#I love when people hoard cool stuff and then decide to share it with people. Makes the world much more communal to me~

[fandom-sheep]

Eret 11 MAY 21

Cat and DSMP Part 1/1

Cat! Goose!

Goose my beloved.

Eret’s streaming very late for me again. So I’m not staying the whole time.

Hello Elaina. Enjoy Goose.

Fundy! Kinda...

Fundy hearing the donations. LOL.

Fundy enters a stream and it starts to scuffed. Scuffed just follows Fundy wherever he goes.

A wild my beloved on the cube.

The Drista stairs.

Wait what. Why is the tower gone?

I have missed some lore.

Ah... it’s part of the nightmare thing.

Eret offering Fundy housing like a good almost adoptive parent.

Sneeze? OH WOW SNEEZE.

Sounds like Fundy about lost a lung. Good gracious.

The bargaining between these two.

Cat, Handsome, said cube was massive

You know what that works.

It’s hard to keep the audio right for Eret’s stream for my headphones. It’s either too quiet or the loudest my headphones can go and my family can hear it.

On stream explosions. Noice.

Wow youtooz. Not super cool. Permission is usually a good thing.

Eret keeps on sizzling.

Getting dirt for scaffolding. Going old fashioned Minecraft for this.

“Why is the Cube kinda hot” cue Eret losing faith in her chats sanity.

Cube go poof.

Oh. Red stone. That’s dangerous.

I like this song. Oh klahoma. Gorgeous song.

Love joy is such a fun band. I want to make a plushy of the cat.

It’s kinda sad that Eret can’t see themselves the way chat and their little fandom sees them. Most all of us think they look fabulous.

Not Arson. Just bombing. A bit of anarchy by the king.

Demolition. Now there’s the word.

Controlled ish demolition.

Ah I’ve almost saved enough channel points for water. Nice. I’m not going to redeem it I’m just going to keep hoarding the points.

Flame Arrow. Nice.

Eret cleaning up the SMP eye sours.

Watch me attempt to sleep to Eret here in an hour or so, but keep getting distracted.

Explosion time.

Someone get ready to clip it.

Bye Bye Cube. Let’s go.

Gotta get a song that fits the vibe.

Hayloft. Time to go poof.

Turning up my brightness just to watch this explosion in the best way possible.

Still wearing the red dress I see.

I hope the music isn’t too loud to get this part muted.

Drum roll...

Drum roll continues...

Drum roll still going...

THERE GOES THE CUBE!

That was so smooth and good looking!

Overall a very good explosion.

Just a little bit of a hole in the other building.

Twitch Pr-

Poor being’s so confused with his hair. Someone help them.

Twitch bleep.

Everyone attempting to give hair styling advice. Everyone’s trying to help the being.

That bird is majestic. I remember seeing that tiktok.

Animals just decided Eret was the animal whisperer.

Yes! Disney Princess Eret fanart! Someone make it, I shall reblog all of it.

Likes to hug cute animals and cute animals like being hugged by her. Nice.

It’s alright. Names are difficult. I have to like put name tags on people to learn who they are. That or name tags on their space (like on campers bunks and door decs on dorms)

It does feel very February. But I’m very ready for summer because that means I get to do my favorite job.

Hooray. I hit 15k points.

Eret trying to prove to us a ponytail won’t work. Like we aren’t going to hype them up no matter what.

Gotta heart in the chat. All Eret’s chat does is hearts and encourage. It’s a lovely place.

Oh Eret forgot his cat ear sub goal. It’s alright I know I forgot.

Pride is next month. Nice.

Oh. We’re almost halfway already. Why does the world spin so quickly?

We forgot a dirt tower. Whoops.

I would wear Eret merch. I like it when people release merch around Christmas. Then I can ask for it as a gift.

Oh it wasn’t a dirt tower.

Just looking at Elaina’s stream in the stream selection screen it like very cozy.

All the way up the Drista stairs.

Look it’s the museum!

Eret’s got most of the builds around there. The museum. The fortress. Nice.

Some things are too historical to remove. Somethings are historical because they are being removed.

Oh no. L’sandburg.

It’s taking over the summer home.

Ah the lore is coming. It just seemed to be too early.

Hello unofficial ranboo Raiders.

Foolish making the awesome tall thingy!

Foolish’s builds are so neat. I want to watch Foolish’s streams more. Maybe just in the background but I start wanting to delayed liveblog and that requires attention.

Oh the giant portal turned out well. Sorry that was the lady’s foolish stream I watched.

Shulkers. The forbidden mob.

Eret with just a pit in the desert filled with llamas. Bones. And discus.

The mansion has been finished?

Alright is better than bad. It’s alright to be alright.

Lucky being not getting tired. I got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and I was so so tired. I also had just no appetite.

Eret doing an smp tour. And looking at foolish’s builds.

Flickering the switch on the rainbow beacons.

Eret just knowing where everything is.

Kinoko is super pretty. Just for the aesthetic value of the kingdom I appreciate it.

Yeet. Just defenestrated himself out the window.

Oh? Spectator fly over the smp?

That would be really neat to like. Watch in VR. I think I’ve only used VR maybe twice.

Pretty Rainbow beacons.

The nurse who gave me my vaccine hid the needle from me because I mentioned to her that I was afraid of needles. It wasn’t a big deal at all.

30 minutes till I attempt sleep. Woo.

Goose my beloved. Someone make the gif because I’m not quite sure how to make it.

Oh yeah. Goose in Marvel. I hear MCU and think Minecraft cinematic universe. Not marvel.

Ghibli is so nice. It really romanticize small moments of life.

Yeah the characters are all really supportive in Ghibli movies.

Someone subbed for nine months “that’s enough to make a child” -Eret

That mansion is like a maze. I’m so lost already.

Everyone encouraging Eret and telling her she looks pretty. Good.

Eret needs all the hype and encouragement.

Antarctic empties flag. Yeah it does have a similar color pallet.

Michelle! Hello!

Fortress work. Nice.

Do it. I’ll listen the Eret play other games.

I don’t usually watch game play for non Minecraft games. But I’ll listen to it all.

Hbomb and Eret living in the same city feels like two worlds that shouldn’t meet. But it’s awesome that they have.

TOS means against twitches terms of service. Nice. Glad to finally have an explanation of what that means.

Look at our handsome and pretty streamer. All the hype.

I keep turning down the stream to hear the show my mama has on because I’m curious about what happens.

Yeah. Backseat gaming can be annoying. That’s part of why I share my thoughts here just in case I do start backseat gaming.

Almost to the sub goal. Hooray!

Ooo food.

No no. I see where they are coming from. Eret does give a bit of cat bus vibes. I can’t explain it but the vibes are there.

Creeper causing issues at the fortress.

Ed Sheepran my beloved.

I should draw more ferrets. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe I’ll draw us doing stuffs.

Actually I kinda want to make a little animatic of some heels walking across the screen followed by a hoard of ferrets. I think it’ll look cool. But I need the artistic ability and the ability to not scream making that.

Woop. Ad time. Off to the void of where ever the ads game me.

OH THE NEW VOID LOOKS COOL!

Bread. Flowers. Ted. Crown. And of course Eret.

We V O I D and get our streamer bits.

Hush the chat is V O I D and the occasional emoji or emote.

The void being centered looks good. Maybe that’s just the symmetry speaking but it’s good.

Oh. We hear the being. The being in void mode. And spooky mode.

Chat just starts yelling corpse.

Hydration. I try to stay hydrated. But I fail often if I’m not doing something active.

Tree!

Casually makes and snags tree.

Eret does read chat often. It’s strange. And it is weird how often it ends up being you.

You can tell I’m a tumblr peep. I may say stuff in chat but I’m fully not expecting or wanting to be noticed by the streamer.

Others hitting darkness o’clock and saying goodnight.

It’s sleep to the stream hours y’all. Whoop.

I need to visit the parks out west. I’ve only really seen the eastern US ones. But I have been to the Great Smokey Mountain park which is gorgeous.

Eret thinking of his friends triggers when naming his cat.

Eret’s builds are so casually pretty. Not like Foolish’s which are intricately pretty. Not like Phil’s or Sam’s which are complicated pretty. All pretty. Just different breeds of pretty.

Alrighty. It’s sleepy hours for me. As much as I love Eret I want to read some fanfiction and daydream a bit before I head to sleep.

Have a good rest everyone and may all your coming meals be delicious.

Wait no is it our turn with goose?

OUR TURN WITH GOOSE!

Eret honey that’s the ceiling.

Cat stream. Cat stream.

Sleepy kitty. A cat cam would be good.

Yeah. That happens with cats. Especially strays.

Goose captured the computer mouse.

Goose straight up chose Eret and Elaina.

Goose really just chose not to leave.

Oh my stream connection is acting sad. But I want Goose content.

I want to draw Goose now.

Maybe I’ll do water color for Goose. I know I tried to do that with Boots (Fundy’s cat)

Hopefully there will be some Goose face screenshots I can see. Maybe I can see him well in the Tiktok.

Artists just violently refusing payment. Sounds about right. The MCYT artists just kinda go “yeah give credit and we cool”

Cowboy cat. Nice.

I want to paint Goose in the cowboy hat.

Hype train! That we are zooming.

Bucket sponge?

WATER BUCKET FROM WET SPONGE! Tiktok people giving all the cool info.

Go Goose. Catch the computer mouse and the screen mouse.

Just sitting here at 11:30 at night getting screen shots of Goose for painting purposes.

Goose please. Look at the camera babe.

My phone is dying. And I can’t charge it and type.

Alright the camera is off the cat. The cat is also blocking the screen.

But no cat on camera means I’m getting some sleep. If I do any of the projects I’ve mentioned I’ll let y’all know.

Have a good rest everyone.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Crop Top Sokka

y’all I cannot draw for crap so I offer this small oneshot about Sokka in a crop top also I cannot write for crap and this was written in fifteen minutes, just a warning lol

The Fire Nation was unbearably hot.

Like, disgustingly hot and Sokka hated nearly every second of it.

He sucked it up though, what other choice did he have? It’s not like they could just up and leave because he was sick of the humidity.

At this point in their travels, he assumed that it wouldn’t get worse— the heat really couldn’t get any worse. The spirits just loved proving him wrong, though, didn’t they? Ember Island probably had the most uncomfortable weather in the entire world.

“Suki,” he groaned, flopping against a tree and tossing his sword to the side. “I can’t do this anymore, it’s too hot.”

Suki snorted, leaning on said tree. “Just be grateful you aren’t training with literal fire.”

“Touché.”

A pause then.

“Suki. I think I might die of heat.”

“How tragic.”

He turned his head, glancing at Suki. “How come you’re not overheating?”

“The earth kingdom isn’t that cold, Sokka,” she chuckled. “Try spending more than one afternoon in Kyoshi Warrior uniform in that weather and then complain to me.”

She finished with a flourish, ruffling his hair. “I’m going to see if Toph wants to spar. Wanna come?”

“Are you serious?” Sokka asked, attempting to pat his hair back down. “Toph will finish me off! Stop laughing!”

“Go take a cold bath or something, okay?” giggled the Kyoshi Warrior, waving goodbye as she left.

With a noise resembling a screech, Sokka forced himself to stand. Using Ozai’s bath sounded nice, and not just because it’d feel nice. There was also the whole spite thing. He laughed wearily, wishing he could tell the man that a nonbending Southern Water Tribe kid used his private bath. Oooh, if only.

If he were being honest, Sokka stopped by Ozai’s old room at least once a day both to search through all his stuff and to steal his stuff.

His bath was huge. Like. So big he could lay down and spread this arms and legs out and still have room. Rich people were the worst, hoarding all of their fancy big stuff. Toph was right to steal from them (he just ignored the fact that Toph was technically a rich kid too).

Sweat was dripping from his hair when he took it out of its bun. As he peeled his clothes off, he found the small knife he kept on his person at all time. Sure, he forgot about it sometimes, but the heat was messing with his head (seriously? How do people live in the Fire Nation?) so it’s fine.

Something about feeling the knife in the palm of his hand sparked something in him, and he haltered, stepping back into Ozai’s room and shifting through his closet.

He remembered seeing a fancy red shirt thing that he personally didn’t like, well, he didn’t like the bottom half of the shirt, the top half was really fun and definitely clashed with the bottom, which of course Ozai would wear something so ridiculous.

He pulled the shirt from the closet and held it in front of his chest. It would be a little (okay a lot) big, but if he learned anything from Katara (and he had learned a lot after she refused to finish his pants), he could make it work.

Still, though, he felt like he was in the process of slowly dying (cause of death: the sun), so he threw the shirt on the (unnecessarily) giant bed and proceeded to take his well deserved bath.

Afterwards, though, he got to work. Sokka rummaged around the desk in Ozai’s room, grabbing the first brush he found. He then held the shirt up to his body and drew a line right above his belly button.

He then laid the shirt on the bed and grabbed his knife, cutting through the fabric on the line. Next went the sleeves.

Attempting to hold in a (decidedly manly) squeal, he put the shirt on, racing back to the private bathroom to look in the mirror. It was still super baggy, but it looked better by far. Frowning, he rummaged through the contents of the stupidly large vanity until he found some super fancy Fire Nation hair pins. “These’ll do,” he murmured, using the hair pins to tighten his new shirt.

“Much better,” he said to himself, once more checking himself out in the mirror. He finger gunned his reflection (look, he needed the validation. The least he could do was give it to himself), then headed back to the yard to continue sparring (or to watch Zuko fire bend… and Aang… Aang would be there too, probably, yeah…).

Unfortunately, it was Aang and Katara practicing water bending together, but Zuko was there, sitting off to side with Suki and Toph, watching.

The group glanced at his direction upon his arrival, and he most certainly relished in the double take (and if he mentally fist pumped when Suki whistled, no one needed to know) (again, look, he just wants validation, he’ll take what he can get).

“Wow, Sokka, nice shirt!” said Aang, nodding in approval.

“Thanks, buddy!” He replied, smiling brightly. “I figured if I was the only one way too hot, it must be the stupid clothing! And if you two—“ he pointed at Suki and Katara, “— can wear cropped shirts, then why can’t I?”

Katara made a face and pretended to gag. “You’re too hot?”

He scoffed. “What? Are you not?”

The look of disgust on her face shifted instantly into a malicious grin. “Oh, no. I’m perfectly fine. Here, let me help you cool off!”

Before he had a chance to respond, a giant blast of water came at him. He barely managed to leap out of the way.

“Hey! I just took a bath!”

But his cries ignored as Aang and Katara shared a look.

That’s when he decided he should probably run.

____________________________________

Zuko watched as Katara and Aang chased Sokka around, taking advantage of the fact that they now had a literal (and only slightly willing) moving target.

The fire bender swallowed thickly, doing his best to pry his eyes away from the bare skin on Sokka’s back.

“What am I missing? Your heart rate just went through the roof?”

He turned suddenly at the sound of Toph’s voice, blinking rapidly. “It’s just— ahem— it’s just really hot, yeah yeah, really hot out how do you... do you feel hot also?”

Suki attempted (and failed) to stifle a giggle. “Nope. I feel perfectly fine. Must be you.”

“Ohhhh, his heart rate just got faster!” said Toph, nudging Suki. “Sokka was wearing a crop, he said?”

“Uhh y-yes.”

“You totally thought he was hot, didn’t you!”

Zuko spluttered at the statement (though he found he could barely deny it— it was the truth after all). “W-what? I—I said it felt hot, I didn’t say Sokka was hot! I mean, not that he’s not fun to look a— he’s just— SHUT UP!”

*i’m sorry in advance if any of y’all made it this far-- this was not my best work lol I just wanted to write Sokka in a crop top and zuko being like oops feelings I am having

[the-wiresmarvelau]

T.H.E. W.I.R.E.S.

Peter and his Friends are allowed to design the compound and couldn’t help but riddle it with secret tunels and hallways. While Peter installs said hallways he makes some new acquaintences who he has to help and gets help from.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2  - chapter 4

Chapter 3: secrets

The rest of the night was spent pacing about the compound.

Peter couldn’t stand even the thought of standing still but he knew that he was too wound up to be much good on patrol.

Instead, he took to walking up and down the corridors; until it literally drew him up the wall, how unproductive he.

Then he began distributing all the small things like pillows and decorations to all the Rooms he had roughly finished by then. Up to this point he didn’t have the nerve to do so much walking but right now it was exactly what he needed.

When he was done with the normal rooms, he did the same for the small spaces in THE WIRES he had built in for hiding or just chilling out.

The AI they wanted to install in there was almost finished and the young genius was eager to have him here.

They had decided on a male AI to even it out. His Name would be Manuel; since he was a manual for THE WIRES.

Ned loved this pun and they both were proud of their creation.

Peter tried to go through everything they had yet to code in his head in a desperate attempt to not think about Loki.

Yes, he wanted to save him and yes it had to be as fast as possible but the god had also said that it would take at least a day or two until he could contact his mother and right this moment the hero’s thoughts were too scattered to think of a solution.

As he went to bed, he was still more than a little distraught and didn’t think he would be able to so much as close an eye.

To his surprise, he drifted off fairly soon.

But it really couldn’t be called sleep as he was half conscious for most of the time and every time, he fell asleep properly, mere minutes passed until he was shaken awake again by sharp pains littering his back or threading through his mouth and lips.

Or he saw the god cowering in a cell, or being dragged out of it by his hair to be executed or to be whipped and beaten, again and again.

After a few hours spent half awake half dreaming up nightmares, he decided to get up.

It was of no use to torture himself also. There was enough pain already in this world.

Numb and slightly drowsy from tiredness he dragged himself to his bathroom.

While he showered, he tried to go through his options.

SHIELD was in ruins, therefore in no condition to house the god. Plus, they had been the ones banning him from ever coming back to earth in the first place.

They were out.

The government was similarly unprepared for this. They had neither the knowledge nor the resources to build a suitable housing and they would probably have to inform the public of what was going on, practically hanging a neon sign over the trickster’s head for Odin to find.

Mr. Stark was a whole other deal. He could build a safe facility and he wouldn’t even think about telling the media or government.

But as Loki had already mentioned. The billionaire wouldn’t hear him out in the first place.

He would berate the boy for talking to the Asgardian and threaten the god to leave them alone and to not play any tricks.

He wouldn’t see that just because someone was good at lying, didn’t mean they couldn’t also tell the truth.

And Peter knew that the New York incident offered enough opportunity for mayor grudges on his mentor’s side.

As Tony and him had grown closer both of them had opened up to each other.

The Inventor had told him about his childhood in Captain Americas shadow and the light of press cameras.

He had opened up about his time in Afghanistan, about Obadiah and Ultron and about what happened on the helicarrier and during the Chitauri invasion. Much of it during long nights, riddled with nightmares and panic attacks.

In return, the teenager had told him about uncle Ben, his guilt in his death and his sensory issues that came with his powers.

He told him about how the Vulture had found out his identity and how terrified he was when he almost drowned because of that guy.

They of course didn’t tell each other everything.

Everything Peter knew about his mentor’s childhood was pieced together from what he was told of the man’s nightmares and contextless rants.

Peter still didn’t know how Rhodes had become Tony’s friend and if Peter hadn’t seen the demolished suit, he wouldn’t even know half the extent of what went down in Siberia.

He still had no idea what exactly happened.

But that was okay. Tony was allowed to have secrets; besides, he was not the only one keeping them.

The teen had many himself.

He had never told Mr. Stark about Flash and Skip*. Or about the building, dropped on him.

Or that it was him, who he saved at the Stark Expo.

Or the meeting with DareDevil.

It was hard for him to talk after a nightmare. And other times he didn’t know how to bring stuff like this up with his father figure - because that’s what Tony had become for him at this point - even though he wanted the other to know.

Maybe that’s why he had made it a habit to look through old security footage now and again.

He wanted someone else to find what he couldn’t talk about, so he searched for hints of similar wishes and events in others.

During one of those searches he had come across the security footage of the day of the alien invasion as well as Loki’s arrival on Midgard (he didn’t want to know how and why Tony had gotten these from SHIELD) and with that, of Loki.

On that footage, something had been weird about his appearance, but back then he hadn’t really been able to name what it was, so he had let it slide pretty quickly.

After all, he was an alien.

But now, that he had seen how the god had presented himself, while he altered his looks to, what Peter assumed, was himself in a healthy condition; He was pretty sure he hadn’t been well back then either.

His pale skin had clung to his skull, the eyes sunken in and rimmed with red all around.

Keeping that in the back of his mind he decided that it would be best to keep the god somewhere close, so he could be protected.

And what was closer and safer than the very compound he currently resided in?

It was literally made to keep a hoard of super powered people safe.

There still was the part about Tony not hearing Loki out of course. But he was sure that helping the god was the right thing to do, he had to at least try and convince Tony to let Loki move in.

Unless.. he just wouldn’t know he was there.

Unsure about how good of an idea it actually was, he stepped out of the shower, went over to his closet and started to get dressed.

He needed to talk to Ned.

It was out of the question that his best friend would tell on Loki or him. He was the only person who knew everything about the superhero. And he trusted him with his life.

Together they would figure it out, though they had to find a way to get rid of KAREN.

Her Protocols would probably force her to relay all information about Peter and Loki to Mr Stark and that simply wouldn’t do.

Only problem: KAREN was still installed on his StarkWatch, hearing everything around him and simply taking it off would be a sure way to arouse suspicion, as he never took it off, save for when he showered.

Looking down to his wrist he cursed himself for how responsible he was. He had already put on his watch, first thing the moment he had towelled himself down.

He sat down for a moment to think about what he could do now.

The only reason to take another shower would be an extensive workout, after that he could pretend to have forgotten to put his watch back on again.

Peter really wasn’t in the mood for training but he needed to talk to his friend without the AI.

“KAREN, could you invite Ned over please? I wanna work on Manuel today” he asked while getting out some sports clothes and changed into them, a little annoyed with himself that he hadn’t thought about what to do before pulling on his normal wear.

