#BUCKET HAT CAP AND A HALF

[autistickaitovocaloid]

what do you think the worst kind of hat is? it can be what you think is the ugliest, least practical, or just disliking it to dislike it

I can't really say there's one I really dislike as I'm not really much of a hat guy. They're all just kind of the same to me unfortunately.

[churipu]

WHAT REMINDS THEM OF YOU 𓆝 ⋆｡𖦹°‧

ִ ࣪𖤐 featuring. gojo satoru, megumi fushiguro, itadori yuuji

ִ ࣪𖤐 warnings. just pure fluff :D

note. i was going to write some hurt comfort — but then i figured that i wanted to keep myself sane for today :>

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

anything strawberry. scent, taste — anything strawberry.

gojo remembered when the first time he brought you home some honeoye strawberries after a mission since it was in season. the way your eyes just lit up at the sight of strawberries made him happy, and from then on — gojo looks at a picture of a strawberry or even smelled strawberry from god knows where.

he just thinks of you.

one time gojo saw a rabbit eating a strawberry while scrolling through his social media, and he wasted no time sending the video to you with a small message: "you <33"

or the other time gojo sees a bucket cap with strawberry motives and he just had to get it for you. the male waited in line for half an hour for that hat (and he had to "fight" a kid for it, he won in the end because the kid moved on to a duck motive hat instead).

"baby, look what i got you — strawberry scented bath bomb. it was the last one on stock, and i had to argue with a lady over it," he happily bursts through the door, boasting while raising what seemed to be a bath bomb.

gojo just knows when you change your usual brand of strawberry lip balm. it took him a peck and he asks you, "did you change your brand? this one tastes weird," he wipes his lips.

"they were out of stock, 'toru."

"why didn't you say so?" he cooed, kissing the bridge of your nose, "i'd go to the other side of the earth to get you one, y'know?"

you chuckled, "or, i could just wait for it to stock back . . ."

"nonsense!"

𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐌𝐈 𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎

the smiths.

he finds it amusing when you start quoting that one scene from 500 days of summer, "i love the smiths . . ." and he just unexpectedly replied with, "sorry?"

but that time — he didn't know that he was "unknowingly" going along with it. confused, he had to question you about it, and when you told him it was from a movie. megumi finally understood and thought that maybe you really liked the movie.

he was wrong. it wasn't the movie, it was the smiths. so now, every time he sees anything or hears anything about the band, he finds himself thinking about you — but he'd never actually say that. megumi often listens to their songs just so he could understand when you talked to him about it.

also, quoting the movie was now a habit for you two. you just go, "i love the smiths," out of the blue and megumi will continue it (even if he says that it's pretty corny).

megumi loves it when you listen to the smiths out loud, singing softly to the tune. the male tries really hard to get you unofficial merchandise, official merchandise for the smiths are actually so hard to find today — so he just had to go and make it custom for you.

"and when the double decker bus, crashes into us . . ." he heard you sing, both of your ears jammed with earbuds from the earphones, "to die by your side."

that, was your favorite song. and megumi made it into a custom painting of you and him as if the two of you were in that one scene in 500 days of summer. i'm not kidding.

𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐘𝐔𝐔𝐉𝐈

mochi skin. the texture, the flesh. it just reminded him of your cheeks — it's so squishy and soft. every single time he buys a mochi, he makes sure to do something that he calls a squish test.

where he squishes the mochi, and then squishes your cheeks. if they don't feel the same, yuuji gets rid of the mochi and gets another one (he eats them).

"it doesn't feel the same y/n, i don't like it," he whines out softly, tossing the mochi into his mouth — he angrily takes out another bill of cash to buy another mochi.

"yuuji, why does it have to be the same again?" you asked him, hands inside your pockets.

"because . . ." good point. why?

the male prompts to ignore you and buy another one (three others) to make sure they are the same texture as your cheeks. it's something he does — if a mochi he buys doesn't feel the same way like your cheeks does.

he eats them or lets you have them.

if it does.

he also eats them or lets you have them.

it's just something he does for fun, so he could always remember you. and when you're not there with him — yuuji makes sure to buy at least five before coming over to visit you so he could do the test.

when he's not feeling like it but he misses you, he takes a video and sends it to you with a caption: "i miss you."

© CHURIPU 2024 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE

[harry-on-broadway]

Italian Sun

A/N: Felt inspired after yesterday’s pictures so here’s some unedited rambling. Enjoy!

***

It had only been a week, but you were already grappling with your new reality.

The reality of Harry being at home, at last.

Home, for now, was the Italian villa you all often decamped to when you had a few weeks off. He’d been making plans for the end of tour since the holidays and while specifics had changed, one thing had remained consistent: he wanted to spend time in Italy, relaxing and catching up with all of his family and friends he’d neglected for the past two years.

“Neglected? Don’t you think that’s a little dramatic?” you teased when he first brought up the idea. “We’re literally driving home from your mother’s house.”

“You know what I mean,” he’d said, his face scrunching the way it did when he felt like his words were being misconstrued. “I’m just never around and when I am I feel like I’m so behind. Like…like I’m watching the season finale of a show I’ve never seen before. Everything’s different when I come back.”

“I’m not.”

“That’s what you think.”

“Oh?”

“It’s the little things. You cut your hair. You found a new coffee you like. You started listening to a new podcast. And I’ve missed it all.”

When he put it that way, your heart broke. He rarely complained, knowing that the life he was living was envied by many. But you felt for him, hearing how hard this was on him. “Well, start putting together a guest list. I guess we’re all going to Italy in July.”

Which is how you found yourself rooming with Harry’s closest friends and family in the week following the final show of Love on Tour, sharing meals, memories, and adventures with everyone. The extra glow coming off of Harry didn’t go unnoticed by you and you could feel happiness and contentment radiating off of him when he snuggled in close to you each night.

Today was the last day that everyone would be all together before the group started to head out, leaving you and Harry alone. He’d wanted the final day to be the best yet and had planned an itinerary filled with boating and sunbathing and, according to him, the best Italian dinner yet.

You had to give him credit. It was the best day yet. Games were played, naps were taken, and the picnic basket of cheeses, breads, and meats that Harry himself had packed was delicious. But the day also came with an added perk for you.

While almost everyone had donned swimwear for the occasion, displaying all sorts of skin, Harry took it to another level. His shirt was hanging precariously on his body, a single button keeping it from being blown away, and his swim trunks had been rolled up and pulled low on his hips (to avoid tan lines, he explained).

And the hat.

The fucking hat. A bright pink bucket cap, with the word ‘Daddy’ written across the front, that someone had thrown onstage in Australia. He’d said he picked it up as a joke, but the fact that he’d held onto it across countries and time zones, made you think otherwise. You saw how he carried himself with an extra hint of swagger when he wore it, and you hated to admit it, but something stirred inside of you when you caught a glance of him, hat and all, driving the boat with all of the ease of a seasoned pro. You prayed no one could tell how that scene affected you.

Now, with dinner on the horizon, you were trying to put those steamy thoughts out of your head and focus on what you should wear. You’d narrowed it down to two brightly colored dresses, when you felt two hands cover your eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Hmmmmm,” you pondered. “Could it be my boyfriend? You know, the guy who organized this magnificent trip after breaking records worldwide for the past couple of years?”

“He sounds like a catch.”

“He’s not that bad. He’s easy on the eyes.”

“Easy on the eyes, huh?” Harry moved his hands down to your hips and spun you around so you were facing him.

“Yeah, and he looks even better when he’s half-naked, driving a boat.”

“Mmmm.” Harry’s hands moved lower so that they were resting on the cleft of your ass. “Must have been pretty hot.”

“Oh, yeah, super sexy. I wish I could have jumped him right there. Especially in that hat.”

“Wait, what,” Harry laughed, breaking whatever character he’d been playing. “Are you serious?”

You shrugged. “What can I say, there’s something about that whole scene that really turned me on. And, sex on a boat sounds kind of fun. Shame we couldn’t try that out.” Harry swallowed, his throat bobbing as he processed what you said. “Harry?” you asked after a moment. “Are you still with me?”

“Yeah, I’m just trying to think why the fuck I thought it would be a good idea to invite everyone on this trip. I could’ve been having sex on a boat.”

“It’s not a boat but we can still have some fun,” you whispered, fingers delicately trailing down the exposed skin of his chest.

“Yeah?”

