#Seasonal Plant Rental

[mobilealplants]

All About Fertilizer - The Ultimate Guide

All About Fertilizer - The Ultimate Guide

Heroman Services Plant Company is the leading Interior Landscaping firm in Mobile. We provide personalized designs, installations, horticultural service, and maintenance programs for hundreds of prestigious clients across the South.

Heroman Services Plant Company, LLC 750-C Lakeside Drive Mobile, AL 36696 (251) 607-6787 https://heromanservices.com

[panamacityplants]

How you can Find Your Perfect Garden?

How you can Find Your Perfect Garden?

Heroman Services Plant Company is the leading Interior Landscaping firm serving the Destin/Panama City region. We provide personalized designs, installations, horticultural services, and maintenance programs for hundreds of prestigious clients across the South.

Heroman Services Plant Company LLC 505 Mountain Dr. Suite H Destin, FL 32541 (850) 785-8787 https://heromanservices.com/

[aphelionwrotes11]

MDNI 18+ (light dubcon) unedited

Part 3 : Trucker!simon

CW: smut, cunnilingus/fingering, fluff, a little bit of hurt/comfort

1.6k words

Trucker!simon finally takes his bird home

It takes only a month before you’re quitting your job at the shitty truck stop and talking your landlord out of your lease. Simon does all of the heavy lifting when it comes to the moving. Attaches a trailer to the back of his semi cab and uses that to haul your belongings to his private home in the outskirts of the city.

He tells you this is his actual house, the one he’s taken you to before was just the rental he kept to stay in when he was in the city. Just more convenient, closer to the loading dock for the company he works for. It shocks you that he can afford to rent and own a property at the same time, and he does it just because it’s convenient.

It’s a real nice property, large and lush. The long gravel driveway is lined with pines and brush, at the end is a two story home with a large unfenced yard full of green grass and clover. You can’t help the way you gape at the house, So beautiful, and obviously paid for by the money he made in the military and his fat check from long rides in his truck.

He walks you around the entire property as soon as you get there, showing you around inside and out. The house is even more beautiful inside than out, with gorgeous stained glass windows, wooden beams, spiraling stairs, and a kitchen lined with green tile with flower accents. The decor itself is all rather plain, practically a blank canvas, but it just gives you more to work with. There’s a couch where there’s supposed to be one, a coffee table, plates and silverware for two, but not much else.

When you question him on why there’s practically no furniture at all, he just says he’s never needed much. You imagine so, just one man living in a big house. He doesn’t mention that he bought this property not too long after he saw you for the first time, known since the beginning he would have you one way or another.

“Ther’s space in th’back for a garden. Can put whatever ya want in it.” He tells you, and smiles as you grin excitedly, saying that’s great because you’ve always wanted to start up a garden. (He knows, came home and built up some plant beds and bought gardening supplies after you told him that on the first date.)

He spends the next few hours helping you unpack all of your things, which isn’t much. Didn’t exactly have a lot of space for anything other than necessities in your dingy apartment. He takes extra care placing your folded clothes into your shared dresser. Lining your panties beside his boxers. Chuckles as you wave him off, telling him you can do it yourself with a blush on your cheeks. Walks away with a pair of black lace panties tucked in his back pocket, he’s gonna put those in his truck for the next ride out.

The first few weeks are like a dream, the two of you spending nearly every moment together. You weren’t expecting it to feel this easy. You weren’t expecting yourself to wanna be around him so much. You used to call yourself an introvert, preferred your personal time and space over all else. But now you find yourself crawling across the couch to nestle yourself into his arms late at night, or opting to read your books on the bench in the garage as he works on his truck.

The first time he leaves for work isn’t as bad as you thought it would be, he was gone for only 14 hours. Left in the early morning when it was still dark and came home just in time for dinner.

The second time wasn’t so easy, his ride was a full 25 hours away, and you found yourself nervous the entire time he was gone. He told you before hand that he would occasionally have to go on overnight rides, sometimes he’d have to go on rides that would take a week. But he assured you that those were few and far between. Unfortunately he had told you that before holiday season.

And now, as the next week goes by and you find yourself only seeing your boyfriend a few hours a day, your irritation only grows with each passing 24 hours. When he comes back to his lovely bird being sharp and cold, he knows that something has gotta change.

“Whots th’matter, bird? Talk to me.” He says, a tinge of desperation in his voice, only to be met with your frown as you turned back to your book.

When he first picked up this job after retiring from the military, he didn’t mind the ever changing schedule or long rides. Figured it was for the best, something to keep him busy until he’s too old to work anymore. That was until he met you. Suddenly the long rides felt like eternity until he could return to that greasy truck stop to see you again.

And now that he has you all for himself, the long rides and changing hours make him dread waking up in the morning just to leave your beautiful sleeping form all alone. On the third day of your cold shoulder, the next time he goes into work he has a talk with his boss. He’s promised a strict schedule and reduced hours as soon as the holiday season is finished, with all of the other truckers already knee deep in work, it just wasn’t an option to implement his new schedule so soon.

He makes plans to use a couple weeks of his unused PTO by the next month so that he can make up for the lost time.

When he comes home after a particularly rough shift, his skin feels tight and muscles tense, all he can hope for is to pull you into his arms and nestle his face into your neck. But as it’s been for the past few days, you’re cold once he comes home. He can’t help the irritation that builds in his gut as you ignore him when he asks how your day was.

“Alright bird, that’s it.” He says, rising from his seat that the table and getting to you in record time.

You gasp as he lifts you up and lays you on the kitchen island. Ignores your protests as he lifts up your nightgown and pulls down your panties to reveal an already glistening pussy.

“Been so good for you bird, workin’ so hard, gettin’ that shit done just to come home to you all pissy..” he growls, letting out a low groan as he presses a thumb to your swollen clit.

“Whot you so mad at me for? Think you can’t talk to me?” He asks, pressing his index finger into your pussy as you squirm.

“Would rather you yell at me than this shit- fuck-“ he says lowly, bringing his nose down to your lips and sniffing..like a dog. Chuckles as you whine at him.

“Don’t worry birdie, I’ll make you feel better.”

With that, he starts thrusting his fingers into your throbbing cunt as he licks your clit with his thick tongue.

It’s not long before he’s thrusting into you at a godforsaken pace, the only sounds being your moans and mewls, his low groans, and the lewd sound of your wet pussy being finger fucked and sucked on by his drooling mouth.

“Love you bird, y’know I do-“ he mumbles into your pussy, pressing a kiss to your clit.

You feel that familiar coil of pleasure tighten in your core, your toes are curling, your nerves are hot. You choke out a warning, telling him you are so, so close. He doesn’t relent, just carries on.

The orgasm is blinding, your eyes rolling back into your head as you clamp your thighs around his head. He moans into your pussy as you cum, slurping up your juices and rubbing his nose against your clit.

Pushes you to the point of near overstimulation, stops once you start crying that it’s too much. When he pulls away, a string of his spit and your juices is connected to his mouth. His pupils are blown wide and he looks out of it. He’s panting, fingers digging into the fat of your thighs as he presses kisses into the tender skin.

He presses his cheek into your tummy and glances up at you, “feeling better?” He asks with a smirk.

After he’s finished with you (which is when the sun has long since set) and you are snuggled in his warm arms on your shared bed is when he tells you about his conversation with his boss.

“M’sorry. Been neglecting ya, haven’t I birdie? Won’t do it again.” He tells you. But you shush him with your own apologies, telling him you should’ve just talked to him, shouldn’t have ignored him and so on.

“Don’t ever feel ‘fraid of talkin’ to me, bird. I’ll always listen.” He says into your hair.

That night, after a long week of coldness and anger, the two of you lay sound asleep in each others warm embrace, totally peaceful.

Note: hey guys!!! Hope you enjoyed this one!! Had to add in a little bit of sweetness for you all 🩷🩷 as usual this one is unedited so please forgive any mistakes or lack of cohesiveness, I’m planning on coming back and editing a bunch of stuff eventually. But for now I’m just kinda throwing random things out for fun 😆 anyways, next thing I’ll be bringing out will most probably be stalker!simon, that or trucker!john price. Love you all, xoxo 😘

Simon Riley master list

[reasonsforhope]

Legit though, we should start turning ecosystem restoration and work to make our world more tolerant to the effects of climate change into annual holidays and festivals

Like how just about every culture used to have festivals to celebrate the beginning of the harvest or its end, or the beginning of planting, or how whole communities used to host barn raisings and quilting bees - everyone coming together at once to turn the work of months or years into the work of a few days

Humble suggestions for festival types:

Goat festival

Besides controlled burns (which you can't do if there's too much dead brush), the fastest, most effective, and most cost-efficient way to clear brush before fire season - esp really heavy dead brush - is to just. Put a bunch of goats on your land for a few days!

Remember that Shark Tank competitor who wanted to start a goat rental company, and everyone was like wtf? There was even a whole John Oliver bit making fun of the idea? Well THAT JUST PROVES THEY'RE FROM NICE WET PLACES, because goat rental companies are totally a thing, and they're great.

So like. Why don't we have a weekend where everyone with goats just takes those goats to the nearest land that needs a ton of clearing? Public officials could put up maps of where on public lands grazing is needed, and where it definitely shouldn't happen. Farmers and people/groups with a lot of acres that need clearing can post Goat Requests.

Little kids can make goat-themed crafts and give the goats lots of pets or treats at the end of the day for doing such a good job. Volunteers can help wrangle things so goats don't get where they're not supposed to (and everyone fences off land nowadays anyway, mostly). And the goats, of course, would be in fucking banquet paradise.

Planting Festival and Harvest Festival

Why mess with success??? Bring these back where they've disappeared!!! Time to swarm the community gardens and help everyone near you with a farm make sure that all of their seeds are sown and none of the food goes to waste in the fields, decaying and unpicked.

And then set up distribution parts of the festival so all the extra food gets where it needs to be! Boxes of free lemons in front of your house because you have 80 goddamned lemons are great, but you know what else would be great? An organized effort to take that shit to food pantries (which SUPER rarely get fresh produce, because they can't hold anything perishable for long at all) and community/farmer's markets

Rain Capture Festival

The "water year" - how we track annual rainfall and precipitation - is offset from the regular calendar year because, like, that's just when water cycles through the ecosystems (e.g. meltwater). At least in the US, the water year is October 1st through September 30th of the next year, because October 1st is around when all the snowmelt from last year is gone, and a new cycle is starting as rain begins to fall again in earnest.

So why don't we all have a big barn raising equivalent every September to build rain capture infrastructure?

Team up with some neighbors to turn one of those little grass strips on the sidewalk into a rain-garden with fall-planting plants. Go down to your local church and help them install some gutters and rain barrels. Help deculvert rivers so they run through the dirt again, and make sure all the storm drains in your neighborhood are nice and clear.

Even better, all of this - ESPECIALLY the rain gardens - will also help a ton with flood control!

I'm so serious about how cool this could be, yall.

And people who can't or don't want to do physical stuff for any of these festivals could volunteer to watch children or cook food for the festival or whatever else might need to be done!

Parties afterward to celebrate all the good work done! Community building and direct local improvements to help protect ourselves from climate change!

