#Explore the Best Hill Stations

[bharatbriefs]

Explore the Best Hill Stations in South India for an Unforgettable Vacation

Explore the Best Hill Stations in South India for an Unforgettable Vacation South India is blessed with some of the most picturesque and scenic hill stations, each offering a unique and unforgettable vacation experience. From the lush greenery of the Nilgiri Hills to the enchanting Anaimalai Hills and the serene Ananthagiri Hills, there is no shortage of natural beauty to explore in these hill…

[guideoflife]

[forcenewz]

20 Best Places to Visit in India 2024

Are you planning to visit the best places to explore in india? In this blog, ForceNewz shares the 20 best places to visit in india with images and provides a list of the best time to visit the best places. Explore the stunning tourist places in india. Check the best months to visit Varanasi Uttar Pradesh india here!

[bookitngo]

Book Hotel In India, visitors will get different types of accommodations, as per their preferences and budget. Experience the authentic culture of India by booking your hotel, from luxurious resorts to affordable hotels. 

 Book Flight Explore India’s vibrant culture and natural beauty with a flight that takes you straight to this land of wonders. Book your flight now and experience the magic of India. Contact Information Head Office 18 Technology Drive Suite 206, Irvine, CA 92618 Phone No. : 9493298181

[yelenasdiary]

Party's Over

Pairing: Police Officers! WandaNat x Fem! Daughter! Reader, Kate Bishop x Fem! Reader

Summary: Sneaking out on a Thursday night to join your girlfriend at a party wasn’t what your mothers thought they’d be dealing with when one of them gate crashes the party.

Warnings: Angst, Some Fluff Mentions of underage drinking, Language Warning, mentions of drugs, Reader is 17, so is Kate, Slightly Overprotective Parents, Character Death ?? | 2.2K

AC: I hope you all enjoy this little idea I had x

Music filled the house party full of teenagers from several different high schools, red cups full of beer in the hands of most, people scattered throughout the house, some in the pool and others in small groups of their own. You snuck out after hours ago to join your girlfriend, Kate, for a bit of rule breaking fun. 

Kate, wearing black jeans and her archery club dark purple t-shirt, could barely keep her hands off you, especially when you were wearing the leather jacket that she had gotten you for valentine's day, a plain black t-shirt underneath finished with black jeans and a pair of your mom's black combat boots. Kate placed a kiss on your neck while her warms were wrapped around you from behind as you poured another two beers for you both, "wanna go upstairs?" she whispered. 

A soft smirk tugged at your lips, you nodded, placing the beers on the table before following your girlfriend upstairs to an empty bedroom. Kate knew you weren't ready for anything physical, and she respected that, the furthest the two of you had got was a steamy make out session whenever you were home alone, tonight was no different. Kate gently brushed your hair out of the view of your neck, "may I?" she looked up at you, you knew what she was asking, "just small ones" you replied. 

Her lips pressed against the skin on your neck, lightly sucking to leave a faint but noticeable mark, she left a total of four hickeys on your neck before her lips were pressed against yours once more, your tongues exploring each other, too distracted to hear the loud yelling from downstairs over the music. 

"Yeah, yeah! Save it!" The police officer shook her head, "The party is over! Now I suggest you all get out of my sight before I take everybody down to the station and call your parents!" she added, grabbing a plastic red cup out of a party goers' hand, "and I am sure they won't be happy with the fine they'll get for underage drinking!" She went on. The house quickly went form a fun party to teenagers dropping their drinks and rushing to get out of the house. 

"I'll check upstairs" the red head's partner commented before walking up the stairs, "Who's house is this?" the officer looked around at those who didn't move, raising a brow when neither answered. 

"Alright kids, that's enough" A voice interrupted your make out session, Kate's hands all over your arse. "Parties over" the officer added when you pulled yourself away from your girlfriend, rolling your eyes at being caught. The officer followed you and Kate downstairs where you heard a familiar voice. Your heart skipped a beat when you came eye to eye with your mother, Natasha. 

"Y/n" she said your name sternly, full of disappointment, "Kate" she said in the same tone as her eyes shifted to Kates. You knew you were in deep shit, especially when you were supposed to be at home and studying for next week's history exam. Your mother looked back at you, her jaw clenching as she tried to keep from giving you a lecture in front of everybody, "Officer Hill, could you please take these two outside" she added without breaking the strong eye contact with you. 

----

"Mom, can we please just go home?" you asked while sitting on the seat by her desk, your arms crossed while your mother gave you the silent treatment. "The best thing you can do right now is keep quiet!" she replied, shooting a disappointed look your way. You rolled your eyes once more before looking across the room to your girlfriend and giving her a soft 'I'm sorry' type of smile. Just then, Nat rose from her seat and walked over to Kate, you watched from your seat but were unable to hear a word that was said. 

"Does Clint know you were out tonight?" Natasha asked the blue-eyed girl, she shook her head, "No Mrs Romanoff, I told him I was staying at your place tonight with Y/n to study" Kate replied with the honest truth, she knew better to lie to a cop, let alone Natasha Romanoff. 

"Right. I'm going to give him a call, I'll have one of the offices take you home" Natasha spoke sternly seeing how scared Kate was from getting into trouble with the red head. "Another thing" she paused, looking directly into Kate's eyes, "I know you and Y/n have been dating for a while but if I ever catch her with hickeys on her neck again, you won't be seeing her any longer, do you understand?" 

Kate nodded, "I understand, I'm really sorry Mrs Romanoff" she replied. 

"Good, Officer Hill will take you home, I'm going to call Clint now." 

You watched your mother wander back to her desk and pick up the phone, your eyes drifted over to take and mouthed "what did she say?" but Kate just shook her head, making you mad at your mother for whatever was said. 

----

"What did you say to Kate?!" you demanded as your mother opened the door to your home, "Go upstairs to your room!" Nat replied, ignoring your question as you stormed into the living room. Wanda paused her sitcom and looked at the two of you confused. 

"What's going on? Why are you dressed and why are you home so early?" she asked, standing up from the sofa. Natasha was set to knock off work at 2am but here she was at 11pm. 

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Nat looked at you while her hands worked on taking off her gun holster belt. Full of frustration, you turned to your mom. "I snuck out, okay?! I snuck out and went to a party with Kate! I don't see what the big deal is! I am 17 for god's sake" you snapped. Wanda wasn't impressed with your actions but she was always the calmer parent when it came to conflict. "Now tell her about the marks on your neck" Natasha added. 

"Oh what?!" you moved your hair to the side, showing your mother the hickeys that Kate left behind, "these?! Just some fucking hickeys?!" you added. 

"That is enough! You do not speak to me like that! Do you understand how worried your mother and I would be if something happened to you?! Did you even stop to think about that? You are still a teenager!" Natasha's voice rose with anger, deep down her own fears were beginning to show. 

"Honey" Wanda walked up to her wife, "go take a shower and calm down, let me take this one" she added in her soft tone that always helped Natasha take a moment to breathe. 

"God!" you snapped once more, "you act like I am supposed to be this perfect child and do nothing wrong, all I ever do is do good by you and the one time I want to do something for myself you act like it's the end of the world!" you added, Wanda turned around and now both your parents were looking at you. "Do you know how fucking annoying and embarrassing it is to have the entire school know that my mothers are police officers" you went on just as Wanda opened her mouth to say something, "I never get invited to parties because nobody wants you two to show and up ruin it just like you did tonight! Now everybody is going to think it's my fault!" You finished before storming upstairs to your room, slamming the door shut. 

Of course, your mothers knew their job title would eventually cause an unspoken issue but after seeing your little outburst, they only just now saw how much their jobs were affecting your social life. 

After a while, Wanda came knocking on your door. "Honey, can we talk?" she asked, poking her head in. You tossed your phone to the other side of your bed and sat up as Wanda walked in and sat down on the edge of your bed. "Don't give me that lecture about mom loving me so much and she is only mad because she cares, please" you sighed. 

"But you're right on that sweetheart, she does love and care about you so much, you're our baby" your mother reached for your hand, "do you know what we see every single day on our job?" Wanda asked causing you to roll your eyes, "I know, I get it" you huffed. 

"Honey, please, listen to me" your mother tilted her head ever so slightly, "you're 17, you're young and you're going to do things that mom and I aren't going to agree with but at the end of the day, you're our little girl. No matter how tall you are, you'll be 50 and still our little girl, your safety is so important to us.

Mom told me what she said to Kate, she doesn't mean that. You're just growing up so fast and now you're dating, it worries us, but I know you're safe and Kate is a lovely woman and I hope she isn't to upset with your mom" Wanda couldn't help but brush a lock of hair behind your ear, "I know our jobs take a toll on you and I spoke to mom, she's going to drop the possession charges on the brothers who lived there but I can't let you sneaking out slide. You broke our trust a little tonight, so I am only doing this because I love you and I want you to really understand that" she went on. 

"Mom, please! it was one time" you sighed knowing that your punishment was coming. 

