#mini bay tree

[cainhowlett]

Mini valley oaks getting carved out

[sleepyorchidmonster]

So, considering Genshin's latest trend of revisiting past storylines that had been mostly glossed over for the past 4 years or so (seriously, I remember freaking out over these things back in 2021)....

Since they've focused on Liyue (Hu Tao's role as a Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor), Inazuma (Raiden's dead friends, especifically Chiyo, that was MIA) and now Mondstadt (Albedo's fear of turning evil and destroying the nation + hints at whatever the fuck Venti is hiding), then they'll probably set their sights on Sumeru soon enough.

Sumeru and its unresolved issues of *checks notes* Collei having a vision of Dottore literally BURNING DOWN IRMINSUL at the end of Winter Night's Lazzo.

And, since we're talking about Collei, why don't we address the fact that she wasn't given a major role in the region's Archon Quests, even with her connections to Cyno, Tighnari and Dottore, or her ability to directly empathise with both Wanderer and Nahida, not to mention that line in her trailer "Even if it's a life-or-death situation, I'll never need to rely on their power again" that's not foreboding at all what do you mean haha...

Almost as if the Sumeru Archon Quests we got were a way to save Nahida, redeem Wanderer and heal Collei's Eleazar, establishing key players and setting up the board for what's to come in the future.

And about the whole "Burning of Irminsul Thing", like, I get that it's the fastest way to "Burn the old world for me", as per the Tsaritsa's words in the Shivada Jade Gemstone lore, but what would happen to Nahida?

Since she is a branch of Irminsul, is she technically safe from the flames burning away said branch? Will Mini Durin and Wanderer have to frantically locate the branch that represents Nahida and remove it from Irminsul while the others frantically try to keep the flames at bay?

(I've kind of always interpreted Rukkhadevata's (and Nahida's) connection to Irminsul as something akin to a dryad, so she's an avatar of the tree, and said tree is also directly linked to her life force, so if Irminsul dies, they die.)

Either way, letting Irminsul burn to the ground is all kinds of bad for Teyvat's lore and record-keeping (even if said lore can be easily edited via Irminsul), so everyone will do what they can to stop Dottore while Nahida is preparing for the worst and creating a bunch of fables (Venti has also saved some important details via songs and poems).

Anyway, while we probably won't be getting Sumeru that soon, since we're still in Mond and will probabky end up crash-landing in Nod-Krai soon enough (also you can't just turn such an important detail as the Burning of the WORLD TREE into a flagship event) here are some predictions and rambings:

- We might get a special appearance fron Albedo, Muni-Durin, Amber and maybe Ragbros, both as a nod to the manhua being placed i Mond, as well as Mini-Durin and Wanderer's connection;

- Collei and Wanderer friendship over their mutual dislike of the Doctor;

- Candance and Nilou, Sumeru's only hydro characters that were also heavily featured in the event "Chromatic Ode to Candies and Roses", where they took on the role of both Deshret and Nabu Malikata at Nahida's birthday party, now make up the main line of defense against the flames, once more representing the God-Kings of Sumeru;

- Eremites. Just the eremites. It's been almost 3 years since we've freed Nahida, so I want at least part of the quest delving a bit into how things have improved over this short amount of time. Like, it's impossible to fix so many sistemic issues in so little time, but Nahida has the determination and wisdom to pull it off, so it'd be nice to see the general public's opinion of their archon, especially considering how the eremites went from hating her to being qbsolutely crucial to the success of the 3.2 quest;

- LAYLA ARCHON QUEST APPEARANCE! I still can't fathom how in 3.2. we got a new character that we had never met before, not to mention a student from Rtawahist, A.K.A. the same Darshan as AZAR. Like, can you imagine if Layla's somnambulism somehow confused the Akasha system, to the point where they're technically still capable of dreaming, which allowed Nahida to befriend Night Layla? And Layla's erratic night behavious were part Night Layla shenanigans, part actual reconaissance for their archon? 3.1. Ending but Night Layla crashes the party by showing up at Aaru Village with a bunch of classified documents she stole from Azar? Day Layla being convinced she just traveled there for a project, but also helping Candance defend the village while the others are out?

- Amurta and Vahumana collaboration (they're trying to see if they can use Shouki no Kami to transplant Irminsul, results are still inconclusive);

- The fight plan would basically be Alhaitham, Dehya, Cyno and Sethos vs Dottore, while the others attempt to save Irminsul from the flames. Nahida is protecting Aaru Village with Faruzan, Layla, Jeht, the Pari and some other eremites while offering remote support (the last thing anyone needs is Dottore setting her on fire as well);

- Collei using the Archon Residue to suffocate the flames, which ends up killing two birds with one stone, since the fire may also weaken said Archon Residue;

- Apep appearance (let's say part of her agreement with Deshret involved assisting his allies in dire circumstances, also she is just repaying a favour);

- Dottore versus Aranaras (he's somehow losing).

[lovelylemoncake]

.☆《 POV: You're on a picnic date when...? 》☆.

[ Xavier x MC Reader ]

Warnings: Some Harassment

*°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆

The blanket splayed out on the plush grass was probably going to be a tight fit with the amount of food you both brought. Orginally, you had planned for only a handful of dishes, but your picnic plans got put off ("Emergency mission again?!") every single week until bordering the end of spring. Eventually, you and Xavier both ended up adding new snacks to the picnic list until you had a full-on feast to eat at the park.

"This is probably enough to feed our whole department," you say after stepping back to take in the whole lunch spread before you.

"Don't underestimate our stomachs," Xavier says with determination, though you can tell he's also got a hint of a laugh in him.

"Well carrying these from the car did make me work up an apettite," you shrug. "Oh gosh, wait a minute--Xavier, where's the cooler..?"

You stare at each other, blinking in silence.

....Oops.

"It's back in the parking lot isn't it? I have to go up that hill again?" You sit on the grass in a bit of defeat while staring at the long way down.

Just last night you had run several kilometers to eliminate a Wanderer that had escaped from a different team's mission. Who knew that it would render you so sore despite your hunter training? Maybe the muddy terrain got to you more than usual. Your thighs are burning.

"I can go get it," Xavier reassures you. "You don't have to worry about it."

Those words light you up. In the moment, Xavier looks more valiant than usual. He's always shining but today he's extra radiant, huh? You'd have never guessed that he was dead asleep the entire car ride over here with the world's most legendary bedhead. Dependable indeed!

"Really?" You rest your back into the grass, spreading out like a starfish. "I can go too."

Xavier softly laughs, seeing you so unashamedly comfortable. "You rest here. I'll be right back."

You can see him heading back down from your spot. Before he disappears into the lush trail back to the parking lot, you sit up and wave at him.

"You're the best, Mr. Number-One-Hunter!!" You shout with a big, goofy grin.

He turns back to look at you, shakes his head with a smile, and disappears into the trees.

There was a lot of food to guard by yoirself. Luckily there was a bit of a breeze today to keep the bugs at bay. With the clouds providing occasional shade, it would be the perfect day to enjoy the weather. You look at all of the tasty dishes and reminisce about what lead to them all.

For example, the original plan was for sandwiches and juice. Then the mini charcuterie boad got added due to leftover sandwich materials. Later you realized that the leftover cold noodles needed to be eaten eventually, and then after that there was the mochi in your stash on the verge of expiring too... Oh yes, and Xavier wanted to try the stew he learned from a new cook book!

"Okay, we probably should have thought about this a little bit," you say to yourself. You probably should have gone without breakfast to leave some space for this impromptu banquet. All you can do is sigh and laugh a little about how how eager you and Xavier were to accomplish these plans despite a lot of scheduling issues.

Some birds fly by. The trees rustle with the wind. A few colorful kites from some other park-goers are soaring high into the air with pretty tails. The air here tastes so much better than the muddy terrain from your mission last night. You look at the grassy space beside you and wish Xavier would come back sooner so you can enjoy this together.

You're so absorbed in your thoughts, you almost don't notice a few guys approaching you. They look dressed up for some sort of sport. Are they on some sort of team?

"Hey, do you mind if we do some drills nearby?" One of them asks. He seems very nice. "We're sort of loud when we're practicing."

"Dang, that's a lot of food for a shortie like you," the other says, looking at your picnic spread. "Trying to grow more?"

"Dude, Nate," the nice guy says. "Don't be rude." He smiles at you apologetically. "Sorry about that."

You raise a brow at Nate, but it's honestly not that big of a deal.

"Yeah that's totally okay," you tell them.

"You know, you can come watch us practice if you want, shortie." Nate suggests.

"No, I'm good," you shake your head.

"Then why don't we join you after practice? Help you put all this food away--" Nate walks right up to you with some high and mighty expression on his face.

He towers over you as you're sitting down at the moment. A tiny bit annoyed, you stand up and step back.

"Dude, I'm serious Nate. Cut it out," the other guy tugs Nate backwards from the back of his shirt.

"I'm just trying to make friends, Kellen!" Nate scoffs.

"Gosh, just shut-- look I'm so sorry for taking up your time," Kellen interrupts himself to apologuze to you again.

You pity Kellen a bit. He's genuinely suffering from second hand embarrassment at the moment. You decide that this conversation needs to be over soon.

"You're okay. You can practice wherever you want. I'm just waiting for someone so we can eat," you explain. "Have a good time."

"Yes we will," Kellen nods, trying to pull Nate to come along with him.

Nate doesn't budge however. "Then you both should come watch our practice after you eat. I'd like to show you what these legs can do."

He starts flexing, and as irritating as he his, you also have to suppress the urge to laugh because you're pretty sure you've seen six year olds strike better poses than him. Compared to Xavier's usual grace, he looks like he's trying to do an interpretive dance. Kellen looks like he would like to crawl into a hole at the moment.

You shake your head. "No--"

"No thanks," a warm hand snakes around your waist. This voice is quite calm yet firm. It also sounds like he's ran up a hill.

You look up with a big smile.

"You made it back. That was fast."

"I didn't want the ice to melt," Xavier says, looking away slightly. He plops the cooler down quickly.

You squint a little and take his word for it. In your head, you know he probably started running the minute he saw you and the other guys from a good distance away. He looks composed right now, but you can hear his heart hammering away just a bit as he's flush against your back. It's pretty endearing.

"You're the friend?" Nate furrows his brows at Xavier like his nemesis had just appeared.

You move to correct the guy. "Oh, he's actually--"

"Partners. This is my partner," Xavier's hand sinks a little into your skin, squishing you against him like you'll be taken away.

His blue eyes are burning bright, and though his smile is as gentle as ever, you can sense that the emotion behind it is a little sharp. Amused and maybe just a little touched, you put your hand on top of his hand around your waist. Are your cheeks a little warm and toasty? Yes. Will you ever admit that? Probably no.