You nodded and Harry darted across the room to shut the door to your suite, trying to tear his shirt off at the same time. “Slow down, baby,” you said. “We’ve got time.”

Harry took a deep breath, calming himself as he nodded and opened his arms for you. His hands skated over your body, much of your skin already exposed thanks to your swimsuit, before they landed on your jaw, tipping your head back to bring your lips to his.

You felt heat course through your body at his slightest touch and were amazed that he was still able to elicit this reaction from you. You felt your nipples stiffen through the flimsy material of your swimsuit when Harry’s already sizable erection brushed against your thigh and you couldn’t stop thinking about feeling him inside of you.

“Bed, now,” Harry panted when he broke away from the kiss, and you backed up until you could feel the mattress behind your knees.

You fell backwards, bouncing slightly when you landed, and when you raised yourself up onto your elbows to find Harry, he had already dropped to the ground, his hands nimbly shimmying your swim bottoms down your legs. The garment discarded somewhere in the room, you felt Harry’s lips on your ankle, then up your calf, then at the inside of your knee. You knew what this was building too, but that didn’t stop you from letting out a gasp of surprise when his lips finally found your center.

“Oh fuck,” you moaned, voice barely above a whisper for fear of alerting the rest of your party to what you were up to. You threw your head to the side, trying to muffle the sound of your pleasure with the pillow.

Theoretically, the two of you were due downstairs for dinner in roughly a half hour, but Harry showed no urgency as he slowly licked at your core, speeding up, then slowing down right as you were about to topple over the edge. It was hard to focus on anything but the feel of him between your legs. You reached down, hand moving blindly until your hands found purchase in his hair. The sensation of his soft curls between your fingers grounded you as you bucked up against his lips, wanting even more than he was already giving you.

“Is this good?” he asked.

All you could manage was a breathless moan as his fingers slid inside, easily undoing you. You opened your eyes and tried to catch your breath as Harry appeared over top of you licking his fingers clean with a satisfying pop. “That really turns me on,” you finally wheezed out.

“What? That?”

“No, the fact that you remember what works for me. It’s just something about the way you care for me. You always act like you don’t remember anything and you have no clue what’s happening, but that’s not true H. You always remember what matters.”

You could see something burning in Harry’s eyes as you said that, not quite desire, but something close. “I’m always going to care about you,” he said, the words laced with emotion. “Nothing is ever going to change that.”

“Show me,” you said.

He rolled on top of you in one easy motion, and you opened your legs, giving him space to settle in. He kissed you, furiously, but nowhere near enough. You needed to feel him all over you, every inch. Skin on skin, nothing between you.

“What the hell are these shorts still doing on you?” you whined, fingers digging into the fabric of his tiny trunks.

“I could say the same about this,” he all but grunted, struggling to undo the tie of your bathing suit top.

Free of obstructions, you all were able to lay together and take in the moment. You weren’t surprised when Harry buried his nose in the crook of your neck, inhaling and savoring the moment. It was something he’d made a habit of doing in recent months, after noticing that you’d changed body wash in his absence. He was upset at first, saddened by yet another detail he’d missed, but after that, he’d started to take more time to observe and remember every little thing about you.

After a few seconds, you felt his lips on your neck as he kissed his way to your mouth, and you could feel him smile into the kiss.

“Got time for one more?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

“Why stop there?”

“I think you might be overestimating my abilities, love.”

You pressed a kiss of your own to the spot right under his ear that you knew got him going. “You’ve never let me down, H.”

Without warning, he was inside you. He often paused upon entering you, giving you a moment to adjust and a moment for him to center himself. But today, he did no such thing, rocking back and forth in a steady rhythm. You made no effort to stop him either, tilting your hips up and pressing your heels into the small of his back to drive him further inside. The room was nearly silent, just the sound of your bodies moving in time broken by occasional panting, or the soft moans Harry stifled against your chest.

You glanced at him as he continued to drive into you. His eyes were shut tight and his forehead was wrinkled in concentration. It was the look he often wore when he was focused on not coming undone prematurely. Always the gentleman, he made every effort to ensure you were taken care of before he handled his own needs, but the rare occasions when he fell apart first drove you wild.

There was something so attractive about watching a man who was always in control, always looking out for others, come undone, something you’d once told him, earning an eye roll. You could tell he was nearing the edge as his thrusts became more frenzied and less rhythmic, while the wrinkles in his brow deepened.

You brought your lips to the shell of his ear, nipping at the skin, before soothing the bite with a kiss. “Let go,” you whispered in his ear. “For me.” You could feel his hesitation, so you played the ace you had been holding this whole time.

“Daddy.”

His whole body shuddered as he emptied inside of you, your orgasm following close behind. He collapsed, his entire body weight resting on top of you.

“Give me a sec,” he said. “I just—fuck.”

You chuckled lightly. “That good, baby?”

Harry shook his head in disbelief, as he lifted off the bed and padded to the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth. “Fucking amazing,” he muttered, as he moved to help you clean up. “Didn’t know that was uh, something you were into. You know, the daddy thing,” he added, trying to sound casual.

“Can’t say I am, but something about that hat just really got to me. Maybe something to think about in the future though?”

“For sure,” Harry said. “I mean, I’ve scheduled plenty of sex for us as part of this break.”

“So when do you leave again?” you teased.

Harry pinched your thigh lightly. “Not soon enough apparently.”

You leaned forward, grabbing him for a kiss. “It’s always too soon. But I’m happy to have you while I can.” You looked at the clock on the bedside table. “And I think all of your friends want to see you too, which means, we have to get ready. Now.”

“I’ll start the shower.”

“Harry!”

“What? It’s a time saver and a water saver.”

You rolled your eyes. “Remember, your friends will let us have it if we’re late.”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re getting a free vacation so they’ll keep quiet if they know what’s best for them.”

“Oooh, tough guy.” You grabbed your towel and headed to the bathroom, hearing Harry say something behind you. “What did you say?” you asked, turning around to find him standing there holding his hat from earlier in the day.

“I said I have to remember to send a thank you note,” he added quietly.

“To who?”

“Whoever threw that fucking hat on the stage. Never imagined it would get me laid.”

[littlejuicebox]

This is probably wack AF, but ... Dadstarion takes the fam on an island vacation and Gale becomes fascinated by his new crab friend. Now everything needs to be measured in crabs, e.g. "Yes, Gale, I'd reckon you're about five and a half crabs tall." Also, the amount of sunscreen necessary for this family is jaw-dropping.

Pale by comparison.

Haha I love these scenarios you guys give me! The Ancunin hijinks continues! I did a fair bit of crab research for this piece. :P

Tags/Warnings: fluff, dadstarion, parenting, children, very mild angst with comfort, lmk if you see anything else

Word count: 2.4K

-----

Astarion still hates the beach, which puts him, unfortunately, in the minority of the Ancunin household. His wife and children cannot seem to get enough of drying salt water and coarse sand stuck between their toes. 

But carting three children to the beach and back in a single day is exhausting, and the father learned his lesson last summer when Gale and the twins all burnt to a crisp after they ran out of sunscreen on their day trip. Tav went on and on about sunspots and melanoma after that, worried that their children would wind up with an incurable condition in 500 years. After that, the parents were sure to bring more than enough sunscreen, but the already overloaded carriage broke down on the following day trip, and Astarion decided he’d had enough.

So this year, he and Tav decided to take Wyll and his wife, Euphemia, up on their offer and borrow the Ravengard beach house for a week. The quaint cottage is built on a small island dotted along the Sword Coast. It is sparsely populated, mostly by native humans year round, but hosts various nobles and elites from Faerunian cities during the summer months. The latter includes the Ancunins — at least for the week.

“Evander, you cannot go to the beach naked. Run and put your swim trunks on now; I don’t care that you don’t want to!” Tav scolds the older twin as she coats the younger one in sunscreen. 

Finnick is squirming under her touch as he laughs and tries to remove his bottoms to match his brother. 

“Finn, absolutely not,” Tav warns before shooting a pleading look at her husband. “A little help here?” 

Astarion closes the basket, which he’d been examining to ensure that, yes, they still had more than enough sunscreen and then scoops the naked twin up with an annoyed sigh. The father heads down the hallway to their bedroom, giggling brunette three-year-old in hand, on his way to retrieve the abandoned swim trunks. As he’s walking, Astarion rapts a quick knock on his eldest’s door and calls, “Almost ready in there?” 

