scrap of werewolves.

A vampire droped from the ceiling and hit Jake with a sneak attack for 46 damage, killing him. As Jake died, he felt himself pulled somewhere else. Death appeared before him, and as Jake watched, the skeletal form shifted until Death looked like him. The not Jake tipped his head and was like ‘fascinating’.

Meanwhile, as everyone starts to freak the fuck out about Jake, he pulls off of the sword, looks down at himself, and was like ‘Fascinating.’

#The idiots do a adventure

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lostusagis · 11 months ago

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@jiraipink asked:

(ू• ౪•ू ) She's flustered and squishing Kamui's cheeks with slices of bread and bashfully calling him a "Baka Mui sandwich" for that picture he sent her hahaha

Send (ू• ౪•ू ) to touch my muse’s cheeks and squoosh them.

Kamui was absolutely expecting Namida to be all huffy and embarrassed the next time he saw her. That's why he sent that picture. He could not get enough of that side of her. Kamui enjoyed pretty much every side of her though. Probably the most interesting, and adorable human ever for him.

He couldn't help the laughter he'd let out when she'd squish his face between two slices of bread.

“Is this some weird thing humans do when they're embarrassed? It's cute. Maybe since you're the one who's doing it though.” He'd smirk at her, before then leaning in a little more to kiss her.

“You know…. reacting like this is only going to make me want to send you more pictures like that. I think your first mistake was letting me know you think I'm hot.”

Kamui was never letting her live that down, his expression said that much. “Usually when others look at me like that, I get really pissed off. But honestly…. If it's you….” There was a happy little wave his ahoge would do before he'd finish what he was saying.

“I don't mind at all. You know… like how you don't mind when I stare at you. I'd be really happy to get that attention from you too.” There was an earnest smile he'd wear despite what he just said, since he definitely enjoyed any kind of attention from Namida. A weird, joyful feeling would consume him knowing she found him that attractive. Was he the only one she saw that way? Well she didn't seem the type to just find anyone attractive like that.

Kamui went ahead and stole the slices of bread from her, and started eating them happily. “I can always send you more pictures of me after I've finished training if you want. All you have to do is ask, or I'll just send one without warning again to surprise you.” He was obviously amused, he wished he could've seen the exact expression she made when he sent that picture. Surprised, flustered, all red and blushing. So cute and adorable.

“I know how much of a pervert you are, so you were probably staring at that picture for a while, right?” Kamui wasn't even bothered by that, rather he'd be thrilled over it.

“I'll make sure the next one is perfect for you then.”

#IC. Kamui #| Kamui x Namida | She Lights Up The Darkness In My Life | jiraipink |#( SIGHING loudly )#( when she referred to him as hot she dug her own grave i told u not to give him anymore ammo for bullying )#( now shes dealing with the consequences )#( AKDNXJDNCND )

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thesoaringaquila · 6 years ago

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(ू• ౪•ू ) [ aiolia wants to squoosh her cheeks ]

“This isn’t what I expected...” she managed to muster once she recovered from the shock of her boyfriend, future father of her children, attack on her defenseless cheeks. Exasperated, silver hues focused on Aiolia’s face. To say she was somewhat disappointed would be an understatement. After all, she came to seek affection from him. Not this...onslaught on her poor cheeks. I should’ve known cats could be bipolar...she thought with wry amusement. Kalli’s features changed from exasperated to playful into an instant, deciding to go with the flow of Aiolia’s current playful nature. “I think it’s my turn for some sort of retribution, don’t you think?” she said slyly, dark lashes batting above seemly innocent eyes. She didn’t hesitate before tackling him to the ground, her hands already on his cheeks as she squeezed them gently underneath her fingertips. Tinkling laughter leaving her mouth in the process.

#➳ the warrior speaks [answered asks]#➳ pain shapes a woman into a warrior [ic kallistrate]#kjjskfkd XDD Aioliaa #she was expecting a kiss tho #not this onslaught lmao #well time to play hahaah XD #thanks for sending!

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welllpthisishappening · 7 years ago

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the way killian's nose squooshes against's emma's cheek when they kiss and the way she just melts into him, y/y

This was…a suggestion to write words, right?

She’s not one to brag, but…well, she’s been kissed before.

