#& also i have a green rug and green bedding (both of which i love so theyre staying it's the walls that need to go) so it's just too much

[mumintroll]

going to ask if i can repaint my room for my birthday lol im scareddd i think im going to get berated bc i got to choose what colour i wanted it painted when we moved here 2.5 years ago but ive hated it ever since i moved in ive regretted it from the very start... if i am going to be living in this room for the whole summer i at least want it to be a colour that doesnt depress me

[blackcat419]

How different cultures in ASOIAF view cats pt. 1

In our world, culture and religion shape how we view animals, and for this post, specifically cats. An example of how cats a view differently in cultures can be seen in Islamic cultures and Romani Cultures. Because cats clean themselves often, they are viewed as clean by Muslims and can be kept with the family. But for Romani, because of the Marime which states that the genital region is a source of impurity, a cat licking its own lower regions this becomes unclean. Roma still keep pets but they generally don’t let them sleep in their bed or lick them. This is all contrasted by American culture where a pet is viewed as a member of the family and will be referred to as the baby or child of their owners and is allowed to sleep in bed with them.

It’s so interesting and I want to expand this to how Westerosi people see cats and what types of cats they keep.

Dorne

Dorne takes a lot of inspiration from the Arabic would and I think it only makes sense for them to have a similar view of cats.

Cats keeping themselves clean makes them the perfect pets for humans. Cats are also known to pray to the seven if given a seat in a sept (cats love prayer rugs and it’s really cute). Both religious and hygienic, cats are viewed as more sophisticated than other animals and thus are kept closer by their families.

The salty Dornish are best known for their love of cats with many ancient breeds residing in their homes. The green orphans will sail with a cat or two and give them a fish from the days haul. Cats are also seen as omens of good fortune and many shops have a resident cat. Septa also keep cats control pests and because they will sleep at the feet of the seven when their statue is warm. The Turkish Van and Turkish Angora are both old and rare breeds of cats that would flourish in Dorne.

The Sandy Dornish also enjoy cats. Because cats naturally retain more water than dogs, they are fitted to live in the desert. These cats are some of the more wild ones as it’s common for the domestic cat to mix is wild cats. During harsh sandstorms, the Dornish will wrap the cats up in a blanket to protect them from the elements. Cats are known to love this and scene request it when their is no sand storm. The Savannah cat is a cross between wild Serval and a domestic short hair cat.

The stony Dornish are less attached to cats than the Sandy or salty Dornish. Every house hold does have a cat and it’s common for cats to sleep in the room of their favorite person, but the stony Dornish believe that cats have some impurity to them because they lick their own genitals. Families will often perform a cleaning ritual on their cats by wiping them down with a wet cloth to cleanse them of impurity. Cats in stony Dorne are slender and very angular, making them great at slipping through stony hills and along steep walls. The Cornish Rex and Devon Rex are popular cat breeds.

The Iron Islands

Cats were a big part of Scandinavian culture. The goddess Freya had her chariot pulled by Norwegian Forest cats (also called fairy cats) and it was custom for a groom to give his bride a kitten as a wedding gift. For Vikings specifically, cats were kept to control the pests on ship.

Because the Iron Islands is more based on mythical Viking culture than historical Scandinavian culture, we can have some fun with the cats.

Ships are a big part of the iron islands culture, so each ship should have a cat or two. Perhaps to “bless” a ship before it sets off, a kitten is brought into the ship and makes it their own. I also see the Ironman have a very communal ownership of the cats. Fisherman will give the cats some of their catch as part of a good luck ceremony and people will set up small cat houses for them. They could also view a cat staying with you as a sign of good luck. But because of Thai communal ownership, it would probably be taboo to try and keep a cat to yourself. The iron islanders see a cat as not belonging to a person but to a ship or island.

Types of cats I think the iron islanders would have. Because they’re kind of weird, I think some weird breeds would fit. The Selkirk Rex is known for playing in water, being loyal to their human, and also have some curly fur!

The Andal Kingdoms

The Andals had a similar relationship to cats that Europeans had before the Black Death. For the Andals, cats were viewed as mainly pest control for their farms and cities. People rarely tries to socialize kittens when born which led to people believing cats were naturally aggressive.

It wasn’t until Maesters discovered that cats help prevent the spread of disease by killing rats that cats became a more popular household animal.

The reach was the first kingdom to become very found of the cat. They were perfect help for their farms and perfect pest control for old town. Old Town holds a celebration of cats each year to thank them for preventing extreme disease outbreaks from happening in the city. The Redwyne family is famous for breeding Persians cats that resemble the pugs they breed with short faces. Rich families have a few Persian cats that they dress up as little lords and ladies as an extra show of wealth.

In the storm lands and riverlands, cats are seen as antithetical to the land. The kingdom’s natural wetness drives cats away. Fisherman are often at odds with local cat populations as they fight over fish. Despite the general population’s disinterest in cats, they are a common staple at inns and bars as they keep rats away from the straw and wheat. Patrons consider seeing a cat with folded ears as a lucky charm that their stay at the inn will be a pleasant one.

I reached the max amount of photos for this post so we will continue with westerlands, the vale, north, beyond the wall, and valyrians!

[ravendruid]

Hi there! I’m new here and would like to ask for your September prompts, Critical Role, Vaxleth, number 28 please

Hi!! Welcome in! Thank you so much for sending a prompt, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry it took me a few days to write it, I hope you like it ^_^

A Slice of Life

(Read on AO3)

Vax’ildan is not used to being the first one to wake up but since the heat of the Zephrahn summer has been unbearable on him, Vax has been waking up shortly after dawn for the past two days thanks to the already sweltering heat that makes it impossible for him to be under the covers with Keyleth, who, by herself, is already a naturally hot person. Vax doesn’t usually have to wait too long for Keyleth to turn in bed, face him, and kiss him good morning with her sleep-crusted eyes and hoarse voice, but for some reason, his usually morning butterfly of a girlfriend is enjoying the softness of the sheets this morning, so Vax takes the chance to stretch out like a cat and pads quietly out of the bedroom.

Their house is not big. It’s a one-bedroom cottage near the center of Zephrah, not too far from the building that acts as what some might call a town hall. It was an easy choice once Keyleth saw the vine and moss covered walls, the small but cute garden outback shaded by a large oak tree with a wooden swing hanging from a thick branch, and the pebbled path surrounded by bee and butterfly-friendly flowers. It didn’t matter much to Vax where they would stay in regards to proximity of work or what the house would look like as long as Keyleth was happy, but he has to admit that the charm of the run-down cottage has grown on him, especially with the work and hours Vax and Keyleth have put into repairing it.

The proportion of the rooms is not too far off with the house itself. The kitchen has limited counter space that has taught Vax to cherish storage spaces, with a small stove and oven, a sink and an ice box big enough for both of them; the living and dining room is one single area where they keep a high table with two stools behind the back of the soft, green couch. There was no room for Keyleth’s favorite armchair, though, so they opted to let it remain at her father’s house, but Keyleth affirmed she would not leave her favorite plush rug behind, so that is now decorating the floor between the couch and the fireplace. They also purchased a handmade bookshelf from a local woodcarver, who, when told who this order was for, carved their initials on the wood at the top. It now stands against a wall, holding the majority of Keyleth’s books—everything from Alchemy and Herbs, to romance and fairytale books—and all the trinkets Vax has collected over their years of adventuring. Their bedroom is probably one of the largest rooms in the house, with a big glass window that faces the backyard and the mountains. Keyleth had fun decorating it in a way that would include both their tastes and personalities, which Vax loved, and adding more ivy and plants everywhere she could. Sometimes Vax feels like he’s still sleeping under the canopy of a forest and not in a house.

Vax looks at the ice box when he steps into the kitchen area and he’s already shaking his head because he knows he will find it practically empty. Keyleth has had to travel to Vasselheim quite a lot this week, so they haven’t had the opportunity to get many homemade meals, and because of that, their groceries are lacking. However, Vax still finds enough to whip up something: a small carton of eggs Korrin brought over yesterday, a little bit of milk left from Vax’s breakfasts, and even a few slices of bacon. It’s not much, but it’ll do. As long as they have coffee, Vax knows he will be safe.

So Vax puts on the black apron Keyleth made for him, the one where she embroidered Kiss the Rogue on the chest area in red with a fanged mouth—she will never let him forget how his first instinct was to charm the Briarwoods to get out of trouble the first time he encountered them—last Winter’s Crest, and he starts preparing breakfast, which doesn’t take too long. 

Vax was fully expecting the smell of fresh brewed coffee and crispy bacon would be enough to rouse Keyleth, but it seems like his druid might be having a bad case of lazy morning because when he cracks the bedroom door open to check on her, she is still sleeping, snoring lightly while sprawled out on the bed with the sheets bundled at her feet and her red, messy braid falling on his pillow. Vax can’t help but chuckle at the sight as he crosses the bedroom to open the window. It doesn’t do much to stave off the heat (if anything it brings even more heat), but at least the singing of the birds is louder and the room feels more in-tune with nature.

“Kiki,” Vax calls softly, brushing a strand of hair from the little of Keyleth’s face he can see. The woman doesn’t stir, so far out she is to the world. Vax can’t blame her with all the work Keyleth has had, with the nights she’s been staying up, looking up information, reading reports and other documents, until Vax says ‘enough is enough’ and drags her to bed. Keyleth needs this rest, which is the biggest reason that Vax decides to try only one more time. If she doesn’t wake up, then it’s because she clearly isn’t ready to.

“Keyleth,” Vax shakes her shoulder lightly this time. Finally there is a sign of recognition as Keyleth stirs and hums. “Morning, beautiful,” Vax brushes Keyleth’s hair, speaking softly when she starts moving her long, sprawled out limbs. He watches as the druid curls into herself and, for a moment, Vax regrets waking her up, but then Keyleth slowly opens one eye, followed by the other, and he gets to see those bright, green eyes he loves so much, and every thought leaves his head.

“Uhm,” Keyleth hums, turning on her back and stretching out like a starfish as long as she can, which makes Vax laugh. He’s never seen her like this, so sleepy and relaxed. It’s adorable. “No,” Keyleth grumbles, bringing her bottom lip up in a pout when she sees Vax. 

“No?” 

“Come back to bed,” Keyleth orders. Vax laughs again and shakes his head, saying, “It’s too hot, and I made breakfast.”

The last word seems to be incentive enough to make Keyleth open her eyes wider and focus on him, and Vax can practically see the cog wheels of her brain dust off the rust and start working. 

“Coffee?” She asks.

“Coming right up,” Vax kisses her forehead before he steps out into the kitchen, where he grabs both mugs of coffee and brings them back to the bedroom. “Would you also like breakfast in bed, your highness?” He jokes. Keyleth doesn’t reply until after she grabs the coffee mug from him, takes a large gulp and sighs from the quick boost of caffeine. 

“Yes, please.”

“Sorry it’s not much,” Vax apologizes when he brings a plate with eggs, toast and bacon. “We’re running out of food.”

“It’s everything,” Keyleth smiles like a little kid on Winter’s Crest. “It tastes good too.”

“I’m glad,” Vax kisses her cheek. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a stone.”

“I could tell. You were snoring really loud. I think everyone in town heard you.” Vax jokes, waggling his eyebrows at her. Keyleth gives him an offended look which Vax can’t take seriously due to the piece of toast hanging out of her mouth. 