The possibilities are literally endless, so not to sound like an influencer or some shit, but please DO comment or reply or put it in the notes if you have thoughts, esp on other things we could hold festivals like this for.

Canning festivals. "Dig your elderly neighbors out of the snow" festivals. Endangered species nesting count festival. Plant fruit trees on public land and parks festival. All of the things that I don't know anywhere near enough to think of. Especially in more niche or extreme ecosystems, there are so many possibilities that could do a lot of good

[fushipurro]

My Neighbor, Toji

☆ Synopsis: Moving to a new apartment brings all kinds of frustrations as things go inevitably wrong. Though in this case, the frustrations you hold are deeper than a misplaced box or broken A/C.

☆ Content: 18+ MDNI, f!reader, some fluff, smut, dom/sub, creampie, foreplay, vaginal play, blowjobs, dacryphilia?, nipple foreplay, exhibitionism, biting, scratching, pet names

☆ Word Count: 2.4k

"Ugh, why'd I have jam so much into this stupid box."

It was your first day at your new apartment, and what an awful time of year to be doing this. It was mid summer and hot as hell, sweat practically pooling off the back of your neck even when your hair was tied up off of it. While the walk from your moving rental to the 2nd floor all the way to the end was not at all fun in this weather, the apartment was just how you liked it. Small, cozy, and even had a nice balcony you were excited to adorn with plants and string lights. Even better was that your apartment only had one neighbor next to you so hopefully that meant a better chance of peace and quiet.

"Need a hand?" a deep voice resounded from behind you, startling you as you failed to lift one of your heavier boxes. You turned to face a man that blocked out the sun with how tall and built he was. Practically squinting trying to get a good read on his face. Before you could respond, the man reached over and lifted the box with ease into one of his arms.

"Uh, thanks, you live here?" you said, hoping this wasn't some stranger about to make off with your stuff. In this heat you'd give up before even trying to get your stuff back.

"Yeah, I'm Toji. Couldn't help but notice you since it looks as though you're movin' in next to me."

"Nice to meet you, Toji, I'm y/n."

The two of you walked up to your apartment with a few boxes in hand and set them down in what will eventually become your living room/bedroom once you've had a chance to unpack and buy some furniture. Toji noticed how much it seemed you were trying to not pass out from the temperature and work and asked that you just stay inside to start unpacking as he brought the rest of your stuff in. Once it was over and the sun was finally setting, you offered him a glass to quench his thirst and a wet towel for the sweat.

"I don't know what I would've done without you, Toji. Definitely wouldn't have finished this fast."

"No trouble, y/n. I couldn't let a pretty girl such as your self struggle out there alone."

Jeez, as if the heat wasn't enough! you hadn't even replied yet but your blushing face was enough to get chuckle out of the man. Seeing him now under the golden hour sun was completely different without him blocking it like an eclipse. This man is hot, like REALLY hot. His hair was dark and his eyes were rich as they radiated warmth, the scar on your lip left much to think about. His body definitely built for the work he was doing and more. He was older than you by a bit for sure but took plenty care of himself.

The two of you simply looked each other over for what felt like days, while the look of you with sweat still dropping off the tips of your hair and body may not make you feel like a model, it certainly was doing wonders in his eyes. Not to mention your loose fitting clothes for the season. The appeal of him with a towel around his neck and all those muscles was definitely food for you, even if this was a stranger you only met earlier. After a bit of silence, he put his glass down and handed you back the towel.

"Well it's getting late so I oughta get back to my own place, but feel free to knock if you need anything else lifted."

For a moment you were still in your daze, but by now the golden sun had set and his baritone voice pulled you out. "Oh yeah, right, thanks for the help, Toji!" you smiled. You walked him to the door to see him out back to his. He turned to you as he opened his own door with a smile off the corner of his face.

"Welcome to the neighborhood, doll." and with that, the door shut and you returned to your own abode once more red in the face.

"God, that man is a flirt!"

The rest of your evening was spent unpacking some necessities and setting up your bed as your waited for the delivery pizza to arrive. Anything else would have to wait until you could feel your limbs again without pain. For now though, you were uses filled boxes as tables and nightstands like they were the main decor of the apartment. When you bathed that night, you held the towel Toji had used up to you, taking in his smell that resonated from it, enough to make you feel aroused to say the least.

Over the next week however, you managed to make some progress, really enjoying your time between work and sleeping to go nuts with decorating. Troublesome work though as one of your new apartment troubles was the nonfunctional A/C that you had to wait for your landlord to bother repairing when it suited them. This meant if you wanted cold air, the balcony door needed to be left open regardless of the city noises you were forced to hear or other neighbors. Toji occasionally chatted with you from across the balcony or on your way to and from work, the man still as much of a flirt as ever but keeping his hands to himself.

It was a Friday night then, later in the evening. Tired from work and freshly bathed, you laid there on your bed feeling the breeze from your balcony cool your wet skin. Toji seemed to be enjoying himself that night too as you were struck with the sounds of another woman moaning and the slight banging of your walls.

"Someone must've had a good date."

Didn't take long though before you found yourself moving your hands over your breasts, circling and pinching your bud as your other hand freely went down to your clit. Your thoughts were filled only with Toji and the way he had looked at you. Carefully listening to him through the walls as you pleasured yourself with your fingers until you could climax over and over for the duration of his own fun time opposite of the wall.

A few times more that week, the sounds continued and you were relishing yourself to the sounds of Toji and nothing else going on that night in your city. Come Friday night again, you heard nothing from his side but were so insatiable that you began your own session with nothing but the thoughts in your hand and your delicate fingers. A thump on your balcony alerted you as you shot up to see thinking maybe a plant had fallen. To your surprise, no, it wasn't a plant but the man you called a neighbor was standing at your opened door, smiling as he looked upon your exposed body.

"Toji! What are you doing here?" you flailed to pull up a blanket to cover yourself.

"If you didn't want me to hear the pretty noises you were making for me, then you shouldn't leave your door open, sweetheart. Your headboard is adjacent to mine as well, I see." He leaned up against the framing of your sliding door, never letting his smile or eyes drop away from you once. "You've been putting on quite a show since you moved in, did I make that much an impression?"

Your face was beyond flushed as you failed to maintain any eye contact with him.

"You're one to talk with how many dates you've been bringing over."

"Oh yeah? You wish they were you instead?"

Toji walked up to your bed and leaned down right in your face. His right hand cupped under your jaw forcing you to look directly at his moonlit body. Your lips parted against his own breath.

"...Maybe I do. Can't help it the way view you."

"Well you're a sight for sore eyes too, princess, but I can help you achieve your desire."

Your lips finally met one another, his tongue rubbing against yours all inside your mouth. You finally dropped the blanket shielding your body and Toji moved his knee in between your legs against your lower lips. You couldn't help but squirm your hips at the sensation, you hands gripping his nape.

"Aren't you a needy one?" he said, pushing you down against the sheets and kissing his way down your neck, onto your breasts, all the way down to your lower lips. His tongue thrusting over and inside, his large hands gripping at your thighs. You definitely were gonna be bruised there later. Your own hands clawing at your sheets as you bit your lower tongue, you pupils beginning to lose themselves at the shock coursing in your body.

Toji lifted his head up to look at you, with his experience, he knew you were close and wished to deny you.

"Don't be so impatient, doll, we have a whole night ahead of us."

"Fuck, Toji, I need you."

"I bet you do, princess." he said moving up to your face, his tongue against yours once more with the added taste of your own. Taking a step back, he removed his pants, revealing his twitching cock.

Holy fuck that's big. Your eyes looking back and forth wondering how it would ever fit inside your small body but you were so far gone that all you wanted was to be closer with him. He coaxed you up until your face met with his tip, a shiny residue leaking from the top. Like a mouth to a popsicle, you moved over it, now licking circles around as your delicate fingers stroked the rest of the length. Taking his heavy balls into one of your hands, Toji couldn't help but moan and bucked his hips deeper down your pretty little mouth.

"Careful, dear, I'm gonna need those to make you mine."

His hands gripping your hair, pulling them up into a ponytail like the one you had when you met him, he took control and quickend his pace against your cheeks as tears came over your eyes. Your free hands now playing with your own apex as you looked up at Toji with hearts for irises until your throat became lined in his essence. The two of you moaning and twitching with relief.

"Good girl, now swallow for me." which you did so easily making him rub the top of your head, smiling down at you with such lustful love.

Toji flipped you over so your face was against the sheets, playing with his tip at your entryway as you braced yourself for his girth.

"Please, Toji, I-I need you." With that, he pushed his way in, your body quivering as it adjusted to his size. High pitched moans escaping you against his, your nails feeling as though they'd tear the sheets apart with how much you were becoming feral.

"That's my good girl, you'll feel even better soon."

Moving here was the best decision you ever made, what luck to meet a man that was fulfilling you in more ways than one, better than anything you've ever felt before. He continued bucking his hips into you, leaning overtop to grab your breasts and suck on your neck as he pounded against your velvet walls. Before you could even reach your climax again, he flipped you over onto your back in a mating press position where he could be face to face and watch you react.

"Fuck, Toji, please fill me up!"

"I ain't stopping now, doll. Not when you, fuck, make me feel this good. Don't you dare look away now"

His pace ever quickening as he thrusted into your womb, drool falling from both your mouths as you continued to moan louder and louder. His girth twitched and suddenly your insides exploded with warmth that made you scream with joy.

"Fuck!" you both moaned together, Toji remained in you as you clamped down on him with your inner walls, tearing his back apart with your nails as you sucked him dry. He finally pulled out along with his sticky substance, overflowing onto the bed as he admired his work on your pussy.

"You were amazing, princess."

Still catching your breath, he pulled you up to kiss you some more, you limbs hardly able to move on your own from the good fucking you just got from the man next door.

"What a needy girl you are, but don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

"Oh, Toji, we're definitely doing this again."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, princess. You belong to me now and me alone."

He scooped in your arms and took you to the bathroom to clean off and bathe together in the tub. That is well, after you had a few more rounds in the bathroom and resisting the urge to ruin more of your sheets with your feral love as he locked you in his arms for the night to sleep.

This routine became practically a daily occurrence, wishing the two of you could just break down the walls between your apartments. Instead you opted to leave your balcony door unlocked so he could come over at any time.

☆ Notes: maybe i'll do another part of this later, do let me know if you guys would like any more or if you have an requests for this i can add ^^

[salt-clangen]

Here’s a map of the 4 clans in my upcoming Clangen story, I’m finishing up some of the writing and structure so I hope y’all like this. As usual credit to @rippleclan and @bonefall for multiple aspects of clan culture.

1: Saltclan’s camp is nestled in an unassuming group of rocks surrounding tidal pools, the large boulders provide caves and shelter from the wind and a large tree trunk works as more den structures. The small tidal pools help prevent flooding and the sand is coarse and drains better than other parts of the coast.

2: The training pools are further down the coastline and are used for hunting and patrol training, the clan has to be cautious as these sometimes have two-legs poking around the end of the beach. Apprentices master their balance and swimming here.

3: The River’s End is where the East river’s freshwater meets the saltwater of the ocean, forming shallow, brackish water teaming with vegetation and black clay. It also provides natural protection from two-legs as they are unlikely to cross the silt/muddy waters. An apprentice typically learns how to swim further up in the slower part of the river to prepare them for the fast moving estuary, there’s significant risk of being swept out to sea, so new apprentices and solo patrols are required to cross further up.