‘I will text him at eight thirty, unless it is important enough to wake him up now?’ It was reassuring to hear her usual sass.

“Yeah, sure.” He answered, “it’s not urgent or anything. Please also ask Happy to pick him up and make a workout plan for the meantime. I’ve slumped on training a bit lately.”

‘If you say so’

It felt like it took an unreasonably long time for his friend to arrive.

When he finally got the text from Ned, telling him he was only five minutes away, Peter sent a text back that they would meet up in the lab and went to his room to take a shower.

He deliberately didn’t take any clothes into the bathroom and took extra-long, by the time he had to get out, he acted like he was in a great hurry, leaving KAREN behind in his bathroom.

No AI had been installed in the compound itself yet. The update for FRIDAY hadn’t been Mr. Stark’s highest priority, since the accords were much more time sensitive.

Grinning, the teenager made his way over to his personal lab. The only reason KAREN wasn’t installed there was that he had set his mind on having Manuel in there as ‘Peter Parker’s’ AI while KAREN remained with Spiderman.

Ned was already at the entrance to his lab, vibrating with anticipation.

That came to no one’s surprise, the boy was even more excitable than Peter and that was no small feat.

Additionally: this compound was massive, and he had helped design it and the fricking Avengers would live here. That was worth getting excited for.

“Ouuuuuh! This looks already soo cool. Here and there is a bare wall butit’sallcommingtogether. I can’t believe I’m actually here” The almost forgot to breathe with all the eagerness to share his mood with his best friend.

It had been some time since they last met in person. Both of them had been fairly busy and the compound wasn’t exactly close by.

But even trough is excitement did the boy pick up on the worry in his host’s eyes. The faint bags under them didn’t make it better and now that he paid attention to it, he also saw the nervous twitch in his hands and the lack of pep in his friend’s strides.

Something wasn’t quite right; and he was gonna find out what it was.

“Good to see you too Ned.” Came his greeting when Peter had come close enough to be heard while speaking at a normal volume.

Ever since the two had become accustomed to his super hearing, Ned started talking the moment he could see the other, knowing he would have no trouble understanding him.

The image of an energetic puppy was nearly impossible to shake.

A faint smile stole its way onto his lips at that thought.

The first since he had noticed the illusion in the roof last night.

Just like that the smile was wiped off his face.

“Oh no.” the shorter of the two exclaimed. “I know that look. That look means bad news and nothing good ever follows bad news”

This statement was met with a dry chuckle. “Isn’t that kind of the point of bad news?”

“Maybe;” He replied. “Still doesn’t make it any better. But you tell me, you’re the one bringing the news after all.”

“Don’t shot the messenger though. That would help none of us.”

While they bantered, they had entered the lab and spread out a bit. Ned sitting down on an almost empty table; Peter walking around, pulling up holograms manually and occasionally putting away some scrap parts or tools.

“You know I couldn’t shoot you even if I wanted to. You psychic!” his best friend taunted

His answer was a theatrical gasp paired with the super teen laying a hand over his chest in the way his mentor always did. Bringing a grin to the other boy’s face.

“Enough joking around.” He announced, getting back to serious. “Whatever it is, Stark junior. I can take it.”

Clearly, he tried to keep the mood as light-hearted as he could, which didn’t go unappreciated.

Still. Peter couldn’t help his tone becoming a little sombre.

“I met someone yesterday.” He said “On patrol.”

He had settled down a little bit; leaning back onto a table, which automatically changed its hight to fit his needs. His Hands fidgeted with the hem of his science pun t-shirt.

Patiently; his friend waited.

“It was.. It wasn’t DareDevil. Instead... I met Loki.”

Only now did he take his eyes from the floor to look at his friend.

Quite clearly, he was in shock. Staring at the other, trying to figure out what to think about this revelation.

“Before you freak out: It was only an illusion, he is still in the dungeons of Asgard.” The super-teen tried to calm his friend down. Cringing at the thought of Loki’s location.

“oh. Yeah… That’s good right? He won’t come back?”

His concern was understandable for Peter. But he was also convinced, that the god meant no harm and was truly in need of help.

In that regard, was the sentiment of his friend not the most promising. Though he knew him well and was convinced that Ned would be on his side once he knew what they did to the god.

“That’s the thing.. It isn’t.”

A quizzical look from Ned.

“He sent his projection here to ask for help, which in itself speaks volume considering ho prideful he seemed to be; but that’s not the point. In Asgard, they treat him bad! Like   I whip your back bloody and sew your mouth shut bad.”

He gave his friend a few seconds to process the new information; all the while staring him in the eyes to make sure he knew that this wasn’t a crude prank or something.

“We need to help him..”

“Wait what now!?” Ned squeaked. “They did WHAT!??!”

“Exactly.” The hero answered. “He needs our help, Ned. We can so it’s our responsibility. The plan so far is that he contacts his mother and she brings him here to earth; Our only job is to find a place where he can stay…

That’s why I needed to talk to you because this has to be thought out and I need your second opinion.”

Peter waited for his friend’s response.

After a few seconds of silence his friend looked up.

“Okay… what’s your idea?”

It took a great load off his mind to know he wasn’t alone with his opinion. If Ned was agreeing this easily it meant that he at least wasn’t completely delusional in his opinion on helping the trickster out.

“You remember that storage room slash hideout thingy at the exit to the lake? If I were to hide the entrance to the bunker behind a closet, nobody would find it; Even if we show them the entrance or have to get something from there.”

Originally, they had planned to build in there a kind of vacation home. Until they realised that the compound itself was more than enough novelty, a vacation spot was not needed.

Instead, they had made it into a small bunker in case the compound was taken over and they needed a spot to regroup while waiting on evacuation.

“Wait. Just so we’re on the same page. You really try to keep this a secret from Stark?” the shorter tried to clarify.

“He would never believe Loki. We can’t tell anyone before he hasn’t completely healed. Then we will decide how to break it to the others” The brunette got a nod in response.

“The only problem is to figure out where I will get some additional furniture from.” He added.

“And how to get his food to him.” Ned commented.

They spend some time trying to figure everything out, until they settled on ordering everything they already had and could use for Loki’s room to be brought to the compound a second time

To the millionaire, they send a message, explaining that they had managed to break one of the desks while messing around and used the occasion to reorder some stuff which had either the wrong measurements or they had forgotten to order them in the first place.

Tony replied within a few minutes saying it was no problem.

That problem out of the way, Peter began to bring the selected stuff to the hidden room, while his friend began to build a small service robot, capable of navigating THE WIRES and transporting things.

Not even two hours later, the room was done and they both turned to developing some protocols for Manuel, making sure he would be able to keep the secret.

Unfortunately, Ned had to go before they were able to finish the AI.

His mother needed him to babysit his sister but they would meet again the next day and probably be ready to install Manuel at the end of the day.

*A character from the comics. If you don’t know him, you’ll see. Don’t want to spoil a potential surprise for you.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 - chapter 4 

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Uhm, my day was decent? I mean aside from the fact that mornings exist and I did not want to wake up in time for my shift at work. But. And the end of the day when I have literal hours to do stuff after.. it works out cuz. Usually I get off and its oh shit I have enough time to halfway emotionally recharge and then its time for bed.

But. I got in and E^2 had put like. My name down on the schedule, and. That was great really. And we had this sheet for sign up of, basically what areas you want to be personally responsible for. And I signed light and it was great. And I dont think anyone really noticed cuz the manager wasn't there and no one else really looked at the schedule or anything else. But. It made me happy.

Still haven't gotten my name tag changed and honestly I dont think I'm going to. Cuz. I feel like I'm just being a bother asking again. But. It is what it is I guess.

I got off at five and its now nine and ive just been vibing in the car listening and singing to Spotify since I got off just trying to keep the sad at bay. And I should probably go home but. I dont want to. Cuz I know I'm just gonna wallow in the sad and self destructive tendencies if i go home.. If I ask nicely will the fae take me in as one of their own and I can become a cryptid in the woods?????

I have a three day weekend coming up and im considering doing a touch up on my hair since its really washed out. But I cant decide if I wanna keep it fully red or try and do like an ombre double tone thingy.. but I'm not sure what other color I'd try to do to the tips? Idk

I kinda wish my hair was longer so I could do like. The galaxy hair thing? Where its various shades of purple and blue and some pink and it looks different depending on how you style it. But I also know attempting to grow my hair out longer than I already plan to is a bad idea, cuz the sides and back are already getting too long and I hate it. But I wish I could do fun stuff with it too

Oh well. The duality of man i guess..

Uhm. I bought a giant plastic egg the other day, that reminds me of a dragons egg kinda. And I'm trying to decide if I should keep a hoard of dice in there or a hoard of crystals. Cuz. Dice and the clacky math rocks. But. Also shiny crystally gems

Speaking of dice I also really kinda want to try and get into a dnd group, but social anxiety and I have zero idea where to start with that so. That's fun.

Im currently resisting the urge to go and get more holes and metal in my head too. I just. The red hair makes me feel cool and powerful and I wanna look punk and

Sorry I've been rambling for like half a novel. I'll stop now before I get annoying. I mean I definitely already am. But you asked for asks and distractions and 👉👈 I love you

Id ask about your day but you seem to want a distraction from that sooo. How about, got any fun headcanons to share??

Thats awesome on the name front!!! I saw that and I got really excited for you when you posted the picture this morning, honestly I think you should bring up the nametag again, esspecially if its showing up on the schedule too. (Oddly enough I kicked around the idea of using a new name with friends and sruff today which is weird mostly bc like i like my name irl, its fairly androgynous and it makes me happy and i love my online name bc it means me :))

My vote is two tone!! I almost did a pink/purple ombre with my hair this round so I say do ittttt (that's also what I say about the extra holes and metal. Do itttttrrr)

That would be a hard choice but u do really like the idea of a giant dragons egg full of dice ngl. I need to find some people to play with too. I'm trying to get b and c in on something but idk if its ever really gonna pan out the way I want it too. My town actually has a pretty active dnd community but I am way too new and way too socially anxious to ever join something like that so I feel you there.

100% not annoying, each paragraph made me smile more. :)

My day was actually mostly ok, i just sorta ruined it with Danny at home. I just pointed out that the idealized dream band life that I wanted and thought I had was what she got and that it made me kinda jealous and she pointed out (correctly) that I'm jealous of so many aspects of her life that she now has a list of things she can't talk to me about for fear of setting me into a spiral and just. Yeah. That wasnt fun.

But work was ok. The kids all were really tierd so there was a fair bit of crying going on, but the weather was really nice so we got to go outside with them for a long time and that was very nice. I also got some really sweet cuddles from a few of them that made me very happy.

Oh! I also have a funny story about them!! So I was squatting (my main position is almost like Spiderman bc I'm down on the kids' level but i can also get up and move if I need to pretty quick) and one of the girls goes and gets a book, then stands right in front of me and points at the floor and says "sit" in the most authoritative voice I have ever hear from a 1 1/2 year old 😂 as soon as I sat down she was in my lap and opening the book so I could read to her.

As far as headcanons.... Sadly my brain is bouncimg mostly art ideas for the Tamgled au and not anything of substance so I may take a crack at that later. Otherwise I keep thinking about whumped up Will crying on the floor and Maurie finding him. Really I'm just thinking about Maurie and Will being bros. A lot. So much. God I love them.

[fandomn00blr]

6, 13 and 18 from OTP ask! For stroughain(off?) merribela and fenhanders

Ok, phew! Thank you for indulging me...I cherish these three ships so much!!!

I'll start with fenhanders (my most established OT3 🥰)

6. What things have tested their relationship over the years?

The biggest test for these three was that Anders died...and then he didn't...

Let me explain! This is an AU where Anders supposedly dies in the Chantry explosion and Hawke and Fenris get together afterwards in their shared grief over him, but then Anders comes back (it's magic!) and...that's really hard for Hawke to deal with (Fenris is surprisingly cool with it). Then there's also the fact that Anders comes back to find his love married to someone he thought hated him, raising twins that may or may not be his. And the world is like, completely different from how he remembers it (he comes back during Inquisition, in a very Mage Rights! world state). They figure it out...eventually.

13. How do they deal with a long stretch of time apart?

There's three of them, so two of them are usually still together, which makes the third especially resentful if they've gotta be somewhere alone. Unless it's Hawke. She values her alone time. Fenris does alright, though he worries. And Anders is a complete mess when left to his own devices. If they have the kids or the dog or cat with them, that helps. And Merrill and Isabela pop in from time to time, too. Hawke will mostly just lay around and do nothing and bask in the glory of a quiet house and a bed to herself. Anders will hoard elfroot or go through everyone's things and IDK smell them or lay in them or something and Fenris builds things/starts new projects around the house/farm.

18. What are the little things they do each day to show the other they care? – either consciously or subconsciously

Acts of service!!! Fenris cooks for his family (they're supposed to take turns, but he ends up having to rescue both Hawke and Anders more often than not in the kitchen), Anders often ends up entertaining the children when the other two need a break, and Hawke cleans up...begrudgingly. They are also very affectionate. Hawke and Anders have always been very touchy and grabby, and it takes Fenris some time to get used to this, of course, but he is very good at sneaking in hand-squeezes and cheek-kisses to show his appreciation of his partners.

And merribela *happy sigh*...

6. What things have tested their relationship over the years?

Really just boring things. Isabela being a pirate, Merrill getting seasick. Isabela being worried that if she said “I love you” out loud, Merrill would suddenly and for absolutely no reason, just decide she’s boring and no longer have any interest in her. Merrill worrying she could never be enough for someone as generous and beautiful and lively as Isabela. Y’know...just the normal things.

13. How do they deal with a long stretch of time apart?

Because of Merrill’s sea-sickness, she does not go with Isabela on most of her pirate adventures, but she keeps busy serving as the unofficial Keeper of the Kirkwall Alienage (people just started calling her Keeper and she gave up on correcting them). Isabela misses her dearly every time and can’t wait to get back to their little apartment and kick her boots off and nest with her.

18. What are the little things they do each day to show the other they care? – either consciously or subconsciously

Merrill leaves Isabela little gifts, almost subconsciously, all over the place (because she often forgets where she puts them before formally giving them to her). Little notes in the morning with snippets of poetry (Merrill just calls them ‘heart words’), snacks, flowers, things she sees that remind her of something significant (in a very Merrill way...like a rock with shiny flecks in it that she says remind her of Isabela’s freckles or something).

Isabela tries to spend as much time as she can with Merrill whenever she is in port. If she had her way, they’d just spend the entire time at home, snuggled up together, but alas, Merrill often has a long list of things she’s been meaning to get to, and Isabela is delighted to tag along and watch her busy little girlfriend in her element.

And lastly, stroghainoff...

(yes, it's a silly play on stroganoff...cuz there's a thing with deep mushrooms and bronto “beef” with these two...it's a long story...well, actually, it’s only five chapters and a couple of spin-off ficlets at this poiint, but...)

I answered 6 for these two here...

13. How do they deal with a long stretch of time apart?

It is very rare that they have to. Stroud ‘drags’ Loghain along on most of his Warden business (Loghain pretends he doesn’t want to go, but he would be sad if Stroud didn’t take him along on every mission), because he ‘values his opinion’ (he really does! Loghain was the friggin’ Commander of the Fereldan Army, after all) as his ‘Warden-Surveyor’ which is a title he made up after they first had sex during a cave-in and Loghain thought they were gonna die. So...to answer that question...ummmm...they don’t. And if they had to, I imagine they’d both be insufferable in their own ways. Loghain would be even grumpier and annoying, and Stroud would probably just worry incessantly that Loghain was cold or sad or something.

18. What are the little things they do each day to show the other they care? – either consciously or subconsciously

Loghain packs them both lunch and brings it to him in his office, or, if he can step away, somewhere nice and quiet outside of the Keep. Stroud is very affectionate, and gives lots of back rubs and shoulder squeezes and stuff. He also lets Loghain bitch to him about...well, everything, during their “quiet evening time”...lol.

[gemstoneconstellations]

I love your fanfics! And I was wondering do you have any tips for original fanfic writing or just writing fics in general?

wow this actually ended up a lot longer than i thought it would, but here we go!

Original fanfics, hmmmmmm....

What I generally do is base things off of my own personal experience. Like all my iida fics are stuff that happened between me and my husband before we got married. Can’t help falling in love fic with bakugo, that was a previous relationship i had (which there is more to that story). Caught with todoroki..... thats how i got out of a ticket with a cop and how i learned that when i half check someone out and half start thinking about what i would do to that fine man in uniform (curse my uniform kink) that i glare/make a suspicious face. and when he confronted me about what i was doing, ready to write some kind of ticket for whatever i was doing wrong, i was so embarrassed that i blurted out that i found him very attractive and what exactly was on my mind and how i wanted to take that uniform off him.... that has happened with a emt too, i missed the green light looking at his bulging biceps after he rolled up his sleeves to write on a clip board.... he waved and i proceeded to squat in my seat and slam my face against the stirring wheel. escape artist cat was actually a dream i had, someone was taking off my cat’s pretty ribbon collars and putting ugly ones on her and i woke up sooooo mad, but i turned that dream into a romance story (reality kuiper was taking her collars off herself cause she was a brat) Stories about yourself, no matter how small you think it is actually has great potential to become a fic.

its also okay to borrow ideas from other forms of media. I do. example, Silk Maiden, based off of  an old batman episode from the early 2000s. its completely okay to do that. I’m not saying copy and paste the exact scenes. Just take the premises and then change it. some examples, like the movie Brave is the Scottish version of Aladdin. the princess who wants to be free and live her life beyond her princess duties needs to get married and she is not having it and wants to change the rules and runs away to find something new. premise is the same but how the story is told is different, one denies every prince and find her own prince in the streets of her kingdom and the other finds a cake that turns her mom into a bear that helps them understand each other and appreciate each other more. a weeb example is isekais. There are sooooo many isekais. japan, Korea, and china are all mass producing isekais right now. the premises are all the same, someone from one world now in another world primarily thanks to magical truck-kun who is probably could be branded as a mass serial killer at this point. I read a lot and i love korean isekai romance novels. I have read an isekai where the character was a villain who then was reincarnated with the memories of her villainous previous life who decided to live her new life by repenting by helping others but guess what? truck-kun came in the form of a airplane crash and she wakes up again in her first life’s preteen body before she became a villain. I’m reading an isekai isekai, author of an isekai met truck-kun and woke up inside the body of one of her characters in her isekai novel. all the same premise but told in a different way. i want to write an isekai for bnha! take a premise and write what you wanted to see happen between those characters if they were in that situation.

same for some fanfics, like you read a fanfic and you like the story that you read but you wished for something more. You like the idea but you wished that it went in this direction or you wanted different  types of interaction, its okay to write your own fic with the same premises. i’ve done that. (side note: but if you are gonna base off of it where a lot of the stuff is the same the give the proper credit where it deserves. no stealing peoples hard work) thats what fanfic was originally made for, fans wanted something more from their favorite works or wants something different (Thank you star trek fandom who started all this). I’ve read a lot of villain deku fics and i was craving a specific type of villain fic where “he really isnt a villain but is one but there is a reason why hes being evil cause it is for the greater good cause of deku’s savior complex and border line martyr complex he’s had since he was a child” with a side of “hero/villain romance”, “surprise quirk” and “badass” and a healthy scoop of “bakugo becomes a better person on his own without deku at UA through the power of friendship cause he has that potential without deku’s constant interference”. no one had what i wanted, so i started writing it myself.

also dont worry about being original. you can write a common idea that everyone sees a thousand times a day, like isekai, and people will love it. focus on how you are telling your story, dont put so much effort in being different. actually, common or typical tropes/ideas help make the story more relatable. two books can be equally as good but one person can like book A over book B because they felt more connected to the characters in it. they could relate to the emotions that were being conveyed. 

now writing tips....hmmmmm well not everything works for everyone but this is what i do

I write notes down, lots of them. I have notebooks full of notes for my fics. some people can just sit there and start writing, but i like notes to keep me on track and remind me of stuff i wanted to add. Writing it down makes it easier not to forget, cause you are just lying to yourself if you think you’ll remember the idea for later. i got dialogue, scenes, plots, random quirk ideas, diagrams, (12) oc profiles, outlines, lists, and a event idea that i have that i want to do some day, all in my notebook. If you are going to write a long fic i strongly encourage that you do this. Outlines are your friend, they are bones of the story Ex:

Hero By Another Name original outline:

meet at a fire, firefighter impresses kiri who will later seek her out

kiri is becoming popular and wants to share the fame

they bond some how(?)

firefighter kiri, kirishima needs to wear a firefighter uniform

firefighter turns out to be a mega fan of red riot

photoshoot

kirishima finds out shes a nerd and is cool with it

firefighter is now popular

camping with baku or bakusquad?

miscommunication

kirishima does a big confession

I always start off with the key things i want for sure to happen. then i start adding to it. I write out the scene i definitely want to see or i can see clearly in my head. i just keep adding to it till its at least three pages long of just outline that has some images, random dialogue i want someone to say or little summaries of the scene i want.

its okay to jump around when you write. there are some parts that you know you need in a story to help it move a long but it can be boring. so i write one scene that i want to happen next and then i think of what needs to happen to get to that point. like how in hero another name where kirishima shows up unannounced to her apartment  and finds out she hoards all his hero merch while not wearing pants.  how do you make that not sound creepy and have kirishima be okay with it? by adding bits of how much of a fan she is through out the story! when they first have dinner together i threw in that red riot shirt to help break the ice and that he would then know that she was a big enough fan to buy his merch and that she admires him and that he is an inspiration for her. then later adding that interview where she talks about how she became his fan shows that she has years of dedication to him as a hero. so when he sees all the merch she has, it would make sense to him that she had all of that and not go “huh, will i be able to leave this place if i enter?”

if you dont know it, look it up. research. i wrote a fic before where the reader was pregnant the entire time, i started at two months to birth. I knew nothing about pregnancy on how it can affect your daily life and what it feels like beyond what health class and child development class taught me. So i looked it up. there is seriously so much that doctors look for during those many ultrasounds cause there are so many things that can affect your health and the baby’s and did you know there is pregnancy diabetes? you can become diabetic only during pregnancy, like after you give birth it can go away or stay, the human body is just tripy. but thanks to that research, people who have had children before left comments going “yessss, i remember feeling that” or “god, this was my sister in this scene, it sucks”. Its that relatability i mentioned before that really helps and it makes the story more believable.