“Liar. I did not snore,” Keyleth admonishes him. Vax snorts into his coffee and gives her a wink over the rim of his mug. “Did you sleep well?” Keyleth asks.

“Too hot. Seriously, why is it so hot here?” Vax complains and to emphasize, he takes off his sweat-damp tunic.

“Not a lot of wind to cool things down,” Keyleth explains. “I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense, considering we are the Air Ashari, but the protective barrier that keeps all the bad weather out also keeps out most of the winds that are characteristic of the Summit Peaks, which means it can get pretty toasty in Zephrah.”

“Can you do something about it?” Vax asks. Keyleth can do a lot of pretty awesome things these days—one of her most recent tricks is being able to turn into a dragon, which almost sent Vax to an early grave from admiration the first time he witnessed it—so maybe she can do something about the heat.

“Technically, I can, yes, but I would need the agreement from the rest of the elder council.”

The stupid elder council, Vax thinks. The group of older, wiser people that ensure the wishes of all citizens are met, or at least heard. They would never allow Keyleth to change the protective barrier to allow more wind through to lower the town’s temperature because, in Vax’s opinion, they are all a group of stuck-up, ancient old bags who hate change and keep rejecting every single proposal Keyleth has brought to the table when it concerns the development of Zephrah (including the creation of an elite group of soldiers whose job would be to protect the town, and technically the Tempest, from external threats). 

“I’ll see what I can do,” Keyleth promises when she notices Vax’s downcast gaze. 

“You know… things would be easier if you’d just allow me to have a little talk with them,” Vax mumbles. It’s only here, in the safety of their home, that Keyleth feels free and secure enough to voice her thoughts and, on several occasions, she has voiced how much she hates the council and their blocks to her plans, and it’s not that Vax prefers violence, but he has offered his assassin services to her on multiple occasions… or at least just enough to scare them off. 

“This is my battle, Vax,” Keyleth replies sternly, as she always does. “But thank you. I appreciate the offer.” She leans in to kiss his cheek.

Vax picks up Keyleth’s empty plate and mug and sets them on his nightstand with his empty dishes. “You know my services are free for you, right?” Vax says, slowly crawling towards Keyleth. 

“Oh? They are?” She smirks. Keyleth hooks a finger under Vax’s chin and pulls him until he’s kneeling between her legs. “What kind of services are we talking about, then?”

“Oh, you know… All sorts of… services,” Vax teases feather-light touches over Keyleth’s shoulders, dragging down the thin straps of her nightgown. “Oops,” He smiles as the fabric falls down Keyleth’s torso and pools at her waist, exposing her breasts.

“I hope these ‘services’ are also exclusive for me,” Keyleth cocks an eyebrow, amused. 

“Of course, love,” Vax murmurs, locking his mouth with the column of Keyleth’s neck. She twists her head to the side to allow him an easier access, which Vax gladly takes.

“I assume… you don’t have to… rush to work… this morning?” He asks, trailing kisses up her jaw between words.

“I took the day off. I felt like I had to compensate you for all the late hours,” Keyleth manages to say with a raspy breath. Vax smiles victoriously as he reaches her mouth. 

“Well. We should make the most of this free time, then.”

Every day, Vax finds a different reason for why he loves Keyleth so much, and every day the woman finds a different way to show him just how much she loves him. Today she does it not only in the form of a somewhat lazy morning, spent with their naked bodies intertwined in bed, but also in the form of a nice, summer breeze coming in through the open window, cool enough to make the newly-added heat of their bodies more bearable for Vax.

[bouncybongfairy]

Halloween Night

Evil Morty x Bimbo Reader (BOTH READER AND EVIL MORTY ARE 18-YEAR-OLD SENIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL.) I'm surprised there aren't more Morty x Reader Fan Fics out there. Rick and Morty came out when I was 12, so Morty was one of my first crushes lol.

Summary: Morty and you have been together for about 8 months. You picked out a sexy alien costume hoping to impress Morty with how amazing you look. When you show him after weeks of waiting for it to arrive, he explains it may be a bit too scandalous before even complimenting you. This frustrates you because, as a cheerleader, the costume isn't more revealing than your uniform. You try to make him jealous at the prep rally and end up talking things out at the Halloween party you both show up at.

Word Count: 2.0k+

Part 2 is now posted!!!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

When you got home from school, you were thrilled that your Halloween costume had finally come in the mail. Tomorrow was the 31st so you were cutting it close, not to mention you’ve been excited to show Morty. You two have been dating for 8 months and even though it doesn’t seem like a long time, it sure did feel like it. This was your first Halloween as a couple and you were both excited to spend it together. You let your backpack plop down on the carpet and sit on your bed. Using your eyebrow razor you rip open the green costume. It was a leather skirt, a matching tube top, silver gloves, and thigh highs. Once you put it on you fell in love with it, and you felt really confident. You FaceTimed Morty, setting your phone on your vanity and waiting for him to pick up. When he answered he was lying in his bed. You could tell his room was dark because of the lighting. You backed away from the phone so he could see the entire costume. The reason you chose an alien costume was for Morty, you figured he would be excited and flattered that you were thinking of him. Not to mention practically everyone in the school knew that Morty was always around aliens and intergalactic shenanigans. 

“Well?” you asked when he didn’t say anything. 

“It’s really hot, are you wearing that to Tricia’s party?” he asked, sounding a little less than entertained. 

“Um.. yeah? Is there something wrong?” you asked, confused as to why his energy was so negative. 

“I don’t know, don’t you think it’s kinda revealing,” he asked and your face dropped. 

“I don’t think it’s that much more revealing than my cheer uniform, and I wear that all the time,” you said, sitting on the office chair next to your desk. 

“Don’t play dumb though y-you know that costume shows quite a bit off,” he said. 

“What the fuck, I’m not playing dumb. Obviously, I know it’s a hot outfit. I'm just saying that it’s not worse than my cheerleading uniform and I wear that to school and football games. So why would this bother you?” you asked. 

“Fine, whatever if you want to go out with your tits and ass out that’s fine, I’ll just have to bring a gun.” he sighed. 

“Oh no don’t even worry about that, you can just stay home and play with the gun in your pants. I think imma just be with my girls tomorrow night. It’s so fucking crazy that it not only took me a week to pick this out for you but also waited weeks to show you how it looked. Do you realize you didn’t give me a single compliment since I’ve shown you? I respect your opinions but why do you have to be such a douche about it like honestly,” you said hanging up the call. You were feeling pretty beside yourself, you were so excited to spend Halloween together and it was like that was flushed down the toilet. You change out of your costume and lay out everything you need for tomorrow’s Halloween prep rally. After you finish up some homework, you head to bed even though you are feeling quite restless.  

The next morning you woke up feeling more optimistic about today. Morty sent you a good morning text which made you angry. You were expecting an apology not him trying to sweep shit under the rug. You woke up early in order to have time to shower and shave, not to mention you’d have to blow dry your hair after. The hot water was making you more sleepy than you felt while you were in bed. You scrubbed your scalp with shampoo, enjoying the hot water as you rinsed the suds out. You shaved your legs and exfoliated your body, you hopped out of the shower once the hot steam was making you feel faint. You sat at your vanity and began blow drying your hair. When you looked up, you saw all the polaroids of you and Morty taped to the sides of your vanity. It wasn’t like you guys were broken up or anything, clearly he wasn’t mad at you. It just seemed kind of hypocritical for him to judge you on showing too much skin because always said he liked that about you. You bump the ends of your long blonde hair and then start your make-up. You always wore a lot of make-up; big lashes, bright pink blush, lip gloss, ect. It didn’t matter if it looked cakey at times to you, obviously, it’s not going to look as good during 8th period as it did when you first got to school. 

After your hair and make-up was done, you put on your cheer uniform. You were going to Tricia’s house right after school to help her get things ready for her party. As you packed your costume you couldn’t ignore how upset you were about Morty today. You spotted Tricia and a couple of your friends sitting in the quad. After greeting and showering each other with compliments, you explained to them what happened with Morty last night. You showed them a picture of you in the green costume and they all reassured you that it wasn’t too sluty. 

“Did you guys break up for real this time?” Tricia asked, rubbing your shoulder. 

“No, he texted me good morning but that was it. I don’t know, I kinda feel like I overreacted. I was really looking forward to spending tonight together but I just feel like he was being disrespectful, all of a sudden he doesn’t want me to dress how I always have just because we’re together,” you said. 

“At the rally, you should really go full-out, you know like to make him jealous,” Tricia suggested. 

“Do you think he’s still coming to the party?” you asked the group. 

“Unless you specifically told him that you weren’t going, I'm sure he’ll be there,” one girl said. 

For the rest of the day, you thought about what she said. It seemed silly to be trying to make him jealous when that was what caused the argument in the first place. You mostly feel like his comments were out of line and you didn’t want to really piss him off, just toy him around a little. The day went by quickly, all the teachers figured that most students wouldn’t be paying attention today. You could see the anticipation building among your peers. Halloween only lands on a Friday every 7 years and everyone was buzzing about that. The student body was slowly filling the gym, getting ready for the prep rally. All the cheerleaders were in a separate room waiting to go on. Morty had texted you asking where you were going to be. You told him your usual spot and showed Tricia. 

“This is even more of a reason to go full out,” she said.

“I would go full out regardless of if I had a boyfriend or not,” you said. 

After waiting for 15 more minutes it was time for the team to perform. It was easy to pick Morty out of the crowd, and you would be lying if you said you weren’t happy to see him. He was smiling at you and it made you feel bad for leaving him. Your coach made a routine using Nicki Minaj’s Monster Verse. It was nice having a couch that was younger and understood the new generation of cheer better. You were feeling amazing, They made the lighting in the gym red which gave it a really cool vibe. Normally prep rallies really sucked and nobody ever really engages. Today being Halloween and Friday everyone was more willing to be involved. Chanting and volunteering for the little games and events. Morty was at the bottom of the bleachers, which made you eye level to each other. You could see that he was taking pictures of you which made you roll your eyes. The crowd and music were so loud as you were performing, that all you could focus on was him. He looked so cute and the fact that he was smiling the entire time was warming your heart. After you were done performing, the school was dismissed. Technically there was still half of the last period left but nobody went back to class. As you walked out of the gym, Morty greeted you. 

“Did you think I was showing off too much at the rally?” you asked sarcastically to make a point. 

“I thought you looked hot, look I didn’t mean to offend you for real. You’re my girlfriend of course. I don't like sharing your body with other people’s eyes. I should have told you how good you looked beforehand,” he admitted, grabbing your hand and walking by your side. 

“I appreciate you for looking at things from my point of view. Sorry for not texting you back this morning,” you said, giving him a kiss on his cheek. 

“It’s okay I figured you were pissed,” he said laughing. 

“I have to go, a couple of girls and I are going to Tricia’s house to get ready for her party,” you said.

“Come to my house and get ready, you have all your stuff in your duffle right?” he asked.

“Yeah but I don’t know I promised her,” you sighed. 

“I’ll stop for food on the way,” he said trying to convince you; it worked. 