"Hopefully the last. You're grounded, no going to Kate's this weekend"

"Mom! You've gotta be kidding me!?" You snapped, pulling your hands away from your mother.

"I'm sorry love, but it's only fair" 

----

 The weekend went by slowly, not only were you not allowed to stay at your girlfriends for the weekend but Natasha and Wanda both agreed to confiscate your phone for the weekend. You spent the whole of Saturday in your room, ignoring your mothers whenever they came by, they knew you were upset but so were they. Come Monday morning and you were over the whole ideal. 

"Good morning" you smiled as you took a seat at the dinner table, Wanda made a quick eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, all three of you were at school and work today. "Somebody seems happier today" Natasha replied as she looked up from the newspaper, Wanda pouring herself a mug of coffee while you took a sip of your orange juice. 

"Yeah, I did some thinking and I guess you guys were right to be worried and I am really sorry" you explained. Both your mothers looked at you, Wanda smiled softly, "I'm glad you see the situation from our shoes" she spoke.

"But" you looked to Nat, "mom, you can't talk to Kate like you did. I know you want to protect me from literally everything, but I trust Kate and she's always been so caring and respectful towards me. Thursday night was the first time she'd ever left marks on me, and I liked it and if the time comes and I want to sleep with her, I will" you added before taking a bite out of your toast, leaving Natasha speechless. You rose from your seat, your toast still between your lips.

"You're leaving already?" Wanda asked, slightly assumed. 

"Yeah, I have a test today and I want to get there early to see Kate" you replied, grabbing your backpack before wandering over to Nat and placing a kiss on her cheek, "I love you mom, have a good day" you spoke before doing the same to Wanda, grabbing your phone from her before leaving the house. 

"Love you too honey!" You mothers called out in sync. 

----

You knew you'd have the house to yourself after school, so it wasn't a surprise that you invited Kate over to make up for the lost time from the weekend. Upstairs in your bedroom, laying in Kates arms as she read you her English essay while her fingers ran through your hair, her voice calming you from the build-up of nerves that you had felt all day. 

"Mrs Potts is totally going to fail me on this" Kate chuckled as she threw her essay to the side once she finished reading it. "Don't say that! you'll pass! It covers everything the assessment said to cover" you replied, looking up at her. Kate frowned slightly, "what's going baby?" she asked seeing the uncertain look in your eyes. You sat up slowly and shook your head lightly, "I don't know, something feels off ever since lunch, I'm probably just stressed about todays test" you replied trying to brush off the uneasy feeling you were having. 

Just then, you heard the front door open, "Mom's home! I'm going to ask if you can stay for dinner" you smiled, leaving Kate in your bedroom as you wandered down the stairs. One look at your mother and that uneasy feeling suddenly made sense. 

"M-mom?" You questioned looking at her, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Mom, what happened?!" you asked, fearing the worst.

Taglist: @itsmv3 | @katiemay-025 | @romanoffs-widow | @maria-403 | @boredandneedfanfics | @wandamaximoffspuppup | @xox-little-troublemaker-xox | @shibugs | @music-4ever | 

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I am still decompressing from four days of driving, but I am intensely pleased that I got to spend a few hours walking the full six-mile loop at Konza Prairie Biological Station in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. I've been to plenty of old-growth forests, but this was my first time getting to explore an old-growth tallgrass prairie, and the oak groves that often form in low-lying areas. It was saved from being plowed under by all the dolomite stone just under the soil which made agriculture too difficult, other than cattle grazing. After driving for hours through cornfields and pastures full of non-native pasture grasses, it was such a relief to be able to immerse myself in a place that looks much like this entire landscape did for thousands of years. I know they're still doing restoration work there, since fire suppression has caused some imbalances, and of course the extermination of bison, but it's one of the best examples of North American tallgrass prairie still available today.

I have a lot more thoughts ruminating about this experience, but for now, enjoy a few pictures.

[cherryrainn]

can you do triple s (sonic, shadow, silver)(separate) best friends with reader headcanons?

━━ ✧ 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

─ ✩ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ; sonic + reader, shadow + reader, silver + reader (all platonic)

─ ✩ 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ; i love all these new requests i'm getting! of course i can do this for you. here you go.

─ ✩ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ; none

─ ✩ 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 ; none

𝙎𝙊𝙉𝙄𝘾 ★

sonic notices when you're feeling down, even if you try to hide it. he stays up with you into the early hours of the morning, sitting with you in silence or letting you vent about what's bothering you.

on particularly tough days, sonic takes you for a high-speed run through green hill zone or other scenic spots. the rush of the wind and the beauty of the landscapes provide a brief escape from your troubles.

sonic opens up to you about his own challenges, reminding you that even heroes have their moments of doubt. he assures you that it's okay to feel vulnerable and that you're not alone in your struggles.

sonic and you embark on spontaneous adventures, exploring new zones and discovering hidden paths together. the laughter and thrill of the journey bond you even closer.

sonic treats you to his favorite chili dogs at a cozy corner in station square. the two of you chat, joke, and create new memories while enjoying the comfort food.

when you're in need of a mood boost, sonic teaches you some of his signature dance moves. the two of you end up laughing uncontrollably as you try to keep up with his lightning-fast footwork.

just remember, even the fastest hedgehog has days when he stumbles.

𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘋𝘖𝘞 ★

shadow has a knack for picking up on your mood shifts, even when you're trying to hide them. he may not be the best with words, but he sits with you in silence, offering his presence as a source of comfort.

when you need space, shadow understands better than anyone. he doesn't push you to talk; instead, he joins you in your solitude, letting you know he's there without overwhelming you.

on your worst days, shadow leaves a simple note or a small gift by your side. these thoughtful gestures remind you that someone cares about your well-being.

despite his serious demeanor, shadow surprises you with spontaneous adventures. from racing through the fields to exploring hidden caves, these unexpected moments lead to some of your fondest memories.

you find solace in watching the stars together. shadow may not show it, but he enjoys these moments of quiet connection, where the vastness of the universe reminds you both of the bigger picture.

you discover that shadow has a dry, often sarcastic sense of humor. you share inside jokes and witty banter that only the two of you understand, creating moments of laughter amidst your adventures.

𝘚𝘐𝘓𝘝𝘌𝘙 ★

silver has a strong sense of empathy and is quick to notice when you're feeling down. he approaches you gently, offering a kind ear and genuine concern, creating a safe space for you to open up.

when you're troubled, silver's psychic abilities sometimes pick up on your emotions. he visits you to share his visions of hope, assuring you that brighter days are ahead.

when you're feeling overwhelmed, silver uses his psychokinesis to create a soothing environment. the gentle movement of objects and calming energies help alleviate your stress.

silver takes you on journeys through different eras, giving you a firsthand look at the past and future. these trips create unforgettable memories and deepen your connection.

you and silver bond over shared interests, like stargazing or reading. learning about his love for constellations or his favorite books becomes a source of joy and understanding.

silver surprises you with lighthearted pranks using his psychic abilities. your laughter and camaraderie strengthen as you engage in good-natured tricks and friendly retaliation.

[niuniente]

Hey Niu~ Do you have any smaller wonders you'd recommend visiting in Japan

Sure!

OSAKA

If you go to Osaka around the end of a month, there's a monthly temple flea market in the Shitennoji temple yard. It's arranged on 21st and 22nd of each month, and regular people are selling there their old stuff, as well as booths selling vintage kimonos, yukatas, haoris etc., ceramics, decorations, lots of antique items, statues etc. Take a subway to Tennoji station, the temple is next it. Read more here!

In Osaka, near Tenma JR railwaystation, is a takoyaki shop owned by an 86 year old lady called Hiroko. She's been making takoyakis for 60 years in that shop. You might have seen this image set of Hiroko giving a piece of her mind about people complaining that her food is too yellow (if not, see it - it's hilarious!) Her shop is called たこ焼き 寛子（ひろこ), Takoyaki Hiroko (Hiroko). The address is 5 Chome-6-3 Tenjinbashi, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0041, Japan. If you use subway, get off at Ogimatchi station to get to her store.

If you love toys and anime merch, there are two good spots for these in Osaka; one is the famous Den Den Town and other one is Kiddy Land in Umeda.

You can get to Den Den Town the easiest from Nipponbashi metro station. Just head towards south. You can also walk from Namba to Den Den Town as it's just right the next corner.

Kiddy Land is a bit harder to locate in the gigantic Hankyuu department store (which is like multiple building spreading across the whole Umeda) but you can get there the best from Umeda station. Kiddy Land has lots of toy stores, like Miffy, San-X, and a mixed store of everything cute, and also a Lego store. If you go out from the building from the door next to the Lego store, you can walk a few ten meters to a big Loft-store. It also has some merch, typically San-X and Sanrio and Disney stuff, but on the top floor of the same building there's an anime store. They sell lots of art books, replica swords and also special collectible statues like Japanese deities.