"Nate, please," Kellen sighs like a tired babysitter at their wit's end. "Let's go."

Nate finally relents, but he turns around to look at you before he leaves.

"Hey shortie, you should still come see our practice when you're free. I'll make it worth your time."

"We are very busy," Xavier instantly fires back. "We have more important things to do with our time."

Hard emphasis on "we," huh?

You can see Nate open his mouth to reply, but Kellen basically hauls him away with a very angry expression before he has the chance. You watch them disappear, but just a bit later you can hear a fuming Kellen nearby.

("You can do burpees until we leave, Nate!")

Oof.

Xavier just hugs your back for a very long time. You both stare at the clouds passing by in the sky. The kites are still dancing around in the wind. He grips you like you might fly away. Like you're a flower petal about to be swept off of a tree.

"You said we had important things to do," you say after a little while. Its always so comfortable in his arms. It's like time slows down. "Can I ask what that would be, Mr. Xavier?"

He looks at you with those deep blue eyes. Before you realize it, his lips are pressed desperately into yours like every inch of you can't be missed. Taken aback, you grip his shirt and melt into his hold. It continues for some time. Finally, when he steps back, you're a bit of a mess. A bit embarassed, you quickly dig in the cooler for some water or juice instead.

"Be with you," he suddenly says, turning around with a bit of a flush evident in his neck.

"What?" You say, brain processing a bit jumbled after, um, face squishing with each other.

"The important thing." He turns back around. "I would say the most important thing to do... is to be with you."

Every single word is a shot of sugar to your cheeks breaking into a smile and the rush in your heart.

You leap to tackle him with a hug.

Consequently, you're both sent tumbling together down the hillside.

Rolling in each other's arms, you both laugh as the dandelions you pass by have their seeds sent into the air. At the bottom, when you finally stop, Xavier plants a kiss to your cheek. Still full of giggles, you pull some grass out of his hair.

Maybe another trek up the hill for lunch isn't so bad after all.

*°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆ *°•●☆

A/N: Could you tell i was hungry when I wrote this, lol? I orginally wanted to make this a small fic about eating together, but then I realized I've never written about a jealous Xavier before. I had to make it happen. ^-^

[foone]

Now I'm imagining a totally different version of that mini-story shitpost (I'd call it a ficlet if it was more serious), where it's a story about a floret elaborately planning an escape, but with a twist.

(mini-hdg fic follows. No sex, but this an inherently dubcon/noncon setting and there are some very minor references to that)

They figured out how to bypass some restrictions on the matter compiler by asking for things with components that could be reused. They've hidden tools inside some of their plushies, pushed to the back so their owner won't accidentally notice them.

Finally, it's time. The door to her quarters falls quickly from the acid attack (she's been doing hidden chemistry for Weeks). The ion storm will blind some of the sensors, so they only need a little extra help to not notice a DIY escape pod falling out of an auxiliary cargo bay.

The escape pod soft-lands (well, mostly. It hit a few tree branches on the way down) on the nearby habitable planet, and the door pops up. A floret in some brightly colored doll clothes resewn into hiking gear pops out. She holds up a sensor with a little screen on it, and it shows one big blue dot. Suddenly the dot grows, the screen's image is swamped out, and then it returns: nothing. No dots. The Cembroides has jumped out of the system. She's free without anyone noticing. She tosses aside the sensor she rigged out of a hair cutting machine, grabs some supplies from the pod, and hikes north.

A few kilometers later she finds a clearing with a small log cabin recently built in it. She opens the door without knocking, and says "Did you miss me?"

Her owner puts aside her book. "Of course I did little one! I was worried when your pod came down in the dense forest, but I see you made it safely here."

The floret smiles. "I wasn't worried! I used some hoverunits from an old medi-bed design, so my pod was slowed down enough that I just got jostled a bit. The real trick was figuring out how I could make the pod smart enough to land me near the cabin but not so smart that it'll discover what I'm doing and alert the Cembroides AI... I ended up with a nano-computer out of a dining tray wired into the thrusters. It thinks it's keeping my lunch warm, not flying a spaceship!"

Her owner beams an expression of leafy pride at her. "That's all very interesting, and I look forward to reading your report on it. But for now, come cuddle with mommy, and drink up. You've been hiking through the forest, you need hydration and nutrients now, little one."

The floret jumps into her vines, literally, and buries her face in the leaves of her owner. "it was a lot of fun! I've got some great ideas for the next time, too". She yawns, and cuddles closer, her eyes slowly closing. "But for now I think I'll rest..."

A distance away in the alien jungle, a small creature scurries out of the abandoned escape pod, as the discarded sensor loudly beeps an alert as one of the Cembroides' shuttles makes an FTL jump back into the system.

Back at the cabin, the Affini gently pats the head of their floret. You gotta make sure your pets have plenty of enrichment, you know? And sometimes that means letting them "escape", just so they can have the enjoyment of figuring out their escape plan.

The shuttle sets down besides the cabin, and the Affini carries her sleeping pet out to it, pausing only to activate a system to reclaim the cabin back into biomass for the forest to use. The shuttle takes off silently, and the sound of birds and other forest wildlife slowly returns, as the cabin slowly melts like a sand castle at high tide.

That sensor by the pod beeps again as the shuttle jumps out to meet up with the Cembroides, and something not entirely unlike a deer darts off into the denser forest in fright.

[sims4t2bb]

Update - May

Here's what we've updated in April and May. We've got a big to-do list for things to cover in June, as creators have been hard at work, so please bear with us as we're busy in real life, too!

Added a great amount of non-Base Game door and window conversions by @platinumaspiration and @lordcrumps across many different packs.

— Base Game

Buy Mode

BodyCrunch Pro Home Gym System, PowerFit Multitrainer Exercise Machine, and The Rack conversions by ePSYlord have been added.

Crisponix Splendid, Icebox of Steel by Krampft Industries, and IceBOX Vintage Refrigerator conversions by @platinumaspiration have been added.

The Fun-Fun Inflatable Set, Part One, and The Fun-Fun Inflatable Set, Part Two conversions by @deatherella have been added.

Country Cottage Dining Chair, Cephalopod Barstool with Back Support, and Bunker Be Bright Wall Light conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Build Mode

Spiral Parquet and Retro Edwardian Tile conversions by @lordcrumps have been added.

Deco

Milk Cartons (Bella Goth, Emit Relevart, Ginny, Pit Beast, Skip Broke, and Some Sneaky Sim) conversions by @lordcrumps have been added.

— Expansion Packs

Get Together

Debug Bollard conversion by @pixelasher has been added.

City Living

Picturesque Keramikos, Ported Boundery, and debug Utility Box and Wall Pipes conversions by @pixelasher have been added.

Cats & Dogs

The Saint's Anchor and Carpeted Conifers Cat Tree Deluxe conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Get Famous

Name in Lights Marquee and Name in Lights Theatre Sign conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

Stool of Decadence conversion by @jinxxsims has been added.

Island Living

Montane Slatted Doors, The Bug Kahuna Sliding Doors, The Cudgel 7 Sliding Door, The ‘Put A Screen On It’ Screen Door, Windy Whale Sliding Doors, Bermuda Triangle Double Arch, Bewitching Wicker Counter, Shelflessness Skiihaw Recycling, The Islander Trellis, The ‘Look No Further’ Dresser, and more conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

Discover University

Triple Chim-Chimney conversion by @jacky93sims has been added.

Banners of Cheer and Lone-1 Floor Banner conversions by @pixelasher have been added.

Alpha Kappa Banner Bud and Alpha Kappa Banner Set conversions by @cozy-sims have been added.

Snowy Escape

The Fridges of Komorebi County conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

Cottage Living

Deep Thoughts Door, Fox Knocker Door, Quintessential Cottage Door, Pining for Winter, Gossip No More Door, Bae Bay Window, Bagatha Chrisptea's Literary Window, Bliss Fo Eyes A Poetical Window, Double Window for Double Blessings, Storybook Cotta Window, and more conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

Conversions of all windows by @lordcrumps and @platinumaspiration have been added.

Old King Kool - by The Icebox Corp and ReFridgeAdeezer by Re FrostyFridge Corporation conversions by @platinumaspiration have been added.

High School Years

Learning with the Stars, Wall Mounted Pom Pom, Graduation Photo Op, Lunch Special Cafeteria Station, and ThrifTea Bubble Tea Counter conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

Mini Gem Chandelier conversion by @jinxxsims has been added.

Growing Together

Dining is Groovy! v.2 by Kindermade, Sit Crooked, Talk Straight Barstool conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Live Laugh Well Loved Lamp, Attention Worthy Floor Mirror, and Attention Worthy Wall Mirror conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

For Rent

Debug Tree Guard conversion by @pixelasher has been added.

Businesses and Hobbies

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Conversions by @platinumaspiration and @lordcrumps have been added.

Drippy Bunny Sculpture, Tat-a-Scribble Set, Luminous Leaf, and Fairly Fair Fence with Fairy Lights conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Paint on Me! Wallpaper conversion by @morepopcorn has been added.

— Game Packs

Outdoor Retreat

Conversions of all items by @lordcrumps have been added.

Spa Day

Doc Sweets Luke-Warm Mini Dispenser conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

Vampires

Protruding Frieze conversion by @lordcrumps has been added.

Parenthood

Recolors of Board Meeting by @jinxxsims have been added.

Realm of Magic

30 Day Glimmerbrook Fridge, Astral Window, Banished Soul Window, Divine Porthole Window, Spellcaster's Delight Window, Waning Moon Window, and Window of Opportunity conversions by @platinumaspiration have been added.

My Wedding Stories

Exotic Elegant Lamp and Lone Candle In The Hall conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

— Stuff Packs

Cool Kitchen

They Might Be Giants and Taste of Umami Spice Rack conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Laundry Day

Model T Clothesline, Green Clean Washing Machine, Fyre Dryer, Feelin' Fabric Hamper, Laundrymaid Clothing Hamper, Wicker Whims Hamper, and debug Clothing Pile conversions by @lamare-sims have been added.

— Kits

Courtyard Oasis

Conversions of all items by @lordcrumps have been added.

Cozy Kitsch

Conversions of all items (sans different wall lengths) by @platinumaspiration have been added.

Secret Sanctuary

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Conversions by all kit items by @lordcrumps have been added.

Chateaux Charm Fireplace conversion by @jinxxsims has been added.

Comfy Gamer

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Comfy Gaming Computer and "Beam me up, Blarffy!" Novelty Lamp conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

Sims Forever! Collectible Art Prints conversion on a ts2 mesh by @selenaq13 has been added.

Conversions of all kit items by @lordcrumps and springsims have been added.

Casanova Cave

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Designer Wall Prints by Valor Visuals conversion on a ts2 mesh by @selenaq13 has been added.

Conversions of all kit items by @lordcrumps have been added.

