#Dolphin Barn

[all-about-that-rec]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, Howling Commandos, Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Tony Stark Additional Tags: Fluff, Bingo, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ficlet, Pancakes, Laughter, this has no plot, And no purpose, i wrote this at 3am, wheeeeeeee, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers Summary:

The sequence of events is as follows: -Clint falls out of the vents -Thor catches him in a bridle carry -Clint pecks him on the nose as a thank-you, as he is want to do -Thor, surprised, drops him -A pancake, one of many stuck to the ceiling from Steve’s earlier cooking attempts, falls straight onto his face -Tony wanders in on his phone, not watching where he’s going and trips over the prone, pancake-faced Clint.

Steve laughs, much harder than he has in a long time, and everyone stares at him (not Clint, or Tony, but Steve).

OR: My bingo prompt fill for "Your laugh is adorable" where Steve's laugh is, in fact, the opposite of adorable. Bucky loves it anyway.

[pandagirl45drawing]

Crappy Mermay comic :D

[horsesource]

🤭

[fieriframes]

[Dolphin’s Barn.]

[streetsofdublin]

CORK STREET

It was named after the first Earl of Cork and once formed part of the ancient highway "An Slighe Dála" connecting Dublin with the west of Ireland. On old maps it was described as "The Highway to Dolfynesberne" (Dolphin's Barn).

IS NOW CHANGING AT A RAPID PACE It was named after the first Earl of Cork and once formed part of the ancient highway “An Slighe Dála” connecting Dublin with the west of Ireland. On old maps it was described as “The Highway to Dolfynesberne” (Dolphin’s Barn). The street was once a centre of fine wool and silk hand-loom weaving. The woollen industry was killed off around 1700 by the English…

[incorrectbatfam]

Most outrageous pet that Damian could hide in the manor with no one knowing plus reactions when the fam finds out pretty please

Dick: *opens a cereal box and a hamster pops out*

Dick: *sighs*

Dick: Damian, it's 7 AM.

———————

Cass: *finishes brushing her teeth*

Cass: *feeds the bathtub fish on the way out*

———————

Tim: Damian, your porcupine shed inside my underwear drawer!

Damian: What do you want me to do about it?

———————

Steph: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Horse: *whinnies*

Damian: Shh, she didn't mean it.

———————

Alfred: Master Damian, there appears to be a water buffalo in the barn.

Damian: She's Bat-Cow's new roommate.

———————

Harper: Damian, your parrot keeps copying me!

Damian, mocking: "Damian, your parrot keeps copying me!"

———————

Jason: WHY is there a dolphin in the pool?!?

Damian: Because he kept bothering the bathtub fish.

———————

Damian: This is my new jaguar.

Selina: Kitty?

Damian: Well, he's actually fully grown—

Selina: Kitty!

———————

Barbara: We need to talk about the elephant in the room.

Damian, bathing an elephant: All good things, I assume.

———————

Duke: She said yes to the dance!

Duke: *high fives the wolf*

———————

Kate: Am I the only one seeing the bear?

Bruce: I'm not sure I'd call myself that, I'm more of a—

Kate: I meant the polar bear.

[themodernwitchsguide]

altars for greek gods (pt.2)

this post includes zeus, hera, poseidon, hestia, hephaestus, dionysus, ares, demeter, and athena. for part 1 including hades, persephone, artemis, apollo, aphrodite, hermes, and hekate click here.

keep in mind that typical offerings to any god includes meat, wine, grain (usually barley), honey, and incense (myrrh and frankincense would be period appropriate), but i'm listing some specific offerings that can be given if you'd like

colors can be used for candles, banners, decor, whatever you want

ZEUS

Colors: white, blue, and grey for association with the heavens, yellow and black for association with storms. gold because he's the King of the Gods

Offerings: rain water, oak, olives/olive branches/olive leaves, vervain, cinnamon, laurel. images of himself or lightning bolts are particularly recommended for Zeus

Crystals: diamonds, gold (i think pyrite, aka fool's gold, would be offensive), turquoise, lapis lazuli, celestite, iron/steel, any quartz

Animals: eagle, bull

POSEIDON

Colors: blue and white for association with the seas, gray for association with storms, brown for association with the earth/earthquakes

Offerings: coffee, mint, ocean water, salt, seashells

Crystals: coral, petoskey stone, abalone, opal (especially water opal), blue calcite, aquamarine

Animals: horse, bull, dolphin, hippocampus

HERA

Colors: red, pink and white for association with love and marriage. gold because she's the Queen of the Gods.

Offerings: iris, rose, patchouli, coconut, cypress, maple, peacock feathers, pomegranate

Crystals: pearls, garnet, citrine, diamonds, lapis lazuli, topaz, opal, moonstone, rose quartz

Animals: peacock, cuckoo, cow

HESTIA

Colors: red, orange, and yellow for association with fire, brown or white for the hearth/home.

Offerings: tea/coffee (especially if you drink it with her), pine, bread, cider, apples, anything on fire, cinnamon

Crystals: amber, jade, garnet, ruby, carnelian, sunstone, amethyst, honey calcite

Animals: donkey, pig, crane

HEPHAESTUS

Colors: red, orange, and yellow for association with fire, metallics for association with metalworking.

Offerings: spicy things, hot beverages, handmade things, dragon's blood incense, seashells, anything on fire

Crystals: metals, fire opal, honey calcite, obsidian, hematite, carnelian

Animals: donkey, dog, crane

DIONYSUS

Colors: purple and green for association with grapes/wine, leopard/tiger print for his holy animals

Offerings: grapes (or any derivative), alcohol, cinnamon, ivy, pinecones. there's a particular emphasis on non-physical offerings with dionysus, like playing music, partying or sex/masturbation

Crystals: grape agate, leopard jasper, crazy lace agate, tiger's eye, garnet, rose or rutilated quartz, amethyst, jade

Animals: panther/leopard, tiger, bull, serpent, dolphin

ARES

Colors: red and purple for association with war

Offerings: spicy things, yarrow, chocolate, basil, cinnamon

Crystals: bloodstone, garnet, red jasper, smokey quartz, black tourmaline, hematite, metals, obsidian, carnelian

Animals: eagle owl, barn owl, poisonous snakes, boar, vulture

DEMETER

Colors: green, brown, and yellow for association with the earth/harvest. black for her ruthlessness

Offerings: oats and grain, anything baked, flowers, spices (like cinnamon or cloves, allspice is good too), leaves that have begun to change colors for fall, mint, poppy

Crystals: jade, tree/moss agate, carnelian, amber, aventurine, rutilated quartz

Animals: serpent, farm animals (especially pig), gecko, turtle-dove

ATHENA

Colors: white and grey/silver for association with wisdom. red for association with war

Offerings: anything handmade, olives/olive oil/olive branches/olive leaves, snake shed, cedar, cypress, cinnamon

Crystals: metals, celestite, fluorite, lapis lazuli, bloodstone, obsidian, iolite

Animals: snakes and owls

[irradiatedsnakes]

the Big TMA Furry List

this list with commentary/choice rationale below the cut :] i wrote a lot of thoughts down do please check it out.