Special mentioning goes to the Namba Daiso (Namba Daiso Nansan-dori). It has 5 floors, all stuff with 100 yens. It's very near Namba metro station, easy to find! If you want to get super fancy and you've got a big budget, the Takashimaya department store is near this Daiso. You can find all kind of food items there, some with ridiculous prices. There's also Daimaru department store in Namba in close proximity - they sell fresh made taiyaki cakes in the bottom floor's food section.

KYOTO

Near Kyoto, you can find a small town of Arashiyama. It is the most well-known for its ancient wooden bridge and bamboo forests. People go just walk around into the bamboo forest. Many movies and TV series has been filmed in that forest. There's a direct train service to Arashiyama from Kyoto. Arashiyama is especially gorgeous at the end of November when the fall has arrived to Kansai area. It's apparently also super pretty during cherry flower season in spring. There are lots of temples in a small area, too, if you want to explore them.

(Here's the famous bridge).

In Kyoto, there's a design shop of SOU SOU. Now, SOU SOU makes and sells handmade tabi shoes, kimonos, yukatas, string bags, dishware, and wonderful print tabi socks but they also have their own, traditional Japanese café at their Kyoto store called Sou Sou Zaifu. You can get only coffee and matcha tea here - the order is hand made in order in front of you. It's very quiet and idyllic, intimate place. I accidentally went here to find shelter from a rain and it was so lovely. Even the shop itself is worth the visit, if you're interested in fashion and design! Read more here.

(Sou Sou Zaifu cafe. It seems the same guy is still working here. He was very friendly!)

TOKYO

If you travel in Tokyo, about 45 minutes by train from Tokyo is the city of Saitama. Saitama has a Sayama Hills at Tokorozama, which is also known as The Totoro Forest. Hayao Miyazaki has taken inspiration to Totoro from Sayama Hills. It was hard to find any information of this place in English (and even in Japanese!) in the past, but nowadays there's information in English. Read more here (with a Japanese map)

[scotianostra]

Ooh, what’s Edinburgh like? Moving there next year hopefully, from Africa, and after a few quick trips I can’t say I’ve gotten too much of a sense of the city :(

I'm kinda biased, but it's a good place, quite small and easy to get around, the main bus serice is Lothian Buses, for a flat fare of £2 you can get from ato b on one bus, for £5 cash you can hop on and off, the best value is paying by debit card , what they call TapTapCap from as little as £4.80 per day and £22 per week, so if you are one 3 or more buses in one day it caps at £4.80, and £22 is the most you will pay fr a week. The bus service is very good and I use their bustracker, find it on Google Play "My Bus Edinburgh" The vast majority of Museums and Art Galleries are free, only charges tend to be if there are special exhibitions, like The National Museum of Scotland had a Doctor Who exhibition last year. There are two main train stations, Waverley and Haymarket, and several small ones and stops.

Most people don't realise that Edinburgh and the surrounding areas have some great beaches, Portobello is the best in the city, ad has plenty of places to eat and drink at there. Cramond Beachis a mecca for dog walkers, there is a Causeway there where you can explore Cramond Island, just watch the tide times. There are plenty of parks and green spaces, the city is officially the greenest city in the UK, with almost half the city (49.2%) being classed as 'green space'.

If you are relatively fit there are plenty hills to climb to get great views, some are very easy, Calton Hill, Corstorphine to name but two. Arthur's Seat offers different routes to the summit of varying difficulty, but you can actually drive so far up and just make the easy climb to the top, there are three man made "Lochs" around Arthur's Seat, if you're lucky you will see Otters at Dunsapie, Duddingston and St Margarets have plenty swas and ducks. For more serious walkers the Pentland Hills are a great place to explore, there is even a herd of oor Highland "Hairy Coos" up there. If you can ski, there is a dryslope on The Pentlands, the longest in the UK.

Pubs and clubs are a plenty, I have no idea of your age as you have decided to remain anon, but many places cater for students, prices vary, I pay between £2 and £4 for my drinks, although the touristy places will charge you up to twice this amount, over £6 for a drink is not unusual.

Of course we have the Festival, well there are several throughout the year, Edinburgh gets the tag of Festival City at times. The main one is in August and the population of Edinburgh is said to double in the time, licensed premises are automatically given an extension to their opening hours, some open to 5 in the morning.

It's a safe city  with a low crime rate, but as with other places you have to be aware of your own safety. If you plan on taking in the paid attractions The Castle wil set you back about £20, as will The Palace of Holyrood House. Opposite the Palace is The Scottish Parliament, you can visit thisfor free and sit in while it is in session. If you are planning on venturing around Scotland and like your history I recommend a membership of Historic Scotland, again I don't know your age, but prices start at under £3 a month and are less than a fiver for adults over 24. National Trust of Scotland also offer meberships from £3.35 to £5.80.

Can't really think of much more to put for now, perhaps my followers can make suggestions, or ask questions?

Oh and pack your umbrella get a waterproof jacket, even in summer we can get some heavy showers, naturally you will be aware it can get cold as well, invest in a decent winter jacket and layers to keep warm.

I hope this has been helpful.

[poisonhemloc]

Why is Chert on the ‘best place in the system to see astronomical events’ when it’s. Not? Ember Twin is right next to the sun; it’s a huge part of their view no matter where they go and it's blocking out a big chunk of what they can see. Even just the Attlerock’s north pole is almost definitely a better spot.

So, the biggest thing, someone had to be on the Twins. Not on Ash Twin, cause it’s starting the loop full of sand, but Ember Twin is fine to start on.

Which derails me from why Chert is Where they are (I’ll come back to it I promise) to why Chert is How they are- if they’re on Ember Twin, why have they not found the Sunless City yet? Pretty universally (I know my launch order isn’t the word of god one but I’ve chosen my hill to die on) Chert is one of the older astronauts, how have they been on Ember Twin for a while and not found it?

Because they’re not an explorer of anything in our system. They’re observing the stars, not exploring the Twins beyond what they need to. Their exploring in their system- the Attlerock, the quantum grove on Timber Hearth, the locator on Ember Twin’s south pole- is done for right now, and they settled to start observing and updating star charts. Anything now is just shooting their scout around to glance at things. So, no exploration under the surface, but, between them mentioning the tunnels under the surface and them telling you about the Nomai wreck on Ember Twin, you have a good idea that something exists under the crust here, just like Brittle Hollow. (Also of off topic note, the Twins are also the only planet(s) that don’t have anything of Feldspar having been there- the only sign of Hearthian life is Chert’s notes on the locator on the south pole and Chert themself on the north pole.) You can’t have an adventurous or archeology minded Chert without them having found something of the Sunless City and erasing the player’s status as the Hearthian who discovers that. You could have a lazy Chert, but Chert’s major reason for being in the game requires them to be an astronomer. And that role, in game, is to be your first (or second, if you’re observant) hint that no, you can’t save everything, that’s not your end goal here. A lot of people do get blindsided by the knowledge in the Sun Station, but, both Chert’s progressive panic attack and the visible supernovae littering the sky exist to give you hints before you get there. 

And coming off of that, Chert is the only traveler without a separate mention when you’re in the village. Gneiss and Hornfels both tell you about all three active astronauts in one sentence, then Feldspar is talked about specifically by Hornfels, Gneiss, and Tephra, Esker is mentioned by Hornfels and Marl, Riebeck is mentioned by Hal and Moraine, Gabbro is mentioned by Hal and Spinel, and no one brings up Chert except in the context of everyone else (And their exhibit in the museum- the supernova one. Chert and Gabbro both have mentions there- Gabbro is the traveler with the second most mentions in the village, because Riebeck doesn’t have anything in the museum). And this is mostly because directing you to Chert first, or very early on, gives the game away. Most of their dialogue is about what’s happening with the sun- if you make it to them, even just as your second stop that first loop, you’re gonna be told everything is dying, way before you have the thread of hope that you can fix whatever the Nomai did to make the sun blow up! So it’s better to let the player make their way to Chert… later. I think, in as much as there’s an ‘intended’ order to meet the other travelers, Chert is second to last on the list, but they don’t need everything Feldspar the puzzle piece needs. 

And all of that is also why Chert is on Ember Twin, not anywhere else in the system. Hornfels directs you to the Attlerock if you tell them you’re starting with something small- it’s likely to be one of the first places someone will go, or an early stop, and (I’ll touch on this again for Esker but) you don’t go back. So putting Chert, with dialogue that changes throughout the loop, on the Attlerock, means they’re probably not going to fulfill their in-game role. And again, while further away from the sun would be better for their observing, Brittle Hollow’s surface is too dangerous due to the meteors, Giant’s Deep has that atmosphere, and Dark Bramble is No. The Twins are the only place that really makes sense for Chert to be on, with the front row tickets to the supernova that’s going to kill them included. 