High Stakes Table, The Zenith Wall Unit, and Titan Screen 5000 conversions by @jinxxsims have been added.

Refined Living Room

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Conversions of all kit items by @lordcrumps have been added.

Sleek Bathroom

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

Kitchen Clutter

The filterable page is now available!

Added functional conversion of the Fresh Finds Grocery Bag by @grilledcheese-aspiration

Added Culinary Caddy by @amethystfenix

Restoration Workshop

The filterable page is now available!

[changingplumbob]

✨️🐰hello!!!! would you help spread some cuteness and silliness around our timeline? Share some pics of your Sims' pets!!🐰✨️ Share the ask around if you also wanna see more pets friends around! 🥰✨️

Alright I can't keep it secret anymore! For the cast challenge of this round of Dating Deanna we are heading to Shelly's Animal Haven in Brindleton Bay with four amazing guest judges to see how contestants get on with the animals. It was where the idea for Dating Deanna first began in my mind! I filmed it the other day and while I won't show contestant spoilers I am going to show you some of my favourite four legged guests!

Bluebird, a mini sheep

Toonces having a defying gravity moment when I went in tab mode too close to the cat tree

Wolfie the pug in his pj's

50% of Chicory aka the neediest horse

[yerimbrit]

[flufftober day 5, wc: 857] - scary campfire stories : ot5 le sserafim

THIS IMPROMPTU camping trip, though maybe not as impromptu as you thought because of course it’s because of leniverse, isn’t actually going as bad as you thought it would.

instead of camping inside the building like before, you’re actually outside, though at a camping facility. it’s quite nice, with a small archery range where you got your ass handed over by sakura and eunchae, a bay in which you and kazuha fell into while canoeing and then proceeded to flip over yunjin and chaewon’s canoe in retaliation (they splashed some water in your faces and you slipped while trying to fight back), a bonfire area, the cabins you’re staying in, and the forest you’re in right now where there’s another small campfire area in the woods. 

the atmosphere is quite eerie, pushing aside the numerous cameras and staff helping to film. it’s dark past the trees, it’s quiet, there’s crickets and a crescent moon up in the sky. you shiver. you’ve lost count of how many mosquito bites you’ve gotten, (which persist even with sakura’s shooing ritual which consisted of her singing that one red velvet song and waving her arm around) and also of how many times yunjin has sung cotton eye joe. it’s really pissing you off—both the mosquitos and the song.

the producer hands you a card since you’re in the center, and you clear your throat to read it. your group mates gaze at you intently. “welcome to the forest! let’s end the day off with some roasted marshmallows around the campfire… with a twist,” everyone groans after you announce that part, “to earn your sweet treats, please tell fearnots a scary story—popcorn style.”

yunjin is the starting person, which is unfortunate because you really have no idea what that girl is going to pull out of her ass… not that you can say that out loud right now, because the cameras are rolling, but it’s true. it’s not necessarily a bad thing—it’s just that the mood tends to get chaotic when you go off-script. the post-production editing makes it funnier, and what’s le sserafim if not chaotic?

according to the producer, your group has to come up with a story involving a few keywords, which (predictably) go as follows: kim chaewon, sakura, huh yunjin, y/n, kazuha, hong eunchae, and fearnot. it’s up to you and your members to decide how to use them, and the promised marshmallows will be rewarded when you have used all of the keywords by the end of the last person’s turn.

a staff member hands yunjin a small flashlight, and she laughs before putting on an ominous face and loudly clearing her throat, pointing the flashlight up towards her chin which lights up her features dramatically. “one day, the members of le sserafim members were having their weekly movie night when suddenly!” she gasps, the other members play along and gasp too, you included. “...kazuha heard a large thump.”

chaewon grabs onto your arm immediately, slightly scooting away from kazuha. the japanese girl’s jaw drops and she pulls the leader back to her. you smile in amusement. the next member is eunchae, who side-eyes the two girls having a mini-quarrel before she gets passed the flashlight. sakura bursts out into laughter at the youngest’s widened eyes highlighted by the flashlight.

“kazuha makes kim chaewon,” eunchae grins, “investigate in the kitchen with her, only to see that there’s a bloody towel on the floor, and then sakura runs in to say that someone is missing.”

that went dark fast. wow, eunchae. you blink when she hands sakura the flashlight. “what the heck, eunchae?” the youngest only giggles.

“who’s missing?” yunjin calls out, cupping her hands around her mouth even though she’s only three feet away from you.

“sakura comes to kazuha and chaewon, saying, ‘y/n is missing!’” she says quietly, passing the flashlight to you. 

you instantly lock your gaze onto the american. “and you know what else she says? ‘so is huh yunjin.’”

yunjin makes the most shocked and offended face you’ve seen in a while, and you absolutely cannot wait for this to air. 

chaewon is passed the flashlight, and completely blanks out until kazuha pokes her on the shoulder. “wait, wait. okay, i got it. kazuha, sakura, and chaewon go to the bathroom because that’s where… bloody red trails lead. scratchily engraved on the door is ‘help, fearnots!’”

finally, it’s kazuha’s turn. you wonder how she’ll incorporate eunchae’s name into the story. “kazuha opens the door to see…”

silence falls upon the group, everyone anticipating kazuha’s next words. there’s a rustling in the bushes that you have to ignore because you’re actually somewhat invested in this silly story. 

“hong eunchae and y/n dyeing yunjin’s hair red.”

“well, okay,” you mumble, intrigued by the closure of the story. eunchae shows off some of yunjin’s blue hair, claiming that it’s a crazy shade of red. sakura chuckles at the youngest’s antics.

you’re given the marshmallows and enjoy them only slightly charred, chatting with your fellow members until you realize that yunjin is literally missing. and eunchae. and was that a scream?

oh god. not another murder case.

flufftober masterlist!

a/n : anything can happen so long as the setting is leniverse

[krysto-art]

"Max… you okay?" It was Chloe. I'd somehow made my way unsteadily through the trees to where she sat. A blue jay scratched at the ground nearby, its brilliant plumage matching her short blue-dyed hair. "No... I don't know," I replied, my voice cracking.

I stood on the bluff, letting the sea breeze fill my lungs as I gazed up the coastline, hoping for a glimpse of Arcadia Bay.

TV and rescue helicopters circled like gnats in the far distance.

All was quiet except for the wind and the faint rolling surf below. Even the animals had fallen silent.

I gasped in surprise as Chloe's arms encircled me from behind. Distracted as I was, I hadn't heard her come over. She let out a soft breath and rested her chin on my shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.

****

I finished this a few years ago. Rough pencils with digital colours done in Sketchbook on my phone.

The mini story is from a fanfic I wrote in 2015 (kristos on ao3)

[madaqueue]

playlists

such a pretty house | "no surprises" x radiohead

synopsis: walking through the empty halls of what should have been your home, you reminisce on the life you could have had with gojo

pairing: satoru gojo x reader

themes/content: semi-canon curse au. angst. language. mentions of death/loss.

word count: 2.5k

a/n: thought of this mini series idea since i found this song and literally could not stop thinking about a tragic backstory to it with gojo, so if you wanna get the "real" experience listen to it while you read ! this is like...not conventionally happy lmao but here it is anyways :) i'll get back to the regularly scheduled series tomorrow but i just had to write this one

a sigh leaves your lips as you walk up the familiar stone path, now overgrown with long grasses, tickling against your bare ankles. the cool autumn air bites at your skin, dead leaves falling from the old maple trees and crunching under your shoes as you make your way up to the house.

this house.

reaching the front door, you turn the now-tarnished gold handle and step inside. the old wooden floorboards creak under your weight; it’s likely been years since anyone has been here, further evidenced by the thin layer of dust settled over the empty space.

the space that was supposed to be your home.

your eyes gaze to the right and your legs follow, taking you into the living room. the bay windows overlook the front yard, the wooden bench beneath them bare. it was supposed to have red pillows, a reading nook for you. he always knew how you loved those books, consuming knowledge like it was the only type of nourishment you needed. the stories, the worlds that let you forget time while he was away on missions. but now, every word you read feels baren. you haven’t picked up a book since then.

continuing your journey through the empty house, you find yourself in the kitchen. the cabinet doors are now falling off, and surely the stove wouldn’t turn on anymore - not that it really worked in the first place, but the two of you made do. you’d bring in pizza on nights when the shitty electricity died out, sitting on the floor lit only by candles, talking about your futures.

well, what was supposed to be your future.

the window above the sink looks over the backyard, the remnants of the flowers you planted now overgrown with weeds. what a pretty garden it could have been.

“can you plant me the blue ones?” he asked, his arms wrapped around you as you stood outside under the heat of the summer sun.

“you only like those because they match your eyes,” you tease, turning your head to face him.

“maybe so,” he grins. “how ‘bout this, let’s find ones that match your eyes too, so it’s like i’m lookin’ at you every time i see ‘em?”

“deal,” you giggle, leaning against him.

you find yourself at the stairs, slowly making your way up as your hand traces along the railing, dust collecting on your fingertips.

you aren’t even sure why you came here, after all this time, back to this house, the physical tomb of your past.

it was supposed to be for you and satoru.

–

you were just kids, stupid, young kids. when you met in your first year at jujutsu high, the two of you were inseparable. every class, every meal, every mission you did together. it got to the point where you practically lived together, trading off which dorm room you slept in so you wouldn’t have to be apart. the two of you were attached by an invisible thread that kept looping itself around your necks until it became too tight.

the mission was supposed to be easy: exorcise a grade 2 curse and save the family it had kidnapped. you’d done it before a hundred times, and having gojo by your side only simplified the whole thing.

that is, until you got hurt. until you were unconscious, at the brink of death. until you found out why they had sent gojo with you - you didn’t think much of it at the time, but this was the lowest grade curse he’d been assigned to for a while.

it was a test. the higher ups wanted to see what gojo would do when he lost someone. they needed him to prove that he was what they thought he was: the strongest.

except, like always, he never failed to surprise everyone. he wouldn’t let you go that easily; not you, his world, his love, his everything. they picked the wrong person to sacrifice.

by the time you awoke, it was too late. you couldn’t quite place it, but something was different inside you, inside your very essence. as your eyes fluttered open, all you could feel was the warmth of his embrace around you, his hair hanging forward as he clutched your body. hot tears streamed down his face and landed on your chest.

“i’m so sorry, i’m so sorry,” he muttered over and over, softly rocking on his knees as he holds you.

“s-satoru,” you manage to croak out, the taste of blood in your mouth.

his eyes shift up to yours, a darkness and fear in them you’ve never seen before.

“it’s okay, it’s okay now, i’m here,” he whispers, his voice shaking, pulling you into him.

–

reaching the top of the stairs, the empty hallway looms before you. you turn into the first room on your right, what should’ve been the library. empty shelves line the walls as you stand in the middle of the space.