jon: common raven

martin: tan jumping spider

sasha: southern flannel moth

not!sasha: red postman

tim: jackson's chameleon

melanie: eastern copperhead

georgie: triceratops horridus

basira: domestic cat (calico shorthair)

daisy: domestic dog (german shepherd)

elias: barn owl. jonah: eurasian eagle owl.

gerry: domestic dog (black doberman)

annabelle: white-booted racket-tail

jane: cabbage white

michael: spiny softshell turtle

helen: common hermit crab

oliver: black vulture

peter: risso's dolphin

mike: caelestiventus hanseni

jude: black kite

agnes: ???

nikola: stealing major's carousel horse

jared: american dog tick

breekon&hope: Hog and/or Bear. you get no more information

dekker: mouflon

gertrude: great tit

leitner: domestic cat (persian)

manuela: gray long-eared bat

rayner: olm

salesa: sea otter

simon: dodo

elaboration below !

jon: common raven

this was a choice i made before i even finished listening to the podcast back in 2020. jon's 1000% a bird to me, and the curious nature of corvids works well here. plus, i think a bird so universally ominous as a raven works perfectly as a horror protag :P i used to draw raven!jon with a couple troodon traits, mostly just cus it was fun, but i wanted to make my designs more grounded for this iteration. made them plantigrade, didn't get silly with body styles like i have with mp100 designs.

martin: tan jumping spider

if you've been here for a while you'll know that my furry martin has gone through about two million iterations. he started off as a european pine marten, to bold jumping spider, to chinese pangolin, to nine-banded armadillo, finally to nurse shark.

out of all of these the spider and the shark are my favorites. i wanted to go back to the jumping spider though- the design is really fun and i wasn't able to get the expressions right, but i'm more confident in my skills now and i'm having fun with the design. i may revisit nurse shark at some point. i switched from bold to tan jumper- i originally chose bold just cus they're my favorite jumper, but their stark black/white and iridescent aqua coloration just doens't work for martin. so, the tan jumper!

sasha: southern flannel moth

another old choice. species chosen because of a friend's fic, pharos by right (another i'm planning to reread now that i'm dipping my toes back into tma..)! southern flannel moths are poofy and orange, and their caterpillars are those super painful teddybear ones. i really like the design.

not!sasha: red postman

wanted to have her be another lepidopteran, and with all the many examples of mimicry among the group i thought red postman was a fun choice. doesn't look anything like a southern flannel moth, but that's sort of the point.

tim: jackson's chameleon

yet another choice from the oldtimes- most of the main characters are, i've mostly switched around the more secondary chars. first suggested, i believe, by @/ofdreamsanddoodles. i think there's something very fun about chameleons being basically a living mood ring & tim's Descent s1-3 showing physcially not just through the worm scars but through like, constant stress coloration during s3.

melanie: eastern copperhead

one of my favorite choices. i have a young copperhead specimen named after her. this one is quite vibes-based, but i do really like the copperhead as a viper that is not deadly. and i'm always a sucker for the "animal perceived as scary and violent that in actuality only strikes when under extreme stress" thing in furry assignments.

georgie: triceratops horridus

another favorite choice. visually, i really like how this works out, and trikes as a social and protective animal works well. she's literally got a shield on her face. horridus was chosen because i like the shape of the head and horns better than prorsus.

basira: domestic cat (calico shorthair)

got a little cat/dog thing going on for dasira. i like the inversion of the usual cat/dog dynamic with their unhealthy devotion instead, and visually it just works very well for them both.

daisy: domestic dog (german shepherd)

yeah i know this one's an exceedingly obvious choice.

elias: barn owl. jonah: eurasian eagle owl.

it's the institute logo! it's him! barn owl for elias specifically because of its very sleek look, designing him went fantastically. also, i can make the eagle owl's face disk work as a mimicry of ben meredith's muttonchops, which i think is a fun design bit to give to magnus.

gerry: domestic dog (black doberman)

certified gerryguy @/gerrydelano's choice. to quote a discord message from 3 years ago (sorry ron): "i feel like.........my INSTINCT is some kind of canine because like. the whole symbolism thing about being either an obedient or rabid dog. something something muzzled all your life. being a dangerous figure if people only see the silhouette but you just want scritches and nobody'll get close enough to you." black dog symbolism + breed which has ears cropped and tail docked, unecessarily molded for a Purpose which the dog has no say in

annabelle: white-booted racket-tail

sort of my original choice- she used to be part white-booted racket-tail, part anna's hummingbird. kept with the racket-tail cus it's fun and very cute. i've had a couple people express surprise that she wasn't a spider, but i think that's way too obvious. hummingbirds, though- they steal the webs of spiders to use as material to make their nests, but can sometimes become trapped in the webs and eaten by the spiders themselves. which is probably the metaphor-via-fursona-assignment i'm most proud of in this whole list

jane: cabbage white

the cabbage white is a butterfly whose caterpillars are routinely parasitized by the parasitoid wasp the white butterfly parasite. in case you're not familiar, parasitoid wasps lay their eggs on (usually) caterpillars, which hatch on the still-living caterpillar, devouring it from the inside before eventually emerging from the consumed husk of the host. also, i really liked the image of parasitoid wasp larvae emerging from an adult butterfly, rather than a caterpillar.

michael: spiny softshell turtle

for michael and helen, i wanted to choose animals which were, in some way, their own home. turtle is an obvious choice- and spiny softshells are a favorite of mine, and sufficiently strange-looking.

helen: common hermit crab

see previous entry. also please google "hermit crab without shell"

oliver: black vulture

bit of an obvious choice, but i adore vultures so i had to. black vulture chosen because i think the monochrome color scheme + straighter face work better than a turkey vulture for him

peter: risso's dolphin

i really like the idea of a cetacean for peter and the lukases as a whole, a famously social animal for the seemingly contradictory nature of this lonely-but-huge family, plus with so many cetaceans being endangered getting that lonely angle (risso's specifically are not, though, as peter is lonely through his own choice, not by circumstance).

mike: caelestiventus hanseni

it's a dimorphodont. he feels like a pterosaur to me, and i like the idea of a vast avatar as a usually short-flying arboreal species, for the unnaturality/contrast of it.

jude: black kite

black kites are one of the species of kites known to intentionally spread fires by picking up burning sticks to flush out prey.

agnes: ???

the only one i'm still undecided on. will update.

nikola: stealing major's carousel horse

i can't top that

jared: american dog tick

great choice from @/magnusarchivememes. Takes Your Blood And Gets So Big

breekon&hope: Hog and/or Bear. you get no more information

vaguely russian animals that are large and imposing but remain somewhat generic. which is the hog and which is the bear is not consistent.

dekker: mouflon

dekker has very much mammal vibes to me. the mouflon is a neat species of wild sheep. i think the noble, imposing but kind image of the ram works well for dekker as that sort of true-good hero figure, and mouflons in particular are very nice looking with good shapes. the statement giver in distant cousin describes dekker as "though he was slightly shorter than I was, it seemed like he towered over me." which i think this sheep works well with.

gertrude: great tit

i wanted all the main eye avatars as birds, just like how i give them all glasses. just a fun little treat for me. great tit was chosen for gertrude as a kind of classic british bird, and as tits in general are VERY fiesty despite their round and adorable appearance. i really like this image of a great tit posing with a dead mouse like it's a hunter with a trophy deer. the cheek markings also work really well to bring to mind the image of old person jowls.

leitner: domestic cat (persian)

vibes. also i like the idea of him as a spoiled domestic animal. if i remember correctly, this was also @/ofdreamsanddoodles' suggestion

manuela: gray long-eared bat

she's a bat. what's to say. WELL actually okay there's the perception of bats as blind but actually having quite good vision which i think meshes in a fun way with the dark, and the way manuela does her sciency stuff.

rayner: olm

i mean, yeah

salesa: sea otter

largely design-oriented, suitably scruffy. ocean animal with strong social bonds, it was a slam dunk soon as i thought of it.

simon: dodo

how couldn't i, come on.