“Yes!” Gale shouts moments before he rips open the bedroom door to join his family in the main living area. A bucket and shovel are in one hand and a waxed, wooden surfboard is tucked under his other arm as he patiently waits for his parents and siblings. 

“Where is your hat, my little love?” Tav asks her eldest, prompting the boy to run down the hallway and grab his sun cap before returning back to his mother with a smile and a showy wave of the head cover. 

Astarion joins the family a few moments later, Evander now properly clothed, and exchanges one twin for the other so that Tav can begin coating the previously naked twin in sunscreen. The father glances down to inspect his eldest and catches sight of some creature trying to crawl its way out of the bucket. The older silver-haired elf’s nose instantly wrinkles in disgust. 

“Gale, did you bring a crab into the house overnight?” Astarion questions as he unceremoniously plops Finnick into a chair and then turns and begins to slather sunscreen on his eldest child.

“Yes,” Gale answers, always the picture of honesty. The seven year old’s voice is muffled and his eyes are slammed shut as his father rubs a thick layer of white lotion onto his cheeks, nose and forehead before paying special attention to the child’s pointed ears, causing him to squirm at the sensation, “Mama said I could.” 

Astarion shoots a disapproving look at his wife and she responds with a half-hearted shrug. 

“But remember what I said, Gale? Only for one night. Now we have to return the crab to the ocean,” Tav interjects as she releases Evan and starts to gather all the other beach day necessities into the family’s basket. 

“Why can’t I take Shelly back home?” The eldest Ancunin boy asks, his voice tipping up into a whine as he scrunches his nose up at his mother. 

“The crab needs to stay here, Gale,” Astarion responds, “It— Shelly will be happier here on the island rather than in your room back in Rivington, don’t you think?”

Gale groans as he peers down at the crab; the sea creature is still trying to crawl its way out of the bucket but finds itself unable to get a proper grip. The boy props his small surfboard against the wall and carefully pulls the animal into his hand as he sighs,  “I guess...” 

Finnick jumps from the chair without warning and darts forward to grab the crab. Before Gale can stop his brother, the youngest Ancunin boy is met with a sharp pinch to his finger and shrieks out a startled, “Aah– aaah! Ouch!” 

The younger twin begins crying as Astarion swiftly moves to pry the crab from his son’s hand and drop it back into the bucket. Gods, why does his eldest insist on caring for creepy crawly creatures? 

Gale rolls his eyes in annoyance at his brother, the spitting image of his father as he says, “I told you not to touch her, Finn.” 

Evan moves to hug his crying twin, but Finnick pushes his brother out of the way, causing the elder twin to bump into Astarion’s leg as the injured one runs toward his mother, still crying. 

“Kill it, mommy!” Finnick cries, clinging to Tav as she inspects the damage on his hand and whispers a quick healing spell.

“We aren’t going to kill Shell— the crab,” Astarion sighs, his eyes rolling at the ridiculousness of this conversation, “And what have I told you about keeping your hands to yourself, little fox? See what happens when you don’t?”

Finnick pouts, his head buried in the skirt of Tav’s dress as he pointedly ignores his father. Astarion scoffs and then hoists Evander into his arms, giving all three children a final inspection. Hats, swim trunks, swim shoes, sun lotion – check, check, check, check.  

“Everyone ready?” The father asks as he grabs the basket from the table. 

“Yes,” Evander and Gale respond in unison. Gale snatches his surfboard back under his shoulder.

Finnick says nothing as Tav sweeps him up into her arms; he simply buries his face in his mom’s neck and continues to pout as the woman gently lectures him about respecting animals. 

“Off we go then,” Astarion says as he opens the front door and gestures his arm in a wide arc, as if he is shooing everyone out of the house. Apple, the family dog, is waiting outside and takes off as soon as Gale sprints toward the water with a cheer.

The father chuckles when the twins are placed down in the sand and immediately run after their older brother. As he readies to pitch the tent, he watches Tav set up a blanket and call after the boys, reminding them to be mindful of how deep they go into the water without their parents.

Astarion hates the beach, but he loves his family.

*

While the children eat a late lunch in the tent, Astarion works on embroidery. The twins are starting pre-school next term, and Gale will begin second grade. Every year, Astarion adds something new to his eldest’s backpack; this year, he’s starting the same tradition with the younger Ancunins.

The twins both requested dragons for their first piece of embroidery. Evander wanted an orange one; Finnick wanted a green one. Those pieces had been finished earlier that summer and the four-year-olds used their bags for the very first time to bring their own clothes on vacation. Astarion thought Gale would choose another bird — pre-school had been a chicken, kindergarten had been a peacock, and first grade had been an owl — but instead, the boy spent quite a while deciding what he would request this year. And finally, this week, he chose a crab. A small crustacean is almost finished on the side pocket of the eldest Ancunin’s knapsack. 

Gale has yet to release Shelly back into the ocean. He’s the last to finish his lunch, and his siblings are already back playing in the waves while his mother watches carefully. Just after he finishes returning his plate to the picnic basket, the boy sneaks up behind his focused father and places the animal in Astarion’s hair with a giggle. 

The older elf stiffens as two pinchers snap around his curls, anchoring the small creature to his head. 

Astarion looks out to his wife, but Tav is busy with the twins, where they are playing pirates along the shoreline, costume eye patches and hats included. The spindly legs running along his scalp make a shiver run down Astarion’s spine. Cazador used to do something similar to him with rats when he was in the kennels.

“Gale— take it off, now,” Astarion hisses, the tips of his fingers starting to tremble as he sucks a deep breath in. 

From his father’s tone alone, the eldest Ancunin can tell he made a mistake and quickly removes the crab from Astarion’s head. He goes to place the creature back in the bucket and frowns up at his father, already on the verge of tears, “Sorry, Papa… it was— I was playing a joke– I didn’t– s-sorry.” 

The wind picks up for a moment, swirling around the tent as the most sensitive Ancunin boy blinks away guilty tears. Thankfully, a blast of wind never comes; the child takes a deep breath in and then exhales, like his parents had taught him. Gale had done better about controlling his powers since entering primary school, but the dampener around his neck still helped.

Astarion abandons his project, running a hand through his own hair to dispel the sickening ghostly feeling of tiny legs scrambling along his scalp. He offers a reassuring smile to his eldest, “It’s okay, little prince. Just… don’t put things on my head when I don’t know you’re going to, okay? Ask permission first.”

The silver-haired boy nods and then looks down at his tiny companion, stroking the top of her shelled body with a single finger,  “Dad… do you think I’m weird because I really like animals… and I can talk to them?” 

Astarion furrows his brow as he watches his son, “No, Gale, I don’t. Why would you ask such a thing?” 

“Well, some of the kids at school don’t believe me and they say I’m weird and that I’m lying. But I’m not lying. I could hear Shelly, when she was buried in sand and stuck upside down on the beach… that’s how I found her.”

The father nods as he considers what to say next. Most children with abilities like his son’s join Druid circles early on, or are born into a Druid circle themselves. While there are people like Gale in cities — Jaheira, for example — it is rare. 

Astarion joins his son in the sand and extends his fingers out toward the small crustacean. It willingly climbs into the older elf’s hand, and despite his distaste for the animal, the retired rogue forces himself to hold the sea creature.

“Gale, you are talented; the other children do not believe you because they do not yet understand…” Astarion starts, watching as the crab in his hand rubs its pincers together. “You are able to see the beauty in things others don’t… even in the creatures others may consider monstrous. You are like your mother, in that way. You are exceptionally empathetic and kind… but you are not weird, little prince. Not at all.” 

Astarion slowly lifts his hand, and his son watches as the father gently places the crab upon his own head once again. 

Gale giggles before he says, “I think she likes you, Papa.” 

“Does she now?” Astarion asks with a half-faked chuckle as he works to ignore the gooseflesh trailing down his spine. 

The boy nods and laughs again before he stands and retrieves the crab from his father’s head. 

“I guess I should go put Shelly in the water now,” Gale murmurs, the slightest tinge of sadness in his voice and the smallest pout on his lips as he peers down at the tiny animal. 

“I think that would be best, little prince,” Astarion responds, ruffling his son’s curls as he sits back in his beach chair. 