Morty had been driving his dad’s car around for a while. The two of them got into a huge blowout over his dad not keeping a job. Morty was doing a paid internship for a chemistry teacher at the local college. Long story short Morty had to take over the payments of the car. Morty was about to take you home after hanging out after school and his dad said no because he hadn’t taken out the trash for the past two days. Morty blew up at him, he looked his dad dead in the eye and told him he was the new man of the house. Ridiculed him for not having income and then having the audacity to take away something Morty paid for.  You had never seen Morty so mad, his face was bright red and his eyes were wild. You would never admit this but something is different about Morty for the past couple of months. Ever since his internship, he’s been on a short fuse and a God complex. You summed it up to him becoming more confident in himself and how could you be mad at that? When he took you home he drove so fast yet controlled that it scared you a bit. 

Once you went through the Burger King drive-thru you made it back to his house. You were pretty sure Beth didn’t like you because every time you came into the house she never acknowledged you. He pulled you upstairs and into his room, he always had his LED lights set to red and it always smells like stale pot/tobacco smoke. His closet door was a mirror so you laid out a towel and started recurring your hair and re-doing your make-up. After throwing his backpack into the corner of the room, he walked over to his stereo and played Pumpkins Scream In the Dead of Night at full volume. He then plopped down on his bed and started packing a bowl into his slightly dirty bong. You were picking your french fries in between teasing certain parts of your hair. Morty walked over and stood directly above you and blew a huge bong rip down on you. 

“Ugh! Boo-Boo don’t do that you know I don’t like that,” you said trying to waft some of the smoke out of your face. In response, he playfully humped the back of your head causing you to fall back a little. This made him laugh so hard that you couldn’t help but join him. 

“Are you dressing up?” you asked him. 

“No, I’m just going to sell while I’m there,” he said, referring to Tricia’s party.

“Only weed right?” you asked. 

“I promised you nothing else right?” he asked rhetorically. 

“I’m just making sure,” you said, spraying your hair with a final layer of hair spray.

When you were finally finished, you took your clothes off and changed into your costume. When you turned around, Morty was rolling a blunt that wasn’t what surprised you. It was the huge sack of weed on his bed, seriously as big as your ass. You questioned whether it was safe to be taking all that but he assured you it would be secure in the car and of course, the fact that he carried it. The two of you took some selfies in the mirror before leaving. He of course made sure to compliment how good you looked which made you roll your eyes. Once you got to the party Tricia was a little sad that you didn’t come to get ready with all the girls but was happy to see you and Morty had worked things out. Normally you don’t smoke at all but after two shots, the idea of a blunt was rather intriguing. Morty was sitting in the arm of the chair and you were leaning back, pressed against him. The entire house was encased in smoke, it was like no matter where you went you couldn’t get a breath of oxygen. Morty walk talking with one of his buddies who were laughing and fucking around. You were holding a solo cup that was filled with cherry vodka sour, it was staining your lips a bright red. The only thing you had eaten all day was the Burger King after school so the weed and alcohol were hitting you heavily. You could tell Morty noticed because he was holding on to your waist as if you were going to lose balance. You turned around so that you were facing him, his eyes were red, the same as yours. He pulled you close and asked if you were doing okay. 

“I wish we could go trick -hiccup- or treating like we used to,” you said giggling. 

“Yeah, I miss when things were simple,” he said, giving you a kiss on the cheek. 

“I know I’m fucked up but have you been like… okay lately? You seem darker,” you drunkenly try to explain. 

“I’m just becoming more aware of the bullshit around me. I’m fine, you’re fine; we’re fine,” he reassured you. 

“I’m sorry I blew up at you last night, I’m having a really good time with you,” you said, giving him a peck on the lips. 

“I love you,” he blurted out 

“I love you too,” you said almost as fast as he said it. This was the first time you’d ever said I love you to each other. Even though you were both a little cross-faded, it still felt so personal and special. After about another hour you head back to his house and well… ya know if ya know. 

[msfbgraves]

I know you mentioned somewhere that Terry doesn’t know where Daniel keeps his linens but…Is Mob!Terry really totally useless around the house lol? Like, can he help cook or clean? Does he know what curtains go with what bedspread, how to boil water for pasta if Daniel is under the weather? Can he bottle-feed a puppy, or make them lunch for school? Or is the whole sphere of domestic life completely foreign to him? Like, he would literally flop like a fish out of water if Daniel went on vacation for a week and left Terry to run the house? Is this a Terry thing, or is this an Alpha thing?

Daniel would go on vacation for a week and leave - sorry, what, haha?! ☺️😋 Both Daniel and Terry have bluescreened several times during that sentence alone. You'd have to forcibly remove Daniel to make that happen.

Terry can take care of the household stuff you can't buy easily even when you don't have servants. OK what does that mean? He can hang his clothes, polish his shoes, may remove a stain from his slacks. He can tidy, brew tea and what he thinks is coffee, can make sandwiches. He can wash out some socks and underwear and he can sweep things up. He had a housekeeper in his rooms when he was single, he left things presentable. But he can't do laundry, make beds, he has no idea what soap to use on what kind of floor, he can't iron, or polish and even if he could scrub he doesn't know how or what, he'd need a manual for any appliance, doesn't know plants. He can dress scrapes and cuts, but the sense of organisation you'd need to run a household smoothly, how to keep groceries fresh? When what is in season? He has no idea. Those little twirls and flourishes to make things not only practical but actually nice and welcoming? No. Clue. Many Alphas are so outside focused that if they live somewhere they wouldn't know why, when their living space has everything to functionally keep them alive, it doesn't nourish them... Because they don't own any plants or rugs, don't know what colour schemes they like, they don't have pets, they would never buy a blanket for in the living room, don't know how to place their photos... And an Alpha alone with pups, that is simply cataclysmic for them. Say an Alpha's beta mate dies in childbirth. The pups would of course miss their mother as a person like nothing else. But also, the home would lose all personality. Even if the Alpha, in despair, would hire a decorator or a nanny they would not know what little comfortable things their pups specifically need. I mean, juice is juice, right? They might even try to memorise which brand of juice but why their pup wants the brand (does it have pulp? Do they love the colour green? Is there a cartoon character on it?), they wouldn't even know how to ask. It's really distressing, because they love their pups and they want to care for them and they know their mother would know but they can't wrap their brains around it. It's part of the reason they would much rather die themself before they lose their mates. There's a reason why Daniel immediately called his mother to care for his elder pups while taking Gianni. Terry can make them breakfast and pour them drinks and play with them but no, he couldn't bottle feed Gianni, wouldn't know what to do with soiled diapers (that would make part of the house unlivable within two hours) he doesn't know where the special blankets are kept, it's all kinds of Not Good. Many Alphas meanwhile joke that they'll never see their married friends again.... not understanding the reason their now married friends hung out with them around the diners and pubs so much is that these places serve hot food! They don't consciously get that!

So Terry is not completely clueless and could keep an adult functioning but the first time an Alpha has a boyfriend or girlfriend over at theirs and they go out for an hour and suddenly there's coloured napkins on the table. And a little flower somewhere on the window sill. And they framed a picture of them together and wouldn't that look nice here? And they brought their snuggly blanket and would you like one too? They're thinking brown would be really nice, it would go with the dresser, they can buy them one? And a poster of their favourite sports team in that corner, wouldn't that be nice? They'll buy them a team scarf, it goes with their eyes - sweetheart? Why are you crying? Because something inside them would so physically relax at all that. O thank all the gods. But they still wouldn't exactly understand what it was that their lovers were bringing to their life, besides of course their presence.

[jedimasterbailey]

Hello there 😏 ive got some Kenduli asks for you dear:

3, 17, 23, 26, 27, 28, 30

Well hello there to you too my darling 😘 Thank you so much for these asks because I’ve been dying to answer these specific questions, hope you enjoy 💚💙

3- Whose the most obvious about their feelings?

Luminara because she has the most expressive face and I feel that with such enough probing that you could easily get her to blush or spill some beans. I could see her just looking at Obi-Wan with such adoring eyes that the people around her are completely aware that there’s something more to Luminara’s feelings towards Obi-Wan besides just friendship. In case you forgot, these are just a FEW faces Luminara makes; I can easily see them being applicable in a situation where she’s fretting over Obi-Wan or speaking with him.

17-What would they gift each other for holidays such as Life Day?

Since I believe them to be lifelong friends since childhood, I feel they would gift each other sentimental mementos from happier days along with a card with a heartfelt message inside or something from their missions off world and they find something that makes them think of the other. Like for example I can see Obi-Wan finding a necklace that matches Luminara’s eyes or I can see Luminara picking up a book that would pique Obi-Wan’s nerdy ass (like maybe a book on parasitic worms). On a final note, I’d love to headcanon that on one very special Life Day that Obi-Wan would offer Luminara a ring 💍

23-If Obi-Wan were to propose how would he do it and how would Luminara react?

I headcanon that both Mirialans Luminara and Barriss LOVE snow and that they have a soft spot for holidays such as Life Day where all is calm and cozy and everyone is together. With that in mind, I think Obi-Wan would propose to Luminara on an especially snowy Life Day with a ring he found in a Mirialan jewelry shop on Coruscant (since Mirial would be far and under Separatist rule) either outside on one of their favorite Temple garden spots or inside when they’re cuddling up next to a fire watching the snow with steaming cups of cocoa. Luminara would of course be estatic, crying happy tears, having always felt that being Obi-Wan’s bride would be a dream that could never come true 🌨️✨

26-Describe their perfect wedding if they were to have one.

Obi-Wan and Luminara both seem to be very private people so I think like Anakin and Padme, they’d have a very intimate ceremony with only their closest friends and Padawans present either in a Mirialan temple on Coruscant (or Mirial if there is no war going on) or out on some lush open field on Obi-Wan’s home planet of Stewjon (which I headcanon to be like Scotland/Ireland with all the green).

27-Describe their ideal honeymoon if they were to have one?

I feel they would love to your both of their home worlds or go to some other scenic planet like Alderaan and have a private little getaway there.

28-Describe their home if they were to live together.

The Kenduli home would be so cozy and very clean. There would be plenty of cushions, books, candles, and other ornate rugs, tapestries, and art pieces from their home worlds or other places they’ve travel. There would also be a desk area for Obi-Wan to study at and a place for Luminara to sew and quilt. They’d have like the biggest, most comfortable bed and a huge closet since they’ve both very fashionable people with a master bathroom that has a huge shower and a jacuzzi bathtub (for extracurricular activities). Since they’re such parents, their home would be full of photos and mementoes of their Padawans, former Masters, and other dear friends.

30-Whose more likely to be jealous if someone were to make a pass?

Obi-Wan and Luminara would be very trusting of each other so neither of them would like get to Anakin level of rage but I feel like it could go either way depending on the situation. Like for example if a woman were to be really flirty and start to get handsy (especially if it’s Ventress) she would be furious and probably do something petty with the Force to get the girl off of him however Obi-Wan would react the same if it were vice versa but maybe he’d be tempted to bust out the lightsaber since men really like to be macho when it comes to their lady. So I guess it’s a tie?

Original Kenduli Ask Game Questions

[molochka-koshka]

Oooh how about 🎂 for Tristo?

You have no idea how much I love this, but also how much it hurts me

Words: 1832 Characters: Young Tristo and his family CW: Child abuse (physical, verbal), neglect, violence, implied death, canon-compliant slavery 😔

Birthdays are always a big to-do in the Vestalis household.  The large, dark, imposing manor in Egorian fills with family, friends, bureaucrats, minor nobility, all ready to pay respects to the family.  Baron Agape Vestalis and Baroness Portia Vestalis dote on their eldest son Corvino on special occasions, and make sure that he’s well-cared for by servants and guests equally.