[alittlebirb]

Some funny business from the MCC 22 Aqua Axolotls!

-Scar saying he might dislike PKT more than snakes, and Hbomb correcting him that he's terrified of both

-Hbomb and Scar making fun of Grian for having to make a thumbnail

"What a Youtuber." -Hbomb

-Hbomb wearing a Hawaiian shirt in real life

-Grian asking if Scar was asking Jellie to open the door, and just concernedly replying "Oh dear."

-Grian being very self aware that starting his stream one (1) second early is very very good for him

-An update about Nana from Ghana, with her giving "rich blessings" and asking everyone to come to Ghana, and Grian showing several pictures of the school they helped raise money for!

-The entire team shading Grian for not unmuting until they're like, 10 seconds into the decision dome

-Grian grumbling he does not like BB, and Scar reassuring him "it's okay, Hawkeye's here."

-Everyone interrogating Scar about the state of his technology

-MeltDown is here and I'm terrified.

-Scar yelling at Grian to "Get out of the melty room!!"

-Grian running off from the rest of the team like a child without a leash

"I feel like I've got nothing to lose, so this MCC I'm going crazy." -Grian

-False vanishing through the floor in front of Scar

-Grian and Hbomb being the last survivors in their team and just chilling on a block together

-False telling Scar to use the heater, heater Scar, you're right there-!, in MD

-False figuring out to use the heaters as an extra block to climb up like a freaking genius

-"Okay, I'm starting to understand this game now that we're on the last round!" -Grian

-Scar being the resident bow connoisseur

-Grian being an absolute feral little freak and going after Green immediately

-Grian screaming "Scar noooo!" as he fell down into the lava and Scar calling him a "sweet angel"

-Grian calling surviving and getting coins "the barn strategy" and Scar correcting him that it's "the right strategy"

-Scar saying MD is more fun is SOT and everyone telling him to slow down now, you might upset someone who's listening

-Scar saying he can't "intimidate the other team with his abs"

-Scar concluding that watching Top Gun improves your performance and Grian replying that "yeaaaah, he totally watched it last night"

-Hbomb telling Grian that a pro tip for Minecraft is turning off bobbing completely, and Grian saying he likes the bobbing though!

"My immersion!" -Grian

-Grian somehow ending up saying "there's gotta be someone out there who likes that" in response to vomit. "Someone who's like, 'nice'."

And everyone just letting that. sit. in the air.

"I didn't know how to respond to that." -Hbomb

-Scar asking if they can talk about Star Wars to boost his confidence in PKT

-Grian saying the H in Hbomb stands for Hermit

"I revealed today that the name Hbomb94 for the last 16 years was a long con to join Hermitcraft, and you guys can't turn me away because now I own Hermitcraft." -Hbomb

-Grian mentioning that the other day he said "y'all" and getting the immediate response of that being incredibly cursed and to never do that again

-Grian calling out to repeatedly rotate and False crying out "what does rotate even mean??"

-Scar telling Hbomb he'll be his bodyguard against Cub

-Hbomb saying it's "the moment of my life!" when he caught Dream in 10 seconds

-Scar saying Tommy's "a bit of wizard, leaping and swooping like that"

-Scar saying he's "lasted two seconds longer this time" and Hbomb telling him "baby steps"

-Scar falling and dying directly after he jubilantly yelled "PARKOUR CHAMPIONS!"

-"Normally I'm holding Pete's legs together, and keeping him back, but now he's been set free." -Grian about Pete's team being in first place

-Hbomb dunking Pink because "screw Pink!"

-Grian voting for RSR and Scar telling him that's good "Top Gun energy"

-Scar admiring Quig's birthday hat and Hbomb saying "the NoxCrew is too nice to him, we need to take him down a peg. We need to beat him up."

-False and Hbomb talking about becoming dolphins 🐬

-False calling Scar out for just standing there when the RSR round started, and Scar replying he was "working out my issues!"

-Grian and Scar getting into top 10 in RSR and Scar saying "this is what we do in Hermitcraft."

-Hbomb saying he punched Tubbo in the face and he deserved it

-Grian saying he has a "mind like a goldfish".

-Hbomb taking the floor out from False and causing her to die, and then falling afterwards and False yelling "Karma!"

-Scar calling Big Beans an S Tier

-Scar saying he hopes Pete wins, and everyone immediately going no! he's had enough wins already!

-Grian asking Scar how many wins he's had, and Scar saying "multiple in my dreams".

"My mom tells me I'm a winner every day!" -Scar

"It must be true!" -False

-Scar calling out to the Mega Chicken that the HITW section is KFC

"They'll cut you up and turn you into chicken nuggets! Save yourself!"

-Hbomb lamenting that he hasn't been opening Pokemon cards, and Grian immediately asking what set? what set?

"I've had to stop opening cards. I don't know what to do with all my spare ones." -Grian

"Keep them for your happiness." -Hbomb

-"Nooo, goodbye gentlemen!" -Scar while falling in HITW

-"Oh, 32nd, that makes me upset to my chest hair." -Grian

-Scar thanking Shubble for dying because now he won't be last

-Hbomb seeing the exclamation mark wall and saying "it's yelling at me!"

-If I had a nickel for each time Hbomb got a coin balance involving 69, and Grian replied "nice", I'd have two nickels, which is just a little bit cursed

-"It upsets me that Timmy is doing well. He lost our team SOT last time and I am haven't forgiven him." -Grian

-"I'm completely fine. I haven't been failing at all." -False

-False predicting Scar's Curse will ensure that one player will always be in 40th, and this time it's her turn

"I know how to fix this. I'm putting my Genshin outfit on." -False, who does not play Genshin, and only has this outfit because her team lost a tournament

-Hbomb asking if False is drinking water or wine today, and False replying she's drinking squash (juice)

"Yes, I'm a little kid." -False

-Scar seeing the error of his ways and finally pronouncing gong correctly

-Scar getting on the Ace Race leaderboard on the practice server, which then sparked his leaderboard obsession

-"I could never hate you." -Grian to Hbomb

"I could change that." -Hbomb

-Grian seeing the Space Race map name being written backwards and delightedly saying "I like! That's my kind of humor."