“y’know,” his voice smooth as he sits across from you, “eventually i’m gonna get promoted, and i’m gonna need a big office.”

“oh yeah?” you respond, shifting so your head rests on your open palm, propped up against the table between you. “what makes you so confident about that? you know the higher ups literally hate you, right?”

“psh, they love me,” he pauses, reaching across the table to shut the book in front of you so your full attention was on him. “and then, i’m gonna fix up this house, and i’ll build you a library and an office for me, and we can spend every day in there together.”

you pretend to consider the option for a moment. “fine, but it’s still gonna be my library. i’ll let you put a desk in there but don’t you dare forget that it’s mine,” you joke.

his hand reaches up to the side of your face, his thumb gently caressing your cheek. “as long as i’m with you, sweetheart, it can all be yours.”

you sigh, leaning against the wall before sliding down to sit against the old wood beneath you. he would’ve given you everything, he would’ve done anything for you.

–

it didn’t take long after the mission to figure out what had really happened: the grade 2 curse was actually a special grade, something you were woefully underprepared for. however, the higher ups had planned for that, even wanted it - they needed you to die. not because of any inherent value you had, no, but for satoru. they needed to see if he could handle a special grade curse on his own, something he had already proven he could do, but with a new challenge: loss. could he control himself, his emotions, his power, when he was forced to confront your death?

no. he couldn’t.

the only good thing about this being a special grade curse is that it was smarter, more cunning, than an average curse. not smart enough to beat gojo, but still.

when satoru saw you, your body slumped in the corner of the room, blood covering your face, something happened inside him. he snapped.

so, he did what any completely irrational person would do: he made a deal with the curse.

if it would heal you, it could have your cursed powers. this sounded like an exceptional deal to the curse, thinking that surely with your cursed technique it could easily kill gojo and leave the ordeal more powerful than when it began.

but, like always, gojo surprised everyone. even with your cursed energy he managed to exorcise the monster. he was glad you weren’t there to see it, the way his body took over as he pulled it apart limb by limb, eviscerating any remnants of the thing that dared to harm you. he didn’t even use his cursed technique, he needed to feel the life draining from it in his own hands.

when it was done, he ran to you. he held you. he cried over you. until you opened your eyes, whispering his name.

–

stepping out of the library, you continue down the hall and into the next room. the bedroom, the one you and satoru spent weeks planning.

“okay, what about purple?” you ask, holding up paint swatches to the wall.

“bleh,” he stuck out his tongue. “no purple. what about a nice green?”

you rolled your eyes at his theatrics. “honey, we have too much green already. by the time you’re done with it this entire house is gonna be green.”

his eyes light up. “what about honey?”

“what about it?” you ask, tilting your head.

“that’s it, that’s the color! it’ll be perfect, it’s warm, and sunny, and it’ll make me think of you whenever i’m in here,” he explains, nearly running over to you and picking you up, spinning you around. your arms wrap around his neck as he holds you in the air, both of you smiling with joy.

as you look at the room around you, the unfinished grey walls feel more empty than any other part of the house. it’s like looking at a skeleton, the raw, old bones of something you once loved.

–

of course, after you lost your cursed technique, you weren’t allowed to continue at jujutsu high. they had no purpose for you there, and you felt out of place with everyone anyways. gojo begged them to let you stay, offering to let you live in his dorm so they wouldn’t even need an extra room for you, but his request was repeatedly and ubiquitously denied.

“fine,” he huffs, pacing around your room as you sit on the bed, all of your belongings stuffed into boxes around you. “if they won’t let you stay, then i’m going with you.”

“gojo, you can’t. you know you can’t,” you explain calmly yet sternly.

he stops momentarily, looking over at you. “i have to,” he murmurs, “this is my fault, anyways.”

you stand up and walk towards him, reaching a hand up to his face, cupping his cheek in your palm. “the only thing that’s your ‘fault’ is the fact that i’m still here, and you better not be blaming yourself for that.”

“but-”

your lips press into his, the only way you could think of to get him to stop talking. he’s soft against you, his arms lowering to loosely hang around your waist. for a moment, you stay like that, just the two of you in your empty room.

pulling apart for a moment, you just stare at each other. finally, he breaks the silence. “okay, but if you won’t let me officially leave with you, can i at least sort of leave with you?”

“gojo, what the hell does that mean?” you smirk, not understanding what he’s even asking.

a smile breaks through his lips as he looks down at you. “i have something i want to show you.”

the house.

he holds your hand, pulling you up the stone pathway next to him, leading you to the freshly-painted front door, gold handle practically glowing in the sunlight.

“ta-da!” he shouts, throwing the door open and allowing you to see inside.

“it…it’s an empty house?” you ask jokingly.

“no,” he turns to you, holding your waist, “it’s our empty house.”

“what-”

“i got it for us,” he cuts you off, beaming down at you. “when i first heard that you might be asked to leave jujutsu high, i bought it, thinking we could move in here together.” you don’t say anything, stunned by his kindness, tears beginning to form along your waterline as you think about just how much you love him. “i wanted to give you a home. i hope we can make it one, together.”

leaning up, you kiss him again. finally, together, in your home.

–

why did you even come here? the cold, stale air stirs around your lungs as you rest your head back against the wall.

despite everything that happened, you had to see it one last time. you overheard someone at the store saying how they were finally going to be tearing this place down, putting in some new luxury apartments or something. it’s not like anyone lived here anyways, maybe it’s for the best. give the grave of your past a new life.

it had been nearly ten years since you were here last. a part of you wanted to move on, to forget it, but it hung in your mind like it had been nailed there.

you finally stand up, dusting off the grime that clung to your clothes from the floor. every step another memory you had here, another painful reminder of the life you never got to have.

–

it started slowly, at first. gojo kept getting tasked with harder missions, and he kept handling them with ease. even the higher ups were at a loss with what to do with him, his raw power developing into something they had never seen and had no idea how to control.

as you sat in the empty house, alone, you tried to not let it get to you, but the feeling ate away at you all the same. the glares you’d get when the two of you went out together, the whispers from other classmates or the higher ups, they clung to you.

you knew you were less than gojo - you always were, and it never bothered you. but now, with no cursed energy, you felt like nothing compared to him.

the words replayed in your mind, reminding you what you were.

failure. broken. fragile. useless. a burden. a hindrance. a flaw. a weakness.

of course, satoru never said any of these things, going out of his way to make sure you never heard the insults his so-called colleagues muttered about you, but it wasn’t enough. it ate and ate and ate away at you until you were empty.

when you left, his world collapsed. he begged you to stay, pleaded to let him come with you. he’d leave jujutsu, all the sorcery, all the hierarchy, all the bullshit behind if it meant he could be with you. but you knew he couldn’t; if he left with you, you’d just be proving them right. you’d be dragging him down with you.

“i love you, satoru,” you whispered, your thumb wiping away the tears that fell slowly down his cheek as you stood in the doorway of the house you promised would be your home. “that’s why i have to leave.”

–

making your way back down the steps, you sigh again, a single tear rolling down your cheek, your heart heavy with loss, the loss of the life you should have had. you and satoru, making breakfast together in the morning, falling asleep next to one another, planting flowers in the garden. the simple, quiet life. but instead, you’re here, alone.

your steps are heavy as you trace back through the rooms, the last time you’ll likely ever see them.

the floor creaks in the entryway.

slowly, your eyes follow the sound.

white hair, black uniform, and those bright blue eyes. he has a few more wrinkles around his cheeks, but it is absolutely, unmistakably, him.

“satoru?” you whisper.

he smiles at you.

[liv2post]

Serenading Him

I've begun a new mini series on ao3, but I will also be dropping the chapters here. It will be about five chapters total. Here is chapter 1!

Read here or on AO3.

(This series can be read with any gender for reader and will have 5 or 6 chapters total)

CHAPTER 1: What Is That Melody

It is said that life can be breathed into a place by the people who occupy it. A dingy cottage on the outskirts of a town can be a lovely home to a family simply doing their best to be happy while raising a child. A town suffering economically can be polished with a veneer of gaiety when the community is brought together for the merry festivities that sweep through the streets come wintertime. Even a school can be considered a home to those looking for an escape, friendship, new adventures…

But not Hogwarts.

Not anymore.

No longer could anyone call Hogwarts their home. A prison perhaps, considering the students had no choice but to live there for the next nine months. With Voldemort in control of the ministry and Severus acting as headmaster of the school, Hogwarts had become a place of desolation and fear. The boat rides from the train station, which once roused anticipation and excitement from faces old and new, now caused anxiety and embitterment. The students couldn’t even be themselves— couldn’t be what they were: children. Instead, they were subjected to the strictest and borderline militaristic treatment. The Sorting Ceremony was no longer a joyful event. The only people who spoke a peep were Professor McGonagall and the Sorting Hat, leaving the room otherwise quiet, filled with a thick tension as the sorted students grimly shuffled to their respective houses.

The teachers tried their best to keep students engaged and cheerful during classes, but there was only so much they could do with the Carrows undoing all that work every day with their twisted teachings and abusive punishments. And all while this happened, Severus remained hidden in his ivory tower.

Severus hated it—hated himself for allowing over two decades' worth of bad decision-making to culminate into… this. The isolation was what kept his mind at bay. No one ever saw him in the halls or at meals. All his time was either spent in the Headmaster’s office, at Malfoy Manor attending meetings, or in some random countryside where only the ravens that nested in the pine trees could hear his anguished screams and spells he cast at boulders. He couldn’t bear to show his face to the colleagues he could once call friends. He was ashamed, each disdainful look he received from them on the first day was another arrow in his back. The pressure to wear a mask of indifference towards the suffering of students and a disposition of support for Voldemort tore him apart inside. How could they possibly understand his position? How could they possibly know that he was simply following the strategic instructions of the Headmaster he was forced to kill in cold blood? There was hardly any reprieve for him except for his walks through the Scotland hills, the bottom of a firewhiskey bottle…

And…

He could pinpoint the exact day it started. Precisely one month after the start of the school year, something strange began to happen in the castle. On Sunday night, a minute after curfew took effect, music would begin to play. The sound emanated throughout the castle, and its source was difficult to determine as a result of the castle’s stony walls encouraging an even echo. Severus recognized the instrument. It was what muggles called “electric guitars” and he only recognized it because the instrument's sound reminded him of the Weird’s Sisters performance at the Yule Ball.

As one might expect, the occurrence greatly vexed him the first night it happened. The instrument’s song echoed through the night air and a large set of windows he kept open at night and only closed right before retiring. Filch and the Carrows, not needing an order from the headmaster to know that they should find whoever was causing a disturbance after curfew, came up empty-handed. 

At first, everyone in the castle thought this was just a one-time thing, a show of rebellion against the people who had sucked all the fun out of Hogwarts, leaving it a shell of its former self. But then, it happened again. And again. And again.