As a minor note to end it, to actually be effective observing, Chert has to be on one of the poles- and placing them at the north pole makes them a handy landmark on the way to the lakebed cave, since that trail starts at the bottom of the dry lakebed they’re camping on. Once you have an idea of where you’re going you can land next to Chert and Drop.

[furrbbyx]

The Orc’s Obsession: Chapter 1

Basically finished my first yandere. I still do have to write a short epilogue.

It’s a bout 10k words and one of the longest things I’ve written. This is cross posted on AO3 under the same username. 

EXPLICIT and wrong. Please don’t emulate these actions. It was written for fun and none of these characters are real or based on real people.

18+ NSFW MDNI dubcon kidnapping tale of orcXf!reader

Bagul and you are more or less friends. You've known that he has a crush on you for months because he's not subtle.

You had been fatefully introduced at a party by a mutual where he followed you around until you left. Than event turned into a group text with your other mutuals so when anyone planned an event he would inevitably be there waiting to chat your ear off or hover while you interacted with others. Then he started showing up at your job at Drink Me, an artisan drink shop that served all kinds of creatures. he'd linger there trying to spend time impressing you, or getting to know you, or give you gifts. It was embarrassing and annoying and you saw him as a pathetic lovesick orc who couldn't catch a hint in that big skull of his.

You've been very clear with Bagul that you like him as a friend. You don't encourage the gifts and you try to only spend time with him in a group setting. it's easy to brush him off when the shop is busy, but during lulls it's exhausting to force a smile and interest until he leaves for the day. Honestly you've thought about quitting just to get rid of the flight response you've started having when it's time to go in for your shift.

Bagul has been relentless with his affection though and he is just as clear with you that he's not giving up.

Even so, you've somehow ended up in the sidecar of his enormous motorcycle as he drives you into the countryside, away from the city. For weeks the friend group has been planning to take advantage of a camping trip before the summer ends. You personally couldn't make up a good reason not to go even when Bagul offered his father's old hunting cabin for the rendezvous. You knew you would be miserable trying to avoid him in such a close setting for days. He'd also insisted on being the one to drive you since you didn't have a car.

Some of your friends thought his actions were cute because they wanted you, one of the only single people in the group, to feel the bliss of being coupled; or some such bullshit. But you had confided in your best friend Kalani that you were aromantic and completely uninterested in a stalker orc boyfriend. Theyd promised to stick by your side during the trip and even pretend to be your lover if it would make him finally understand.

But Kalani wasn't here.

Uuuuugh, you groan inwardly.

This is such a shit show.

Even if the ride outside of town was beautiful. Not long after leaving the last of the villages that surrounded your town, which was the urban center of of the local city, the landscape turned pastoral and golden-green with ripening fields. You especially enjoy the rolling hills covered in wild grasses and flowers. You had expected the wind to be terrible riding in the side car with him. Though it was loud, thanks to a little windshield it wasn't so bad that you'd be blowing bugs out of your nose later.

He stops once to fuel up. You get out to explore the old lodge turned country store that accompanied the fuel stations. You explore the aisles of kitchy toys until you are slowly lured by a delicious smell to the back of the store. There you find a huge display case full of every fried food known on Earth. Huge baked sweet potatoes dripping in brown sugar and butter are cozied up next to fried dough, pizza sticks, chicken wings and heaps of other delectables. It looks like they even serve funnels cakes and fried cookie dough balls you notice, reading the menu pasted up high on the wall behind the counter.

You are just deciding what you wanted when you feel a hot body slide close behind you, looming over your space. The tiny hairs on your arms stand up.

"Hey don't wander around unfamiliar places Y/N. Stay close to me, ok?" Bagul places his hand on your shoulder with squeeze as he bends down to say this in your ear. You side step his touch.

"I'm fine. This place has a great selection. I think I'll get some snacks for later."

"Are you sure you should be eating...?" he starts in but he puts up his hands to ward off the sharp look you give him and keeps his mouth shut.

Bagul hovers around you as you make your selections, and he even points out his own favorites and shakes his head at the not so great options. He tells the mothman working behind the counter to make your potatoes in a way called the lodge special which was sure to put you into a food coma. You are able to let some of your prickliness go. Even though he takes over some of the ordering by picking things for you, he'd pays for everything, and he knew this place so it's a good idea to trust his judgement. At least on the local food.

Your good mood lasts until Bagul turns off of the road. The air shifts to blow a little cooler as Bagul drives you up and into the hills where the grasses turn to woods. It smells fresh and calming. Yet your anxiety is ramping up. You hope people will be at the cabin before you and Bagul arrive so that you could enjoy some distance between you. Enjoying this trip meant ignoring him as much as you could.

Bagul steers the motorcycle slowly down into a long driveway between lots of trees. The packed earth winding road is long and from what you can tell this cabin is on acres of land. You look back and you can't see the road or hear any cars driving by. In a blink the tall wooden cabin pops out, sitting well maintained in a clearing. Your heart sinks. No other cars are parked up against the house.

"I guess we got here first" he says cutting the bike's engine and pulling off his helmet.

You and he unpack his bike and reorganize the items inside. You grab a pizza stick to nibble and he shows you around. The cabin is orc sized. There's tons of room. There's only one chair in the kitchen pushed up at an simple Formica table, which is a little weird. But after thinking for a second you imagine that it'll be a snack table anyway. You and the others will probably need Bagul's help to reach anything you notice. The table and the counters are almost as high as your chin. There's a common area just inside the door, with comfy looking sagging couch in front of a modest smart tv mounted on the wall.

"Down this hall is a half bath." Bagul informs you. "And further back is a bedroom with the full bathroom. Nice shower in there."

Well that's fine you think. The common area is big enough for you to all pile in like a werewolf litter and one of the couples can use the bedroom if they need some privacy. You relax a little. This wont be so bad.

"Hey come on, I'll show you around outside Y/N. There's a really nice lake around here too." You go and view the grounds with him. You are excited to see a fire pit, most likely where everyone will eat, and a little outdoor pump shower. You help Bagul dump some wood nearby and listen while he tells you about the lake, he points in the direction through the trees, how his father had built this place to come grieve while hunting after his wife had died, and how good it was to be back.

It's nice and all but you're going to run out of polite conversation soon if one of your friends doesn't show up soon. You wonder if they are close.

You reach into you back pocket and frown.

"Have you seen my phone?"

Bagul shakes his head and dusts wood shavings from his chest. His thick rounded pecs strain the dark t-shirt he's wearing. He walks towards the cabin.

"I'm gonna get up some beers. Check the sidecar." He says to you looking back briefly. You frown and pat your pockets, then go check to see if it's there. Maybe you brought it in with all of the fried food? But you don't find it in the side car.

Bagul returns and hands you a beer with a condescending look on his inhuman face.

"Are you sure you didn't leave it at home?"

You scoff. He often makes comments implying you're forgetful, or unreliable.

"I had it at the lodge" you say. Bagul shrugs and flips his long braid behind his shoulder and tucks a loose strand of the his straight auburn tresses behind his ear.

"Maybe you left it there." You take a long swallow of beer instead of cussing him out. You walk back into the cabin and start searching through your things for your phone.

Bagul follows you inside of course. While you search you hear him unpacking the food. By the time you angrily finish your beer the smells of food are filling the air. You're a little drunk now. Drunk and annoyed enough to give up looking with huff. You just want more that big potato and another beer.

"Can you put on some music?"

Bagul nods eagerly and streamed music through the tv. It was one of you favorite artists, Boys Bewitched.

"You listen to w-pop?"

Bagul shrugs.

"You can't escape good music. They play it on the radio all the time it's hard not to like it."

You roll your eyes.

Yeah right. He's obviously only listening to get to me, you think to yourself. He's just that type. Boys Bewitched is a wildly popular singing group. There are 5 insanely hot creatures and humans in the group, and they have a mostly femme fan base. Their gothic ballads about love and spells gone wrong are topping all the witch-pop charts.

Bagul would become a fan just so he'd have another reason to get you to talk to him. He never missed the chance to overhear a conversation you had with someone at the drink shop and parrot back the information. It was like he didn't have a personality of his own, other than being your shadow.

You let it go this time. He actually knows the words to this song, and the next one that plays. You pound back another beer, liking that it makes you less annoyed by his deep rumbly voice, and the fact that you're here with him alone. You convince yourself that others will show up soon.

You and he binge on the food and he convinces you start playing a few games to help pass the time.

It's getting dark outside and you are drunk enough to start confusing your words but you suddenly think to get him to use his phone to contact the group. You grow suspicious wondering why he hasn't already done so.

He briefly looks at his phone before shaking his head and putting it away quickly. "No service". He says simply.

You groan loudly and impatiently. "Of course there's no service! Fuck! Do you think they got lost?

He shrugs then grabs your hand "You should calm down, it's not a big deal."

You pull your hand from his and flop onto the couch laying an arm over your eyes.

"There were supposed to be here!" you moan. The drinks and heavy food are getting to you and you feel sleepy. The anxiety of waiting and having lost your phone have also drained your enthusiasm.