-"I had some really good moments mixed in with catastrophic mistakes." -Grian

-Everyone celebrating NOT LAST SCAR in Ace Race

-False realizing that "wait, didn't Scar get a really good time on the practice server?" and everyone immediately saying don't shame him, don't rub it in...

-"Grian, I need a gong." -Scar

"I put it away already!" -Grian

"I need. a gong." -Scar

-The mega chicken swap being gloriously chaotic

-"Hold down W! Just go! Always forward! Kick ass! Take names!" -Hbomb's advice for BB and life

-Hbomb asking Scar to activate Hawkeye mode and Scar replying "YES".

"He's been waiting for you to say that his entire life." -Grian

-Scar calling Hbomb "HBeam" and Griab immediately decreeing that nickname is going to stay (man loves his nicknames)

-Grian killing a couple players in BB and screaming "FINALLY I HAVE SOMETHING FOR MY SECOND CHANNEL!"

-Aqua and Purple fighting it out and False just sneaking in, filling the wool, and getting the win

-The team using Grian's run straight in approach for good and succeeding in the strat to send him in and then have Scar sneakily wool rush

-Grian and Scar celebrating the wins while False desires more kills

-"I think we might have made the other teams angry, which is a good thing. Psychological warfare." -Scar

-Everyone recognizing that Jojo is crACkEd

-"My whole goal here is to make you proud, H." -Scar about SOT

-"Can I ask something real quick? Why's the chat calling me Sand Daddy?" -Sand Daddy Scar

-Scar giving regular reports that "This is your local Sand Daddy reporting, we have 60 seconds left!"

-"There's a pillager in the water!" -False

"Oh, that's my buddy, we're just chilling." -Scar

-"Scar are you ready to take this sand delivery?" -Grian

"Oh, I'm ready, take it to Daddy...sorry I made that weird." -Scar

-Grian getting the redstone puzzle first try!

-"I'm always upset. That's my secret." -Hbomb

-Hbomb trying to stay inside the red tunnel and Grian going down the blue tunnel then Scar saying they only have 50 seconds left and Grian just found the blue vault and H and Grian racing back with sand while the timer went down to 10 seconds and the 10 second count down booming throughout the labyrinth but Grian got lost. H gets the sand in just in time but it's still counting down. Grian finally escapes the tunnel and gets the sand in with less than 10 seconds left and I'm left dead on the floor

-"I got 31st! Sorry, I have a thing about the number 31 this MCC, apparently." -False

-"What the audience needs to know is that we're all friends, we're all good, but in Sands of Time it all goes out of the window." -Grian

-"My chat was getting very upset at me because I took off my chestplate in order to show off my abs." -Scar, preceding the rest of the team absolutely losing their minds at him

-The mega chicken swap wrecking chaos in the last round, the players splitting into either BM or TGGTOS, Wilbur being indecisive in choosing and Scar trying to tempt him into BM with his abs

-"You'll always be our Build Mart manager." -Scar to Grian o7

-Tubbo throwing Scar off the map and everyone calling him evil

"Can we box him in and crush him on this map?" -Scar

-Everyone rooting for Tina in the honey map

-"For a brief shining moment I was first. Then a door closed in front of me, and I was like aww." -Scar

-"I need Fruity B." -Grian

-Scar admiring the little crown on the plane in the TGTTOS map

-Everyone understanding that yes, every single player will be cheering on Captain Sparklez. Pink needs to win.

-"I almost called them Pink Flamingos. I thought they had a really long neck for a second." -False

-False and Grian tsking at H for rooting for Red

"You don't need to be different!" -Grian

-"Right in the shnoot!" -Grian after Dream was shot

-Grian and Scar yelling at Pink to say "Hot guy!" when they shoot

-"Oh, it is Captain on Captain violence!" -Hbomb

-Hbomb starts opening up Pokemon cards and Grian starts eating his yogurt

"What should I do?" -False

"What do you have on your desk?" -Hbomb

-Grian sending Hbomb a Very Cool Card over Discord because H is the only one who'd understand

-H commentating on the normalization of streamers eating in stream

-Grian and Hbomb editing the script to include Captain Sparklez getting the final shot in the final round and getting the ultimate win

-Martyn is now the MCC player who's gone the longest without getting a single win

-"Everyone will remember where they were the day that Captain got his first win!" -Hbomb

-"Aww, bless his little cotton socks!" -Grian about Captain Sparklez

-Sparklez getting a lil Jerry next to him on the podium and Scar saying now he has to win, so he can get a little Jellie neighboring with Jerry

-"You know when you were watching Dream's POV and you were telling me not to do any of that? I was nodding, and I was like yeah I'm gonna do that." -Grian to Hbomb

"I'm gonna be honest, when you went into the blue vault, I thought you were dead." -Hbomb

[rillils]

written for round 5 @stuckybingo, square I5 - Looking after each other wordcount: 1411 pairing: Steve/Bucky additional tags: fluff, kidfic, general silliness, slice of life, dorks in love, dorks in love + their baby

Steve never believed in sunscreen, no matter how many times he got the hide scorched off of him. Used to just sit there and let the sun fry his skin, seemingly content to suffer through all the pretty stages of a sunburn, the blistering and the peeling, the stinging and the itching.

The serum just gave his stubborn ass one more excuse to walk outside in all his dumb, unprotected glory.

“You know it’ll have healed by tomorrow anyway,” he would shrug in the face of Bucky’s reasonable worry. But oh, how he’d hiss and cuss through gritted teeth, Later That Same Day, when Bucky inevitably wound up spreading cool aloe over his poor, neon-bright shoulders, the shade of them a hot raw pink that’d probably get them both sued by Mattel sooner or later.

“Fuck. Fuck. I always forget how bad it gets. How do I always forget how bad it gets.”

And it would take a herculean effort for Bucky to refrain from saying ‘I told you so’, but refrain he would; he’d simply smooth his aloe-covered fingers down to the small of Steve’s back, where the tan line made his creamy-pale asscheeks stand out like two (somewhat flabbergasted) halves of a moon, and he’d lean over to whisper-kiss a fond, “Dumbass”, against the crown of Steve’s head.

* It was fatherhood that flipped that particular switch for Steve.

Already within the first few weeks of her life, Sarah Barnes-Rogers managed a colossal feat which several people, including her very own namesake, had been fruitlessly attempting for no less than a century: knock some sense into her father.

That summer, they brought their five-month-old baby to the beach for the first time, and suddenly Steve’s baseline shifted from a glaring zero, to at least three separate bottles of sunscreen tucked in his backpack at all times – and he wielded them as dramatically and determinedly as King Arthur pulling his sword from the Stone.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Bucky teased while Steve re-applied lotion on their daughter, and then himself, for the third time in one morning, the delicate scent of coconut wrapped around them like a gentle cloud.

“Protection is important,” retorted his husband, always 101% ready to rise to the challenge, even when it was ridiculous degrees outside and the average human felt distinctly like warm ice cream oozing, slow and tragic, towards an indecorous end on a sizzle-hot curb. Sarah wriggled excitedly in his lap, her pudgy little body slippery like a newborn dolphin.