4: Rock falls is where West river meets the ocean, but instead of brackish waters it’s over much steeper cliffs. There’s a small deposit of black clay around the base, but it’s difficult to reach from the pounding waterfall and isn’t really worth the risk.

5: The greenleaf two-leg place is an old, run down boat rental place, they’re technically open all year round but slow down during newleaf, leaf-fall, and leaf-bare. The humans are friendly and very likely to throw scraps or fish towards any cats spotted, the boat house also has a decent mouse/rodent population so during leaf-bare its a good hunting spot. Saltclan frequents the boat area during cold seasons and has a higher tolerance for two-legs, kittypets, and loners.

6: The docks- aka the Ocean bridge- are rickety and unstable. They don’t provide much use to the clan cats, but fish do tend to hang round it so if needed a cat could fish from underneath using the support beams, but they’d need to be wary of storms and waves.

7: Abandoned Lighthouse -aka the Light Tree- hasn’t worked for many years, but the clans still tell stories of when it did.

8: The training fields are the long, flat plains of Honeyclan’s territory. This is where apprentices learn to fight, hunt, and patrol on the fields this clan is known for. It’s also where most of the clan’s wild grains grow so they often harvest from here as well.

9: Honeyclan’s camp is an outcropping of rocks surrounded by some short brush and heather plants. It’s located close to the west river for easy access, this is good for both cooking/drinking purposes but also small agricultural projects. Most camp keepers and elders have a small garden of whatever plant they like, either for aesthetic reasons or to use in cooking.

10: Watcher’s Point is the tallest rock near the center of the clan, making it the best place to watch for threats like two-legs who like to wander through the flowers and grain fields of the territory. There’s only a guard on duty when cats are actively working in the fields or with the hives, it’s usually a code keeper or warrior. They use bright colored flowers to signal danger over the distance, typically red or purple.

11: The Hives are what give Honeyclan their name, the honey bees that live here are technically wild but over years and years the cats have former a relationship where they can clean the hives and collect the honey with the bees not getting defensive. The honey is their major export for trade and they reign supreme with eccentric dishes and herbal concoctions. They also have the most cats with the coveted Sweetness Tolerance, though it’s prevalent through all the clans at this point they still claim to be the original.

12: The flowering fields are the main source of the bee’s food and Honeyclan takes care to provide a variety of flowers, they make sure new seeds are added to the edge and that no single species overtakes the others. The flowers are mix of medicinal and regular, though they feature heavily in any art/accessories made by the clan.

13: The north most point of the flowering field, right where the border of Oakclan and Honeyclan meet, is where the fallen cats of the clan are laid to rest. This is to both honor their life with eternal flowers and pay homage to Honeyclan’s roots as an offshoot of Oakclan when the clans were first formed.

14: The Gathering Stone is the agreed upon neutral meeting site. It’s located at the large boulder that was said to be thrown by Starclan to part the river into East and West. The small triangle is also flanked by rich deposits of red clay, which can only be gathered in small quantities during the full moon gatherings. Honeyclan is the only clan that can enter through the trees at the south, Oak and Duskclan have to cross over fallen logs over each river.

15: The two-leg place close to Duskclan is very hostile towards the cats, poisoning is common and cats have to avoid hunting rodents around the area due to it. Kittypets and loners are constantly trying to explore the forest edge and as a result Duskclan is very restrictive of the borders. Thankfully, two-legs don’t commonly wander around the area due to the rocky terrain and dense pine trees.

16: The abandoned two-leg place is a contested part of Saltclan’s new territory, in the past Duskclan hasn’t maintained their borders here due to their aversion of two-legs. It’s also further out and holds little sentimental or practical significance, maintaining the border here would require more work than it’s worth. But now that Saltclan is interested in keeping it due to the prey available and the reliable herb population, Jaggedstar claims it rightfully belongs to Duskclan.

17: Duskclan’s camp is in the middle of their rocky, sloped territory and made up of large rocks, holes dug by paw, and fallen trees. Due to the dense evergree forest they are master navigators and any past raid on the camp has failed due to how well hidden it is. The border of the camp is actually tightly woven branches of the pines, so even if cornered any cat can easily climb and escape through the secret path ways in the trees.

18: Small creek is… well a small creek running through the north eastern part of the territory. While it’s technically closer to the camp and would be an easy source of water, Duskclan tends to avoid using it as it flows through two-leg territory and is easily contaminated by carrion. If it’s utilized, it’s during times of hardship and careful tested by the strongest warriors before the kits, queens, or elders drink it. It’s also one of the only clay deposits Duskclan has consistent access too.

19: Training rocks are a group of large boulders in the north with cat-made rope bridges, it’s used to harshly train apprentices on fighting and traversing the rocky landscape of the clan. This allows cats to train in climbing and weaving branches as well.

20: Duskclan’s burial grounds are between the training rocks and the Cleric rocks, showing Duskclan’s culture of fighting and deep spiritualism. Unlike the other clans only warriors who died honorably are buried here, though this varies based on what the current leader considered ‘honorable’ and the rest get buried near Small creek.

21: The Cleric rocks are where Duskclan’s clerics find the majority of their herbs and is close to High Cave and the Moon spring. Clerics of Duskclan pride themselves on learning and practicing so close to this sacred place.

22: High Cave, home of the Moon spring, the opening faces slightly South East towards Duskclan, this caused the original schism where Duskclan believed themselves to be favored by Starclan. his is where all leaders earn their 9 lives and where clerics meet during he half-moon. A natural freshwater spring originates here which leads to the Great river before it splits into the East and West rivers. The cave is lined with geodes and crystals which catch the moonlight and reflect/illuminate the spring like magic.

23: The Dead Monster - aka Capri’s place- is run by a spry former kittypet named Capri and her granddaughter Olive. Capri is jovial and well liked, even by the clans and acts as a mediator between local kittypets/loners and the clan cats. She also has a lucrative trading hub, more than wiling to broker a deal. Clans commonly offer honey, crafts/pottery, or less common cooked foods in exchange for whatever two-leg item the clans may have their eye on. Popular items include blankets, glass for fire starting, tarps for weather proofing, and herb seeds.

24: The carrion place - the dumpster- is technically not part of Honeyclan’s territory but they (And Saltclan) are the ones who visit it the most. In harsh weather rats can be caught, though cats need to be careful for poisoning, and abandoned items can be taken and reused. Though they have to be quick when collecting, while Capri and Olive aren’t territorial, this is technically their turf and they’re pretty quick to snatch up any useful items to trade with. It’s hit or miss what you’ll find here.

25: Oakclan’s burial site is very close to their camp, which unnerves the other clans, but to Oakclan it’s so their dead will always feel close to home. The area is marked by tall stones and the clan regularly clears out the under growth to make visitation easier. The area is regularly visited by loved ones and it’s considered a normal part of grieving.

26: Oakclan’s camp has a mix of natural caves, large rocks, and fallen trees for dens. It’s close to the pond for water access and surrounded by brambles that camp keepers have grown and cultivated. Since the forest goes through seasonal changes they bolster the brambles up with branches and thicker vegetation during leaf-bare.

27: The training stumps are a group of stumps and dead trees with lush vegetation, the perfect place for apprentices to learn how to hunt and navigate the undergrowth. Cats must be careful of the thunderpath being so close, but traffic isn’t busy. Also it’s pretty close to Capri’s place, making it commonplace for apprentices to socialize with non-clan cats there to trade or chat.

28: The Artisan Knoll is a very unique feature of Oakclan, the large clearing with a single log used to be the clan’s camp several years ago but it was so close to the border and so easy to find that they suffered raids often. Now it’s used for the artisans of the clans to meet and create together, functioning as a sort of work shop and trading center. At the meet ups Oakclan appoints a guard to make sure no cats try to sneak around or spy, but for the most part no one uses it for nefarious reasons. The artisans of Oakclan have access to it all the time, but visitors are only allowed every quarter moon. Because of Oakclan’s diverse foliage they have access to various dyes, paints, weaving material, and rich red clay. The rule is technically you need to bring your own supplies to use or trade for some of theirs, but in reality Oakclan will let you use the supplies as long as you bring either some food or make an extra item with whatever you borrowed to leave for the clan. This space really highlights Oakclan’s open and artistic culture, though Duskclan claims they’re just showing off.

29: Turtle pond (size subject to change idk) is named because- you guessed it- there are a lot of turtles living there. The cats don’t really like the taste of turtle and majority of the time they have access to better prey so the only use they have is as decorative bowls after they pass. But kits enjoy pond visits where they can chase after the turtles and practice their swimming. Oakclan used to boast they were the best swimmers of all the clans due to their pond, but in reality the water is very calm and safe, even their parts of the great river is slower than the rest. Saltclan however braves the rough ocean with grace and it has become a slight sore point of Oakclan.

30: There are various clay deposits throughout the clans but they’re not all equal, red clay is considered the best. Oakclan has the most clay deposits of the clans and all of them are high value red clay, giving them some of the best terracotta pottery for trade. Honeyclan has only one or two deposits and it���s either high quality red or a medium quality brown. Saltclan can’t access red or brown clay, but they’re the only ones who have black clay, which isn’t necessarily better than red but it’s very unique which they pride themselves on. Duskclan, to their shame, only has one spot where they can get the coveted red clay but it’s near the Gathering Stone so they can only gather a smalll amount each month. So they’re forced to get most of their clay from Small creek, which only has low quality grey clay, it’s not as easy to work with as the others, smells bad, and takes forever to harvest and dry.

Here’s an outline of the clan borders, Saltclan’s is newly formed and still contested in certain spots.

Lemme know if you have any questions and if you see any mistakes….. uh you didn’t 😖

[dc418writes]

What Big Eyes You Have

✨Pairing✨: lumberjack!Ari Levinsonxblack!Reader

Summary🪄: Your knight in shining armor might not be as noble as you thought

⚠️: MINORS DNI!!!!, Ari (always first and foremost), hunter/prey chase situation, mention of an injured body part, partial memory loss, mention of unprotected adult fun times (wrap it up guys and gals, get tested, and pee after sex ladies!), semi explicit smut (at least I don’t think it’s fully explicit), nudity, body worship (f), allusions to oral (f), biting, mention of blood (small amount), violence (man-man)

A/N🎙: Hey guys! Really quick just wanted to say how this is my first time trying my hand at something smut related/adjacent (then again maybe it’s just full smut?? Idk, can you tell I’m nervous!?! Lol), and I just hope it’s ok. If there’s any warning I missed please let me know, and as always I hope you enjoy☺️!

Disclaimer!: although collage was created by me, I DO NOT OWN NOR CLAIM OWNERSHIP of photos as they were all found on Pinterest

“You sure you alright out there?”

“Yes I’m fine,” you giggle. “I’m in a completely renovated and furnished cabin with internet and surprisingly good service-,”

“That’s in the woods with no one else,” Selene, your best friend, adds making you roll your eyes. She, along with your parents, tried getting you to change your mind about journeying up to those foreign woods inhabited by dangerous animals and who knows.

None of this made you falter though, still eager to get to the waiting rental home surrounded by trees and much needed quiet.