The child nods solemnly and then holds the crustacean carefully in both hands as he makes his way to the shoreline. He spends several minutes seated in the rippling water, speaking to the crab, before he finally places her down upon the sand. The creature waves her pincers up and down, as if she’s bidding goodbye to the little boy, and then sidesteps into the ocean and disappears.

Astarion is anticipating sadness when the child returns to his father but instead, he’s wearing a grin, “Papa… did you know mermaids are real?” 

The older elf has resumed his embroidery, but pauses for a moment to assess his child curiously. “The crab— Shelly told you that?” 

Gale nods and then launches into the story his crustacean companion told him before her release. Astarion listens with a mixture of fascination and confusion, and when the three other Ancunins return to the tent, Gale is sure to tell them mermaids are real, too. Evander and Finnick are both thrilled by this news, because if mermaids are real, then that means leviathans are, too. The twins think maybe one day they will slay a sea monster together. 

*

Several weeks after the island trip, Gale is still obsessed with crabs and Merfolk. The Wizard of Waterdeep, after a short weekend trip to visit the Ancunins, sends his namesake a book on Crustaceology. Gale learns that Shelly was a juvenile Dungeness crab, and that at her full grown size, she will be roughly 30-40 centimeters long. He begins measuring everything in “Shellys,” and even ropes his younger brothers into the behavior. 

Gale decides he is about four Shellys tall, while his younger brothers are between two and a half to three Shellys tall. Evander is half a crab claw taller than Finnick. The younger twin is not happy about this announcement and starts standing on his tiptoes whenever he’s near his almost identical (save the minute height difference) brother. For the rest of the summer, everything the boys touch is measured in crabs, to the dismay of their parents and the confusion of the servants and townspeople. 

And so, perhaps, the Ancunin boys are a bit weird, after all. But their parents wouldn’t have them any other way.

[james-is-here]

OH MY GOD WAIT HE LOOKS SO ADORABLE AND I CAME UP WITH THIS!!!

Includes Dad Channie because I'm a sucker for Dad SKZ.

Chan was waiting in the spot he was told to stand for the photographers and he spots a familiar white camera with sticky gems all over it in the mix of photographers, the photographer behind the bedazzled camera has a kid on his shoulders, small hands holding himself up on the persons head, a mask and small green bucket hat covering his face and the other wore a mask with a black baseball cap.

He couldn't stop the smile that took over his face when the kid waves and he can hear a faint "Wolfie!" come from him as he pointed to the idols bag. The male under the boy lowers his camera after capturing the idols smile and pats the kids leg while his eyes looked up in the general direction of the kid. He looked back down and Chan could see a smile take over his face under his mask.

When Chan was brought out of his small world, his chest tightened as he realized he had to wait even longer. He looked from the person trying to guide him to the car to the photographer, who nods, smile still on his face as he says something and both him and the boy wave at Chan. He gives back another wave that looks like he's waving goodbye to the rest of the people taking photos but lingers on the two in the middle just a little longer than the rest.

You were out before the others, walking back to your own vehicle. "Where he go?" "He had to go to his car, buddy. We'll get to see him when we go home." The boy whines and you feel more of his weight on your head. "Oh, Buddy..." You stop and kneel down so he can slide off your shoulders before you turn around and pick him up and hold him tightly.

"Saw Dada, wan' Dada." "I know, Jinho, I know. We'll see Dada soon, okay? Why don't we surprise him and your uncles with food, huh? and I'll get you ice cream?" He nods into your shoulder. "Okay." You answer back.

You reach your car and buckle him into his car seat. "Can I have Dada photos?" You smile, reaching into your camera bag to pull out a small photo holder that has printed out pictures you've taken of Chan in the past.

"Here you go." "Tank ku, Appa." "You're welcome, Buddy." You stand up and move to the other side of the car, putting your bags in the other seat then moving to the drivers seat. "Ready?" "Yeah." You smile and start the car.

You got the food and ice cream but Jinho fell asleep, luckily you weren't too far from home. When you got home you managed to balance a toddler on your hip, your camera bags on your shoulder, and the food and cup of semi-melted ice cream in your hand.

You had to use your foot to knock on the door when you reached the apartment and Jisung barely got a word out when you reach the cup out towards him. "Freezer, quick." "I- Okay."

You walk in and were hoping to see him but you only saw the usuals of the first apartment plus a stray chicken. "Here, Lix, take your cuddle buddy." The younger smiled happily and took the toddler into his arms, moving to lay on the couch and throw his legs over Hyunjin's.

"Where is he? Did I manage to beat him here?" "No, he's in his room." Changbin said from his place on Hyunjin's lap next to Felix's legs.

You make your way over to the room and crack the door open slowly. A smile takes over your face when you see he's half unpacked, laying on his bed and in his hands hovering above him is Jinho's shirt. You close the door and make your way back out to grab your boy.

"He took one of Jinho's shirts with him, that's adorable." You chuckles lightly as you gently pick up the boy from Felix's hold. "Are you serious?" "Yeah. Was looking for the shirt for weeks, even before Chan left, almost tore up my apartment looking for it cause it was his favorite. I wonder how long he's actually had it." You cradle the boy against your chest and he buries his face into your neck. "Oh, go ahead and eat, the other boys can too." "Thanks for the food, Mn." Jisung says as he moves to unpack it. "Of course."

You walk back to Chan's room and slowly open the door to find Chan now holding the shirt to his chest and an arm thrown over his eyes. You look down at the boy in your arms and gently pat his back. "Jinho...Buddy..." "Hm?" "Wanna go to Dada?" You whisper and he's leaning up from your shoulder and rubbing his eyes. "Dada?" "Yeah, buddy, look." He turns to see Chan and squirms in your arms so you put him down.

He takes a moment to rub his eyes and stretch before sleepily walking further into the room. Chan doesn't notice until Jinho is climbing onto the bed and he moves his arms, gasping softly. "Jinho!" "Hi Dada." Chan sits up, lifting the boy up to place him on his lap and his hugged him tightly, rocking softly. "Were you good for Appa?" He nods then leans forward and crashes into Chan's chest. "You sleepy?" He nods again and Chan hugs him tighter, laying back down with the boy on his chest.

After watching the interaction, you walk in and Chan's smile got impossibly bigger. "Mnie!" He called you, almost like cooing at you as he reached out to you. He turns to his side with Jinho as you move his bag so there's more room as you lay down in front of him. "Hi Channie." You kiss his forehead then kiss the top of Jinho's head and smile at Chan.

"How was it?" "Really fun but I missed you and the kids." "What about Jinho?" "He's apart of 'the kids' is he not?" You giggle softly and lean forward to place your forehead on his, sliding a hand under his tank top and he sighs softly.

The only noise in the room was the air con, Jinho's soft little snores, and the muffled noises from the living room. "I brought food." You whisper. "Later." "Okay."

You open your eyes to find he's already staring at you. "Whatcha thinking about?" Your hand rests on his waist, your thumb rubbing back and forth on his smooth skin. "This. I love when you come with us when we travel but when you don't I'm glad I get to come home to you and Jinho." Your right hand moves from under your head to Chan's cheek and you thumb his cheek under his eye.

"I really don't deserve you." "What you mean?" "I was just a single dad photographer and you're an idol, producer, model and more. I'm nothing special and yet you still chose me...Not too late to drop me." Chan had an unreadable expression on his face as he pulled away from you, taking Jinho with him as he steps out of his room. You hear him ask one of the boys to take the toddler and Felix of course takes him.

Chan comes back in, closing his door and moving back to the bed but instead of sitting next to you he kneels on the bed then throws a leg over your own to sit on your lap. "Wha-" You're confusion was interrupted when he suddenly held your face and attacked your face with kisses until you're confused stuttering turns into a wide smile and giggles.

When he was satisfied, he pulled back and smiled at your red face and ears. "C-Care to e-explain?" You get out through giggles as you lean into his touch. "I am never going to drop you. You are the most amazing person I've ever met. I never told you this but I walked into my photoshoot with you and it felt as if I've known you the whole time. You were so sweet and kind and you made jokes to get me to smile but honestly all you could've done was compliment me with one word and I'd smile. I felt so comfortable around you."

"Channie..."

"Then your phone rang and I let you answer it and it was your nanny with your little boy. You were so happy when talking to him and honestly your smile was so adorable. I didn't care that you were a single dad, I still liked you and I loved you around the third photoshoot. Don't get me started on Jinho, he's the cutest little guy and I feel incredibly happy every time he calls me 'Dada'. The first time he did, I cried." "Y-You did?" "I did. It felt like my heart was ripped out, I was a mess cause it was the cutest thing ever."