Tristo doesn’t share this status with his older brother.  

Tristo’s birthday is a small affair, but the efforts his parents go to just to hide him–and by extension, any celebration of his birth–are grandiose.  In the rare event that somebody asks about him (the second son, the mistake) they say something along the lines of “oh Tristo? Doing fine, anyway, here’s how Corvino’s doing–”.

Tristo being an aasimar had been a problem remedied only partly by his parents’ status, and certain comforts had been awarded to him because of that.  His heritage–both infernal and celestial–had been enough to keep inquisitors from breaking down their door, as well as his devotion (beaten into him at an early age) to the Godclaw and Asmodeus in particular.

Tristo had grown accustomed to perpetually being on thin ice, especially with Corvino (already 16, and ready to set out on his own) deciding to become an inquisitor of Asmodeus.  Standard bullying at the hands of his elder sibling took a darker turn with the older boy’s proclamation that he’d defend his faith from all enemies (always said with a very pointed look at Tristo).

Tristo’s 11th birthday doesn’t see him spared from these remarks.

He dresses himself in his small bedroom.  Lavish silk sheets on a full bed, and a heavy, thick burgundy and black rug spreads over most of the stone floor.  It’s cold in here.  It always is, even with a fire lit in the modest cobblestone fireplace in the corner.  The subtle heat that radiates off of Tristo’s red halo can only do so much for him when the whole room is almost cave-like.  There’s no windows, and the only real air flow comes from the chimney when the fire isn’t lit or from the open door–when it’s actually left open.

Tristo values his privacy, even at his young age, and generally his family is eager to keep him out of sight and out of mind.

Of course, today is not a day when ‘generally’ applies.

Tristo’s mother enters the room–tall, gaunt, imposing.  She stands a foot taller than her husband at least, and takes up every inch of it with sharp angles.  Tristo has never gone to her for comfort.

Portia–Tristo rarely thinks of her as ‘mother’ anymore–stops in the doorway, looking down at him with utter disdain as he looks at himself in the mirror.

“Put that thing away,” she hisses, wine-red dress swishing along the rug as she storms over to him.

Tristo lets the halo blink then fade out of existence, its warmth diminishing rapidly in its absence.  The speed with which he makes it go away is the only thing that saves him from his mother’s thin hand–the rings adorning her fingers make excellent weapons, he thinks.  He looks up at her, golden eyes fixing on her steel gray ones.

“I won’t inform your father of this, since it’s your birthday, but if I catch you with that again–”

“I’m sorry mother,” he cuts her off, going back to adjusting his shirt in the mirror.  “It won’t be a problem.”

Portia’s fingers flex.  She’s still thinking about hitting him.  “Good,” she says finally, turning and starting to head back out of his room.  “We will be waiting for you in the dining room,” she adds brusquely.

Tristo steps into the dining room–lit with candles that only barely ward off the gloom of the stormy day outside–and takes his seat at the table.

His father, a rotund man with dark red hair and bright green eyes, had been laughing heartily at some story Corvino had been telling–their mother had been smiling warmly at Tristo’s older brother as he spoke enthusiastically.  The conversation ceases when Tristo enters the room.

“How kind of you to join us,” his mother says coolly.

Tristo remains silent, sitting straight in the wooden high-backed dining chair.

“How long have we been putting up with the little celestial bastard for now?” Corvino says, eliciting a small gasp from their mother.  She can pretend to care still, at least.

“Corvino,” she chides ineffectively.

“She’s upset because I make them look bad,” Tristo adds flatly, faintly glowing gaze fixed on his brother.  “It means there’s somebody who wasn’t human in one of their bloodlines, like a stain.”

Corvino’s expression twists into a cruel grin, which goes unnoticed by their parents.  If they had noticed, Tristo doesn’t think that it would matter.

“Please don’t go out of your way to ruin another occasion, Tristo,” his father grumbles, voice low and exhausted.  “You’re a smart boy, you know that’s not true.”

“You’re more likely to be a curse than something relating to genetics,” Portia whines, fingers pinched on the bridge of her nose as she leans towards the table slightly.  “Some punishment from the gods.  Neither your father’s family or mine would procreate with a fallen angel, the thought is… repulsive.”  It takes her a moment to find the word, dark painted lips curling slightly downwards like she can taste the thought.

Tristo shakes his head slightly, about to argue, but stops when several halfling slaves file in carrying plates of food.  Corvino’s favourites, pheasant and rice with herbs and spinach, simple small seed cakes, and dark red wine which Tristo won’t partake of.  He eats dinner because he has to.  He would rather skip it.  His birthday has always been a somber day for him, and he always ends up feeling sick by the end of it anyway–he’d rather not eat and avoid the worst of that.

A halfling serves him a plate with seed cake on it, he thanks him quietly.  Beneath the seed cake is a gold coin.  Is it from the halfling?  If he had gold why would he give it to Tristo?  Tristo doesn’t need gold, his family has plenty of money.  He lifts up the seed cake completely, picking the gold up with it.  His family isn’t looking at him.  He lets it fall to his lap then tucks it into his pocket as he takes a bite from the small cake.

Dinner passes uneventfully, his parents focusing mostly on Corvino and Corvino being too busy talking to them to be too hateful to him.  When it’s over, Tristo quietly thanks them for the meal, then leaves the dining room.

The family’s manor has a large garden in a central courtyard, with a covered gazebo in the center of it surrounded by trellises covered in lilac.  His family wouldn’t come out here while it’s raining, he thinks, even under the cover of the gazebo.  He sits on the wooden floor of it, half under a bench for good measure.

“Are you okay?” A quiet voice calls over to him.

Tristo looks up, golden tears streaking down his cheeks.

“Oh, hey,” the halfling says, noticing the tears, walking over to him to sit beneath the bench with him.  “Did Corvino hurt you again?”

Tristo shakes his head.  Bran is a halfling slave a couple years younger than Corvino, with fair skin and freckles and a mess of brown hair atop his head.  He stands a good three feet shorter than Tristo.  He’s been the closest thing to a friend that Tristo’s ever had in his short, lonely life.  Even then, even at his age, Tristo knows that their friendship is an unbalanced one–he knows that if given the choice, Bran wouldn’t want to be near him.

Bran rests a hand on Tristo’s arm, patting it lightly.  Tristo tenses, frowns.  He doesn’t like when Bran does that, he doesn’t understand why he’s touching him.

“Did you get my present, at least?”

“That was yours?” Tristo asks, pulling the coin from his pocket.  He tries to hand it back to Bran.

“Nah, keep it.  I stole it from your brother anyway,” he adds under his breath.

Tristo pauses, sucks in a small breath, stares down at him.  He shouldn’t have done that.  He feels like he has to tell someone.  

He doesn’t have to.

“So we have a celestial bastard and a thief,” Corvino’s honeyed voice chimes in.  He rounds the corner, where he’d been hidden by the lilac behind them.  “What a pair you two make.”

Corvino’s hand grabs Bran’s neck in one swift motion and lifts him up, holding him by his throat.  Bran grasps and claws at Corvino’s arm, trying to suck in air desperately, kicking his short legs violently.

“You can’t do that,” Tristo whimpers out, frozen.

“I can do what I want actually, it’s just a halfling,” Corvino snaps back at him.  His grasp on Bran’s throat tightens and Tristo jumps to his feet finally.

“Tristo, don’t,” Bran gasps out.

Small flames are already licking at Tristo’s fingertips, and they don’t go unnoticed by Corvino, who lets out a dry, humorless bark of a laugh.

“Do you think that you could get away with it?” He taunts, throwing Bran aside, his small body slamming into the opposite bench hard enough for a loud crack to ring out, and Tristo doesn’t know if it’s his friend’s bones or the old wood.  “You’d be shipped off and executed, you little freak.”

Corvino advances on him, grabbing one of Tristo’s hand, letting the flames singe his skin.  He squeezes tightly, twisting Tristo’s wrist back until he starts to think that it’ll break.

Tristo’s knee comes up hard, connecting with Corvino’s groin, making the other boy–and he really does just look like another boy now–collapse to his knees.  Tristo grabs his dark hair and forces his head into the wooden floor of the gazebo, slamming it down twice as hard as he can, feeling his brother’s nose break, hearing him whine out a long, keening cry.

Tristo nearly calls this a victory, but it’s never as easy as that for him.  Corvino growls through gritted teeth and rolls, sending Tristo tumbling down until he’s on top of him now.  He draws back a fist and punches him hard in the face, one of his rings connecting with his eye–and the world goes dark.

Tristo wakes in his room.  The door is closed and a quick glance at it is all he needs to know that it’s been locked from the outside.  This isn’t the first fight he and his brother have gotten into.

From his bed, he can see his mirror.  The right side of his face is swollen and bruised, and he can’t open that eyelid enough to see out of it.

When he’s allowed to leave his room, he finds Corvino in the library in a plush armchair, a book in one hand and a gold coin lazily twirling between the fingers of the other.

[starriest-orion]

TSP

I WROTE A THING

(Enn = Narrator)

PLEASE THIS IS THE FIRST WRITING FOR TSP I'VE POSTED

CW: References to the zending and other endings, but very briefly!!

• The sun was shining gently through the curtains, the birds outside sang their morning tune. The thick snow on the ground melted slowly, the grass peeking out here and there. The dripping of water onto the ground was subtle, repetitive. The first of the two to wake up was Stanley. He yawned, and sat up in the bed. He looked over to see his partner, still soundly asleep. He, at that moment, didn't have the heart to wake his partner up. He looked comepletely peaceful, and the sun shining into the room only made him look prettier than usual. He smiled softly to himself, seeing Enn so peaceful was rare. He was often stressed and overworked, writing what he could remember of the parable in form of books. It was a succesful series, which is why the could live so comfortably. The bed itself was a luxury, the goose feather duvet, with a dark brown cover. The pillows were a soft green, while the sheet was that same green. There was a little leaf pattern sewn into the corner of the pillow in a dark brown string. They were made of a nice material, not too soft but not too rough. Their room was also quite nice. The dark, hardwood floor had a circular green rug set under the bed. It had gold details around the rim, and it seemed a bit worn down. (Enn had insisted they buy it from the side of the road.) Their dark walls were also made of wood, and covered in photos of the two. One album from a trip to the Greek mountains, another from their trip to spain, and others adorned the walls. Then, at the centre of the wall above their headboard, was their wedding photo. It was the centre of attention, it was one of his favorite memories. Next to him, the sheets moved a bit, and he turned to see his love had woken up. [*Goodmorning sleepyhead, did you rest well?*] Enn only grumbled, scooting closer to Stanley. This was the normal waking up routine, Stanley wakes up first, Enn wakes up 10 minutes later, they cuddle for 20 minutes, and then get on with their day. Stanley moved his arm, and Enn rested his head on his partner's chest, resting his arm over their torso. Stanley rested his arm again, this time on his husband's shoulder. The background noise outside and the warmth of the duvet was a small part of what made this so comfortable, the thing that was most comfortable was the emotional warmth. The softness of the situation, how much they've grown to love and trust eachother. The routine they'd picked up, the normalness of it all. They were both in matching pajamas, sweatpants and tshirts. To think that a few years ago, they'd hated eachother's existance? That Stanley hated Narrator so much he'd done the Zending multiple times? How Narrator led him to so many deaths? It was almost as though he'd dreamed it now. He knew it happened, he has the scars to show it. But it didn't matter to him anymore. He was truly happy here. "Goodmorning." He smirked at how tired his partner sounded. He kissed him lightly on the head, with a soft smile. This was a nice morning. After that they'd chat, (Narrator telling Stanley about what he wanted to do for the day and what he dreamed of.) and after *that* they'd move to the kitchen for some food and coffee. Mornings like these were perfect. •

[aonoexpat]

20-08-2023 (1/2)

After my last post, I was very grateful to be given a helping hand by some wonderful people from Te Whanganui-a-tara. Really lovely friends reached out and put me in contact with their family members in Ōtautahi, to set me up with a warm bed, a hot shower and a washing machine for a couple of nights. I am eternally grateful for the quick and effective way in which they guided me to such welcoming homes, and for the family members in question who took me in without a second thought, and treated me as one of their own. It was very nice to have some people to talk to again, and to escape the cold nights so comfortably. There's so much unconditional kindness out there if only we have the courage to ask for it, and I'm so glad I could accept it ❤️ I cuddled with Oscar the cat to my heart's desire, and they even let me tag along to their local raffle night, where I won a lil voucher :)

I also spent one afternoon in Ōtautahi hanging out with a fellow van-dweller, and we went to Uprising, a very cool and creative bouldering gym! We spent a lot of time just sitting on the mats and chatting about our respective experiences as solo travelers, which was very valuable to me.