The daily cycle of work, home, then work again was weighing on you enough that you knew a break was needed. Especially before the quickly approaching holiday season filled with the unnecessary stresses of gift shopping and visiting family member after family member. And yes you easily could’ve opted for an ornate resort on a warm island with endless sun and salt in the air, but there was also something beautiful—and highly undervalued—about having a front row seat to experience fall, and all it’s adjoining accessories, in such a raw setting.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” you state sliding your backpack on your shoulders as you head towards the door. “Call you when I get back, okay?”

“You better.”

Leaves and Earth crunching below your sneakers, you allow your mind to let go of any stresses currently plaguing your mind and aim your focus on what’s around you. Oaks and pines seemingly touching the heavens, while the sky begins its shift from serene blue to a mixture of pink and orange creating a golden hue to shine on everything in its wake. Birds soaring high as the squirrels bound from branch to branch either playing with another or in search of tonight’s dinner.

A small smile even spreads across your lips catching a small, beige rabbit planted in a patch of grass as it’s jaw twitched chewing on the dandelion partially hanging from its mouth.

“Aren’t you cute,” you whisper crouching down to find another dandelion beside you. “This your favorite? Hm?”

Keeping your hand as steady as possible, you slowly try to approach the woodland creature being as gentle as the breeze. It’s long ear flicks as it’s head turns. Little paws close to its white chest while it stands peering at you with beady eyes.

“It’s okay. Here, I’ll leave it. Don’t wanna make you nervous.”

Squat down with knees pressed against your chest, they cover your mouth helping you to contain your excitement watching your new bunny friend inch closer cautiously sniffing the ground. It’s nearly in range to bite down on the dandelion’s stem before the loud snap of a twig has it quickly hopping away and your head turning in every direction as you stand. Silence returns but only for a few seconds before there’s another snap along with the rustle of leaves.

Throat turning dry and heart thudding in your chest, your hands instinctively wrap tighter around the straps of your bag. “H-Hello?!,” you call out into the open air.

It’s quiet again. Eerily so as you take a slow step backwards in the direction you came from still actively searching all around for the culprit.

Maybe it was just a deer?

A deep growl tells you otherwise, giving your legs all the motivation they’d ever need to move.

The designated path is forgotten letting your feet carry you in whatever direction felt right, weaving around thick trunks and trying to evade the extra set of steps crunching close behind. You dare not look back, simply focused on getting away from whatever was breathing just as hard behind you, and hoping your stamina didn’t run out anytime soon.

Then you’re stuck.

Your ankle tightly bound by a rope trap cleverly hidden among the dirt and fallen leaves that yanks your leg so hard you fall back with a scream. Head thudding against the cool ground before your body is dragged and pulled upward along an oak until you’re helplessly dangling upside down. The ringing in your ears and pounding of your head make it hard to fight for escape, or fight the impending unconsciousness creeping in no matter how hard you tried to keep moving.

You can only whimper briefly meeting the golden eyes and sharp teeth bared as it snarls mere centimeters from your pained face. The warm air from its nostrils fanning your across your skin before all you see is darkness.

-

When you come to, you’re body is covered in a thick blanket as you lie on a foreign dark brown couch in an unknown living room. From what you could see, there was nothing lining the walls besides the dark wood planks that made up the home. No framed pictures, no decorations. Just a lone clock that ticked with every passing second.

It’s hard to sit up from the soreness in your back and slight dizziness in your head making you wince as you hold the cool rag to your head.

“Hey, take it slow,” a deep voice instructs startling you deeper into the couch’s back cushions.

Almond strands resting at his nape, his deep blue eyes were concerned as his muscular body neared closer to you. His large hands in front of him in surrender seeing you unsuccessfully try to scurry to the other side of the couch.

“I’m not gonna hurt you. My name’s Ari, I found you in the woods and brought you back here.”

You’re quiet as you study him. His burgundy flannel tight on his arms and opened to show the white tank underneath. His dark jeans over his equally thick thighs and cuffs resting over his work boots.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“…Y-Y/N.”

“That’s very pretty,” he smiles, and you could’ve sworn the room doubled its brightness.

“…w-what happened? And where is here?,” you shyly ask.

“Looks like you got caught in a hunter’s trap. Your ankle’s a bit scratched up and I’m guessing you knocked your head pretty good too. May I?”

Gently kneeling, he searches your nervous eyes for permission before reaching for your ankle to check under your bandage. His palms are rough from handiwork, but touch surprisingly careful and smooth like a feather caressing against one’s skin. You can’t seem to look away from his rugged face concentrated on dressing your wound, and his long lashes beautifully resting on the tops of his lightly freckled cheeks.

“And here, is my cabin. Where are you staying?”

“A cabin,” you answer, wincing as he carefully placed your ankle down. “Can’t remember the number though.”

“Are you up here with someone?”

“No, i-it’s just me.”

Ari lightly nods meeting your eyes again before standing to retrieve a backpack from the far corner of the room, “You had this on when I found you. Maybe there’s something inside that might help.”

Unzipping the front pocket, you find a set of keys and your cellphone displaying unread messages and a couple missed calls from your parents.

Hey it’s been over an hour, everything good? (sent 7:53 pm)

Y/N? Cmon this isn’t funny (sent 9:10 pm)

Ok, for my sanity I’m assuming you ate then went to bed and forgot to text me you got in…again😒 (sent 9:27 pm)

If I don’t hear anything by tomorrow afternoon, I’m calling the cops I swear to God (sent 9:28 pm)

Looking at the time, it’s a little after 10 the next day.

“Okay?,” he asks setting a bottle of water down on the table beside you.

Nodding, you turn your phone to show him the address sent in one of your earlier messages. “This is where I’m staying. Cabin 535.”

“You’re just a ways up the road then,” he softly smiles. “We can leave in a few minutes.”

-

“Don’t ever scare me like that again!,” Selene speaks through the phone. As soon as you entered the foyer, with the help of Ari’s thick arm around your waist, your phone vibrated with an incoming call showing the picture of you and your best friend laughing side by side.

You’re honestly surprised you weren’t already met with at least one squad car knowing how worried sick she was.

“I was minutes away from calling the cops and driving up there myself.”

“I’m sorry. I meant to call but then I hit my head-,”

“Wait, hit your head? What happened? You okay?”

“Yea I’m fine. Apparently there was a hunter’s trap-,”

“Apparently? You don’t remember?”

There’s a few seconds of silence as you bite the nail on your thumb looking down at your lap before a soft “no” slips past your lips.

“Okay, probable concussion. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Just sore on my back. My ankle’s scraped up a little. I promise I’m okay though! Ari found me and brought me back to his cabin-,”

“Ari? Who’s that?”

“He’s a guy that lives a few minutes away,” you answer turning to gaze at the man standing on your backporch leaning against the wooden post. His back facing you as smoke wisps from his lips to the cool air following the latest drag from his cigarette.

“And this guy just miraculously found you?,” she asks with a twinge of skepticism.

“Well yea, he said he was on a walk and I was just hanging there unconscious. He seems really nice.”

“So did Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer,” she replies under her breath. “Listen, stay in your cabin alright? I’m gonna try to get up there to bring you back home.”

“Selene-,”

“Nothing you say will stop me from coming Y/N. You’re hurt with amnesia, you don’t need to be alone.”

You knew her words were true. And with her mind set, there’s nothing more you can do except sit there in silence until she was done.

“And don’t let him back in. Hear me?” It’s ironic how at that same moment, his large figure steps through the sliding glass door returning to your kitchen. He lifts the corners of his mouth in a soft smile causing your own to follow shortly after.

Ari had taken care of you, bandaged your wounds, and made sure you were comfortable since finding you. How could someone so sweet possibly be bad?

“You say it like he’s bad,” you mumble loud enough for only her to hear.

“Because he might be! For all we know, he’s the one who set that trap.” Again, then why treat you so nice? “I’ll call you later okay? Be careful and stay inside.”

Setting your phone down, your fingers meet your temples trying to rub away the little ache forming as you quietly grimace. How long was this supposed to last? It was gonna be a bit difficult trying to do for yourself when you could hardly keep your eyes open for too long.

“You should rest,” Ari says handing you a bottle of ibuprofen, which you graciously took. “Someone coming for you?”

“My friend said she would try.”

“Well, I’ll tell you now, if she’s not here by the weekend she’s not makin’ it,” he states stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “Storm’s headed this way, which means the roads are gonna be flooded or closed.”

“Oh..”

He barely knew you, but watching the worry set in your body as your arms wrapped around your middle brought this protectiveness out of him wanting to take away your fears any way he could.

“You’ll be fine,” he speaks trying to ease your mind—and that little voice in his own concerned about you being alone in your condition.

“Stay inside, and if things start looking bad the day of, get to your bathroom and lie down in the tub.” Nodding your head, he can still see how uneasy you are from the way you chew on your plump bottom lip.

He has to mentally check himself that he doesn’t stare too long at such a simple yet distracting habit that had him shamefully curious if it tasted as good as you made it seem.

It came to pass that Selene wasn’t able to make it to you in time due to work and the incoming weather, as Ari said. So the days that followed, you heeded their instruction on staying in. You’d wake up, eat breakfast, then watch tv until Ari would knock at the door announcing his presence. He’d always hand you a bit of extra food from what he’d made the night before—making sure you had something to eat for the day—stored in a medium sized Tupperware before going to the bed of his truck to unload more firewood for you. You were pretty sure you had enough since you didn’t use the fireplace every day, but you were still thankful for his generosity.

Admittedly, you didn’t believe him when he first told you he was a lumberjack, never having met one in real life. You’d only ever heard of them in fairytales and the occasional ad for the newest pick-up truck with all wheel drive and other irresistible features every man just had to have.

He deeply chuckled when you told him that, flashing his pearly whites as the corners of his eyes wrinkled in the cutest way.

“Well, I’m your proof we’re definitely real sweetheart.”

It was the first time he’d used the term with you, and the way it sparked tingles through your body and warmed your cheeks had you addicted already.

He’d stay for a while talking with you and making sure you were okay before leaving close to nightfall with the promise of returning the next day if he could. It was like clockwork how he’d gather his things and put on his coat just as golden hour had dimmed from its brightest hue. Then you were back to the silence of the two story cabin with all its creaks and echoes of the whistling wind.

Something that was once craved now unwanted wishing for the extended company of your rescuer.

-

“What’s this?” Following you inside, he notices the table set for two with dark green bowls neatly sat on chocolate brown placemats. A spoon besides each along with a folded napkin and glass, while steam twirled from the bubbling pot partially covered on the stove.

“Well you always bring me food, so I thought I’d return the favor,” you smile shyly motioning to everything you set up. “And it’s my thank you for everything you’ve done.”

By the weekend you were much better. Your ankle now able to move without any sense of pain and only lightly bruised along with your back. Your headaches—although still plaguing—not as frequent, allowing you more hours in the day that you could comfortably be up and out of bed.

Ari was happy to see you walking about with the help of his healing hands. Plus that twinkle in your eye as you proudly showed him the fading marks had him smiling brighter than he had in a while. Deep down there was an ache in his heart though knowing soon you’d have to leave; possibly never returning.