Every Sunday at 9:01 PM a song would play from somewhere in the castle, its notes managing to reach even the dungeons. It was only one song, a different one each time. These short-lived performances made it more difficult for the Carrows and Filch to catch the offender. The other teachers didn’t mind. Neither did the students. In fact, they began to look forward to it. Each weekly performance gave them hope the following week would somehow get better, and that they shouldn’t give up despite the ruinous circumstances they found themselves in. That there was still a fight to be had.

By Halloween, Severus had given up trying to remain irritated by the music that pervaded the air. On a night filled with so much self-loathing and heartache toward the one he had lost, he couldn't muster the energy to even care, let alone walk to the windows and close them. He was halfway through a bottle sitting in a chair he was undeserving of, letting the music wash over him, placating him almost. Despite finding such an instrument to be distasteful and loud, the muggle music played was not. Few songs were familiar to him, including one song he heard at the beginning of December. He had closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, pretending to be somewhere else outside of this miserable sphere as the music echoed gently into his office from the night sky. The performance lasted just over three minutes and left his office in overwhelming silence once again. As he imagined it did with other students, it brought him a tiny bit of comfort and left him vaguely wondering what would be played the next Sunday night.

Watching from the Battlements, Severus sighed in relief when the last of the students exited the castle, guided by Hagrid and Filch towards the boathouse, and eventually the train station. It was the start of winter break and every student went home for the holidays. Who could blame them? The parents desperately wished for them to come home. Any letter he had received from parents about why their child was writing home about enduring the Cruciatius curse had been tossed in the fire. As if he could write them back or do anything about it, to begin with. It brought him some peace to know that the students would return home once again to be with their loved ones before the second half of the term. 

This, however, left the castle terribly empty. All the other teachers went home, even Filch, choosing to go to a squib village for the holidays since there would be no one to look after for the next few weeks, which left the headmaster all to his lonesome. It was his desire to leave as well, but it was required of him to stay over the holidays. And it wasn’t as though his destitute little home in Spinner’s End would be any better.

Reading, drinking, and thinking. That’s all he cared to do on his first day in the empty castle. In the morning he bypassed the rope that guarded the restrictive section and selected a book to read, usually some sort of history book, in the afternoons he walked around aimlessly like an Azkaban prisoner devoid of their soul, hoping something unsuspecting would come out of the Forbidden Forest and just end him already. At night he found solace in the amber liquid that sat in his hand as he stared into the fire, his mind a pendulum swinging back and forth from wondering how Potter and his friends were fairing while on the run to whether it was worth fighting the battle anymore.

Then he heard it.

Dum…Dum…Dum…Dum… 

His eyes flashed open from their once fluttery state as he snapped his head from the roaring fireplace to the barely opened windows. The music was back, but hadn’t all the students go home? The time on his wall clock displayed 9:01. That student was still here. 

He crossed to the other side of the room, pushed open the large windows, and listened to the introductory strumming of the guitar. As he listened he had a realization if he was able to hear the music this well from his office…

It had to be coming from one of the towers. 

He was going to find out who had been doing this.

With a swoosh of his robes, his body resembled that of a tattered cloak or a lethifold as he took off through his open windows and into the night sky. He had to be very careful to avoid the dementors posted around the school, whose job was to make sure students didn't try to escape via broom. He swept around to each tower only stopping for only a moment to see if a student was present. Time was of the essence as he expected the performance to last only a few minutes as they had before. The more he flew around the closer to the music he got, leaving him with one last destination. 

The Astronomy Tower. It was the highest point in Hogwarts and had an almost 360-degree pan opening to the night sky, which meant the sound could travel far and wide.

Severus landed quietly just beyond the other side of the railing and his suspicions were confirmed. The music, now deafening, sounded as though it was coming from right on top of him. When he looked around he saw no one, even when he looked up towards the hollowed ceiling. And right as the song was about to reach its crescendo—

“Homenum Revelio,” he chanted, swishing his wand about the air.

There was a disembodied wind-like noise, indicating that a human presence had been revealed. Sitting against the incline of a load-bearing beam up in the air was a 7th-year student, one leg bent while the other dangled off with a look of mild surprise on their face. He recognized you. You were one of his best students in the time he was your potion’s Professor and continued to hear many things about you from Slughorn. You were also set to graduate this year with many NEWT classes beneath your belt and a recommendation from Slughorn, but upon the start of Severus’s reign as headmaster, you had mysteriously dropped every subject except for Charms. No one had answers but granted, very few asked.

He remembered you as someone who was rather polite. Quiet, but amicable enough that people felt they could ask you questions. Otherwise, you kept to yourself.

You blinked down at him from your spot, strumming hand frozen before you slowly lowered it while your gaze remained locked on the Headmaster.

“So it has been you breaking the rules and serenading all of Hogwarts,” he drawled, stiffly.

You returned no verbal reply, only a silent, subtle nod of confirmation. His eyes flicked over the instrument that rested across your torso. It was glowing a light blue, presumably a spell that empowered it to work properly in the manner it would in the muggle world.

“Why?”

“...I wanted to piss the Carrows off,” you eventually said after opening and closing your mouth.

“You have surely succeeded in that endeavor,” he stated quietly. “Come down from there.”

Severus watched in silence as you slung the instrument around you with a strap and carefully scaled your way back down to the dusty floors of the Astronomy Tower. His eyes flit over your attire as you turned to face him. You were dressed in muggle clothes, wearing an especially thick sweatshirt to help combat the frigid winter air. 

“You chose not to go home as everyone else has?”

“My “home” has been reduced to a pile of rubble for a few months now,” you murmured.

His brows scrunched together momentarily before softening in understanding. He recalled you being a half-blood, but not every half-blood was safe, especially if the parents were outspoken about pro-muggle views. “What of your parents?”

“In America. Hopefully. I don't know if they made it. I’m supposed to meet them there upon graduation, assuming I manage to have my escape arranged properly.”

A buzzing crackle of energy lit between the two of you. 

“Very few would take the risk of admitting such plans to flee eventual capture in the face of a Death Eater. Especially one so close to the Dark Lord.” Severus narrowed his eyes at you, his tone remaining calculated as he chose his words carefully to feel out the situation. He needed absolute confirmation, not some fickle half-belief statements in which straws would be grasped.

Both your eyes searched one another for any whisper of doubt and uncertainty, you making sure his hand stayed away from his wand specifically. But with just a few words, you swept any possible reluctance off the table.

“...I know what you are, Professor.”

His eyes flashed and his Occlumency walls went up in pure reflexive instinct.  

“If you truly did not care for the students, you wouldn’t have sent all those kids off to have detention with Hagrid instead of letting their fate fall to Amycus and Alecto. They would’ve had them begging for death.” Your eyes drifted over to the spot Dumbledore would have stood before he plummeted from the rails of the Astronomy Tower. Severus followed your gaze and internally winced at where you were looking. 

“This is the last place I would expect to see you.”

Severus calmly turned and ambled back towards the railing, cold hands clasped beneath his cloak. “I don’t wish to be at Hogwarts as a whole any more than you do,” he murmured, the underlying truth tacitly laid bare before you, confirming the prospect you were desperately hoping to be correct. And he was being surprisingly… soft with you, a fact that only helped your case and your suspicions of his true ideals.

He saw no point in lying to you. He was tired. So tired. Playing this role was killing him. He was confident enough in his own Occlumency to hide this conversation from the Dark Lord, but someone needed to know of his true intentions. He needed that mental support to keep him going and he wasn’t going to get it from the portrait of the man who ensnared him into this whole ordeal.

“And yet here you are,” you replied with a similar gentleness.

“The path ahead of me is a Hobson’s choice. Surely, you are insightful enough to understand that.”

You nodded, the wood beneath you creaking as you approached the railing, but kept a certain distance between the two of you. “I do. I just didn’t expect you to linger for the break.”

“It is difficult to traverse discreetly when your name and face have been plastered in major news outlets. I’m ordered to remain here and should I be spotted outside of Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, the news will surely get back to the Dark Lord. And one cannot just polyjuice anyone without knowing their blood type as insurance.” He side-eyed you. “Given the circumstances, I’m surprised you haven’t taken the break as an opportunity to run.”

“There are too many uncertainties at play,” you responded. “It's a waiting game for me. Should it all go wrong, I need to have learned to conceal myself properly by then.”

“Is that why you are only taking Charms?”

“...Yes. DADA has been tainted, the seventh-year potions are of no use to me, and it…” you shook your head looking towards the Great Lake that sparkled in the moonlight. “It won’t matter. I’m just…done. I’m going back to the muggle world. Away from all this. It’s my best shot at safety.”

He glanced at you solemnly. “You are not confident in Potter?” You are not confident in me? 

You sighed. “I'll…do what I need to do here to keep morale up, but…no. Potter has proven to be unpredictable and it is not wrong of me to think of self-preservation in these times.”

He exhaled faintly. “No, I suppose it isn’t.”

Neither of you said anything else except for Snape telling you to return to your common room lest you catch your death up here. However, the both of you would retire for the night with a crumb of comradery nestled somewhere in your hearts.

Next Chapter

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

May 09: Homemade, Kelp Forest

I'm STILL stealing borrowing @horseyneigh2002 's mer doom idea. this time worlds biggest, best single dad is making sure his little is safe and happy. adopting a human and moving in with the poor man, so to say >> Lily is mine, warren is horsey's man, both are adopted by the giant megalodon Slayer

[08: shipwreck] [prompt list]

...xXxXxXxXx...

A nesting mer, either the ‘smaller’ shallow water ones, or the even bigger deeper water ones, was a rare thing to find. Even rarer to be able to see the process from the start. Getting to see it start out of nowhere was even rarer. Hearing that the ‘local’ open water mer had vanished for a year and change, only to reappear out of nowhere and was no longer alone was fascinating news to hear.

Only it was not a pod that he came back with, but a little pup that was extremely young. Looking even smaller in comparison to the megalodon merman when sitting on his head. There was excitement along the coastal towns, as the giant was noticed in far shallower waters than ever before. With his new pup riding along, he was clearly inspecting the shore and each cove and harbor. Looking for a nursery the Mer Protection Agency had noted.

Any larger or public area was passed over, a few careless boats that made the mistake of getting too close had engines shredded and tossed on the beaches. Never hurting the humans, other than some being very well shaken up.

Some bets were places, more than a few as the giant merman was starting to circle around a stretch of the coast. The pup was seen a bit more, and spotted on a few private docks. Stashing behavior, she looked distinctly like a warm water mer, but always had some large piece of fish left with her, or a full crab/lobster trap. 