“Important for you, too? Really? I thought you were gonna heal by tomorrow anyway.”

Steve glared at him, mouth pouting with growing intensity within the neatly groomed frame of his beard.

“We lead by example,” he said petulantly, and since he couldn’t exactly stomp away – at least not with all the dramatic flair required by such indignity as Bucky was willfully subjecting him to – he settled for looking away instead, fixing the hat over Sarah’s ears to keep his hands occupied. Stubborn, mulish smartass. Bucky was sure he’d never loved him quite so ardently as he did in that moment.

He leaned between their loungers and smacked the loudest kiss on Steve’s coconut-scented cheek, not bothering (oh, not too much) to hide his smug grin. “Good.”

*

Now, all things considered, it’s no wonder that Sarah’s grown to be such a sunscreen enthusiast.

The second they hit the beach, she wants nothing better than for Papa to help her get coated in the stuff, from head to wiggly toe; and once the procedure is complete, she’ll scuttle off at lightning speed, drop to the ground, and – to Bucky’s endless horror – roll about until she’s got every bit of her greased-up self nice and caked in sand. Sand which they'll still find sprinkled in every corner, crease and crinkle of every towel, bag and piece of clothing they own for a couple of months at least, but what is parenthood if not self-sacrifice?

Before she gets to that, though, Sarah has her own self-appointed job to do.

She plucks the bottle from Steve’s hand and, as per their private ritual, manhandles him into lying on his belly, announcing with her sweet, recently tooth-gapped smile, “I’ll do your back!”

Steve always indulges her with a smile of his own, and lets her climb onto the small of his back, ready to surrender himself to Sarah’s loving, if somewhat fierce ministrations.

For once, though, she doesn’t simply smear the lotion around with her usual excitement. On the contrary, she holds the bottle up and squeezes it meticulously, her brow scrunched up in concentration as she works with slow, strangely deliberate moves.

It’s only after a minute or so that Bucky really sees what she’s trying to do; and by then, her masterpiece is all but complete. The sight of it makes his heart clench with unexpected fondness.

“Daddy! Daddy, can you take a picture? I wanna show Papa, please!”

He takes one look at her hopeful little face, at the blond curls falling over her eyes, the sun-kissed freckles already crowding the bridge of her nose so early in the summer, and there’s no way in hell he’d ever even dream of saying no.

“’Course, baby,” he says, reaching for his phone with no further ado.

“Show me what?” Steve pipes up, twisting his neck to try and peek over his shoulder. “What’re you guys doing back there?”

“Nuh-uh,” Bucky tuts, pushing Steve’s head back down to rest atop his crossed arms, “you stay put for a second, doll. Can’t ruin this shot. Alright, here we go.” The camera clicks softly, once. “Hm. Nope.” Twice. “Eh– almost.” Thrice. “Ha! There. Perfect.”

He helps Sarah down from her perch on Steve’s back, very, very careful not to smudge her precious work, then hands her the smartphone. “Go ahead, baby, show Papa what a good job you did.”

In her eagerness, Sarah all but shoves the phone right in Steve’s face, with a squeal of “Pa! Look, look!”, watching him expectantly.

It’s there, on the screen, that Steve finally gets to see it. A message just for him, spanning almost his entire back, spelling, in Sarah’s wonky six-year-old handwriting, “I LOVE YOU PA ♥”, big squiggly heart included.

Steve doesn’t breathe for three whole seconds; and when he starts again, it’s with a soft, awestruck, “Oh.”

And it might be the stark light, or the warm breeze, or the scent of ocean salt in the air, but when he props himself up on his elbows to look at their daughter, his eyes have a familiar, watery shine to them. One of his strong arms wraps around Sarah’s middle and pulls her in, and he plants a kiss on her forehead, smiling all the while. “Love you too, munchkin. It’s beautiful, thank you so much.”

“Yah!”

Satisfied with the feedback, Sarah can finally run off to fulfill her destiny as a pocket-size sand monster. Steve gazes adoringly after her, then lifts his big, gleaming puppy eyes on Bucky, looking about as lovestruck as Bucky’s ever seen him in the last ninety-five years or so.

“Buck,” he says, soft and just, just on the cusp of choked up. How anyone ever thought they could teach this guy not to wear his heart on his sleeve, Bucky’ll never understand.

“Yeah, big guy. I know. I know,” he soothes, hovering close to place a sympathetic kiss on the swell of Steve’s bicep. “Listen, I’m gonna ask a dumb question here.”

Steve blinks up at him, curious.

“Do you maybe want me to fix your back for you, so you don’t actually burn to a crisp?”

And see, the truth is, he already knows the answer. He knows it with even greater certainty when Steve sinks his face in the crook of his own elbow, half laughing, half groaning, and a hundred percent utterly defeated.

Of course not. Of course he’s gonna lie directly in the nearest sunbeam, and let himself bake there until the words are branded onto his skin, pale white on Barbie-box pink, no matter how short-lived they’ll be.

“Yep. Called it.” He gives Steve’s bicep a gentle pat-pat, knowing that in about ten hours, even that will make Steve hiss with unrepentant, self-inflicted pain - and possibly loving him just that wee bit more for this tiniest of derring-do’s. “I’ll make sure to grab some more aloe on our way home.”

[defectivegembrain]

Troy Barnes would become beloved to most of the pirates to the point where they'd start secretly helping him and he would eventually induce a mutiny without trying just by being a sweetie. And then when Abed shows up to rescue him they're like "took you long enough" and they start trying to (non-violently) interrogate him about his intentions with their little dolphin (that's his nickname, he makes dolphin noises whenever they say it and they find it hilarious)

[jungle-angel]

“Just Let It Out”(Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: It’s been a day, but Rhett knows exactly where to find you

Notes: Sorry guys, I’ve been feeling a little dragged down lately and it’s starting to show in the writing

Tagging: @sebsxphia @nobody7102​ @bradleybeachbabe​

It had been a day. 

A hard, shitty, fucking day.

You felt like everything was weighing down on you all at once, work, home, life and everything that went with it. You felt so weighed down that you wanted to scream, scream as though you were a banshee that had just witnessed the last throes of a man’s death. 

But you couldn’t. Not with everything going on at once, knowing that you and Rhett were so close to being granted full custody of Amy. 

You wanted to cry, just sob until you felt that sweet, cathartic release that was sure to come the next morning. You knew it was bad when Cecelia had told you to head for the Handsome Gambler and that she would be the one to stay with Amy until Rhett or Royal came back from the pasture. Perry? Perry wouldn’t show his face around the property for a good two weeks at most. All the more reasons for the courts to grant you and Rhett custody of two month old Amy. 

The tears started to silently flow as you stared at the empty Sam Adams bottle you had been fiddling with for the last half hour or so, the emotions crushing you from within like an empty soda can. You tried not to let out a peep as your body tensed and your face went red with the burning emotions that thrashed and boiled within. You wanted so badly to just take Amy and Rhett, jump in the truck and head for Key West or some other coastal city in Florida where the three of you could sit on a beach, soak up the rays and watch the dolphins swim by and the pelicans perched on the beach posts. 