The first person he’d actually connected with gone seemingly just as soon as you came. Lips curling into a small smile as you place the full bowl in front of him, he ultimately knew that’s how it had to be. Why it had worked all these years and continued to do so.

It was safer.

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”

The tomato base of the vegetable stew was the first to find home in his nostrils making him pleasantly hum. It’s added spice of pepper, and maybe cayenne, wasn’t overpowering as it tingled his tongue and caused his mouth to water. Vegetables fresh as if you’d picked them this morning, it was the best dish he’d tasted in years.

“It was no trouble, I just hope it’s fit to eat,” you nervously giggle sitting beside him with your own filled bowl.

Fit to eat? If he was by himself, he’d shame the wildest of dogs from how quick his face would sink into the bowl loudly chewing and slurping; surely spilling juice everywhere that he’d happily lick up later.

“It’s perfect.” Just like you. “Thank you.”

-

Throughout the day, more and more bulletins flashed across the television screen and your phone regarding the incoming storm. Warnings of definite wind damage and flooding along with lightning as they urged those to be effected to stay safe and make sure they had their needed supplies. The wind already picking up and moving the trees with more force as sprinkles of rain tapped against the window and roof.

By sunset, roads were closed and those nearby were encouraged to head inside, if they hadn’t already, and not leave unless in the event of an emergency. You watched, with disheartened eyes, Ari sigh as he stood knowing what would come next. The words that would slip from his pink lips you didn’t want to hear, especially not tonight.

“I uh better get goin’. Before it gets too bad,” he states walking towards the door with you on his heels.

“Y-Yea, okay.”

Your quieter tone catches him first before he turns to find you downcast with arms securely wrapped around you.

“What’s wrong? Is it your head?”

“No no it’s fine. I just..” The back and forth in your head was tiring debating on whether it was best to say something or leave it be.

“Just what sweetheart?” God, the power of his drawl.

“I…I don’t wanna be alone tonight,” you whisper. He sighs once more scratching his smooth beard. He shouldn’t stay. He can’t stay. No matter how much his heart willed him to take off his boots and join you on the couch or wherever you wanted to be.

“..I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he whispers back. Your gaze falls to the floor making him so badly want to lift your chin and bring you closer. Instead, he stands there watching you awkwardly shift from one foot to the other as his rejection sinks in.

“Oh…I understand.” You didn’t. And it made him all the more frustrated he couldn’t explain. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-,”

“You didn’t. Promise.” His hand itches to reach out to you—even slightly twitching at his side—but he figures it’s best to keep to himself.

The silence is nearly deafening as you both stand there not really sure of what to say or do next. It’s not until the distant rumble of thunder that you get the push you needed. Shoving the embarrassment of potentially looking pushy deep down while moving towards the kitchen to retrieve the Tupperware bowl filled with leftover stew.

“In case you get hungry.” Your small smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes as you hold out the warm container towards him.

At first he doesn’t move, just continuing to peer at you with those gentle yet piercing cerulean gaze and making your heart begin to sink until his palm hesitantly hovers over the side of your neck. Your own lack of movement or protest tells him it’s okay to make contact with your skin as his thumb grazes just under your bottom lip. Then he steps closer. Leaning in until his nose gently brushed against yours to finally meet your lips.

It was like he was testing the waters from how his lips slowly glided along yours; taking his time to truly savor your taste and the feel of your mouth on his. Your arms around his neck invite him closer pressing his brawny body against yours. His hands cautiously wander until they can grip your bottom making you softly gasp and lips part enough that his waiting tongue can explore as well.

His hands pull your legs to wrap around his hips carrying you to the couch after the bowl is long forgotten on the counter. Your lips left swollen as he moves to your neck sucking and nibbling the heated flesh there as you try to catch your breath. Sat straddling his lap, you easily feel his bulge crying to break free against your throbbing center causing your hips to gently buck and grind needing more.

From his muffled groan and hands gripping your hips tighter, so did he.

A quiet whine emanates from your throat when Ari pulls away with swollen, red lips himself. His eyes shades darker from his blown pupils as he’s quick to remove his red flannel and then his white tee to expose his sculpted chest and arms etched with hidden tattoos.

You can’t seem to look away from the large laceration on his left pec though, spanning from his collarbone to the tip of his sternum. Now a mix of pink and red with scar tissue, your finger slowly slides over the slightly raised skin before looking up with curious eyes.

He shyly grins massaging your thigh with one hand as the other caresses your cheek. “Bar fight much younger and dumber me just couldn’t walk away from. Didn’t realize he had a knife until I was down on the ground with a sliced and bloodied shirt.”

It was possibly a dumb question, but you had to ask, “Does it still hurt?”

“I’m fine sweetheart,” he smiles. Thumb gliding along your lips again before you lean down to peck along the curved marking as far as you could reach. Ari’s soft hum as he rubs your back, and your lips creep along his skin, is as soothing as the ocean’s waves having you wanting to stay in this little bubble of intimacy with him for as many days to come.

Your top is next to go, then your jeans with the help of his pretty fingers you couldn’t wait to have on you again. He takes his time tracing from the dip at the bottom of your throat down your sternum and across the top lace of your bra, leaving shivers down your spine, until his fingertips tease the band of your panties noticeably soaked at this rate.

“Is this okay?,” he asks pausing to look in your eyes. Head tilted down slightly to make sure he didn’t miss any cues. You gently nod your head as you unhook your bra, letting Ari slide the straps down until you’re completely exposed.

He must be a mind reader how quick he whispers, “You’re so beautiful. You know that right?,” as if sensing how being under his intense gaze in such a vulnerable position made part of you want to shrink away. Long harbored insecurities beginning to creep along the dark corners of your mind even though you eagerly wanted the man below you.

He doesn’t take kindly to your silence this time meeting your lips a tad rougher than before as he stands from the couch to carry you towards the bedroom. It’s as if he was trying to transfer all the adoration he had onto you to erase the words of whatever idiot made you unsure of yourself.

To stop you from ever questioning yourself again.

As soon as your back hits the colorful quilt, his mouth is journeying along the map of your body taking detours here and there as he enjoys each and every stop until he’s satisfied and sure he reached each spot of its surface. Being so close to your center, your scent overpowers his senses snapping something in his brain that has him easily ripping your cotton underwear and the prettiest moan he’s ever heard slipping past your lips as your fingers tangle in his hair.

His skilled tongue and thick fingers have you embarrassingly close already unable to do anything but moan and whimper as your back begins to arch. The added vibrations of his grunts and own moans against your sensitive bundle pushing you closer and closer until he’s drinking down everything your body has to give while you pant, trying to catch your breath as you scratch his scalp.

Ari’s not done though, sinking back in needing more of you on his skin, his beard, practically flooding his nostrils with your essence so he’d never go without.

“Sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted,” he mumbles against your thigh as his fingers pick up their pace until you’re back where you started.

The way he was able to manipulate and shift your body to different positions, he could’ve easily sought out only his pleasure not caring if you were satisfied. But this was the same man who brought you back to his cabin to care for your wounds. Made sure you were safe and closely monitored your progress coming to check on you everyday. You’re not surprised how he listens to your body creating a personal relationship with it just as he did you.

He took in every clench and shudder. Every clutch of your hand around his bicep and fiery scratch left by your nails. Even every curl of your toes leading to the cutest “o” of your full lips to have you a babbling mess and body wrung to exhaustion. Strings of “please”, “don’t stop”, and “right there” the only words dripping from your lips followed by chants of his name.

And how could he not comply when you asked so nicely, and with twinkling tears of ecstasy flowing from your eyes? His numerous praises only adding to that pleasure referring to you as “perfect” and, your favorite, “his pretty girl”.

You can tell he’s close when his relentless pace stutters. His mouth on your shoulder to muffle the curses and animal like growl that overtakes his body as he holds your sweaty back close to his front. A sharp prick breaking your skin makes you cry out in pain before it’s quickly soothed by his warm tongue. His release—strangely lasting longer and thicker than you’ve ever experienced—steadily warming and filling you until you’re tensing again for the third, or fourth, time tonight before you’re body feels as if it would float away if not for Ari holding you to him.

You feel his wet lips on you again showing just as much attention to your back, shoulders, and further south that he did to your front before the bed gently dips and his footsteps pad towards the bathroom. The last thing you remember being his gentle hands cleaning you with a wet rag as your hazy mind fought to squirm away.

“I know, I’m sorry. Promise I’m almost done,” he whispers before his lips sweetly find yours again. Then you’re pulled into his warm chest as his muscular arm drapes over you like a weighted blanket further bringing you closer to the sleep you needed.

-

Your incessant shivering is what ruins your once peaceful rest, making you rise prematurely. It’s definitely too early for your liking still seeing the moon occasionally peek through in the onyx sky. Heavy rain continued to fall as gusts of wind knocked against the newly placed French doors making them shake ever so slightly.

Reaching behind you, you don’t feel the body once there causing you to sit up clutching the thin sheet to your bare chest pebbled and covered in goosebumps. It feels as if it’s getting colder by the second leading you to believe the storm must’ve knocked out the power. Maybe that’s where he went?

Scooting closer to the side of the bed, you crane your neck trying to listen for any sign of movement but everything in the house is still.

“Ari!?,” your strained voice calls, but you get no response. Just a flash of lightning and rumble of thunder that’s gotten closer since earlier this evening. You gingerly slide out of bed—still sore from your earlier rounds—to get a pair of your sweats and a sweatshirt to cover yourself before moving towards the living room.

There you find the same; more silence as you carefully maneuvered about the dark space confused and concerned. A particularly intense draft catches your attention turning your head towards the flowing sheer curtain and cracked door leading to the porch now partially slick with water as it continued to be battered. “Ari?,” you called again from its sheltered portion now armed with a flashlight that shined outward to the trees swaying and shimmying in the rough weather.

Maybe Selene was right all along about Ari. That he couldn’t be trusted, and you should’ve just kept the door locked forbidding him passage into your residence let alone your heart. And maybe you weren’t the first helpless stranger he’s offered his assistance to? Instead now a number on a list spanning however long as he charmed his way to his next victim.

“No..h-he wouldn’t,” you whisper to yourself feeling a crack begin to extend along the surface of your heart.

Your pity party is cut short hearing the crack of a tree limb before it eventually fell to the damp ground with a thud. Another snap and you’re scanning the small yard hoping it’s just the storm causing these sounds and nothing more.

Then your blood is running cold and air hitching in your throat seeing a set of glowing red eyes staring directly at you. They only seem to follow as you slowly try to retreat back inside—hand tightly gripping the door’s handle—until you see what looks like the menacing smirk of the creature in question. It’s ash grey fur weighed down by the rain and paws firm against the ground as it creeped closer towards the light with teeth gleaming and some form of liquid dripping from its curled lips. You’re not sure if it was rain water, saliva, or maybe a mix of both.

You try to will yourself to run inside and lock the door behind you but with the wolf-like being’s height reaching up to your waist and both legs and arms protruding large masses of muscle as it stepped closer, you were sure it could probably tear down any door or wall in its way.

You crouch down accepting your fate just as the nails of its paw are about to tap against the wooden deck when a fast blur shoves it into the dirt. It snaps and growls inches from the other’s face before they’re wrestling on hind legs. Swiping and biting as they seemingly compete with the thunder on who could be loudest.