Good kisses and bad kisses and kisses that made Emma feel like her head was spinning just a bit. Her brain is quick to point out that most of those last ones have only occurred after her life has been flipped upside down and sideways and Neverland is probably the last place she expects gravity to shift, but there’s also probably a pixie dust reason involved.

It doesn’t matter. She’s not going to argue kisses like that.

And Emma realizes the irony involved.

Because the very first time Emma Swan kisses anyone else, she does it on a dare.

She’s nine and the new kid, again, and it’s annoying and frustrating, but she just wants the other kids to like her and–

“Bet you won’t kiss Tommy Rivera right on the lips.”

Emma’s head snaps up, eyes far too narrow for a kid her age, but a kid her age has also seen some shit and it won’t be anything like it will be once she sets foot in Neverland, but–

“Fine,” Emma snaps. She hops off the swing she was barely getting to move, gravel crunching under her feet and Tommy Rivera has dark hair and even darker eyes and she doesn’t slow her stride before she presses her lips against his.

It stuns him a little, which, honestly, is kind of fair. She kisses the way she feels - bruising and frustrated in a way a nine-year-old should never be and, nearly twenty years later, it’s a little bit the same.

She kisses Killian Jones like it’s the last time it will ever happen.

And, at that point, Emma believes it will be.

So she yanks on his ridiculous jacket and tries to file away that one, particular sound he makes, not quite a growl or a groan, but like he’s fallen over the edge of something and Emma refuses to believe that she might be free-falling as well.

They pull apart to fall back together and she can’t get enough, feels like she may crack in half if she stops.

Neverland is always loud - bugs and birds and Emma wishes she could time travel so she could punch goddamn J.M. Barrie right in the mouth because she’s fairly certain he’s somehow, inextricably, responsible for all of this, but right then it feels as everything pauses for a moment, gives her a chance to breathe and be and it’s a heady feeling. Emma’s never been much for self-reflection, it’s far too depressing, but in that moment with Captain Hook’s tongue twisting around her own, she’s almost confident she could fly.

Maybe without the pixie dust, actually.

She wants the feeling to last forever. She never wants to experience again. It’s a weird line to walk, so she doesn’t walk, she runs and pushes and prods and refuses to acknowledge and Emma Swan is never going to think about Neverland again.

Until.

It all seems to happen in a blur, honestly. She’s angry and disappointed and she can’t believe she was so stupid, to think he’d leave or want anything except her and them and this, some collective unit that was, once upon a time, absolutely impossible.

But once upon a time is kind of Emma’s thing now and–

“Here,” her mother tells her, pressing magic into Emma’s palm and Snow White’s fingers are always warm. Emma assumes it’s a rule of the universe. “Go find him.”

Who is she to argue with Snow White?

The whole thing is kind of absurd. There’s a door and Emma can feel her magic roaring in her ears as soon as she swings the stupid thing open. The handle is far too ostentatious.

And he’s tied to a goddamn post.

“Emma,” Killian breathes, hair disheveled and at some point, maybe when he isn’t almost dying and when she’s finished kissing the living daylights out of him, she’ll ask him where he got that coat.

The lapels look particularly yankable.

There’s more fighting and Lost Boys and of course Tiger Lily is real. There are curses to break and a kid to be impossibly proud of and a ring to get back on her finger.

She keeps toying with it.

“You’re doing it again, love,” Killian mutters, blankets pooling around his waist. There’s moonlight streaming through the windows and Emma can feel the pull of sleep, something she hadn’t gotten much of in the last few days.

That’s totally her fault.

“Doing what?”

She knows the answer to the question already. She asks it to make sure Killian smiles, the ends of his mouth quirking up.

He has to shift to get his hand free, blankets moving in the process and there’s just so much skin everywhere. Emma wants to kiss every single inch of it. Maybe after they sleep for, like, forty-two minutes. That seems reasonable.

“Your ring,” Killian says, tapping on the stone for emphasis. “You keep twisting it.”

Emma hums, a noncommittal sound that might be flirting. It’s nice to flirt again. Particularly when it gets Killian to smile wide and his eyebrows to twist slightly and his fingers are warm too when they brush over the curve of Emma’s jaw.

And she’s got some kind of a joke, some quip that’ll make him laugh and pull her close to his chest, can feel the words sitting on tip of her tongue, but–

“I’m sorry,” she says instead, feeling her eyes widen. It’s stupid. She means it.

