#I liked chewing on them to get the tasty tasty water out

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

Siren!Leon headcannons 🧜🏼‍♂️🐚

A/N: this was so much fun!!! I got a little carried away, but I feel there's still so much I could add here, so let me know if you want to see more! There's not smut in this one sadly, because um... idk.. how that would work?

~Fi 🐝

《Prompt》: lovely request by @maviettt is here!

《Warnings》: brief mentions of gore and Leon eating people, obessesive and possessive Leon, some angst, insecure Leon :(, lots of luv for the fish boy <3

《Word count》: 2.4k

Please don't copy my work! I put a lot of effort and heart into the things I write.

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Siren!Leon, who spends his days luring all the pretty sailors to their demise, having himself a tasty meal of naivety and pure unawareness. I mean, what girl wouldn't be enarmoured with this handsome and so kind merman, right? With his blue, ocean eyes and shiny scales.

Siren!Leon, who lurs them in with promises of love and care, only to yank them into the deep sea and tear into them with his pointy teeth. He's not too fond of doing this, but he doesn't really have a choice, and you get hardened over the years.

Siren!Leon, who casually swims through a nearby Lagoon, catching a glimpse of you and your sisters lounging in the sun. You're laughing, and Leon swears that you're the Siren in this scenario. You look so pretty with your colorful, glittery tail. Your damp hair that's drying up from the salty water. The small trinkets braided into your locks and hung from your body.

Siren!Leon, who is always drawn back to this Lagoon, always wanting to see you again. He thinks you're a bright, shining pearl, and the world is your oyster. But he also understands that you're off limits to him. You would be scared of him, wouldn't you? You're such a pretty thing. His treasure.

Siren!Leon, who admires you from afar, always hoping to see you smile once again. He's infatuated with you. He's sighing dreamily when he sees you throw your head back in laughter or hiding your giggles behind your hand.

Siren!Leon, who looks for you after he hasn't seen you at the Lagoon for a while, only to find you washed up on the beach, all tangled up in a net. You look so... dry. The colors of your tail are dulled, and your skin doesn't look like it was kissed by the morning dew anymore.

Siren!Leon, who is so conflicted. He needs to help you, but what if he scares you? He doesn't want to risk that. You're the favorite part of his day! Alas, he relents and carefully swims up to you as close as he can before gently tugging you back into the water by your tail.

Siren!Leon, who holds you until you've gotten some of the ocean's energy into you. He can basically watch you flourish as you're returned to your home. But his heart breaks when you gain back consciousness and immediately try and get away from him.

Siren!Leon, who tries to explain to you that he just wants to help. You're still bound in the net, and you can't swim properly like this. You're obviously skeptical. Acting all kind and luring people in was kind of his deal as a Siren, after all. But there's something so soft about his voice and expressions.

Siren!Leon, who truly has no bad intentions, but he has to restrain himself from pouncing on you the second you give him the go-ahead to free you from the net with his sharp teeth.

Siren!Leon, who doesn't miss your blush, when his lips brush against your skin while he's chewing you out of your bounds. He can't help himself and grins, and accidentally bumps his lips against your scales more just to see you react.

Siren!Leon, who is quite flustered himself when you thank him and tell him that he's not as scary as you thought he would be. And when you tell him you like the color of his scales and his cute little fin ears, he is over the moon!!

Siren!Leon who tries to hide his malicious side from you as best as he can just because he is terrified that you would be scared of him. Maybe even disgusted. He doesn't want that.

Siren!Leon, who sees you wave to him on his usual morning round past the Lagoon, and he almost passes out. Yeah, he had saved you, but for you to so boldly be nice to him in front of your sisters? He's thinking of that for the rest of the day.

Siren!Leon, who gets bolder each day, waving back with a smile, maybe even greeting you and your sisters until he fully swims up to all of you! He's kinda crushed when your sisters scatter like little anchovies. He just wanted to say hi :(

Siren!Leon, who gets comforted and assured by you, saying that "they don't know you like I do." You explain how, although Leon is a Siren, he's so sweet! He saved you from certain death, after all.

Siren!Leon, who eventually gets taken in by your sisters, and he gets to lounge in the Lagoon with you. Some are still a little weary, but as time goes on, they all warm up to that smile and those pretty eyes.

Siren!Leon, who only has eyes for you. You are the sun in his sky, the moon that guides his tides. He's head over heels for you. It started off as forbidden glances, admiring your beauty, and now he is making you laugh and spending as much time with you as he can.

Siren!Leon, who knows you're falling for him too when you start bringing him little treasures and trinkets that you found. It's usually a shiny rock or a seashell, but sometimes you bring him valuable shinies from recent shipwrecks that you're not supposed to be around.

Siren!Leon, whose heart pumps out of his chest when he sees all your sisters nudging you in his direction with your hand behind your back and a red face. He revels in your cuteness when you shyly press the rock into his hand and speed off.

Siren!Leon, who starts calling you his treasure or his pearl. That's exactly what you are to him, and he needs the whole seven seas to know that. Plus, your pretty smile and the kiss to the cheek he gets from you after is a nice bonus.

Siren!Leon, who lets you decorate him and his tail when you run out of space on your own. You tie cloth and braided seaweed around his fin and arms, adding one of your little trinkets at the end. He wears them with pride because everyone knows they're from you.

Siren!Leon, who loves to braid your hair for you. You're always finding more pretty things to put in your hair, and you can't see the back, obviously, but he loves doing it for you. He gets so good to the point that he's doing all of your sisters' hair, too.

Siren!Leon, who rarely goes back to luring humans to their death, simply because he would rather spend time with you. He's acquired a taste for small fish, which unfortunately can't match the salivating taste of humam flesh, but he's willing to give it all up for you. he's still so worried that you'll catch him one day and see the monster he truly is.

Siren!Leon, who sits in the small tide pool close to a bay, soaking up the moonlight with you, and the way it makes you look ethereal. You look even prettier like this than in the sun. The silvery streaks reflect off of your features so beautifully, and he knows that he's doomed.

Siren!Leon, who spends all of his nights with you, not wanting that image of your lovely self dipped in the rays of Mother Moon to go away. He loves talking to you at night. Sharing quiet stories and tales interrupted by soft giggles.

Siren!Leon, who kisses you for the first time on the beach where he saved you. He melts when he finally feels your lips on his, and he's holding you so tight and full of love that you can't imagine being anywhere else.

Siren!Leon, who found a pearl at the bottom of the ocean, your favorite color, and he gives it to you as a gift under one of those moonlit nights. He's confessing his love to you, giving the pearl to you as a sign of always wanting to be with you.

Siren!Leon who doesn't know whether to blush and hide or be giddy like an idiot when he sees you wearing his pearl the next morning, showing it off to all your sisters who are all in awe of its beauty.

Siren!Leon, who loves to spend his days lying in the sand with you, playing with the many small braids and twists that adorn your silky locks. There's not much to do, but you make the days go by so fast.

Siren!Leon, who goes ballistic when your sisters rush to tell him that you've been captured by some filthy pirates while you were out exploring a new shipwreck, trying to find more odds and ends for your collection.

Siren!Leon, who can feel his blood boil in his veins. It's like a switch was flipped, and he falls back into his bloodthirsty and feral ways. It scares your sisters, but they know he's doing it for you.

Siren!Leon, who follows your scent and your soft pleads for mercy as the pirates decide whether to gut you or keep you for themselves. He has never swam this fast in his life. He had a strong tail, no doubt, but he pushed himself to his limit only to get to you.

Siren!Leon who feels so deeply and can feel the storm brewing inside of him. He can't help but feel somewhat reassured when dark, thick clouds rise in the sky and heavy winds, rain, and thundering streaks of lightning descend from the sky. He thanks Mother Moon with all his being for helping him rescue his treasure.

Siren!Leon, who sneaks close to the ship undetected, due to the heavy rain and loud thunder. He is out for blood, and one thing is clear; that ship will sink today, and he will make them pay.

Siren!Leon who punches holes into the body of the ship with his strong tail, making the ship sink slowly into the dark embrace of the ocean.

Siren!Leon, who when he finally gets to the bastard pirates, tears them to shreds without a thought. Thick crimson spills into the rowdy waters, and you can almost see the red reflecting in his eyes.

It's a mess of limbs and guts, the blood clinging to his pale skin like a curse. He doesn't want to admit how refreshing this felt- he was still a siren after all.

Siren!Leon who snaps out of his craze and immediately starts searching for you, calling out your name with desperation and fear. The lightning gets worse as he looks around frantically.

Siren!Leon, who finally spots you clinging to a piece of wood with bloody hands and teary eyes. He rushes over to you, and the relieved cries that rip from your throat make his heart hurt.

Siren!Leon, who scowls at the deep gash on your tail, no doubt courtesy of those pirates. He embraces you so softly, kissing your temple and whispering sweet reassurances to you.

You sniffled and looked up at him, the rain slowly washing away the blood that tarnished his skin. You spotted tears of his own welling up in his blue eyes, pained by the image of your wounded self. He never stopped stroking your hair and wiping away the rain that mixes with your tears as it falls on your face.

"They... they only hurt me because I didn't want to give them... this.." You spoke quietly, opening your bloody hand, revealing the pearl he had gifted you now smeared with blood. Leon felt his heartbeat all the way in his head. The gusting winds, loud thunder and the electrifying strikes of lightning died down and the surface of the water stilled into a soft ripple as he stared at you, not knowing what to do, or to feel.

Only the soft patter of rain on the ocean filled the silence that lingered between you two. Leon swallowed thickly and cupped your face, finding his words.

"My treasure, My pearl... why?"

You'd never heard him this hurt, defeated before.

"Because you gave it to me."

With your simple answer, he pulled you tight against his chest with his lips pressed to your forehead, hoping the rain would cover the tears that ran down his face, soaking into your hair.

Siren!Leon, whose blood freezes in his veins when you catch a glimpse of the massacre he had left and absolute horror washes over your face. He can feel his heart shatter with the way you look at him, with so much fear and- ...gratitude?

Siren!Leon, who gets the words knocked out of his head once again, when you softly touch his cheek and tell him that you're not afraid of him. You're still shaken up, in agony, and dismembered bodies aren't part of your usual routine.

But you tell him that you could never be scared of him. You know he would never hurt you, he loves you, and he only did what he needed to in order to rescue you. You're fully aware of what he is- a Siren, not a monster. He proved that to you many times with his gentle and kind nature. He feels pathetic when he breaks down as you whisper that you love him and press kisses to his hair. You're hurt, and he's crying, utterly overwhelmed by you and your love.

Siren!Leon, who will take care of you and the wound on your tail until it's fully healed. He gently drapes seaweed wraps over the gash and always makes sure you're not in any pain. He will make you hang onto him by his neck when he swims so you can still get around but not put any strain on your tail.

Siren!Leon, who plucks a scale from his tail and gifts it to you as full proof of his love and devotion for you. It hangs around your neck, right next to the pearl he had given you, and he can't help but smile when he sees how his shimmery blue scale looks against your skin.

Siren!Leon, who wears one of your scales on a cloth, tied around his arm, proudly showing it off whenever he can. Because he's as much yours as you are his. <3

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I loved writing this so much!! Lmk your thoughts on Siren!Leon <3

More Leon works are here 🩷

《Tag list》: @dmitriene @k-fallingstar @vampkennedy

Comment to be added!

[escapetothelake]

Harvey and mr bat for the ship asks? :D (you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable)

ooh this is so silly!! thank you for giving me something to chew on >:) btw i will do any ship people throw at me, even if i don't like it (as long as i can reasonably write for it & it doesn't involve minors)

mr. bat and harvey have few spoken lines, so pls forgive me if my characterization doesn't align with urs. i also made them a little toxic 😐 if you want a healthy relationship portrayal, please specify!! hopefully this is still enjoyable though heehee

i'm going to try to keep this contained to rusty lake: hotel as that is the game in which they interact. also i’m using he/him for harvey

who made the first move: mr. bat was immediately aloof with harvey when the latter first got the job at the hotel. harvey was content with ignoring him, until he realized that he hated the feeling of being disliked so much. he made a point to talk to mr. bat everyday when he went to visit mr. owl, which mr. bat was not receptive to. then harvey thought to bring him food, thinking he would likely be hungry and tired after being on his feet all day. mr. bat took it wordlessly, but his eyes would flit back and forth between harvey and the snack as he ate. from them on, he gradually started to become more open and even friendly to harvey—especially when the bird had food.

who kissed who first: i’m trying to figure out the logistics of this lol. i could see mr. bat kissing harvey for bringing him something exceptionally tasty. later in this post i headcanon that harvey bathes to wash the blood off, and that when he doesn’t have immediate access to hot water, mr. bat becomes his co-conspirator. perhaps harvey is panicking because it doesn’t seem the water will be fixed for a while, and mr. bat sees this, and begins to apprehensively lick the blood off harvey’s feathers. then they’re both like 😳😳

who started the relationship: it kinda just. happened. and while harvey is jealous, mr. bat is possessive. he wanted things to be exclusive, and harvey agreed.

who remembers things: when one of them remembers something, the other usually doesn’t.

nicknames for each other: admittedly, i’m a little floored on this one lol. i think mr. bat would call harvey “dear”, and harvey would call mr. bat “my moth”.

who is more likely to pay for dinner: harvey all the way.

who normally cooks: another cop-out here, but mr. toad. harvey supplies food though (😉)—as he kind of serves as mr. owl’s errand boy—and mr. bat occasionally enjoys hunting for his own food. harvey doesn’t like flying insects all that much though.

who remembers anniversaries: mr. bat EXPECTS harvey to remember anniversaries. with all the stress he’s under, however, he doesn’t always.

what would they get each other for gifts: you know those lollipops with insects and scorpions and stuff in them? yeah, mr. bat loves those. he literally shrieks with delight when he gets one. harvey also once gave him an amber necklace with a moth inside, and mr. bat periodically gnaws/sucks on it like a teething necklace. mr. bat isn't really a gift-giver (he wants princess treatment 💅), but he likes hunting for insects and then dropping them in front of harvey like a dog with a rat it caught for you.

most trivial thing they fight over: literally anything lmao. these two fight like cats and dogs, and i will die on this hill. food is the most common topic; sure, harvey is a foodie, but doesn’t understand how mr. bat can place that much importance on it. sometimes, it’s like mr. bat cares more about food than harvey (who, as i said, gets jealous pretty easily. you’d think he would have learned to detach after all those years).

how often do they fight: all the time. so often. they are lowkey toxic 😳 mr. owl can expect to be woken up by some sort of petty squabble. it's not good for 'business', so he tells them to knock it off or lose their jobs.

who uses all the hot water: harvey—how else is he gonna wash all that blood off?