After my recharging visits, I met up with a German woman who had responded to a facebook (I know, blehhh 🤮) post of mine saying I was looking for travel buddies. We connected over our mutual love for Dutch apple spread, and had some on bread for lunch in a parking lot before teaming up and driving out to Akaroa, a quaint little town out on Horomaka. The scenery out there was absolutely breathtaking, and reignited some of my wanderlust:

We took a quick trip the next morning to visit a pretty little waterfall, and then drove the scenic summit road back! We only stopped to take plenty of pictures, and once to wait for a stray cow to get out of the road 😅

After a short rest stop we continued on our way to the Hakatere Lakes. I'm so grateful that she shared this recommendation with me, because I wouldn't have had the slightest clue that this area was worth a visit without her. I also doubt I'd have had the guts to visit on my own, because it was quite a remote place, the way there including a lot of unpaved roads. Everybody says that one of the most stunning things about Te Waipounamu is the fact that you can drive for 20 minutes and be in a completely different landscape, and I really felt that on this drive. We went from idyllic rolling green hills to harsh, snowy, mountainous surroundings in what seemed like no time at all. We drove past a shepherd who was just gathering all his sheep for the night with his three dogs, and I genuinely clapped a hand to my mouth as we cleared the last hill in the road and caught sight of beautiful Lake Heron!

We spent a couple of minutes there to take in the view, but then quickly moved on because the chilling wind was hard to bear. A little ways down another unpaved road was a campsite right by Lake Clearwater, and we set up shop there for the night. By then the lush grass had given way to dryer, more barren ground, again making us feel like we had traveled to a whole new biome. It was already freezing before the sun had even gone down, so we both filled up our hot water bottles and crawled into bed for an early night.

The next morning we drove further up the road, and around every next curve the valley just opened up to more and more mountains, left and right, far and wide. It felt like we were leaving the land of the living and entering some sort of expansive, rugged, untamed world. We spent the morning hiking up to Mount Sunday, which was apparently a film location for Edoras, the capital of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings trilogy! I couldn't quite find the right angle to replicate the shots from the movie, but that didn't spoil the fun. I will be adding this hike to my top three, because of the 360° panorama of snowy splendour 🤩

Feeling fulfilled for completing a big hike so early in the morning, we got back behind our respective wheels and fueled up before heading to Lake Takapō:

Suddenly we were surrounded by people again, which was quite the shift from the morning we had had. We got some hot drinks to warm up, did some shopping, and decided to just keep going and head to the next lake: Pukaki!

We found a beautiful little campsite by a minor lake called Poaka, and enjoyed the sunset before once again retreating into our cars to escape the freezing cold.

----- I'm uploading all this through the web editor which (only) allows me to add 30 pictures per post, so I will continue this in a part 2! -----

[nuinindia2023]

day 23! first day in jaipurrrr!

Helloooo world! We’re in Jaipur now! Olivia Wu writing here. Starting off strong by continuing on from Ivy’s post and doing my case study in bed after midnight (so technically a new day)

Anyway, we all enjoyed our first breakfast at the Lemon Tree Premier Hotel before our case study session (last one of the trip woooooooo). We’re so excited to have Snehaa back! After breakfast, we headed up to the board room and I got an action shot of the professor getting hyped about the case study, which he calls fun, but I think we have different definitions of fun. 

Right after, we hopped on the bus to head to Jantar Mantar Jaipur with our wonderful tour guide, Vijay. I love riding the bus since you can see all of the city as you traverse through the streets. Some fun things we saw today included cows, camels, horses, and we also noticed that some of the auto rickshaws are different here! 

Once we arrived to Jantar Mantar, we learned about horoscopes, telling time through sun dials, and also compatibility based on birth charts! We had about 15 minutes to wander around and most of us went to go find our zodiac signs (see photo of Ben and I, both pisces). Another notable thing: Finn doing a handstand!

After, we walked to the City Palace, which was so stunning and beautiful. We toured through the grounds and also the exhibits with textiles and the armory, though no photos were allowed. We got so many great photos here and everyone loved seeing the amazing architecture. 

We were all super tired from the heat and very hungry so we rode our bus to the Green Pigeon, where we all had a delicious Indian lunch. We had both new and old dishes like Paneer Butter Masala and Saag Paneer and it was overall very delicious and filling!

Right after, we walked down the busy street a couple doors down to the Shree Carpet and Textile Mahal, where we saw the hand block printing process and Kailee event tried it for the peacock print. Then, we walked over to see the carpet weavers as well as the carpet barber and the women spinning the yarn used. The guide brought us to the carpet show room where they unrolled like a million beautiful rugs and carpets as well as served us refreshments. After that, we were brought to another show room, but this time for textiles and all the girls tried on Sarees and most of us ended up buying something, whether scarves, sarees, or something related. 

Later on, we came back to the hotel to quickly rest and nap before heading out to go shopping and eat dinner. Some of us went to a revolving restaurant at the Hotel Om and others went to the Tattoo Cafe Rooftop. Then we all headed back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest before another day of touristy stuff!

[samplepsychadelic]

trip report 9/30 [10mg weed 3g shrooms]

Last night's trip was on a whole pther level of my past trips. my first proper shroom trip :] I bought them from a smoke shop near kip's apartment. he's a VERY nice guy, let me pay card since I didn't have cash and has helped me navigate my interest in psychadelics since moving. I bought about 3g of both of his strains (jedi + wombat). he advised I tried wombat first and honestly I'm glad I did.

I brought my pack of capsules with me while kip and I most of the day running errands and dying his hair. we got to his house around 3pm and he offered to trip sit me.

I took 8 of the mushroom capsules (≈.27g each) around 3:30pm with no effect. I stayed in the living room laying on the couch setting my intentions while I waited. why did I exist? what is reality? what is death? after 2 hours I didn't know if they were going to work. I had 2 extra capsules left, which I eventually decided "well I might as well take them. 3 grams is a pretty nice amount anyways" and I honestly wasn't sure if it would make things turn south. I tend to be very resistant to mushrooms just by themselves. at around 5:30, we had gone back to my grandparents' house to pick up my sleep meds. I decided to throw in a bit of weed to kick things into gear (weed pairs wonderfully with mushrooms. it helps it get into my system). after coming back home we just kind of hung out in his room, he played on his computer while I laid on his bed. with the weed kicking in, so did the mushrooms.

the first signs were some mild (but still incredible) hallucinations; the ceiling started rotating and shifting with a spinning purple, green and orange mandala overlayed on top. during my trip I ended up getting really talkative and giddy. I just kept telling kip about how awesome or weird or funny everything was. obviously the first things I started telling him about what I was seeing. I kept asking "do I sound weird? do I make sense?" because I wasn't sure how to properly describe what I was experiencing. at some point I had gone outside to measure how strong my hallucinations were. at the moment they were pretty moderate and I was still mostly aware of myself and the concept of being. however by the time I had gone inside to lay on the couch, not even 5 minutes later, the hallucinations were so strong legitimately everything was moving and animating in such a bizzare way that I was captivated by it. the carpet on the floor was rolling, each diagonal stripe of the rainbow rug in front of the couch was moving on their own like conveyer belts, even the TV and its stand were alive and breathing, each movement leaving an outline of color behind.

I decided to close my eyes to see how advanced the closed eye visuals were. the answer was extremely complex. I mostly remember a kaleidoscope of purple and yellow triangles and rainbow spiral patterns. I also saw rainbow lisa frank-esque chinese dragons (I really liked them). I moved back to kip's bed and decided to continue my trip there so I could tell hom about it. by this point my ego was gone. I was no longer just a person, I was everything. I became part of the comforter on the bed, sort of melting into it. I watched my sister on his computer, his hair shifting and seeming like part of a painting. the screen would have red and blue outlines in front of it every time I blinked. it was like we were the only beings in the entire universe to exist, just to have fun together. describing the second phase of the trip feels almost impossible through words but I'll try to be as descriptive as I can. I had an overwhelming sense of love and happiness, so much so that my whole body felt tingly, like getting the world's best back massage. I started realizing that this reality is whatever I want it to be and that everything is perfect the way it is. I felt like I was receiving all the happiness and love I hadn't been given in my life at that exact moment- it felt like my chest was going to burst because of how happy I was. I messaged all my friends and told them I love them, I let kip know he was an amazing trip sitter, and I wished that everyone could experience this kind of love and peace within themselves. while I was having this moment it was almost impossible to tell the difference between having my eyes open and closed, not in a visual sense, everything just didn't seem real. even when I would talk to kip or laugh at his tts generations, it didn't feel like it was me, rather just a projection of my true self. I honestly was having such a good time that I was convinced that absolutely nothing could ruin this trip. hell, I could throw up at that exact moment and still be perfectly happy (for context- throwing up is my absolute worst fear. I have PTSD from it). around then I was very giggly and happy. kip said I was really pleasant. at one point I had gotten up to look at myself in the mirror. seeing my pupils the size of dimes made me laugh. kip told me not to look in the mirror anymore as I got myself comfortable under the covers. not even a few minutes later I had asked kip "wait, when did I get comfy?", he told me I literally just got into bed. I found it funny how my memory was all over the place. I hadn't even remembered what I had just done until after asking. I lay in bed thinking about myself and the world around me. this was it, this was everything I had wanted out of my trip- to find out that reality is made differently for each individual. everything was so wonderful. I remember thinking at one point "if I stay in this room like this for the rest of eternity I would be happy. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else".

the visuals slowly died down as I decided to watch some cartoons. there were no more trippy hallucinations, but my peripheral vision was much bigger than whatever I could focus on. I told kip that I needed to go to the bathroom (in all honesty- I just wanted to be sneaky about looking at my eyes again) and got up. walking around the house felt odd, like my consciousness was lagging behind me. I would get up, walk around, and only become aware of myself and what I was doing a minute later. I checked my eyes again and my pupils were back to normal. I went to the bathroom and picked at my face for a bit, once and awhile looking at myself and making observations about my face. I liked how I looked- I was kind of cute. my body was perfect, I didn't need to change a thing about myself. I finally loved myself.