You felt a shudder escape your body as a gentle hand gripped your shoulder. You turned around through your bleary eyes to find Rhett standing there, a worried look plastered on his face. 

“Darlin, you ok?” he asked, drawing you into his arms. “Ma and Sheriff Joy told me ya’ll were down here.” 

You buried your face into his broad chest, letting out a sob that hardly even sounded human. “I’m so tired Rhett,” you croaked. “I’m so fucking tired.” 

Rhett listened to every word of every little thing you told him and soon, he felt the tears beginning to burn his eyes. “Shhh, baby it’s ok,” he assured you. “Here, come with me.” 

You and Rhett walked over to the jukebox where he punched in the number for one of the songs and soon, the two of you found yourselves slow dancing to “Mainstreet” by Bob Seeger. Rhett tilted your chin up with his thumb so that your eyes met, his lips meeting yours in a sweet kiss that helped you relax a little. 

“Rhett I’m so sorry, I.....” 

“Darlin you’re ok,” he murmured. “I know it’s hard. Believe me, I wanted to punch the barn wall this afternoon.” 

“Did you?” 

“Well,” Rhett answered. “Had it not been for Dad and the thought of having to have staples put in my hand, I would’ve.” 

You laughed a little, resting your head against his shoulder, the tears still dripping a little from your eyes. 

“We’re gonna get through it baby,” he assured you, wrapping you completely in his big arms. “We’ll get through it....together.” 

You smiled a little and closed your eyes, Rhett’s cheek resting against the top of your head and the two of you relishing in the closeness of the moment as the song continued to fill the entire bar. You knew, no matter what, that you and your husband would get through anything and everything....together. 

[weepingfoxfury]

The man on the radio talks of winning a prize for a luxury hotel before Rod Stewart tells us 'I get up in the morning, and while I'm still yawning, I watch the television and digest the news.' The traffic lady mentions Harold's Cross and Dolphin Barn and the usual collisions, car crashes and chaos.

Adverts ... adverts ... adverts ... when taking antihistamines always keep away from children.

The shiny metropolis awaits, perhaps going through the ivy covered window to get there. Another Tuesday in Tuesdayville.

Been watching old style ghost stories, once a week, M R James and his stuffed shirt pouring out it's contents. A friend reminded me I've yet to listen to the peeling of The Yellow Wallpaper.

The eyes are meant to be the windows to the soul ... does a head tilt change the reflection? The window cleaner gave up his job and took to star gazing. A new constellation to sweep away consternation ...

[lady-laree-world]

Mermaid eyes

Chapter I

Bucky Barnes x mermaid!reader

a/n: ok so i've recentely discovered the mermaid!au and because there aren't too many fics on that i decided to write them by my own. this is just a part of my idea, let me now if you want that to be a serie. i hope you'll like it and sorry for eventual errors but english isn't my first language. Love ❤️

The morning had been fairly uneventful despite the high winds and rain, but the rain did not last more than a few minutes, and Captain Barnes found himself leaning against the bow of the boat enjoying the sea breeze. The strong wind had been very useful today and they had almost reached the gulf where they would finally have some rest on dry land before setting off again.

However, the pleasant wind on the surface was the cause of many problems on the seabed, especially for the little mermaids who are still unable to swim against the current. Lily in fact, despite the numerous recommendations of her sister y/n, had not hesitated even a second to follow a group of dolphins that headed towards the surface, attracted by the trail left by a ship. That day, frightened by the unusual currents, your mother had forced you to follow her, to make sure she wasn't carried away by the strong currents. Lily was so busy playing and having fun that she didn't realize she was being pulled so close to the boat that she suddenly started throwing numerous nets into the sea to catch as many dolphins as possible. You swam as fast as you could and fortunately managed to avoid Lily becoming trapped and, after pushing her away and releasing the only two dolphins that had entered the net, you tried to swim away but a freshly cast net fell on you. You urged Lily to run away and warn the village of the danger she was about to reach it, trying to reassure her that you would be able to get out safe and sound . Lily set off trying to attract the attention of all the inhabitants and right at that moment the net began to be brought towards the surface. You tried in every way to free yourself but there was no way: your tail was stuck and the ropes of the net were almost impossible to break.

[mymiraclebox]

The Many Miracle Boxes

The Native American Box Kiikaa, the Thunderbird of Electricity (Elemental) Shashh, the Bear of Preservation (Timekeeper) Tyyto, the Barn Owl of Secrets (Delta) Chaapa, the Beaver of Innovation (Delta) Yanna, the Bison of Victory (Delta) Dess, the Cougar of Apathy (Delta) Banditt, the Coyote of Guile (Delta) Fawnna, the Deer of Wilderness (Delta) Liiri, the Eagle of Freedom (Delta) Sorren, the Falcon of Observation (Delta) Karrma, the Goose of Justice (Delta) Skipp, the Grasshopper of Scarcity (Delta) Ziibi, the Otter of Transformation (Delta) Habuu, the Rattlesnake of Beauty (Delta) Ommen, the Raven of Probability (Delta) Finn, the Salmon of Wisdom (Delta) Drill, the Woodpecker of Dimension (Delta)

The Wandering Box Graay, the Wolf of Order (Alpha) Prrysm, the Platypus of Chaos (Alpha) Emburr, the Phoenix of Fire (Elemental) Frostt, the Penguin of Endurance (Timekeeper) Seer, the Tuatara of Quondam (Timekeeper) Kicc, the Kangaroo of Avarice (Delta) Attlantis, the Octopus of Choice (Delta) Linn, the Pangolin of Boundary (Delta) Yuume, the Sheep of Dreams (Delta) Prrince, the Swan of Loyalty (Delta)

The Climate Box Duskk, the Grim of Darkness (Elemental) Kirrin, the Qilin of Light (Elemental) Allta, the Frog of Change (Timekeeper) Sicco, the Camel of Desert (Delta) Florra, the Elk of Forest (Delta) Nixx, the Polar Bear of Tundra (Delta) Aqqua, the Seal of Sea (Delta)

The Desert Box Skyy, the Griffin of Air (Elemental) Zipp, the Dragonfly of Progression (Timekeeper) Sennta, the Chameleon of Emotion (Delta) Tuskk, the Elephant of Memories (Delta) Parra, the Giraffe of Confusion (Delta) Sotaa, the Honey Badger of Conflict (Delta) Niisha, the Painted Lycaon of Connections (Delta) Flairr, the Secretarybird of Passion (Delta)

The Forgotten Box Vitaa, the Panda of Life (Alpha) Shii, the Crow of Death (Alpha) Uunice, the Unicorn of Magic (Elemental)

The Jungle Box Stellar, the Firefly of Space (Alpha) Koree, the Raccoon of Void (Alpha) Tonna, the Feathered Serpent of Earth (Elemental) Passtel, the Sloth of Patience (Timekeeper) Faae, the Spider of Destiny (Timekeeper) Llucie, the Caiman of Clarity (Delta) Clikk, the Dolphin of Sound (Delta) Belaa, the Jaguar of Imperception (Delta) Ecco, the Parrot of Language (Delta) Fangg, the Vampire Bat of Fatigue (Delta)