“Swan, you don’t–”

“No, no, that’s stupid.”

“Stupid?”

Emma hums again, but it’s more determined that time and she brushes her thumb over Killian’s lower lip on instinct and want and a slew of other words that are even more sentimental and decidedly magical. “It’s so stupid,” she mumbles. “I just…no, I don’t even have an excuse. There’s not one. There’s just me and, shit, I can’t come up with another word except stupid. That’s kind of disappointing, isn’t it?”

“I can’t say that I’ve been disappointed by many of the things that have happened in the last few hours.”

“God, what a line.”

“The truth.”

She bites her lips, emotion bubbling in the pit of her stomach and the back of her throat. “I’m trying very hard to apologize. I’d…well, I’d like to apologize. You deserve an apology and, oh…oh, shit can you…what will happen to your shadow?”

“I have no idea.”

“What?”

“I have no idea,” Killian repeats. His fingers haven’t stopped moving, although they’ve migrated to the curve of her shoulder and there are goosebumps on her skin now. “I wasn’t exactly thinking about the repercussions of it at the time.”

“That’s stupid too.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.”

Emma scowls, a totally inappropriate response all things considered. But she’s as stubborn as she was when she was nine and, maybe, even more determined to prove something now and–

“I love you,” she says. It’s not the apology it should be, but it might be something else and possibly better and Emma’s magic soars as soon as her lips land on his.

He must mumble something against her, she can feel his mouth moving, although it’s difficult to pay attention to that when his hand is shifting again and the blankets are definitely getting in the way and they may get, exactly, forty-two minutes of sleep that night.

She steals his robe the next morning, brushing her hair away from her eyes and trying not to smile wide enough that she’ll threaten the veneer on the cabinets.

Strictly speaking, she’s not sure it works.

And she knows he’s there before he says anything, arms around her waist and nose pressed behind her ear. Emma’s smile gets bigger.

“Something smells delicious.”

She doesn’t laugh. The muscles in her cheeks are starting to ache, though, and that almost feels more ridiculous. “It’s just from a box.”

Killian noses at her hair again, fingers doing something practically sinful in the middle of their kitchen. He’s toying with the tie of her robe, his robe, and the specifics aren’t important.

Emma may actually shiver.

He definitely notices, and her magic notices that he notices and it’s ridiculous and fantastic and she wants–

“I wasn’t talking about the pancakes.”

Emma twists, those same words from the middle of the goddamn night bouncing around her brain and slamming on the side of her skull and he’s ready for her. Like he was waiting for attack kisses in the middle of the kitchen.

She slings her arms over his shoulder, pressing up on her toes to reach him better. His nose drags across her cheek, a move that probably shouldn’t make Emma’s heart sputter, but that’s her life now and the pancakes are going to burn.

She genuinely cannot get over his nose, scrunched against her like he’s trying to occupy the same space. It’s the most ridiculous thing to be overwhelmed by. It may be the nicest thing that’s every happened.

And nice is a stupid word too.

So Emma doesn’t consider the definition of stupid, just lets herself fall into the moment, giving into the drop and it’s even more pleasant than she expected.

It’s not bruising. It’s not hard. It’s soft and needy and some other word that rhymes with that. It’s overwhelming and affirming and everything seems to rock, but that may just be Emma’s hips when she moves, working a sound out of Killian that will very likely replay in between her ears for the rest of her life.

There’s tongue and teeth, a mess of mouths and her fingers in her hair. There’s more feeling and a hint of magic, eyes that aren’t dark when they pull away, but bright and eager and staring straight at Emma like she’s the center of the goddamn universe.

She wants him to feel that.

She wants to kiss him until he believes it.

So she tells him she’s happy and lets her fingers drag through the hair at the nape of his neck, a move she’s quickly come to learn makes his eyelashes flutter, and she kisses him again.

His nose presses against her cheek and the tie of her robe is almost a lost cause and–

“To hell with the pancakes.

#cs ff #captain swan #captain swan ff #captain swan fic #i wrote this instead of paying attention to my job #a true professional #initiala #laura rambles #laura writes canon

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vampwrrrmistresslist · 6 years ago

Text

No Such Thing 3

A/N: This is the third chapter of a finished series, the links for which are on my mistresslist.