I got bored picking at my face after awhile, not sure how long, and laid back down. most of the time towards the end of the trip was spent waiting for kip to come to bed. however I wasn't really sure if I was ready to end the experience. I knew that it wouldn't last forever, to my slight dissapointment, and wanted to keep feeling the happiness and affection forever. it did kind of feel like I had been tripping forever, not that I minded. but I did know that I should go to bed soon.

I decided to take my sleep meds awhile later, still kind of debating on if I wanted to bring everything to an end just yet. even after kip was in bed and the lights were out, I was still too excited and too restless to go to sleep. I'm not sure when I fell asleep, it must have been around 10 or 11pm. waking up the next morning was difficult, mushroom hangover is no joke.

saturday night's trip is going to stick with me for awhile. I feel like that was all I needed in this moment and I probably won't be tripping for a good while. I felt like a new person afterward and I felt like I had to share what had happened with everyone I could think of. putting it into words is extremely hard for me since a lot of the trip was feelings, sort of like a blissful unawareness. I honestly got exactly what I needed. I got it perfect the 1st time.

[anonofseasons]

Hey!! Can you do 1 and 5 for Vivian and 8 for El?

Sure! 1. What is the character’s go-to drink order? Vivian doesn't drink liquor much. He might be persuaded to share a single glass of wine with his husband, but he learned early on that alcohol and magic--as a precaution--are better off not mixed. So he's a tea drinker instead. He mostly goes for herbal blends, but he likes matcha green tea too. As for the herbal stuff, there's always chamomile tea in the house. It helps the boys sleep, and Viv is partial to it. He also likes any citrus ones, like lemon and orange spice. 5. What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances?

Oooh, this is a good one and requires some thinking. Especially when Viv doesn't like to publicly cry and he holds back even in private. There is a point where he cries in a future chapter (a little bit), but before that? Hmmm... So Graham can get sick, and occasionally, he hasn't fared well. I imagine there was a point where he was bedridden years before the current events of the story--some illness that seemed worse than usual. It probably required antibiotics and allowing a doctor into the house. He cried at his husband's bedside and held his hand. He does love him, even if he's rubbish at showing it sometimes. 8. Describe the place where they sleep. This is such a cute thought, thank you for asking this one! El has a double bed. Graham designed it alongside El. It has been painted robin's egg blue! He has a quilt made of various white and pastel colors, most of his cotton and linen sheet sets are light blue or pink, and he has a few wool blankets that are either green or yellow. He sleeps with a polar bear. It's been through a few washings and isn't quite white anymore, and Vivian has had to add some patches where it is worn down. It is missing an eye (Viv gave it surgery so that it won't lose stuffing, although he did plump it up with more before mending it), and has a light blue eyepatch. His set of nightstands matches the bed, as does the dresser. He got the whole bedroom set custom made by his daddy, and Graham loves going the extra mile. The bookcase is painted to match, but it has a basic design because it is buried in books. The nightstands have matching lamps with blue bases and cream shades. He has a little wooden box he made--with a wood stain--that has a sliding lid, and he puts a cotton handkerchief in there for cleaning his glasses, which are also stored inside. It has silly little patterns engraved on it. Swirls and the like. His bookcase holds only his favorites. Everything else goes downstairs in the main library. Little trinkets he has collected over the years decorate the shelves in front of the books. That includes an ammonite fossil he collected, as well as little presents his family has made him. His rug is blues and cream with fractal patterns. He has a desk for reading and studying, and it's basic much like the bookshelf. It's fairly small. It has another lamp, this one silver with a blue lampshade. He has collected lots of little boxes to sort out his pens and pencils neatly inside the desk drawers. The chair that goes with it is also made by Graham, who went a bit fancier and painted it to match the room. It has an upholstered seat (blue) that has had to be patched a few times and also reupholstered entirely once. I keep imagining he has a few old stuffed animals on the bookshelf's top, along with a few on the dresser--places Beau can't reach, or he'd steal them. Most of them don't match any actual animals... For some reason, I imagine him as a small child, drawing his own weird monsters and Vivian making the plushies to match the images. El has a closet, unlike Howie and Beau, who both have wardrobes. (They had a choice, and both of them decided that small wardrobes packed with clothes couldn't possibly hold monsters, but closets? No thank you! They'll pass on the monster den.) El doesn't have anything under his bed, for that matter. The same cannot be said of his brothers. :')

[creations-by-chaosfay]

My to-do list is getting fuller, but I don't mind. Staying busy is vital to avoiding madness. Especially when that to-do list involves commissions.

Star Story - commission, begin handquilting

Mug rug - commission, bird theme, fabric and pattern pulled

Mini quilt - commission, fpp 18x18 inch crow, forest and wood theme, quilt top only

Four piece coaster set - commission, hobbitcore meets slavic grandma, old fashioned, whimsy, floral

Placemat sets - shop item, two sets of two placemats, purple celestial theme

Five piece dining set - giveaway prize, dessert and treats theme, four placemats and a table runner

Three piece dining set - gift, two placemats and insulated table runner, OSU Ducks theme

Single placemat - gift, unicorn theme

Lap quilt - gift, begin handquilting

I'll be going to the fabric store to pick up extra wide backing for Star Story, the mini quilt, and possibly the four piece coaster set. I have no idea what slavic grandma fashion is, so that will need a little research. Hobbitcore, to me, is lots of green, brown, and plants.

If anyone wishes to commission me, there are still slots available. Please snatch those up.

I'll have the placemats and mug rug done by the end of this week, and have all the pieces cut and prepped for the placemats. Those will likely be finished by the end of today, and mug rug tomorrow. Handquilting will begin tomorrow, and the morning will involve washing the dining room floor and basting the quilt. I tend to work up a sweat doing those things because it's a lot of hard work, and will likey leave me wiped out for a few hours. Basting takes me about one to three hours, depending on the size of the quilt.

The mini quilt and four piece coaster set will definitely be finished next week. The mini quilt is just the quilt top, nothing else, which definitely speeds things up. It's all foundation paper pieced as well. I will also begin the giveaway prize next week if I don't have any other commissions.

Then the week after that, complete the giveaway prize and work on the housewarming gift for a friend. He and his father are buying a house and moving in together, both are HUGE fans of the OSU Ducks (local team), and a two person dining set will be a fantastic gift. Especially since they plan on decorating the dining room with all things OSU Ducks.

If I have no other commissions after this, I'll just focus on my niece's birthday gift of a unicorn themed placemat. My sister and mom describe her as the girliest girl to ever girl, and she loves all things unicorns. I have unicorn fabric and a unicorn fpp piece. I will also work on finishing the handquilting for Star Story and build up inventory in my shop.

Star Story will likely be finished in mid-July. When I have the handquilting complete, and have no large commission to work on over the summer, I'll be handquilting a lap quilt gift for a friend. I made the top a couple years ago, but he made it abundantly clear he's fine waiting because paid projects come first. Handquilting will be done in the afternoon, seeing as mornings are so nice in my sewing room but it's too hot to be in there after about 10AM.

Ah, yes, my summer routine is sewing in the morning (I'm up at 5AM), handquilting in the afternoon, no working after 6PM (dinner), and in bed by 9PM.

Commissions will be closing June 1st, so you had best grab one of my slots now. Prices will increase when I open them again in September. I now have a very good idea of how long it takes to finish things, and have given myself a 10% pay raise from $25/hour to $27/hour. Now that I know handquilting twin size quilts is around 80-100 hours, and queen size 100-150 hours, the prices will reflect this. Queen size quilts will start at $4300 USD, twin size quilts at $3000 USD, etc. King size quilts will take between 300-500 hours, done over the course of 18 months to two years (to prevent burnout I'll take breaks to work on smaller things, as advised by other quilters), which is why prices for those will start at $11,300. I well and truly do not want to make a king size quilt, but that much money is extremely good incentive. As with all projects, if you cannot pay 100% immediately, I'll accept 50% upfront. For a king size, that's nearly $6k. Do I think anyone will commission me for something that large? Absolutely not, which is why I'm not concerned. I will, however, add it as an option when I reopen commissions later this year. If someone does commission me for it, I'm getting our plumbing replaced; the guy who owned the house prior to us buying it was a landlord, and he installed illegal plumbing that's causing problems. We were quoted nearly $12k last year, and have no means of paying for it. A king size quilt will take care of that.

Now I need to eat, convince my husband to get out of bed, go to the fabric store, and then get home and do some sewing.

[thepropertylovers]

The Perfect Dark and Moody Green Paint Color

We like to play musical chairs with our upstairs bedrooms, especially the one in the front of the house. Sometimes it’s the guest room, sometimes it’s one of the boys��� room (if they’re not sharing a room), sometimes it’s the play room. However, this time, the room is officially once and for all a guest bedroom. There’s no changing it anymore, because we just gave it a full on makeover and we love the way it turned out!

The front bedroom has always been our favorite in the house. The size, the sloped ceilings, all that natural light first thing in the morning. Dreamy. We actually moved upstairs and made it our bedroom for the first year we had our kids so we could be closer to them. It’s just an all around great room, which is why we’ve been dying to give it a little makeover for a while now.

We knew we wanted a moody color in there to start with. We’re branching out this year and playing around with color (we’ve already painted two other rooms in our house!), specifically craftsman-inspired colors like rust, green, mustard yellow.

We settled on green for this room, and not just any green but a dark, moody green. So began the hunt for the perfect paint color. We knew we could go dark in here because of how much light it gets, so we weren’t worried about any color possibly being too dark. We were game for anything.

The winning paint color is Vintage Vogue by Benjamin Moore. It is a true moody green through and through. It never reads as black or navy or anything other than green, which I love.

The entire room feels so cozy now. We have lamps throughout to make sure whoever is staying in there has enough light, because it is much darker now. White reflects and bounces light around, while a deep, dark color does not, so at night time, it is extremely dark (which we both love).

We did this room in eggshell and it took about two coats since the walls were already white. We love how the creamy white trim pops against the green, and the dark brown blinds and wood furniture really fit in with the whole craftsman vibe we have going on in there.

Everything in the room is something we already had in our home. We didn’t purchase anything but the art on the bed wall. The rug has been in every single room in our house at one point, the bedside tables used to be in our living room, the antique dresser has also been in pretty much every room in our house, the bedside lamps used to be in our bedroom and then the living room, and PJ redid the lamp on the dresser a few years back (it used to be a dated thrift store lamp).

We love how the light shines through so brightly first thing in the morning. It feels like a very special room to be in at all hours of the day.

Don’t the stained doors look so good with the white trim and green walls? They stand out so much more than they did when the room was white. We love a white room, and we still have a lot of white walls in our house and always will, but we really want to lean into the colors of arts and crafts homes in our house, and this bedroom felt like the perfect opportunity to do that.

Can’t wait to keep painting more walls in our home!!! Which room should we do next?

[kiwixlime]

Hungry for Flesh

K is for Kissing (and Killing)

Joel Miller is the protective boyfriend of your dreams. You just wish he’d let you help out once in a while. 

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader 

Warnings: Gore, blood, death. Also, fluff!