The Mountain Box Ziima, the Yeti of Glaciation (Elemental) Apple, the Red Panda of Lineage (Timekeeper) Misst, the Chipmunk of Elusion (Delta) Anjjel, the Lark of Mercy (Delta) Pilott, the Moose of Direction (Delta) Frijj, the Snow Leopard of Silence (Delta)

The Savannah Box Matto, the Pterosaur of Gravity (Elemental) Keena, the Lemur of Intuition (Timekeeper) Purr, the Cheetah of Sensitivity (Delta) Atticus, the Gorilla of Mathematics (Delta) Duux, the Moth of Guidance (Delta) Huue, the Rainbow Agama of Color (Delta) Kaanda, the Rhino of Augmentation (Delta) Divvi, the Zebra of Duality (Delta)

The Zodiac Box Nokk, the Kelpie of Water (Elemental, Aquarius) Antiqq, the Aurochs of Reversion (Timekeeper, Taurus) Harmonee, the Ant of Cooperation (Delta, Gemini) Snapp, the Crab of Adaptation (Delta, Cancer) Saage, the Dove of Peace (Delta, Virgo) Elle the Gecko of Equality (Delta, Libra) Gloss, the Ibex of Friction (Delta, Capricorn) Valoree, the Lion of Courage (Delta, Leo) Baash, the Mouflon of Strength (Delta, Aries) Daante, the Pike of Intimidation (Delta, Pisces) Spikke, the Porcupine of Precision (Delta, Sagittarius) Verriti, the Scorpion of Truth (Delta, Scorpio)

The Mother Box Tikki, the Ladybug of Creation (Alpha) Plagg, the Black Cat of Destruction (Alpha) Longg, the Dragon of Storm (Elemental)  Sass, the Cobra of Opportunity (Timekeeper) Fluff, the Rabbit of Evolution (Timekeeper) Pollen, the Bee of Subjection (Delta) Nooroo, the Butterfly of Generosity (Delta) Barkk, the Dog of Detection (Delta) Trixx, the Fox of Deception (Delta) Ziggy, the Goat of Imagination (Delta) Kaalki, the Horse of Migration (Delta) Xuppu, the Monkey of Derision (Delta) Mullo, the Mouse of Abundance (Delta) Stompp, the Ox of Determination (Delta) Duusu, the Peacock of Psyche (Delta) Daizzi, the Pig of Compassion (Delta) Orikko, the Rooster of Vigor (Delta) Roaar, the Tiger of Force (Delta) Wayzz, the Turtle of Protection (Delta)

[vilandel]

Storm of Griffins

Summary It was bound to happen. With that thunderstorm outside, Vanessa and Nozel aren't surprised that their daughters rather want to sleep with their parents, secure in mamas and papas embrace.

A/N @kalolasfantasyworld, I just realized that we both have our own ways to call Nozels children, you have Birdies and I have Griffins 💘 Wrote this today for some fluff, for domestic Nozessa with their four daughters and to show Nozel as a father 🦅💜

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Vanessa touched her baby’s tiny nose a bit, but Cassandra wouldn’t wake up. Nothing seemed to wake her up, despite the loud thunderstorm outside. It was quite fascinating, especially that none of her other daughters had that deep of a sleep when they were babies.

Covering the silver-haired baby with a blanket, Vanessa turned towards her husband, who was standing at the window, observing the thunderstorm.

“Quite the spectacle, isn’t it, honey?”

Nozel just nodded, without turning around. Since he was already ready for bed, he was only wearing his pyjama pants, leaving his upper body naked. Oh, Vanessa didn’t complained about that, on the contrary. Admiring Nozels not buff but well-defined muscles and imagining those toned arms around her was something she got never tired about. But she couldn’t allow herself to be thirsty, since their youngest daughter was present.

“And she really is still asleep?” Nozel finally asked as he turned around.  Gosh, he looked so good with his hair down falling over his shoulders, fluffy, thick and silky, his bangs slightly falling over his eyes, unbraided.

“Don’t worry, this little one has the deepest sleep I ever saw in a baby,” Vanessa smiled while gesturing at Cassandras sleep basket on their bed. “She won’t be afraid of thunderstorms, I’m certain of that.”

“This one is rather heavy, though.”

“Still, Cassandra won’t be afraid. With that, she is more like Nymphea. You shouldn’t be surprised though if Lavinia will run into our bedroom in a few minutes. Maybe Valentina too, but she at least has her twin sister.”

Nozel nodded, while sitting down next to his wife on the bed. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he softly caressed the baby’s cheek. Cassandra didn’t woke up, but a happy baby smile shortly appeared on her face, her dolphin plushie next to her.

Vanessa sighed happily. Cassandra had definitely be a surprise baby. Three daughters was already a blessing for Nozel and her. Not to mention that she had needed to convince her husband a bit to have Lavinia.

Only a bit, though. Nozel enjoyed fatherhood more than he would ever admit. They had feel blessed with Nymphea, Valentina and Lavinia, feeling that their little family was now complete.

But then, Vanessa got pregnant again. A fourth baby had been on the way. A surprise baby, no denying about that. A shock, yes, but more a happy surprise than a reason to worry. Vanessa and Nozel had embraced it, even though they were determined to not have more than four children.

Unlike what most believed, especially the Black Bulls and their bets, it had been another girl instead of a boy. It didn’t matter to Vanessa and Nozel, Cassandra had been another blessing, just like her sisters before her. She was also wilder than their other daughters, when she wasn’t asleep that is.

Their door opening brought Vanessa back to reality. Just one second later, their three year old daughter Lavinia run towards the bed, holding her favourite plushie tightly in her arms. The little barn owl with the pink witch hat Vanessa had made for her on Lavinias first birthday. How time flies by…

Lavinia tried to climb on her parents bed, but sadly was still to tiny for that, her white puffy nightgown with the pink hearts was also a bit too big for her still and she was holding her plushie. Nozel helped her get on and Lavinia immediately went halfway into hiding under her parents blanket.

“Nia, sweetie, is it so scary for you?” Vanessa asked kindly, while she stroked her daughters rosewood coloured hair. She smiled while doing so, Lavinias might have her hair colour, but it was as soft and thick like her father’s.

“Can’t sleep, too scary,” the little girl mumbled, holding her plushie.

“It is just a thunderstorm, Lavinia,” Nozel said, with such a comforting voice that it made Vanessas heart melt. “As long as you are her with us, in this palace, nothing will happen to you.”

“What about monsters?”

“What monsters?”

“Uncle Zora said that when there are storms, there are monsters coming out to scare us.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. Typical Zora, always trying to be a very cool uncle. But she really should have a talk with him, Lavinia was after all a very shy little girl and for now still easy to scare.

“Was Luck nearby when your uncle talked about those storm monsters?” Nozel asked.

“Yes, papa.”

“Then he was probably talking about Luck, not some storm monsters.”

“Oh. True. Uncle Magna also says that uncle Luck can be like a monster sometimes.”

Vanessa smiled. Oh, she really preferred that than Zora scaring her baby girl because he tried to be a cool uncle.