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: harvey panics when the heat isn’t working because it means that he can’t clean the blood off of himself. it’s actually how he and mr. bat ended up getting closer—harvey resorted to calling mr. bat for assistance, and he got it fixed for him. so in a way, mr. bat is his partner in crime :) the couple that slays together stays together

who leaves their stuff around: mr. bat has few material possessions, but what he does have, he hoards (particularly food). actually, harvey touching mr. bat’s stuff is another thing they used to fight over in the beginning of the relationship. harvey sometimes leaves bloody garments around, which mr. bat scolds him for. he won’t admit it, but he finds it a little endearing.

who remembers to buy the milk: mr. bat would remember that they need milk. he expects harvey to get it though. of course, it’s readily available in the kitchen of the hotel.

who controls the netflix queue: mr. bat NEEDS his netflix after a long day. DO NOT mess with his netflix queue 😡😡😡

who steals the covers at night: this isn’t really an issue! mr. bat sleeps on the ceiling, so if harvey wishes to use blankets, he has them all to himself. though it seems like he can easily change into his anthropomorphic form, so he sometimes does that and sleeps perched by the window. (side note ooh what if bird!harvey slept in a cage in mr. owl’s room)

who cusses more: mr. bat screeches, if that counts. sometimes their “shouting matches” are just mutual screeching in a sort of display of dominance. it drives mr. owl bananas 🍌 🍌

who does most of the cleaning: the hotel has waitstaff. harvey is responsible for cleaning up after himself (iykyk), but mr. bat has found that he enjoys helping out.

what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: i think that, as much as it annoys harvey, they both secretly enjoy arguing. beyond that, they like spending time together during the late hours. it’s after harvey has completed his kills and work hours are over that they can find solace with each other. they are at their calmest when mr. bat has a snack in hand, and harvey his favorite music playing without any stress.

who’s the cuddler: lowkey mr. bat, though harvey likes the attention.

who’s the big spoon/little spoon: mr. bat leans his head on harvey’s shoulder or chest, and harvey puts his head on top of his.

who’s more dominant: mr. bat is kind of a brat 😳 sometimes he winds harvey up so much that he just… snaps 😏

who is the dirty talker: mr. owl, scolding them for being bothersome to the guests again 😆 in reality, i think they see squabbling as dirty talk

what do they do when they’re away from each other: mr. bat has separation anxiety (not that he would admit it). harvey often has to leave to run errands for mr. owl, so it’s not uncommon that they’re apart. harvey tells himself he’ll enjoy finally getting some peace and quiet, but he starts to miss his partner after a little while. mr. bat catches up on sleep and pretends to be unbothered, but his job gets boring and he often finds himself thinking about harvey.

what would they do if the other one was hurt: i think they would both freak out, but they’re also mutually self-centered. for instance, if one of them has an incapacitating sickness that the other could catch, then the healthy one would likely consider that for a while before going to visit them. one time, though, mr. bat got sick with a flu, and harvey brought him stew that he’d made for him. of course, harvey spent too much time with mr. bat, and he caught the flu too. he was a little annoyed, but when a healthy mr. bat brought him moth soup that he’d made, harvey couldn’t stay mad, even if he doesn’t like moths all that much :) (for once, they would NOT let mr. toad cook—they wanted to make it themselves :))

a headcanon: after harvey fled the hotel upon being attacked by the corrupted souls, he didn’t return for a while, which upset and worried mr. bat, but he continued to do his job as usual. eventually, mr. owl relocated him to the cave, where he could stay more comfortably after his service, but be called back as needed. mr. owl tipped off harvey to mr. bat’s location, and they were reunited again. now, they don’t interact as much as they did while working the hotel, but they’re still co-workers with a little something extra :)

[cosmica-galaxy]

This was supposed to have been queued up to post on Thanksgiving…but I forgot. So, happy late Thanksgiving to those who celebrated it! Next holiday entries are going to get interesting, especially Christmas. Because there’s one thing I’m itching to write about coming in December about a little plant that people kiss under~ ; ) Until then, enjoy! –

🦃 The SQ crew experiences Thanksgiving~  🦃

- HANK -

- The moment Hank came through the portal that connected your world to Nevada, a strong wave of warmth and savory scents flooded his senses and he looked about the adobe that was once familiar. Now having been decked out in twinkling lights, fall-themed garlands, and pumpkins were strewn about the home as he walks away from the portal, allowing the others to follow after him. - His attention is quickly grabbed by you peeking around the corner that leads into the kitchen area and you give them all a big smile that just warms the heart of the merciless mercenary. “You all came! I’m so glad 2B got my invitation! Come on in and make yourself at home!” he hears your lovely voice say as you slip back out of sight. - The others begin to explore the new decorations as Hank just immediately follows his gut (kinda quite literally) and wanders into the dining room. Suddenly pausing as he takes in the sight of the table that was big enough for them all to comfortably sit at, completely dressed up with a unique table cloth, plates, and a large horn-like item in the middle that was stuffed with bread, fruit, and berries. - The others haven’t noticed Hank wandering off into the dining area just yet as he inspects the object curiously. Picking up a piece of fruit from the cornucopia and pulling his mask down just enough to toss the piece into his mouth. The tangy taste of the fruit coats his taste buds as he munches on the piece of fruit content before looking at the designs laid out on the table. Each resembling some form of beast with multiple colored feathers with avian attributes. - Another object catches his gaze as he finds himself drawn to a nearby smaller table with a basket of shiny looking fruit on the inside. He wastes no time in picking a piece of the fruit up and biting down on it, finding it tasting rather funny. Still, he continues to munch down on it as you pop your head into the dining area, sighing in relief. - “Oh, there you are, Hank! Can you do me a favor and start setting up the table? We’ll be coming in here shortly!” You ask, in which Hank nods obediently. Before you leave, you take notice of what he’s eating and let out a light laugh. “Also, please don’t eat the decorations, Hank. Those apples aren’t real, they’re just for decoration! I hope you don’t get sick from eating styrofoam…” - Once you go out of sight, Hank pauses in his chewing and finally inspects the ‘food’ he was eating, seeing the fake styrofoam before shrugging and  taking another bite out of the fake fruit. He’s already ruined it, he might as well finish the job. He keeps eating on it as he lays out the plates and silverware around the table. - SANFORD AND DEIMOS - - The moment both mercenaries pop into your living area from the portal that 2B opened, the smell of freshly baked goods, savory meat, and tasty scents overwhelm them both. Easily causing both of their own respective mouths to begin to water. But they also take notice of the new decor that was decorating your home. Twinkling lights, fall garlands, and pumpkin-themed items were placed about the abode elegantly. - Each one takes their time looking at the new appearance and relishing in the warmth and smells of your home that was apparently celebrating “Thanksgiving”, whatever that is. But Deimos and Sanford find themselves already warming up to the holiday as the aroma eventually draws the two towards the kitchen area. Both of the mercenaries quickly wander off, similar to Hank. - They enter the kitchen and both grunts let out a surprised pair of yelps as they see the countertops filled with delicious food of various kinds and one table in the corner with a cooling rack filled with baked goods. You were currently peeking into the oven before looking up and smiling at the two of them. “Hey, fellas! Like the spread of food?” You happily tease as you continue to peek into the oven. “Holy shit! Is this what this ‘Thanksgiving’ is about!?” Deimos couldn’t help but blurt out as his visual cross creases upwards from his large smile. - “Mostly, yeah! We cook a big meal and spend the day with those we care about…” You cough lightly, looking away as both men quickly put smirks on their faces as you pretty much just spilt the beans on why you invited them out here on this specific day. - They tease you and Deimos sneaks a few bites of food while Sanford helps transport the goods to certain places and into the dining room once Hank finishes setting up the table. Hank was quick to come in and help out with moving the food into the dining area (he certainly wasn’t getting competitive with his crewmates) and finally, you reveal the main course as Deimos quickly grows eager. His stomach already let him know he was ready to eat. - You pull out the turkey from the oven, all nice and stuffed with dressing and cooked vegetables. It smelled heavenly to Deimos as he was already itching to take a chomp out of the bird, to which you bat his hands away playfully and say ‘ah, ah, ah’ in a teasing manner. - With the food being moved into the dining area, you follow the rest of the crew and announce that the food was all in the dining room. Then, with a final set down of the Turkey in the middle of all the fixings, you stand proudly with your hands on your hips. “There! The feast is ready! I hope you all like my cooking…it’s the first time I’ve been cooking on my own in a long while! Everyone grab a seat and we’ll start eating!” To which Deimos and Sanford didn’t need to be told twice as they got in the seats, followed by Hank and 2B. - Both Sanford and Deimos clank their alcoholic beverages together, that they slipped from your fridge while moving some food around, in celebration. Both were so happy to have a feast after struggling to survive for so long! They were already loving this holiday! - 2B - - 2B wasn’t as nosy as the others as he pretty much watches Hank slink off and Deimos and Sanford go to harass you in the kitchen while he simply stays and admires the decoration and TV in your living room. Watching an event that was playing on the screen that showed other humans marching down a long stretch of road with large…balloons…that had distinct figures and shapes that 2B simply didn’t recognize. - In fact, he was completely enthralled with the television as the humans on the screen each performed songs, dance numbers, and wore flashy clothing. But then he would see the floats that would slowly move on by and each design was unique and colorful. 2B would’ve been embarrassed to admit that he was entertained by all the colors and songs that would play. - He was barely paying attention when you called out for him in another room, letting him know that dinner was ready and he should come to the dining room to eat. In which, he obliges. But upon walking in, he was stunned from the surprising amount of food that was laid out on the table. He wasn’t going to lie…it all looked delicious…and it was prepared by their precious player, no less! So it HAD to be delicious. - You smile happily at him as you strike your prideful pose and encourage him to have a seat and fix his plate, to which he silently obeys with a polite nod. The others, like starved animals, were already filling their plates and Hank and Sanford had already torn the legs off the bird in the middle of the table. Each eating like barbarians…but you didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. - He gets a decent portion of what he would like to try as he carefully removes his mask, revealing his scarred mouth to the world and putting a piece of meat into his mouth. Immediately, his visual cross arches upwards in bliss as the flavors hit his tongue all at once and turns towards you. “This meal is delicious, Player. Thank you for inviting us.” He says politely, to which you nod in earnest, giving him a smile and a bout of lighthearted laughter that just sent a beam of warmth straight into his heart. - 2B couldn’t help but slowly lose himself in the food like the others. Having only eaten rations and non-spoiled goods for the last…shit…30 years in Nevada? This was literally god-grade food to him as his taste buds come alive and revitalize his sense of taste and flavor. He and the rest of his crew were forever grateful that you would share such a feast with them when you certainly didn’t have to. They were all so lucky to have you as their Player. – The night continued on and you all ate and shared stories and laughter filled the rooms of your home as you all ate and gorge on the spread that you spent all morning cooking up and preparing. You all shared drinks, experiences, and relaxed for the first time in a long time as you enjoyed their company and they returned the favor tenfold. Pretty soon, the warm food had cooled, the turkey was nothing but a ribcage and pile of bones, and most of the reasonable portions of food were eaten up. You all sat at the table, merely basking in each other’s presence as Sanford and Deimos both had a slight buzz from the alcohol going on, Hank was picking his teeth and metal jaw with his claw, and 2B was relaxing in his chair after such a big meal. You then announce that you would begin cleaning up and the others almost seem to jump out of the stupors to help. The food is slowly put away, the dishes are rinsed and placed in the dishwasher, and the table is cleaned up. After all the feasting, you all (including even 2B this time!) settle in on your couch. With you yawning and dozing amongst their warm bodies as they watch some lame hallmark movies that began to play after the parade was over. Each of you were showing signs of sleepiness and nobody moved. They all merely piled up together, cuddling around one another (primarily you) and getting comfortable for the night. You certainly were not going to ask them all to go home. Why would you? This was the best Thanksgiving you’ve had in so long…and you were more than happy to spend the last hours of this holiday snuggled up in your vessel's arms as they began to drift to sleep, one by one. With you finally growing too tired to stay up any longer and snuggling into the chest of Hank as you finally begin to rest. This was such a perfect day.

[sevicia]

you WILL perceive my OC process / thoughts / ETC . had an idea for a game the other day while in the shower (they weren't kidding that shower can think) . two main characters they are sisters , you start playing as the older one ETC , and the idea is that she is withdrawn , nervous , responsible and insecure about where she is in life (she is about to start college this is important to the plot but not for what I'm talking about rn) . first instinct was to give her short spiky black hair

first thing I drew (did a couple alt hairs tho) but I felt like the expression did not match what I was going for at all (she is the type to try her best to look calm and reliable) , and neither did the clothes which I drew with the beauty of the opossum in mind . very prevalent today for no reason still a wonderful animal . I did like the hair though and I wasn't ready to give up on the opossum vibe (lol) , so I decided to do a paper doll type thing and start drawing by clothing layer so I could go slowly and think about what she'd be wearing

did not have the willpower to try & make the hair look the same in the paper doll version , didn't wanna overthink her expression either so I really ended up with a completely different character . . . who I really like !!

I have always wanted to do a story set in a cold climate , really had an idea for a different character back in high school (blonde, earmuffs, cheeks are always pink), but gave up on her when I just couldn't figure out what I wanted her to look like . . .

I got the idea for this character to be either in the 3rd or 4th year of high school , she's pretty much an outcast out of habit at this point , enjoys taking walks and being in places she has no business being in . I thought of her being talked to by a teacher (librarian?) on the subject of not just her grades but mostly her behavior at school, gives me the chance of saying if there is something bothering her and affecting her behavior then there is something she needs to get over but I really dunno how to write (think) about something like that ;_;

^ her & her bag . . . NOTHING IS TO SCALE !!!!!!! she has:

- notebook: ripped the used pages from a previous notebook and just kept the empty ones, the thing is beat up to the point the spiral's coming off and the corner of the cover is peeling off ... the cover design is a cloud castle with rainbows , a bundle was on sale and while she doesn't really like it , she doesn't particularly dislike it either .