The next day you awoke to the sight of Xiumin grinning at you like an excited puppy, from the adjacent pillow. Groaning, you rolled over, and pulled the covers over your head. “Those bright eyes are too much to wake up to, this early in the morning!” You felt him climb over you, then the comforter was rudely ripped off of your head.

“Wake up! Wake up! It’s time to eat breakfast!”

“I hate breakfast!”

“You love breakfast!”

“I love breakfast food. I hate having to wake up to eat it.”

Xiumin jumped off of you, pulled the covers away from your body and, taking you firmly by the paws of your Pororo onesie, started pulling you out of bed. “Come on!”

When you emerged from your room, your eyes widened in surprise. “You cooked?!”

He dropped your hands, and moved behind you to push you toward the table, instead of pulling. “Well, no, not really. I just warmed up some of the banchan that Omonim dropped off last time, along with some rice, and kimchi jjiggae.”

“And you expect me to eat all of this? Xiuminah, it’s the crack of–” you squinted at your watch “10 in the morning!”

“Yes! And you have class at 12, so come on, let’s go!” Plopping you down in the chair, he dragged the one beside you closer, and dropped down on it, watching you expectantly.

Sighing, you picked up your chopsticks. “You had better be glad that you’re cute.”

***

The next few months were a blissful whirlwind of sweet kisses, and bone-satisfying hugs. Xiumin cuddled you constantly, finding any excuse he could to wrap his arms around you, and you certainly weren’t complaining. You just wished that he could sleep.

***

“Guess who!” you trilled, coming up behind Xiumin to cover his eyes, with your hands.

He reached back, slowly patting his hand up and down your calf. “Well, considering the amount of hair on your leg, I’d say…Chanyeol?”

Snatching away your hands, you pushed him forward with a disdainful harrumph, and turned to walk away. “See if I let you touch these legs ever again.”

Eyes widening, he ran around you, holding out his arms to arrest your progress. “Wait! No! I was kidding! Your legs are as smooth as newly born baby butts. I love them! Don’t take them away from me!”

Kicking aimlessly, you grinned. “Better be glad that I am a beneficent girlfriend.” Walking forward, you took his face in your hands, squishing it until his lips popped out in a little pout. “Besides, how am I supposed to resist this squishy widdle face?”

“Iwon’know,” he responded through squooshed lips.

You let him go, walked to the front door and opened it, then looked over your shoulder, and said, “Aren’t you coming?”

He sauntered toward you. “Where are we going?”

“The time has come to procure more feline minions!” you said, reaching into the hall closet to grab the cat carrier.

Xiumin’s eyes lit up as his entire face brightened. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, you know what this means.”

“What?”

“We’re about to have truly epic cuddle puddles.”

***

At the shelter, a sweet little six-week kitten who was all-black with a white chest, and star on her forehead, caught Xiumin’s eye. He reached up, and scratched her behind the ears as she pushed her face against the bars.

“Wow!” said the volunteer who was showing you the cats. “She’s feeling really affectionate. She never does that!”

You smiled, and subtly turned to meet Xiumin’s eyes. He nodded, and you returned your gaze to the volunteer. “We’ll take that one, and choose one more.”

She laughed. “We?”

“Oh, well…I’m choosing for my boyfriend, as well.”

“Ahhh,” she said, nodding. “Well, see anyone else you like?”

A small grey foot pressed against one of the bottom cages caught your eye. Walking over, and crouching down, you saw a 6 month tabby lying catty-corner in his cage. His ears twitched back toward you as you drew closer, and he turned, looking at you over his shoulder. Then, turning back around, with a small mew, he rested his head on his paws.

“Awww!” you crooned. “He’s so sad!”

“Oh, that one doesn’t interact much. He has been here since he was born. Since he isn’t as playful as the others, he doesn’t really catch anyone’s eye.”

You looked up at Xiumin, your eyes pleading.

He nodded down at you, blinking slowly, and cutely scrunching his nose in agreement.

Turning back to the volunteer, you said, “We want him.”

***

When you released the new kittens into your apartment, the baby went wild, tearing all over everything in a desperate attempt to sniff every single surface simultaneously. The boy followed at a more leisurely pace, sniffing at the occasional corner, and solemnly rubbing his cheek on it. Bubba emerged from the bedroom to watch the commotion, looking down in consternation when the younger kitten rushed up to her, only to sniff her chest, and then rub her tiny face all over every body part of Bubba’s that she could reach. Bubba looked up at you with an expression that seemed to say, “Really?”