The MPA had a constant look out for the pup, and stayed a safe distance away, were quick to intercept anyone trying to come see her on land or by boat. Not just for the pup’s safety but also that of people. It was not hard to imagine never seeing anyone again after causing the pup distress with a megalodon merman as a father never far. 

All at once, the giant almost vanished, pup included, for a week, no sightings in that time. He had found a spot, and one day a new home owner that just moved in not long ago himself. Found his little boat in the shed had a new addition one morning.

The canvas tarps and a few blankets left in the big shed had been grabbed by little hands. Pulled into the boat and a warm little nest a young mermaid child had made. The man was startled but not offended, if anything he found himself sitting with the girl and getting caught by hugs. 

It was just a young child after all, but spending the morning peacefully with a sleepy mer pup was as exciting as it was calming. He had not known who exactly the pup was, or her father, being so new to the area. but promised she could use his shed if she wanted. 

To him it was like those stories of good luck to be on good terms with a mer pod. Right?

No one really knew what happened when the pup’s father came back that afternoon looking for his daughter. Some semi-distant neighbors were not 100% sure if a sound they heard was a scream from a human or a passing mountain lion.

With protective trees all around and a mini bay, it took another week for the MPA to find the Slayer. Mostly as a nervus new home owner called them asking for advice with finding a mer pup being consistently left at his property. He did not mind babysitting! Really, he worked from home, but the little girl was trying to steal his shared lunches now. Is it rude to refuse crab traps that look like they were stolen?

Then the man was suddenly finding that the landscape had changed outside his property from an aquatic giant that was the father of the mermaid pup. Building up a network of piled boulders and some driftwood trees from all over. Making sure it was just deep enough for himself to pass around, but the new harbor-like space had calm waters. 

The giant was turning the area around the man’s home property into just the best nursery by the time the Mer Protection Agency was allowed to visit. A small group of four, two rangers, a marin mer biologist and doctor in the same field. They had not come empty handed, bringing treats of fresh fruit for the pup, and a container with an odd color kelp piece for the father who was lounging on his newly remade beach area. 

It seemed so small of an offering, but Vega was positive it was perfect.

And it was?

Slayer had perked up and found the best spot for the kelp in his nesting area. It was enough to let Vega help the doctor check over little Lily. making sure the pup was happy and healthy, and the rangers helping Warren with what it meant to have a nesting, deep water mer around. Reasurinace of protection for him, he had not done anything wrong but also some advice to get the big mer father from digging up his land too much. 

Over the next few days, the homeowner found that the new network of safe water outside his home was changing. Rocks and things were being brought in from the giant mer. The one glowing kelp pice from Vega had almost fully been eaten by the pup, only for her father to bring in transplanted ‘normal’ kelp. Then over three days brought in more, bioluminescent kelp from somewhere unknown. Blue, green, yellow, white and red glowing colors that shimmered all night between the other kept. 

The now very sheltered space behind Warren’s house in the water became a new kelp forest. He was able to note down the whole process from finding Lily, to how the megalodon sorted everything. Even coming back with found (stollen) concrete pipes and rings. Nesting and making sure his tiny pup had all the things to play with, and deep sea kelp attached to old bones that glowed and gave extra vitamins for her growing self. 

It was about of month’s of solid work, but the giant single father was so pleased at his work. That his little pup not only had the safest little garden of a nursery, but she could practice hunting. In the new kelp forest. It was never completely dark though, as he kept adding the glowing kelp until it was growing on it’s own.

[deluxewhump]

Ingrid calls Carlo a pet name

CW: mention of nausea and headache (Ingrid is pregnant with Jack here). The movies are The Two Towers and ROtK btw ;)

It was barely noon, and Ingrid lay in the master bedroom with a cloth over her forehead. It had long since stopped being cool, and was now only damp instead of wet. She moved it an inch so it touched her hairline and the air cooled the wet skin it exposed.

Thick green curtains were drawn against the heat and light of midday. Insects trilled in the grass outside and she could hear a dog barking distantly— a neighbor of theirs habitually let his two yellow labs run loose around the wooded hills and they sometimes wandered onto Max’s property. Carlo worried about his cat, Lou, who would hiss if he saw them from the window and climb into his master’s arms flicking his tail.

Max told him Lou was too smart to ever get anywhere near those dogs. He was more worried about coyotes than the labradors, he’d said. Carlo had bent his head to press his mouth into Lou’s black fur, frowning at the mention of the coyotes. Sometimes they screamed at night from the tree line, sounding for a moment like human shrieks and then like the mad baying of a dozen wild dogs.

As if summoned by her wandering thoughts, Lou jumped on the bed, stretching his back and chirping in question. Ingrid held out a hand and felt the brush of whiskers on her palm. For half a second, she thought it was Max that appeared in the doorway. But Max was in D.C. all day at a conference. It was Carlo.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Do you want me to grab him? The door was cracked. He pushed it open.”

“No,” Ingrid answered as serenely as she could manage. “He’s good company.”

“Do you… need anything?”

She almost told him no, but thought of something. “Could you get me a ginger ale? They’re the little mini cans, on the door, bottom shelf.”

“Yeah,” he said, like he was surprised but pleased she’d said yes. Max was always asking Carlo things like that. It’s cold, you need socks? Want a blanket? I’m getting a drink, can I get you something, baby? She’d never loved someone by proxy before, but that’s how it was with him. It was Max’s steadfast love for him that instructed her, like slowly picking up bits of an accent. One day she saw him curled up in an armchair, head bent over a book, running his finger absently over his lower lip. Softly, like a gradual summer dusk, she realized she now loved him too.

Lou curled up a short distance from her and began to purr. Carlo returned with a can of cold ginger ale and popped open the tab before handing it to her, another of Max’s mannerisms. “You’re sweet,” she told him, taking a long drink and set it on the nightstand.

“God,” she complained, and lay back on her side. “I feel like a truck hit me.”

“How long will that last?” asked Carlo softly, conscious of her aching head.

“Oh, another couple of weeks maybe. What’re you doing today?”

He shrugged.

“I’m gonna put on a movie, if you want to wallow with me.”

He gave her a little smile and agreed, climbing onto Max’s side of the bed and curling up on his side in a mirror of her own position. Lou got up to reposition next to Carlo’s chest, and Carlo draped his arm over him. Ingrid clicked the TV on with the remote and tucked her knees closer to her chest.

By the end of the film, Lou had left them but Carlo had gotten under the top blanket and tilted his head close to her so she could not help but lay her hand in his soft hair, grazing her fingertips over his scalp. The sun had begun to descend from its zenith, evident by the angle and color of the light that persisted through the seams of the pulled curtains.

“Do you want to watch the next one, baby?” she whispered when the credits rolled, wondering if he might be asleep.

He moved an inch closer to her and nodded. She let her hand drift back to his hair. She’d never called him that before. It was Max’s favorite pet name for him, and she didn’t know if she was allowed. It seemed strange, having come from her lips and not from Max’s, but he did not give any indication there was anything amiss. She pulled her nails gently up the warm base of his neck and into his hair, over and over, to the rhythm of the oscillating fan.

[more-things-in-heaven-hell]

—- A new friend ; prefall Drabble

Prefall Drabble

Not many know How exactly Samuel and Monty met .. not many gave much thought to the reason a snake became a halo— perhaps they should have ;

—-

The Garden was new bits of it still unfinished and stretching out into the vastness protected by the light that shielded against the encroaching darkness that depending on the time of times , was either right up against it or pulled back .

And exploring the edge of this garden away from the watchful stares of those older then them, was one young Fledgling Seraphim , following the deep roots of a new plant called trees , he walked along the grass eyed seeing deep into the ground entranced by the connecting roots and lines and stems , Samuel would have ran along the edge like that unbothered , however he had noticed something strange, it was faint but it was there, a inky whispy line of black and red attaching its self to the underground root.

Samuel blinked and looked up noticing a strange black sapling , it looked weak and sickly .. maybe it needed help?

He couldn’t use all his powers yet but he could try .

Small sparks of light flickered from his hands like mini fireworks , he held it over the sapling … it seemed to grow stronger for a second glowing before the blackness took over it again but it looked a little healthier then before .

“•Hello, -Hello,”• a voice seemed to echo from the sapling and root drawing Samuel away from it , towards the wall of light, ever curious the fledgling made their way towards the voice. “Hello?.. who are you?… where are you?”

“•Not far not far, come come little bird little bird•” the whispered through the blacken root, always echoing and reverberating.

Samuel should have ran.. should have told someone , but no one was here, just him, and he didn’t want to get in trouble for running off again. What if it was a friend ? His first friend ! With a little flick of his tail he followed the voice .

He was led to the very edge of the garden , here was just vast whiteness with a oozing blackness kept at bay, small inky whisps of it leaking through what looked like a very small crack.

The blackness swirled and danced like a wave against the light wall, mesmerizing and haunting .

Samuel was enthralled golden eyes watching its every movement . “Hello?.. my names Samuel! What’s yours ?”

“• Hello little bird little bird , no, no, little star little star; I am I am , myself myself •” the voice was stronger here still muffled through .

It sounded friendly enough, Samuel placed his hand against the light wall, the warmth of it reverberating against his palm— WHACK.

The blackness slammed against the wall where his hand was scrambling scrabbling against it in vain.

The little Angel shied away eyes wide pulling his hand back.

“•Can’t reach you can’t reach you , can’t touch you can’t touch you.. little star, little star come to me , come to me•”

“I-iM not allowed out there ..it’s dangerous .. are you stuck out there?? I-I can get help—“ if anything he could run away from this thing .

And yet something kept him rooted to the spot , he wasn’t sure what it was. A curiosity ? A need to help? fear ?

“•do not run , do not run, You are , you are , the one stuck, the one stuck, do not, do not, tell the others, tell the others, we are, we are, Special friends , special friends•” the roots under the ground were rising slowly through the ground , the inky blackness reaching for the golden angel .

“But I can help you it’s not safe over there—“

“•Be not afraid , be not afraid , you, you, already have , already have, I , I felt your , felt your, little light, little light, I feasted i feasted , tell me, tell me, will there be, will there be, more as you grow ? More as you grow?•”

This strange being had a funny way of talking , but Samuel found it interesting , he was starting to find this whole thing interesting . He’s never had a special friend before .

“Um well my brothers always say that my powers will get easier to use once I get older so I think so, but I’m glad I was able to help you.. are you sure you don’t want to come inside ?” Maybe he could dig at the ground to help those roots get stronger .

“• then I shall wait , then I shall wait, to feast , to feast, I can not, I can not , come inside come inside , not yet , not yet , but , but , I can , I can, give you , give you, a gift , a gift, Samuel, Samuel, my little star, my little star•”

The roots that were slowly rising had reached their target, wrapping around the young ones calves and sliding over his fur and skin higher and higher— Samuel fluttered his wings in surprise as he felt something slither around his body , a shiver of discomfort running down his spine, he didn’t like this but he couldn’t voice why or even understand why he didn’t like it— suddenly a small head poked out of the collar of his robes an wedge shaped orange head , with large beady orange eyes , a forked tongue flicked in and out of its maw , as it kept sliding around his shoulders and settled around his neck.