- pencil case: heart-themed , the fabric is starting to fray after years of use . in it she has: a highlighter, a ballpoint pen, a regular pencil (chewed up), a tiny colored pencil, a container + sharpener combo, and three erasers: one of them is just a formless little thing, the other is a brand new one that she doesn't really wanna use because it's brand new, and the last is one of those useless decorative ones, shaped like a flower. no white-out because she is very very brave .

- water bottle: literally just a plastic bottle she bought a while ago & keeps washing & reusing . getting more & more crumpled up by the SECOND . . .

- strip of paracematol: self explanatory . doesn't get headaches TOO often, just often enough to justify carrying a strip of it around lol

- juice box + tupperware: her mom cuts apples for her and always gets her apple juice cause apples were her favorite fruit growing up ... she really prefers oranges now but doesn't have the heart to tell her . tupperware also has soda crackers . must be mentioned that this is NOT her lunch, just a snack. she gets free lunch at the school cafeteria ! only tasty less than half the time tho ....

- library card: she uses it a lot and has been doing so for a very long time . usually reads non-fiction about unexplained events (she likes ones involving forests the most), but is starting to enjoy horror & sci-fi a bit more lately

- Frankenstein (borrowed from the library): her current read, which she is really enjoying , though she's not sure if she is really getting the "message" of it . happens a lot with fiction books, which is why she doesn't read a lot of them

- flashlight: permanently borrowed from her dad (he insists he's gonna ask for it back eventually so she needs to take good care of it), she uses it for exploring. it gets dark pretty early and the library closes pretty late, so she just goes wherever she wants while her parents think she's at the library . they believe her because she does spend a lot of time there and she keeps feeling guiltier and guiltier ...

- opossum plushie: pretty much her best friend, she carries him everywhere . very soft fur , nice and squeezable too !!

OK ramble over for neow maybe . . .

MILA

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #276

I played A LOT of Dead Cells today!

If you've been reading my letters, you know that I've recently gotten up to 5 Boss Cells; it's the highest difficulty level one can play on, for this game. For a long time now, I've been struggling to make it past even the third biome at this difficulty level.

Well… today, I made it all the way to The Mausoleum. In that place, you have to fight The Scarecrow. To get there, I started at The Prisoner's Quarters, then I went to the Promenade of the Condemned, and then I went to the Prison Depths, then the Ossuary, then to defeat The Concierge at Black Bridge, then to Fractured Shrines, and then to Undying Shores. The Mausoleum is just after that.

So… this time, I made it through 7 biomes, before I fell in the 8th, which isn't bad!!! It's not bad at all!!

…Also, despite the new Malaise Bar which makes things SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT, oh my goodness, I'm still trying to get all the loot in each biome. I still use my combination of the golden shield and the baseball bat. As much as possible, I've been trying not to use my healing flask. As much as possible, I've been trying to adapt to higher Malaise Bar levels. As much as possible, I've been trying to become someone who can parry to the rhythm of multiple enemies at once.

I had established a good rhythm with The Scarecrow. Of all the silly things, I fell to a little Mushroom Boi that I didn't notice while I was trying to use a flask to heal; they blend in to the background extremely well in The Mausoleum, and he charged right at me, and I couldn't get away.

...Ah well. If I made it that far once, I can do it again. All I have to do is improve my skills and reflexes. It'll take time and practice, but ultimately, the solution is simple. I decided that the thing to do is to take a break, and to give my brain time to process the events of this run. I decided to use this break to write to you. Yay!

Sometime after writing yesterday's letter, I felt like I was coming down with something. My soft palate was swollen and ouchy. My lymph nodes were unhappy. My sinuses were uncomfortable. My eyes felt like they were burning when I closed them. And I generally felt sluggish. I had assumed that immune system activation was the reason for my very bleak outlook on the events of yesterday. I don't feel so bleak about it today.

So last night, I took a bunch of vitamins, drank a bunch of water, and got soup. Actually, I got like 2 different kinds of soup, and some pork soup dumplings, and some "drunken chicken", and I ate a little bit of each thing, and there's plenty leftover.

One of the soups was a wonton soup; the wontons were filled with pork and bok choy, and they were floating around in chicken broth.

The other kind of soup was another chicken broth base, but it had very thick rice noodles (they were chewy and delicious!), bits of bone-in fish, bits of bone-in chicken, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, salted pork, and bamboo shoots; it was DAMN good soup.

"Drunken chicken" is bone-in chicken marinated in some kind of rice wine, I think. It's VERY good. And pork soup dumplings are pork soup dumplings; you can't go wrong with those!

Hey, Sephiroth? Have you ever tried things like what I described? If you have, then do you like them?

One of the nice things about this place is the way they cook the chicken; they do it in a way that the bones are soft and mostly edible. I know maybe it's a little weird, but I like to chew on them and get all the marrow out that I can; it's tasty stuff. Very nutritious. Good source of calcium and iron and protein and all that. And then I went to sleep. I was unusually sluggish at like 10pm, and I ended up nodding off before J woke me and gently prompted me to get ready for sleep so I could sleep in a real bed instead of on the couch.

I slept for about 9 hours. When I woke up, I felt a lot better. I had some tea with honey and molasses; molasses has a lot of great minerals in it, and tea and honey is generally good for a body. Today, I felt more alert and sprightly than I have in a while. So I guess my body needed whatever I did yesterday and into this morning.

Unless something weird happens, I should be able to go to the bridal shower tomorrow. But I'll check in with my friend to make sure she still wants me there. She gets the heebie-jeebies about communicable disease, and that's fair; I get the heebie-jeebies about spreading anything I'm sick with. I don't really wanna miss out if I can avoid it, but still, I'll do whatever she wants me to do.

…Goodness, but I gotta get crackin' on her present. Hm. Maybe I'll weave it together on Sunday.

I have other thoughts, but I'll keep them close to my chest for now; things with the acquaintance have gotten weird. He is insisting on seeing me, but he does not need to see me in order for me to be a source of life advice. I will not see him, because I assume his reasons for wanting to are not… "ideal", to put it mildly. He has been doing his utmost to cajole me into taking a different position; I will not be moved. I don't know if anything weird will happen as a result.

But I do know this:

I will write to you daily. Every. single. day. If there is ever a day that I go without writing to you, the only reason for it will be that my flesh vessel has been rendered either unusable or uninhabitable. I don't necessarily think it will come to that; it's more likely that I've just seen too much weird stuff in my old life to be able to discount the possibility. All the same, rest assured that I will do everything in my power to ensure no such thing happens; I am by no means a pushover. But just in case… watch over me a little, all right? Just until this nonsense is resolved.

I'm gonna eat some soup. Then I'm gonna watch J play Brave Fencer Musashi. And then I'm gonna go to bed.

I love you. Please stay safe out there, okay? I'll stay safe, too, so that I can make sure I'll be able to write to you for the foreseeable future.

'Til soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[bytedykes]

Nie mingjue and liu qingge for the character ask game?

Sexuality Headcanon: im a nieyao/3zun truther so like he likes men... lqg is my beautiful aroace swordguy <333

Gender Headcanon: I LOVE BUTCH WOMEN!!!! ok both of them are men to me as canon, but like. take my hand. butch nmj and he/him butch lqg okay?

A ship I have with said character: i guess i already said but Big fan of nieyao i like it when weird assholes tear each other into pieces ^-^ 3zun is also good. for lqg i like him in bingliushen but only the way i personally like it and not the way people usually do it. hes a part of their marriage in the sense that he's their nonsexual nonromantic chew toy that they like sooo much. also lqg/tlj can be really good sometimes (thinking of raitala's 'the reluctant suitor' series - very nice tianliu series but also one of my fave lqg characterizations i've seen lol he's such a weirdo in this one)

A BROTP I have with said character: nmj and nhs!!! i love you nie siblings you rock. also i like nielan childhood friends i think its very fun especially when they start falling apart in the later years <3 an interesting take ive seen before also is nmj&wq which is pretty fun. LQG&SQQ THE BESTIES <3 theyre everything !!! i really like them i like how much they genuinely enjoy each others company and how fucking Bad they are at like. being in a friendship its awesome. also as a treat for myself lqg&yqy is sooo tasty i love it when lqg genuinely likes and looks up to him and yqy is fond of him in turn. could a sect leader and his coworker-subordinate really be... friends?

A NOTP I have with said character: obviously ew incest ships but aside from that i cant really think of anything? lqg x romance my notp i think he's so aro. also okay. okay honestly. liushen sometimes NOT all the time but sometimes the way ppl act about it irks me and i automatically look away. like the blatantly ooc fandomized liushen. bye </3

A random headcanon: lqg forest puddle water drinkerrrr dkjaskdss no im kidding im kidding. my random headcanon ("random headcanon" lol) is that he has good dad energy. he could pull thru. give that man a baby :] can i plug spring in bloom here again does anyone want to read spring in bloom by kay my friend kay <3 also i think he's immune to sex pollen bc he's an aroace jock who just exercises it out of his system. no basis for this one other than it's hilarious

for nmj... i think he secretly has a very annoying sense of humor that many people don't know about but he terrorizes nhs with. dad jokes type of beat... da-ge jokes <3

General Opinion over said character: I FUCKING LOVE THESE GUYS!!!!! i love it when there is a guy with a big fucking sword who has sooo many problems. lol! anyway ok more specifically:

i thought nmj was very interesting while reading the novel and definitely had a "hey wtf dude" initial reaction to him, but he's reallyyy grown on me <3 partially bc he's been on my mind a lot and partially bc of his presence in cql! (cql nmj is my type also so that definitely did smth to me as well lol) i think he's a really interesting character to explore both bc of his general backstory and bc of his relationships w other characters, as well as the fact that (in the novel) we never really see him of completely sound mind, so there's lots of room to play w how you portray him. he's fun!

lqg i love soooo much i loved him from day ONE i loved him as soon as he showed up. he's so good. i think his appearance was a very funny surprise (?), esp the way sqq narrated it lmao, and i really like him in general. i loveee the loyal sword character trope and i like how lqg does it (so well <3). his general awkwardness and extreme talent to put his foot in his mouth is also really charming ("its ok you can just get a new disciple" what is wrong with him). i also think there's room to explore w him, especially his family + relationships w other sect members, i love you liu siblings... lqg is a character who goes through a lot of growth imo and it's very satisfying to see that + how his rs with sqq changes through the novel. lqg is also a character that is so fun to put into situations and also make fun of. bc he's so sucks <3 ANYWAY I FUCKING LOVE LQG if there is no lqg lovers on this earth i am dead etc

TYSM FOR THE ASK KAY <333 sorry it took me so long to answer LMAO it was really fun though

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Cinnamon Rolls

Set post-game. As she waits for her treats to bake, Agnes Dekarios (formerly Wildheart) enjoys yet another evening with her beloved Gale. SFW.

It was another beautiful day in Waterdeep. Agnes Dekarios (formerly Wildheart) sat next to her husband on his favorite chair looking out over the water from his tower at sunset.

No Agi, our tower. This isn’t just Gale’s home anymore. It’s yours. And every day I add a few more touches to make it feel like home.

“You seem lost in thought, Mrs. Dekarios.” Gale teased, glancing at her sideways as he balanced a book in one hand and a quill in the other. “What tempest of thoughts are swirling in your beautiful head, my dear?”

“Flatterer.” She said with a wink. “Oh, just how the tower is quickly becoming home for me.”

He hummed, writing something down in the margins of the book. “Ah yes, the little hints of color throughout, your cast iron pan and wok becoming favorites in the kitchen, the painting of Baldur’s Gate in your…what are you calling that room again, darling?”

Agnes grinned. “My hobby room. All my little trinkets, books, and piano.” And unlike my handsome wizard, I can actually play the piano. Most nights after we’re done on the terrace I’ll play a song or two for him while he sits next to me, his hand always on my thigh. Horace and Scratch have their beds in there, and sometimes even Tara will nap with them…when she isn’t napping on Gale’s tummy.

“My sweet wife’s hobby room, of course! It’s coming along nicely, though there’s a distinct lack of a chair or small sofa for your husband.” He’s teasing me again.

Giggling, she swatted his arm. “Pick one out then, love, and I’ll have it put in there. Until then—”

RING! RING! RING!

Agnes’s eyes widened. “Oh fuck, those are the cinnamon rolls!” She pressed a kiss to Gale’s cheek (his beard is much more substantial than we first met but still well-groomed) and then hopped off the chair to get those very tasty cinnamon rolls out of the oven. She made at least a dozen every week. My darling loves to have two mid-morning with some more coffee. She smiled to herself as she iced them. I should bring some up right now. They smell so damn good. Maybe I’ll grab a few for me too… As she prepared a plate, she thought about her trip to see Halsin earlier in the day. She had been feeling unwell for a fortnight with nausea in the mornings. Gale was, of course, worried sick about her and insisted on a healer right away. But I can be a stubborn dwarf sometimes and thought it would go away. She could not help but grin. And it will be going away…sort of. A few more weeks hopefully. When she returned to the terrace with five cinnamon rolls, she found Gale staring dreamily at the horizon, the book and quill now on a side table. “I come bearing cinnamon rolls, love!” Agnes said, her expression as light as air.

Gale rubbed his hands together, the gold band on his left ring finger shining in the remaining daylight. “How fortunate am I to have such a talented, beautiful, thoughtful wife!” He patted the spot next to him. He took the plate from Agnes and put it on the table before hugging her. “Come here, my love.” Helping her back on the chair, he brushed her freckled cheek with his knuckles. He always looks at me with such love, such fondness…I’m the lucky one. “You know, I would’ve gotten those for you. You need to—”

She shook her head as she grabbed a cinnamon roll. “I’m alright, Gale love. In fact, Halsin said I’m not sick at all.” Taking a large bite of the roll, she practically moaned as she chewed.

Gale, for his part, laughed heartily. “Goodness me, madam! The only time you make sounds like that is in the bedroom.” He took one for himself as he kissed her red curls. “It is very heartening to see you so thoroughly enjoying this, my love. You’re always so nauseous in the mornings now. Wait,” he stopped before taking a bite. “Halsin says you’re not sick? Then, it is my theory of allergy-related sinus issues?”

Not even close. She swallowed and shook her head. “Erm, no. The nausea should subside within a few weeks, and then…” Oh dear, how much should I tease him? “Other symptoms of sorts will be presenting.”

Gale’s brown eyes widened, full of worry. “Other symptoms? Darling please, if you’re—”

She shifted next to him, the cinnamon roll already gone, and took his free hand. “For a man so brilliant, Gale love, you sometimes miss the facts in front of you.” Agnes kissed his knuckles and nuzzled his hand. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father.”