Xiumin laughed, crouching down to observe the cat’s antics from a closer level. The male cat sauntered over to him, and casually climbed into his lap, relaxing his body so that it spilled from both sides of Xiumin’s legs, as the cat threw back his head in total relaxation. “Well,” Xiumin said, “I guess he likes me.”

You sat cross-legged on the floor, hands out to play with the kitten who came tripping over to try to climb up the front of your shirt to sniff your face. “What do you want to name them?”

“Me?”

“Well, I got to name Bubba, so now it’s your turn.”

He thought for a moment, then looked down at the lazy boy in his lap, and said, “Mun.”

“Okay. And this one?” you asked, gesturing toward the girl who was busy climbing up your shoulders to try to make her way to the top of your head.

Xiumin tilted his head in consideration. After several moments, he asked, “Somteul?”

“Oh, I like it!” you agreed.

Picking up Mun from his lap, Xiumin put him in the crook of his arm, and then moved closer to you, and sat. Leaning over, he gave you a lingering peck, smiling as he moved back, his eyes twinkling as he watched the blush creep up your cheeks. “This is nice,” he said.

Peeling Somteul off of the top of your head, and putting her in your lap, you leaned toward Xiumin, lifting up slightly to return the kiss. Bubba walked over to begin sniffing Mun and, when she was satisfied, put a paw on Xiumin’s shin, so that she could lean close enough to start grooming Mun’s cheek, which he allowed with aristocratic graciousness.

When you broke the kiss, Xiumin was looking down at you, his eyes shining. Slowly, he shook his head. “No. This is perfect.”

Reaching up, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders to pull him closer, as you smiled into another kiss.

***

Your knees pulsed and burned as you punched in the code to your door. Entering the apartment, you limped toward your couch, grateful to finally be able to take your weight off of your legs.

Before the door closed, Xiumin walked through it, as he coincidentally arrived home just seconds after you. Spotting you limping, he rushed over to help you onto the couch, crouching in front of you, once you were settled. “What happened?” he asked, looking up at you, before his eyes were drawn to your bloody, swollen knees, the tights around them ripped, and laddered.

“I was walking across the campus parking lot, and I guess that there was a hole under the snow, because when I stepped down, there was no ground where ground should be, and my leg went in up to my knee. Unfortunately, my other leg kept going forward, and I tripped, fell, and hurt myself.”

He pouted as he looked over the fronts of your knees. Gripping your already ruined tights in his hands, he ripped, creating larger holes, so that he could examine your wounds with no impediments.

Though your knees were throbbing, your heart secretly fluttered at the manly gesture.

Looking back up at you, he asked, “Do they hurt a lot?”

You shook your head. “It’s not too bad. I was more embarrassed, than anything else.”

“I’ll be right back.”

He returned in a matter of moments with a first aid kit, a bottle of water, and some hand soap. He pulled out some gauze, and held it under each wound, as he used the water to irrigate your scrapes, ensuring that there was no debris left behind to hurt you further, before soaping your knees, and rinsing them again. Taking a betadine q-tip, he dabbed at the scrapes, wincing when you hissed, and fidgeted. “It hurts, right? I’m sorry. I’ll try to be as gentle as possible.”

As he worked, he shook his head. “You need to be more careful. When you get hurt like this, you hurt your shin!”

“My shin?”

“No, gwishin!” He stopped and grinned.

You groaned. “Why me?!”

After covering every cut with betadine, Xiumin blew on your knees, to take away the sting. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that you couldn’t feel his breath.

“Better?” he asked, looking up at you, his eyes worried.

You reached out to stroke his hair. “Better.”

Smiling, he looked back down, applying gauze to your knees, and then adhering it to your skin with surgical tape. Once the gauze was in place, he bent down, and placed a gentle kiss on each knee. “The scrapes were pretty superficial. I don’t think that they’ll scar. If they do, though, I’ll kiss them every day.”

Giggling, you ruffled his hair. “You’re such a softie.”

Leaning forward, he rested his chin on the tops of your knees, wrapping his arms around your calves, and resting his chest on your shins, as he looked up at you. “Only for you.”

You came closer, and kissed him on the forehead. “Marshmallow.”