"I think I just want to go to sleep."

Bagul perks up.

"Ok yeah, the bed is really comfortable and I promise I don't snore."

You sit up and look at him blearily. "I'm not sleeping with you Bagul. That's a terrible fucking idea. Will you just stop for once? Just leave me alone."

He doesn't answer. You hear him walk away then return a few minutes later before a pile of blankets and pillows are dropped on top of you. You huff and crawl out from under them ready to finally cuss him out but he disappears into the bedroom closing the door with a sharp thud.

It doesn't take long for your to fall asleep on the couch.

When you wake up the next morning you're not in a good mood. Your head hurts and you're upset to find that no one had shown up in the night.

You hear the shower running letting you know that Bagul is already up. You hope he takes you seriously and starts to back off. You're going to ask him to take you home if no one comes today.

You get up and change your clothes in the bathroom before getting a glass of water and a cold chicken wing. Bagul tromps into the room. His ice-green colored skin is gleaming and his hair is still a little damp, wavy and un-braided falling over his shoulders and into his eyes.

"Morning" he growls in greeting. He kisses the top of your head as he slumps on to the couch next to you depressing the cushions enough to cause you to slide against his side. He's wearing grey joggers and another tight shirt.

You scowl, move away, ask abruptly "Has Edina or Fisk or Kalani said anything, did you get any texts? No one's here yet and I'm getting worried. Aren't you?"

Bagul scratches his head and gives you a lopsided grin around his tusks. "You know that's a good point. Where are those guys?"

You feel frustration and you bite back a snarky comment. He gets up and goes to check his phone.

"Oh shit" he says. "I think I gave them the wrong dates. Whoa. How did that happen?"

You want to roll your eyes and yell at him so bad. This is an obvious kidnapping.

"It's ok though. He gives you a hot look and tucks the phone back in his pocket. "That just means we have some time together by ourselves. You know? I'm gonna make breakfast and then we can go to the lake. Can't wait to see that bikini" he leers.

Bagul walks into the kitchen with a swagger and begins making food in the small kitchen across the cabin.

Of course you would get tricked into a weird date . You could bet that Bagul had some help from one of your mutual and when you fund out who you're going to probably be showing them you over-reactive side. Sometimes you get a little obsessive in anger and want to take revenge until your rage softens. In the past you have made some questionable choices like emptying a teacher's lunch into their bookbag when they'd embarrassed you in a class. The teacher had brought soup and you still remember the glee you felt at the windfall of mischief. You had a little trouble feeling regret when you felt like someone had crossed a boundary with you.

Bagul is over-stepping. You are trying to think of a plan to get him to take you back and avoid an argument or other undesirable reaction. Bagul is big and sometimes his moods are unpredictable.

You do want to see the lake so you decided to let him show you around. This is the first time you have truly led him on but you feel like you have to get on his good side to convince him to take you home before the end of the day. This whole trip is irritating as fuck and you are over it. A tantrum from you or Bagul is not going to make it easier.

Breakfast puts you in a good mood. You follow Bagul through the woods to the lake avoiding his lewd gaze. He really likes the bikini you're wearing underneath the sheer body con cover-up.

It's makes you feel self conscious knowing that he's seeing so much of your body. Even with a mesh wrap over you, he looks back at you often leering at your soft cubby body. The lake is beautiful. It's a stunning secluded lake shaped like a bean fed by a creek that you can hear bubbling and sloshing nearby. It's banks are flush with cattails and other tall grasses with the clearing surround sparsely dotted with trees. You enjoy the heat of the early afternoon and the wide blue sky reflecting in the water.

"I used to love jumping in this lake when I was just out here enjoying the summer with my dad and his friends. It's hard to make time to come out here now with all the adulting." Bagul says and gives you a conspiratorial look over his polarized sunglasses.

"Hmm" you offer, not listening.

You are wondering if there are any snapping turtles to be worried about. You set out your towel and cooler on the modest little pier. You are about to take off your mesh sun dress and slip into the water but Bagul is staring. Again! He notices your side eye and hastily edges into the water. While his back is turned you get in the water enjoying the squidgy mud at the bottom. You swim out to the middle of the lake then roll on to your back to watch the sky as you float. For a brief moment the vibe is really soothing. Within moments it's interrupted by Bagul. He's standing over you. The lake only comes up to his waist and you float there looking up into the dark shadow of his face.

"Hey" He says softly.

You swim away.

You play this game with him al day until you're exhausted. You try to enjoy some quiet space and he finds a way to invade. You want to listen to music on the dock, he joins you and talks about all the songs. You decide to go on a hike after lunch and he follows you. You try to drink a beer and read one of the old hunting magazines left by someone, relaxing out by the fire pit, and Bagul is staring at you from the cabin doorway.

You decide you're officially done being passive on this. Bagul has disappeared into the cabin for a little while. When you go in after him you notice a delicious smell and Bagul prepping in the kitchen.

You confront him as he chops some garlic.

"Hey, this is a cute little stunt or whatever Bagul, but it's really too much. I want to go home, like now. I don't know what you were thinking but I'm not staying out here without the others. I came out here to relax with them."

"You can relax with me" Bagul grumbles not looking at you.

"No, I can't. You can't just kidnapp me and think I'm going to fall in love with you. Take me the fuck home!"

You voice is rising. Bagul stills for a long moment then wipes his hands and turns to you. He leans casually against the counter.

"Fine, whatever Y/N. We'll eat and then we can get going."

"What? No, take..."

There's a hard glint in Bagul's eyes as he interrupts you with a deep unyielding tone "We'll eat first" Then he smirks. "Ok?"

Your brows crease, and you feel a little stunned by that. You turn around to go pack your things. You hear him open a bottle of wine, the soft pop of the released cork making you grind your teeth.

He's going to take his fucking time with this, you grumble in your thoughts.

"Let's eat Y/N" he calls to you a while later and you shuffle into the kitchen. He's seated at the table looking confident.

"Where's mine?" You ask

Bagul pats his knee.

You roll you eyes. "Enough Bagul! Like bro, just quit. I'm not sitting on your fucking.." you begin to yell but he cuts you off with a sharp loud slap to the table.

His confident expression doesn't change but his eyes bore into you.

"Look" his voice is condescending and agreeable at once. "I've gone through a lot of trouble Y/N. Yeah maybe bringing you here was a long shot but give me a fucking break. I haven't locked you in a room. I'm just trying to get to know you. Just eat with me, and I'll take you home."

You're stunned again. You feel an undercurrent of aggression in his words, so you reason with yourself that you can be nice to him for another half an hour. You remember your goal to void outbursts. You eye him warily and move close enough that he can pick you up onto his broad thigh. You feel like an absolute doll. You feel distinctly uncomfortable as well.

Bagul clears his throat and pushes a plate of food to you but he doesn't give you the fork. He dangles a morsel from his own plate in your face with it.

You're tempted to just start eating with your hands, but then you decide it's easier to let him feed you.

He does so while you sit in terse silence. You reach for a small cup of wine but Bagul moves it away from you.

"Not yet. Eat more."

You grind your teeth in annoyance, but a while later he finally hands you the drink. He tries to feed you more but you push at his hand.

"Really? Look the food is great. Can we get going now? I want to get to that lodge and see if they have my phone before they close and it's getting late soooo..." you slur the word as a loose-limbed heat fogs your brain

[ya-pucking-nerd]

a lake house love story - r.graves

It’s here!! Summer fic exchange 2k23!! @thomasschabot it’s me hi I’m the problem it’s me (: So many apologies to go out. Sorry to @wyattjohnston because I actually suck at deadlines. #5dayslate Sorry to @thomasschabot because I had an idea for a fic, wrote it out, decided I hated it, deleted it, then didn’t write anything until July 20 (: But in all seriousness, I do hope that you love this fic

Also Ryan definitely did not get traded to Pittsburgh, it simply did not happen. If I don’t look at it, it’s not there.

No warnings, just teeth rotting fluff

Word count 1889

Spring break at Rutgers University was so anticipated because of the time of the year. Most people were tired of the snow and chill, so the need to be down in the Florida sun was almost overwhelming. But, Grace loved the chill. She was from upstate New York. She burned in the sun, and it made her nauseous thinking about spending all day in the heat. So, she decided with her friends to take a trip to Crane Mountain. They invited all of their friends, and friends of friends to help offset the cost. It ended up becoming a trip of her 9 friends plus 16 more guests.

Grace was excited. Being back in upstate New York might offset the slight homesickness she felt. Grace and her best friend Maria were planning on sharing a room and bed. Everyone was paired up and then a few people were going to take the couches.

The group left on Friday afternoon, planning on staying 10 days. The drive didn’t take too long, though her legs were grateful to be free after being cramped up in a car for so long. She took in her surroundings, then took in the beautiful cabin they were going to stay in. The cabin’s background was even more picturesque. Rolling hills surrounded the cabin along with several other cabins where fellow hikers and visitors were staying. She grabbed her bag and joined Maria to quickly claim a room. They were already sharing a bed, so they wanted the opportunity to get first pick so they’d at least get the biggest bed.