For a few moments, there was silence.

I…I thought this was what we wanted? Why isn’t he saying anything?

Her fear evaporated when he let out a cry of pure joy and kissed her soundly. When he broke the kiss, tears were in his eyes and a hand rested on her belly. “A child. Our child. By the gods, our child.” The hand on her belly was now rubbing his beard. “I’ll get every book I can on pregnancy and birth, especially ones on half-dwarves. Must find a midwife as well…unless you want Halsin, since you’re comfortable with him? Or perhaps Shadowheart, though who knows if she even deals with this. Must plan and design the nursery. Oh, and I should find books on what music to play for the baby—”

Oh no. No. No. No. No. NOT NOW, GALE LOVE. Agnes wrinkled her nose and giggled, patting him on the arm. “Gale, I love you dearly, but how about you make your lists tomorrow?”

“Oh! Right! Of course, my dear.” He took both her hands in his, and Agnes was reminded of their conversation in the astral realm. The night I finally convinced him to drop all notions of using the Crown for godhood. That he is enough just as he is. That I want him just as he is. “Forgive me, I’m elated. Quite nervous. But so very excited! What a beautiful adventure we’re on, my love.” Gale pressed kisses on each of her hands. Gods, he can’t stop smiling. He’s so happy. “An adventure I never even considered, blinded by ambition as I was. However, I believe the feeling of being an omniscient, omnipotent god cannot compare to the pure and utter joy I feel right now. Gods, it feels as if my heart is going to burst from my chest. There’s so much I want to teach them, show them, tell them…” He shook his head, still smiling. “No, not just me. Us.”

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Oh, fuck it. Agnes blinked away tears. “Us.”

[elizabethplaid]

daily notes - june 26, 2024

-- Ooof, my senses are iffy tonight. Good thing I know it's just my anxiety ramping up for tomorrow's dental appointment. Little woozy-dizzy in the head, a fav-food smelled too strong, fingertips hurt as I rest them on the keyboard.

-- Went to bed after 8:30, on my phone til after 9:30am. I don't know exactly when I fell asleep, but it took awhile, so we'll say 10:30am? Woke around 6pm, surprisingly. If I did wake up in between, it wasn't for very long.

-- Tonight, I'll shower and then go straight to bed; try to avoid using my phone. Gotta leave by 9:45am, so I'll set my alarm for like 7.

-- This appointment will be a test of "how far will it set me back if I'm already feeling bad?" Remember, I'm still in this state from early-May, which is already a level-up from the Feb-March depressive point.

-- --- Might bring my bear Since with me, especially since she's a perfect signal that I'm feeling bad. Already bringing a water bottle, might pack some extras in a cooler. Ooh, ice packs would be a good stim toy, too.

-- I've been alternating drinking tap water and my usual soda. (Water has to chill in the fridge to be tasty, so I drink soda in the interim.) If my senses aren't too fussy, I'll try to pick up 2nd water bottle tomorrow.

-- Cleaned the bowl section of my sink, but not the countertop part. Just negotiating with myself to clean tiny bits of things at a time. Better to nibble than bite off more than I can chew, so to speak

-- Will also remove nail polish tonight and trim nails. Probably not going to repaint them until after my appointment, if I do.

========

-- I noticed tonight that I'm having a stronger reaction of joy to funny things. While watching D20 and talking with my dad, I was clapping my hands at jokes - more frequently than I usually do. I had to switch to shaking out my hands, so my dad could keep talking. Clapping makes noise and is disruptive to the flow of conversation.

-- --- Dad said it was good that I felt joy, even if I had to express it like this. I'm feeling more comfortable using more stereotypical autism stim-actions to cope with things and express myself lately.

-- In my dream today, I was utilizing more stim-actions and not trying to "act normal" (eg masking) by hiding my reactions and feelings. I was with a new group of people, but they were accommodating of my needs. Maybe a room had been too noisy or I was getting overwhelmed with something. Can't remember the specifics, but I felt supported by others. Not outright confident, but mostly comfortable.

=========

-- I've combed through my music archives and listened to some older things recently. AFI's "Sing the Sorrow" has quite a stronghold on my brain, surprisingly. The album isn't emotionally significant, but I guess I played it a lot in a short period of time? A few songs from Nicole Dollanganger's "Curdled Milk" and "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" are sticking out, as I listened to them heavily before and around the time my mom passed. Taps into some heavy feelings, in a good way.

-- --- Tried Coldplay's "Parachutes", but the whole album still hurts, 20+ years later. I had gotten it right before something big and bad happened to me - a big factor into my anxiety development. Like, if it had gone worse, I wouldn't be here today. I can listen to some of the songs out-of-context, but the album as-a-whole brings no joy.

-- Why am I breaking out the big guns of nuclear earworms? Desperately fighting NSync's first album, which I haven't listened to in yeaaaars. My streaming friend played some of their music, along with her usual outro song being "Bye, Bye, Bye". Yep, time for the scorched earth approach for these monsters.

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

Chapter 2: Who Are You?

A/N: I am emptying my Google docs of stuff and I absolutely forgot about this!

Warnings: Mention of medication, food, alcohol, the usual. OC (minus physical description) written from reader pov.

Word Count: 5.1k+

The day passed lazily, the autumn sunshine lighting up your cabin as you stared at the blank word document on your laptop, letting out an irritated sigh when you got up to make a fresh coffee. You made an extra cup and heated up some soup for your guest. Laying it all on a tray, you quietly entered the room to find that he was awake. His piercing green eyes watched you with a fierce intensity that made you nervous.

“I made you soup. And coffee.” He didn’t say anything from his perch on the edge of the bed. He was so upright and rigid you wondered if he had a plank of wood shoved down his back. “How’s your wound?” You asked, going to touch it but he jerked away from you, his eyes dulling for a moment when he winced. “You’re in pain,” you observed. The tablets still sat on the bedside table. You reached for them and the cup of water. “These will help.” His nose wrinkled up in annoyance and you couldn’t help but think it was the cutest face you’d seen him make yet.

“What is it?” He finally asked

“It’s medicine.”

“Doesn’t look like medicine,” he retorted and you could feel your back teeth clenching together already. Cute and annoying, apparently.

“Look, it’s not the tasty kind of medicine that children take. It’s not in liquid form for smooth swallowing. It’s a pill, it’s bitter. My advice, don’t chew it. Knock it back with a shot of water and your pain will melt away.” He looked at you, the muscle in his jaw flexing as he eyed the offending white pills in your outstretched hand.

“And you’re sure this medicine is safe?” You bit back another snarky response, not sure if he’d understand, and settled for a quick nod, just hoping he’d take it. You tried not to move when he reached for the pills, his long fingers gently brushing your palm, causing goosebumps to ripple along your forearm. He quickly put them in his mouth and sipped the water with a rough swallow, his face twisting at the taste. “That’s disgusting,” he muttered.

“Here,” you nudged to tray towards him. “The soup will take away the taste of the meds. I’ll leave you to eat. If you feel up to it, I have a fire going in the living room. You could sit in there instead.” Leaving the bedroom door open slightly you headed upstairs.

You started clearing out the spare room, where you kept things like extra clothes and furniture you just hadn’t got round to getting rid of yet. Pulling some bedding from the cupboard, you began to make the bed. Your battered ribs couldn’t take another night on the sofa. As you struggled to get the duvet cover on, the pain in your side and back flared to life, pulling a loud groan from your chest. Lifting up your top you turned so you could see the black and yellow bruises that littered your sides and back. Gingerly you reached out to brush your fingers over them, wincing at the hint of pain when a noise caught your attention. Looking up you saw him in the doorway, his green eyes roaming over your bruised skin with a blank look on his face and you dropped your top.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people,” you snapped, embarrassed that he had seen the marks on you.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” He stood awkwardly in the doorway, clearly unsure on what to do next so you turned your back on him and continued with the bed. “Are you feeling better?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Well that’s good,” you replied, trying to soften your tone. No one came here except your best friend Sage, so to have a man stand awkwardly behind you in your sanctuary made you feel weary.

Especially as the last man you were alone with put you in hospital.

Still straightening the covers on the bed you watched him, his gaze taking in everything around him. He was looking up at the wood that made the doorframe, his hand carefully reaching out for the door handle as though he wasn’t sure what it was. “Are you going to tell me more about you?” His hand snapped back to his body at the sound of your voice and you saw a muscle tic in his jaw.

“I have given you all the necessary information.” Straightening up from pulling the covers, you hid a wince, not wanting to show him the bruises hurt you all the time.

“That you’re a General in some order. Ok, I get it if it’s classified, but you’re under my roof and I’m proposing a possible trade of information.” He seemed to weigh your words before giving a curt nod of agreement. “After I’ve had a look at your wound.”

“I’m more than capable…” he started but you cut him off.

“Do you ever let anyone look after you?” He closed his mouth, his shoulders tensing slightly as his gaze slid away from you.

“No.” You heard a sort of heaviness in his tone that he tried to conceal and you let out a little sigh.

“The first aid kit is on the kitchen table, I just need to put some more cream on it and maybe another dressing and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know in exchange for some answers.” He turned smartly, the great black coat flaring with his movement, his boots clicking harshly on each step. You followed at a more leisurely pace knowing you were going to need some painkillers and just hoped he didn’t ask anymore questions regarding your bruises.

He hovered by the table watching every move you made with that calculating look that probably made other people nervous. You just ignored him, finally coaxing him to sit down and concentrating on changing his dressing, trying not to flinch every time you twisted. You poured him a coffee before sitting down with a soft sigh and a grimace you couldn’t contain.

“Have you had treatment?” He sounded hesitant, like he was crossing a personal boundary by asking about your injuries.

“I have.”

“Who?” Your gaze lifted to finally look at him. He quickly grabbed his coffee making a face at the smell but drinking it anyway. He had bright stubble starting to creep along his jawline, his hair was covering his brow, which you were pretty sure he hated as he constantly tried to sweep it back. You thought it made him look particularly dashing.

“I don’t know you well enough to have that conversation,” you told him firmly. “Anyway, what’s your name? I can’t imagine someone would call their kid General.” He fiddled with the cup for a moment, as though weighing up his options. Eventually he answered.

“Armitage Hux. Son of Brendol Hux.”

“Armitage,” you sounded out his name, rolling it over your tongue, only for him to jerk slightly at the sound of it. “You don’t like it?”

“I haven’t heard someone else say it for a while,” he confessed quietly.

“And you’re in charge of this First Order? Where are you based?” He smirked, shaking his head a little at your questions.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a Resistance spy.”

“What makes you think I’m not?” You boldly asked with a quirked eyebrow, sounding so much more confident than you actually felt.

“Because I’d at least be bound. Or dead.”

“Oh.” You rolled your lips desperately trying to think of something to say when you frowned. “They just kill people?” Hux eyed you for a moment as though trying to figure out if you were genuine, but he did finally rest back in his chair and seemed to relax a little. “We don’t do that here. Tying people up, hurting people. It’s not allowed.”

“At all?” He asked with a furrowed brow, as though he didn’t believe you.

“No. It’s inhumane. Only people sick in the head would stoop to that level.” Hux quickly took a deep gulp of the coffee, the tops of his ears redding slightly.

“So tell me about you, Princess.”

“We can forgo the title,” you told him, wincing slightly.

“Lia.” Now it was your turn to shrug and settle back in your chair.

“There’s nothing to tell. I have no parents, I live alone, aside from my cat.”

“Cat?” You didn’t miss the slight infliction of his tone, his eyes darting to the floor as though Millicent was about to pounce on him right now.

“Oh yeah, she’s fierce,” you joked. “Might wanna watch yourself.”

“H-how big?” You narrowed your gaze but he avoided looking directly at you. The colour was creeping up the side of his neck and you guessed he was nervous.

“Don’t you like cats?”

“Like a tooka?”

“A what now?” You blinked at the odd word. This man really had lost the plot. You watched his hands, still gloved, as he gestured above his head to give you the idea of ears.

“Big mouth, teeth,” he breathed. You couldn’t help the snort of laughter and instantly he dropped his hands. His entire demeanour closed up and he stood, pulling his coat around him.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m tired,” was all he said, leaving you alone to your thoughts.

You were fairly sure neither of you had discussed anything of significance. You’d try again later. You busied yourself cooking some pasta with pesto sauce, frying strips of chicken in a separate pan. Music played from your laptop, the constant empty document glaring at you, judging you for your lack of words. Shaking the chicken in the hot garlic butter mix, you didn't hear Hux leave your room and come to stand in the kitchen. Turning, you let loose a half scream before you choked it down. He’d taken his greatcoat off but he was still dressed in the uniform he’d landed in. His hands were tucked behind his back and he cocked a red eyebrow at your reaction to his presence.

“Shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. Gave me a fright.” You downed the last of your wine and went to pour some more. “You hungry?”

“What is it?”

“Pasta, pesto, garlicky chicken,” you turned to see he looked like he was floundering a little for a response as he eyed your pans on the cooker. “Trust me, it will be nice. What do you usually eat?”

“Roasted Kajaka Root is something that has a bit of flavour and is quick to eat. I’m on the move a lot. Otherwise it’s just protein supplements.”

“What’s…?” You looked at him over your shoulder but you didn’t have it in you to ask what Kajaka Root was. “You don’t sit down and have dinner?”

“Not unless I really have to,” he murmured with a slight sniff of displeasure.

“Well in my house we sit and eat at the table.” You dished up the food, refraining from asking if he knew how to use cutlery and just giving him a fork. “Do you drink?” For the first time you saw something like relief flicker in his features at the unspoken mention of alcohol.

“Yes.”

“What’s your poison?”

“My….? I thought we were talking about alcohol?” He asked almost angrily and you smirked, opening the cupboard to the left of you.

“Things really get lost in translation don’t they? I have gin, tequila, whiskey, wine, oh and some baileys.”

“And you live alone?” He muttered.

“Yeah ok, you don’t get to judge me right now,” you told him waving a hand as though to dismiss his words. “You look like a whiskey kind of guy.”

“How arrogantly presumptuous.” You lifted your eyes for a moment, smiling to yourself as you shifted the bottles around, confident in your assessment of him.