***

One night found you cuddled on the couch, half lying on Xiumin, who was gently stroking your hair as you both watched a drama, the cats lying about the room, in various states of colloidal majesty.

“Xiuminah?”

“Yes?”

“What can I do for you?”

“Hm?”

Twisting around you looked up at him. “You’re always doing nice things for me. Is there anything that I can do for you?” You didn’t add what you were thinking. You couldn’t cook, or buy treats for him. His body never hurt, so he never needed a massage. He was never dirty, and couldn’t feel heat, so there was no point in drawing a bath for him, or taking him to jjimjilbang. Taking him drinking was out. He didn’t go to work, or school, so there was never a chance to surprise him. You were at a loss. Just what benefit were you, to him?

Xiumin smiled down at you. “You do things for me every day, aein. You greet me in the morning, you take my advice, you listen attentively to whatever is on my mind.” Sliding his hand down your arm, he laid it over yours, gently twining your fingers together. “When you touch me, I feel normal. When I’m with you, I’m not a gwishin who can’t even remember his real name, I’m just… your Xiuminah. I was alone, lonely, and scared before I met you, and now…you make me feel safe. You make me feel needed.”

Leaning up, you kissed him. Soft and slow. Xiumin smiled into the kiss, then moved to adjust you so that you were facing him, with his arms sliding around your waist, so that he could rest his hands on the small of your back, while you slid your hands upward to rest on his shoulders.

When you broke apart, he leaned forward to nuzzle your nose while he grinned. “If you really want to know, you can keep doing that for me. Even though I can’t feel anything else, whenever I’m close to you, I feel…warm.”

You teasingly nipped at his chin. “Well, don’t let me distract you from the drama…”

Reaching up, he grabbed the remote, and turned off the television. Leaning back down to you, he said, “What drama?”

***

“Xiuminah.”

“Hm?”

“What do you do when you leave?”

He shrugged, looking up from your laptop, where he was reading articles on architecture. “I try…to be helpful. Catch people’s phones when they drop them. Mercilessly poke the sides of guys who won’t leave uninterested girls alone. Move tripping hazards out of the way of playing children. Pet stray cats.” He sighed. “Just…stuff.”

Standing up from your armchair, you walked over, wrapping your arms around him, and resting your chin on his shoulder. “You’re a pretty amazing guy.”

He scoffed. “You’re biased.”

“I may be biased, but it’s still truth. If memory serves me correct, the first interaction we had, was you helping me take the gim from off of the fridge, because I couldn’t reach it. You’re like…a good deed fairy.”

“Well, I need something to occupy my time, so why not do nice things? I like the feeling I get when I help people. When I see the relief, or happiness, on their faces, it makes me feel warm inside, like drinking hot cocoa.”

“You know, sometimes you allude to memories… What can you remember?”

Xiumin gave a ghost of a smile. “Nothing about who I am. Just flashes, and impressions. The warm feeling of drinking something hot…the satisfied feeling of a full belly. The rush of excitement when I had somewhere to go. The simple satisfaction of catching someone’s eye, and feeling that connection with another person.”

“Your answers are always so thoughtful. I love that about you.”

“Really?” He broke away from your hold, turning so that he could face you. “What else do you love?”

“Mm…” You reached up to trace his eyebrows with a fingertip. “Your eyebrows, which look like raven’s wings.” Reaching up further, you carded your fingers through his soft locks. “Your hair, cool on my hands.” Poking his face, you grinned, and said, “Your sweet, sweet steamed bun cheeks.”

He smiled, and you reciprocated in delight. “That. I love that; your smile. Your smile gives me joy. Your smile brightens my day. Your smile gives me strength, when I want to quit. It’s a privilege to be able to enjoy it.” You placed a soft kiss on his smiling mouth.

Retreating, fingertips drifting, you lowered your hands to gently stroke his adam’s apple. “This. I’m a big fan of this.” Letting your fingers continue to roam, you traced the shells of his ears, gently tapping his earlobes. “Your cute little studs.”

Running your eyes over his face, you asked, “Xiuminah, did you know that you have the prettiest eyes that I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing? Your lashes are so thick and sooty; I want to steal them.”

“You don’t have to steal them. I’ll give them to you.”

“Oh?”

Leaning forward, he fluttered his lashes against your cheek, the ticklish sensation causing you to giggle. That…was a mistake.