(this is just my personal opinion mainly here feel free to ignore) when it comes to smut, write what you know and not what you fantasize about. im not calling anyone out but i can tell from how someone writes sex that they never had it and they are most likely younger than me. i’ve experimented a lot in my 25 years of life and i find myself going “oh sweetie, thats not how the vagina/anus works” when i read fics sometimes. there are guides online that are very informative and tell you what the feelings are like that you would expect. dont rely on porn too much on how sex works physically, maybe for dialogue. (i think of porn as just live action fanfics for the human mating ritual fandom). its okay to use other smuts as reference tools as well, especially if you dont know anything of the bdsm lifestyle.

beta readers help a lot. if you are unsure of ideas that you have, talk it out with a friend. I sometimes do this for myself or help others with their fics. its actually a lot of fun with a group of people where you just keep shooting off ideas together about stuff and just go all out fangirlling to the point you are rolling on the ground smiling. this can help with writers block or motivate you to keep writing. also having another pair of eyes to look at your fics, not just for corrections but for input on the story can help make it better. someone can see things from a different angle and point stuff out to you, plot holes or things that you can add.

im not sure what else to say other than stuff like format and spacing. sometimes i see people who write too long of paragraphs or there is no clear separation between them. thats killer on the eyes and makes me not want to read at all cause all i see is this wall of text thats just overwhelming. i want to call who ever formatted textbooks cause thats how they do it and it makes it so hard to concentrate on reading and absorbing the info. if i see fics with no clear breaks or long running paragraphs, i usually give up half way cause i just cant do it. its hard to keep track where you are reading and you start trying to focus on it too much that the story is just lost on me. it is hard on people like me who have dyslexia (who ever called it that is just cruel to people who have it cause you can never spell it without spell check and pronouncing it is just ugggh) 

i hope this helps

[welshdragonrawr]

For the Valentine's Day asks: 1-5, 7-11, 13-17, 19, 20, 22-27, 29-33, 35, 39, 41-43, 44 (fuck, marry, kill: Amanda, Audrey, Ally), 47-49 pleeeeeeease?? I know I said I wouldn't request a million but I'm a curious bean hehe ;)

Seeing as it is actually Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d finally answer these. Under the cut, because it’s a loooooong post and I didn’t want to overtake peeps’ dash. Well here goes;

(Also, the post format messed up, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix them because this already took ages so they’re just in the order asked and I bolded answers so they stand out)

do you have a crush on anyone? - I do indeed, and I am fairly certain they are well aware of it ;)

what’s your favorite candy? - It changes all the time because I have such a sweet tooth but right now chocolate-wise it’s probably cadbury or kinder chocolate, and actual candy probably haribo (tangfastics to be precise)

favorite love song? - There are too many to choose from or list here but right now it’s probably still ‘Wasteland Baby’ by Hozier, You Are In Love by Taylor Swift, or for entirely cheesy reasons a certain someone might know Hero by Enrique Iglesias 

what was your first kiss like? - Terrible because I didn’t know what I was doing and was with entirely the wrong person at the wrong time and I didn’t know it then

what was your last kiss like? - If it’s the one I’m allowed to think of in this context, pretty damn good ;)

do you prefer poems or love letters? - Both - I can’t decide, because I love anything remotely like that, when someone goes to the length of composing something like either of those because they were thinking of me? Incredible! 

favorite fanfic trope? - Slow-Burn if that counts, with a side order of fake dating or mutual pining, potentially both at once heheh 

have you ever been in love? Mayyyybeeee, maybe I aaaaam, I’ll just have to let you ponder that one ;)

favorite milkshake flavor? - Chocolate brownie, even if I can’t have too much because then it gets sickly but in small quantities? Yesssss! Or cookies&cream in any variation

dinner dates or brunch dates? - This one was tough because I don’t really have any experience with either, but I think Brunch dates, and not just because I would have much much less anxiety about awkward food ordering and stuff, plus I feel like Brunch dates have much less formal expectation about them, and you have the rest of the day after to do more things if you want to!

favorite perfume/cologne?  - Probably the Ghost one that has a bottle shaped like the moon, or Good Girl by Caroline Herrera (the bottle looks like a high heel?)

favorite candle scent? - There’s a seasonal Yankee Candle one they do around Christmas time that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me right now, but it’s just the right kind of sweetness in the air when you have it burning for a lil while? If I ever remember what it is I’ll come back and edit this post haha

what’s your ideal first date? - I’m not really sure, because all types of dates make me nervous especially first dates haha. I’d like to leave it up to the other person to decide what we do, as long as I could treat them in some way with whatever it is/wherever we go? 

favorite love story? - Are we talking classics or fandom or...? What currently springs off the top of my head though is Hades & Persephone - I’m convinced he didn’t ‘steal her’ to be a dick, he stole her away to somewhere cool and calm away from the pressures and terrors of life on the surface so she could catch her breath for a couple months, and can we blame her? And he makes her his Queen, like - if he was gonna be mean, he could have made her his slave, or his concubine or his pet or something, but instead he gave her his whole world to rule with him. Sounds like a better guy than that bastard ol’ Zeus, no? (Historians/Classics students please don’t fight me) 

what’s the most attractive thing a person could wear? - Happiness. Doesn’t matter to me whether you’re wearing a trash bag, or a Chanel dress or your faded ol’ pjs or not a single thread. So long as you’re happy and you’ve got that glow about you and that bright shine in your eyes? Yeah..

snow, rain, or sun? -  I love all three for different reasons (I’m indecisive, don’t judge me, or do) give me a snow day with my dog or my lover with hot chocolate and snowmen and flurries out the window, or an afternoon reading inside while it rains with blankets and a cup of tea, or a sunny afternoon walk with just the right amount of cool breeze to keep it balmy but bright? Yes please. But again, if I had to choose, probably rain... Because I live in England for one thing, but there’s something so comforting about the rain.

sweetest romantic memory? - My partner at the time took me to a second-hand bookshop and let me browse the stacked shelves as long as I liked, and I found a hardback copy of a book by a fave author but it was too expensive so just admired it and put it back, then when my birthday rolled around 2 weeks later, they turned up with that same book they had gone back for without telling me as a surprise gift

fictional crushes? - Cordelia Goode, Theo Crain, Mildred Ratched, I could keep listing but that means we’d be here forever and if you’ve been following me long enough you probably already know anyway...

what’s your dream wedding like? - This would need a whole post on its own to answer if I could actually be decisive and sit down with some thought over it. But alas... I don’t really know, I’d like things to be somewhat fancy and romantic, but I’d also like for it not to feel all stuffy and super serious like, that everyone can have fun and be a little goofy and a little merry and not have to worry about oh am I doing this certain thing right or feeling all self-conscious while dancing. So I’m not really sure how to narrow it down into specific details or events...? Except, there’s a really dumb nerdy part of me that wants to be able to do the cake slicing with a sword rather than a knife. Because reasons. 

what makes you blush? - Too much. Usually compliments. 

do you believe in love at first sight? - I believe in *attraction* at first sight, and *affection* you find or work for later. 

do you believe in soulmates? - Yeah, but I also believe a soulmate doesn’t have to be someone you’re in love with or a romantic partner, a soulmate can just as easily be a friend you keep on keeping on through this silly little game of life with, y’know? You’ve both been dealt shitty hands, but you’d be willing to share each others cards to get through, and some other cheesy af analogies...

denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomber jackets? - Leather jackets, tho technically I have worn and do wear all three so - I hoard jackets like some people hoard shoes and handbags, it’s a problem

are you single? - if you know you know, and that’s the that on that ;)

do you prefer to charm, or be charmed? - Both? I love to see the look on a partners face when they’re charmed, all blushing and cute and sparkly eyes and big smiles - I think I like to be charmed too but I would also get suuuuper awkward and not sure what to do with it or in response to it because I’m not used to being on the receiving end of attention like that?

guitar or piano? - I love both, and girls who can play either/both are heavensent sirens who can have me under their spell for hours (I think it’s the hand thing again, see?) but if I had to choose it would have to be Piano.

favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)? - Um... Does Love & Other Drugs count? Or Imagine Me And You - I’m not big on too many ‘traditional’ rom-coms because they make me cringe way too often, and often not in a good way, but there’s sometimes the odd one I enjoy! (Though I must admit, being British, Bridget Jones and Love Actually are like, historical treasures so...)

do you fall in love easily? - Nope. I mean, do I love people easily? Yeah I try to give the best of myself to the people I cherish as much as possible. But do I *fall in love* easily? Nah, takes a while before this oblivious lil heart realises it.

would you prefer to propose or be proposed to? what’s your dream proposal? - Oh gosh, honestly, I don’t know... I’m one of those people that *love* to do anything and everything to bring a smile to my partner’s face and make them happy and there’s just something so magical about seeing their face light up and their eyes sparkle, y’know? So I feel like I would want to do that by giving them the perfect proposal for them (but on the flipside this means I would also be incredibly *terrified* of ever doing it remotely wrong/not exactly how they wanted it, or getting the wrong kind of ring or all of that plethora of details and minutiae that could be messed up ahha). But also, I kinda wouldn’t mind being proposed to either? Like I’m so used to taking care of other people, it might be nice, at the risk of sounding like a bad pokemon promo. to have that validation of someone else saying ‘I choose you’ y’know? As for dream proposal, much like dream wedding, I’m not entirely sure? As long as it’s memorable and with the one I love? (Which is such a cop-out answer) I honestly don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it, probably because I never really thought it was happen so I figured why think about something that’s never gonna happen ahhah. Somewhere picturesque I guess? So I could really capture the picture in my mind for the rest of my lifen, not like for a social media photo post or any of that shit but just for myself to look back on, if any of that essay ramble makes any sense. 

kittens or puppies? - How DARE- Nope. It’s both. I’m sorry but it’s both. They are both adorable AF and I will love and pet and cherish them all. 

favorite soda? - Cola I guess? And don’t try to rope me into the Pepsi V Coke thing, because honestly I like both for different reasons and choosing one over the other seems silly when either of them tastes good if you’ve got enough whiskey or rum in them ;) 

do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window or lying dramatically over the sofa? - I rather like doing both tbf, but if I’m gonna be honest, give me ‘cosied up under a blanket, with a mug of hot tea/coffee gazing wistfully out the window at whatever weather is going on outside, any day.

favorite ABBA song? - How dare you - umm... Slipping Through My Fingers or The Winner Takes It All because I am at heart a soppy dramatic fool.

fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of your choice) - You meanie, how dare you make me decide such a thing. Buuuut Fuck Ally (cuz you just *know* that canon wlw got some mooooves), Marry Amanda (because she seems like someone I could get along with in all the day to day stuff y’know? Like, I could settle down with her, you feel me?) and don’t hate me but you asked the question but Kill Audrey (*runs and hides*)

do you think about love a lot? - Yeah, I think so, in all its different incarnations. As a writer I’m kinda obligated to? But I think I think about it even when I’m not super aware of it or the reasons for or why. 

a walk in the park or a walk on the beach? - It’s a tough once because I love it when the light filters *just so* through trees and looks so pretty, but the beach has the lapping waves and soft sand to walk on and pretty colours at sunsets and sharing ice creams/chips/doughnuts/pretzels and- Yeah so beach probably.

hand kisses or nose kisses? - Hand kisses, fo’sho, because haaaands

[dansnaturepictures]

11/10/2020-Phalarope paradise at Pennington: The 10 pictures in this photoset different to those I tweeted just now 

As you may have seen we went to Bushy Park yesterday on our big wildlife watching and photography trip which is a part of a day trip we do every year which I loved and was one of the best times of our year without a doubt. I always try to not do trips like that further afield with so many photos and sightings on a Sunday and have to go to work the next day (even when it’s working from home) it just makes me tired and hard to find motivation for the morning and fully cool down from the trip a bit so after the weather putting us off Bushy last Saturday Bushy was locked in for yesterday. On Friday we learned of the mega bird a Wilson’s Phalarope with Grey Phalaropes at Pennington in the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve at the foot of the New Forest. We instantly knew we’d go there today then we didn’t even have to decide. In hindsight I can say that phalaropes do stay around a few days it seems when they do turn up as they are always birds blown in by Atlantic storms on migration and that’s how they end up in Britain they stay a few days to feed up before flying off again. But I have got to say I did just have a little feeling of slight desperation last night as every tweet I clicked on seemed to be have a picture of the Wilson’s Phalarope! Which is remarkable in itself really. 

People from Hampshire and far and wide (as we observed in person here today for the latter) were coming to my beloved local and one of my favourite nature reserves and getting criminally close views of this very rare and stunning bird and the Grey Phalaropes that I needed to see for my year list too. I just had in my head that I’d feel maybe a bit bad if I missed it being at one of my spots but I had one of my best times of the year at Bushy so I would never have regretted going there and I would not have swapped it for the world yesterday. And finishing the weekend off at Pennington worked it’s a trip much more suited to a Sunday being half an hour to forty five minutes away from us. And I have a feeling yesterday in terms of social distancing many people would be there. Today it’s a Sunday so perhaps some people do other things and there were not hoards here today and it was easy to socially distance when here today. The feelings of “I want to go and see this” gave me interesting twitcher’s vibes. 

So with the strong memories of Bushy still engulfing me in amazement of the experience yesterday I was also so excited to get back to Pennington for the first time since last month on a very sunny afternoon today. I took the first three pictures in this photoset of nice views here today. As we walked down to fishtail lagoon the one that usually always hosts the rare birds interestingly here where the Wilson’s Phalarope had been seen we got binoculars views over the lagoon and noticed a phalarope fly and land by a bank. It was so tall compared the grey and red-necked we are familiar with which the Wilson’s is so we were sure this was the bird. 

We then got down to the lagoon on the pathway and walked towards some people. To our delight right beside the path in the channel south of the lagoon was one of the two Grey Phalaropes around! Like we had seen of one further down here in 2017 we got stunning views of it. It really was so close, it did not seem bothered by people at all. It was simply amazing views and I loved watching it swim down the channel. My first of the year. 

The Wilson’s Phalarope had flown out into the lagoon so we looked for it. Someone then spotted it by the fence of the lagoon coming into the channel further up. The channel is a flooded bit of ground outside of the fence really. We walked down and were astounded to see it right beside us in the water as it swam in and out of reeds. We got absolutely stunning and remarkable views of it. I took the fourth and fifth pictures in this photoset of this incredible bird. This one wasn’t bothered by people either and we just saw this smashing and beautiful bird so close. It was a dreamlike experience to see a bird like this so close. Special stuff. I was in my element watching it as phalaropes do swim up and back along the channel. It showed off its attractive yellow legs at certain points and got on with what it was doing without a care in the world. It even tried to get back through the fence onto the main lagoon at one point which was interesting to see. 

So this is a new bird for me, my sixth this year now only one behind how many I saw last year and level with how many I saw in 2017. It’s my 272nd bird in my life and with the Grey Phalarope my first of the year today takes my bird year list to 186. So my year list is still solidly my third highest ever for amount seen on this date behind last year and 2018, I am only four behind my 2017 total now. But this for seeing a new bird this was something else. The last time I got views this good for a new species I think was my first Crested Tits at RSPB Loch Garten in the Cairngorms in January 2018 and the Barred Warbler at Titchfield Haven weeks before it at the end of 2017. It was telling it was a good view of a new bird as for the pictures I took of it I didn’t use my bridge camera so long distance specialist once but used my DSLR and big lens the whole time it was that close which this camera and lens is so good for usually to see something new now it’s gotta be rare like this was so it’d be a long way away but that’s not always how it works with phalaropes. They are known to be approachable because they can be a bird of the wilderness in their natural range so are less used to humans so seeing them come and behave like this here is quite something. 

We walked on up to Keyhaven lagoon and back noting decent numbers of Wigeon and Shoveler which was really interesting to see some coming in for the winter now, we also got chatting to some lovely people as we did for the whole walk and twitch today who pointed out a Peregrine to us the first we had seen for a while. We also took in some great views as the sun came back after going in a bit including the sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset. When we walked back beside fishtail lagoon the Grey Phalarope was still parading up and down in the channel of water so close to us. We took in more stunning views of this beautiful bird that we missed seeing last year but was now my eighth occasion of seeing one, once in 2009 here, twice here in 2017 as well as at Blashford Lakes and Hayling Island oysterbeds that autumn, twice in 2018 on the River Itchen at Riverside Park and here the next day the same day we saw another new bird the Temminck’s Stint and now today. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of this lovely bird. It was so close I had the idea to take some phone videos of the bird. 

We walked up to the proper channel of water east of fishtail lagoon where followed by observers the Wilson’s Phalarope had moved to. We got more sensational views of it here coming so close to many of us swimming along and I took phone videos of this too all of which I shared posts of from my Instagram earlier and tweeted whilst out today many people were doing the phone videos it was an interesting quirk of this twitch symbolic as another person remarked of how incredibly close the bird was to us. It was so delightful to watch the Wilson’s Phalarope as the bird swam about in the later afternoon sunlight. A real fantastic autumnal moment and stunning birdwatching one. I took the ninth and tenth pictures in this photoset of the Wilson’s Phalarope. A great vibe and atmosphere we were all so in aw of the bird. 

Before we left we saw the Ruff with a white head that we saw here our first of the year in February with another of its kind which was nice I tweeted a picture of that. This ended one of my best and happiest times of the year this weekend and ever. I saw sensational wildlife and views and took so many pictures. The two trips further afield and local complimented each other so well I think. It was two perfect high standard days to follow each other in great weather. Such joyful times I shall never forget this weekend! Thanks so much for sharing it with me and all your appreciation shown. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. Have a nice week.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first ever Wilson’s Phalarope, my first Grey Phalarope of the year, two of my favourite birds the Peregrine Falcon and Little Egret, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, great view of an Oystercatcher and many more, Lapwing, lots of Curlews which was nice, Ringled Plover, Turnstone, Redshank, Wigeon, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, Coot, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, lots of late Swallows today which was nice to see flying around, Pied Wagtail and Large White butterfly. 

[fanfictionfortheappreciative]

Support Group - Chapter Two

Ao3 link :)

CHAPTER 2

My whole morning was just like regular. Breakfast in the main hall, where I ate too much food as a force of habit - when my brain realized food was free and in large numbers, it made a connection to the times I had been forced to starve in my closet for days, and from that moment I hoarded food into my body. The consequences of this were that I would be walking around with a tummy ache all morning, but the upset stomach was still way easier than going against the childhood trauma. 

After breakfast we went to the common room, and hung out in there. Yes, we were all traumatized young adults who fought and won a war, but we were also still kids, and being lazy on a Saturday is just an important part of being a student. So, while Hermione was searching through flyers and applications for job positions and study possibilities - we still did not know how to get her to relax, although being with Ron had helped a bit - Ron and I were lazily sitting on the couch looking through some albums of the Chudley Cannons, while ignoring the Transfiguration essay that had to be done by Monday. 

It was a normal Saturday, but the support group flyer kept appearing in my thoughts. Who had put it there? Which of the Slytherins would it be, and mostly, who would show up? It was not a secret, you know, that everyone still struggled and some people were in need of more support than they were getting. It wasn’t a secret, and not even taboo to talk about really, but it just felt weird to openly share some of the stuff your mind goes through. Nobody wants to remind each other of those bad times, and if your sharing of memories could awaken traumatic feelings in someone else, why not keep them to yourself?

So that is why most talks and memories were shared on late nights, with one of your best friends, while the rest was a sleep. Hushed whispers about nightmares that kept appearing, the people you missed and the way Hogwarts had changed. Late, silent nights.

Thatś why this sudden appearance of a so-called Support Group was… Out of the ordinary, and sparked my curiosity. Maybe I would drop by, say hello and goodbye and leave again, just to see what it was about. But then, they might expect me to share war memories, and that was definitely not something I would be up for. Sharing was a sore subject for me, something I barely even did with Hermione and Ron. Sometimes I did, when I woke up from a nightmare or came back from a flashback, cause I couldn’t just not tell them anything, but the days and weeks I felt hollow and numb 24/7? There was no use in telling them. They would just feel guilty about not being able to help, and apart from numb and hollow, regret would also be added to my emotions.

The rest of morning I spent weighing curiosity against anxiety, and when lunchtime came I still had not made up my mind. That was, until Neville walked over, came sitting next to us and started talking.

“Hey guys! What are you doing today? I was considering homework, but I think I can postpone that til tomorrow, don’t you? Anyway, did you see the new posters? The support group thing? It’s surprising huh?” He grabbed a croissant, put it in his mouth, and looked at us, expectantly. 

I didn’t dare reply, as I had not yet made up my mind, but Hermione had already opened her mouth. 

“I saw, yes. I don’t think it’s that surprising at all, Neville. In fact, creating a group where people can go when they need help is wonderful.” 

“Oh, so are you gonna go?”, I asked, carefully not revealing any interest in my voice. If Hermione was going, then I could just tag along with her, and if both of us were there maybe people wouldn’t expect me to talk. I could just be the quiet Boy who Lived and she’d be the representative of our trio adventures. 

“Don’t think so, no. I’m a little busy with all these program applications and to be honest if I ever want to talk I can just go to you two or Ginny, you know”.