You pull him closer and tighten your arms around him, burying your face into his neck. "Chris...I love you so much." "I love you, too, Mnie." His arms wrap around your neck just as tight as you, leaning down to rest his forehead on your shoulder.

"Channie?" "Yeah?" Neither of you pull away, instead choosing to hug each other tighter. "I really, really, really want..." You take a deep breath. "I really want to marry you..." You feel his breath hitch and his hands slide across your back to rest on your shoulders as he pulls back to look at you. "What?" "I want you to be my husband...and I want to be yours...nothing has to happen now if you're not ready I just wanted to let you know that I really want you to be my husband."

"Y-You're kidding." He reaches behind him to where you put his bag at the end of the bed and pulled out a box. Sitting back up, he opens the box to reveal a silver band that had an asymmetrical line that looked like black crystal. "I am absolutely ready, please."

A wide smile takes over your face, your hands reaching up to hold his face and you lean forward to firmly attach your lips to his. He giggles and pushes into you slightly, cradling your jaw with the box still in his hand.

He giggles with a yelp when your hands moved and your arms wrapped around his waist and you leaned back, picking him up only slightly off your lap before your left hand moved to his thigh and you turn to lay him down, pulling back and hovering over him. "What if it was just us and the boys for now? Nothing too big. Maybe we could have a real one on an anniversary or something." "That's perfect."

He takes the ring out of the box, tossing that to the side, then slides it onto your finger. He smiles when he sees it fits and intertwines his fingers with yours and moves it back next to his head, his other hand pulling you down by your neck into a searing kiss before his hand moves to hold your jaw when you tilt your head slightly.

You pull away but only for a moment. "You free tomorrow?" "Only at lunch." "I'll pick you up and we'll go for food and ring shopping, yeah? Wanna get you one." "Okay, that sounds good." You reattach your lips to his and lick his bottom lip, his lips part and you barely lick into his mouth before you're jolting apart and looking up at the door.

"Ew, daddy's are kissing." Hyunjin was at the door with Jinho on his hip. "Ew!" The toddler giggled before it turned into a laugh when Hyunjin tickled him. "Hyunjin, what do you want?" You lean up and sit back on your heels as Chan drops one of his knees but his right hand is still connected to your left one, playing with the ring.

"Your food is getting cold and Jinho needs a diaper change." Hyunjin makes a disgusted face and sets the boy down who runs over and climbs onto the bed. "Appa tell you some'fing?" "What's up buddy?" You brush his hair out of his face. "Puppy gave soda." Suddenly Hyunjin bursts into laughter, clapping his hands as he practically falls into the hallway.

"Seungmin, he said it!! He ratted you out!!" "Little monster!!" Seungmin then comes in and tickles the boy until he's all giggles and shrieks. "Okay, Okay, can I change him before any sort of mess happens?" You smile widely as you pick the boy up and move to the floor, putting down his changing mat.

After, while sitting in the living room with the boys, Jinho on your lip drinking his juice under the blanket you share with Chan, you smile softly as you kiss the top of the boys head and look over to Chan who leans on your shoulder, his right hand still fidgeting with the ring on your finger with a barely noticeable smile.

"So..." Felix spoke up and you all look at him while he looks at you and Chan. "...When did Chan propose?" The room was filled with questions and confusion and congratulations.

And despite the chaos you couldn't be happier.

[faef43]

PLS LOOK THE REBLOGGED POST I MADE OF THIS POST TO CONTINUE MY TIPS

HERE ARE SOME TIPS PLUS STORES TO AVOID

ALWAYS ADDING MORE SO CHECK BACK

I’ve been lifting for awhile and have collected some good tips and tricks on how to not get caught or be put in a system

-CAMERAS/MAIN TIPS-

I mainly lift small things like makeup, jewelry, small skincare, rings, pins, if it’s a good day maybe small lotions, but lifting clothes tips are coming soon!! (fixing spelling/grammar errors <3)

First of all, wear a mask and if you can style your hair in a way you usually don’t or use a beanie, bucket hat, baseball cap, never a sun hat way too suspicious. Ex. for hair: braids, space buns, slicked back, etc. I wouldn’t suggest lifting if you have brightly colored hair unless you want to go as far as to wear a realistic enough looking natural wig. Never wear sunglasses with a mask or a hat on, very suspicious, they will catch on. While finding blind spots never just turn around to face the wall and start stuffing your pockets and bag(s), instead stand at a 3/4 angle and be slick, I suggest lifting things while walking through a crowed isle, section, or doing it while walking, this one usually works if you have something small you can make it look like you’re adjusting your sleeves. ALWAYS GRAB 2 OF THE ITEM U WANT 2 LIFT, make the second one less apparent you have it, but if you take two and always keep one apparently in your hand, the cameras will be fooled. You have to have some sort of fingernails to scratch off price tags/barcodes/stickers, trust me when lifting you don’t want those on there. Take them off, rip them up and stuff it in your pocket or stuff somewhere non apparent, never throw them on the ground, super obvious. Don’t wear all baggy clothing, it’s really suspicious, always do the half half trick, half of your outfit baggy, half tight. Ex. Really tight shirt, hella baggy pants, really baggy hoodie, tight ass jeans or leggings. That way they won’t suspect you. If doing the baggy hoodie, always wear a secure sports bra underneath if u wear bras, great for slipping stuff into when pretending to adjust your bra, make sure your double of the product you want to lift is visible. By all means do not steal from target, they have high trained LP, workers that dress up as normal shoppers that they send to areas where they seek suspicion to spy on you, they keep you in a data base and share info/pics of you with other targets, cameras are nearly always monitored, store security is present, they let you walk out with things but eventually will confront you. The decision to call the police has already been made, target is a scary place, if you are gonna lift do only a 3-6 dollar thing, only once. Their employees count clothes for dressing rooms often times, pretty scary place stay safe. Some cameras are smoke detectors/speakers,boxes on the ceiling ect. Usually they’ll have some sort of light that’s always on, they look a little chunky or too far away from the ceiling. Claire’s has a ton of these so be carful, but their earrings don’t have any censors on them so they’re a great store for beginners. Interact with this post and I’ll add more too this blog♡ . -CLOTHING TIPS- If a clothing store does not have fitting rooms, don’t even try, they’ll immediately catch on+security cameras are your number one snitch. You’re gonna want to pay attention to if store employees suspect you. Ex. Fixing up areas that you’re at or around u, constant asking if you’re finding everything ok, maybe they’ll offer a store basket or bag, asking if you need anything in specific, any constant attention really. If they are leave the store, come back like a week later and try again. Your gonna wanna bring a hook with you to remove ink tags/clothing alarms while in fitting room, keep it down and try to pick a fitting room away from others to avoid suspicion. Some stores have employees stand in empty stalls next to you and listen so be aware and careful. If there are price tags try stuffing them behind the mirror or on in the landings on the floor, they’re sometimes rubber, don’t leave shit on the floor, if they already suspect u, they’ll check the fitting room when you come out. As for the alarms/ink tags, put them in ur pocket and discreetly shove them in another piece of clothing, remember to ALWAYS CHECK POCKETS ON CLOTHING.im abt to max out, look at repost of this from me 4more

ALWAYS CHECK POCKETS/COMPARTMENTS ON CLOTHING. Other lifters could have stuffed clothing alarms or price tags in there, be safe and check before trying to lift. No as where to conceal these clothing items, if you have the baggy hoody, (I suggest wearing a baggy shirt underneath too, always wear that sports bra if u wear bras{binders can also work it’s just hella uncomfy I’ve tried it})put 1-3 tops on under ur baggy T then put ur hoodie back on. Make sure they don’t count items b4 going into changing rooms. If they do, try taking a hoodie on some sort of hanger, taking it off the hanger, putting 1-2 shirts on the hanger, then put the hoodie/zip up back on. Great for lifting, if they confront you say you didn’t know and you were just tossing things in the cart, get out of there fast afterwards. It’s suspicious if you come in with a ton of clothes then don’t buy anything, sometimes you gotta buy some to win some. (Ex. I’m wearing 3 shirts under my og shirt which would add up to about 35 bucks, I buy a cheap tank top for 15, they don’t suspect me and I get freebies)

[sergeifyodorov]

In my relatively short career as A Guy Who Watches Hockey Games (In Person) I have realized that there is in fact a "bucket list" of things a person wishes to see. Some things -- a goalie goal, for example -- are so infinitesimally unlikely you can't really bank on ever getting to see one; if you went to a game where a goalie scored a goal, You won hockey, doesn't matter what the score was. It is not my mission to see one of these, but here's what I actually do want to see:

Every currently operating Great One (Ovechkin, Crosby, McDavid, Matthews, Bedard). I have seen 2/5 -- Bedard and Matthews (in the same game, even -- went to Leafs/Hawks in Chicago). It brings me great pleasure to note that I have seen rookie Connor Bedard. It was from very far away (press box seats. thanks dave!!! <- not sarcasm i had a lot of fun) but I can confirm he is that tiny IRL. The hope is to see at least one more this season; the Caps come to Ottawa (my current home arena, and there is no way I'm paying for Leafs home tickets) twice in January, and I might see the Pens in Detroit also.