“You’re ticklish?”

You tried to play it chill. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh, really? So, it wouldn’t tickle…ifIdidTHIS?!” His sentence ended on a yell, as he grabbed your arm, and lifted it, his maddening agile fingers finding your ticklish spots, and dancing over them.

Trying valiantly to get away, you writhed like a fish, desperate cackles echoing through the apartment as his fingers moved from under your arm to your sides. “I hate you! I hate you!” you giggled maniacally.

“What was that? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of all this…tickling!” He attacked you anew, tickling you until you were breathless, and red-faced. When he finally stopped, you lay boneless on the couch, panting and weak.

“You’re a monster.”

Xiumin nodded comfortably, lying on his side next to you, his head propped on his hand. “A tickle monster.”

Groaning, you smacked him in the chest with a stuffed animal. “No! No corny jokes! Bad Xiuminah! Not on top of The Great Tickle Massacre of 2018!”

“You love my corny jokes.”

You groaned again, then nodded. “I do. What’s wrong with me? I even love your corny jokes. You’re not a man, you’re a siren. A siren who lures his prey with dad jokes.”

“That’s my charm.”

***

A hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged you backward onto a lap. Yelping in surprise, you struggled, but the man’s grip was too strong.

You had run out to your favourite pojangmacha, with a powerful craving for mandu, odeng, and hotteok, planning to collect your ill-gotten gains, and then rush them back home to sybaritically gorge until you metamorphosed into a beached whale.

��Ahgasshi! Come drink with me!” A highly inebriated middle-aged salaryman nuzzled his face into your back, as you tried to get away without dropping your food.

“Ajusshi! Please! Let go of me!” you huffed in frustration, catching eyes with Xiumin, who was obviously trying to not laugh at your predicament.

“Just one drink! I’ve had such a hard day…”

“I’m sorry for that, but I neither want to drink with you, nor sit on your lap!”

“I’ll buy! I’ll feed you!”

Xiumin raised an eyebrow, silently asking if you wanted him to step in.

One moment, you mouthed at him, then turned to the stranger. “Ajusshi…”

“Yes?” he asked, his face brightening.

“I’ll drink with you on one condition.”

“Of course!” he slurred, somehow managing to sway, even though he was sitting.

“Let me go, and I’ll tell you.”

“Oh, okay!” he agreed, dropping his arms from around your waist.

Standing quickly, you slid into the chair across from him, and put your food on the table. “I’ll drink with you, Ajusshi…if you can beat me in arm wrestling.”

A slow grin made its way across Xiumin’s face as he realized your plan.

The ajusshi grinned, looking you over. “Ah, if you wanted to hold my hand, you could have just asked!”

Gesturing for him to put his arm on the table, you smiled beatifically. “Let’s go.”

He did, and Xiumin maneuvered, so that he could grip the man’s hand at the same time as you.

Smiling at the man, you said, “Why don’t you count down?”

Looking around, his expression cocky, the man counted, and the match began.

Xiumin let him get his hand almost to the table.

The ajusshi looked up at you, grinning, as you leaned on the table, resting your chin in your other hand. “Give up?” he asked, relaxing his grip.

“Almost doesn’t count, Ajusshi.”

Shaking his head, he said, “Alright,” and put his back into it. His hand hovered over the table. Trying again, he put a bit more strength into it, his face starting to turn red with strain.

“Ajusshi! What’s taking so long? Come on! Arm wrestle me properly!”

He huffed, face shaking slightly as he tried to force his hand toward the table.

Slowly, slowly, Xiumin lifted his hand, pressing the ajusshi’s hand back further and further until it crested, and started down the other side.

The ajusshi stared at your joined hands in disbelief, as you seemingly, with no strain, inexorably pushed his hand toward the table until it hovered a centimetre away. He looked up at you, eyebrows knit in consternation.

You blew him a kiss.

With a burst of strength Xiumin pushed his hand down, forcing the ajusshi’s hand to flatten on the table.

The man leaned back, staring at you in disbelief.

“Aigoo, aigoo,” you groaned, rolling your wrist dramatically as you stood. Leaning over, you took his full shot of soju, and downed it, turning over the glass and setting it back down on the table with a bang. You leaned over him, putting a firm hand on his shoulder, and saying, “Ajusshi, go home. I think that you’ve had enough to drink–don’t live your life this way, hm?”