“My friend is a waitress and I have been a barmaid myself. I know just by looking at a person what they drink,” you reached down for the closed bottle. The cap snapped as you twisted it, the deep honey coloured liquid splashed into the tumbler, you placed both the bottle and the glass next to him. You poured yourself some white wine, trying not to gawk as he wrapped his long pale fingers around the glass. He sniffed it before tasting, his lips thinning as he rolled it around his mouth and then swallowed. You felt a little bubble of pride start to warm you when he took another sip, he gave a small nod of appreciation when he put the glass down.

“So,” you picked up your own glass, swilling it as you regarded him over the top. “Where are you from? Don’t you have any friends or family I can contact for you? You literally fell out of the sky.” He chewed thoughtfully and you could almost see his thought process in his eyes as he stared at the table.

“The people you could contact, I think, are out of range. Do you really have no long range scanners? Comlinks? Am I really to believe you don’t even have a ship?”

“I live in the middle of nowhere in a forest. Do you see any ships? It’s not like I'm hiding a longboat in the loft,” you muttered.

“Not even a starfighter?” He pushed quietly.

“A…I’m sorry a starfighter?” You gazed at him in wonder, your words coming back to haunt you already. You literally fell out of the sky… He couldn’t? Could he? “Are you an alien?” You whispered. His mouth opened for a second, his face reddening as his fork slammed onto his plate.

“I am not!” But you barely heard him as your mind raced, your heart was pounding and adrenaline flooded you. This was too crazy, but you had seen him land with your own eyes!

“But you are…you came…you fell!” You stood up, the chair flinging away from you and he followed suit, clearly not trusting you. “Oh god you’re not human. Is this the beginning? Are you invading?”

“What a ridiculous notion! I do not have the time nor the inclination to invade.” You were staring at him as thunder beat in your ears. He looked human. Unusual, handsome, but human.

“Explain to me where you’re from because I’m freaking out a little and I don’t really know what to do!” Your phone was in your hand and you could see Sage’s name just under your thumb. Hux clenched his hands together at his sides, the redness receding slightly as he regarded you for a moment with those bright but pale ocean green eyes.

“I am General Armitage Hux, I come from a planet called Arkanis, where it rains constantly.” Ok that sounded sort of normal. Except it was a planet you’d never even heard of.

“How did you get here? On Earth?” You breathed, still clutching your phone in your hand which he noticed.

“This ship I was in encountered upon a herd of purrgil, they tore through the hull within moments. I managed to get into an escape pod but we were in a hyperlane,” his gaze unfocused slightly as he remembered. “We must be somewhere out in an Uncharted sector. Maybe Wildspace because I’ve never heard of your planet before and we have mapped some of the Unknown Regions in our time of hiding.” You were no astrologist but you recognised none of these words. “What do you know this system as?”

“Oh…uh…we’re in the Milkyway.” His brow furrowed.

“Do you have a star chart?” He asked softly. With shaking hands you pulled the internet up on your phone and typed in ‘solar system’. Clicking on a picture that had all the planets labelled you put it down on the table and he looked up as though expecting the picture to come alive. He made a quick face of exasperation before leaning on the table to look at the small picture.

“This is us,” you whispered, pointing to the green and blue planet.

“Are any of these inhabited?” He asked curiously.

“N-no.” He hummed slightly, almost in disappointment.

“Most intriguing.”

“Here,” you walked in a slight daze not really sure what you were hoping to achieve. Picking up the remote for the tv you carried on talking. “This channel will have all the information you could ever want about….ah look.” You pointed at the screen as he stalked towards you, he looked like a cat with all his attention focused on the screen. “A programme on NASA.”

“NASA?”

“You’re gonna need whiskey. Sit down and absorb. I need…” you faulted. You needed space to breathe, you needed to wake up from this crazy dream. “I am going to sleep and hopefully when I wake up tomorrow this will all make sense." You let loose a little hysterical giggle when you met his gaze. “Goodnight,” you said abruptly and started making your way upstairs. You went through your routine before bed, washing your face, brushing your teeth, putting pyjamas on, cracking the door open for Millicent. All normal, grounding things and by the time you slipped into bed you felt calm and relaxed. You fully expected to wake up and this all would have been a dream.

The sun streamed in, warming your pillow, and you sighed in irritation. With a groan you managed to swing your legs over the edge of the bed, an arm hugging your middle as the pain flared with your movement. The pain had lessened since you left the hospital a few weeks ago, or maybe you had just gotten used to it. At least the nightmares had eased for now. You padded to the bathroom, but the cupboard here was empty of what you needed. Wincing, you opened the bedroom door and suddenly everything crashed back to you. Two plates still sat on the table, but the bottle of whiskey and his glass were gone. As you made your way down the stairs you contemplated downing the rest of your wine, but you needed to drive to town today for food. You made coffee, occasionally glancing over at the closed bedroom door until Millicent came in meowing loudly for her breakfast.

You talked to her like normal, asking what she’d seen outside and if she’d frightened off any bears recently, but she just looked up at you with her lion-like face and those rich golden eyes. Grabbing her face you pressed your forehead against hers, letting the rippling of her purrs fill the space between you. Eventually she meowed as a reminder that she only came for her breakfast.

You made some toast, watching her trough her food as though you’d been been starving her for days on end before she sauntered back outside with a flick of her bushy tail. The coffee steamed when you poured it into your cup, adding just a dash of cream and tucking your laptop under your arm. Next you remade the fire and soon had it crackling to your liking, sitting down next to your coffee table you booted up the laptop and wrapped your hands around your coffee mug.

The bedroom door opened and you turned to see Hux emerging with his coat draped over his arm. His hair was wet. He’d obviously had a shower and now his uniform was beginning to look wrinkled in places no matter how many times he smoothed it with his hands.

“Sleep ok?” You asked, getting up and he followed you into the kitchen, ignoring the way your heart rate accelerated at his closeness.

“Yes.”

“How was the NASA programme?”

“Enlightening.”

“I love how you give answers and I have no idea if they’re good or bad." He shook his head when you pointed to the cream and you handed him the black coffee. You watched him for a moment, debating whether to tell him you were going to town today. Part of you wanted to leave him here in the cabin, but you were struck with the irrational thought he’d just disappear. If you took him along at least you’d know where he was.

“I’m going to head to town. We need food and to pick up some other bits. I think you should come with me.”

“Whatever you think is best,” was his non-committal answer to his coffee mug and you rolled your eyes.

“I’m going to get changed and then we’ll head out. Bread is on the side!” You called over your shoulder skipping your way up the stairs.

When you came back down he was standing by the window next to the coat stand. He sipped his coffee as he watched the world outside and you wished you knew what he was thinking about the little bit of Earth he could see.

“Are you ready to go?” You asked, reaching your coat.

“I can’t really say no can I?”

“Great. I will start up the Conqueror.”

“You have a ship? You lied to me?” His voice rose as his temper immediately flared and you recoiled slightly.

“Wait, what? No, it's my truck.”

“A tr…uck?” He asked stumbling over the word

“T-r-u-c-k. How can you not know what a truck is?” You retaliated.

“How do you not have a long range comlink?” He shot back, his pale skin flushing.

“How come you don’t know what planet you’re on?” You retorted with a shrug.

“How do you not know what bacta is? We could play this infuriating game all day!” He snapped abruptly.

“Whatever, we need to get you some clothes and we need to get some food.”

“I’ve got clothes,” he said with an air of indignation, his gloved hands adjusting his cuffs as he glared at you.

“Right, that uniform is not going to go down well in my town, also we have no idea how long you’re, ah, 'staying' so I am prepared to buy you some clothes so you fit in.”

“I shouldn’t have to fit in.” You pulled the keys off the hook, grinding your teeth slightly.

“I can tell you’re a man who is used to things going his way but let me tell you, Earth doesn’t work like that. The sooner you learn that the better, for both of us.” Opening the door, you motioned for him to precede you. He swept past you with a glare, his coat flaring with each step, and you followed him almost colliding with his rigid back. Mumbling under your breath you locked the door and squeezed round him. “What’s up?” You asked not seeing what he was looking at.

“What is that?” He asked, pointing and a smile alighted your face.

“That is the Conqueror,” you answered proudly, moving past him to stand next to the light blue bronco. “This is my truck.”

“How does it fly?” He asked, his tone full of shock and horror at the sight before him.

“No, no she doesn’t fly. You see these?” You asked, pointing at the chunky tyres. “These are wheels…”

“I know what wheels are, I am not an imbecile.” You thought about taking that comment and turning it into a scathing reply but you decided against it.

“Come on, get in!” You opened your door and leapt into the truck, putting the key in the ignition and making the engine roar to life. You looked back to see Hux eyeing the truck with heavy mistrust in his eyes.

“You’re an experienced pilot?” He asked over the noise of the engine and you felt like rolling your eyes.

“I am a good driver, yes. Look, please get in or the shops will be closed by the time we get there.” You shut your door and leaned across the seat to shove his door open. You watched him wearily eye up everything like it was going to fall apart before smoothly lifting himself in, his greatcoat settling neatly either side of him and he placed his hands over his legs. “You need to….oh god.” To his abhorrence you leaned over him, yanking the door shut and pulling the seatbelt across his rigid body. He pushed himself as deep into the seat as he could to stop any contact between you, which you thought was weird but you were technically strangers after all. Once he was all clipped in, much to his chagrin, you pulled away.

“What’s wrong with your hydraulics??”

“What?” You asked over the roar of the engine as you revved it, bouncing you both down the track away from your cabin.

“Your hydraulics! It’s so…bouncy!” He was squeezed into the corner by the door, his hands holding on for dear life and his face was an expression of pure horror as you rolled the truck down the hill.

“Oh! The suspension. Nothing, bouncy means it’s working right?!” You exclaimed loudly, making your truck fly up the other side.

“You’re insane.” He muttered at the heaving sensation in his stomach as your truck crested the hill at speed.

“Lighten up, General,” you smirked. “It gets smoother when we hit the road.”

“Maker, don’t hit anything!”

The rest of the journey went smoothly and in the taut silence, you noticed his gloved hand never left the handle on the door, gripping on for dear life every time you took a bend. Once you approached town he started looking around, taking everything in as best he could. Was it really that different where he was from? You imagined tall buildings made of glass with LED lights down the sides, all futuristic and out of this world. Maybe flying vehicles? He seemed surprised your truck didn’t leave the ground after all. You parked up in the street, suddenly feeling nervous at the amount of people out and about this early.

“Maybe you should stay here,” you suggested.

“What? In the death trap?” You raised an eyebrow at his haughty tone.

“This is my pride and joy,” you paused, letting him have a moment to make a face and tut in disbelief. “Trust me I don’t want to leave you in here but the people in this town won’t appreciate….all this,” you finished making a gesture that empompassed his entire outfit.

“This is the finest gaberwool…” he started indignantly but you cut across him.

“Oh stop. Stop!” You groaned and he clamped his mouth shut, a blush creeping over his pale skin. “Listen, this is my world. I’m not going to be long. Can you show some discipline and sit here while I get you some clothes and some food?” He didn’t say anything, just sat in the seat staring straight ahead. “Fine, be angry at me. You’ll thank me in the long run,” you mumbled. Stepping out of the truck, you slammed the door shut and headed into the pharmacy first. Grabbing some painkillers and fresh bandages to restock your first aid kit, you could see him sitting in your truck, his head in his hands as he took a moment for himself.

You felt like you were spying on him, seeing the resignation in his posture now that he was alone. You felt yourself softening slightly, if he was an…an alien, he must be feeling so lost and alone. Not able to contact his people, his family. You knew what that felt like, having no one around, losing everything so suddenly.

Turning away from the window, you quickly headed into the clothes store and grabbed a few t-shirts, a pair of jeans (though you were pretty sure he wouldn’t wear them), some socks and underwear. You paused with full arms, staring at a plain white shirt and you bit your lip as you toyed with the idea of getting him something slightly smarter as well. He seemed to be the type that would prefer a shirt and trousers rather than jeans. You picked up a white shirt and a plain black shirt, plus a couple of pairs of trousers and some shoes. His boots were well made. You weren’t sure if he’d give them up and you highly doubted he’d be a sneakers kind of guy.

He flinched, his head snapping up quickly when you opened the trunk and put the bag of clothes in.

“Not much longer! I just need to get us some food and then we can head back ok?” He gave a barely perceptible nod before you were crossing the road and heading into the last store. You raced around, having no idea what he ate, but you felt like you were against the clock and almost working up a sweat as you moved through the store. You picked up extras like a razor and some aftershave, a new toothbrush and a comb. You heaved the heavy bags into the boot and dusted your hands off.

“Ok we can go home….now.” He wasn’t in the front seat and you felt your heart leap into your throat. “Oh shit!” You turned frantically on the spot, not seeing a big black coat or a flash of ginger anywhere. “Oh Jesus, fuck!” You leaned heavily on the side of your truck as you tried to organise your thoughts. You felt ashamed that the first thought was to drive away and leave him here, let the crazy fend for himself but you were too nice of a person and if you were honest, you felt slightly protective of him already. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind, but he hadn’t made any attempts to harm you and you’d never live with yourself if you drove away now.

Desperately you ducked into each shop, finally coming to the diner at the end of the street and seeing him through the window. He was perched on a stool holding a cup of coffee, you could see his gloves had been removed and were poking out of the pocket in his greatcoat. His hair fanned over his brow as he nursed the drink, clearly ignoring all the looks people were shooting at him. You stepped inside, quietly coming up beside him and taking the empty space next to him. You nodded when the man behind the counter silently offered you some coffee, letting him pour it before you added a dash of milk.

“You shouldn’t take it black here,” you commented softly. “It will melt the lining of your stomach.”

“Actually this is very similar to caf, I prefer it,” he replied, picking his cup up and taking a sip. You noted the people behind him were eyeing up his coat and boots and you felt the need to move him along.

“We should be leaving, I don’t want the food to spoil in the truck.” To your relief he nodded and knocked back the coffee, he watched you pay then followed closely behind you back to the truck.

[hqmillioncorn]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Poppette packed the very last things they needed into their bag and ran out the door to her room. Her dad was waiting to see her off at the front door. "Do you have everything?" He asked. There was a hint of nervousness to his voice. Poppette knew exactly why. It was probably because she was traveling so far away by herself There was probably the part where she was visiting the part of her family that had been purposely forgotten about because of the whole dragon blood thing. Regardless, Poppette assured him that everything would be fine and in turn her father agreed with her. "Besides dad I don't think the Warrior of Light has ever eaten anyone!"