Finally your legs are able to move, helping you quickly crawl into the cabin on the safer side of the door. Back pressed against the side of the island, your chest heaves as you struggle to calm your breathing. Could you even call for help? The roads were blocked and or flooded with all the rain, so no one could come up even if they tried. Then again, would they even believe you? They’d probably laugh in your face or tell you to stop wasting their time before angrily disconnecting.

Although frightened, you can’t look away from the two beasts rolling around and surely drawing blood from the other as they compete for dominance. Eventually, you see this new creature—larger than the other in both height and muscle—standing over its competitor’s weakened form before it’s snarling a last bite into it’s arm making it yelp into the surrounding forest with an echo. It rises shortly after growling lowly and slowly sauntering back in the woods where it came from.

Whether it wanted to or not, it had no choice but to surrender.

The victor keeps its eyes trained on the path making sure the other doesn’t try to come back. It’s body still tense and ears pointed ready for another bout if needed. Then it’s turning towards the cabin with eyes on you.

Those same golden eyes bringing you back to your hike all those days ago, finally able to remember everything. Your chase through the woods. The rope against your leg before you were upside down practically bait for the animal now outside or any other that passed by.

It’s features are softer now—dare you say apologetic or sorrowful even—taking one hesitant step forward then retreating back two. A small puff of smoke cast from its nostrils as the warm air meets the cool night. It’s head nods upwards a couple times making your own tilt in confusion.

Was it…telling you to go?

Turning it’s head with a twitch of it’s ear, a sinking feeling forms in the pit of your stomach noticing the all too familiar scar on it’s chest. Though surrounded by more hair, it was unmistakable with its placement and nearly crescent shape.

“Nonono that’s crazy,” you think to yourself slowly scooting towards the door placing your hands on the cool glass in front of you.

It made sense though the more you thought.

How Ari knew where to find you even though you were well off course from the designated trail in the middle of nowhere, and possibly why he’d been so nice and caring these past few days.

Turning back towards you, it’s as if he knows what you’re thinking seeing the conflict in your deep brown eyes and across your brows as he steadily steps forward until he’s on the deck leaving paw prints in his wake. His nose tapping the glass where your hand sat, smearing it with the water from its surface.

“Ari..”

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[fantasticsims]

Disclaimer: This challenge is a 2.0 version (or more? I don’t know) of the Black Widow Challenge that already exists but with different rules & goal. I mostly wrote this for myself but I figured: why not share it out there if anyone wants to try it out. It's totally possible something like this already exists so I'm not claiming originality for the idea of making a challenge out of killing Sims 😈

Your Sim wants to be rich, live a simple life but most of all, has had enough of living in their small apartment while doing odd jobs going nowhere. And what’s better than marrying someone rich? The only problem to this answer: your Sim is not really into the whole marriage thing. Luckily, accidents happen.

Your Sim has to go from a life of misery in a San Myshuno apartment to living in the house of their dreams in the world of their choice. Your Sim has to marry many Sims (especially the wealthy!) and each spouse has to experience a different death.

MAKING YOUR SIM -

Your Sim can have any trait you want, but they must have at least ONE negative trait of your choosing.

Pick an ASPIRATION among the ones below and try to complete it before becoming an elder:

- Serial Romantic - Villainous Valentine - Mansion Baron - Fabulously Rich

THE APARTMENT -

Pick an apartment among the less expensive in the Spice Market district of San Myshuno: Culpepper House, Jasmine Suites or build your own on the Old Salt House lot.

After moving in use the cheat code MONEY and give yourself a budget of 25 000 to decorate your apartment the way you want.

WORKING -

You should have a Level 1 job or something part-time. The goal is not to develop any sort of career, if your Sim obtains a promotion you immediately quit and start a new job. Once you get married, you’re done working for the rest of your Sim life!

You can do any sort of activity that brings you some money such as writing books, knitting, painting, programming OR even become a landlord. You simply can not have a job / develop any sort of career. 

GETTING MARRIED -

Before being able to marry any of your spouse you should check a few things off of your list:

- Have Love and Friendship above 50 (easy!) - You must have the status of boyfriend/girlfriend. - You must have two dates: one at your home and one on a community lot. - Go on a “weekend getaway” aka spend a romantic night out in another world (on a rental lot).

DYING SPOUSE - 

There are around 34 Deaths in the Sims 4. Each of your spouse needs to experience a different kind of death. Because of this, you can do this challenge two ways:

- One Sim: Do as many deaths as possible in your lifespan. You can use potions to live longer if you want to do ALL deaths. - Legacy style: have children carry on the death of the spouses once your own Sim dies of old age. 

YOU CAN - 

- Have as many children as you want or not have any at all with your spouses, you can adopt, or have zero children. The choice is yours! - Have pets, horses, goats, and whatever animal you wish to! 

This is a list of all the possible deaths with each corresponding pack. Some are not on the list such as the ones from the High School Years pack since these deaths only work on teenagers.

Hunger Fire Old Age Overexertion Electrocution Anger Embarrassment Laughter Cow Plant Drowning Meteor Steam - Spa Day Pufferfish poisoning - City Life Sun - Vampires Poison -  Jungle Adventure Rodent Fever - My First Pet Mother Plant - Strangerville Overheating - Seasons Freezing - Seasons Lightning - Seasons Flowers - Seasons Fish Pond -  Get Famous Sharks- Island Living Research Machines -  Discover University Magic Overload - Realm of Magic Murphy Bed - Tiny Living Flies - Eco Lifestyle Beetle Juice - Eco Lifestyle Vending Machine - Snowy Escape Fall - Snowy Escape Killer Chicken - Cottage Living Killer Rabbit - Cottage Living Mold - For Rent Wishing Well -  Romantic Gardens

STEP 1

Life in San Myshuno! Your apartment, the odd jobs, the dates until you finally meet THE ONE, get engaged and finally GET MARRIED.

STEP 2

The married life! Move in with your spouse, get a lover on the side while waiting for you spouse to die. Once you’ve reached 50 in love and friendship with your lover you can actively help with your spouse’s death.

STEP 3

Marriage number 2! Bulldoze your first’s spouse house and get the cash, move in with your second spouse, wait or help for their death once you’ve gotten married (no need to have a lover this time unless you want to).

STEP 4

The Dream House! Bulldoze your second spouse’s home once they die, get the cash and move to the world of your choosing and build the house of your dreams! Keep on marrying sims, nudge their death, cash the money and live your best life.

[oldbutchdaniel]

Re: Assad’s saw trap bathroom I do wonder if it’s a rental bc in my experience (as someone currently apartment shopping in an insanely expensive major metropolitan area) that is what literally all nicer/upscale rentals look like now. (Or rentals that are *trying* to be nice/upscale). If he’s living in London specifically the housing market there is insane; I can see the check from season one clearing and he just gets like, a nicer rental (especially considering he had only like 15 minutes of screentime, so how much would that check have really been).

All that being said I could still see him being drawn to modern style design (bc he’s a freak? bc of his obsession w smart tvs? idk) BUT I think if he’d entirely designed the space himself he might’ve included a bit more color. I guess he added the potted plant at least. Lmao — dykesynthezoid

no it is soooo true that this is the state of modern apartments in major cities in the west. and i personally do think that's evil and modern developers need to be put down.

i think that oddly the thing that is so frightening is that if in fact the bathroom and zoom room are his/his apartment then it goes to show his idea of adding life to a room is adding one single plant. that type of decoration is something even a charming apartment couldn't save

[mynamesaplant]

The Headspace that is Grief (Ch. 2)

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Summary: The grieving process is different for everyone, Emmet and Olivia know that first hand but they just don't know it yet. Sometimes it takes another person experiencing the same things as you to move through those feelings. Together, they learn and grow with their grief and each other.

In this chapter: Emmet starts making a few changes to Olivia's home and she's unsure how to take them, or her new tenant.

Notes: This is a short chapter by comparison to others, but it's more for set-up than anything. This was not beta read - so if there are spelling or grammatical errors, let me know. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!~

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Over the course of the next week, Mr. Emmet made a lot of changes that weren't strictly part of the rental agreement. She could tell he combed over it carefully, not disobeying any of the rules she set in place, but Olivia was starting to find some of his realistic and reasonable “things” involved a lot of renovation.

"There was not anything in the lease agreement that said I could not."

Mr. Emmet said as Olivia stormed up to him. He was meticulous. He was selecting things that he knew she wouldn't object to if she really paused to consider it. Better internet access with underground cables running from Cedaridge, a bigger generator to replace the old one that had seen better days, and he had a replacement fridge in mind from the moment he saw her old one.

That was the one she fought him the most on, but Mr. Emmet was quick to assure her that none of these changes were going to come out of her own pocket. He warned her that he was going to have an electrician come in and upgrade the wattage of her house and all the outlets, that was when Olivia told him that she couldn't allow any more changes.

"I will require no more after that."

He said patiently, offering her a smile. He knew that she was very unlikely to object, not without being completely unreasonable. That, Emmet had clocked right away. She had outlined all other aspects of his lease, but this had been a pretty big blind spot that he conveniently neglected to expound upon. He was referring to them as cosmetic changes or necessary upgrades made by the tenant at the tenant's expense.

She left the house, Raichu and Infernape in tow as she tried not to be annoyed with the workers who were fundamentally changing her home. He watched her go with whatever guilt he was feeling shoved off to the side to be examined later.

In town, Olivia took refuge in her still closed for the season shop. It would be opening soon, so she figured might as well clean up here. She would also have to talk to Hayate about working the shop this season, knowing this was his last year before he went off to university.

He was a moody boy, but he had a passion for plants, which was the only reason entrusted her shop to him. The lock clicked and the door swung open, the closed sign still flipped toward the street when she shut the door behind her.

"Alright guys. Let's get this place cleaned up for Hayate."

Olivia rolled up her sleeves and pulled her hair back into a bun, knowing she was going to get pretty gross cleaning this place up. She handed Raichu a feather duster and told him to shoo away any stray Bug Pokémon hiding in the curtains. Infernape was also on dust duty, getting any loose debris on the floor for Olivia to sweep up before he hopped on window duty, a spray bottle and rag in his hands. With his climbing and jumping skills, he was usually done pretty fast.

"Keep going in here. Don't forget the vents and fans in the back, Raichu, okay?"

She heard a dutiful squeak before she stepped onto the street to view the exterior with a sigh. It really needed a fresh coat of paint. It hadn't received one in nearly five years, and it was starting to show when you looked at the cracked and sun-bleached sills.

She knew if she asked Ethan to do it, he would get it done in a weekend for a pack of beer. Hayate would be too busy with cram work. She didn't want to hire a crew to paint, it would cost her an arm and a leg... Ethan was her best choice. She would go see him and her best friend when she was done cleaning up.

Olivia's mind shifted back to her new tenant with a frown. She was trying to be understanding, but she also felt a little insulted that he was taking over her home. Mr. Emmet intimidated her slightly, something about his expression and intensity that made her a little nervous. She was glad she had the foresight to put that clause to evict him if she thought he couldn't handle living there, but that would only be applicable with the change in seasons.

For now, she would put up with the changes - many of them were for the better and he had assured her that none of them were temporary once he vacated. They were hers to keep.

"A token of my thanks."