“But storms are still scary.”

“If you want, you can stay with us and your little sister tonight, Lavinia. So you won’t be alone.”

Vanessa couldn’t help but smile brightly at her husband. Does he realize what a wonderful father he was? He was so worried to end up like his own jerk of a father, he who thought that because of his past mistakes, he would never become a loving parent… But Nozel became a parent like his mother was.

His fatherly side was certainly one of Vanessas favourite traits of him.

The next moment, the door to their chamber opened again and their eight year old twin daughters entered, so adorable in their lavender nightgowns. Valentina was behind her sister, clinging onto her while holding a black cat plushie tightly. Nymphea was more calm, guiding her twin towards the bed, her eagle plushie under her arm.

“Look, Nia. Your two big sisters are now also coming, so that you won’t be alone in the storm,” Vanessa smiled as she caressed Lavinias head, while Nozel helped the twins getting on the bed. Valentina immediately went on her father’s lap and put the blanket above her head. Nozel hold her immediately, giving her a comforting embrace and stroked her hair. Valentina had hair just like Noelle and Acier, but in a brighter shade of rosewood than Vanessas. In the sunlight, she even had some silver highlights, it was truly gorgeous to look at.

“Tina couldn’t sleep,” Nymphea explained calmly, just like Nozel. “And she couldn’t stop moving. Especially when a lightning was seen. So, I brought her here. She only stops moving when one of you is holding her.”

“Good job, little water lily,” Vanessa giggled, while caressing her oldest daughters hair. Unlike her twin, Nymphea had silver hair like her father – with pink highlights in the sun – but wavy and slightly curly like her mother.

“I didn’t want to come!” Valentina protested weakly, coming from out of the blanket for a moment. “I don’t want Lavinia and Cassandra to see me scared, I’m their big sis, I have to be brave!”

Vanessa couldn’t help but giggle at the seriousness. Valentina secretly wanted to come to her parents, but it was true that she wanted to be brave for her little sisters. Currently, she was the most daring of her daughters. Let’s see how Cassandra will grow up.

“Oh, Tina, sweetie, you are very brave and I’m sure that your little sisters know that.”

“Valentina, it is okay to be scared. It is when you can be brave. Sometimes, it takes a lot of courage to admit to be scared.”

“Really, papa?”

“Really. Trust me little one, I know what I’m talking about.”

He really did. More than their daughters even know yet. Vanessa smiled at Nozel and took his hand.

Nozels words seemed to have calm down Valentina a bit. At least, until the next thunder, making her cling to Nozel and to her plushie with fierce.

“It’s okay, big sis, it’s okay,” Lavinia whispered, while still trembling, but brave enough to take Valentinas hand.

“Our baby sister is still asleep, it seems,” Nymphea commented, while looking into the basket with a calm fascination. The resemblance with Nozel was sometimes really obvious, even when she was still a baby. It had irritated a lot of the Bulls back then. And make Yami laugh a lot.

“Really?”

Forgetting their fear of thunderstorms for a moment, Valentina and Lavinia moved a bit to look into the sleep basket. The vision of their little baby sister, sleeping so profoundly while it was so loud outside, seemed to soothe them a bit.

“Cassie is very brave,” Lavinia whispered. She still had some difficulties to say Cassandras full name. Vanessa admitted that it wasn’t the easiest one, but it had been one of hers and Nozels favourite.

“I bet she is going to be afraid of nothing,” Valentina added with pride. Ah, how cute she was being proud of her baby sister.

“I don’t doubt that she will be brave, just like you and your sisters,” Nozel replied with a smile. “But she will be afraid of something as well. Maybe not of thunderstorms like you and Lavinia, but of other things.”

“Like Nymphea is afraid of mosquitos?”

“I have an excellent reason to be afraid of them.”

“Papa, mama, are you also afraid of things?”

“Of course we are, sweetie,” Vanessa giggled. “Papa and I are afraid of various things. Of simple things like you, for example I don’t like spiders. But we are also afraid of things that are more adult stuff. You’re too young yet to know such things.”

“I’m not young, I’m eight, that is old!” Valentina protested!”

“But still too young to have a grimoire,” Nymphea replied calmly. Sounding so much like Nozel. Vanessa couldn’t help but giggle, even more so as she the look in her husband’s eyes as he glanced at Nymphea. A mix of pride and irritation.

Valentina was about to reply when another lightning, followed by loud thunder, cut through the sky. She and Lavinia remembered their fear of storms and both girls dived under the blanket again. Cassandra continued to sleep, while Nymphea was completely unbothered. She was more occupied to stroke her eagle plushie, as if it was invited to some gala and needed to have neat feathers.

Nozel sighed with compassion, before he took Valentina and Lavinia firmly into his arms. The two girls seemed to calm down a bit, hold by their father, while they had a firm grip on their respective plushies.

Vanessa felt her heart melt again at the vision. The most loving father she knew… Okay, she was biased and she loved him deeply, but it was a fact that Nozel was a very loving and very caring father. He could be unsure about it as much as he want, but actions spoke stronger than doubts. Just seeing him like this with Valentina and Lavinia was proof enough.

Smiling happily, Vanessa turned towards Nymphea. “What do you think, little Water Lily? Do you want to cuddle with mama and your eagle friend?”

Nymphea might be the most proper out of her girls, but she never hesitated to cuddle. She got that side from her, that was certain. Nymphea only nodded and moved a bit to make herself comfortable on Vanessas lap. Vanessa pulled her tightly against herself, diving her nose into her daughters silver waves. Just like Nozel, Nymphea had a soft lavender scent. But hers was mixed with a sweet water lily smell.

Which was rather ironic and normal, she was named after those flowers. Who also were the favourites of the late Acier Silva.

“You can sleep with us tonight, little hatchlings,” Nozel said, his voice soft and warm. It was so clear how much he loved his daughters. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Your mother and I are here for all four of you.”

“Will you be there when we’re wake-wake again?”

“Yes, Lavinia. You have my word.”

“Thank you, papa.”

Cradled in his embrace, Valentina and Lavinia soon fell asleep, just as deeply as Cassandra. Nymphea took a bit longer, but Vanessa felt that her eldest daughter was slowly falling back into slumber.

She still whispered softly, with a yawn, “Don’t tell them yet, but I like thunderstorms. I love to think that the noises are either dragons fighting in the sky or giants having battles nearby.”

And she fell asleep as well.

“Do you think we should have a closer look at her reading?”

“Honey, she loves fairy tales and she is already clever enough to recognize what kind of books she can read or not yet.”

Vanessa expected a reply, but Nozel only nodded. His eyes were pensive, but caring, looking at his daughters. And at her.

“Is something, honey.”

“No. I just feel so blessed to have the five of you in my life. Nymphea, Valentina, Lavinia, Cassandra and you… you mean the world to me.”

Vanessa smiled, her heart melting again. She knew that it was never easy for Nozel put this into words, even today it wasn’t always easy. But she also that it came from his heart.

“For me as well, Nozel.”

She kissed him good night and both parents fell asleep as well, their four wonderful daughters slumbering around them. This was their family.