Grace had never met most of the group she was traveling with. And she felt almost certain that some of them weren’t even college students. Despite her slight discomfort, Grace was determined to have a good time. Spring break meant no worries about school. Her senior year was coming to an abrupt close, and she just needed this break to find her peace again.

Her face kind of fell when Maria informed her that almost every room besides the master was filled with two beds, so they’d be sharing the room with at least one other person. They would simply have to make do. They spent the next half hour unpacking their necessities while waiting for someone to discover that all the rooms were taken except this one.

In walked a 6’5” man who looked just as startled as Grace and Maria. “Sorry, everywhere else is full. I can take the couch if you want…” he trailed off. Maria started to tell him to get the heck out of their room, but Grace grabbed her hand. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She didn’t even know his name, but she held out her hand.

“I’m Grace. You can have the bed, just if you need to change, use the bathroom. And let us use this room to change.”

“I’m Ryan. And I can definitely do that. Thanks.”

Maria gave Grace the “what are you thinking” look, and if she was being honest, she wasn’t quite sure what she was thinking. She thought he was attractive, and why shouldn’t she get to spend the next 10 days looking at him?

Grace decided to explore the property a bit more. She slipped on a jacket just in case the air turned chilly while she was out. She started down the path towards the pond. She definitely wanted to make good use of it. There was a paddleboard rental station close by. She just knew that would be the most perfect place to watch the sunset. There were so many hiking trails to explore, and the group was planning on taking a sunrise hike at least once.

She came back from exploring and found that some of the guys in the group started on dinner. It smelled so delicious, and she took a seat near the end of the table. Since she didn’t know many people, she figured she could sit with Maria. But Ryan had other plans for her that evening. He grabbed the seat to her left, and shot her a smile while grabbing some dinner rolls. He held one out to her, and she was so shocked, she didn’t take it right away.

“Earth to Grace? Sorry, I just know how hectic this bunch can get when it comes to food, and I wanted you to get a dinner roll before they all disappear,” he laughed. Maria decided to walk in at that moment, and upon seeing Grace with Ryan, she sat on the opposite end of the table. But to her surprise, Grace didn’t even notice. She felt at ease with Ryan, which isn’t a thing that normally happens. They talked all through dinner, like it was just the two of them, not a room of 25 people.

Dinner moved into the backyard of the cabin where a fire was slowly starting to burn. Adirondack chairs and blankets littered the grass around the fire and mini-conversations carried on from dinner. Grace and Ryan moved out onto a blanket further away from the fire to keep their conversation private.

“So how did you get invited on this trip?” Grace asked.

“One of my buddies is dating a girl that was invited on the trip, and he asked if I would come so he could know someone else. Funny thing is, I haven’t seen him since the ride up here. And they took the room with one bed, so I couldn’t crash with them.” He was a bit sheepish about his last statement. “But, I’m glad they did, ‘cause I wouldn’t have met you.”

“I’m glad to have met you, too.”

The night carried on until Grace and Ryan realized they were the last two outside. They giggled and snuck inside, trying their best not to wake anyone up. He kept his promise, changing in the bathroom while Grace changed in their room.

Grace climbed into bed with Maria, but quickly realized that this arrangement would not work. Maria was a small girl, but a huge bed hog. She left Grace about nine inches of mattress to work with. Grace tried to make all nine inches count, but she just couldn’t. She silently resigned herself to sleeping on the floor. She threw her blanket onto the floor as a makeshift area. She found her second blanket and took a pillow from under Maria’s head. It wasn’t the world’s comfiest bed, but it would do.

In the middle of the night, she heard Ryan get up to use the bathroom, but she quickly fell back asleep.

In the morning, Grace woke up in a bed. She was so startled, she jolted up. Taking in her surroundings, she saw Maria in their bed, and she saw her blankets on the floor. And Ryan in them. She was in Ryan’s bed. At first she felt horror, but then it changed to awe. Ryan must have pulled her up and sacrificed his back. She had no idea why.

She gently nudged him with her foot. “Ryan,” she whispered. He grunted softly, but turned towards her. After he wiped the sleepiness from his eyes, he looked at her with the biggest puppy-dog eyes. Grace had to admit, it was pretty adorable.

“I just didn’t want you to have a sore back. I saw you on the floor, and I just couldn’t leave you there.” He was sheepish, but she knew he would do it again.

“But what about your back?” Grace was still fighting the sleepiness in her voice, which made it a little raspy. She hoped that Ryan would say something like “I’ll be fine.” Instead, he completely surprised her by saying, “You keep the bed. I’ll take the couch. I definitely can’t sleep every night on the floor, but you deserve a bed.”

“What? No. Ryan, this is your bed. Last night, Maria was just being a bed hog, and I didn’t want to push her over. It’ll be better tonight and for the rest of the trip.”

Over the next few nights, it kept happening. After a fun day of whatever activities, Grace and Ryan ate dinner together, sometimes with Maria, and then they would be the last to turn in for bed, thus Grace would find Maria being a bed hog. She would swear up and down to Ryan that she was fine taking the floor, but she’d always wake up in a bed and Ryan was always on the floor.

On the last night, Grace and Ryan were talking on the Adirondack chairs again, talking about how much it was going to suck going back to their real lives.

“You’re a university student, right? Where do you go?” Ryan asked. He was sipping a beer, feet kicked up onto the table in front of them. He looked like a dream.

“I am. I go to Rutgers, the Newark campus. It’s been so great, but I’ve been trying to get my name out there for a job, and it has not been successful. And I have to find a place to live. I went on this vacation to kind of clear my head and re-energize because I’ve been so stressed.”

This was music to Ryan’s ears. “I’m in Newark, too! We should hang out more when we get back. I’ve really enjoyed this past week with you. And, if you’re looking for a place, you can stay in mine. I have an extra room. You don’t have to pay rent either. I’m all good.”

Grace’s jaw almost hit the floor. He was being so generous. And she almost couldn’t say no. It was the perfect offer. But, she had to. She barely knew the guy.

“What? Ryan, no. I can’t ask you to do something like that. I was just complaining. I’m going to figure it out.”

“Grace, I’m serious about it. I’m already there. And I like you a lot. I’d like to see where life takes us.” His smile was shy but so adorable. He wasn’t able to quite make eye contact with you. Grace felt her heart flutter. Butterflies and fireworks and all the movie cliches. Her cheeks must be tomato-red by now.

“I like you, too, Ryan. I’m really happy we met. And that you came into our room.”

“Let’s head to bed, yeah? We have a lot of traveling tomorrow.” He held out his hand, which Grace gladly took. Together, they walked back to the cabin, smiles as wide as anything.

When they got to the room, Ryan pulled Grace into a hug, and whispered into her ear so he wouldn’t wake Maria up, “You take the bed.”

“Only if you cuddle me.” Grace whispered back, shocked at her forwardness. She wasn’t known for being the type of person who asked for what she wanted.

Ryan nodded his head and said, “I was hoping you’d say that. I’m a great cuddler.” And he really was. Grace climbed into his bed, and immediately felt the warmth he radiated. He wrapped his arms around her. The next morning, they woke up to Maria’s gasp. “Guys! I knew it!” She was beaming ear-to-ear. Ryan kissed Grace’s forehead, and whispered, “I could get used to this.” He winked at her before rolling over to answer what would undoubtedly be Maria’s onslaught of questions.

~fin.~

Tagging some moots to enjoy :) @typical-simplelove @jostystyles @2manytabsopen @fallinallincurls @imagines-r-s @islesnucks

[legofanguy]

Road Trip AUgust

A Inuyasha, Legend of Zelda, Swtor, World of Warcraft, Wildstar, Urusei Yatsura, and Fairy Tail crossover for @promptsbytaurie event AUgust 2024 day 8 road trip AU, featuring my original characters.

A group of families from New York are on a road trip across the USA. The first stop on the road is Hocking Hills in Ohio, and the families park their RVs at the camp site. The younger children run to play in the playground as their older siblings and parents set up the camp, with Inuyasha, one of the fathers, moving a table with his daughter Moroha as his wife Kagome get the food ready.

At their camp site, Charlotte Hyrule hold her phone up as she try to get a signal and she ask her mother Zelda while her father Link is put the heavy stuff up, "Mom, where can I get a signal for my phone?" and Zelda tell her older daughter, "Charlotte, the whole point of this trip is to not be on your phone." and Charlotte is spechless.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's young sister Sonia check out the camp with sisters Towa and Setsuna. The camp look nice and it has a swimming pool, but some parts of it look a little old.

At the Mirsan family camp site, the twin girls Kin'u and Gyokuto laugh about the green hair boy Kitaro Moroboshi as he try to start a fire for his little sister Nyoko and her best friend Nasha Dragneel. At the table, their younger brother Hisui is playing a card game with Michael Shan, Ash Dorne, Petra Spar, Kevin Piece, Max Revel, Samson Cadera, and Tao Yaza.