He had said, just a touch sheepish, before she stormed out of her home. Realistically, how long could or would Mr. Emmet want to stay? Olivia guessed a year at best. If he stayed any longer, she would be very surprised. She looked at the empty pots in the sill boxes, her face falling into a steep frown as she remembered she would have to transplant her gracideas soon. ------------------------------------------

Gina opened the door and lifted Olivia off her feet with the tight hug she engulfed her in.

"Livvy! So good to see you. It's been an age. Ethan just finished up dinner, but there’s plenty enough for another plate."

A warmth settled in her chest while she was ushered inside and to a dinner table. The LeMars were the closest thing she had to family anymore and it was always so nice to feel so welcomed in their home. Gina's two girls greeted her with a barely contained excitement,

"Auntie! Mama helped me catch a Buizel down by the coast last week."

"Oh yeah?"

Olivia hummed curiously, listening with rapt attention to Sierra's story while Gina, not so surreptitiously, piled her plate high. Conversation was light for the duration of the meal, but once Gina started a fire outside and Ethan put the girls to bed, Olivia knew she was going to be offered a drink and to have a more serious chat outside. She didn't fight it.

"Are you sure you're okay with painting this weekend? I don't want to stress you out."

"Nah, I like to be busy."

Ethan replied, bringing up a glass to his lips with a congenial smile. Gina slid into her line of vision, effectively interrupting their conversation.

"There's been a lot of trucks headed up your way, Livvy. Doing a little remodeling finally?"

Olivia's face turned crimson, and she looked towards the flame, a spike of guilt lancing her heart at the thought of how much was changing.

"I-It’s not me. I have a new tenant and he's... weirdly specific."

Ethan and Gina exchanged looks, what did that mean? Olivia shifted in her chair, hiding a grimace in her glass of beer. She tried to change the subject, joking about losing Hayate next year and having to hire Sierra, but Gina leaned forward.

"Why is a tenant making so many changes to your house?"

Although Olivia had brushed it off with a joke about how Mr. Emmet was footing the cost and had forced the topic of conversation to other things, she wondered to herself why she was accepting these changes with less of a fight. A few days into residence and he was already turning her life upside down - what did the mean for their remaining lease? She could have told him no. She could have forced him to stop his renovations or expelled him... But she hadn't. Although frustrated, she didn't kick him out.

She returned home and found Mr. Emmet reorganizing his room, looking at what appeared to be a small, framed picture that he set abruptly face down when Olivia stuck her head in to apologize for not providing dinner. His posture relaxed a little, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"I am Emmet. I ordered some food from town. The fried rice was good... I, uh... I bought you some."

"Oh," Olivia was a little stunned by his foresight. "Thank you. I ate at a friend's house, but I'll probably eat it tomorrow."

"Ah..." He trailed off, something about his posture was nervous and Olivia couldn't help but wonder if something had happened. She was reminded of a little kid who was trying to hide a broken vase. "You left earlier. You were upset with me. Because of the changes."

He tapped his fingertips together, searching for words to apologize in a reasonable way. Olivia raised her eyebrows as he released a held breath, the apology sincere, if a little rushed sounding.

"Thank you." She replied, nibbling her lower lip, and folding her arms over her chest. "You're very observant, Mr. Emmet, and you were within your rights, according to our agreement... It's just - It's hard to see so many changes so quickly."

It was her turn to trail off, to half turn and take great interest in the wilted flowers set in a vase on her table. She didn't notice the little tilt to his head when she said that or how his grey eyes seemed to soften imperceptibly when she had her back to him. She tended to her flowers, filling the vase with fresh water, and returning it to the table just as Mr. Emmet said he was going to turn in for the night.

"If you find any issues, please let me know right away. I will have them handled right away. Yup."

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[anjaelle]

White Light | Part I

Characters: Ghost!Aaron Taylor-Johnson x Black!Reader Rating: T (She's a tame one) Word Count: 1.6k Summary: He died in this studio apartment in 2003. Don't ask him how, because the story is unbearably stupid. He's falling for a living, breathing, human woman who cannot see him but definitely knows he's there. Maybe? A/N: Written for spooky season, because it's the one thing that got me to actually finish something. Hooray!

PART II

---

In your eagerness to escape, you didn't really ask why the rent was so low. The realtor plastered a tense smile on his face when you broached the subject, and waved it off as though it was an absurd thing to discuss.

There wasn't much to your first new apartment aside from a bed, a TV, and a couple of boxes of clothes you brought along with you when you left your prior living arrangement. The studio was roughly $1300/month, which was an absolute steal for a city where the median rental cost for a room this size was well over $2000. And that was without the benefits of an elevator in the building and a dishwasher in the kitchen. This was the height of luxury, in your eyes.

After sweeping the dusty polished wood floors, cleaning the windows, and organizing the foundation of your closet, you propped yourself up on the island of your kitchen and took a beat to let the moment sink in. This was the first time you were on your own, and you finally felt like you could breathe again. The soft amber glow of your sandalwood scented candle cast a hypnotic shadow across the floor of your living room-slash-bedroom. And as you slowly stirred the melting ice cream in your lone cracked mug, the candle flickered briefly, shifting the shadow completely. For a moment, you could've sworn that another shadow saddled up beside you, and a chill ran down your back, covering your arms in goosebumps.

You turned your head, subconsciously, expecting another person standing beside you like they always seemed to be. The brief feeling of disappointment--maybe loneliness--soured your taste for your post-dinner desert. As happy as you were to have solitude, being away from your ex for the first time in your life was unbearably terrifying.

The high of the move wore off. You navigated your apartment in a bit of a haze, following your nightly routine at a snails' pace and lazily throwing on a bonnet before crawling into bed.

You couldn't remember falling asleep. You just remembered staring at a dark corner of the room that occasionally flickered to life every time a car passed beneath your window, and wiping the tears from your eyes with your blanket.

Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. After a two month long depression period, you decided to make your space feel a little less like a cavern of sadness. You purchased a few plants and commissioned some paintings that added a bit of brightness to the bland beige walls. The more you added to your apartment, the lighter you felt, and the less you regretted the decision to stay.

That being said...you couldn't ignore the list of weirdness that seemed to grow with every passing day. There would be days when you'd find your keys in another room, or your clothes on your bed instead of your favorite chair. Sometimes you'd smell cologne in spots of your bedroom. The lights would flicker, and there would be the undeniable feeling of being watched. You talked yourself down from the ledge, admitting to yourself that unreasonable paranoia was just a part of living alone for the first time. Eventually, though you weren't sure when, you knew the feeling would pass.

Or you thought it would.

Aaron found himself watching you as you navigated his--your apartment, lost in your own thoughts. Again. Sometimes he wished he could read your mind and see what made you tick. It seemed to be everything, some days. Every day, he'd watch you make your coffee, do your hair, mutter to yourself about work, and leave for hours at a time. Sometimes you'd forget your coffee and circle back to grab it off the counter. Other times you'd forget your wallet. Or your cell phone. Or your purse.

You used to forget your keys until he started moving them to the ashtray beside the front door. The first few times he'd done it, you didn't really question it. But as time passed, he noticed the hesitation as your hand hovered over the keys before snatching them up. The thought of you finally catching on filled Aaron with equal parts dread and excitement. After being alone in the apartment for so many years, he thought he'd hate having a new roommate. He could admit that you were growing on him. And the thought of him scaring you off and making you leave made him want to stop messing with your things. But then he'd see the way your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and the way you pursed your cute mouth when you passed by him in the hallway, and he had to admit to himself that messing with you made death so much easier.

Six months into your cohabitation, things shifted. He wasn't 100% sure why it happened. Maybe he was getting too comfortable with you, and you were becoming more intuitive. He realized shit was different after you'd come home from a date, slightly tipsy and very disappointed. You'd apparently gotten ready at a friend's house, and he hadn't had the chance to see you before you left. But as you crossed the threshold of your apartment, he took in your tight dress and gorgeous updo of braids. He noticed the way your hips swayed as you crossed the apartment to the bathroom, even though you stumbled a bit from the alcohol. And then he felt a jolt of electricity surge through his...spirit? Apparition?

"...What the fuck?" He gasped, looking down at his transparent hand that seemed to have a dull glow emanating from it, "What the FUCK?" The faucet in the bathroom immediately cut off, and you poked your head out to look directly at him. Like you could see him. And the thought made him freeze in place like a frightened rabbit.

"Hello?" You asked. Your wide brown eyes scanned the room, passing over him once. Twice. Three times. Your eyes settled on the space where he was, again, and you squinted in confusion. "God, I need to stop smoking before I drink," you muttered before shutting the bathroom door behind you. The faucet squeaked to life again, followed by the sound of the shower running.

He stayed rooted to his spot, flexing and unflexing his right hand that still had the lingering tingle of the zap. He couldn't remember the last time he felt something. It had to be decades at this point. But now he wanted it again, no matter what he had to do to get it. As you crossed the room wrapped in a towel, he instinctively averted his eyes, focusing instead on the thrum of energy that seemed to course though him. Even as you crawled into bed and turned your back to him, he stayed in place, watching your form rise and fall in your sleep.

A thought occurred to him.

It was risky, but he had to know.

He took one step forward, partially expecting to hear the floorboard creak beneath him, and disappointed that it didn't. When he was confident that he wouldn't wake you, he sat beside you in bed, and watched you snore softly. Your eyelashes fluttered in your sleep, and your lips twitched. The bed--of course--didn't shift when he sat down, and he was beginning to lose his nerve.

"I know you can't hear me," Aaron began, flexing his hand again, "But I'm just gonna say what I have to say anyway. Because why the hell not?" He paused, watching as you shifted from your back to your side, curling up closer to him. If he had a beating heart, he knew it probably would've stopped at that very moment. "Well, shit. Can you hear me?"

He watched your eyebrow slightly quirk before settling back down again. You must have been dreaming. He soldiered on.

"I kinda wish you didn't move here, you know," he admitted, "because it's kind of fucking me up. I see you every day, and I can't have you. And you don't even know that I'm here, but--I sometimes feel like you do. It's super weird. And, like, this could either go two ways," he counted on his fingers as he spoke, "Either you'll decide you're completely done with this place and leave, or you'll find someone else and move them in with us. Which you're well allowed to do. But it's gonna suck to watch you fall in love with someone else. Don't get me wrong, I don't know if I'm there yet. I mean, we haven't even had a first date yet. It's not like I can take you out someplace nice. And I don't even know what stuff's out there anymore. It's been, what, twenty years? I don't even have a job anymore." He laughed bitterly to himself, and the creeping misery he felt about his demise started to make a slow reappearance. He thought he'd accepted it by now. Clearly not. You somehow shifted closer to him, nearly resting your head against his arm.

Then he felt it. A low, low warmth radiating from you. He pulled his arm away, and you shivered in his absence.

"What?" He whispered to himself, slowly hovering his hand over your head. There it was again. He was convinced that his mind was playing tricks on him like they did the first year after his death. But you shifted in your sleep, and he could see that it was real.

A loose braid slipped from under your bonnet.

He absentmindedly pushed it back into place.

Then he watched as your eyes shot open and you screamed bloody murder.