She had a point, most of the people in our circle had enough friends or family to go to when in need. That’s why the Slytherin part was not that surprising; they often did not have these connections. Still, with my very close group of friends, I still had nowhere to go or vent. I talked to Sirius and Remus sometimes. I would sneak out of bed at 2 am, not being able to sleep, and go to look at the stars. Sometimes I could actually see Sirius up in the sky. Sitting there, I would start talking and talking about what was keeping me awake, and although it helped, there was not any response, and I think I needed a response.

Sitting at the lunch table I thought about Sirius, about the late night one-way talks, and about the fact that if they were alive, any of them, they would want me to seek a response.

So right there and then, I decided I would go.

“I’m going, yes”, I blurted out. It got me some weird looks.

“I did not know you were that into therapy and support? When did that happen, mate?”, Ron asked me, rightfully so.  We both weren’t the touchy feely type. 

“Yeah, I know… I’m just curious, and maybe some people will appreciate me being there”. Shit. Was that too cocky? I saw Hermione looking at me observingly, but I did my best to avoid her glance and tried to recover myself. 

“You know, cause maybe not everyone is comfortable sharing their stories, cause they uhh, feel like it wasn’t that bad, but if I share something light but bothersome, you know, they might think  ‘Oh, if Harry Potter shares that, I can share this’, right?”, I proposed. This wasn’t going smoothly, but they seemed convinced and Hermione’s look stopped being intense. Phew.

 “Yeah, guess so”, Neville continued “Maybe I’ll go as well, but not this time… Still a little awkward for me… With the snake and stuff”, he finished. Neville grabbed another two croissants and left the table, walking over to Ginny and starting a conversation there. Ron and Hermione picked up the conversation on Hermione’s study programs abroad, but I did not pay attention anymore. I had made my decision, and I was gonna hold myself to it. Support group it was, then.

It was five minutes to three when I made my way to the Charms classroom. I didn’t want to be early, but I wanted to be late even less. It would have been a bit too ‘Harry’ of me to stumble in 10 minutes late to a war support group and be like “Hey guys, I’m the savior”. Could not do that. Very inappropriate. 

-

The classroom had been adjusted to a more welcoming setting, which had been achieved by moving the school banks in a circle and having no one sit at McGonagall's desk, which was smart,  I don't think she would have liked that. On the board was written in chalk, in a very classy handwriting:

"Support group: first meeting. Introduce yourself. Share information in the manner you want. Listen to others. Feel free."

-

A good message, a little cold maybe, but good. Walking into the classroom, it appeared that despite my efforts of being casual, I still was one of the earliest people there. Better than being late. Most of them were young students, the kids who had been first and second years during the battle. There were about three of them, all Hufflepuff, gathered around at a single desk. They looked vulnerable, and I felt slightly impressed by their bravery of showing up to an event like this. In my second year, there were amazingly many things I would have done, and did, to avoid talking about my problems. To be fair, with the snake and all, I shouldn’t blame myself for that.

The other people looked as they had come here on their own. A few Slytherins, around my age, or 7th years. I’d expected them. It was their meeting. Still, there was tension. Blaise was there, his dark eyes looking down at the desk, focused on picking the grout out of the wooden cracks. A few others were next to him, the Slytherin kids who always used to hang around Snape. Then there was Luna, which surprised me, but only a little. Distracted as always, she was talking to the moving cat pictures that were on McGonagall's desk, and they seemed to be talking back. Curious.

There didn’t seem to be anyone who was taking charge, I noticed. The person who wrote the message on the board couldn’t be one of these kids, right?  Maybe they tried to be casual, just like me, and were actually succeeding at it, I thought. Although, the briefness of all the messaging did seem to belong to a strict person. Well, nothing to do but wait. 

“Hello everyone, good to see you all, I’m, uhm, Harry”, and as I spoke I realized that I did not have to introduce myself to these people. And that I was an idiot.

“We know Potter, I think we noticed you sometime last year”, Blaise snickered, but not in a mean-spirited way, just regular, Slytherin sarcasm.

I had learned to understand it, a little. It wasn’t like I was never sarcastic, I’d just always thought the Slytherins were mean and cruel. But in actually talking to them, I’d discovered they were blunt and full of jokes that only they understood, but without ill intent. Most of the time, that is.

“Well it said introduce yourself,” I tried to recover, “and after that to share information the way I want to. So, er, hi I’m Harry, and the war still really sucks?” Apparently it had become absolutely impossible for me to act normal and casual anymore. Lovely. 

The Hufflepuff kids looked up at me in a confused admiration. They whispered something to each other.

“This is Nicky, this is Mary, and I’m Robb, and we think the war sucks too”. It was a little black haired boy who said this, bright eyes and dark features. He couldn’t be older than 13. How were these kids so cool? 

“Thanks Robb,” I responded, “does anyone know when our host is coming in? I don’t want to act like this whole ‘the war sucks’ thing is me taking over the meeting… Do you guys have infor-” 

“Terribly sorry to be late everyone. Extremely bad manners, I know. I hope you all have made yourself comfortable and have had the opportunity to introduce yourselves a little. I’m not sure it is neccesary, but nontheless I shall introduce myself as well. My name is-” 

 “Draco?”,  I blurted out, quite suddenly and loudly.

“Well yes, Draco it is, thanks for the introduction, Potter.’ He said this with a tone of amused surprise, and not the snark I was used to, and might even have deserved in this situation. Attempt number three of acting normal, ruined that too.

“I’m, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just, not what I was expecting and all that. Please continue”, I responded in my most civil tone, trying to show him, and everyone else, that I was not going to have a duel with Draco right here right now. 

“Thanks, will do. Anyway, hereby I open our first group session of post-war support, there’s tea in the corner and I’d love to hear everyone’s names. Let’s get started, yes?”

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

House Of Cards || K.SJ || 1

THE PEGASUS TRIBE

Pairing : Kim Seokjin X Reader

Genre : nothing specifically yet

Summary : When a war threatens the world of Mythica, the four greatest tribes are forced to work together in order to defeat the darkness. You and Jin are fr two different tribes, two different backgrounds, and are expected to stand together in order to save everyone you love. Will you two put aside your diffrences in order to save the world or will you fail?

Wordcount: 1.1k

Info Chapter | House Of Cards Masterlist | Next

"Hyung, hurry up, the eldest called every one." Taehyung said as he popped his head trough the door before dissapearing again.

" What will they have to say?" Jin asked his Pegasus as he cleaned up the brushes he was using.

Maybe it's about the war. Sapphire shared her toughs with him.

" I hope that it's over then." Jin replied.

The war has barely started Jin, and we better prepare to run. She shared her toughs again before she went back to eating.

" Well, whatever it is, I'm about to hear it. See you later Sapphire!" Jin yelled to his light bleu pegasus before running off to the main building where everyone was currently in.

" Tae, what's all this about- Isn't that Jairzinho? The leader of the Dragon tribe?" Jin asked as Taehyung nodded.

" Yes, and I'm not sure about what it is either," Taehyung said as their tribe leader started talking.

" Silence please! " Their leader yelled as everyone calmed down. 

"Pegasus tribe members, as your soulmates all feel, war is approaching. And as natural prey, we do not stand a chance in natural survival." Hiu spoke, making everyone wishper in worry.

Jin and Taehyung exchanged worried looks.

" That is why we will be staying in the Dragon Lands, under the protection of the Dragon tribe!" Their leader yelled, trying to be above the volume of the now excited chit chatting.

Jin and Taehyung looked at each other with wide excited eyes. The Dragon lands were the most beautiful lands in the whole world, as far the maps of Bangtan would go. 

" Silence!" The booming voice of the Dragon tribe leader got them to quiet down in seconds.

" Remember that you will stay in the Dragon lands because it's dangerous here. This will mean that there'll be no partying, and no funny business. Also if one of you decide to be funny or for the youth if you try to act cool, you will directly be kicked out." Jairzinho said, everyone nodding.

"The Unicorn tribe will be traveling with us. They will arrive in five days. Pack up, because we will be leaving in one week. Don't take stuff with you what you won't need. We don't know for how long we'll stay there, so please overpack. We'll go by horse, so don't make it too heavy please. That was all." Hiu said.

Taehyung looked at Jin before both of them walked back to the stables.

" War is really approaching, huh." Taehyung sighed, breaking the silence.

" I geuss. Seems like Sapphire and Phoenix were correct."Jin said as Taehyung sighed deeply.

" Oh no, he'll press on it forever." Taehyung huffed, his shoulders sagging.

He kept mumbling as he stopped by his pegasus' stall. The pegasus nudged Taehyung with his nose and neighed just like Taegyung had expected. Jin walked over to his pegasus and started to put everything in the sadle bags.

I assume we were correct. Sapphire tough as Jin nodded.

"Yes, we're leaving in one week." He sighed.

Where are we going? She asked.

"The Dragon lands, I'm not sure which part." Jin said, Sapphire neighing in response and batted her wings as if she was ready to bolt.

Dragons?! Are you humans crazy? They will eat us! Sapphire tough, pacing around in her stable.

" They can't, we're protected by the Dragon tribe." Jin told her, which made her calm down a bit.

We better be. She neighed stubbornly.

Jin smiled as he started packing up her brushes.

-

"What?!"

"No!"

"You have to be kidding me!"

All sorts of negative responses came from the Dragon tribes members. They were supposed to share their home with the Pegasus' and Unicorn tribe members? That was so unfair.

" Silence! As dragon riders we are to take responsibility of giving protection to those who need and deserve! What is wrong with all of you?!" Jairzinho screamed over them, which got them to calm down.

" And we are not the only people who will take humans and animals in. The Phoenix tribe will too. That was all, you're dismissed." He said as he stepped off the podium and walked away.

" Yoongi won't like this." Namjoon told you as soon as everyone was dismissed.

" What makes you think that?" You ask him.

" He hates babysitting. You're the only kid here who he has got a soft spot for." He said.

" Hey! I'm not a kid, I'm 24 years old." You told him offended.

" You're a kid in my eyes." A voice of your right told you. 

You both turned to see Yoongi and Jungkook walk your way. Yoongi with a grim expression while Jungkook looks rather excited.

" I take that you both heard the news." You told them as they nodded.

" I can't wait till they arrive! It'll be so fun to finally meet other people." Jungkook smiled, jumping up and down in excitement.

" Why am I the kid when he's jumping up and down?" You huffed.

" What will you do when they're girls?" Namjoon smirked at the boy.

Jungkook seemed to be deep in tough before shrugging.

" Yeet off to the Phoenix nests'." He smiled.

You shook your head.

" You're crazy. Anyway, I'm gonna go inform Beansprout of our visitors." You told them before walking off.

Beansprout was your poisonous/venomous dragon. He was black all over with green belly plates and green accents on his wings allong with two spikes which he usually used to hang upside down. He had spikes running over his spine and was unlike his appearance, a real softie. You had first met each other when you were ten and had chosen the silly name as a joke, not knowing that that would be his name until the end. You smiled as you spotted rabbits and squirrels greeting you or simply hopping by, a sign that you were close to his hoard. 

" Hey Beansprout! How was your day?" You smiled as you walked into the dark cavern.

A deep grumble was your response, signaling that you just woke him up from his beauty sleep.

" You're such a lazy butt- sorry!" You sqeuked as you almost accidentally stepped on a rabbit.

Not your fault, your dragon's cave is so deep under the ground that it's always dark there, the only light coming from the clear bleu water which had small fish in it. And yes, rabbits are a part of Beansprout's hoard. Allong with other small herbivore animals, you weren't sure why, but from what you know, he had a soft spot for small animals.

My day was fun. I slept trough it, did you do anything important? He asked as he came down from the ceiling, for some reason he always upside down, if you didn't know better you would of tough that this cave was dragon free.

" Well, you already knew that war is nearing, and you were for some reason, right. So there's a chance that we're gonna be baby sitters." You told him.

He grumbled.

" I know isn't it the greatest thing ever." You said sarcastically.

Almost as great as being stuck with you. He sassed.

" Thanks, I love you too." You smiled at him.

[jq37]

The Report Card -- Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 1

Sophomores and Spring Break 

Note: Hey guys! I decided to try something a little bit different and slightly more structured than my usual recaps for FH: Sophomore Year. I’m hoping this will be a little easier for me and a more useful tool for keeping up to date since there will be a lot more eps to keep track of and they’ll be easier to miss. Lemme know what you think and if you want raw, unfiltered opinions on anything specific, feel free to send me an ask. I’m always down to go off about literally whatever. 

We’re back, baby! It is Sophomore Year at Aguefort and the gang is on Spring Break. A lot is going down so lemme break it down. The Bad Kids, having defeated Kalvaxus last year, are all entitled to a share of his hoard and all the red tape is finally cleared so they all get 20k gold each (which is an insane amount of money converted to USD if you use the WOTC conversion rate of a gold coin being around $145 (circa 2006 when they answered the question)--which would be close to $330 with inflation). Jawbone and Sandra-Lynn are moving in after less than a year into a profoundly haunted house and it’s kind of a Full House situation because Adaine, Fig, Kristen, and Tracker all officially live there (plus it seems that Zayn has also anchored himself to Adaine’s tower--btw, Adaine took the tower that the haunted house obviously has) and you know all the other Bad Kids are gonna be there on the regular. 

More importantly, Aguefort gives the gang their big project for the year--finding the crown of the Nightmare King which was stolen at the end of last season--which is worth 60% of their grade (Adaine does a full Hermione at this information). Each of the gang has info about the NK but the trail has mostly gone cold. Luckily, Fabian just got a hot tip about where Falinel is keeping Aelwyn and she seems like a pretty good lead to start with since she was super tied up in the bad side of all the messiness of last year. Adaine is displeased to say the least. 

Going off to find the crown is super exciting story-wise for two reasons. First of all, it means the gang gets to hire, well, hirelings to help them and temporarily join the party! They ping basically every cool NPC they can think of (except for Tracker for some reason which is BONKERS because (1) she probably would have done it for free and cutting her in would still be keeping the money in the family, (2) she’s dope as hell, (3) she’s a cleric and the party can always use more healers, (4) she’s a werewolf so presumably she has skills that would help in the woods, and (5) they’re t r a c k i n g down a crown and the girl’s name is literally T R A C K E R, but I will not backseat D&D) and eventually end up with Ragh (who has been without an adventuring party all year, poor guy), Sandra-Lynn (swayed by a nat 20 rolled by Fig), Cathilda (!?) ,and, for some reason, Gilear (which Fabian is happy about, mainly for the opportunity to maybe bump him off on the way). Second of all, if you recall, Elmville is a pretty modern town but the rest of the continent is less fantasy high, more high fantasy. Horses and lanterns and all that pseudo-medieval goodness. They are gonna stick out like a sore thumb. I am very here for it. 

Everyone goes home to rest up but, after some ominous dreams, only four of them wake up. Riz and Fig are left asleep and then Brennan mic drops and ends the episode which is a power move and I am extremely upset about it but also, respect. Right for the jugular immediately. I heard Murph and Emily are on tour in the UK next week which probably has something to do with this but, in the moment, I did not know that and I really felt the hammer drop in my heart. It was wild. Cannot wait to see where we go from here. Plus, who doesn’t love watching characters freak out because their friends are in danger?

Random Thoughts

I have no idea what the title of this episode is or if it’ll even have one and not a number but I gave it a placeholder one for now. I also don’t have access to the stream yet so I didn’t get to include some info I wanted to (like a record of nat 20s, and nat 1s so I can track their stats for the school year) and I probably missed some stuff because my brain can only hold so much info guys. I’m not Brennan. 

I mentioned this yesterday during the stream, but there will never be anything better than the pure D&D joy of everyone, in character, talking over each other to clown on each other. They get the friend-group banter that’s a hair breadth’s away from bullying so true to life and it’s so fun to watch. On the flip side, the opening scene with everyone introducing themselves and affirmatively claiming each other as their best friends was also peak D&D. Found family= best trope. 

Fig and Adaine burn spell-slots at basically the same time to try and beat each other to the best room in the (Scooby-Doo ass) house--which is exactly the kind of thing that would happen in this world. It’s such an intuitive setting. I love it so much. (BTW, Fig ends up staying in the false space under the revolving grand piano because, of course).

Fabian and Gorgug went to recruit Ragh, who assumed they were propositioning him for a three-way. In his defense, they did do it in a super proposition-y way and they were in the middle of the LGBTQ student union.

Also, Gorgug gives Ragh an inspiring speech about thinking you’re your own dad which makes him burst into tears. 

Speaking of, Jawbone offhandedly says he’s poly but, like, based on some of the stuff he’s said, I feel like that’s not really a reveal. He also gets along well with Gorthalax and would be down w/ a three-way if Sandra-Lynn wanted to which, again, totally checks out. 

Arthur Aguefort uses Chronomancy to rewind time and catch a snide comment Adaine made under her breath, which is exactly the kind of frivolous use of God-like power I’d expect from him.  

I really love Adaine’s energy coming into this season. She’s in therapy. She’s in a good home environment. She’s comfortable enough with her friend group to do stuff like prank Fig (love that they’re gonna be living together now). And she’s good friends with Zayn now which I want to see more of based on their one interaction in this ep which was very cute. I am already on record as saying I would be down with her getting a ghost boyfriend--I mean, for the aesthetic alone--but I’d be happy with just more friendship. 

Fabian is also hilarious this season because you can tell he’s gone a bit soft from having friends and leaning into that (the friendship necklace with Riz) but also he’s fully aware that it’s happening so he’s, like, ping-ponging back and forth like, “These are my friends,” and, “What am I saying? I used to be cool,” and it’s very funny. Very happy the Aelwyn storyline is happening right out of the gate, both because I think Aelwyn is a very interesting character with a lot of potential for nuance but also because Fabian reacting to her and Adaine reacting to Fabian reacting to her is always gold. 

Prompted by an offhand conversation from Fig about rock and roll, Brennan--earning another feather for his Cap of God Tier DMing--goes on an impromptu five minute long improved diatribe about a bard who played such a good concert that it instantly impregnated everyone in attendance (dudes too) who gave birth to kids with sick rocker hair and denim jackets and ascended to Rock Heaven on their 18th Birthday. You truly have to watch it to believe it. At a certain point I thought he was gonna drop it but that was the moment he doubled down and kept going. Amazing. 

Watching Murph, in real time, make up a girl/boy/whateverfriend in Fantasy Canada was a gift. 

I don’t have access to the stream yet but best quote of the night that I can remember is Kristen choosing her room: This is triggering and I’ll take it. (Her line about her lesbian starter kit and the one about wanting a horse were also bangers). 

The group talks about what they’re going to do for transportation outside of Elmsville since they don’t really use cars out there and they somehow get from “disguise Fig’s tour bus” to “commission Aguefort to create a brand new animal that can hold six people plus hirelings, one of which is Fabian who is also riding his motorbike”.

I love that Sandra-Lynn’s Mom Powers work on Tracker. 

Basrar doesn’t accept the invitation to come with on the quest, but he does give Kristen a bag of infinite ice cream sandwiches, which is basically just as good, IMO. 

Oh Gilear. The man is sleeping in the Seacaster garage, being bullied by skater kids, and now he’s stuck on this quest with his ex and Fabian who actively wants him dead.  

Speaking of, I’m psyched to see more of Sandra-Lynn. She was kind of a sleeper badass at the end of last season. 

Ragh is keeping secrets which I hope the cast doesn’t forget because it could be nothing serious (like the high school drama happening with Skrank and the 7 maidens--maybe he’s just crushing on Gorgug who did full kiss him during Promocalypse) or it could be Serious Business that will blow up if the don’t stay on top of it. We’ll see. 

Oh, almost forgot. Adaine wants an emotional support frog. Every time I think I can’t love her more.   

Detention

Fig for Not Respecting Personal Boundaries

Fig goes full Emily right out the gate and, after finding out that Skrank (nerdy bird dude who apparently can get it) was not only dating Ostentasia (rich, popular dwarf) but also dumped her in pursuit of Danielle Barkstock (one of Ostentasia’s party members, the scandal), disguises herself as him with Danielle to figure out what’s going on. And, wouldn't you know it, when she gives herself away, Danielle immediately is shocked and appalled, as you would be, obviously. We also learn that she’s still catfishing Dr. Asha which is, how you say, for sure a crime. Fig, please, I’m begging you. Cease. 

Honor Roll

Fig, Riz, and Adaine for Researching the Nightmare King

Fig made both lists, look at that. Wasn’t my plan for this to be a three-way tie (also didn’t expect to use the word “three-way” this many times in this writeup) but I think their contributions were pretty much equally valuable. Rainsolo on the Discord wrote up this summary of the lore dump Brennan gave them.