Speaking of AM34 I would like to see him score a GOAL. Auston that's basically your whole thing. Auston please. Your goals

I have seen two hat tricks (Mika Zibanejad JIMMY VESEY!??? pre-COVID when i did Not care about hockey, Jason Dickinson in the aforementioned Leafs/Hawks game). I would like to see a hat trick from someone i CARE about oh my god.

This is not a bucket list item but I have been going around telling people I saw a Mika Zibanejad hat-trick this whole fucking time and it was JIMMY VESEY????? Mika got 3 assists and I think I remembered him more than Jimmy FUCKING Vesey because Jimmy Vesey is (as established in iconic piece of 21st century tragedy filmmaking All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs) vanilla as fuck and Mika has a name and identity that really clicks with you when you are 15 and only at this hockey game because you're on spring break vacation with your absent father and he really likes hockey. Jimmy fucking Vesey

This is an internal betrayal of the highest degree.

I would like to see a fun comeback; either the home team at a game where I am a neutral party, or the Leafs.

I want to see a game at everyone's home stadium. Currently at 4/32 (MSG, Scotiabank, CTC, United Center (NYR/TOR/OTT/CHI))

I don't care about normal fights (half a lie; they're fun but not a bucket list item) but I would kill to see a goalie fight

A playoff game. Ideally one where the Leafs win, but I will take what I can get

A playoff game that goes into at least double OT. This is technically separate from the previous statement but combined would be fun.

This is a rare one: I want to be at one of those games that you can refer to in shorthand and everyone who's a serious fan will go oh, That game. Like not "They lost in OT in Chicago and some dude scored a hat-trick and Willy's point streak broke" shorthand. "10-7 in Detroit" shorthand. "Steve Dangle's most viewed video" shorthand. Post-a-screenshot-and-people-know type of shorthand. Good or bad. I just want it to be weird

[goodluckclove]

No nuance or results answer because you don't deserve it (I love you)

[superconfusedcoryn]

My favourite things about the very insane and chaotic adaption of a local production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in no particular order:

- Lysander is dressed like a Meercat. I refuse to elaborate

- Hippolyta has big NPC energy

- Theseus is the bisexual disaster we deserve

- Theseus is also wearing a mesh top and looks like a pirate who got denied entry at fucking Berghain

- Theres a Joke about Puck piercing holes into condoms and selling meth to kids? Its beautiful

- Puck is the most chaotic nb creature I've ever seen

- Oberon is Disco Janet

- The workers/actors are just a bunch of acting students

- except for Bottom who's a.... 45-something dude in a shitty cap and an ridiculous outift. It works beautifully.

- Squenz is constantly confusing words with another

- Pucks tits are out half of the time

- At some point Oberon spray-paints a heart to a wall. A scene later Puck spray paints a penis over the heart in a different colour

- The fairys are moaning all the time for no fucking reason

- Breaking Bad feat. Puck and Oberon

- Puck manages to get themself high on accident

- Bottoms 'transformation'-costume is literal full on fetish wear

- Stage Sex!

- Stage Orgy!

- Glitter-Pantys!!!

- No one wants to fuck Oberon (I do tho)

- Puck is not ready to be a dad (i will not elaborate)

- My favourite costume choices during the play within the play have to be 1) Clipping shitty braids to a bucket hat for Thisbe and 2) The Moon legitimately being an Ikea Lamp

- Its stupid, its horny, its like taking 12 drugs at once, Shakespeare would have loved it

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

random ej caswell headcanons because he's one of my favorite characters

(these all make sense, i promise)

plans intricate and cute dates (his favorite type of dates are picnics in the park)

his love language is acts of service (because i said so)

knows how to braid hair due to ashlyn teaching him (he can do every style of braid there is)

^so he won't even flinch if his partner (or wildcat friends) asks him to do their hair

would've 100% become a big brother figure to emmy if they had met earlier

either has 20/20 vision or desperately needs glasses (and either refuses to get them or he wears contacts at all times)

he loves broadway shows and kept a collection of playbills hidden in his room so cash wouldn't find them (now he has them in his dorm room, on a bookcase, cause he's organized)

^the water polo boys didn't care for broadway so he regularly infodumps on the wildcats (mainly ricky because he's never seen a broadway show)

because he has light eyes, the sun bothers him a lot so he regularly wears baseball caps or tries his best to stand under trees (the latter doesn't work much, because he keeps hitting his head on branches)

^carlos has been trying to introduce him to the concept of bucket hats and has gifted him a few

absolutely hates water polo, he was only on the team because cash said he had to find a sport to play (he can play almost every sport the school had to offer though, he just didn't care about them as much as theater)

can speak fluent french (he gives that vibe) and is working on learning the other romance languages

he's 1/4 latino (his mom is half and passing and was adopted by white people so cash thought none the wiser because you can't tell me that cash isn't a little racist) but either doesn't know or doesn't think it's worth mentioning

hates playing truth or dare but loves hearing about things that went down when others play (basically he loves gossip but not if it's about him)

can either cook like gordon ramsay or burns everything he attempts to make

he's great at faking like he knows what he's talking about UNLESS he's stressed and/or people absolutely know that he doesn't (so season 3 with the director nonsense)

has never gotten a pimple a day in his life (the wildcats are not happy about this)

this is getting long so i'm gonna stop here but i'll do a part 2

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

I wonder if I'm the only one that's starting to find jk's approach to armies emotionally manipulative for a while now. I personally detest armies and always one for respect for privacy but I find it hypocrite of jk to create this illusion of a parasocial rs where he goes overboard by showing "his house", him doing whatnot in his lives to him then posting a passive aggressive weverse post "i cut my bangs how did you know its me" as if he wasn't at a huge public event where another kpop act is performing meaning there'll surely be kpop fans that'll recognize him. And he could've worn his infamous bucket hats or a cap or smth more discreet if he preferred not to be seen as easily. Then him saying guess I'm a celebrity after all as if he hasn't been meeting big producers or whoever Scooter and bang pd scheduled for him to meet. It feels to me like he didn't use to be this manipulative to such an extend but i guess becoming besties with no.1 gaslight king rub off on you.

Can all of us here see the future or something??? Because some of these asks are from like, half a year ago and everything is true now 😭 (though I guess it was already true back then too, now it's just more obvious).

10/10 on reading people for everyone who's gathered in this humble space of mine for the past two years.

[patches-bitsandbobs]

started: 31/1/2023 - Peppino goes home and takes a shower. the others follow him. *slight spoilers for the ending!*

they reach his parlour. Peppino opens the door and heads straight for the bathroom. he doesn't address anyone - doesn't even look anyone in the eye - the only answer to their silent questions being a door slammed in their faces. they hear the water run, a scream as boiling water hits sore skin, a barely audible sigh, rhythmic splashes. steam pours from under the door. they are left to their own devices.

Noise clicks his tongue, hands on his hips, looking around the place. he's never actually stepped inside Peppino's pizza place before. shithole, he thinks. beside him, Vigilante casually twirls his revolver around, messing with his hat with the other hand. Pepperman has, somehow, pulled out his art kit, painting something or other, while Brick is trying to sniff out where the cheese is. Fake Peppino, bless his gooy heart, instantly takes shop behind the counter, getting to work on making a fresh pizza, while Mr Sticks gets busy scrounging around for any loose coins.