“What— what are you?” He asked his discomfort forgotten as curiosity at the strange new thing came over , he giggled as he held his arm out the long worm shaped being slithered around it .

“•a special , a special, friend friend , a secret , a secret friend, friend, a gift , a gift , from me, from me, to you, to you, give it, give it , a name , a name , it will, it will, be with you, be with you, always, always ,when I , when I , can’t be, can’t be•” the little Angel would need them in time for now they would make sure they could be trusted .

Samuel looked down at the smooth scales and beautiful color , and the S shape it seemed to make like a stream .. a winding stream a creeping stream. “.. serpent.. a serpent!. Mmhm snake that’s what you are.. I guess you’ll need a name name though .. “ he thought for a moment .

“Monty!”

Monty hissed and slithered back up his arm and around his neck nuzzling his head against his cheek.

•Monty is a good name• it spoke softly and slowly as of trying to get the hang of communicating for the first time .

“Woah!” He never met a creature that could talk back to him. He looked back to see his shadowy friend but it was gone … Just the vast Emptiness.

“Come on Monty you’re gonna be my first friend ! “ Samuel got up from the spot he was kneeling down at , the black roots slowly falling away from him and sinking back into the garden .

The sapling producing its first flower as he walked past .

No one really questioned where the snake came from , just wrote it off as one of Samuel’s weird ideas even more so when more of them started to appear in the garden .

No one really noticed the black sapling growing in the edge of the garden either .

Not until it started to bare fruit.

[themosthatedbeingg]

A new friend — Prefall Drabble

Not many know How exactly Samuel and Monty met .. not many gave much thought to the reason a snake became a halo— perhaps they should have ;

—-

The Garden was new bits of it still unfinished and stretching out into the vastness protected by the light that shielded against the encroaching darkness that depending on the time of times , was either right up against it or pulled back .

And exploring the edge of this garden away from the watchful stares of those older then them, was one young Fledgling Seraphim , following the deep roots of a new plant called a tree , he walked along the grass eyed seeing deep into the ground entranced by the connecting roots and lines and stems , Samuel would have ran along the edge like that unbothered , however he had noticed something strange, it was faint but it was there, a inky whispy line of black and red attaching its self to the underground root.

Samuel blinked and looked up noticing a strange black sapling , it looked weak and sickly .. maybe it needed help?

He couldn’t use all his powers yet but he could try .

Small sparks of light flickered from his hands like mini fireworks , he held it over the sapling … it seemed to grow stronger for a second glowing before the blackness took over it again but it looked a little healthier then before .

“•Hello, -Hello,”• a voice seemed to echo from the sapling and root drawing Samuel away from it , towards the wall of light, ever curious the fledgling made their way towards the voice. “Hello?.. who are you?… where are you?”

“•Not far not far, come come little bird little bird•” the whispered through the blacken root, always echoing and reverberating.

Samuel should have ran.. should have told someone , but no one was here, just him, and he didn’t want to get in trouble for running off again. What if it was a friend ? His first friend ! With a little flick of his tail he followed the voice .

He was led to the very edge of the garden , here was just vast whiteness with a oozing blackness kept at bay, small inky whisps of it leaking through what looked like a very small crack.

The blackness swirled and danced like a wave against the light wall, mesmerizing and haunting .

Samuel was enthralled golden eyes watching its every movement . “Hello?.. my names Samuel! What’s yours ?”

“• Hello little bird little bird , no, no, little star little star; I am I am , myself myself •” the voice was stronger here still muffled through .

It sounded friendly enough, Samuel placed his hand against the light wall, the warmth of it reverberating against his palm— WHACK.

The blackness slammed against the wall where his hand was scrambling scrabbling against it in vain.

The little Angel shied away eyes wide pulling his hand back.

“•Can’t reach you can’t reach you , can’t touch you can’t touch you.. little star, little star come to me , come to me•”

“I-iM not allowed out there ..it’s dangerous .. are you stuck out there?? I-I can get help—“ if anything he could run away from this thing .

And yet something kept him rooted to the spot , he wasn’t sure what it was. A curiosity ? A need to help? fear ?

“•do not run , do not run, You are , you are , the one stuck, the one stuck, do not, do not, tell the others, tell the others, we are, we are, Special friends , special friends•” the roots under the ground were rising slowly through the ground , the inky blackness reaching for the golden angel .

“But I can help you it’s not safe over there—“

“•Be not afraid , be not afraid , you, you, already have , already have, I , I felt your , felt your, little light, little light, I feasted i feasted , tell me, tell me, will there be, will there be, more as you grow ? More as you grow?•”

This strange being had a funny way of talking , but Samuel found it interesting , he was starting to find this whole thing interesting . He’s never had a special friend before .

“Um well my brothers always say that my powers will get easier to use once I get older so I think so, but I’m glad I was able to help you.. are you sure you don’t want to come inside ?” Maybe he could dig at the ground to help those roots get stronger .

“• then I shall wait , then I shall wait, to feast , to feast, I can not, I can not , come inside come inside , not yet , not yet , but , but , I can , I can, give you , give you, a gift , a gift, Samuel, Samuel, my little star, my little star•”

The roots that were slowly rising had reached their target, wrapping around the young ones calves and sliding over his fur and skin higher and higher— Samuel fluttered his wings in surprise as he felt something slither around his body , a shiver of discomfort running down his spine, he didn’t like this but he couldn’t voice why or even understand why he didn’t like it— suddenly a small head poked out of the collar of his robes an wedge shaped orange head , with large beady orange eyes , a forked tongue flicked in and out of its maw , as it kept sliding around his shoulders and settled around his neck.

“What— what are you?” He asked his discomfort forgotten as curiosity at the strange new thing came over , he giggled as he held his arm out the long worm shaped being slithered around it .

“•a special , a special, friend friend , a secret , a secret friend, friend, a gift , a gift , from me, from me, to you, to you, give it, give it , a name , a name , it will, it will, be with you, be with you, always, always ,when I , when I , can’t be, can’t be•” the little Angel would need them in time for now they would make sure they could be trusted .

Samuel looked down at the smooth scales and beautiful color , and the S shape it seemed to make like a stream .. a winding stream a creeping stream. “.. serpent.. a serpent!. Mmhm snake that’s what you are.. I guess you’ll need a name name though .. “ he thought for a moment .

“Monty!”

Monty hissed and slithered back up his arm and around his neck nuzzling his head against his cheek.

•Monty is a good name• it spoke softly and slowly as of trying to get the hang of communicating for the first time .

“Woah!” He never met a creature that could talk back to him. He looked back to see his shadowy friend but it was gone … Just the vast Emptiness.

“Come on Monty you’re gonna be my first friend ! “ Samuel got up from the spot he was kneeling down at , the black roots slowly falling away from him and sinking back into the garden .

The sapling producing its first flower as he walked past .

No one really questioned where the snake came from , just wrote it off as one of Samuel’s weird ideas even more so when more of them started to appear in the garden .

No one really noticed the black sapling growing in the edge of the garden either .

Not until it started to bare fruit.

[star-dust-stuf]

Bilbo Baggins x period!reader

title: honey lips and tongue

warnings: descriptions of pain, angst.

a/n: I love him sm I needed to write this, I'm sorry for typos, with love.

-

Traveling with a Hobbit was completely different than traveling with an elf or a Dwarf, even a Wizard, but those; besides the Hobbit... And the 13 dwarfs of course. Off on their quest to get their home back. 

It was long and hard nights, some hot days and rainy days. But none like this night, it was different from the others and I could tell what was going to happen and regretted myself fully.

Setting up near beautiful trees and soft grass, the smell of the fire going not far from me as I sat on my wool blanket. I was conjuring up thoughts to keep whatever was happening at bay. But that wasnt working so much for pain.

I saw Bilbo walking to me with a nice bowl of his soup which he couldn't give any of it to the dwarfs as they were all sleeping and snoring. Some even rolling on top of the other.

Bilbo gave that little smile to me, handing me the bowl of hot soup which I took. "Thank you." I said quietly.

He nods and put his hands on his hips, "you alright? You're uhh–." He trailed off a bit and his brows furrowed, "a little lost in thought, a little stiff in your appearance?"

Maybe I was slightly stiff the pain wasn't something easy to hide. "Ohh, just a little cold." 

He nodded once and eyed the grass a little, "you sure?" He knew I was telling a little white lie.

I put a lock of hair behind my ear out of nerves. "Bilbo I–." I got cut off by a dwarf who let out a loud snore.

Bilbo bite his lip like he was getting tired of the noise, the way his fists shook and his eyes narrowed it made me laugh a little, he looked to me and tilted his head, his eyes softening. "What is it?" 

I smile a little, "oh Bilbo being Bilbo." I replied.

He nodded and smirked a little like he knew that saying for a while. "Gandalf tell you that?" 

I nod, "but you're so easy to read. You get deep in thought." 

"You just are good at it. No one is really easy to read unless they are deemed impolite." He said back to me, that touched my heart. Or maybe I was just too sensitive.

I took a spoonful of his soup, the warmth warmed my chest and in my stomach. "This is very good."

He sat down and smiled a little, his short form at my height even when he was standing he was even shorter now. "Thank you. It's my mother's recipe. Memorized it by scratch."

I wince and put my hand on my lower belly, his brows furrowed again this time with slight concern, "are you sure you're alright?" 

I took a deep breath, "Bilbo it's just..." I was trying to find a way to say it, "it's a monthly issue I have." 

His eyes widen with realization and slight surprise which he brushed it off and took a deep breath, "right. I'm sorry, is there a-anything I can do to..." 

I shake my head and lean back a little, "I don't mean to embarrass you."

He shook his head, "no, no um. I'm aware of those things." His voice was soft. "Doesn't embarrass me one bit." 

He saw my back against the log and realized maybe the pain I was in was already too much. He came back with a small pillow that was on his mini horse and gave it to me. "For your back." 

I took it thankfully, "thank you Bilbo." 

He nodded and looked around a little awkward. "So you aah–." He closed his eyes like he was trying to find the words, "if it gets too bad I have herbals in my bag I'm sure could help your... Menstruation issue." 

I blushed, this was new coming from him but nonetheless very sweet of him. "The pain?" 

He nodded, "yes, and the um... Other symptoms." He gave a half smile before looking to the grass and walked off to his own spot preferably far from the dwarfs but not far from me.

It was interesting to hear Hobbits were social and to see him as pleased to be alone wasnt a surprise. He lied down and as the fire started to die down I did too, falling asleep in the soft cool breeze, a blanket over me. 