[mmoxie]

im just really falling in love with my d&d campaign as it’s shaping up and i wanna talk about it

first: i invented a race called the Arcillans for this campaign- they’re long gone in the formal sense, leaving behind only a few “claymen” who have lost touch with the original Arcillan culture- these people have clay pots with animated faces on them for heads, and their bodies are hard clay on the outside, soft clay on the inside

with that in mind: i built this campaign around the idea that the players would climb up a mountain and meet a dragon and his horde

very, very classical stuff, based on hoard of the dragon queen, greenrest is a physical location in the world, but the similarities fall off fast

what’s coming next is for the benefit of my players, who i’ll be sharing this post with, but also please enjoy a rundown of the story if you’re just reading casually

this gets more detailed as we approach the end, because we’re approaching our first real climax in the story, and also because the session was literally last night and i remember all the cool shit my players did a lot better

here is a bulleted list of every major beat of the campaign so far:

exorcised a haunted house belonging to a ghost called Jean Jacques Francois Jackques-Jean, helped a mad scientist murder his colleague, murdered and resurrected a Grue using a cursed mace found in the attic

murdered a libertarian sorcerer named Cuke Caskins for trying to sell them magic wishes

nearly started a war with the dwarves in the name of liberating a big frog with a big ass (Bufotocks Bufotocken)

met and grew to loathe a prince (High Prince Groalde Apatosaurus Weedteen of the Grand Kingdom of Falconwreath) who was also questing up the mountain and raising all kinds of hell

met and grew to love an ancient djinn (Kludge Mansmoke) whose vessel was shattered and whose options were running thin

climbed to the dragon’s peak only to find the dragon (Bronze Broden) asleep

arranged a deal with its steward (Veil Guardian Atrix) to take some loot on loan

one piece of loot was a strange-looking baby dragon

descended to carry out the steward’s quest and got in trouble at a quarry

met a claymen pirate (Captain Potricia) with a lich (Terrigax the Nightbringer) in her fishtank

nearly freed that lich the moment they met it

descended into the quarry to meet the oldest living Arcillan (Quaestor)

turns out they share a consciousness with the steward on the peak

turns out the baby dragon is actually made of clay like they are!

the mountain abruptly collapses, causing the party to instantly die

they awaken in the afterlife to find a very handsome cowboy (Penn Ultimate) trying to help

he asks them some important questions and opens a door to the past

everything can change if they handle the idiot libertarian differently

turns out he has an insight into a phoenix conspiracy and our sorcerer, Tav’as, has a magical phoenix feather gifted to them from Kludge

he shows them how to make a phoenix compass and sends them away

one of the first people they met (Khoris Mosscloak) has slain a forest god and taken over

she likes the party, but they must pass her trial to continue following the compass

they pass, and are knocked into a shared dream upon passing

the owner of the phoenix feather in the compass seems to have a job, IN the dream, and offers further directions in exchange for getting her feather back

everyone finds some sort of insight or tool in the dream, and when it ends, they wake up in the subterranean chamber where they’d died

our paladin, Gumbo Tuggins, finds she no longer has the dragon like she expected to- somehow when the timeline reset it stayed with Quaestor

turns out the baby dragon serves as the command core for a hundred foot tall clay robot, called Quaestor’s Opus, which he helpfully uses to give everyone a ride to the surface

Opus sets the party outside the quarry and then Quaestor starts telling the claymen inside that it’s time to start making weapons!

unnerved but unable to address a giant robot, the party decides to seek the help of someone who’s been on the map from the very beginning- the Psychology Giant

the Psychology Giant turns out to be a living fortress from the ancient Arcillan era, who has seen it all and is very good about advice

in the middle of trying to talk with him, the Dwarves attack, seeking to satisfy an ancient grudge with the PG, who they think collapsed the mountain on their ancestors

breaking off one of the Wishing Horns he was granted from the libertarian’s goat in the first timeline, our druid Aloro casts a massive spell that causes the army to flee- all but their commanding officer (Qorporal Quaebo Qrang), who they turn on and shoot when he tries to order them to stay

Gumbo can’t allow Quaebo die despite everything, and rushes over to stabilize him- where it’s discovered that he has an astral skull biting his wrist, and that all dwarves are “half-astral” due to something terrible that happened in the past

they rush Quaebo to the hospital inside the mountain, getting their first taste of how the dwarves live- it’s pretty modern! there’s sports! there’s a restaurant full of oiled-up muscly dwarf men called Hunkers!

Quaebo- in a hospital bed recovering- focuses his attention on the party’s barbarian (Arkosa), who is haunted by a number of lingering spirits. the dwarves share that plight in a way- there’s a person on a lower level who’s known to help with separating the astral from the physical. go to him.

they descend and find Potzen Pans, an ancient Arcillan claiming to be the first Paladin, who is doing his duty diligently to separate necromantically-animated bones from astrally-entangled flesh, which essentially boils down to beating the piss out of dwarven undead with a big pike.

realizing he can’t just beat the ghosts out of the barbarian, Potzen leads the party down into The Sarcophagus, level 5 of the Dwarven city

it’s full of skeletons. they’re glowing with a radiance like the sun. it is revealed that years ago, a lich killed a great many people up and down the mountain to raise an army of “Sunlight Skeletons” and this was the great trauma that caused the boundary between astral and physical planes to run thin, and cause the dwarves to be “half-astral”

Potzen thinks that reuniting the physical remains (which have been made into sunlight skeletons) with the astral ghosts connected to Arkosa will give them peace and end Arkosa’s haunting

this process is interrupted by none other than Jean Jacques Francois Jackques-Jean, ol’ JJFJJ himself, checking on all the ruckus our party is making and revealing himself to be the supreme commander of the Sunlight Skeleton army

it is revealed that, rather gruesomely, he used to use the Bastard’s Bludgeon (an artifact Gumbo recovered from his mansion and later purified) to get the killing blow on people he was burning alive, so that their weak and sloppy flesh would wick away as ash and their sturdy skeleton could remain to serve in his army

he takes the purified Bludgeon back from Gumbo and casually curses it again

while he’s distracted with Gumbo, who has chosen to argue with him about the mace and get him monologuing, Arkosa is fixated on a single skeleton in the crowd

it’s injured in the same way as one of their ghosts, the one they call Scoops

following the moment of recognition, there’s an attempt for the astral and physical versions of Scoops to reconnect- but a JJFJJ-possessed Potzen smashes Scoops’s body with his pike and sends it flying into the crowd, which throws Astral Scoops into a screaming rage

very quickly, Arkosa starts learning things about these ghosts of theirs, and the ghosts seem to be learning things too- they’ve learned how to work as a team, and a rudimentary way of communicating with Arkosa

all of this proves very interesting and very distracting to JJFJJ, which allows Aloro- obsessed with JJFJJ’s identity as a lich- to focus on finding his phylactery

through some shenanigans involving a magic relic called the Cup of Context, Arkosa manages to “drink” a bit of JJFJJ, and for one minute of their life, understand literally everything about him

including the location of his phylactery, about 100 yards out, in the sea of skeletons

using this information, the party sets up a twofold distraction- Gumbo, Ash (our ranger), and Arkosa keep JJFJJ occupied, while Tav’as and Spyre, both Aaracokra, find different ways to fly into the crowd and cause the skeletons to freak out en masse and work themselves into an uproar

during this, Aloro wildshapes into a rat and rushes underfoot, using information passed to him from Arkosa by way of the spell Message

he approaches a strange building- the room is blindingly bright, but this little house with an open door seems completely black inside

it’s there he meets The Congruence, who is the true identity of all grues, the mind, heart, and soul that they all share

she is also, tragically, JJFJJ’s phylactery.

what follows is a Timed Under-Skeletons Escort Mission, as Aloro casts Darkness that The Congruence can latch onto, and the two slowly march through the army of skeletons, snuffing out the light of any they pass over

the confrontation with JJFJJ himself is getting intense, and as his curiosity grows about Arkosa, everything comes to a boil all at once

Arkosa’s spirits act as a chorus, unleashing a massive psychic scream from all ten of their mouths, causing an incredible 60 damage that utterly evaporates JJFJJ’s crisp, dapper-looking disguise

they’ve revealed a large, skull-faced lich full of shafts of sunlight, blinding to look upon and radiantly warm, draped in the traditional silks and sashes one would actually expect of a Fantasy Lich

they give him all they’ve got, but outside of inconveniencing him- and eventually breaking his hold on Potzen so that Potzen can smash 40 damage worth of pike into his ribcage- they simply aren’t doing damage that might kill him

but Aloro’s on the approach with the Congruence, and one last major attack- a grappling throw from Arkosa- sees JJFJJ thrown out over his army, where he hovers and- witnessing the chaos below- begins to panic as he realizes how much damage has been done to his skeletons and how much work he has to do

this buys the party time to escape the Sarcophagus together with Potzen and the Congruence, and plot their next move

somehow, some way, it’s time to go talk with Terrigax the Nightbringer.

this bulleted list wasn’t supposed to be over 60 bullets long but i guess we’ve done a lot in the name of dungeoning some dragons huh

anyway i’ve had a lot of fun and i love storytelling a lot and being a DM has been extremely rewarding

i look forward to my monday d&d sessions more than any other day of the week!

[3starsquinn]

Lessons Learned || Orion & Rebecca

(Backdate to 3/28/2020)

Location: Abandoned Scribe Headquarters

Summary: Rebecca comes to the Scribe headquarters looking for some information on spirits; Rio uwu’s over another Professor that he can grow attached to.

Time was running out. And Rebecca’s desperation had brought her to a place she thought she’d never stoop to. The Scribe headquarters. Though long abandoned, it still stood, hid behind lock and key, like the cooped up knowledge keepers they were. Pretending they were the master’s of the supernatural world, hoarding information behind steely eyes and pretentious attitudes. She’d never really gotten along with them, but after they’d throw her under the bus for their own, she’d found that loath rising up every time she thought about it. Though it would have been easy to blame them for what happened to Theo, she could never bring herself to fully do that. She knew Theo’s death was her own fault, but the sting of it was still there, as she pushed the doors open and found her way in, surprised they were unlocked. Then again, the place was hidden by magic. Rebecca was just lucky that it was still in the same place, from the last time she’d tracked the headquarters down with some help from a local ex-Scribe.

The inside of the place was just as she’d remembered it, as if it hadn’t aged a day in three years, or however long she’d been gone. Keeping track of time was still difficult. She had to often use Theo’s headstone as reference for how long ago things happened. Ignoring the thought, she went about her way, finding the section they’d been to ages ago on demons, ghosts, and ancient rituals. And got to work. She hardly noticed someone approaching her, she was so hyper focused on her work, jotting down notes left and right and stacking piles of books around her.

Orion had mostly gotten over his panic attacks from people intruding in his safe space. He had his fair share of people inside of the Scribe headquarters at this point. He returned to the abandoned building from the store, an optimistic attempt at purchasing some lights and candles to make the place a bit more visible considering the lack of electricity and never-ending darkness that seemed to have befallen the town. It hadn’t made doing his job, or rather his hobby easy. But he planned on persisting. He swung the door open and made his way down the hallway, grocery bags in hand. He didn’t notice the noise until he got closer to the library. He could hear someone rummaging through books on the shelves. At this point, he didn’t think much of it outside of the initial jump in his heart rate. It could have been one of a few people that Orion had already met here. Professor Drake, Professor Beck or even Winston. All three knew about the vast library and all had expressed interest in returning. So he casually made his way into the library, bags in one hand and flashlight in the other, a dim flash illuminating a small portion of the path in front of him. But much to his surprise, when he finally found the culprit inside the library it wasn’t anybody that he knew of. “Uh. Hi.” He squeaked, his mouth immediately dry. He definitely hadn’t been expecting to see a new person in here, though maybe he should by now. Though the face wasn’t completely unfamiliar, as the woman turned to face Orion he recognized her from the campus. Probably a professor that Orion hadn’t met. “You’re uh- I didn’t expect anyone to be here.” He was not suddenly very self-conscious of the boxes of snacks, pillows and his laptop that laid on one of the tables around the corner. Had she seen it when she came in? “What are you doing here?”

Rebecca, so engrossed in her work, didn’t even register the tiny light coming her way. Or the initial squeaked hello. It was only when the boy moved closer, his light reflecting off one of her books, did she look up, startled. “Oh, I’m--” squinted through the light at him. “I’m sorry. I thought this place was abandoned. The--” she glanced around, then looked back at him, closing her notebook. Whoever he was, he definitely didn’t need to be involved with her mess. “I apologize. I came here a few years back for information and thought I’d see myself in. I’m looking for some more books on certain...topics. I’m Rebecca Rothbard,” she said, finally standing and holding out her hand. The boy couldn’t be any older than 21. “And who are you?”

Well the woman didn’t seem like she intended to hurt or kill Orion, which made him a bit more comfortable, though he still had no idea why she was here. Clearly she was looking for some kind of information. Mostly likely supernatural considering she mentioned that she had been here before. Anyone who knew anything about the Scribes knew they were more than just historical record keepers. “Well it was abandoned. I mean it is abandoned. Besides me right now. Well, and you. What are you looking for?” He definitely remembered her from the college campus. “I’m Orion. Or Rio. Whichever. You work at the college, right? I feel like I’ve seen you on the campus. I uh- I’m a college student.”

“Oh!” Rebecca said, straightening out. She gave her best ‘new student looks too anxious, time to calm them down’ smile and nodded. “I do! I just started about a month ago. I’m the new Anthropology professor. It’s lovely to meet you, Orion. Named after the hunter or the stars?” She asked, looking at him, before glancing back at her stack of books. “It’s related to a more personal matter. I was shown the place by an old ex-Scribe a few years ago. I figured all this knowledge was going to waste just being so...hidden out here. I didn’t think anyone would mind.” Besides, the Scribes owed her. She closed the book to show Orion the title. “I’m an exorcist. Just doing my thorough research before getting in too deep. What is that you’re doing out here? And in all this nighttime mess? It’s dangerous to be out alone.”

So she was a Professor. And of Anthropology too, a subject near and dear to Orion’s own passion. Anthropology may have had more focus on people and how they lived, but it had its roots in history. Which meant at some point, Orion may end up in one of the Professor’s classes. It also meant that all the Professors at that college apparently knew about the supernatural. Orion supposed that he couldn’t be surprised. “Nice to meet you too, Professor…?” He realized that he hadn’t gotten her name. “I uh- both actually. But my parents definitely had the hunter in mind when they named me. My sister’s name is Athena. So a lot of Greek influence.” An ex-scribe showed her this place a few years ago? That meant that there had been at least one person that still knew of the building’s existence in town. Assuming that scribe was still alive, Orion wondered why they had never shown up again. Instead leaving the legacy to a whiny twenty year old. “Yeah, uh. Well it is abandoned, but not completely going to waste. I kind of.. watch over the place. Unofficially.” He shined his light at the book title that the Professor was showing off. “An exorcist?” Orion asked, immediately excited. He had never met a real exorcist before. “That is way cool. Uh.. I wish I was anything that exciting. I’m just a college kid. Who comes here to read sometimes.” Not the whole truth, but he wasn’t lying either which seemed to be Orion’s modus operandi these days.

“Oh,” Rebecca said, giving a little wave, “forgive my manners. Rothbard. Rebecca Rothbard.” She held out her hand for him to shake, scooting some books out of the way so that he could take a seat at the table with her if he wanted to. She settled back into her own chair and shuffled some more stuff around, tidying up her mess of papers and notes. “Well, they’re both good names. Strong names. Greek history always fascinated me, much more than other Western European history.” She looked over to him, motioning for him to sit. He seemed nervous almost, or perhaps she had just startled him. This place was supposed to be abandoned. “It’s quite noble of you to decide to look over this place, even unofficially. The old Scribes sure did seem to leave this place in a hurry, huh? It makes you wonder what really happened to them all…” not that she entirely cared, but this kid already seemed leagues better than any Scribe she’d met. Most of them would have either immediately shooed her out or accused her of trespassing on knowledge. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the thought. “Oh, please, people don’t find shelving books exciting anymore? What has the world come to?” she half teased, giving a little grin. “So...how did you find this place? Because I doubt anyone who’s ‘just a college kid’ stumbled here on accident, hmm?”

“Really nice to meet you Professor Rothbard!” Orion shook the professor’s hand eagerly. “I really like anthropology. So uh, I will probably end up in one of your classes eventually. At least I hope so.” He grabbed a seat at one of the tables as the professor motioned and glanced at the stack of books and papers she had amassed. Did Orion need to say something? If she tried leaving with the books did he need to check them out, like some librarian? Professor Beck had taken a book when she came, but with the agreement that she would bring it back when she was done. Was that what Orion should be doing here? He had never considered the idea of people coming here to try to find books. “Same! I mean I love learning about any piece of history I can, but Greek mythology just has so much depth about it. And there’s so much we know about it to spread around, unlike some other civilizations that didn’t leave as much behind.” The Professor knew about the scribes and claimed to be an exorcist, and within the confines an abandoned building focused on the supernatural she didn’t seem to have much reason to lie. “There are uh- theories on what happened. I don’t know what exactly happened to this chapter though.” If they had, would journals have been left here to detail it? Or would the Scribe have taken it with them? “Guess not so much… It’s uh- just me.” Orion laughed nervously, moving back and forth on the chair that he was sitting in. He couldn’t seem to sit still. “My uncle was a Scribe,” Orion began explaining, happy to have something to focus in on, “He showed me this place when I was a kid. Before he left town. A few months ago I decided to come back and check the place out, see if any other Scribes had been here. Then I kept coming back I guess.” He trailed off, unsure where he was planning on taking that story. He didn’t like talking about his uncle much anyways. “What brings you here? Is there a specific.. uh demon that you’re searching for? Or something else?”

“I’ll look forward to having you in my class, then,” Rebecca said with a grin. She watched the boy sit, toddering back and forth in his seat anxiously. She could practically feel like waves of anxiety coming off of him. She hoped it wasn’t because of her. He almost reminded her of Blanche, just without the sass and the sarcasm. “It’s true. We’re lucky we have as much as we do on them. Though, if I’m being honest, my favorite ancient civilization is Sumerian. I’m a little biased, though.” Another soft grin, hoping to ease his worries. “Your uncle was a Scribe? Is he still around?” She leaned back in the chair, watching him closely. Maybe the questions about his uncle had been too much, but his voice trailed and his eyes sunk down to the table, a classic sign of discomfort. “Either way, I’m glad someone saw fit to come and take care of this place. All these books, all this knowledge, it shouldn’t go to waste. You’re doing a noble thing, Orion.” She let out a small breath, eyes suddenly more weary, as she looked down at her pile of notes. She was tired of lying, of keeping people at the edges of her boundaries, her life, but something like this was too dangerous for a simple kid. “I’m just looking up all the references I can for magical binding items to help with a particularly tough ghost. Sometimes exorcisms aren’t strong enough and binding rituals are needed to help...assuage the problem.”

“Ooh that’s a great choice! Sumerian culture has some of the oldest surviving works pieces of written history. Obviously, the Epic of Gilgamesh came from it, which is one of the coolest pieces of literature ever. I mean it was found on the original clay tablets in cuneiform. How freaking cool is that?” Orion laughed incredulously, wondering what it would be like to find some piece of history like that. How the people that discovered it must have felt. Though he supposed he sat on his own little chunk of history now within this very building. He coughed, trying to regain his composure and straightened back up in his chair. “Sorry- I get a little excited. Uh- what makes you biased about that… If I can ask?” Understandably, she was curious about Orion’s uncle, the former scribe. He didn’t blame her, but he didn’t care much for talking about it. “He’s alive. But he doesn’t live in White Crest. He moved away like six or seven years ago.” Short and sweet. Luckily she seemed willing to move on just as quickly, which Orion welcomed. Even if it was to compliment him, something he definitely didn’t know how to take. “Oh uh- well thank you. It’s- Well I’m not really doing much. Besides reading.” He listened carefully as she explained what she had been looking for. He didn’t know much about exorcisms- his family didn’t really deal in the incorporeal business. They were strictly Fae and fangs. Which made learning about Professor Rothbard’s job even more intriguing. “Interesting. That sounds like it can get… dangerous. Do you usually do exorcisms alone or do others sit in with you? Do exorcisms have to be done by like a religious figure like in myths. Are you a religious figure?” He crossed his arms and asked the questions curiously, unsure if the professor would be willing to share the details.

“It’s very cool,” Rebecca said back, liking the way he smiled when he talked about history. She always wanted to encourage people to pursue things that made them happy like that. She gave a shrug. “I’m partial to any ancient civilization that helped with the creation of Israel, being Jewish myself. Though we come from ancient Egypt more so, you’ll excuse me for not enjoying the civilization that enslaved my ancestors.” She gave a short, dour chuckle before moving on. “I see. That checks out with when many of them began...scrambling away.” It was also around the time she’d first been asked to help exorcise the possessed boy. A memory she wished didn’t have to be so solid in her mind. When we first met. Rebecca stiffened but didn’t react. Her eyes went from Orion, to the table, back up again. She steeled herself. “Consuming knowledge is noble in itself, looking after it? Is definitely true. Don’t cut yourself short, Orion. We don’t have history because wars were fought, we have history because stories were told, right?” She could sense his uneasiness with the compliment, but she wasn’t about to not let him take it. “It can, but if you’re prepared and smart, it takes a lot of the risk away. Hence,” she reached out to pat the books next to her. “I myself am a religious person, but one doesn’t necessarily have to be religious, no. Power in exorcism comes from intent and from the strength of one's conviction. It’s about speaking words of power. The more meaning those words have to a person, the stronger they will be.”

Of course, Professor Rothgard was right. It was hard to be interested in a civilization directly responsible for the oppression of your own people. “Right. Yeah, of course. Sorry. That makes sense.” The professor had chuckled, implying that it was meant as a joke but Orion understood if she was being honest. Orion had a heritage that he wasn’t exactly proud of. He certainly wouldn’t enjoy hearing others telling the story of noble hunters, killing monsters. “Yeah. Definitely. I uh- thank you. I just like giving others the ability to learn if they want. It’s the quickest cure for ignorance.” That was more directed to his family, his kind than anything else. But he believed it to be true as well. “We have history because stories were told” Orion repeated, mostly to himself. “I really like that.” He brightened up just thinking about it. It was one of the more positive takes on learning about history. Strength of one’s conviction? Well, clearly Orion was never going to become an exorcist. He could barely order take out without his voice shaking. “Sounds really.. heroic. And cool. Uh- I’m way more comfortable behind a book. Not really an in the action kinda guy. But- anything I can help you search for?” It would be hard, hunting down specific things in this darkness, but Professor Rothgard seemed to have found some of the things she had been looking for.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Rebecca waved the apology off, “I was mostly being facetious.” A gentler smile, as she watched him a little more closely. Uncomfortable in his skin, but not when he talked about history. He had a true passion for the subject, it seemed. “Well, that’s another thing we have in common, then. Hence why I became a professor. Helping blossom someone’s want to learn and pursue their passion is one of the greatest feelings in the world.” Her smile grew as he repeated her words. “Well, feel free to use it anytime, it can be our phrase now.” She leaned in a little closer, as if she were going to whisper something to him, “don’t tell anyone I read it in a fortune cookie, though. It’ll make you sound smarter.” And winked before leaning away again. “Heroic isn’t...quite the word, I suppose. Others might disagree with you, as well. But it’s what I like doing and what I’m good at, and if my skills can help the world, then all the better.” She ran her hands over the books she had piled up next to her. She was hesitant to involve him, but turning him away might do more harm later. She held one of the books out to him. “I’m looking for any information on sealing magic and Dybbuks. A second set of eyes might catch something I’ve missed, if you’re up for it?”