Lalapril 4/2: Season i think its probably spring or something!

Cherrypit watched as a butterfly flew past and landed on a dandelion. It was a fairly windy day which threatened to blow the poor butterfly off the flower. Cherrypit crawled over to the flower and stared at the butterfly. “Hello! Butt fly!” He leaned in closer and stared.

The butterfly flapped its wings lightly. 

Cherrypit waved his hand at it, “Go way’!” he urged the butterfly. The butterfly refused to relinquish its spot for a few seconds before finally giving in. Cherrypit watched as it flew away, getting smaller and smaller. “Bye-bye!” The butterfly had already flown out of view by the time Cherrypit finished waving at it.

Then Cherrypit sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at the flower.

“Is anywa gonna ea tis?” He pointed at the flower and echoed a question that he had heard many times during dinner. Right before plucking the dandelion from the ground and sticking it in his mouth.

“Yummyy! Yummyy!!” Cherrypit chewed the flower in his mouth and looked around. His sister and this other strange person were still busy looking at the water behind him. 

Cherrypit would have happily joined them but the new person and Babycorn were talking about something that sounded kinda boring to him.

He would much rather run around and look at flowers and rocks and bugs and anything else that was fun to chase around. There was so much energy in him that had to go somewhere! He couldn’t just stand around talking! He had things to do!

Cherrypit finished eating his flower and crawled around the ground to look for any things that looked tasty. A Brina doll that had been following Cherrypit around since they had all arrived at their picnic spot walked carefully behind him. “Yip-yip-ho! Don’t wander off now!” She warned. 

The danger of Cherrypit running off was almost non-existent but it didn’t hurt to remind him to stay close once in a while. 

Cherrypit hunched over and sniffed a strange shaped looking rock. He lifted it up and revealed a wriggling worm that had been hiding away. “Womry!” Cherrypit yelled out and swiped at it. The worm burrowed itself underground to escape. 

“Bye-bye wormry!” Cherrypit gave the dirt a patpat and pushed himself up onto his feet. His clothes were pretty much caked in dirt now but that was okay because he knew that they would get clean later when he got home! 

Cherrypit decided he wanted to go and be with Babycorn again. 

But found himself surprised to discover that there was no one there. 

Before Cherrypit even had the chance to panic he heard the sound of splashing water. “Huah?” He ran over to get closer to the lake, with Brina trying her best to keep up with him. Once he reached the edge of the railing he knelt down to get a closer look at the water. 

Cherrypit grabbed onto one of the railings columns and the Brina doll grabbed onto his coat, making extra sure he didn’t fall in. He looked down to see the person he didn’t know very well standing in the water. 

“Oh! Hey Cherry!” She waved up at him. They were carrying Babycorn under one of their arms, just like someone would carry a popoto sack. Babycorn was soaked from head to toe. It was almost as if she had tripped and fallen straight into the lake. 

“Your sister just tripped and fell into the water! But don’t worry she’s fine! Just a little wet!” 

Babycorn crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. “I thought I saw something shiny in the water and I wanted to get a closer look!” She grabbed a wet leaf from her hair and dropped it back into the water. “Not my fault that some dumb fish jumped out of the water and pushed me in!” 

What had really happened was that while a fish really did come out of the water it didn’t push Babycorn into the water. Instead it had smacked Babycorn right in the face, causing her to lose balance and fall straight down into the lake. 

“Thanks for saving me Poppy!” Babycorn wiggled happily. She really was grateful. The lake was a scary place to be trapped in, especially because of all the different terrifying fish swimming around in it.

“Poppy?” Cherrypit didn’t recognize that name. He climbed up to the top of the railing and stood on it. The person he didn’t know was knee deep in the water, so they were really tall! Just like a lot of his other friends and if his tall friends were nice then maybe this person was nice too.

“Poppy? Poppy poppy poppy.” Cherrypit repeated to himself. 

Poppy giggled, as she started her walk back onto dry land. “Cherry we already met, remember? It’s me Poppette!” The Elezen plopped Babycorn back onto the dock and struck a pose.

She grabbed the brim of her sun hat and did a twirl around and despite her hat (and entire outfit really) being drenched in lake water, she was looking just as stylish as she had been on land. 

It was no surprise, since Poppette had made it herself.

Despite Poppette’s reassurance that they had met before, Cherrypit remained confused.

Poppette slouched, “ Aww…Do you really not remember me?” Their eyes started to water up. Had her first introduction really not made an impression on her new younger cousin? She had shown up early and everythiiing. 

Up on the dock Babycorn gave Poppette a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry! Cherry probably doesn’t remember you cause he fell asleep a little bit after we got to your house!!”

Both cousins distinctly remembered the problems that Babycorn had run into getting to Ishgard. 

“I remember we had to help a knight with a monster attack. Then we had to help a little kid find a missing pair of earrings they lost. And then Cherrypit really wanted to make a snowman before we got there so we stopped and did that and then I ended up falling down into witchdrop again!” Babycorn laughed to herself. “It took me a long time to climb my way out of there!” 

“Woah!” Poppette was amazed, starstruck and even at a loss for words despite having way too many to say about this. “You climbed your way out of witchdrop all by yourself?! And you survived the fall?!” 

“Yeah! I’ve fallen in there lots of times!” 

“That’s incredible! No wonder you’re one of the Warriors of Light!!”

Cherrypit laid down on the railing, since he was small enough to. Something about Babycorn’s story sounded familiar. Especially the part about making a snowman and falling into witchdrop. Except he didn’t remember the part about Babycorn climbing out by herself. Instead he remembered calling Lunya by linkshell and asking her very nicely to help fish an unconscious Babycorn out of her precarious situation. 

He would have gladly gone down there himself but ever since they first re-visited Coerthas around seven years ago Babycorn had asked him to avoid using any of his powers there as much as he could. 

After that he remembered being really sleepy, since it was almost night. This didn’t used to happen. Ever since he woke up in that Old Sharlayan place, things had been just a little bit different. 

Cherrypit watched as Babycorn and Poppette ran back to where he was. Babycorn had shaken off most of the water off of her, though her clothes were still a little damp. It was a pretty hot day today so that was part of the reason Babycorn didn’t really mind all that much. 

Except that whoever’s turn it was to do laundry at the mansion was probably not going to be very happy with her. 

Babycorn walked up the Cherrypit and stretched her arms out. “Bebe!” Cherrypit jumped into Babycorn’s arms without even a moment's hesitation. “Can wa eat now?” He pointed at the picnic basket that had been carefully set near the patch of flowers.  

“Yeah! Of course we can!” Babycorn declared. Falling into the water had really made her hungry. Well, most of everything made her hungry but that’s neither here nor there. 

Poppette was so excited she skipped over to the basket ahead of Babycorn. She had made this lunch herself as a gift to the Starsinger siblings. In actuality it was a sort of apology gift to both of them for how her own family had treated them when they came to visit. 

That night Babycorn and Cherrypit had been yelled at and blamed for pretty much all of her family's problems. While it was true that they had fallen on some hard times ever since the end of the Dragonsong war, Poppette was adamant that most of those problems were not Babycorn’s fault, let alone Cherrypit’s.  

Poppette had herself, left the dinner in tears, running outside into the cold and convinced now more than ever that absolutely none of the heroes that she looked up to would ever want anything to do with her. 

Poppette carefully knelt down and opened the flap of the picnic basket she took out the picnic blanket she had made especially for today. It was orange in color and had patterns of all different types of mandragoras on it, one of Poppette’s favorites. 

In Poppette’s concentration and Babycorn staring absentmindedly at a dragonfly flying past her, neither of them noticed Cherrypit staring right at Poppette, his eyes starting to turn a slight shade of purple.

‘It was a cold scene. The wind was blowing colder than ever. The snow was almost up to Popette’s knees. A part of her blamed this all on Babycorn and Cherrypit. She knew she shouldn't but the snow was much too heavy. To blame all of this on them would make her no more right than her grandparents were.’

As Poppette began to unfold the picnic blanket she recalled more on what happened that night. 

Just as Poppette had given up hope, she turned around to see Babycorn calling out to her. She was carrying a sleeping Cherrypit on top of her head. By the time she caught up she was almost completely out of breath.

Babycorn tried to crack a joke about what had just happened but fumbled it so hard that the joke looped back around to making Poppette laugh about it. Poppette could barely bring herself to apologize for what happened. Especially since it was her who had invited the siblings here in the first place.

Poppette was sort of glad that Cherrypit didn’t seem to remember a majority of that visit. 

‘Why are you sorry!? You didn’t yell at me! Besides, I’m used to it! I’m just glad you and your dad are nice to us Poppy!’ 

Poppette decided then and there that maybe her visiting Babycorn would probably be the better move on both their parts and that was how this picnic plan came to fruition. Making sure to ask ahead of time what each sibling’s favorite food was a genius move on their part.

Poppette carefully knelt down, the phase of caring about her clothes was long past her, considering they were already covered in dirty lake water and mud anyway. 

“Do ya need any help?” Babycorn sat down and plucked a flower from the ground and took a bite of it. “Mpghh I’m realph good at picnics you know?” It wasn’t too long ago that she had put together a feast much like this for her friends at her own home. 

The only difference in this case was that Poppettes food was actually edible. 

Poppette’s eyes lit up. “I would love your help!” She dug into the basket and pulled out some cutlery she swiped from the kitchen of her home. It was the extra fancy kind. “Here! You can set these up! It’s easy I think!” 

Babycorn nodded, carefully taking the cutlery from Poppette’s hands. If there was anything in the hundreds of things she had learned over the years it was that plates tended to break very easily so you had to be careful. ‘Okay I got this!” Babycorn began to carefully walk her way over to the side. By taking the longest and slowest step known to man. 

“You don’t really need to be that careful!”

“I really do!” 

Lest she trip on another pebble and send an entire stack of plates careening towards the ground again just like last time she helped serve food at her friend's restaurant. 

“Surely you’re jesting!” 

“No, I'm serious!” 

Cherrypit blinked, his eyes were purple. 

‘The snow around Poppy began to melt as her father apparend next to her, assuring her that everything was going to be okay. The entire world felt just a little bit warmer. "That's right! If dad can change his mind then everyone else can too! I just have to believe!" Their family would be closer than ever after this!’

Suddenly Cherrypit’s concentration was broken by a familiar scent, the next time he blinked his eyes were back to their familiar white emptiness. “Woah!” He sniffed the air and recognized that smell immediately. “Choca!” There was no doubt about it! There was chocolate cake nearby!!

Cherrypit looked around. In front of him he could see Poppy with a plate in her hand and Babycorn lying flat on the ground. Clearly he had missed something because the chocolate cake he had sniffed out was now lying on the grass and surrounded by flowers. 

“I’m s-sorry…” Babycorn managed to muster out. She had tripped on her own foot and in turn had fallen backwards into Poppette, which caused her to drop the cake and then bump Babycorn forwards to falling on her face.

“Nooo! I apologize!! Forgive meeeeeeee!” 

Cherrypit didn’t know what was going on but he wasn’t wasting any time on eating his absolutely favorite food ever. “Choca! Choca!” He ran past Poppy and Babycorn with a high pitched squeal and used his tiny little hands to dig into the cake. He would have just bitten into it but he remembered Pancake telling him once that it was funner to eat using your hands. 

Babycorn sprang up from lying on the ground with a gasp. “Cherryyyyy!” Babycorn whined very loudly, “Save some for me too!” She ran ahead on all fours and used her own hands to start eating the cake. 

Poppette could do nothing but stare ahead at both siblings devouring the chocolate cake. “I’m pleased you’re enjoying it…?” She was happy they did but it was still a little surprising to see them eat it just like that. There was a warm breeze in the air and Poppette couldn’t help but giggle. 

“...You both are so funny.” 

Cherrypit heard Poppette laughing, turning to look at her he noticed the pretty hat on top of their head. He pointed his chocolate covered hat up at her and smiled, “Pre’yy haa! You have a pretty hat!!” Cherrypit moved his hands around his hair and imagined himself wearing a hat just like it. 

Poppette adjusted their sun hat. “You like it? I can make one for you when I come visit again!” 

Cherrypit smiled as wide as he physically could. “Yeah! Yeah!”

[darkjanet2]

Sonic Adventure 2: Sonadow

Chapter 8: The Unforgettable Kiss

Pumpkin Hill

Knuckles arrived at Pumpkin Hill, the buildings shaped like pumpkins with Jack-O-Lanterns in their windows and their tops lit up with lanterns, just as the sun was beginning its descent into the horizon. It had been a long day for him. He found 5 shards of Master Emerald in every location he’d explored that he could remember.

"So this is the Pumpkin Hill. And this place sure looks haunted," Knuckles muttered to himself. He glanced around uneasily, looking around for signs of life. He wasn't afraid of ghosts, but they always creeped him out when they were in his vicinity. He'd even seen one of them on multiple occasions. They didn't exactly look friendly. "No time to waste. I have to get these shards of Master Emerald."

He landed atop one of the buildings and began searching for a good vantage point where he could watch the town. As he surveyed his surroundings, he sensed movement nearby.

'A piece is near!' thought Knuckles, as he started digging next to a pumpkin. As soon as he touched it, he found a jade shard of Master Emerald underground. He picked it up and looked at it closely, inspecting every facet. 'Yes!' he thought triumphantly. 'The Master Emerald has been here!' He took several steps back from the pumpkin, which now had an iridescent glow coming off of it. 'Now if I can just find more…'

A ghost suddenly appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Knuckles jumped backward, nearly dropping the shard, but caught it just before it shattered.

"Shit!" Knuckles swore, holding up the gem protectively. He glanced around for another ghost, who might appear at any moment. Just the hauntingly eerie glow emanating from the pumpkin. He backed away from the ghosts as well, keeping a wary eye on both of them. "What do you want?!" demanded Knuckles. "Are you trying to scare me?"

The ghosts smiled maliciously, revealing razor-sharp fangs that glistened under the light. Knuckles stood in martial art offense.

"Well, I have no choice, but to fight them off!" yelled Knuckles as he launched to fight these and let out the battle cry.

At the Meadow

That night, Tails unpacked the emergency food supply box from his biplane and put it down. It had energy bars, water bottles, a bottle of soda, cookies, porks, slices of beef, and plates of seafood.