'well, what now?' Gustavo asks the band, completely lost. he, unlike the others, has a home, since he didn't live inside the tower, but he doesn't know if he should just. leave. Brick looks at him with a squeak, as if to say "fuck if I know", before getting back to his mission. Noise wanders off, more interested in exploring than answering Gustavo's question. Vigilante puts his gun away, shrugging. Pepperman is too engrossed in his painting to pay attention.

'oh.' Gustavo rings his hands together. Mr Sticks does a triumphant sound, putting all his effort into pulling something from under a table. he makes a disgusted face at the bottle cap coated in gum and thanks God that he’s wearing gloves. he tosses it over his shoulder and resumes his search. Fake Peppino hums a short laugh, flipping dough almost expertly, if he wasn't a freak. 'hm. well. ah. I suppose I'm gonna. leave, now.' Gustavo thumbs over his shoulder at the front door. no one really answers him.

Bricks head darts up. within seconds, he's at Gustavo's side, bumping his snout into Gustavo's shoulder. the notion brightens Gustavo right up, and with a grin, he rubs Bricks ear. he finds a note-pad and pen, writes a little message, sticks it to the counter, then leaves. the two walk past the towers debris, and disappear into the dusk.

Peppino leaves the bathroom half an hour later, squeaky clean and so dizzy he can barely keep his head up. worryingly, he stumbles his way toward the living room, where he collapses onto the ratty couch. at least I had the energy to get dressed, is his last thought, before he conks out cold.

Noise is the first to find him, because of course he is. a million things flash through his mind - he could put a bucket full of paint over the door, or he could rig the TV to explode when it turned on, or he could put the TV on 100 volume and blow his ears out - but then he remembers the tower. I'm not that much of a monster, he tuts to himself, before he spots a discarded pen on the table. ah, but who am I to let such a moment pass? so he grabs it, uncaps it, and draws on Peppinos face.

one pair of glasses, swirls on his cheeks, and the word "wanker" written on his forehead are served. he grins at his handiwork. Peppino hadn't even stirred. it should worry him that Peppino seems dead. it doesn't.

he's about to walk away before another idea hits him. he unties his cape, flaps it out, then tucks Peppino into it. it becomes large enough to cover him completely. knobhead, are Noises parting thoughts, before leaving to explore more of Peppino's home.

Vigilante walks into the room next, a plate of steaming pizza in hand. he raises a brow at Peppino's new face. with a sigh, he puts the plate on the table, and leaves.

Pepperman comes in, stencil and paintbrush in hand. he searches the room for any inspiration, and lands on Peppino. he sets up, and gets to work. he paints a vibrant and cartoony version of Peppino defeating an evil Pizza God. the colours are out there and bright, the lines rough and exaggerated. Peppino is wearing a cape. Pepperman is at the bottom of the piece, cheering him on. he makes sure to add the Noises additions to his piece. once he's finished, he packs up and leaves, in search of more inspiration to draw from.

Fake Peppino crawls into the room later. he looks between Peppino and the TV. the space on the couch is too small for him to fit, and he doesn't like the looks of the chair, so his next best option is the ceiling. he hops up and sticks himself to it, sitting like a frog right above Peppino, stretching his arm out to grab the remote. he does all of this in the noisiest way possible. none of it rouses Peppino, who snores on. once Fake Peppino finds a station he likes, he croaks, getting comfortable.

Mr Sticks slouches into the room. he thinks he's being sneaky when he approaches Peppino, goals set on seeing if Peppino's wallet is on his person, but he doesn't notice Fake Peppino until he hears the animalistic growls right above him. when he looks up, two eyes drip down, leering at him dead on. he follows the strands up to find them connected to Fake Peppino's hollow face. Mr Sticks does a full body shudder at the sight, rethinks his plans, and bolts from the room. satisfied, Fake's eyes return to their pits, and he resumes watching TV.

it doesn't take long for the whole band - sans Mr Sticks, who is still ran-sacking - to gather into the living room. Peppino is still asleep, and still doesn't wake up as the group get themselves comfy around him. Noise and Vigilante take the remaining spots on the couch, while Pepperman sinks into the stuffed chair. Fake Peppino remains above them, his attention not leaving the screen once.

'aye, is he dead? we ain't sat next to a corpse right?' Noise asks Vig some time later, side eyeing Peppino with disgust. Vig inspects Pep with a critical eye. he tips his hat once.

'nah, he's still kickin'.'

'oh good; sitting next to a dead guy would've been kinda gross.'

'woulda made for some good art though!' Pepperman chimes in. the others ignore the comment.

'oi, what'cha watchin', Fakey?' Noise asks Fake Peppino. Fake does a fucked up grunt. Noises entire demeanour flattens. 'oh of course you watch Come Dine With Me as well.' Fake barks with laughter. he has the remote glued to his hand. Noise frowns up at him. 'you've been in here forever; can't we watch something?' Fake sticks his disturbingly human coloured tongue out at him, and returns his focus to the TV. Noise, with a dramatic flourish, waves a hand up at Fake Peppino, before full bodily leaning on to the real Peppino. he snorts, but remains asleep.

'damn, he's really knocked out, huh?' Pepperman mutters as Noise sighs, curling into a ball.

'fatty's still breathing - he's fine.' so Pepperman shrugs, and turns to watch people cook shitty meals.

-----

I didn’t know how to end this, and it was already getting too long, so I didn’t. Gustavo wrote something like “hope ur okay heres my number call me oxoxo” and drew Brick

[inaris-mage-of-storms]

There was something about summer on the savanna that Jimmy found nostalgic.

Some might find that odd, since it wasn't all that different from the summers he was used to in the mesa valley. Tumble Town had the same dry air, the same hot sun, the same settling dust as the windswept biome he still thought of as home. Sure, the savanna had less sand and more soil, and crooked trees dotted the landscape instead of tumbleweed and dried-out bushes, but as far as the seasons went, the two neighboring areas were practically the same.

But it was nostalgia that settled in his chest all the same, thought Jimmy, as he placed one boot on the bottom of a ruined fence and leaned on the top. It wasn't a yearning for the savanna itself, but for the expanse of dry grass before him that had once been carefully-tended fields. It was for the crumbling farmhouse in the distance, now full of cobwebs and the occasional mob where it had once been full of love and laughter. And sometimes, if he let his thoughts wander far enough in the right direction, it was for one particular summer, and one particular visitor.

There was a summer, so many years before that Jimmy couldn't even put a number to it anymore, when a much younger version of himself had been lounging against a tree with a fishing pole dangling in the small struggling river, half dozing in the long stretches of time between bites. He dreamed while he fished, sometimes daydreams and sometimes actual dreams, of all the far-off places he'd never seen. He dreamed of well-traveled roads, of snow-capped mountains and towering cities, of dark, damp swamps and vast endless oceans, and as many people scattered across the world as there were stars in the sky.

His dream of a valley filled with flowers was interrupted by a tug at the end of his line, and Jimmy held perfectly still while he waited to see if the curious fish would latch onto the bait, but there was no more movement and after a few minutes he sighed in resignation. He yawned widely and opened his eyes, lazily scanning the empty horizon that never seemed to change.

Except for today. A flash of color against the brown grass caught his attention, and he jumped to his feet in excitement. "Granddad!" he yelled, sprinting toward the figure that knelt by the flowerbeds lining the house. "Oh crap, my fish - " He doubled back and pulled the stringer out of the water, making sure the two tiny fish he had secured earlier were still attached, then took off toward the house again. "Granddad! There's a person!"

His grandfather turned and lifted the brim of his hat to see a little better, squinting against the sun. "So there is," he said after a moment, "coming this way too from the looks of it." He looked at the line Jimmy held clutched in one hand. "Might as well get those cleaned up for lunch, then. A whole one for our guest, and you and I can split the other."

Jimmy darted inside the house to prepare lunch while the old man moved over toward the pump and made sure it was primed. Jimmy listened while he worked, waiting for the splash of water that meant he wouldn't need to go back to the river to haul buckets instead, and was pleased to hear the slow trickle begin after a few minutes.

He finished preparing the fish and was chopping mushrooms and carrots by the time the traveler made it to the house. "Howdy," he heard his grandfather call, and was disappointed to hear him step forward to meet their visitor away from the porch, out of earshot. He dropped the vegetables in the hot oiled pan, giving them an anxious stir and thinking about peering out the door. He was about to give in to his curiosity when he heard a lighter step on the porch behind his grandfather's heavy tread, and the door opened.