I thought I was sleeping for hours but it wasn't, I woke up to a pain in my stomach worse than before. I gasped and sat up as it woke me with unpleasant surprise. 

Bilbo opened his eyes to hear the quiet sobs and gasps from me, he blinked a couple times and lifted his head; looking around. He saw me and knew those sounds were linked to, he looked at the dwarfs all still sleeping heavily he rolls his eyes slightly and got up. 

He walked to me on the soft grass till he got close enough though he was giving me space Incase I was dreaming. But till he saw the raw pain on my face he knew I wasn't, "is it the pain?"

I nodded I don't want to hide it anymore, I couldn't. I kept my breaths quiet hopefully I wouldn't wake the dwarfs and draw more attention to myself. Bilbo looked down a me for a second.

"Alright, it's alright." He says softly seeing the tears run down my face and my attempt to keep quiet.

He walked to his bag to grab his herbs he was taking about. He grabbed the vial and back to me. "Would you like this in a tea or–."

I cut him off, clearly in pain. "Bilbo–."

"Yes, yes, here." He rushed and opened the vial and I just put the herbs in my mouth, they're were bitter but I couldn't stand it any longer. 

He grimaced as he watched me put the dried herbs in my mouth. And the pain wretched on my face, he wa hesitant to touch me, "take a deep breath." 

I look to him, unable to even try. He saw my struggle and gently touched my wrist, "fill your lungs... Slowly." He walked me through.

I did so. Though I felt silly needing to be taught to take a deep breath this pain was just too much to bare. My stomach twisted and aches, he knew this well as he is a smart Hobbit. 

He smiled a little, it came off more concerned and relieved. "That's a start." He patted my hand. "Can you lie back?"

I immediately shook my head, he nods. "A-alright." He surrendered to my head shaking as he saw my desperation. 

He looked around wondering how to help me, this pain was overall new to him but he knew about it as well as the next Hobbit. "I'll warm some water, thatll help the pain you're feeling in your belly." 

He stood up, I let out a moan of pain and grasped my wool blanket under me. Snuck around the Dwarfs to attempt to place his water holder over the fire, wanting to warm it for me to use. But Kili woke... He sat up like he wasn't even tired. 

"What are you doing, Baggins?" He asked, his voice a low whisper.

He sighs and closed his eyes, not facing him but the fire in front of him. His water holder in his hand. "I am warming water."

Kili was confused, "the moon is still up." 

Bilbo shook his head, "it's an emergency."

"What kind that requires hot water." 

Bilbo faces him, "You've noticed we have one woman with us... And as she is a woman..." 

He wanted Kili to notice now, Kili was thinking but not too hard. "Yes I am aware she's a female." 

Bilbo rolled his eyes subtly, "it's a monthly issue." 

"Shes– is she..." Kili was surprised. "Is she alright?" He looked over to me.

"Yes she's fine. Just needs a little problem solving." He was already tired of the conversation. 

Bilbo, after a while came back to me, his water holder wrapped in a cloth. "Gandalf said you were smart but not clever." I said to him. 

He smiled a little, a little flattered. "Must be a Hobbit thing." He gave it to me gently.

I placed it where It needed to be and as it helped lessen my pain it lessens my sobbing even more. He nods at his work, "better?" 

I nod, "forgive me if I'm prying but... Will you be able to travel with this condition?" 

I thought for a moment, horse riding made me cringe just think about it. "I can manage."

"Kili found out." He blurted.

My eyes widen as I tried to keep my voice down. "Why didn't tell him??" 

He put his hands up in surrender, "I didn't tell him anything he... Asked so I gave him not even a good hint."

"Why give him a hint at all?" 

"Do you really expect to travel with this and expect anyone not to find out eventually? It's not a big deal just a little bit more of an issue than before." Bilbo tried to cool me down.

I sigh, he was right as much as I didn't say it. "I didn't mean to snap."

He nodded, in understanding. "Of course you're quiete sensitive now aren't you." He smiles. "If you need anything I'm here. I really dislike seeing you in pain."

My eyes soften at him. He was too sweet for his own stubborn goodness, he clears his throat. "I'll be over there." 

I watch him leave now I was left with his water holder heated on my belly. I felt loved and comforted, a Hobbit nonetheless making me feel this way. 

Bilbo was a different from what Gandalf told me, he was softer with his words but maybe that's because I haven't done anything to make pop his top. 

Bilbo lied down on his blankets and thought about my situation and thought about me... Unable to erase it from his head, he shook his head in a soft manner before shutting his eyes... Who was he kidding... 'shes just absolutely beautiful'. He thought, shaking it out of his mind. 

He was worried about me in the morning but it seems I was functioning better now than I was last night. I came to him a she put his bag on his mini horse, "Bilbo? I wanted to apologize if I kept you busy last night."

He smiled a little, looking up at me a little. "I wasn't sleeping anyways. You're more important."

I looked down at him, my heart wasn't deceiving me. He clears his throat, "are you better... Now?" 

I nod, "much." 

"And if it gets worse I don't find peace in hiding it from the others."

I felt confronted at the statement. "You understand it's hard to talk about this, as for myself." 

He nods understandingly. "But you must understand you won't receive much help if you keep it a secret." 

I bit my lip, 13 dwarfs was a lot to handle my information. My simple yet embarrassing information, Bilbo understood it but also needed me to find peace in my suffering he only knew there was more to happen.

"If you ever need to stop just–."

I cut him off. "I'm not stopping everyone just because I'm having pain." 

Bilbo nodded, "very well. You're very stubborn I must admit."

I smile a little, he smiled a little as well. "I'm here if you need anything... Y/n." 

"Thank you." I said quietly. 

During our journey, Fili took a notice in Bilbo's closeness to my horse. "That horse'll kick your little pony."

He teases, Bilbo let out a meaningless laugh. "Yes. Very funny." 

"Say, you've been very close to her for a while." Bofur said. 

Bilbo froze a little, "no I haven't."

Kili gestures to me at Fili who nods, "yes, you've been with her all night." 

Bilbo exclaimed, "that is a terrible lie."

"Then tell us, Master Baggins. What happened last night?" Kili teases Bilbo, knowing fully well but he hasn't spoken a word to the other dwarfs. 

Bilbo gritted his teeth, "that is none of your business." 

Thorin rolls his eyes, "if the Hobbit won't speak he won't speak. Stop grumbling."

Kili smirks, "ahh, unless you'd like to know why Bilbo has been so fond of the young lady." 

I blush, "I thought you said I should tell them?" 

Bilbos eyes widen at me as he looks to his left, my tall horse bigger than his. "Now I see why you're so hesitant."

I give him a mocking knowing look which he shrugs off. Kili spoke full chest, "she's gotten her cycle."

I blushed even harder, most of the dwarfs didn't even say a thing as Bilbo got so angry. "That was a very selfish thing to say out in the open! You realize how bothered she is, You think if she wanted to tell you or any of you, she would." 

Bimbos protective mannerisms offered me slight comfort in the situation though it outed me more and I couldn't lie my way out of this. The dwarfs looked to each other, Thorin spoke up unbothered by the situation. "The Hobbit has a tounge."

I smile a little and look to Bilbo, he was obviously steaming but as he looked at me I saw the fondness to him... Like I just calmed him without a single word as I silently thanked him.

He gave me a knowing look with his eyes...

[kip-kap]

Jing Yuan + Ekko Mini Comparison Yap

As I have recently watched the new season of Arcane and have slowly been getting back into HSR, I couldn't help but pick out traits/similarities between Jing Yuan and Ekko (besides their white hair lol).

Crazy Ex-friends

Obviously, for Ekko, there's Jinx. As for Jing Yuan, I think it can really switch between Jing Liu and Yingxing. Both have friend(s) who they used to be close with only to drift apart and develop different morals and groups.

Leadership

What more is there to say? Ekko is the leader of the fireflies (been a while, think that's what the group is called?) and managed to build a strong community. Jing Yuan is a general of Xianzhou and has fought many battles to protect his home planet

Doomed Family/Found Family

Doomed family - This could be grouped with the [crazy ex-friends] but I think this is a broader version? Ekko had a whole group he considered family, Benzo, Jinx, Vi, Vander, etc, only for them to be split/killed. Jing Yuan had the same thing with Bai Heng being their sunshine of their group yet is the only one to never had survived out of the five who drifted apart.

BONUS: The downfall of the groups could ironically be from a joint effort from people within their family/group itself [e.g Jinx's bomb which causes the deaths of her friends, Vi's anger with Jinx for said incident -> Dan Feng and Yingxing's attempt to revive Bai Heng which leads to Jing Liu becoming mara-struck due to her having to kill Bai Heng again...]

Found family - Despite this, Ekko and Jing Yuan still have new companions and friends. Ekko, who has a nice mentor like Heimerdinger [who refers to Ekko as "my boy"] and a clear father and son bond between Yanqing and Jing Yuan.

Nostalgia

Ekko and Jing Yuan experience nostalgia. Ekko, who looks at Jinx and thinks of Powder, or when he reunites with Vi and quickly starts bringing stuff from the past like, "I wonder where I learned that from."

Another example could be where Ekko goes to an alternate universe and meets an entire better off universe while still remembering his. He thinks back to Benzo, Jinx, Vander, Milo, etc..

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE MEMORIALS/ART ON THE TREE..

Jing Yuan... Do I even need to talk about Jing Yuan feeling all old and nostalgic...?

Lonely

I'm gonna start rushing because I think this is becoming too long. But, the more I think about it, the more it starts to become clear to me how these two were left alone at dark times. Ekko, who knew Jinx was being guided by Silco, Vi got fricking arrested, Benzo is dead, Vander is dead, friends are dead. From that point, he's a young boy figuring shtick out for himself.

Dude, it is so clear that Jing Yuan is left behind and lives in the past. He thinks back to the days of the High Cloud Quintent. Despite everyone moving on, Dan Heng has the Express, Jing Liu doing her own adventures, and Blade with the Stellaron Hunters... Jing Yuan is still stuck at the Luofo, where it all began. And no one but the four he spent those times with will understand what they had with each other the most.

Sacrificial

To my final comparison, and my favorite, Ekko and Jing Yuan are (imo) sacrificial.

Ekko, who had the choice to stay in a happier universe, goes back to save his original one, which he didn't have to do, but did it anyway.

Jing Yuan, who dreamed of becoming a galaxy ranger, gave up on his dream to continue protecting his home planet, therefore becoming a general.

Even though these two had opportunities that would've made them happier, they chose to give it up in exchange for the safety of their homes.

[Cue 'It's On Again" - Alicia Keys ft. Kendrick Lamar]

HEADCANON: Both of them have survivors guilt

Okay, that's my ramble! Thank you for listening!

- OOMF KIT-KNOY