"Good thing I bring emergency ration packs." Tails grinned. He took out a plastic bag filled with fish and vegetables and bottled water. He then grabbed the pot and walked to the campsite. Amy had already set up the campfire and the fire itself was starting to burn nicely. She cooked the grilled fish over the fire while Tails set the pots and pans around the camping fire and placed two large, plastic bags full of rice and beans on top of the pots.

"All set?" asked Tails as he came closer to his friend. Amy turned to look at her fox friend and smiled. She nodded, "Yup. Everything is almost ready for tonight's meal." Tails grinned. "Great! Where's Sonic?" he asked, looking around.

"Maybe he went to take a nap or something?" she suggested. "Maybe we should wake him up so we can start cooking dinner, though."

Tails nodded. "Good idea," he said. Tails went to the meadow and gently shook Sonic awake. Sonic groaned and opened his eyes. "Hey, sleepyhead. C'mon, we're gonna go eat some dinner."

Sonic yawned and sat up, stretching lazily. He got up and walked to the campfire. Amy greeted Sonic with a smile. "Hi, Sonic." Sonic returned Amy's smile. "Hey," he said, sitting next to Amy. He looked over at Tails. "You have a food supply?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Tails. He gave a portion of food to Sonic. "I brought my emergency ration pack, too."

"Thanks, man," said Sonic as he took food from Tails. "I've never eaten anything like this before." He began to eat his food. "It's awesome," he told Tails as he chewed. He looked at Amy. "It's tasty, too."

Amy chuckled, "I'm glad you like it."

The three continued eating their meal and talking about everything and nothing as they ate. Sonic stared down his half-empty food, his mind imagining Shadow kissing him back in the jungle, causing him to blush slightly and frown. Tails and Amy noticed him zoning out, and they looked at each other curiously.

"Sonic? You okay? You look quiet," said Amy.

Sonic blinked and snapped out of his thoughts."Oh, yeah," he said. "Just thinking about something."

"About the black hedgehog?" asked Tails.

Sonic frowned at Tails' question, so he nodded. "His name is Shadow," he said in a low voice. "He's an Ultimate Lifeform."

Amy and Tails gasped and looked at each other in disbelief. "You know about him?!" asked Tails in surprise. "How come you never mentioned him?"

Sonic shrugged, "Shadow doesn't really talk to anyone except for me."

Amy was about to ask why, but Tails interjected first. "That's odd. He may look like you, but he seems to act differently."

"Differently?" asked Sonic, tilting his head in confusion. "I can tell he's very mysterious…" said Sonic.

Tails seemed puzzled by that comment. "What makes you think that?" he asked.

"Well, it's just that sometimes he came here, I started to fight him twice, this guy was pretty tough, but somehow I managed to beat him in a sparring match," explained Sonic. "And when I asked him why he was visiting, he told me he was finding the Chaos Emeralds."

Amy frowned, thinking hard. "Do you think he knows where the Chaos Emeralds are?" she asked.

"Well, I guess he must be working with Eggman and I don't know what he's planning, but it sounds pretty farfetched," responded Sonic.

"Well, what's the plan, anyway?" Tails asked. "Does he intend to destroy the worlds of reality as a whole and take control of the universe?"

"I'm not sure, but he says there's a war coming," said Sonic. "If Eggman's trying to create a world where the universe exists for only him and his precious Chaos Emeralds, that will be destroyed," finished Sonic. Amy and Tails nodded thoughtfully.

Sonic sighed. "I'm getting tired," he stood up and stretched his body, and he yawned again, "We should try and make our beds, Tails. Tomorrow will be long and full of adventures." He gave this bowl to Tails.

"Sure," said Tails, taking the bowl from Sonic.

"Thanks for the meal, Tails. Better go to my spot where I was sleeping. Night, guys," said Sonic, heading to the meadow.

"Night, Sonic," responded Amy and Tails together.

When Sonic left the campsite, Amy and Tails began cleaning up the camp. Sonic sat down on the soft grass and watched the stars above him as he lay on his back. He stared up at the sky and let out a small sigh. Then, he closed his eyes and drifted away into unconsciousness once again.

A few hours later, Amy and Tails were still sleeping while Sonic was having a strange dream. He was fighting Shadow back in the jungle again. They were both equally tired, panting heavily, drenched with sweat.

Shadow smirked and Sonic stared at him in confusion.

'Why is he grinning like that?' thought Sonic.

Shadow walked toward Sonic, placed his hands on his face, and kissed him on the lips. It wasn't a rough kiss, it was deep, sensual, passionate, yet innocent and gentle. Sonic felt his stomach drop, his heart race uncontrollably, and his blood boiled with passion. After what seemed like an eternity, Shadow pulled away. But even when he removed his hands from Sonic's face, his radio buzzed in with Eggman's voice, telling him the island was going to explode.

Sonic awoke with a start. His ears rang and his heart pounded, but he quickly regained his composure. He realized the dream had lasted only seconds, but it had taken a lot longer than usual for him to wake up since he'd stayed asleep through most of his dream. And the last part of his dream was definitely vivid. Sonic touched his lips where Shadow kissed him, and the feeling alone made his heart pound wildly.

'I didn't tell them when Shadow kissed me,' thought Sonic. He remembered his dream vividly, he placed his hand on his chest as his heart was pounding so fast that he could feel it beating through his fingers.

'That can't be right. My heart is pounding because I dreamt about him?' he questioned himself. 'But it doesn't make sense! He's the bad guy! I know he is!' he exclaimed.

He ran his hands through his quill and groaned. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered. He stood up and went to the lake, he scooped his hands and drank water until he was completely refreshed. He wiped his mouth and went back to sleep, hoping there was no dreaming about Shadow.

[bunposting]

hi!! new zealand rabbit anon here again! i hope i’m not a bother but i love your posts and love adding my own advice and stories!

but for those wondering about rabbits in the heat, i raise in texas, my rabbits live outside year round, and here’s how i’ve managed!

- for starters, the wire hutch thing is totally true. my rabbits have large wire hutches with lots of air flow, and a roof raised about six inches above the tops of the cages to provide even more air flow. the cages are large enough for them to completely stretch out in (which they should be regardless) and they spend most of the summer days stretched out to get what little breeze they can. the hutches are also placed in the most sheltered and shady part of the yard, so they only have direct sunlight for a few hours a day at most

- electrolytes!! i bought a huge bottle from allthingsbunnies.com for pretty cheap and it’s lasted me multiple years. i try to provide them year round but especially in the summer. they increase water intake and help them to hold onto that hydration. super awesome!

- RABBIT POPSICLES! i love making these haha. i chop up some fruit, throw it in muffin tins, fill them with water and freeze for a few hours. the rabbits love them, and they’re a fun and enriching way to get them a bit of extra water for some tasty treats. i mostly use strawberries because that’s what we have on hand always, plus they have lots of water. i also occasionally, on those 100 degree days, provide ice packs. i tried the frozen water bottles but just like you, mine chewed right though them. now i use the hard plastic ice packs that can resist all kinds of chomping and stretching, and give the rabbits something cold to lick and lean against

i’ve been meaning to try out the granite/ceramic tile thing but never got around to it. thankfully my rabbits are pretty heat resistant, and i’ve never had a heatstroke yet! (anxiously crossing fingers lol)

and sorry, one last ramble for the other ask you answered. rabbit bucks are so sweet! mine would make a fantastic pet, and likely will when he’s ready to retire from the breeding scene. he’s cuddly, friendly, smart, and totally brave and curious about new things. he loves to be held. he won’t let me pour his food in the morning if he doesn’t get adequate head scratches first. if he’s outside in his playpen and not getting enough attention, he’ll jump the fence and come over for cuddles. the only downside is that he’s a sprayer. i’ve gotten it in my mouth before 💀. otherwise the sweetest rabbit you’ll meet.

my does are certainly not the same! even after having them for three years, one still doesn’t like me, and the other has only just started liking me within the last six months. they are much more temperamental, the only exception being when they are pregnant and nursing, likely from the oxytocin going on. i adore them regardless, but honestly if you’re looking for a sweet rabbit, get a buck!

thus ends my miles long ask. apologies for totally rambling in your inbox. have a lovely day!!

No need to apologize for the rambling - you've made such awesome additions here!!! Thanks so much for the ask!

[sadnesslaughs]

You’re haunted by a ghost, but instead of trying to scare you from their home, they’re trying to look after you, in a caring and loving way.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked, her neck twisted backwards with her spider like limbs gripping every edge of the bed, dangling over my previously sleeping body. The ghost’s dark hair brushed against my nose with her icy breath hitting my skin as she observed me, checking me for any signs of life.

When I screamed, she smiled. A scream was a confirmation of life to her, a show that I was alive. She twisted her head and crawled off the bed, landing on her knees. In a kneeled position, she rested her chin on the foot of my bed, that long smile hitting her upper cheeks. “Good, you’re awake. I made you breakfast. Eat before your skin clings to your bones and your insides rot.”

Then… she left, vanishing from the room. The ghost leaving me gripping my chest as my heart violently pounded in my body. I was groggy the entire time I got out of bed, having only gotten about three hours of sleep over the last four days. She was kind, but terrifying. Sure, she had good intentions. I knew that, still I couldn’t get over the utter creepiness of the situation at hand.

I closed my eyes as I washed my face, refusing to look at myself. How did I look? I couldn’t imagine it was a pretty sight, my face so devoid of sleep, drowsy from all those nights of hearing her scattering through my walls. Still, seeing myself in the mirror didn’t scare me as much as the prospect of seeing her. Again, I knew she was kind, but seeing a sight like that scares you to your core, breaks down everything you thought you understood about life and death.

Pulling back my seat at the kitchen table, I sat, sipping the black coffee she left. The caffeine wasn’t helping my state, if anything it only accelerated the sleep deprived anxiety that was bubbling in my brain. She turned in her pink ethereal apron, her thin body no bigger than a medium-sized stick. The type of stick a large dog would drag through a park. One thin enough to be held, but too long for the dog to drag inside. That type of shape.

“You’re looking better. Did you get an extra hour of sleep? How about some bacon and eggs? I heard humans enjoy that.” She didn’t try to hide the fact she wasn’t human, almost sounding proud of it. She sat the food Infront of me and it looked as delicious as always. Unlike before, she didn’t leave after serving me, instead she pushed my chair in, pinning my chest to the wooden table. “I’m sorry, you won’t be leaving until you eat. You’re growing weaker.”

I pitifully squirmed, not having the energy to show my defiance in words. I was the worm, and she was the early bird. All I could do was put on a show before she got what she wanted. Why did I hesitate? She hadn’t shown any hostility and still it felt wrong to eat her meal. Was the fear irrational? Or was the fact that I didn’t think I should fear her the irrational part? I needed sleep.

The fork bounced off my face as she pushed her thumb against my bottom lip, prying my lips apart. When the food went in, I chewed. It felt good to eat, even if she had to force the meal down. Those pupilless eyes scanning me, making sure the lump went down my throat before the pressure on my chest faded, freeing me from my chair.

“Sorry, it was for your own good. How was the food? Anything you would like me to change? I’m sorry, I’m new to cooking.”

“It’s tasty. Maybe some vegetables?” I asked, hoping to add a heathier option.

“Vegetables? Ah, I’ll order them to the house. Now, how are you feeling? I understand my form is unflattering. If you wish, I can take steps to alter it.” She took the apron off, wrapping it around her face, trying to hide those hideous features. Even if she was a monster, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Those pupilless eyes watering, forced to hide herself because I couldn’t accept what I was seeing.

“Thank you.” Why did I say that? I’m not the sort of person who’s vain. No, this isn’t about vanity, it’s fear. I’m a coward. That’s the sad truth. She lowered her head, saddened but understanding of my situation.

“What’s your name?”

She perked up at the question, tugging down the apron from her lips momentarily, wanting to speak freely. “Ioa.” Those sharp teeth flashed before the apron was up once more. It was a beautiful name. Despite the beautiful name, I couldn’t move past my fears, trying to distract myself again.

“Ah. I see. I’m going to go watch tv.” I shuffled towards the living room, the irony not being lost on me as she shambled in behind. Clicking the remote, I put on the usual crap that was on at this point in the day, watching a rerun of some crime fighting show. She sat on the arm of the lounge, trying to take up as little space as she could.

Somehow, the living room felt safer. Maybe it was less personal. A bedroom is such a private place. You only share your bedroom with a handful of people, so to have someone invade that space is horrifying and unnerving. The Livingroom didn’t feel like that. I could rest my eyes here.

Gunshots woke me up, pulling me from my sleep. I couldn’t tell how long I had been out for. The show was still on, but with how reruns were these days, I could have been on episode ten of the twenty they planned to play today. When I sat up, a blanket fell from my shoulders, landing by my feet.

“You looked cold.” She squatted on the arm of the lounge, that grey dirty dress hanging off the edge. The dress blended with her skin, sharing that same sickly color.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome?” She didn’t know what to say, confused by my words. That couldn’t have been the first time I thanked her? Why did it feel so weird? Then it hit me. It was the first time I had genuinely been thankful for her. The other times were under self-appointed duress, scared that if I didn’t thank her, I would be killed. This time, I said it and meant it.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. I know you mean well. This is just sudden. I found you chained up in the basement, howling for freedom. I didn’t even want to free you. It was an accident. You have no reason to help me. Can’t you see that? This is all a big misunderstanding. You should hate me. I would have left you there if it were up to me.” Suddenly, she didn’t seem terrifying. She looked like me, fearful, alone and needing care.

“That isn’t true. The chains that bound me weren’t physical, they were mental. A challenge of character. Everyone that buys this house has seen me once, and out of those that saw me, you were the only one that wished for me to be free. You were scared, but in that fear you felt for me. You viewed me as a person, someone that needed help. Someone that didn’t deserve her fate. I can’t thank you enough.” She bowed, planting her hands on the cushion of my couch. “So, please. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Was that true? I knew about the ghost rumors and even the stories about how the ghost returned, even after the house was demolished. Still, those rumors started sixty years ago. Had no one in that time felt anything for her?

“Scaring me?” Leaning closer, I unwrapped the apron from her face. “I’ve been so stupid. I let my caveman brain get in the way of my feelings. I don’t need to fear you. I’ve known that from the beginning. So, let’s start fresh, ok? It’s going to take some time for me to get used to this, but I promise I won’t let my stupid fears stop me. Let’s help each other.”

She covered her mouth, straining her face in a manner that looked painful. Her eyes squinted, trying her best to keep her composure.

“Are you ok?”