"Hello," said the stranger politely, taking off his hat.

Jimmy's own readied introduction caught in his throat. "Pretty," he breathed out instead, staring into eyes that were the most beautiful blue-green color he'd ever seen in his life. "I mean!" His face colored immediately. "Jimmy! I'm…my name is Jimmy. Hi."

The stranger laughed. "Hello, Jimmy," he said, in a voice with a lilting accent that Jimmy couldn't place, and his chest ached with the thought of how many stories of far-away places the man must have. "I'm Scott."

Next

[themurderofcrowscollective]

Lycanthropy

In this world, nothing mythical exists. Sometimes you'll find the occasional nutjob screaming that there's a werewolf running around here and there, but that bunch of people are called nutjobs for a reason. However this time around, there's something strange happening in a quiet little town that's well known for it's small-town beauty, Rachel Hargreeves. She's a lovely singer and actress, but she is mostly seen at the cabaret club and never out in public. Some people believe she's a ghost or only exists whenever the club is full, but she leads her own life of secrecy to keep herself safe. During a mission taking place in this small town, the 141 main group gather at the cabaret club to recon as the town's been taken over by hostiles from a foreign country, meeting the one and only Rachel who peeked out of the backstage, having hid there when the first fight broke out. Let's begin. + + + Chapter 1: An Unexpected Meeting + + + The last thing I heard before the silence was gunfire and shooting, but when the front door opened quietly and slowly with heavy footsteps walking inside, I can hear soft muttering among the many men. I've been hiding in here since the first fight that started all of this mess, which is roughly 3 weeks now. I can hear them mutter softly about the other townsfolk who hid and stayed alive, discussing matters of what to do next. Are they friend or foe? I can only find out if I stop hiding, so as I take a deep breath, I slowly open my door and step quietly through the backstage area before pulling back the red curtain of the main stage. The first set of eyes I lock onto belong to an older gentleman with an astonishing beard and a bucket hat, smoking a cigar. For a second we stare at each other before I grab a rifle I've kept near the curtain and hold it at the ready as I walk through the curtain slowly and hesitantly. The room goes silent after I cock the rifle, all eyes on me as I stare at the group. However before things went quieter, I speak up. " Are any of you friend or foe? " I ask a bit coldly, I'd rather not deal with another break-in and deal with the body disposal. The man with the cigar slowly raises his hand and approaches the stage, approaching me with his hands shown. " Easy miss, we're the 141. We're regaining control of the situation as my men go through the town to get tie up loose ends. " We stare at each other for a moment before I un-cock the rifle and sigh in relief as I put it backstage again. " That's a relief. I've had to kill a few more than I'd like to admit, but they've called reinforces half an hour ago before you guys got here. " One of the other men speaks up, a fine chap with a baseball cap on. " How do you know? " " I stole one of their radios to keep tabs on the situation, here. " I unhook the radio from my waist and flick it on, tossing it to the man with the cap. There's audio of a few enemies being taken out but the reinforcements are soon to arrive. " You guys are free to use this place as a refuge or base of operations, despite there being a lot of chaos outside, there's still functioning electricity and wifi. " As I turn to go backstage, I'm grabbed by the wrist by a man in a skeleton mask, quickly looking at him. " Who are you first and foremost, lass? " God that's a lovely accent. " I'm Rachel Hargreeves, you must've seen my poster out on the front door before you came in. Welcome to my cabaret club, it's also my home. " He lets go after we both stare at each other, sighing. The man with the cigar approaches me again as I step through the curtains, gaining my attention by grabbing my shoulder. " I'm John Price, but you're free to call me Price. Thank you very much for allowing us to stay here, and if there's anything you need help with, let me or the others know. They all seem mean but they're loyal and kind. " He smiles at me as I smile back, grabbing his hand and shaking it. " Thank you, I just need to repair the lights as it's getting darker outside. "

[chrisevansluv]

In my opinion, this whole situation looks like something that was never supposed to be public info and has basically gone down hill since it came out. And because of that, I don’t think it’ll last very long, probably until February or it may even stretch into March at the most. I do think that Chris and Alba were hooking up on/off, but as time went on fans were getting suspicious of everything. The innocent, real-life Cap, ready to settle down Chris was beginning to be questioned and picked apart. Him seeing or hooking up with someone half his age, when it’s only assumed he wants someone with his shared life experience meaning someone around his age. So the narrative that needed to stick and was pushed is that he’s still the same guy, he’s actually in a serious relationship with someone, and that’s he’s finally found the one who he’s ready to share the type of life he’s been spewing about wanting for so long. But he nor his team were ready for the backlash or scrutiny that this whole thing brought. Getting called horrific names like groomer, pedo, and pervert was something that they’d never think they’d see. Fans taking off the shades and seeing him for who he really is. A grown man who has no problem liking or hooking up with younger women despite calling their same-age counterparts “kids”, and all of the babying and blindly defending him was done for next to nothing. Which sadly, has left a lot of his fans feeling manipulated and betrayed. Especially with some unfortunately getting blocked on social media. His words didn’t match his actions and it’s a hard pill to swallow. And I do see why some people believe he isn’t serious about her, or doesn’t take this whole “relationship” serious. Look at his most recent relationship. He was one of the reasons a marriage came to an end, and proudly with his chest out, went public with a relationship within the same time frame his new girlfriend was announcing her divorce. Openly took her to places with him like Sydney, his family went to her movie premiere, and she even blended in with his family while being at WDW twice. Look at Londongate of 2020. Although we all knew that was definitely a PR stunt and an image cleanup (mainly for Lily herself), his whole attitude and body language said that even though it’s fake he was actually into the moment. He was never stiff, he actually touched her back in a way that showed he was engaged with her, and even though both of their faces were covered they had a good laugh or two with the duty they were given. But with Alba things seem off. Throughout their “whole year” together, not a single person ever spotted this man with a new woman. When it’s finally announced they’re together and they do their first public walk, he looks overtly covered up (even though his clothes & signature cap gave him away), very stiff, and their touch doesn’t look like a genuine “we’re so happy, we can’t stop touching each other” way. He preferred to keep his hands at his side, in his pockets, balled into a fist, or hold his own belongings. This second go-round was not much better even though it was very shortly seen. While she is out in the open and deciding to just go face free despite wearing sunglasses, here he is again overtly covered up. Instead of a signature ball cap, he takes it a step further by where a full fledge bucket hat. One that covers his entire head and hair. He dons sunglasses and an entire mask that’s just seated right under the shades. You wouldn’t know that was him if it wasn’t for her showing off her infamous back tattoo. We can say he wore a mask for work, but why didn’t his best friend and assistant whose also there in the this second walk wear one to? He works with Chris on set day in and day out, if the case was to protect himself from catching anything then his friend would be wearing one too. Alba not so much, but definitely those two. Both sides of the spectrum have opinions on this matter, and it’s better to respect it than fight about whose right and whose wrong.

.

[rogerdenial]

Quick Hacks on Hats for long hairs

If you want to wear hats for long hair, here are some quick hacks to help you style your hair and make it work with different hat styles:

High Bun: Gather your hair into a high ponytail and twist it into a bun on the top of your head. Secure it with bobby pins or a hair tie. This style works well with wide-brimmed hats, fedoras, and floppy hats.

Side Braid: Create a loose side braid with your hair and position it over one shoulder. This style pairs nicely with baseball caps, beanies, and trucker hats.

Half-Up, Half-Down: Take the top section of your hair and pull it back, securing it with a hair tie or clip. Leave the rest of your hair down. This style complements snapback hats and bucket hats.

Low Ponytail: Gather your hair at the nape of your neck and secure it with a hair tie. This style is versatile and can work with various hat styles, including caps and berets.

Side Sweep: Part your hair to one side and sweep it over your shoulder. You can add loose waves or curls for a more elegant look. This style works well with wide-brimmed hats, floppy hats, and fascinators.

Top Knot: Gather your hair into a high ponytail and twist it into a bun on the top of your head. This time, leave the ends sticking out and wrap them around the base of the bun for a messy top knot. This style pairs nicely with beanies and slouchy hats.

Remember to use bobby pins, hair ties, or other hair accessories to secure your hairstyle in place before putting on the hat. Experiment with different styles and find what works best for you and the specific hat you want to wear.