As the early morning sun peeks through the thin curtains, you lay in your bed, admiring your boyfriend as he gets dressed. You still find it weird referring to Joel as your boyfriend. He’s not a boy. He's a man. And what you have with him is deep and complex. But that’s what he is. Joel Miller is your boyfriend. And what a sight he is first thing in the morning.

His shift starts soon, and you’ll follow him to the diner to eat breakfast with him before seeing him off. But for now, he gets dressed, covering up his tanned skin with a slim gray t-shirt. Hiding his muscles beneath your favorite green flannel. He rubs his rugged hands through his hair and over his beard, taking in his appearance. He jokes about getting old, but he’s not that much older than you. And he’s still the most handsome man you’ve ever seen.

You wish he could stay with you all day. But Tommy’s his partner, and they never switch it up. Not even when you came into the picture. It doesn’t usually bother you. But today, it’s hanging around in your mind.

“Joel?” Your groggy voice pierces the tranquil silence of the room. You untangle your naked body from the sheets and crawl to the edge of the bed, laying on your stomach. He finishes sliding on his shoes before he looks over at you, tender smile on his lips.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” He answers, walking over to you and brushing your hair from your eyes. You look stunning this morning. To be fair, you always look stunning. But that golden sunlight illuminates your sleepy face, and your tired eyes glisten in the warm hue that veils the room. You look angelic, celestial.

“Do you love me?” You ask, knowing that he does. But you’re feeling a bit sensitive this morning. So you need reassurance.

With a sigh, Joel stops what he’s doing and sits down next to you. You push yourself up on your knees, the sheet that was once covering you slipping off, revealing your bare skin. He shamelessly checks you out, kissing your shoulder affectionately.

“With all of my heart,” he muses. “Why do you ask?”

“You never take me with you,” you pout. “I know you and Tommy have your own thing. And I respect that. But, I don’t know, I’d like to join you sometime.”

“Sweetheart,” Joel deadpans. Your stomach drops, prepared for his usual response. “You know--”

“I know, I know,” you cut him off. You hear it every time you make a request like this. “The west trail is safer, and it’s shorter, and you just want Ellie and I to be okay.” You huff at the canned response. “Joel, Ellie and I are tough. You know that. We’ve proven ourselves time and time again. We can handle more than just a short walk by camp.”

“I know you can,” Joel says. “You’re both more than capable of handling your own. It’s for my own peace of mind, baby girl. I need you and Ellie safe.”

“Safe,” you mumble. A groan bubbles out of you, and you fall back onto the mattress with a soft thud. “More like imprisoned!” You claim, which causes your man to chuckle. He lays down next to you, rolling to face you, holding your naked body to his clothed one.

He kisses your cheek and you try your best to hold a frown, but you can’t. His beard tickles your skin, and his lips are soft and warm. You love him. He’s an overprotective hardass, but you love him.

“You’re the love of my life,” he whispers. And it’s so quiet, if he wasn’t right next to you, you wouldn’t have heard it. Your heart fills with love, spilling over until you smile. Joel’s not the type of guy who enjoys talking about his feelings. He’s not cold or closed off, but his emotional moments are rare. He tells you he loves you all the time. But these occasions - when you’re lying in bed with his face buried in your neck and him telling you just how much he loves you - are intimate minutes you cherish.

“I know,” you say dreamily. “And you’re mine.”

He groans and squeezes you tightly against him. You feel his lips move as he mumbles something, but you can’t quite make out what he’s saying. So you give his shoulder a gentle poke.

“I said,” he sighs and moves his head. “I said I would talk to Tommy. Just let me work things out. And if all goes as planned, you can come with me this morning.” He doesn’t sound thrilled, but you know it’s because he’s concerned. He likes knowing you and Ellie have easy patrol jobs. He’s just so afraid of losing either of you.

“Really!” You practically squeal. This is a big step for him. But he’s taken a lot of big steps with you. He’s the one who asked you out. And he’s the one who asked you to move in with him. You said “I love you” first. But he responded right after. And according to Ellie, that was a big deal.

His hesitation slowly fades once he realizes how excited you are. “I’ll have Tommy go with Ellie. And today, you’ll be my partner. Just… Listen to me, though.”

“Yes, sir,” you tease, but Joel gives you an unimpressed look. You roll your eyes and sit up. “I know, okay? I’ll behave. I promise.”

“Good,” Joel smirks and shoves himself off your shared bed. He straightens his clothes out and heads for the door. “Get dressed. We’ll be leaving soon,” he says.

“Hey, wait,” you frown as he opens the door. He's really going to leave you here? Just like that?

“What?” He asks in confusion.

“Kiss me,” you insist with an adorable pout on your lips. He can’t say no to you. And he wouldn’t, anyway. So he strides over to where you sit, cups your face in his hands, and places the gentlest kiss on your lips. Your eyes flutter closed and stay closed even when he moves away. The lingering of his lips on yours makes you swoon. “Okay, I’m happy now.”

“Dork,” he comments before slipping out of the bedroom. You accept the name as a term of endearment. And then you hop out of the bed to put some clothes on. It’s a sunny morning. So you don’t need anything too heavy. So when you’re finally dressed, you follow Joel out of the house. And to the diner where Tommy is already waiting.

He’s taken by surprise when Joel makes his request that they swap patrol partners for the day. Mostly because he knows that Joel is a tad worrisome and having his two best girls separated isn’t normally his idea of a good time. But Joel trusts Tommy to watch after Ellie. And of course, Joel will be watching after you.

You keep telling him you don’t need protection. But then you remind yourself of all Joel’s lost, and you understand that if anything happened to you or the grumpy teenager, he’d probably lose himself. So you put up with his smothering. It comes from the heart.

“Just make sure Ellie follows your lead,” Joel tells his younger brother. “I know you aren’t as strict as I am and so does she. She’s sneaky. She’ll try to--”

“Joel, I got it,” Tommy chuckles. “She’ll be fine. We’ll work on her target practice again. We’ll have fun. And you should, too,” he adds speaking to Joel but looking at you.

“We will!” You chime in, earning a grunt from your other half. He doesn’t understand your excitement. It’s not that thrilling. He doesn’t realize that you’re just excited to spend some extra time with him.

You eat breakfast together, listening in while Joel and Tommy talk about the plans for the day. You’re feeling particularly needy today, and you aren’t sure why. But you’re happy to be with Joel. And you can tell he’s happy to have you. He doesn’t even complain when you hang all over him.

By the time you finish eating, you’re incredibly antsy and eager to get this show on the road. You’ve only worked with Joel a few times before, and that was when you first got to Jackson. Since then, you’ve been with Ellie or Jesse. Aside from Joel being the man of your dreams, he’s very skilled. And you’ve already learned so much from him, but you know that you are capable of more. You’d like to prove yourself to him today.

“Ready, sweetheart?” Joel asks as you arrive at the gates.

“As I’ll ever be,” you answer with a sweet smile he can’t resist. He leans down and kisses you softly. He’s such a good kisser, it drives you wild. “That’s nice, do it again,” you sigh.

“Later,” he laughs. “We need to get goin’.” He looks up at the tower and gives a thumbs up. The gates open in front of you, and you and Joel ride out together.

Your first checkpoint isn’t too far away. It’s closer to the walls of Jackson, sort of a just-in-case spot. There’s rarely any activity in this area, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. You wait outside as Joel signs you both in, taking in the green scenery around you. It’s springtime, and everything is in full bloom. And ever since the world ended, it’s beautiful. The infected are scary, but the Earth? It’s lush and full of color. It’s bittersweet.

Joel joins you outside, wrapping his arms around your middle and pulling you into his chest. He’s warm against your back, and you feel like you could stay here for the rest of the day, swaying in his arms. But alas, you have a job to do.

“Come on,” he whispers before kissing your cheek. “Got a few abandoned houses over here to check out. Don’t think we’ll have trouble, but it’s best to do a sweep.”

“Okay,” you mutter and, unfortunately, leave his hold. He takes your hand, though, and walks you towards the neighborhood where a couple of houses sit.

It’s small overall and there’s not much to check out. You take the houses on the left side of the street and Joel takes the right. The only reason he’s even comfortable with separating is that the threat level is low and non-existent. Just once you’d love to use your combat skills. But Joel would never be that careless.

So you mosey through the houses, wondering to yourself who lived here before the world went to shit, and if they got out alive. Did they have kids? A big family? It’s thoughts like this that make you grateful you came from a small group. Still, the thought of a family does make you smile.

But you don’t let yourself get lost in those ideas for too long. You’ve never spoken to Joel about kids. But you’re pretty sure he’d dislike the idea. He’s told you about Sarah and he has Ellie now. He’s probably satisfied with that.

“Hey!” You hear his deep voice enter the house behind you. Your family picture is put on hold as you turn around to greet him. He looks concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “Just thinking. Are we done here?” You ask him the next question before he can. You don’t want to tell him what you’ve been pondering about.

His face says he doesn’t believe you. But he doesn’t push you any further. If you have something to tell him, he knows you’ll do it eventually. Right now, you both still have a job to do.

“Yep,” he says quietly. “Next location is a bit trickier. I’d tell you to stay close, but I know you won’t.”

“I’m not gonna get hurt,” you grin, walking over to him and placing a kiss to his cheek. “You worry too much.”

“Well,” he shrugs. And that’s it. You know how he feels. End of conversation.

“Come on, cowboy,” you giggle. “Lead the way.”

It’s a longer trek to the next posting. And the whole time you can practically feel Joel’s nerves radiating off him. His protective side is bursting at the seams today. And each time he looks over at you, you can see the hint of a frown tugging at his lips.

He’s quiet, though. And you appreciate the effort he’s putting in to keep his paranoid comments to himself. When you enter the large abandoned building up ahead, an awful stench penetrates your nose. You’d think you would be used to the smell of rotting and decay. But you aren’t. It still makes you queasy. And this time, it’s even worse. Fresh.

“Stay behind me,” Joel whispers and it’s not a suggestion. It’s not a request. It’s an order. The way your stomach sours at the scent in the room leaves you uneasy and unwilling to argue.

Joel takes the lead, hand firmly on his gun as he slowly steps through the debris. At one point, this looked to be a medical center. It’s been raided, of course. Nothing left behind. But it’s a decent size, which makes for a good hiding place.

You’re not sure what to expect as Joel rounds the corner. If there are any weak points in the walls, it’d be easy to breach by anyone. Or thing. The thought makes you cling to Joel. You don’t want him to get hurt either.

“Be careful,” you whisper, tugging on his hand.

“Watch your step,” he replies, motioning towards the broken glass on the floor. “This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have let you come out with me today.”

“Hey,” you pout. “I can handle myself. This smell is just really strong.” You choke as you speak, tasting the foul odor in your mouth.

“Shit!” Joel hisses, stopping in his tracks. He holds his arm out, blocking you from going any further.

“What?” You ask, attempting to push his arm away. “Joel, what is it?”

He shakes his head and uses all of his strength to keep you from seeing the display in front of him. “Just stay back,” he snaps.

“Joel!” You whisper. “What’s going on?” Irritated, you claw at his shirt, aggressively trying to see what it is he’s hiding from you. Joel’s strong, but you’re small and quick. You duck beneath his arm and swiftly step around him before he can grab you back.