At his family RV, Gramakk the orc read a guide on Hocking Hills as his wife Zanawe put their son Kokdutu to bed.

The next day, the families get ready for a day in Hocking Hills, with Juliasa making sure that her teenage daughter is okay and to not act like her father Crual.

On the park, the families travel around the sites and the girls take selfie of themselves in nature.

Back at the campsite, the adults make plans on where to go next and Inuyasha said to them, "Why don't we travel on Route 66?" and the adults look at each other about the idea.

Soon, by the morning light, the RVs travel on the famous Route 66, starting at Chicago, Illinois. The families first explore the famous sites at Chicago for three days before they hit the road again. While traveling in Illinois, they see the Gemini, the town of Springfield, and Dixie Travel Plaza.

The RVs arrived at Missouri, and they see the World's second largest rocking chair in Fannig, Red's Giant Hamburg, 66 Drive-In, and Ted Drewes on their journey.

The RVs arrived at Kansas, where the families visit Baxter Spring Independent Oil and Gas Service station, drive through Rainbow Bridge, and visit Williams' Store as well Kan-O-Tex Service Station.

The RVs arrived at Oklahoma, where the families visit Blue Whale of Catoosa, Pops restaurant, Round barn, Milk Bottle Grocery, Rock Cafe, and Foyil Filling Station.

The RVs arrived at Texas, where the families visit the Leaning Tower of Britten, Cadiliac ranch, The Big Texan Steak Ranch, and U-Drop Inn.

The RVs arrived at New Mexico, where the families visit Blue Swallow Motel, El Rancho Hotel & Motel, and Maisel's Indian Trading Post.

The RVs arrived at Arizona, where the families visit Wigwam Motel, Standin' on the Corner Park, Jack Rabbit Trading Post, and Meteor City.

The RVs arrived at California, the last stop of Route 66. In California, the families visit Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, Cucamonga Service Station, Aztec Hotel, and Los Angeles.

In the Los Angeles hotel, the adults start their plans for the road trip back home and the locations to visit.

[stuff-from-the-void-matron]

Into The New (chapter 2: Exploration)

(a/n: Hey y'all! Finally got around to finishing chapter 2! Seems Reader is Reader no matter which AU lol But this chapter is based off a real playthrough of Minecraft I was doing so I hope you like it! Bit shorter than I wanted it to be but oh well. Please comment and reblog to show me y'all like this fic! Thank u! 💗)

-0-

Everyone, for the most part, noticed the new, and entirely unfamiliar, achievement. 

A large chunk of them just assumed this ‘Reader’ person was just a new player that showed up that they’d not been introduced to yet. So aside from the strangeness of the achievement most of them more or less just brushed this all off and went about doing whatever they’d been doing before they caught sight of it. Basically a collective shrug was given to the whole thing.

But some people weren’t content to brush this new person lurking around off as no big deal. These curious folks were understandably concerned about this new interloper. And what better way to figure things out than to hunt down their blond bird friend and see if he had answers to their questions? Because he always seemed to have a sixth sense for when someone new would be coming around. 

“TOMMY!”

The winged hybrid jumped a bit at the sudden shout of his name, even dropping the moss blocks he’d been holding. He looked towards where it was coming from to see none other than Tubbo and Wilbur rushing towards him, both hovering above the ground as they moved. He had a feeling he knew what this was about and sighed.

“Hey guys, what’s-” But he was cut off by Wilbur when he practically shoved his communicator in Tommy’s face and demanded to know who this Reader person was on the screen. Tubbo cut in before Tommy could answer and said,

“Yeah! How come you never mentioned them before?! We’re usually the first to know when someone new is coming! You always know when someone new is gonna pop up!”

Tommy awkwardly rubbed the side of his nose in an idle gesture, not totally sure how to tell his friends that.. he didn’t know Reader.. And he sure as shit hadn’t known they’d been here before he’d seen the achievement... Like them, he’d also found out about ‘Reader’ when he saw the achievement not too long ago. He didn’t want to cause any panic because then that would cause HIM to panic more than he already was internally but he knows he can’t just lie to his friends’ faces (at least not convincingly..) so he just sighs and comes clean about it.

“Uh, well. That’s the thing you see… I sorta.. didn’t..”

Wilbur narrows his ghostly green eyes, already having a sinking feeling in his transparent gut, and replies,

“Didn’t WHAT exactly?”

Tommy winced but elaborated that he hadn’t actually known they were here…

He stared anxiously as the two pretty much gaped at him in surprise before yelling simultaneously, “WHAT??”

-0-

You were blissfully unaware of the mini freakout your mere existence was causing a few biomes away, just happily going about your new life as best you could. After succeeding in crafting your little melting station you got bored and decided to explore. So you looked around, chose a direction, and just started walking. You were in no rush so you just walked along casually, enjoying the breeze and fresh air.

Soon you left the oak forest you woke up in and came across a beautiful flower field nestled between a few hills. It was honestly gorgeous, having a serene vibe to it that made you smile, even if the pollen in the air tickled your nose enough to cause you to sneeze. But you guessed it was worth it to watch the fat bees buzz along overhead, seeking out their nectar before returning home once it started to get dark out.

You took a seat on a particularly soft bed of grass and admired the lovely scenery while the sun went down, unwilling to leave the spot until night had fallen and the sky was a dark blue. By that point you stood up and started walking again, slowing a bit when you started passing by some sunflowers. You perked up when you noticed they were looking pretty.. dried out. You inspected them closer and saw they were ripe with sunflower seeds! Unable to turn your nose up at free sunflower seeds you plucked the flower heads off all the sunflowers, leaving nothing but the stems and leaves behind.

You took a seed and popped it in your mouth, using your teeth to pop the shell before spitting it out and munching on the seed itself. It was pretty good, a little more bland than you remember them tasting when you got them from the store but still tasty. As you picked up your pace again you figured they’d taste better roasted. You saved them to your inventory just as you got to the top of a small hill. Looking down made your eyes widen almost comically from the sight that greeted you below.

An absolutely MASSIVE cave opening split the earth some 30 blocks in front of you. After getting closer to inspect it you saw that the huge fissure led down into a mostly dripstone cave. It went deep it looked like, with some spots being full of water that hid how far down the tunnels actually went. You could see some spots glowing thanks to small streams of lava and what you guessed were magma blocks in the underwater parts. You were kinda curious to see how far down it went, so feeling brave you trotted down into the gaping maw of this cave. 

You were surprised there were no mobs down there, what with it being night and also dark as hell. But just as you thought that you noticed over half a dozen red eyes turn to stare at you while the sound of rattling bones and the unmistakable groan of the undead echoed through the cave around you. Seems you spoke way too soon because the place was overrun with hostile mobs. Being around them still made you mildly uncomfortable but the longer you were the less it bugged you until finally you just didn’t care anymore. 

Actually once you were relaxed you kinda wanted to inspect them, your curiosity eating at you a bit. What did the green ‘skin’ of a creeper feel like? Was it soft or coarse? Were spider’s fluffy feeling because of their hairs?? Or prickly? Literally the only thing keeping you from randomly touching all these mobs was the knowledge that doing so would be not only hella rude but also super weird.

So you kept your hands to yourself.

Instead you focused on exploring the cave. There were lots of flowing rivers and stalagmites and stalactites on the roof and ground. You had to kick a few stalagmites down to get through them since there were so many. And to your delight you found an abandoned mineshaft! You explored it, wandering the wooden paths, only slightly annoyed that you had to heighten the walkways to fit through them. You even found a spider spawner (which you disabled) and a couple chests in minecarts! You eagerly looked through them, only finding the usual loot; rails, a nametag, some bread, and a couple other generic things. You didn’t take anything since you technically didn’t need to. Best to leave it for whoever found it next.

After exploring all there was to see you got bored and decided to head back to the surface. To your surprise it seems you’d been down there all day long since the sun was already going down again as you resurfaced. You crested the hill and saw far off that there was an ocean and as you circled around a mountain you found something that made you pause; an abandoned village. 

A truly abandoned one as the whole place was utterly dark, not a single torch lit anywhere, the only light illuminating the place being that from the moon. All the buildings were falling apart, holes in the sides of their walls and most having their roofs falling in from rot. All the cobblestone was overtaken by moss and mold. Whatever windows were still intact were so dirty they could hardly be seen through, and spiderwebs hung everywhere like silken sheets. Not to mention the eerie silence that hung around the place like a heavy blanket too. You expect sound in villages. Villagers chattering, animals being noisy, the heavy steps of iron golems slowly pacing around, and more. But not here. It was utterly silent. 

