#Week 454

[limetimo]

Hi, it's me again, randomly remembered that one specific songs reminds me of your pirate Regulus and it's the [insert two digits number here] I have been meaning to tell you.

Song is "Captain Platonic" by Vinny Marchi

LMAO that's so on point xD Thanks for making me laugh!

[bradleysass]

first + lake - @into-the-jeggyverse - wc: 454

Regulus had made the fatal mistake of sitting in the common room when Barty walked in looking like he'd just come back from a very long, very illegal adventure—and more dangerously, like he had something to say.

He was grinning.

That was always the first sign of impending doom.

“You look like you haven’t slept in a week,” Regulus muttered, flipping the page of his Potions book without looking up.

“I dreamt of you last night,” Barty said, flopping dramatically into the armchair across from him, legs sprawled, one boot hanging off his heel.

Regulus tensed. “I’m not interested.��

“You say that, but you were definitely interested in my dream. You and James Potter were—”

“Stop.”

“—ravaging each other. On a blanket. By the lake.”

Regulus dropped his quill. “Merlin’s tits, Barty—”

“Don’t bring Merlin into this. He’d be thrilled.”

Regulus exhaled through his nose, the very picture of restraint. He didn’t rise to it. Wouldn’t. He was above reacting. Above giving Barty the satisfaction.

But then Barty smirked and said, low and sing-song: “So? Did he take you to the lake like every other girl?”

Regulus snapped his book shut so hard the candles flickered. “You’re disgusting.”

“That’s not a no.”

Regulus could not believe he was about to entertain this. “For your information,” he hissed, “James is not like that. And neither am I.”

Barty leaned forward, eyes gleaming like a cursed mirror. “You mean to tell me you finally let him climb you like a tree and he didn’t take you to his little lakeside shag spot? What, then? The Astronomy Tower? A broom closet?”

Regulus looked at him with the weariness of someone who’d clearly made many wrong life choices, particularly the one where he’d befriended Barty Crouch Jr.

“No,” he said, teeth gritted. “It was his bedroom.”

Barty blinked. “His actual—? Wow. Potter’s not just whipped, he’s domesticated.”

“I hate you.”

“And you let a Gryffindor deflower you in a bed with sheets his mum probably still launders.”

Regulus would not turn red. He would not let Barty win. “You’re confusing sentiment with superiority. It was clean. Comfortable. Private. Unlike your sex life, which, I’m certain, involves a lot of awkward angles and splinters.”

Barty clutched his chest. “Ouch.”

Regulus stood, gathering his books with cool precision. “And for the record, he lit candles. There was music. He spelled stars onto the ceiling. So go ahead and mock me, Barty, but I’d rather be shagged with reverence than whatever you call the way you debase yourself behind the Quidditch stands.”

He walked off.

Barty blinked after him, genuinely speechless.

“…Huh,” he muttered. “Didn’t know Potter had it in him.”

And somewhere, down the corridor, Regulus was definitely smiling.

[steddieas-shegoes]

fooling ourselves

for @steddiemicrofic prompt 'fool' (don't you worry folks, i plan on being a fool and doing the silly prompt too)

454 words | rated t | no cw | tags: mutual pining, idiots to lovers, first kiss

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

Steve was fooling everyone.

At least, he hoped he was.

He might be failing.

Steve practically begged for time alone with Eddie. It was embarrassing.

It's just that in the group, Eddie was loud, put on the same show he always did at school, in the hospital when he was recovering and trying to keep smiles on everyone's faces. He fooled everyone except Steve.

When they were alone, Eddie was more reserved, thoughtful, touched him more.

Steve was touch starved, okay? Every time Eddie placed his hand on his knee or ran a hand through his hair, it was like an electric shock jolted his body to attention.

He wasn't looking further into it.

Except for when he did, which was nearly every night over the last two weeks, right after Eddie had told him that he started seeing someone in Indy.

In the moment, he congratulated him, asked a few polite questions that any friend would, and found a reason to go home.

He'd avoided being alone with Eddie ever since.

Actually, he'd avoided Eddie entirely until today.

The kids were having a movie night and attendance was mandatory.

The movie was scary, something he knew he couldn't watch, but showed up for anyway. Robin made an excuse for him to sit outside, said he'd been dealing with a migraine all day and the flashing on the screen wasn't helping.

He owed her.

The Henderson home had a small back porch, but it was the perfect place for him to sit and get some fresh air, clear his mind from the thought of Eddie sitting inside. He'd been with Frankie all day.

That got shut down, but probably wouldn't be for much longer, not if they got serious.

"You okay out here? Need a drink?" Eddie's voice shocked him from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. I'm fine."

"Robin wanted me to come check on you. Said you wanted to talk to me?" Eddie sat down next to him on the back step.

"She did?" He apparently had not fooled Robin.

Eddie nodded.

"Oh. I'm good."

"Really? So you wouldn't care if I said I'm not seeing Frankie anymore?"

Steve turned to see a shit-eating grin on Eddie's face.

"You aren't?"

"Nah. I think I liked the idea of having a boyfriend more than I liked him."

"Oh."