It was nice, hearing that Orion and the Professor shared something in common. Of course, he had known that already, without anything being said. But coming from her, it felt especially nice. He enjoyed meeting others with similar interests as his own.  Especially considering how his family was always eager to remind Orion just how useless the degree was. He had decided long ago to not put much thought into what they said or did to him, but he still had to live with them. “I imagine that it is- it uh, must be nice to be able to inspire someone like that. I know it’s nice to have someone to look up to like that.” He giggled at the woman when she admitted that she got the phrase from a fortune cookie and intentionally brought his voice down to a whisper, “Your secret is safe with me.” So some people didn’t agree with exorcisms? He supposed on some level that it was similar to Orion not agreeing with his family’s legacy. Though ghosts and demons were obviously different from real, tangible people. “Really? People don’t agree with exorcisms? Like people that don’t think that it’s real or people that don’t think that ghosts should be like... exorcised?” He was genuinely curious, a profession that he hadn’t had much research into. It was fascinating. Then the Professor was holding a book out to him and asking him about looking over her research. “Dybbuk? I’m familiar with the name” He wracked his brain for the information, “It comes from Jewish mythology. Some kind of spirit that can possess things. Its Hebrew for ‘cling to”. That didn’t help much with deal with a real life one. He couldn’t know how a real life one compared to what must have been a centuries old myth. “I’d love to help out however I can.” He grabbed onto the book and flipped it onto it’s first page, ready to skim.

Rebecca was glad that her words seemed to bring him some sense of ease or peace. If it was validation he was looking for, she was all too eager to give it. People with passion like him deserved to be validated. “It is,” she answered truthfully, “and I’m sure if you wanted to, one day you could do that as well. It just takes understanding and compassion, after all. Anyone who wants to could easily do it.” She nodded back at him. “Good. You seem trustworthy.” His questions were to be expected. Most people didn’t really know anything about the truths of exorcisms and what it meant to be an exorcist. But she was all the more happy to answer questions because of that, especially when it was from an inquisitive mind and not a skeptical one. She thought, for a moment, back to Javier, and if his inquisitive mind could be swayed as well. “Not everyone agrees with it, no. It’s dangerous and some people-- and some spirits-- become attached to being...around. And while not all ghosts are problems, most of them will become one, eventually. It is an inevitability, of the ether calling back what it gave so willingly. Souls need to be reborn, recycled, and renewed. Sticking around past that due date has consequences.” These, of course, were just her beliefs. But she held them thoroughly and hadn’t changed her mind on that since she’d first heard Rabbi Emmaneul speak them. “Correct. I’m a little surprised, they’re not a well known spirit. Very few of them, but they’re powerful--” and extremely dangerous, “--and not to be trifled with. But, if you’re up for some research, I’d love the help. I’ll can buy you dinner when we’re done, or maybe some flood lights for this place,” she smiled.

Orion had already decided that he liked Professor Rothgard. Between the shared passion for knowledge and their aligning hobbies, it seemed obvious that the two would get along. Though personality was a big factor too. Athena loved learning too, but Rio wouldn’t soon consider the twins to be close like they once were. But Rebecca seemed to be doing her best to help others, just like Orion wanted to. “I do! Someday. In some way.” Maybe his legacy wasn’t to rebuild the Scribes, but he could still find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. “Interesting…” Rio thought on her words, taking it all in and considering all sides. He supposed those that died before they were ready would want to stick around. Though he wasn’t sure how much fun being a ghost would be. But that was an interesting bit of information- ghosts became a problem eventually? What did that mean? “What do you mean when you say that they mostly become problems eventually?” He knew that Blanche saw ghosts. He wondered to what extent. Were ghosts visible to those they were close to? Or could only certain people, people like Blanche, see them? “Can all exorcists see ghosts? Or like- Do you also have to have the ability? Or is there some kind of spell or something that you can take to see them?” There were so many questions that were unanswered, and Orion was not a fan of feeling like he was in the dark. Knowledge was the only thing that kept his anxiety at bay most days. “Well-uh I know more about them from history than I do the actual spirit” He shrugged. Her certainly didn’t know much about them outside of the name. “Of course. Count me in. But uh- you don’t have to buy me anything. I’m happy to help.”

“Curious one, aren’t you?” Rebecca said, the words rhetorical. She closed the book she’d opened and leaned against the table, chin in her palm, as if contemplating. “Well...the thing is, when a spirit comes back, their soul needs to be attached to something in order to stay on this plane. And over time, most spirits learn how to interact with the world, even if it’s just in small ways. Like, some ghosts can move things with their energy, the typical chair out from under you type ability. Some can control electronics, or fire, or even wind. But...that ability comes with a price. Being torn between two planes would be hard on anyone, let alone someone who’s died and can only mourn what they once had. That power turns into anger and that anger turns them into...poltergeists. Spirits that only want to cause pain. They, for lack of a better term, go insane. They can’t often control themselves anymore. It’s a tragedy, if I’m being honest. And no ghost is immune, no matter what they say. If they don’t move on, that’s their fate.” She sighed. The thoughts saddened her. Souls were supposed to move on, not ligner, not mourn. “Most exorcists are born mediums, yes, but not all exorcists are mediums. Just like not all mediums are exorcists. It certainly makes the job easier, to be able to see them, but it’s not necessary. There’s no spell, really, but there are things one can take to help see them. Prolonged use, as with most drugs, can cause problems, though.” She flipped open the book again, running her hand down the page until she found the spot she was looking for. “It’s a drug called Vizion. You’d be hard pressed to find it at CVS, though.” She opened a different. “Well, history and current lore kind of go hand in hand, don’t they? We only know about things and how to properly defend ourselves because of the history that was recorded about them, right? Fine, no dinner. But at least a thank you donut at some point. Kids like donuts, right?”

Orion shrugged, “Guilty” He chuckled at the fairly common remark. Curiosity. An eagerness to learn. Those were two of Orion’s defining traits. It may have been the only thing that Orion excelled in. The only thing that he could beat his sister in. Studying, learning. It hadn’t done him much good apparently. It was sad, listening to the professor explain the fate that all ghosts were destined for. It made Orion wonder just how many ghosts he must have passed on a daily basis. On top of that, how many were poltergeists? Or on the brink of becoming one? The thought was terrifying. White Crest more than any town must have an astronomical number of ghosts, just based on number of deaths alone. Not to mention the number of deaths from unexplained or mysterious circumstances. “Fascinating stuff. I mean it’s terrifying and terribly sad but… it’s crazy that there is a whole world like that just beneath our noses - maybe literally - and nobody knows it.” He tapped a finger against his cheek, pondering this information, “I mean obviously the whole supernatural community is like that… but like at the end of the day even if someone doesn’t believe in the supernatural they can still see someone turning into a werewolf or something. This is completely invisible unless you’re born with some gift or you take drugs. I’m guessing you happen to be a medium then?” One more question, then he would focus on his studies. Vizion. He would have to look further into that. Not because he wanted to take it himself, but because he was simply curious what it was for besides ghost watching. Orion shook the thought from his head, opting to focus on the task at hand and dive into the book. “I’m not a kid” Orion muttered half heartedly as he flipped a page, “I’m twenty.” He didn’t put much stock into it anymore. He was too used to people calling him a child. After a long moment and another page turned, Orion finally admitted “But I do like donuts.”

“Terrifying is one word for it, I suppose,” Rebecca said, sighing a little. “But it’s also quite amazing, don’t you think? The world is just full of terrifyingly amazing things. Truly wondrous things. Fear is not meant to stop us, but drive us.” She paused at his explanation, his question. That was just it, wasn’t it? People could see someone turn into a werewolf or other, but denial was a strong antidote to the truth. “True. Some ghosts can become visible, however, and there are exorcisms that make them visible, as well.” She rubbed the side of her jaw a moment in thought, before answering, “I’m not, no. A medium. I can feel and hear ghosts, but not see them.” Usually. Lately, that had been changing. At the edges of sleep, out of the corner of her eye-- sometimes, a ghost. She’d convinced herself she was seeing things, but she couldn't be sure anymore. “I trained myself to be able to do it. It took several long years of dedication, but it seems to have paid off, no?” She smiled again. He seemed upset by her words. She often forgot people associated child and kid with immaturity and disrespect. But that wasn’t what it meant to her. Childlike youth and inquisitive minds were something to behold, to respect. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. Being young is a gift. Besides,” she said, giving a little bitter chuckle, “by the time you’re my age, you’ll think twenty-year olds are children, too.”

“I do think you’re right,” Orion agreed, mostly. He basically thought that the professor was right, but it was hard for him to latch onto the words himself. Probably because he was scared of literally everything. “I just- well I’m afraid of a lot of things so it’s easier said than done I guess? I prefer to face my fear from the safety of a textbook.” He laughed, trying to dispell the mood. He didn’t want to disappoint her by disagreeing with her philosophy. He didn’t disagree with her philosophy. He just found it hard to follow himself. Orion couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to follow a career path that she inherently had a disadvantage in. The dedication and force of will it must have taken her to train herself to be at the point that she was… that was impressive. “Wow. That’s cool.” He finally managed to mutter, staring at the professor with a bit of awe apparent in his voice and eyes. Could he ever be someone like her? Probably not. That was reserved for people like Athena. She could be so impressive if she wasn’t so evil and conniving. “Right, right of course. Sorry. I just- people tend to tell me that to downplay me or make fun of my size or… I don’t know. It’s just a reflex. My bad.” He smiled again, then buried his face into the books, determined to find something. Anything that might help.

“Well, knowledge is the first weapon to fighting fear, isn’t it?” Rebecca proposed with a soft smile. She understood fear well. She’d seen it and felt it enough. Knew the emotion intricately. But she couldn’t let it stop her. Not anymore. “It’s alright to be afraid. Fear is healthy. But, like with all things, in modicum.” She gave a short sigh, flipping listlessly through the book she’d poured through a thousand times. And as with each time before, there was little to nothing about anything that could help her problem. “Thank you. Talent is overrated, in my books,” she said off-handedly, “it’s hard work that creates the real geniuses.” She looked up from her book, over at him. He did have a bit of a smaller frame for a twenty-year old boy, but it had never mattered to Rebecca. She wasn’t exactly big or strong or athletic. “Well, next time, you can tell them that youth and being a child comes with its own kind of wisdom,” she started out, a little smirk growing on her face, “like being able to see through adults’ bullshit.”

Despite his own concerns, Orion was pleasantly surprised that the professor seemed to choose validating him over chastising or judging. It was a pleasant change to what he was used to. Her suggestions came across as exactly that, suggestions. Mottos to live by, not instructions or demands that must be followed like so many other adults wanted from him. Okay, he knew exactly who he was talking about specifically. Family. He laughed at Rebecca’s comment, “I’ll make sure to add that to my list of comebacks for next time, thanks.” It could be queued below silence, and above awkwardly laughing and leaving.

He dug further into the book in exorcisms. Flipping through pages as he tried to find anything that stuck out to him. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he finally spotted the name. “Woah.” He said aloud, perking up from his slumped position on the chair and staring at the name again. Jacob Goldman. In this book, the author mentions him as the closest thing the Scribe’s had to an expert on exorcisms in White Crest. But Rio knew that name. He jumped up from the chair and darted off down an aisle, cutting corners until he finally got to the section on White Crest. He remembered seeing that name before, somewhere in this section. He ran his hands along spines as he searched through the books until he finally spotted the one that he was looking for and ran it back over to the table. “So, Jacob Goldman was a Scribe here. He kept a journal of everything that he documented and did while he was alive. He eventually died.” Orion swallowed hard. It probably wasn’t necessary to mention that by all accounts that he could find, the man died while searching for a demon to exorcise. Orion flipped towards the back of the book, scanning through books until he finally found something. “Right here!” He set the journal onto the table so both could say, “He was on the search for some spirit. According to what he knew about it, he was trying to search for it’s name when it was a human. To use as some kind of binding spell. It didn’t really mean anything to me when I first read it, but I don’t know much about exorcisms”

It was a few hours before either of them spoke again. Rebecca had been, admittedly, drawn into the text she’d been reading and forgotten that there was another person in the room with her until he’d let out a soft exclamation. She was oft to do that, something Theo had always bugged her about. You can get lost, she’d always say, as long as you come back to me. And she always had. Always. Orion had toddered off somewhere, but Rebecca’s curiosity got the best of her, as she set her book aside and listened to him shuffle his way through the big, empty library. He came back soon with a new book in his hands, an excited look on his face. A scribe. Of course a scribe had the answer, all locked up and tucked away in a vast labyrinth where only a dedicated and privileged mind could find it. Not that she blamed Orion for this, but anything scribe left a sour taste in her mouth. She licked her lips, glanced at what he was pointing at, listening to what he was saying. She’d heard Rabbi Emmanuel speak about something like this before. Demons whose names held all their power, buried where no one could find while they grew stronger, consuming souls. “Of course…” Rebecca muttered under her breath, scribbling all this information down into her journal, “how could I have not realized? Oh, Orion! You’re a genius!” she exclaimed, hopping up to grab his shoulders and give him a good pat. “Thank you! This is just what I needed.” Finally, finally, she had something to cling onto. A thread of hope.

Maybe Orion was eager - no - desperate to impress the professor. Was he a teacher’s pet? Maybe, though he didn’t feel that way towards all teachers. It was the ones that he held a shared interest with. Professor Drake, Professor Beck and now Professor Rothbard. Those that valued knowledge as much as he did. So when he found the book and brought it over for her to examine he held his breath in anticipation that this was what she was looking for. That this could help. Because more than anything else in the world, wasn’t that what he was the most desperate to do? “No- no not a genius at all. I just have a lot of free time on my hands.” It had been more luck than anything else that he recognized the name and knew where to look. “But I hope that this helps” He closed the book again and held it out towards her, “Do you want to take it? He could have something else that helps in here.” If she would be leaving soon then he should too. It was best to stick around people for now. “Can I- help with anything? To get rid of that evil spirit thing?”

Rebecca gave him one of those stern, quit being modest looks. “Don’t downplay your achievements. You could be using your free time for other stuff, but you chose to do this. And remembering an entire passage from reading it once is pretty amazing, if you ask me,” she said, beaming down at him. Not just because she was proud of him, but because she couldn’t help the excitement inside of her. She wanted to say yes, to take the book, but if he found it, all this progress would be ruined. For now, her coded notes would work. “No, no, that’s alright. I have all I need right here, now,” she said, patting her journal. “And you’ve done plenty to help, trust me. You can leave the rest to me, I’ll take care of it. But thank you, Orion. You really are a smart kid. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.” And she would make sure the dybbuk never set foot in this place, because if he did, she wasn’t going to be the only one in danger anymore.

[waitingtobeimpressed]

Hex (5/?)

Warnings: only my appallingly writing (soz)

Chapter 5

Solstice loved the Academy more that any other place she had ever lived. She supposed this quite possibly had something to do with that the only other places she had called home hadn’t in fact been very ‘homely’. The Academy has also been the place she had lived the longest. Solstice couldn’t quite remember life in her childhood house in Riverdale and the good memories she could recall were probably just made up in her head.

However solstice could remember her time at the sisters of quiet mercy quite vividly, everything from being locked in a cell for days on end to harsh beatings she would receive for not totally complying with every order. That was too much for anyone to go through let alone for a child under the age of 10 to. This experience was made even harder by the fact that it was her parents who sent her there and never made a reappearance. But what could she expect? She was the big, bad 6 year old with a slight attitude problem.

And yet, the Academy wasn’t perfect, it would have even been terrifying if she didn’t have her sisters to chase the demons away( that weren’t themselves of course). Another flaw that the Academy had was their were no familiars allowed on school grounds and students must leave them at home. The only problem with this is that Solstice and her Sisters lived at the school so they were denied their right to a protector all because they didn’t have a family. This, Solstice thought, was a huge injustice and tried to fight it every step of the way, but traditions are traditions and we’re not going to be brought down by a teenage orphan witch.

“Solstice?”

Solstice was watching the school fluidity pass her by in a mix of dark colours and students as Toni grasped her right elbow with her own. Slightly squishing solstices shoulder bag between their two bodies. Fangs was originally walking just behind the two girls, throwing questions to them which Toni often replied to, until he pushed passed the students and settled next to Solstice.

“Solstice? Hello?” Toni waved a hand in front of her face until her eyes seemed to click back into reality.

With wide, nervous eyes solstice looked at Toni who had come to a halt right in front of two massive red doors which were covered in menacing graffiti.” Yeah, sorry what?”

Toni only smiled brightly and shook her head. “ you didn’t hear a word I just said did you?”

A searing blush forced its on to Solstices face, she felt like she was in trouble with the small girl even though she was grinning. “No,no sorry” she apologised profusely, her hands retreating up her sleeves. Solstice then remembered that these weren’t in fact her sleeves she was seeking safety within and a slimy feeling began to fill her. She felt conflicted but wasn’t aware why. Solstice wanted to rip the large flannel shirt off of her body, throw it on the grimy floor and stomp on it dramatically while also wanting to hold it close to her chest.

“Don’t be silly” Toni rubbed her back reassuringly while Fangs was nudged closer to her by the hoards of students making their way into the the massive grey room.” All I was saying was that you need to stay away from the Ghoulies, at all times. Us Serpents stay within are area and they stay away from the Ghoulies”

Ghoulies? Oh yes, the touchy-feely wankers from this morning.

And with that Toni all but dragged Solstice into the large room filled to the brim with what she assumed were the young criminals of Riverdale. At that current moment their were at least three fights taking place with teachers either not taking and interest or watching in amusement. In the centre of the room was a cube chain link fence. Solstice didn’t know if it was to keep people out or in. Either way it didn’t really fill her with reassurance when Fangs ran a little ahead and shouted something to the youths within the cage and at his response they promptly opened the gate within and all seemed to glare at the young, terrified girl.

Fangs had entered first, playfully bumping shoulders and fists as he went. He seemed well liked, which Solstice assumed was with to do with his enjoyable demeanour. Fangs seemed to genuine, and that sort of person is incredibly hard to come by.

Next went Toni. She wasn’t really treated the same as fangs in the sense that her fellow serpents seemed to be slightly scared of her. However this was just an observation. It could have been respect but Solstice often found it hard to read emotions, especially within humans.

Solstice was about to walk through the gate herself, following closely behind Toni who had only just unhinged their entwined arms, when a strong fist came up to her chest and stopped her dead in her tracks. The impact cause a dull ache to form on her upper abdomen and Solstice took a few steps back so that the intruding hand no longer felt the need to touch her. Her eyes darted up to see a truly terrifying teenage boys battered face almost snarling at her. He had deep purple bruises peppered around his face along with a nasty slip lip. His right eye had a blue ring circling it which only highlighted his green eyes more.

“And who the hell are you?” He almost barked causing Solstices eyes to snap shut and his tone. Fuck, Fuck, Fuckkk.

Solstices breathing became ragged and her blue eyes darted to Fangs and Toni who hadn’t yet realised Solstice was yet to join them. She mentally pleaded for them to notice because there was no way in high hell that she was going call out for them.

“Umm, Solstice Halliwell. Shit, urgh, I mean Jones.” Solstice wanted to rip her own tongue out for betraying her like this. Now she really looked fucking cool. Twat. “ Solstice Jones” She said again if not to convince anyone but herself. She was technically a Jones, kind of. So it wasn’t like she was lying, kind of.

The boy looked about as bored and unconvinced as he did angry. And he looked very angry, “ I don’t give a shit Miss Solstice Halliwell/Jones, no Serpent jacket. No entry.” His words were razor sharp as he went to push Solstice further back out of the fenced community when his forearm was caught by another large hand. Slightly to the right of the large gatekeeper was Sweet Pea who looked even more pissed. He harshly ripped the boy away from Solstice and shoved him Slightly. Just enough for his back to be pressed against the fence.

That’s funny, solstice thought. She hadn’t seen him walk over, but he obviously saw her.

“Did I or did I not explicitly explain that there was going to be someone joining us today?” Solstice didn’t think she had ever seen someone so angry before, with the exception form her ex head teacher. Naturally.

Sweet Pea was often quick to irritate, from what Solstice has caught glimpses of this past week, but this seemed different. However she didn’t know him. He could be this hot headed, he was in fact in a gang.

“I’m sorry Sweet Pea, I must have forgot” the boy trembled. The two boys didn’t really differ in size, Sweet Pea being taller being the only exception . So the fact that this teen seemed to crumble like a dry sandcastle in his presence only confused Solstice further.

Sweet pea let go of the boy and turn to make eye contact with Solstice, who seemed to want to squirm out of it, choosing instead to look down towards her scuffed boots. His silent lingering gaze looked like he wanted to check if she was okay, but he had a gang to lead.

“Coming in or not?” Sweets said rather impatiently, but that look on his face never faltered.

It then dawned on Solstice that she wasn’t this person. She wasn’t a shy little mouse, not in a long shot. Humanity had her so anxiety ridden that she could no longer form sentences. Not anymore. She was a Bad Bitch and she knew it. She was a powerful Witch. And these tiny, insignificant beings amounted to be nothing more than leaches. Or at least that was what she was taught at the Academy. She was the superior being.

Almost like she was shaking off everyone’s either concerned looks or nosey gazes she rolled her shoulders back and tried to locate Toni. She was a friendly face. She could be trusted.