[alwritey-aphrodite]

First Snowfall with OTTR Leto please 😁☃️❄️

2023 Holiday Blurbs

When you take your first glance out of the large, clear windows by baggage claim, you let out a squeal that’s entirely inappropriate for an airport. Leto, trailing close behind you with your bags, stutters to a stop, eagle eyes scanning the room before landing on the view of the outside.

“Jesus Christ,” he scoffs, shaking his head as he catches sight of the fat, fluffy snowflakes falling to the ground. It wasn’t that you’ve never seen snow before, or that you weren’t aware of all the troubles it causes, but it’s been so long since you’ve had the stereotypical wintery Christmas, even the sight of snow makes you feel like a kid again.

“Isn’t it so pretty, though?” You ask, a dreamy quality taking over your voice, unable to take your eyes off the scene outside as if you’re in a trance. While you see a winter wonderland, Leto sees traffic jams and shoveling and curses turning to clouds in the air.

“C’mon, we gotta get the car, the snow’ll still be here when we leave,” he stalks off towards the rental cars, leaving you no choice but to follow behind.

He’s not being cruel, at least not on purpose, and you know he’s just stressed about what the next few weeks will bring, with you and his mother and his sisters and their families all under one roof. Families are stressful enough, but now he has to navigate out of the airport during the beginnings of a blizzard, and you’re entirely no help, too enthralled with the flakes falling against the windshield to pay attention to anything else.

The drive takes longer than it should, Leto cursing up a storm the entire time, despite the warm hand he rests on your knee.

“As soon as it snows, everyone forgets how to fucking drive,” he mutters, as if he’s driven through the snow often in Southern California. Still, you make it to his mother’s house safely, a bright white blanket of snow on the crowd and more continuing to fall in thick flakes.

Leto bustles you inside, refusing to let you help with the bags or the door, even as he struggles to do it all and the snow turns his curls white. Eventually he gets the door open and you’re met with more warmth than you think you’ve ever felt, and Leto gestures you inside with a hand on your back, following close behind you and slamming the door with a curse.

“Just because you don’t live here anymore doesn’t mean you get to slam my doors,” Leto’s mother is ready with the scolding as soon as she turns the corner, even as she beams at the sight of her son and all but rushes forward to plant a kiss on your cheek.

“I’ve gotta get the rest of the the stuff outta the car, didn’t wanna let the snow in,” he gives his mom a kiss on the cheek before turning back out to the cold, and you have to suppress a giggle at the way his accent becomes more prominent, even after just an hour back home.

“You kids are lucky, first snow of the season,” his mother says as you slip off your shoes and coat, ignoring your bags as she leads you into the kitchen to meet the rest of the family. Sure, you could probably be more helpful, but Leto’s sisters are pouring you a warm drink and laughing about making him shovel later, and the kitchen is glowing golden and the entire world seems quiet and you’re content with never going anywhere again.

And, even as disgruntled and frustrated and freezing he is, Leto can’t help the smile that overtakes his face when he sees you surrounded by his family, laughing like you‘ve never been happier. Maybe the snow isn’t so bad, not if he gets to see you like this.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 17/03/2024

YTPMV Plant Inspection

Season 2 Featured on: Rips of Christmas Past Also on: The SiIvaGunner YTPMV Collab (Eek!).veg

Ripped by Zoom

Requested by mobbsz02! (Ask Box)

And now, after a number of posts made covering Season 2's incredible ability to introduce new memes...it comes time to torture them.

I've made it no secret that Season 2 was likely when my investment in SiIvaGunner was at its absolute peak, and that was in large part due to how invested I'd become in the ongoing lore and story at that time. Part of it was of course everything surrounding the main story itself: Season 1 had stuff like the reboot with I Saw a Brainwasher Today and the Mr. Rental side story with Mr. Rental [B Side] ~ Out of Options, and Season 2's slow-burn premiere had kept me thoroughly engaged with rips like 28 Saves Later and Patched Plains Fusion Collab all building up to the premiere of the Christmas Comeback Crisis. But another part of it was also how even the most off-shoot things were often spun to tie in with the channel's lore during Season 2 in particular: the Smooth takeover described in Haltmanna feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, the Inspector Gadget takeover of Become as Gadget, and so many more...Because of this, and the memories of Season 1's various ARG-like puzzles strewn about from time to time, it felt more important than ever to consider the meaning and depth to every rip uploaded, to consider how a rip's contents may be reflecting what's going on in the world of Grandiose City, almost akin to trying to deduce Dark Souls lore through item descriptions.

And I mean, hey - lore or not, that feeling that any one rip uploaded has the potential to set off a chain reaction in relevance based on its popularity is one of the most fun parts of following SiIvaGunner even today (Mad Mew Mew Becoming Uncanny and THE NEW TEAM 10 FORT​!​!​! [Francis Flow: Original Mix] are just two examples come to mind.). Yet that specific tie and investment to the ongoing lore of the Christmas Comeback Crisis, the fight to free the captured Figments being exploited by Haltmann and The Voice Inside Your Head, is what IMMEDIATELY made YTPMV Plant Inspection stick out as far more important and meaningful than it may otherwise have been seen as. With the combined bellows of the Howie Scream and Loud Nigra, it takes but a few seconds to realize that something here had gone terribly wrong.

The original Studying the Factory theme from Kirby 64 has become one of the franchise's most enduring themes, despite how much it differs from most anything you'd expect from the series' soundscape. Its an imposing, industrial-sounding theme driven by percussion that sounds like heavy-duty machinery pounding in the background, with a lead synth trying its best to be heard through the savage tools its surrounded by. It strikes an absolutely brilliant balance of sounding imposing, oppressive yet simultaneously infectiously catchy: An atmosphere that, somehow, through leveraging our attachment to the channel's existing memes, YTPMV Plant Inspection is able to perfectly translate to the medium of YTPMV. Again, the literal first thing we hear is the channel's foremost and second-most iconic scream-memes, one of which almost replaced the other in the Reboot storyline, now seemingly suffering the same torturous fate - only to be followed by vocalizations of PSY seeming to only barely be holding on. Even as the rip picks itself together past the intro, you never truly get past the sense that the sources feel almost as if they're pain performing, with slight tweaks made to their melodies to better fit the progression of Studying the Factory - as if they're being made to fall in line. This feeling is only enhanced by the climax to the rip's chorus being performed by the two aforementioned scream-memes, sounding just as strained and suffering as they did in the song's opening.

And look, I'm aware this interpretation of things is a bit silly - of COURSE a YTPMV rip of a song like Studying the Factory, especially the Planet Robobot rendition of the track, was going to sound like this. I don't necessarily believe that it was Zoom's intention to make a rip directly referencing the idea that SiIva's captured figments were undergoing genuine torture, but...again, the idea of linking even innocuous rips to lore was one that had been well established at that point.

With everything from Grand Dad Metropolis to Angry Joe's Theme, the SiIvaGunner team had conveyed to audience members like me that they LOVED rewarding us for paying attention to everything being done on the channel. It was that speculation being done over the deeper meanings in rips just like YTPMV Plant Inspection that played a huge part in keeping them etched in my memory banks for a long time, that was what kept me coming back to video after video to see what was being said and discussed in their comments sections. Because sure, YTPMV Plant Inspection is no doubt a banger in isolation, it uses and plays with a lot of sources and fiddles with them just enough to fit the main track's melody and progression smoothly, a lot of classics like Smooth and Bonfire and Drop It Like It's Hot with fantastic use of samples like PSY's and Joel's GRAND DAD!! shout...but it really was everything SURROUNDING the rip that made it stick with me for years since.

It's damn impressive what a rip can do with just some atmosphere and buildup, huh?

[ultrajaphunter]

Men Are Just Happier People 

What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.Car mechanics tell you the truth. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress – $5,000. Tux rental - $100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.New shoes normally don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars.You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Two pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.Everything on your face stays its original color.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes – one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache... You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes. No wonder men are happier!

NICKNAME  If Laura, Kate, and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah. If Mike, Bob, Dan, Ed and Pat go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba, Bird Brain, Idiot and Wild man.

EATING OUT  When the bill arrives, Mike, Bob, Dan, Ed and Pat will each throw in $20, even though it's only for 62.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back. When the girls get their bill, outcome the pocket calculators.

MONEY  A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS  A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel. The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.

A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS  A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE  A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

MARRIAGE  A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does. DRESSING UP  A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail. A man will dress up for weddings and funerals. NATURAL  Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING  Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears, and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 

A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!

[aishathevar]

merrock task #18 – home sweet home

Aisha really hadn't had any permanent plans to settle in town, saying she was just visiting, staying in between Inns or short term rentals for a while. But as soon she began to put roots down to become a Merrockite, she began to look for somewhere a bit more stable to stay in. She wanted to live near the coast, drawn to being just a walk away from the water, and was lucky enough to find roommates who also wanted to put in for a beach home near the coast. Her style and personal aesthetic comes through in little ways in the house, whether through a funky lamp, flower coasters, or any art she picked up whether through local artists, or any small businesses. You can also find scattered books or things she thought she misplaced around the common areas of the house, promising she'll remember next time she passes by (she almost always forgets). She's very into the bohemian, earthy sort of vibe. And her bedroom is full of color. She has her own mini-library (as well as an endless stack of a TBR pile on her nightstand), as well as a desk for when she wants to work from home. She likes low maintenance house plants as well, but her and Darrius are attempting to garden outdoors during the upcoming spring season. She tries to collaborate on decorations in the house with the others, but she likes the funky mix of aesthetics all of her roommates bring to the table.

[pretty-toru]

holiday edition with single father toji

☁️ Single dad Toji, who never cared much for the holiday season but doesn't want Megumi to lose the excitement and joy leading up to Christmas. So he encourages the idea of Santa visiting their small apartment and leaving presents under the tree through traces of evidence such as taking a bite of the baked cookies that were left out for him and creating large visible footsteps in the doorway. Since Megumi's more of a nocturnal kid, Toji plays it extra safe by getting a rental suit and pretend to be Santa himself.

☁️ Single dad Toji, who's not much of a cook and usually gets around with frozen convenience meals that only require heating up or the usual take-out since preparing dinner is too much effort for him. But for the occasional treat and wanting to see Megumi's face light up on Christmas morning, he challenges himself with store-bought cinnamon rolls that he only needs to place on a pan and bake in the oven. Sounds easy and simple. What could go wrong, right? Turns out Toji forgot about it and is now left with cinnamon rolls so burnt you can't even chip a piece off with a knife.

☁️ Single dad Toji, who never imagined himself wearing an ugly Christmas sweater that Megumi chose for him as payback for forgetting to pick him up from school, but there's a first for everything. He's awkwardly planted on the sidelines receiving strange looks from people as he's watching Megumi play with the snow and enjoying himself. To fully earn his forgiveness, their next eventful stop is hot chocolates and gingerbread cookies, Christmas light displays, and watching The Grinch together to end the day.

☁️ Single dad Toji, who never really had a proper memory of any festivities while growing up but he starts feeling the quieter joy of Christmas when he spends time with his son, picking out a tree and decorating it together. Megumi always includes his own ornaments that he made himself 一 origami paper-shaped elephant or rabbit (which Toji always keeps somewhere safe after the holidays are over) along with the conventional ones, and Toji always leaves the last and final piece for Megumi which is hanging the tree topper.