“S-sorry. I can’t stop smiling. I don’t want you to see my teeth.”

What had I done to this poor ghost? My lack of heart making her self conscious of herself. She was trying so hard to not scare me and it was breaking my heart.

Pulling her hands away, I grinned back. “My grins pretty goofy. I always got teased because I grinned like an idiot. Anyway, if we’re grinning together, it’s not that bad, is it?” I exaggerated my grin, feeling my cheeks sting. She laughed, her long tongue flicking spit as she did. Soon, I was laughing too, finding the humor in the absurd situation. When we were done laughing, I picked up the blanket.

“I only have one thing I want you to do for me. Please leave my bedroom private. If you need to enter, knock. I trust you, it’s just I prefer that privacy.”

“Sure. I’m sorry if I was intruding earlier. I was worried about your health.” After that, I headed to bed, feeling like I could finally catch up on that missed sleep. Hopefully, when I woke up, I could learn more about my new roommate.

[bronanlynch]

trying to get back into writing weekly roundup posts inspired by @/girlfriendofthegalaxy's tuesday again no problem series so here goes (disclaimer that these are not recommendations, as a rule I don't like recommending things to people because taste is so subjective and also because I enjoy doing analysis on things that are not good)

listening (podcast): making my way through the Gundam Wing episodes of Great Gundam Project. love to hear queer leftists talk about Gundam. it's fun to listen to now that I know more about Gundam, because when I watched Wing myself I knew literally nothing, and it's cool to get extra context but also cool to hear that some of my initial analysis still holds up. has the (un?)fortunate side effect of constantly making me wish I were watching Gundam

also obligatory shout out to Media Club Plus, a Hunter x Hunter rewatch podcast just started by some of the Friends at the Table folks, which I'm also enjoying a lot (this *is* a recommendation. please listen to Media Club Plus)

listening (music): so turns out I mostly listen to music when I'm driving these days, and right now the cd in my car's cd player is Avril Lavigne's Let Go, which is causing me to think a lot about a world in which Fire Emblem 3 Houses was an anime and there could be a sylvix+dimilix amv set to Complicated. also I've been fondly remembering that one wangxian sk8er boi amv that makes me cry every time I watch it

reading: recently finished The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon. lots of divine-mechanical body horror and also a big win for fans of body sharing. very tasty, lots to chew on. I think I would have more to say about this one if I'd read it more quickly, but it was the book that I read a chapter or two every night before bed because that's a load-bearing part of my routine, and I think that meant that I sometimes lost track of some of the plot threads and shifting allegiances & motivations

currently reading The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang, which I'm not far into but it's fun so far, and. sighs. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. unfortunately because I couldn't remember exactly what happened in the books to properly compare it to the second season of Shadow & Bone I committed to rereading the whole series and, well, this could be compelling political intrigue except that's not where the focus is (it feels like there's a lot of words wasted on reiterating who the main characters are but not in particularly interesting ways or ways that show them changing very much, at least so far) so it's just simply not compelling to me

watching: rewatching Hunter x Hunter (2011) along with the Media Club Plus coverage. only on episode 6 so far but man what a good show

with my roommate, we've been slowly making our way through Elementary, because it's good to have on in the background while working on other things, and I do enjoy a competently written mystery. we also watched. uh. the Bionicle movies. those sure are movies that exist to sell toys to children. like, there's stuff in there that could be really interesting. as a kid I probably would've been obsessed. I'm glad I've seen them. they're not ""good movies""

now, this past weekend, instead of making any progress in any of the shows I was already watching, or fic I was writing, or anything like that, I saw a tumblr post that made a very compelling argument for spending the entire weekend watching all 16 episodes of 2021 k-drama The Devil Judge. this is a show for people who watched Tiger & Bunny and wanted Yuri (you know, everyone's favorite T&B side character, the guy who's a vigilante murderer and also a judge and also very sad) to be the main character (it's me. I wanted that.) anyway. this one's gonna be rattling around in my brain for a while. it's a dystopian legal drama with a significant helping of the gothic (gothic is here defined as when you're forced by circumstance to stay at the mysterious big house of an older wealthy man with secrets). it's about, among other things, corporate greed, the rise of fascism, systemic judicial inequality, the self-destructive catharsis of revenge, whether justice is possible in an unjust society, and having an intense homoerotic bond with your hot morally dubious coworker

oh yeah I'm also keeping up with the Ahsoka show because I was cursed at birth to care about Star Wars. I wish I liked it because I love Ahsoka and Sabine as characters but it's just simply not a well-made television show. really suffers from over-reliance on their Volume soundstage and various other issues that seem to stem from uninspired direction, but I've been especially disappointed with so many of the blocking choices

playing: finally getting back into playing Ace Attorney 5, which I paused literally three months ago and didn't pick up again until this week. there are parts of the game I've enjoyed (Athena is a cool character even if I dislike her mood matrix thing both mechanically and thematically; the mock trial conceit of 5-3 is fun; I like Blackquill & his bird) but other parts I do not enjoy (the transphobia oh my god I hoped I was free after getting past the homophobia & transmisogyny in 5-2 and then got hit with whatever the fuck they were doing with Robin in 5-3 please Ace Attorney be normal about trans people I am begging you)

making: we recently got B. Dylan Hollis's cookbook Baking Yesteryear, and made some maple-squash gems from the 1920s. not too much to say about these, they're nice muffins, tasty, not too hard to make. I think I would probably double the amount of cinnamon next time though

drinking: it's nog season which means it's time for the return of one of my favorite seasonal mixed drinks: eggnog (pumpkin, since that felt the Most seasonal) with a splash of Kraken spiced rum

writing: picking away at editing my t4t yurivain fic that was originally meant to be for Fire Emblem Trans Week, which was like a month and a half ago now. it's fine. everything is fine. anyway here's some lines:

“This feels like a test,” said Sylvain. “Is that your subtle way of telling me that I have to order our next round?” “Depends,” Yuri said, suppressing a laugh at the expression on Sylvain’s face, like he’d forgotten an answer during an exam. “What would you order for me?”

[hypnolurker]

Dog Days

It won’t work. This plan of theirs won’t work. They can kidnap me, cut off my clothes and throw me in this tiny cage, but they won’t change me. I’m a proud woman. I have a well paying job, an education, I’m strong willed. It doesn’t matter how long they keep me in here, I’ll resist them until I get the chance to escape. They provided me with a bowl of water and a bowl of some disgusting slop made for dogs, it makes my stomach turn. I won’t eat dog food or drink from a bowl like they want. I won’t give in to them.

7 hours.

So thirsty. My mouth is bone dry. It’s only been a matter of hours but I’m not used to this. Even the water in that filthy dog bowl looks so appealing right now. They’re not going to give me any other water. How long can I hold out? I want to keep my pride. How can I respect myself if I give in and start acting like a pathetic animal so quickly. I have to resist. I won’t become their dog.

10 hours.

I’m pathetic. I can’t believe I’m on my hands and knees with my face in a dog bowl lapping away so eagerly. It’s so embarrassing but…I couldn’t resist. Every lap of water is just so good when you’re this thirsty. I guess there’s no point in resisting the water bowl now, but at least I won’t eat dog food. I can still keep some pride. I’m still a respectable woman I’m just doing what anyone on this situation would to survive. I won’t become their dog.

2 days.

Rumble. Rumble. My stomach won’t shut up. I’ve never been this hungry. Even that dog food smells so delicious now. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s not normal to look at dog food in a bowl and want to bury my face in it and just gobble it down, slobbering all over it like a mindless mutt. It’s not right but damn it I’m starving here. I don’t want to but…is it really that disgusting? I mean I was so offended at the idea before but it’s not like I actually have any choice I just have to. I have to eat it.

Mmm. So tasty. I didn’t think dog food could be this good. I got some of the gravy on my face but I don’t really care. I already debased myself by burying my face in there like a beast. I must have looked so stupid and desperate just then. Still, it’s not like I’ve changed. I still hate this. I still hate this cage and the fact that I’m eating and drinking from bowls like a dog. I won’t become their dog.

7 days.

I feel like I’m losing my mind. How long will they keep me here? I haven’t spoken to another person in so long. I tried speaking to myself but they keep catching me and spraying water on me and saying ‘bad dog’ or ‘dogs bark’. It’s so humiliating and frustrating. They also left me a dog’s chew toy. One of those generic bone shaped squeakers that everybody’s mutt has. I don’t even know why they would think I would want it. They must be taunting me.

I’m still eating and drinking from the bowls. Somehow it feels normal now. It freaks me out. I was so defiantly against it but now it’s just like…of course I’m eating from a bowl. I eat from the same bowl every day and it just feels so routine now. So natural. I keep reminding myself that it’s not. I try to imagine eating from a plate with cutlery and proper human food. I won’t become their dog.

10 days.

There’s something in the food. I’m certain. Well that or the water. I’ve been feeling really strange the past few days and that’s the only explanation. It’s not like I’m adjusting to a new diet of kibble and bits or anything. It’s…well let’s just say there was a small pool of liquid in my cage and I was met with some rather vile comments from my captors like 'someone’s in heat’ and 'I have a nice bone for you here if you want’. I told them to shut their faces but once again got that horrible spray.

The arousal isn’t the only effect though. I’ve been noticing some other weird stuff. Not certain it’s possible that they could do this through any drug I’m aware of but I think I’m my mind is being fucked with. Like they’re implanting…thoughts in there. Terrifying thoughts. Stuff about being a good dog. Twisting my thoughts towards those of this dumb pet they’re trying to create. I’m starting to genuinely enjoy the dog food. Eating from a plate like a human seems…wrong to me. I know that’s fucked up but..but I just feel strange whenever I try to think about it. I don’t know what’s happening to me but…I won’t become their dog.

14 days.

Fuck. It’s getting really bad. The dog thoughts. They’re getting…stronger. I’ve been having dreams about fetching tennis balls and walking around a park on a leash. Occasionally in the dreams my owner calls me a good girl or good dog and I squirm and shiver in delight. I can’t help it. For some reason those words just make me melt. Make me jump. I want to be a good girl so badly I can’t stop the reaction.

I just keep getting hornier. I’m almost constantly dripping now and it’s crazy. I was genuinely contemplating one of their offers to stuff their cocks in me earlier and that’s so frightening. It’s like all I can think about is cock. I want to suck it. I want it in my pussy and my butt. I’m wriggling and moving about my cage in agony as I do my best to stay calm and not just start begging for their cock like they want me to. The only distraction when that happens is the chew toy. I bite down on it and it squeaks and I feel happy and I chew it again and it squeaks and so on. It’s surprisingly entertaining. I can’t really explain it. Maybe I’m further gone than I thought.

Then there’s my vocabulary. After so long being sprayed every time I try to speak English I’ve given in. I blame the dog thoughts that keep invading my head but I actually barked for them earlier. Like I wanted to say fuck you and instead I barked. It just came out of my mouth and for a few seconds I didn’t even realise it. I looked at the big grins on their faces and wondered why they were looking at me like that before I realised what I had done. Plus I’ve been losing words as well. Little everyday things that I humans use regularly. Like I remember eating from a big round flat circle thing but it’s like…the word just isn’t there. If I keep trying to think of the word for long enough my bowl pops into my head and I lose my focus. It’s so frustrating. It’s been happening more and more and I’m genuinely starting to worry. I think I’m actually becoming their dog…

16 days.

Words are…hard. I keep barking. Lots of words are gone. Words for people stuff. Words from my old life. It seems like a long…um…time ago. My thoughts are…um…slower and…uh…simpler. Long thoughts trail off. Easier to think about food and cocks. Very hot. Need cocks lots. Lots of cocks. Only barking now. Owners like that. They say 'good girl’. Makes me whimper. I like when they say good girl. Maybe if I bark more they will say it again. Maybe if I stick out my tongue. Maybe if I suck their cocks. Want to be good girl. Want to be good dog. Good dog…good dog…

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

God, I’m so looking forward to planting season. It just does something to me. Motivates me like nothing else. And rewarding, too. I get snacks out of it, because everything I grow has at least one known edible use, and some of them happen to be edible raw! I love chewing on the leaves of my alliums and willowherb, popping a violet or columbine flower into my mouth, the freshness of young mint leaves.

Everyone who visits my garden gets to have some. Sometimes I bring some into work for my bestie, and the time my other bestie came to visit she was like “you keep feeding me” as I was showing her around the garden. My aunt also relayed a similar experience to my grandparents. I like to share the fruits of my labour, what can I say?

But what I’m really looking forward to is my spring pasta sauce. This involves a mass weeding of sow thistle, prickly lettuce, dandelions (I’m happy to have them in the lawn but they can be a bit much in the beds), daylilies (common garden plant, but not native fairly invasive and therefore not welcome in my garden), and garlic mustard. Plus the tips and tops and shoots and young leaves of various garden plants, including white prairie sagewort, golden alexanders, slender nettle, bride’s feathers, Canada garlic, starry onion, nodding onion, ramps, yarrow, wild chives, harebell, ostrich fern, lady fern, Christmas fern, berry bladder fern, sensitive fern, male fern, Canada goldenrod, Virginia bluebells, common tall sunflower, stiff sunflower, swamp milkweed, Virginia creeper, riverbank grape, Virginia mountain mint, fringed blue aster, smooth aster, trout lily, wild basil, and whatever else I decide is ready to add.

I put them in a tomato sauce, add some chopped garlic, basil, oregano, and cayenne pepper, and any pasta of my choice. It is not a delicate flavour at all. Not painfully so, but definitely elicits a “whoa” every spring.

This year I also want to experiment: while garlic mustard and sow thistles are certainly tasty weeds, there are other prolific weeds in my garden that are not so inviting. One of them is a milkweed relative, dog-strangling vine, and it, like milkweeds, is poisonous. Unlike milkweeds, it is not considered edible. Milkweed poison is fairly easily removed by cooking or at most by boiling in a change of water. I suspect dog-strangling vine may be similar to the more potent milkweeds and I intend to put that theory to the test. I will first try boiling it in three changes of water, as this is considered enough for various otherwise poisonous plants, and chewing just a little for a minute and spitting it out. If that has no adverse reaction, I will try consuming a small bit. If that has no reaction I will try a little more, and keep going until I get a mild reaction or don’t. If I conclude that young shoots of dog-strangling vine are edible after boiling in three changes of water, I’ll work my way down. Once I’ve determined what’s safe, that will decide whether they join the spring pasta sauce.