Toni was stood up from her seat and one of the tables, her eyes transfixed with pity? No worry? It was honestly hard to tell. Solstice slid pass that rest of the now Silent Serpents with ease, including Sweets who decided to glare and the boy one last time before following behind Solstice.

“Sol, I’m so sorry, I thought you were right behind me” Toni said as she shifted her bag from the seat next to her so Solstice could sit down beside her.

Solstice smiled and swung her legs under the table so she was facing fangs who was sat opposite her. “ No worries,” Toni and Fangs shared a look of skepticism before nodding. They new she could handle herself, she seemed strong, but they didn’t believe that the encounter didn’t rattle her at least a little bit.

“Some of us Serpents don’t think before starting stuff” fangs said, leaning slightly on his crossed arms.

“ Yeah Fangs, No fucking shit” Sweet Pea gruff voice came from the other side of Solstice making her jump ever so slightly. Sweets had actually climbed onto the table itself so he had his feet on the stools instead of the ground. He was lightly pressing his leg against Solstices back, absentmindedly. Of course...

Fangs glared at the boy while Toni only smirked. “ As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, most of us Serpents have hearts of gold.” He seemed to think for a moment, causing Solstice to smile at him. She was in deed right, Fangs was a bean. “ Except Sweet Pea” it was Sweet Peas turn at glare at him.

“I’m almost certain that he either doesn’t have a heart or if her does it like just a limp of coal or something” Toni almost lost it, bursting out into a first of giggles. Solstice tried incredibly hard to suppress her own laughs, but to no avail. In an instant Sweet Pea reached over the top of Solstice and grabbed a carrot stick from Toni’s food tray and launched it right in the centre of Fangs’ head.

“ Christ!” Fangs exclaimed and his hand came up and cradled the now red area.

“ moving swiftly on, what are your plans for after school?” Toni made a pointed look towards Solstice, indicating that there was a right answer to her question. The only problem was that Solstice didn’t know what Toni wanted her to say.

“Nothing?” She said and let out a breath she didn’t realise she was clutching onto when an elated smile formed upon Toni flawless face.

“ Perfect! Because we are going shopping,”

“ could you be more of a girl, Toni?” Fangs piped up as he bit into a sandwich he pulled out from his bag. Toni looked as though she wanted sip venom at the boy, causing grins to form on Solstice and Sweet Peas faces.

“Why are you glaring at me?”

“Because I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust “ Toni said throwing her hand upon her “anyways you’re just jealous because you weren’t invited.”

“Yeh Toni sounds great thanks” Solstice said as her hands darted up her sleeves again. Not once in her life had she ever gone shopping. Not even with her sisters. It was very rare that the orphans were even allowed off of school ground, so in the event that they did need anything the Academy would supply it for them. And if they wouldn’t, the trio would simply conjure it.

Sweet pea laughed humourlessly as if that sentence was the funniest fucking thing he had heard all day“ yeah no I don’t think so” Toni and Solstice both simultaneously whipped around to make eye contact.

“ what do u mean ‘no I don’t think so’ ” Toni spat. It became acutely apparent to Solstice that Toni didn’t often hear the word ‘no’. Maybe it was due to her hostile yet loving demeanour or the fact that she along with Sweet Pea seemed to be in charge.

Sweets raised his arms up in a mock surrender even though his facial expressions were stone cold“ I’m not allowed to let her out of my sight, kings orders”. That may have been the stupidest thing that Solstice had ever heard and she had heard and heard a lot of shit in her time“ and I’m sure as hell not going shopping with a bunch of girls”

“ Please for the love of Satan tell me you’re kidding” Solstice muttered, her blue eyes boring into his. No fucking way did FP have the nerve to do this to her. First he abandons her and then he spies on her. Maybe he was just looking for a reason to get rid of her again. To sent her to another boarding school. Oh maybe this one will be in England, that would be cliché.

“I don’t think you used that phrase right” fangs spurted out absentmindedly as he continued to look down at his phone. Tapping away furiously. Solstice could hear the pads of his fingers on the screen as well button clicking in their different tones. She could smell quite vividly the tropical dry shampoo and cheap perfume wafting over from from Toni petite body as she shift her weight from side to side. But most of all she could feel the heat from Sweet peas leg press against her back. The close proximity made her skin crawl but also tingle, and it was extremely frustrating. Solstice could feel the immense weight of the lighter that air fabric that coated her upper body and everything became to much.

A hot sweat broke out on her forehead and upper cheeks as if she had been scolded by the sun and she became light and airy headed. This kind of thing happen a lot. At this point it was practically normal. It’s called sensory overload it was increasingly common in young witches when trying to ground themselves. In mortals or mundanes with affection would be known as anxiety disorder. It was more general than social but to be perfectly honest the presence of people didn’t exactly help.

Solstice began to shimmy Sweet peas flannel off of her shoulders until the rest of her long black sleeves made an appearance. Did didn’t really help with then heat as the velvet from her dress was a thick material. But it was the best she could do, because it wasn’t like she could take her dress off. Maybe a wider variety of clothing was exactly what she needed. Solstice did like the grunginess of Toni’s style but the only things she knew how to but together only seemed expectable at the Academy, as Sweet Pea mentioned earlier that morning. What could she expect though? She was a freak after all.

Solstice carelessly crumpled the flannel up onto the table and slid it over to the tall boy, she didn’t want it anymore because it reminded her of the fight that had this morning. It reminded her that she she was just one big mess that everyone in Riverdale seemed hell bent on mopping up and erasing. Solstice was sure that if FP hadn’t asked SP to watch her he would have probably just pretended she didn’t exist.

Sweet Pea was eye balling the blonde girl curiously during this whole ordeal. Watching her eyes dart around in mild panic and he desperately wanted to check in with her. He knew he had only been tasked with watching her but he felt like he need to protect her. If he saw someone giving her a hard time he would step in without hesitation. That’s why he stopped the guard who was harassing her at the gate and that’s why he didn’t fight the Ghoulies back this morning because with them being so outnumbered it was better if her just took all of the beating.so that was why it somewhat upset him to see her so distraught. Though he had to hand it to her, she was very good at hiding it.

“ no That’s even more perfect, I’ve been trying for months to get pea to come shopping. He needs some other that flannels to wear. But he won’t because he’s always doing errands for FP.” Toni said as she placed her phone face down on the table.

Sweet pea rolled his eyes as he placed his hand upon the flannel Solstice had just disregarded on the table “That’s not the only reason I don’t come shopping with you.. and how dare you attack me and my flannels like that”

“Zip it , bean stalk, now you’re only responsibly is Solstice. So meet you both at the front doors at the end of school yeah?” Toni got up and hugged Solstice Swiftly before darting off and out of the room to what Solstice could assume was her next class.

“Later guys” Fangs said as he also left. Smiling at the pair as he did so.

The tension between the only remaining pair had become quite thick as Solstice relentlessly tried to find an escape within her phone, all the while Sweet Pea was just Staring at her.

Solstice was beginning to get increasingly annoyed by his odd behaviour and half wished that he would cast a mean comment at her so she could just hate him.

“ What’s your problem “ Sweet Pea asked harshly after a few more moments of silence when he decided that it was quite enough. He would never admit it but he somewhat admired Solstice, not the side of her that was quick to anger but the side that was trying so desperately to find the bad things in life. Sweet pea assumed that she could indeed look out for herself, no doubt about it, but it seemed like she wanted to punish herself for something.

She could have gone anywhere after being ‘kicked out’ from her past school but she decided to go to the place she was probably least wanted, as harsh as that may sound. It was obvious that FP didn’t value Solstice as much as he did Jughead or Jellybean because he had sent Jughead to Riverdale high instead of Southside high. This fact made Sweet Peas ‘lump of coal heart’ bleed for the girl even though he found her infuriating.

“I’m not your responsibility” Solstice said anger quickly filling up her post anxious body to the point where she just wanted to punch him. She wouldn’t though, however hexing him was still very much on the table.

“Yeah well tell that to FP, until he says different I’m going to be your much taller, much more attractive shadow.” Solstice rolled her eyes. Maybe Sweet Pea would be less of an ass if he was some sort of Crustacean, maybe that’s the attitude adjustment he needed.

“Bite me, Sweet Pea”

“Don’t tempt me, Sweet heart ” he quipped as he stood up and motioned for her to follow him. After a few moment of deliberation, she swung her bag over her shoulder and settled walking closely next to him.

Author note- I’m actually incredibly sorry for the long wait and that actually shitty chapter I just delivered to you guys but anyways thanks for reading.

I would love some feedback, thanks again

[mzminola]

Mom talk: emotional boundaries and hoarding/impulse-shopping discussed below the cut.

I honestly can’t fucking remember if I saw my mom in person twice this year or three times. I think it was three times. I’m like pretty sure the awkward conversation with lots of crying outside that one coffee shop wasn’t the summer visit, which would mean there was a spring one. So I guess I can remember? Unless it was the same visit.

It feels like every time we see each other in person we wind up having some Way Too Deep conversation along with all our more fun fandom and politics chatter. On the phone we seem to mostly stick to...not necessarily lighter topics, but they’re not so personal? It’s not like I’ve been logging this, I don’t know. I know it’s not just her bringing stuff up, I definitely have a habit (that she cultivated) of over-sharing and it’s way harder to guard my tongue in person than on the phone. Especially since the getting brunch/coffee & taking a walk around the meeting point conversations tend to go way longer than the phone calls. I don’t plan on cutting the visits off entirely so I need to...strategize how to strengthen my filter, and come up with some script for conversational boundaries.

The visits also grind her hoarding tendencies in my face more since the walks inevitably take us into the local shops. Maybe it would work better if I could convince her to take our coffees back down to the waterfront? Experience says we’ll still wind up in at least one shop, though.

This time I got the impulse to go into a bookshop, found some authors I’d been keeping an eye out for, and bought two books. It was my first time purchasing something there in years (I think I bought a calendar several years ago?), and I live closer now, so I went ahead and signed up for their little buyer rewards program. I think it’s that my purchases will be tallied over time and eventually I’ll get store credit?

Mom promptly ask the clerk if multiple people can have their purchases go towards one person’s rewards. So that when she visits the area, if she buys something, I’d get the points! The clerk said yes, and I half-joked about Mom living elsewhere and therefore not getting her own rewards record.

She didn’t ask me if I was comfortable with that, before asking the clerk. I can’t remember if she checked with me about it during the banter after. I’m...okay with the idea of her book purchases over here during visits going to my tally, but I really would have preferred if she’d asked me first. We’ve got way too much uncomfortable history about combined finances for springing this on me to be cool.

I don’t think she realizes how uncomfortable I am with that history.

Later we went into an art supply shop, she had a specific supply she needed (so much art and crafting in this family). I noticed this cute itsy-bitsy color pencils set at the check-out counter and made the mistake of exclaiming “oh, cute!” out loud. Mom promptly decided to buy it, and then the clerk (did their job, can’t begrudge ‘em) told her a slightly different version with an itsy-bitsy sharpener or something would be coming in later. Like the next week?

But, you know. Mom’s visiting from out of town. She won’t likely be back next week.

Mom half-turns to me and cheerfully says “you’ll just have to come back and pick one up for me!”

I, thank fucking goodness, immediately and automatically went “nope” in a...possibly cheerful, at least not negative, voice. She stalled a bit, and then suggested we do another visit next month (so she could get it without doing the trip just for that), and I reminded her that I don’t get any time off in December this year. She acknowledged this was true, and the subject was dropped. To be fair, she really does want to see me more frequently.

I’ve been handling the “Mom’s gonna wanna go in the shops” aspect of our visits okay, back when they were once or twice a year. I just remind myself that I’m allowed to enjoy window shopping the way I enjoy looking at strangers’ gardens, and that she’s a grown ass adult and therefore it’s not my job to discourage her from making impulse purchases (as opposed to when I was stuck living back home and got guilt tripped about adding to household expenses and- /record scratch/)

But this time she did the “treating me like an extension of her” thing.

I don’t like that.

I don’t want her to do that.

And I don’t fucking know what the normal lines between loved ones are supposed to be, so I don’t know where, when, and how to draw them.

I think I did okay this time. I think the rewards program thing would have just been a “wow, Mom didn’t ask me first, that’s annoying but I can cope” moment if it hadn’t been followed by her trying to directly make me responsible for her getting a cute little art thing she wanted to buy. I always assume there’s a “more graceful” way of handling things like that than I actually achieve, but do I need to be graceful? Is it not sufficient to simply be firm? I’m still not good at firm with her. I mostly rely on avoidance.

Which. Like. This makes me want to avoid her! This whole heavy conversation topic thing makes me want to visit less, the whole shopping thing reminds me of the hoarded environment I grew up in, the treating me as an extension of her thing REALLY fucking makes me want to avoid her!

I know “Mom, when you do X, it makes me want to not be around you” is a straightforward script I could potentially use, but it feels too blunt! It feels too much like I’m threatening to cut her off! I think if I say that she will react with lots of upset emotions, and even if she (has more grace then me) makes sure to have those emotions where I don’t witness them personally, I have been fucking conditioned to fret about those emotions and try to fix them for her.

Anyway this Fall Out Boy album I’m listening to just hit the lyrics “I love the whole world I just don’t love the way it makes me feel” as I was about to write “I love my mom but I don’t want to be around her for awhile” so like, thanks FOB.

My main tool for boundary enforcement is distance and it looks like, after doing more Mom-visits than normal this year, I gotta cut ‘em down again for awhile. Don’t know how I should/could handle it when she next asks about a visit, but yeah, I need more boundary practice, and I want more distance for now.

/head in hands/ ugh.

Edit: and she (with permission) sent me a copy of a book I’ve been wanting, and I’m going to send her a doll I don’t want anymore for her to either keep or pass along to her doll club, and both those things would be so much more fine if the art supply store thing hadn’t happened.

[popatochisssp]

Fur a Good Time, Call... 3/15

Series: Undertale, Horrortale Relationship(s): HT!Sans/Reader, HT!Papyrus & Reader Chapter Warnings: none

You work at an animal shelter. You love all your fuzzy buddies and can’t imagine a better job for yourself than looking after cats and dogs all day, even when the work is hard and often gross. What can you say? You’ve got a lot of love to give!

You’re just not quite sure yet how you feel about the new monster who’s been helping out these days, and this riddle wrapped up in an enigma is something you just can’t resist investigating…

AO3 Link

Crushed

Sometimes, you kept weird hours at night.

You had a bad habit of coming home from work and immediately passing out, only to wake up around ten or eleven at night and have some space to fill until you could get back to sleep again.

Occasionally you made do with the slim pickings of nighttime TV or made yourself some food that you probably shouldn’t be eating so late, but mostly you resorted to screwing around on the internet with your phone.

That was how you found out that Sans kept weird hours, too.

You had stumbled across one of those unfortunate neon sign burnouts—one ‘Elmhurst Emergency & Trauma Center’ that became the ‘ Im hur t Emergency & Trauma Center’— and immediately thought of somebody who would appreciate it.

Before you could reason with yourself that it was after midnight and you had literally never sent Sans a text before and this was a hell of an opener with no context, you’d sent off the photo.

A response came not ten minutes later.

PUNbelievable: lol thanks for that, Pap just yelled at me to keep it down.

You: Sorry, not sorry!

And that was the humble beginning of your textual friendship with Sans.

You texted back and forth about a lot of things. Most of it was silly stuff you found online (you’d been right, Sans did appreciate memes) but you were surprised by how many topics could arise from that kind of thing.

You: No way you have that many.

PUNbelievable: you doubt my hoarding ability? [IMG-1]

You: Holy shit, so that’s what 86 rocks looks like. Congrats?

PUNbelievable: and those are just the pretty ones. i got some more in shoeboxes and stuff.

You: You have shoes?!

PUNbelievable: hey hey hey what do you take me for, some kind of fancypants? no shoes, just the boxes.

You’d even started to go a little out of your usual way to find things Sans might get a kick out of. You started following a couple geology-themed blogs just so you’d occasionally find something nerdy to share.

You: [IMG-24]

PUNbelievable: whoa, perfect cleavage, thanks. yours?

You: Not mine. Perfect, though? Really? I just thought it was gneiss.

PUNbelievable: calcite, actually.

You: LOL!

Completely by accident, you’d also discovered his love of cat photos. He sent them to you often as reaction images, some he probably just found online but a lot you recognized as cats from the shelter.

He admitted to you that pretty much whenever he got a free moment at work, he was in the cat room, picking up or poking or otherwise gently harassing somebody.

PUNbelievable: most of them are just chill little dudes, they’re great. i love it when they get happy and start vibrating, that’s the best.

You: You don’t have to convince me, I love every one of those fuzzbutts, especially when they purr! I think I just might be more of a dog-person.

PUNbelievable: really? i thought you were a human-person.

You: Hilarious, spoken like a true cat-person. I should’ve put you as Good@Cats in my phone.

PUNbelievable: what am i now?

You: PUNbelievable.

PUNbelievable: what that’s great!

PUNbelievable: keep it!

PUNbelievable: it’s perfect!

A triple-text and the first time you’d ever seen him use exclamation points: how could you say no to that?

It didn’t take long before you caught yourself thinking of Sans as a friend—not just a work-friend, an actual friend—and you weren’t positive, but you were pretty sure he thought of you the same way.

For one thing, when you talked to him at the shelter, he actually talked back. It was a little thing, but it was so unlike the clipped and stiff replies he gave when other people tried to make conversation that it was a noticeable difference.

Sans’ silence had seemed so antisocial and mysterious back before you knew him. Now that you did, it seemed infinitely obvious that the man was just an awkward dork who wasn’t sure what to say and didn’t want to bug anybody so he split the difference by saying as little as possible.

He smiled a little wider when he saw you, though, and mostly came to you now when he’d finished a task and wasn’t sure what else needed doing. He was always available when you were about ready to go to lunch and happily gushed to you over how well his brother’s schooling was going, and he listened attentively when you talked about your own life, even when it couldn’t have been very interesting to hear about.

Sans had to be a friend: you couldn’t think of anybody else you’d rather send videos at three in the morning, and that was the truest measure of friendship you could think of.

Speaking of which…

You: [LINK: Sad Cat Diary]

PUNbelievable: oh big mood.

You snicker a little at the mental image of Sans, huge and spooky-looking, trying to sneak up on a tiny thumbtack in the wall.

You’re glad you went for it that day when you asked Sans to lunch. It was impulsive and a little nerve-wracking to put yourself out there like that, but it netted you a really good friend.

You couldn’t regret that, not even a little bit.

-

Buddy was with you again, which seemed superfluous to say at this point, but there he was.

His clicker training had gone incredibly well—the food-motivated little gremlin that he was—and you’d gotten him to pick up all the basic commands that people expected out of their dogs and didn’t want to have to teach them.

He knew sit, stay, drop it (though he was stubborn and sometimes pretended he didn’t), and even shake! He’d also pretty quickly picked up when and where he was supposed to do his business, and after all the socialization you’d been doing with him he didn’t flinch or shy away from being touched by people anymore.

With all that and his clean bill of health from the vet, Buddy was almost ready to go up for adoption.

There was just one small formality left on the list to check off, and it was how Buddy interacted with other animals. Since he spent so much time in the dog room, around other dogs, you already had a pretty good idea of how he was with his own species, so you’d gotten your boy leashed up, asked Sans to snag a couple cats for you, and met in the playroom.

Based on Buddy’s walk awhile back, you had a feeling you knew how this would go, but better to get it all done according to the shelter’s protocols.

Sans was standing there waiting for you when you and Buddy walked in. At your advice, he’d grabbed Snickers and Button, two of the more easygoing cats you currently had with a history of not batting the shit out of curious dog noses.

You had to cover a laugh at the sight of Sans, though. Button was fully latched onto Sans’ arm, all four limbs wrapped around it while she chewed at the cuff of his sleeve, and Snickers had perched herself up on his shoulder to paw at his face while he ineffectively tried to lean away.

“You good over there?” you asked, just to cover your bases.

“yep. as you can see, i’m a ladies man.”

You bent down, undoing Buddy’s leash and giving him a quick pat. “Would you be offended if I made the obvious ‘drowning in pussy’ joke?”

“yes, i would,” Sans said. “that’s just vulgar. low-brow. have some class, wouldja?”

You laughed, which had clearly been Sans’ intention. He grinned proudly even as he knelt and tried to shoo the cats off his body, a little easier to do now that there was something else for them to focus on.

Buddy, for his part, was reacting pretty much exactly how you’d expected. He was alert and very obviously curious…but also extremely unsure about these small bendy-looking dogs that were fearlessly trotting up to him.

“you think he’ll be alright?”

You shrugged. “I think so,” you decided, “more or less. I wouldn’t put him down as a great choice for homes with other pets, but if they’re friendly like the girls here, I don’t think he’d be in trouble.”

Buddy had mustered enough courage to give Snickers a good sniff…only to recoil a little as she sniffed him, something that was obviously uncalled for and totally unpredictable.

“that’s what this is for, yeah?” Sans asked, and you turned to face him. “you’re seein’ what kinda place he’d be a good fit for?”

“Yeah. I mean, that’s pretty much what we’ve been doing the whole time he’s been here. Adoption’s the goal: we don’t have as many rules and procedures as a rescue, but we still want everybody to end up somewhere good.”

Sans’ red eye moved from you to the animals. Button was trying to loop around Buddy’s feet, which Buddy was not sure he was totally cool with.

“so…what’s ‘somewhere good’ for buddy?”

The question made you consider it. “Well… he’d probably need somebody a little patient. He’s still nervous around new stuff and needs awhile to get used to it.”

“sure.”

“Ideally an only-pet situation,” you added. You gestured to where Snickers was playfully trying to catch Buddy’s tail while Buddy hastily tucked it and scrambled around to keep her in his line of sight. “Can you imagine him having to deal with that all day? Or worse, a territorial cat?”