As soon as you do, you feel the bile in your stomach rise and you can’t stop yourself from turning away and heaving. Joel immediately falls next to you, rubbing your back softly as you throw up nothing but liquid. He shushes you, holding back your hair and humming comforting words in your ear.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he assures you. “It’s okay.” He glances back at the dead bodies. It's far from okay, but he can't tell you that.

“W-who are they?” You ask through sobs.

“Not sure,” he answers. He leaves your side for only a second to examine the bodies on the floor before him. You squeeze your eyes shut, heart pounding in your ears, drowning out what Joel says.

You’re fine. You are you. You just weren’t expecting to see a couple of people shredded up in front of you. Joel warned you, but you insisted you could handle it. And you normally can. So what’s wrong with you right now? Joel said he didn’t recognize those people. You’ve been living in this world long enough to desensitize yourself. This shit doesn’t bother you anymore.

“Sweetheart,” Joel comes back to you. “You should go back to Jackson. Send Tommy out. It’ll be fine.”

“No, Joel,” you insist. You stand on shaky knees and whimper at the sight of the bodies. They’ve been torn apart, and judging by the faint clicking sounds you hear in the distance, it’s recent. “I can do this,” you tell him and even though he wants to fight, he accepts your decision.

He uses what he can to cover the bodies, hiding the mangled remains out of respect. They’re not from Jackson, but they’re on the younger side. Joel checks them out for any type of identification even though it’s rare to find. But they had nothing on them. Not even weapons.

“We need to clear the area,” Joel says sternly. “I only hear a few of them. You good to go?”

“Perfect,” you lie.

Joel nods, and you split up. Joel goes right, and you head left, making sure to be quiet as you move. The clicking sounds on your side are closer than you originally thought. But you’re calm and stealthy, catching a glimpse of a clicker limping by. You don’t hear Joel, so you imagine he’s being just as careful as you.

Your knife is tightly strapped to your ankle. So you undo the knot and release it, tiptoeing behind the screaming monster and grabbing it before it notices you. You plunge the blade deep into its throat, listening to it choke on its own blood before collapsing to the ground with a soft thud.

One down. You wonder how Joel is doing. So far it’s been nothing but silence. And that’s always a good sign. But you decide to find him anyway. Give him a hand.

He’s around the corner. You can see his shadow and hear the scuffle as he grabs the clicker and shivs it just as you did. It’s certainly not the time to think this, but you have to admire how sexy he is when he’s being an absolute badass.

“All clear?” You take the chance to ask him.

He turns around and smiles when he sees you still in one piece. “All clear, sweetpea.”

You grin and run up to him, throwing your arms around his shoulders. You are a whirlwind of emotions at the moment. Still a little sick, a little sad, a lot relieved, and overall thrilled to be working with your man.

Joel chuckles and kisses your temple. He was really worried about you. You’ve been acting off for a few weeks now. And when you nearly fainted at the dead bodies, he thought something was seriously wrong. But now you seem fine. You seem okay. Like you could do this again.

“Ow, Joel,” you whimper and he steps back, releasing you quickly to assess you for any damages.

“Baby, are you okay?” He asks with concern.

You nod, but grab your stomach as another sharp pain shoots through you. “I think it’s just my stomach,” you say. “I haven’t been feeling well. The smells aren’t helping, either.”

“Let’s get you home,” he insists. “You need to get to the infirmary.”

With no energy to argue, you let Joel guide you back to your horses. He’s gentle with you, carrying you in his arms as your breathing gets heavier. The pain is growing, sawing through your insides until you can barely see.

The last thing you remember before you pass out in Joel’s arms is him telling you he loves you.

He waits impatiently outside of your room. The doctor insisted he stay away to reduce stress on you. Healthcare is different in the apocalypse, but Dr. Green is an excellent physician. So Joel trusts her. He just hates not knowing what’s going on.

It’s only when you come walking out of the room that Joel stops pacing. He waits, slightly shaking, for you to say something. But then you cry and he gets nervous, running over to you.

“What is it?” He asks, swallowing down the lump in his throat.

You look up at him, small smile on your lips. “I’m pregnant,” you say.

“What?” He practically yells. You’re not sure if he’s upset at the news. His face is emotionless and you know it could go either way for him. But then he lets out the quietest laugh. “A baby?” He asks with a grin.

“A baby,” you confirm, smiling brightly. “Your baby.”

He chuckles and grabs your face, planting another soft kiss on your lips. “We're gonna have a baby."

Joel Miller Taglist: @swtaura - @chxpsi - @extraneous-trip - @cerebellam - @tiredbeebo - @kirsteng42

[dominimoonbeam]

Psssst… someone on the discord saw I painted David’s nails black on the art I did of him shopping with Darlin and they came up with the brilliant idea of a pack nail-polish sleepover, and now I NEED that fic in my life… *bats eyes lovingly* and I know the perfect person to write such an adorable fic…

I am THRILLED that you asked! I am wild about the fanart you made and love the idea of a nail-polish sleepover pack party! I also added this as a third chapter to the Why The Duck? fic on ao3.

no warnings for once! just the pack being adorable.

-

“I don’t understand why I need to sleep over,” Darlin griped when Asher dragged them into David’s house.

“It wouldn’t be much of a sleepover if we didn’t sleep over…” Asher countered.

David rolled his eyes from the kitchen.

“ASHER!” Angel shouted from the living room where they were already playing video games with Milo.

Asher lit up, toeing off his shoes and heading toward the living room with two more sleeping bags. “ALPHA MINI!”

Darlin lingered at the door and for a second David thought they might try to duck back out and escape. They’d never come along to one of these pack get togethers before. But things had been going better with them and the pack since the day they invaded Darlin’s apartment. They’d actually shown up to gatherings they were invited to and more than once in the last couple months, the group had gone home to Darlin’s to hang out when they were in that part of the city.

Darlin closed the front door and stepped out of their boots, hanging their jacket up on one of the dozen hooks on the wall. They noticed David in the kitchen when they took a couple more steps into the house. They nodded at each other.

David held out a beer and Darlin came closer to take it. “First sleepover?” he asked.

Darlin snorted. “I’ve couch surfed before…”

David wondered if that meant they’d been between homes at some point and staying on couches… “You’re not gonna get any real-estate on the couch,” he said instead. “Babe and Stealth formed an alliance last year after what they call ‘The Cushion War’ and have since claimed it as theirs and theirs alone when it comes time to sleep. They rolled Asher off of it last time we did this. But he didn’t even wake up when he hit the floor.”

Darlin took another drink to hide their smirk. “But you have rooms. Why not just go to bed?”

David realized suddenly that Darlin had never been to a sleepover. Not even as a kid. He grabbed the chip bowl and handed it to Darlin before picking up the dip. “It’s more fun this way,” he promised, leading the way to the living room.

Pillows and sleeping bags were rolled out across the floor. Angel was sitting on a small pile and mashing buttons, eyes glued to the screen. Milo was kicking Asher to keep him out of his way while he tried to play. Stealth and Babe were on the couch, Babe’s hand on Stealth’s thigh as they painted their nails in careful stripes.

Angel’s nails had already been painted gold and Milo’s were a green so dark it was almost black.

Darlin put the chip bowl down, eyeing the nail polish situation curiously.

David bit back his smile, putting down the dip and taking a seat with his back to the base of the couch. “I don’t suppose Asher warned you that they started painting nails at these things a while back?”

Darlin looked even more confused.

Angel won with a roar, leaping to their feet and throwing down the controller onto the soft rug and sleeping bag piles. They had won. They throw both hands into the air and rolled their hips, shouting their victory over Milo, who wailed appropriately.

David smiled, taking another drink of his beer. As much as he usually complained or rolled his eyes, he fucking loved these stupid sleepovers.

“My turn!” Stealth said, screwing on the lid to the nail polish they were holding and holding out their hand, wiggling fingers for the controller.

Angel handed it over and then noticed Darlin. Their eyes grew. “You came!”

Darlin actually looked like they might run from Angel, which was hilarious considering their height difference, not to mention strength differences. Angel jumped over Asher on the floor and latched onto Darlin’s arm, tugging them deeper into the living room, to a spot between mounds of pillows. “What color do you want?” They sat down, somehow pulling Darlin down with them.

“Um…What?” Darlin looked very confused.

“Oh. I don’t care. Whatever.”

David, Asher, and Stealth all whistled at that mistake.

“Unicorn Picnic it is!” Angel sang, snatching up a bottle of that shimmery pale pink.

But Darlin didn’t seem to mind, watching curiously as Angel put their hand on their knee and then grabbed one of the multi-sided nail files off the coffee table they’d shoved to the side.

Asher rolled on the floor until his body hit David’s leg. He rolled his head back to look up at David. “What color do you want?” he asked, somewhat pacified after getting out the bulk of his energy on Milo a second ago. The energy would recharge though—it always did.

David shrugged. He’d fought this when it started almost a year ago but since given up. It was actually kind of calming and he didn’t really hate having painted nails either. “Keep it dark.”

Asher saluted. “Yes, boss!” He sat up fast and twisted around. He was lanky but fast. He dug around in the basket of nail polish shit until he came back with a purple so dark it looked black. He flipped it over to read the bottom. “Lincoln Park After Dark?”

David shrugged, taking another sip of his beer and watching Milo and Stealth play.

Asher sat crisscross and took David’s free hand, settling it on his thigh.

“Ash, use the fucking base coat! Don’t be a heathen,” Stealth said, noticing what he was doing even while they were playing.

Asher rolled his eyes but nodded, digging out one of the bottles of base coat to go on first. He shook it. “Thank you so much, Stealth!” he said back, sickly sweet. They’d been doing this fake animosity since they got to know each other. It was cute. Like siblings.

David offered him his beer before he started and Asher took it and a quick sip. Despite being fast in all other things that David knew of, Asher was very slow and careful about painting nails. It was possibly the most focused and still David ever saw him.

“Is Sam coming?” Babe asked from the couch.

Darlin shook their head, feeling their newly filed nails with one hand discretely while Angel worked on the other. “He was busy.”

“You should bring him next time,” Angel said.

Darlin hummed like they might actually do that. The doorbell rang and the door opened, more pack members announcing themselves as they shuffled in with sleeping bags, snacks, and games.

Eventually, after hours of game playing and movie watching, his pack would start to fall asleep. Milo always fell asleep leaning against the couch where Stealth was sleeping. Christian and Amanda always landed side by side, no matter how they pretended not to give a shit about each other when they were awake. Asher eventually fell asleep wherever he happened to be, whether he was sitting or laying down—holding a controller or food. Whoever was close by, would nudge him over or take things from his hands when they realized he was out. And Babe was usually one of the last to fall asleep. When they did, they found Asher wherever he’d dropped and put a pillow under his head before laying down on the couch.

Darlin fell asleep with their back propped up on a pile of pillows and their arms crossed tight against their chest and only woke up briefly when Asher rolled over and flung his legs over theirs. David saw them raise an eyebrow, but they didn’t push him off, just went back to sleep.

David had his spot, sitting with his back to the couch near the corner, nearest to the door, where he could see everyone. Angel usually laid down and used his thigh for a pillow, watching the TV even as they were falling asleep, eyes opening every ten minutes or so to look at the screen. When everyone else was out, or drifting into sleep, the room dark but for the flicker of the screen and the volume low, David let himself trace the lines of Angel’s face and marvel at his life, his luck, and his family.