Until it wasn’t and you looked over to see the shambling form of a zombified villager appear out of one of the decrepit houses. You watched them shuffle about and couldn’t help but feel bad for them. It was clear this village had fallen prey to a zombie attack. You walked down what was left of the main path of the village and noticed with a hum how it was overgrown with tall grass and weeds. And you spotted other zombie villagers further down the way, none of them doing more than idly shuffling around with no purpose. 

Suddenly you were overcome with the desire to help them. You knew you could cure them and help get this place back to working order. It would take time, effort, and lots of love but you think these guys deserved your help. Plus it’s not like you had anything else going on that needed your time or focus. So you rolled your sleeves up and got to work catching all the zombie villagers inside the ruins of the houses or in boats, making sure to build around the ones in boats quickly when you noticed the sun would be coming up any minute. The last one almost burnt to death because he missed the boat but luckily a well placed bucket of water kept him alive long enough for you to build a fence and roof around him. 

Once they were all safe and sound from the sun you got to work splashing them with weakness potions and then feeding them golden apples. Thankfully they didn’t fight you on it, and the full body shakes showed the cure was working. With that done you started cleaning up the village; pulling weeds, getting rid of the overgrown grass, and putting up torches to ward off the lurking hostile mobs. And speaking of mobs, you made sure to get rid of the ones that were loitering around the village already. You didn’t want any incidents to happen. Curing the villagers just for them to get turned all over again would be such a waste of time. 

After that was handled you got to work freeing the villagers once they were no longer cursed with zombism. You watched them all go back to various houses, seemingly wandering around almost randomly. Like they didn’t know or remember this place. And that made you wonder.. did they? You figure that well, they DID technically Die. Did they lose their memories of their lives before? Do they remember their village, their loved ones, their lives? The thought of them essentially waking up to knowing nothing about themselves or where they were left you feeling cold..

To distract yourself from the growing sinking feeling in your gut you grabbed some materials from your creative menu and got to work fixing up, or just straight up rebuilding in some cases, the village homes.

-0-

[whatsasonc]

If you want to know about my funky little AU,

I’ve basically only consumed Sonic media through secondhand accounts, so this sort of how I’ve pieced it together and grown the narrative in my head through what I’ve heard, and I built on top of that, kept things that I realized were untrue but I personally liked better than canon.

All of the events of Sonic take place vaguely in the semi-distant future.

Mobius

Mobius is canon here, and is divided between a large Pangea-like landmass called The Mainland, and several islands scattered across the planet. Green Hills is part of an archipelago near the opposite side of the planet from the Mainland.

Earth is very distant in terms of physical space, but easily accessible. Mobius and Earth have teleportation stations that function similar to airports. Mobius is heavily influenced by Earth, but Earth is not very influenced by Mobius.

Both English and Japanese are spoken widely on Mobius, the same way English is spoken widely on Earth. Most Mobians speak three languages: English, Japanese, and their regional language.

Mobians

Mobians are all the same species that fall into several different races. Two different Mobian races can produce a child easily, and the child will be either one race or the other. "Hybrids" are extremely rare.

A Mobian/human child is physically impossible to produce.

Mobians are very animal-like, but try to emulate humans to the best of their ability due to Earth's influence over their culture. Some races have traits unique to them, but most Mobians share certain features regardless of race (the distinctive eyes, and head-to body ratio).

Mobians reach maturity at the same time humans do, but the process is much smoother and slower. Adolescence is not as messy for Mobians. Sonic and friends are very visibly juveniles, and will be taller and have slightly different proportions as adults. (the Sonic team in Boom is very close to what they would look like as adults, with the exception of Tails)

Sonic

The first of the main cast to meet Sonic was Tails. Sonic was 11 and Tails was 4/5ish. Sonic was non-verbal and a loner, and kind of didn’t want anything to do with Tails. But Tails… tailed him, sure that they would make a good team. Sonic eventually warmed up to him, and eventually started talking. The events of the games continue pretty normally past that.

Most people know Sonic to be very open, but closer observation shows him to be a rather private person. Sonic doesn’t like to talk about his past before Tails, his birth family, or where he came from. If you ask, he’ll find a way to change the subject.

Sonic speaks English and Japanese, but doesn’t speak any Mobian language. He knows a handful of Mobian words, but he doesn’t know what language it is, or what region it’s from.

Tails

Tails won’t talk about his past unprompted, but will tell you if you demonstrate that already know something about it. He was born to nobles in the heart of the Mainland, to The House of Prower. They’re a deeply religious and superstitious group who interpreted Tails’s tails as a sign of great misfortune. His parents gave him to a maid, with orders for her to kill him. She took pity on him and cared for him in a dungeon cell instead. As he grew, his curiosity proved challenging, and he kept escaping to explore his surroundings. When he was almost three, she finally gave up on him and abandoned him on the streets.

He found his way to a library and basically lived there for a year before he was caught and thrown out. After continued harassment on the streets for his deformity, he snuck away onto a trade boat with hopes for a better life far, far away. He ended up on the archipelago where Green Hills was, where he continued to be bullied, now by locals, until he met Sonic.

Sonic doesn’t learn about any of this until they entered the Mainland, around when Sonic is 17 and Tails is 10. Tails would have told him, but Sonic never asked. (Sonic generally doesn’t ask about people’s pasts, because to him, where you came from isn’t nearly as important as who you are now.)

Shadow (and Maria)

Maria was brought onto the ARK when she was three, a year after Gerald had began working on Project Shadow and just after the Bio Lizard failure. Soon afterwards, Black Doom came and assisted in the creation of Shadow, donating Mobian Hedgehog DNA, and his own. Shadow was grown in a tube and "born" as a baby, when Maria was four.

Shadow and Maria had an instant attachment to each other. Maria confidently told everyone that she was his big sister, and he was her baby brother. The scientists attempted to discourage this behavior, but to no avail. The only time they were apart was when they took Shadow in for tests; Shadow always accompanied Maria to her doctor visits.

Maria was a troublemaker and as stubborn as a mule. She had a strong will and a strong personality, and she was always taking Shadow to their next "adventure."

Shadow on the ARK was radically different from post-ARK Shadow, especially as a child. He was meek, sensitive, and hated breaking rules. Maria's antics always made him nervous, but he would never say no to her.

They often played a game where Maria would play with Abraham Tower, and Shadow would try to get as close to them as he could without Abraham discovering his existence. It was Maria's idea.

As they grew, Shadow became increasingly aware of the pressure that was on him, and how the ARK, the scientists, and Maria's future depended on his ability to be a proper weapon for GUN. He forces himself to change, to be more mature and serious. Maria does her best to provide resistance to this change, and they often butt heads over what the proper work/play life balance was. Despite this, they never grew distant, and were always there for each other.

When Maria was 15 and Shadow was 11, her condition took a turn for the worse, and she was left in constant pain and with limited mobility. Their roles effectively reversed, with Shadow trying constantly to get her to smile, and Maria all but accepting that she would probably never see the cure to her illness.

Maria was 19 when she died. Shadow was 15, and GUN soldiers had come onto the ARK to kill most people aboard. Maria ejected Shadow from the ARK, and he spent a brief time running from GUN before he was inevitably caught and frozen for 50 years.

Shadow effectively broke from these events. The Shadow from the ARK had spiritually died, and Shadow did his best to bury him deep. He couldn't have weaknesses. He was a weapon. The safety he knew on the ARK would never come back to him, and he couldn't live under the assumption that he could ever be safe again.

[clearholidaysindia]

Dorje Drak Monastery (TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery) Tourist Spot in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Nestled in the tranquil foothills of the Himalayas, Dorje Drak Monastery (TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery) is a hidden gem in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. This serene Buddhist monastery, surrounded by lush greenery, offers a peaceful escape for those seeking solitude and spiritual renewal. It reflects the vibrant Tibetan culture, with its beautiful architecture, colorful murals, and monks in deep meditation. Visitors are drawn to its calm environment, making it one of the offbeat places near Dorje Drak Monastery (TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery) to experience peace and introspection away from the crowds.

For travelers visiting the monastery, there are many fascinating places to visit near Dorje Drak Monastery (TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery) that add to the charm of the trip. Just a short distance away is Kufri, a small hill station known for its stunning views, cool climate, and adventure activities like trekking and horse riding. Another great spot is Mashobra, a quiet town with apple orchards and beautiful walking trails, perfect for a refreshing break in nature. If you're interested in local culture, the Viceregal Lodge in Shimla, with its impressive architecture and rich history, is a must-see attraction nearby.

Adding to your travel itinerary, the Jakhu Temple, located on Jakhu Hill, is another popular place to visit near Dorje Drak Monastery (TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery). This ancient temple, dedicated to Lord Hanuman, offers breathtaking views of Shimla and the surrounding mountains. For a blend of nature and adventure, head to Chadwick Falls, a serene waterfall hidden amidst dense forests, providing a perfect spot for photography and a peaceful retreat. With so many attractions nearby, Dorje Drak Monastery becomes a central point for exploring the best of Shimla, making it a memorable experience for every traveler.