“nah, he’s a lover, not a fighter.”

“Exactly! Big ol’ marshmallow.” You smiled fondly. “Buddy just needs a place where somebody can be his best friend.”

“so…you, right?”

Cue the mental record-scratch.

“Huh?”

Sans clearly didn’t think he’d said anything unusual. “everything you just described is you. you’re patient, no pets, you’re already his best pal. why can’t you take ‘im?”

“I…” You frowned. “I can’t.”

Sans didn’t say anything, but you felt his eye on you so you turned to watch Buddy again. He’d laid down to keep his underside protected, and the cats were rubbing up against him on either side.

It was adorable.

“I can’t,” you said again. “I…work way too much. I’m always here, y’know? I’d feel awful leaving…a dog,” you pointedly don’t say Buddy’s name, “alone in the house all day long. And then half the time when I get home, I just go straight to bed, so I wouldn’t even be able to play with him or give him the attention he should get.”

You chanced a look at Sans. His expression…wasn’t judgmental. Maybe a little…sad? But he wasn’t judging you.

You sighed. “It just wouldn’t be fair to him,” you say finally. “I’ve always believed you shouldn’t get a pet if you can’t take care of it. Buddy’s a good boy, he’ll go to a good home real fast. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“……if you say so,” Sans replied eventually. “guess i just always wondered why ya didn’t have your own pet when ya take care of ‘em all day. i know i thought havin’ a pet was pretty cool.”

Was? Oh, no.

“Did you…did you lose a pet, Sans?”

You shouldn’t be so surprised. The monsters went through hell underground, it should follow that no one was exempt from it, not even pets… but the thought still hurt your heart.

“yeah,” Sans said, and you ached with sympathy. You reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm when he continued, “Pap and i used to have a pet rock.”

Your expression flattened. “What do you mean, ‘used to’?” you demanded. “You’ve got like a hundred pet rocks.”

“nah, those are just rocks, they’re not pets,” Sans insisted. “not like rocky was.”

“……His name was Rocky.” Sans nodded. “I am…ninety percent sure you’re fucking with me.”

Sans put a hand to his chest, like an affronted southern belle. “would i do that?”

“Yes.”

“i’m hurt,” Sans said. “really. cut deep. rocky was a very important part of our family, i mourn his loss every day.”

“Okay, so what happened to him?” you wondered, suspicion evident.

“ran away.”

“…………”

“Pap blamed me for it,” Sans continued, shaking his head. “he was probably right to. i never fed him his sprinkles on time. didn’t appreciate him the way i should’ve, he was my rock and i just wasn’t there for him…”

“I’m a hundred percent now,” you said. “You’re fucking with me.”

Sans laughed, loudly and unabashedly. It made you laugh a little too, even though you shoved him in the arm right after.

“You’re such a jerk!”

“seriously, though,” he said. “if you ever meet Papyrus, ask ‘im about rocky, he’ll tell ya’.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” you said, tone dripping with sarcasm. You went over to rescue Buddy from his wannabe feline friends and added, “You better hope I don’t meet Papyrus because I’m gonna remember this and ask him and you’re gonna be exposed as a total liar!”

It wasn’t until you’d gotten Buddy’s leash back on and body-blocked your poor dog friend a little from Button and Snickers that you realized your designated cat-wrangler hadn’t answered you.

“Sans?”

He had his phone out and a serious expression on his skull as he penned something in. You’d learned only a week back that he kept a lot of reminders in his phone. He said it had been a major lifesaver to have something with him that could remember important dates and times for him, even when he couldn’t.

“Did you forget something?” you ask him gently.

Sans took a second to reply. “nah, just…remembered something i wanna do later. don’t wanna forget about it.”

“Okay.” You didn’t dwell on it. “Can you get Heckle and Jeckle here for me? I think Buddy’s had enough friendship for today.”

“yeah, sure.”

Sans scooped up the cats for you with only minimal mewing as protest, and you gave Buddy a scratch at his neck.

“Good boy,” you reassured him, leading him back to his kennel.

You were a little distracted, trying to decide how his adoption description should go.

You’d post it on the shelter website before you left work today.

-

The next day had you feeling…a little annoyed.

A new employee started today, somebody else’s young relative if his last name and obvious resemblance to your coworker were any indication, and no one had ever made you hate nepotism so much in your life.

You tried to rein it in: he was young and it was literally his first day, probably his first ever job and you knew there was always a learning curve. You wanted to respect that!

But… you might feel a little more forgiving if it seemed like he even sorta cared about the shelter and what you all did here.

You couldn’t speak to anyone else’s experience with him, but every time so far you’d tried to show him where something was or what the procedure is for such-and-such, he was looking off into the middle distance and nodding his head when he thought you were looking for an answer.

His phone buzzed once while you were talking and he broke direct eye-contact with you to respond to it.

You knew right then that he was somebody only in it for the paycheck. You didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, a job was a job, but he could at least have some decorum and try to look like he wasn’t bored of being there right in front of the person training him!

It was even worse because today was a day Sans wasn’t working. You couldn’t even complain to him about the new guy, or ask him to cover all the stuff he probably wasn’t doing that you’d have to go do yourself later.

Needless to say, you were already in a not-so-great mood when he came up to you in the middle of litterbox emptying around mid-afternoon asking for your attention—by the wrong name.

You didn’t bother to correct him. “Yeah, I can take a minute. What’s up?”

“The front desk girl called back. She said a guy wants to see a dog?”

…helpful. “Did she say anything else?” you prompted. “We got a lot of dogs here.”

He squinted, seeming to think about it. “Uhhh… I think it was Buddy? Or something like that.”

You weren’t quite prepared for the way your stomach dropped when he said the name. To cover it you spoke quickly, “Okay, thank you, I’ll go handle that. Can you finish cleaning the litterboxes for me?”

He sighed deeply, muttering, “I guess,” but you were already shucking off your gloves and heading to the sink to wash your hands. You could comfort yourself later with the knowledge that this guy couldn’t possibly last long here with an attitude like that. For now…

Oh, god.

You knew this was coming. You’d written up a great description for the website, and Buddy sat for his picture like a professional model: one ear flopped and the other pointed up with his pretty blue eyes and his tongue lolling happily out of his mouth.

He was a good boy and a beautiful dog, you knew he’d get adopted quick.

You just…hadn’t thought it would be so soon.

It’s not like you hadn’t gotten attached to dogs before. It happened a lot, actually, and it hurt a little each time watching them walk out the shelter door, but it had always been a light sting, easily soothed by the knowledge that they were going to a good home with people who’d love them.

But you had a terrible feeling that Buddy was going to hurt a lot more.

“How come you’re different, you little stinker?” you asked him, opening up his kennel and stepping in.

Buddy seemed oblivious to your sudden distress. He all but hopped off his cot when he saw you and the leash in your hand, his tail wagging while he sniffed at your pant leg in greeting and oh stars, this was going to be the last time he ever did that.

You got down on your knees to put his leash on. “C’mon, you gotta be a good boy. We’re gonna go meet your new dad.”

Because really, there wasn’t a question of if. It was like you’d told Sans, there wasn’t really a screening process or applications needed to take home a pet from here.

If you liked a dog, filled out the single sheet of paperwork, and paid the fee, that was your dog—and who wouldn’t like a sweetheart like Buddy once they met him?

You took a deep breath and got back to your feet. “Alright,” you said, mostly to yourself. “Alright. Let’s go, Buddy.”

The walk over to the lobby seemed shorter than it had ever been. You had to force yourself not to stop right before the doorway for ‘just a minute,’ knowing damn well that it wouldn’t be just a minute.

When you got there, there was only one person waiting in the lobby…and the sight of him nearly made you drop the leash.

He was a skeleton.

If you’d thought Sans was a big guy, the sight of this man scrunched into the almost comically small waiting chairs had instantly disabused you of the notion. It was hard to get a bead on exactly how tall he must be, since he was seated so politely with folded hands, but you’d guess he might be actually double your height, if not taller. He at least wasn’t built as broadly as your friend, but his overall length of limb seemed to make up for it and if it weren’t for his obvious good manners the sheer size of him might’ve been enough to make you a little nervous.

Well…his manners, the cobalt-blue squares of his (really cute) braces, and his matching glasses frames that were actually taped to the sides of his skull.

He spotted you almost the moment you walked in and rose to greet you.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully, offering one massive, spindly hand for you to shake. “I’m Papyrus! It’s A Pleasure To Meet You.”

It was…interesting trying to figure out how to shake his hand in return with the obvious size difference, but he took pity on you and helped you make it work. You introduced yourself right back.

“Ah, Of Course,” he said when you told him your name, “Sans’ Human. He’s Told Me A Lot About You, All Good Things, Naturally!”

You laughed a little, feeling just a tiny bit nervous all of a sudden at the thought of Sans talking about you—and at being called ‘Sans’ human.’ “Likewise. Uh, congratulations on acing that test last week!”

Papyrus scoffed, but you couldn’t help but notice the sudden hint of denim-blue on his cheekbones. “Thank You, But Really, I Have No Idea Why Sans Would Brag About That To Anyone! Did He Tell You The Exam Was On The Human Skeletal System?”

“Pfft… No, he left that part out, I think.”

“I Didn’t Even Study, For Obvious Reasons,” he told you, gesturing broadly to himself. You suddenly noticed the vibrant rainbow tie-dye crop-top he was wearing, and the black jacket he had over it with intricately embroidered flowers stitched into the leather.

Sans had been so right: Papyrus was insanely cool.

“We’re Getting Off-Topic,” he declared, bending further from his already hunched position to look at the dog beside you. “This Must Be Buddy. Hello!”

Buddy’s nose went straight into the hand Papyrus reached out to him, sniffing with vigor as always.

“Ah, You Smell My Bone Cologne! You Must Be A Dog Of Excellent Taste, A Connoisseur Of Fine Smells!”

You couldn’t help your smile. “Buddy certainly is that,” you agreed. The cold dread that had pooled in your gut at the thought of Buddy being adopted today had curiously disappeared and it left you feeling lighter than air. “Why don’t we all head to the playroom for a bit? You can interact with him a little better in there than in the lobby.”

“Excellent Suggestion!” Papyrus said. “I Would Be Delighted!”

The skeleton followed you further into the shelter, ducking under door frames blatantly not built with his height in mind. You were glad that the playroom had a high ceiling so everyone would be comfortable there.

As soon as you were all through the door, you unclipped Buddy’s leash and wrapped it up around your hand. “Papyrus, you can go ahead and ask Buddy to bring you a ‘t-o-y,’ he knows what that word means and he’s good at fetch.”

“Oh, So Am I!”

“Really?”

“Yes, Unrivaled At Fetch In All Of Snowdin,” he said proudly before pausing and looking a tad hesitant. You noticed he had the same nervous gesture Sans had, of looking down and to the left, and you found it unspeakably endearing. “Well, I Was, Anyway, For A Time. I, Erm…Worked Quite Closely With The Canine Unit And My Fetch Time Was Always The Best Out Of All Of Them! My Training Regimen Hasn’t Been…As Rigorous As It Was Back Then, Though, So I Suppose I Can’t Say With Certainty That It’s The Same. I’ve Been Busy Lately, Even By My Own Standards!”

“I know the feeling,” you empathized. “Adding Buddy into the mix won’t be too much, will it?”

Papyrus laughed, a bright and booming ‘NYEH-HEH-HEH’ that totally disarmed you.

“I Don’t See How It Could Be,” Papyrus assured you. “Buddy,” the dog focused on him instantly, “Can You Bring Me A Toy?”

Buddy perked right up when he heard the word of fun-times and happily bounced off to pick his favorite, a spiky rubber hedgehog that had seen better days, but its squeaker still worked so it was The Golden Toy to many of the dogs here.

Papyrus seemed pleased to have the slimy thing dropped into his hand and he gave it a gentle lob across the room. Buddy went after it like a shot. Almost as if he knew his performance was being judged, he even jumped a little to snatch it right out of the air.

Papyrus gave a suitably impressed noise and patted Buddy on the head when he returned the hedgehog. “Well,” he said, giving the toy another toss, “He’s Smart And Fast And A Very Handsome Dog—He’s Already Met All My Standards!”

“I can’t say I’m surprised, I’m pretty fond of Buddy myself. I, uh, I have to admit, though, I am curious why…” You frowned, wondering if the thing you were about to ask was presumptive. “Did…Sans tell you? About Buddy?”

“Yes, Of Course!” Buddy brought the hedgehog back again and Papyrus put it to the side, abandoning the play in favor of scratching through Buddy’s black and white fur. “We Don’t Really Keep Secrets. I’ve Known About Buddy For Quite Awhile!”

“Oh. Right.” You cleared your throat. “Then, I guess I don’t have to give you the disclaimer about his one unfortunate biting incident? Which hasn’t been repeated!” you quickly added.

Papyrus didn’t seem concerned. “The Only Thing Unfortunate About That Incident Is That Sans Still Wears That Old Hoodie!” Buddy had rolled over onto his back and if his windmill of a tail was any indication, his new skeleton friend was very good at belly rubs. “It Speaks To Buddy’s Tenacity! I Admire A Dog Who’ll Protect Himself When He’s In Trouble!”

Not many people saw it that way—an aggressive dog was just an aggressive dog, even with extenuating circumstances. Papyrus’ perspective was…refreshing.

“Well… he’s not exactly a guard dog, if that’s what you’re looking for,” you cautioned. “Mostly, he runs away if he’s in trouble, so…”

“That’s Even Better! Unnecessary Conflict Is So…Unnecessary!” Papyrus grinned broadly at you. Even with his braces, it was a totally winning smile. “I Think Buddy Will Fit Right In At Our House!”

“That’s…that’s great!” you said and you sincerely meant it. “If you’re ready to take him home today, we can go back to the front and get everything settled.”

Papyrus agreed immediately.

On the way there, he seemed compelled to assure you that he was well-prepared for Buddy’s arrival. He’d read through as much dog-ownership literature as he could find online last night and purchased all the essentials as soon as the stores had opened this morning: kibble, a bed, a leash and collar set with bones on them—and how fashion-forward was it of dog-accessories to include bones in their designs? Papyrus was very impressed!

“…And Of Course, He’ll Get Plenty Of Exercise, I’ve Been Looking For A Jogging Buddy And He Already Has The Right Name For It!”

You laughed. “Papyrus, I can’t tell you how great that is to hear. I love knowing my dogs are going somewhere good for them. You know half the people who adopt don’t even fill out the form all the way?”

Papyrus looked at the piece of paper you handed to him. He flipped it over to see the blank backside and frowned. “What, Seriously???”

“Seriously. It's not technically required, mostly for record-keeping, so people just don't do it or leave a bunch of blanks. You wouldn’t believe how many of those have no addresses because people couldn’t be bothered to remember what street they lived on.”

“………” Papyrus started snickering. “Oh My God, How Embarrassing… Nyeh-Heh-Heh, I Really Shouldn’t Laugh,” he said, grabbing a pen and jotting down his information. “That Sounds Like Exactly The Kind of Thing Sans Would Do.”

“Does it really?”

“Sadly, Yes. If I’d Left This Up To Him, It Would All Be Blank Except For Maybe His Name. And Then He Wouldn’t Turn It In. And I’d Find It Three Weeks Later Crumpled Up In His Trash-Tornado.”

“That sounds…exactly right, actually.” Sorry, Sans, can’t defend you against completely true accusations!

The lobby was quiet for a few moments, filled only by the sound of Buddy’s panting and the scratching of the pen.

Then Papyrus spoke up again. “Actually… Is…. Feel Free Not To Answer, If It’s Something You Don’t Feel Comfortable Discussing, But… Sans.”

You waited for him to finish his thought, but he didn’t. “Yes?” you prompted.

“He’s Not… Is He Like That Here?” Papyrus asked you, looking concerned. “I Know He’s Not Technically ‘Employed,’ But… He Does Things Here, Right? He Doesn’t Just… I Don’t Know, Sit In The Break Room All Day And Look Busy When Someone Important Walks By?”

You blinked, startled by the thought. “No, he doesn’t do that. He’s a big help around here. Actually,” you added, sheepish and a little quiet in case your voice carried, “I was kind of upset he wasn’t in today, ‘cause I don’t think I’m gonna get as much done without him around to lend a hand.”

You may as well have told Papyrus it was his birthday and every other holiday combined into one.

“Really? Oh, That’s Great!” He pressed a hand to his chest and heaved out a relieved sigh. You weren’t quite sure how that worked with a skeleton, but there it was. “I’m So Glad He’s Being Productive. I Knew This Place Would Be Good For Him! He’s Even Made Two Wonderful Friends!”

Oh, that meant you and Buddy, didn’t it? You think you might be flushing a little, but try to play it cool.

You and Papyrus get the adoption fee and all the other logistical stuff taken care of and soon enough, “That’s it, Buddy’s all yours, free and clear!”

“Thank You So Much For Your Assistance! And Obviously, Call Me Anytime!”

You paused. “Call you?”

“Yes, Of Course! My Number Is On The Form.” Papyrus seemed to notice you were still confused. “Sans Mentioned You May Want To Come Visit Buddy From Time To Time. You Seem Almost As Busy As I Am, We’d Probably Need To Align Schedules At Some Point To Make It Work.”

Sans mentioned…?

You put a pin in your train of thought. Hesitantly, you got out your phone and pulled the piece of paper closer. “Are you sure that’s alright?” you asked, just to make sure. “I, uh… I can’t say I don’t want to see Buddy again sometime, but….”

“Nonsense, Any Friend Of Sans Is Welcome Over Whenever.” Papyrus gave another quick pat to Buddy’s head. “And Any Friend Of Buddy Is Doubly Welcome!”

Good enough for you! You put his number in your contacts, just under ‘Papyrus’ for now. “You know,” you said as you did so, “we could be friends, too. If you wanted.”

When you looked up from your phone, you found Papyrus staring at you like…well, like he didn’t know what to say.

“…Really?”

“Sure?” Offering to be friends with somebody shouldn’t have been able to put a look of such touched elation on their face, but there was Papyrus looking like you’d just offered him the moon in a few short words.

“Oh! Well, That’s! That’s Fantastic! I Accept!” He was blushing blue again even as he laughed that cute laugh of his. “A Friend, Wowie!” He seemed to remember Buddy at his feet. “Two Friends! What A Day! I’m Sorry To Leave So Suddenly, But I Think I Have Some Energy to Run Off Right Now, Do You Mind?”

“Not at all,” you promised. “Go bond with your new dog.”

“I Will, And Thank You Again! Come Along, Buddy!”

Buddy spared a glance at you, seeming to wonder why you weren’t coming with, but he wasn’t concerned enough to hesitate more than a second before trotting after Papyrus out the door.

Buddy didn’t need to worry about never seeing you again, after all. Neither did you, for that matter.

All thanks to a certain meddling skeleton.

A skeleton that you called the second you went off the clock for lunch.

“y’ello?” he answered after a couple rings, sounding a little like you’d just woken him up.

You didn’t waste time feeling guilty about it. “Hey, did you tell your brother to adopt Buddy?”

“heheh, what? no.”

“Really? Because he said—”

“look, i don’t tell Papyrus to do anything,” Sans said flatly. “…but maybe i did mention that the cool dog was up for adoption, the one who tried to eat my terrible jacket that Pap hates. and that my pal at the shelter might be a little, uh… sad if he went real far away and they couldn’t see ‘im anymore. if he decided to go pick buddy up after that, that’s just serendipity, y’know?”

You huffed out an incredulous breath. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“did what?”

“You adopted a dog for me!”

“he’s a good dog. Papyrus can tire ‘im out when he’s not at work or studying and i’m not at the shelter every day, so i got ‘im the rest of the time. that’s what you were worried about, right? buddy gettin’ left alone too much?”

“Well…yeah.”

“so, problem solved, right? plus you can have visitation an’ stuff. long as you pay child support.”

You snorted loudly. “Child support?”

“yeah, child support. he was your son first.”

“He’s not my— what even is ‘child support’ in this scenario?”

Sans sounded like he was thinking it over. “mmm…lunch for a month?”

“…you’re kidding.”

“you’re right, two months.”

“That’s not how haggling works!”

“drivin’ a hard bargain, huh? okay, a week.”

You finally broke down giggling. “Fine,” you laugh, “fine, a week.”

“oh, nice, i didn’t think that would actually work.”

What a goober.

“Oh my god. Okay, sorry to bug you on your day off, you can go back to bed now, I guess.”

“bold of you to assume i ever left it.”

“And Sans?”

“yeah?”

“Thanks.” It seemed weak. Not enough of a word to convey the warm gratitude you felt bubbling up in your chest when you thought about what he’d just done for you—him and his brother both.

It was weak, but it was all you could think to say.

“forget about it,” Sans said simply.

And that was that.

You got on with your day, going to lunch, coming back and dealing with your duties and that damn new guy, but the whole time, in the back of your mind, you were thinking, He adopted a dog for me. He sent Papyrus to adopt Buddy so I wouldn’t be sad.

You were starting to think that maybe you were in trouble here.

Your relationship with your ‘pretty good friend’ was starting to feel an awful lot like a crush.

-

Later that night, Sans texted you first.

PUNbelievable: hey, sounds like you made my bro real happy today. thanks, he deserves to have more good stuff in his life.

So do you, was your first thought, but something told you Sans might not see it your way.

You: Sure, he’s as cool as you said he was, but don’t think you’re off the hook about that Rocky thing because I forgot earlier. I’m gonna ask him next time and then you’re busted!

PUNbelievable: lol

You had almost mustered enough irritation to be playfully annoyed at him when he sent another message.

PUNbelievable: [IMG-13]

It was picture of Buddy curled up on a bare mattress in a dark room—Sans’ room—with a big bony hand settled on his withers mid-fur-ruffle.

PUNbelievable: somebody’s making himself right at home, guess life over here ain’t so ruff.

…Okay, yep. You were crushing.

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