Grabbing your food, you turned around, and headed home.

***

As soon as you were out of view of the pojangmacha, you both doubled over, giggling.

“That was great!” you cackled

“Yah, you might have scared him off drinking, for life!”

“Good!” You giggled, thinking about it. “If drinking makes him grope random strangers on the street, then he needs to stop.”

“Oh, and what was with that drinking of his shot?! Yah, you looked so cool!”

“My heart was beating so fast, I thought that I was going to faint! I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but I was afraid that I could never pull it off!”

Xiumin’s eyes shone, as he looked down at you, still giggling from your adventure. “I could spend forever watching you laugh.”

Your chuckling died down as his words sank in. Forever. Swiftly, before he could notice your change in mood, you pulled him into a side alley, stood on your tiptoes, and kissed him until he looked down at you in a daze. “Come on, Xiuminah. Let’s go home.”

***

Life was idyllic, and yet, waking up every morning to Xiumin’s bright eyes and bushy tail began to wrack you with guilt.

Sure, you liked him, because he was objectively great, but…what about you? Did he really like you–could he really like you, when he didn’t really have a choice? You were the only one who could see him. His entire world was you, and a measly 10 km radius in any given direction. Was it fair to let him fall in love with you? Were you willing to live there, forever? Were you willing to try to take him with you, if you left? Were you willing to give up girlish dreams of getting married, of having children, for a man who wouldn’t grow old with you, and who would just be left alone when you died? Was that fair to you? Was that fair to him?

For the most part, however, you sublimated these thoughts by throwing yourself even further into your work and studies, so that, when you came home, you were too tired to do anything but enjoy him sincerely.

One day, while he was out and about, Chanyeol came over.

As soon as he sat down next to you on the sofa and got a good look at your face, he knew. “No, way!”

“What?”

“You’re not!”

“What?!”

“You couldn’t be that stupid!”

“Uh…are you going to invite me to this conversation, or are you just going to have the entire thing by yourself?”

“You’re dating the gwishin!”

Your jaw dropped. “Forget him, you’re the gwishin! How could you possibly know that?!”

“I can always tell when you’re dating. You get this soft look on your face, like you’re dreaming, even when you’re awake.”

“Well, what makes you think that I’m dating Xiumin? I do attend a university full of eligible young bachelors.”

“I’m your oppa. I just know. How long has it been going on?”

You were silent for a moment. Then, quietly. “Several months.”

“Months?!” he exploded. “That’s it–you’re moving!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Park Chanyeol, your little sister is a legal adult! You can’t make me do anything!”

“I can tell our parents.”

“Tell them what? Tell them gwishin are real? Tell them that their daughter lives with one? Tell them that she’s dating him?! They’ll have you institutionalized.” You winced as he kicked your coffee table.

“How far has it gone?”

You stood up in offense, your entire body shaking as your face turned crimson. “That is absolutely none of your business!”

“You are my business! Especially when you’re making piss-poor decisions!” He grabbed you by the arm, and pulled you back down, looking back and forth at your eyes, as if he were reading. Whatever he saw made him sag in relief. “Thank goodness. At least you’re not a complete imbecile.”

“Like you haven’t dated some questionable girls! Remember the girl who broke up with you over the phone while you were in the middle of making her a hundred paper cranes?”

“Yeah, well, at least she was LIVING!” he roared. “Xiumin-sshi doesn’t even remember who he is! Was. Is. Whatever! What if he was a rapist? What if he was a murderer?!”

A movement in the corner of your eye caught your attention, and you turned to see Xiumin standing there, looking at Chanyeol, with heartbreak written in his eyes. You jumped up to run to him. “No! Aein, ignore him! He’s just–” Before you could even finish your sentence, he had disappeared. “Xiuminah! Xiuminah!” No answer.

“Get out,” you said quietly.

“We’re going to talk about this–”

“Get OUT!” you screamed, turning on your brother, your face scarlet as you doubled over with the vehemence of your scream.

He jumped up and backed away, for the first time looking unsure. “We are going to talk about this. But we can do it when you’re calmer. I’ll be back.” You rushed at him, and he scurried to the door, running out, and slamming it before you could reach him. “Tomorrow!”

***

You called and called, but Xiumin didn’t come back. He didn’t come back the next day, or the day after that.

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