"I think I was really just trying to move on from someone else."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, kinda failed at fooling myself, though."

Eddie's hand settled on Steve's thigh.

"How's that?" Steve asked.

"This guy I like, he's kinda new to this. I finally realized I'd have to be the one to make a move."

"Yeah?"

Eddie's answer was a soft kiss to his lips and a whispered, "yeah."

[alwayslurkinginthebackground]

Snow - A Joel Miller Drabble

Pairing: Joel Miller x reader Rating: Fluff for the wives, I love y'all so much. Word Count: 454 a/n: Here's some fluff I wrote earlier this week and also THAT FUCKING EPISODE I AM FLINGING MYSELF INTO THE SUN I'M FINALLY HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO WEEKS.

It's one of the few things that you can count on to make you happy. Still, after all this time, after everything that's happened.

"Hey," Joel whispers, voice rough as he attempts to rouse you from sleep. It's warm in your bed, safe in the home you share with him, but you wake easily without his arms around you.

"What?" you grumble, initially groggy as you roll over to find him out of bed. He's got his jacket on over his t-shirt and you startle, heart racing as you realize that his sweatpants are tucked into his boots. "What's wrong?" you ask immediately.

It's his gentle laugh that soothes you, "everything's fine." His hand smooths over your shoulder and down to your hip, settling there as he eases you out of the bed. "Come on, got something to show you."

"It's the middle of the fucking night."

"Just come on," he insists, and you follow reluctantly, swinging your legs over the side and letting him pull you up against him. He's got your jacket and boots already waiting, and you slip into both quickly before he guides you out of your bedroom and down the stairs.

"Joel, what the fuck are we doing?" you question again, the exhaustion sneaking back into your body with each step. You yawn as your boots hit the bottom, your husband already a few steps ahead of you, hand on the doorknob.

"You'll see," he says softly just before opening the front door, a wash of cold hitting you as he does so. The moonlight illuminates the world outside, but it's only when you finally step out into the night air that you finally realize why Joel woke you.

You're out in the front yard before he even has the door closed, Joel slowly making his way down the front steps as you lift your head up to look at the small white flakes falling from sky.

"Told you," he breathes out and you turn to look at him, just a few feet away, a smile on his face as he watches you. "Thought you'd want to come out and see it."

"Damn right I did," you laugh, finding your place at his side once more so you can wrap yourself around him, arms snaking beneath his coat when you pull him close. There are snowflakes on his eyelashes when you glance up at him, the white cloud of your breath mingling with his just before you kiss him.

His arms surround you in warmth when he deepens this kiss, holding you against him like you're the most previous thing in the world, and you realize that there's something else that you can always count on. Someone else.

Him.

[missmoonfrost]

Spying for the Slytherin team - a jegulus microfic

@into-the-jeggyverse - April 14: Blush - Words: 454

The Gryffindor team practised three times a week, and the rest of the time, the quidditch pitch was equally divided between the other houses. But since the weather was nice, James decided he could use the warm spring night to practice some moves on his broom over the hill outside the castle.

He hadn't more than warmed up when he noticed he had company. A figure sat cross legged in the grass watching him.

He landed next to Regulus, who spread his arms. "Don't let me interrupt. I thought you didn't mind an audience."

"I-I don't," he muttered, "It's fine. Watch all you want."

It was true. Normally, a crowd only made him perform better. But Regulus? The boy who his friend had teased him for looking dreamily after for months? The boy who every sensible part of him told him to forget since he was not only on the opposing team and his best friend’s brother, but also clearly not liking him back?

James almost forgot how to stay on his broom altogether.

With a dry mouth, he decided against picking up the ball he had been throwing and catching, and instead flew a series of tight turns and loops.

He couldn't help but glance at Regulus, who watched him with an unreadable expression. Why was he here?

Maybe he was spying for the Slytherin team? He couldn't be here just to watch him, could he? Despite telling himself it didn't matter, James got a warm feeling in his chest, concerningly like hope.

He landed again and, as nonchalantly as he could, asked: "Here to assess your competition?"

Regulus just raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "What competition? We're going to crush you in the next match."

James picked up the ball and accelerated quickly through the air. He'd show him! In his worked-up state, he threw the ball too far and missed it on its way down. With burning cheeks, he picked it up again and tried an embarrassingly easy throw. At least he managed to catch it this time.

He managed to not make a complete fool of himself from then on, but he needed a few more throws before he made one he was actually satisfied with.

"Nice catch. Keep working, and we might actually need to work a little for the quidditch cup."

On the inside, James swooned under the backhanded praise. But as he landed, he forced himself to scoff:

"As if I care what a Slytherin has to say."

"If you don't care, why are you blushing?"

James opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say.

Regulus smiled sweetly, as if that was just the answer he was looking for, then turned around and left.

[imnameimswrld]

ⵌ ׄ ۪ 𝐊𝐄𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐙 ⁴⁴ ׄ ⑅ LH44 ‌˖ ֺ ᰮ

— DESCRIPTION ੭yn is been wanting to take lewis' xmas present for a spin ever since he got a new one sent from mercedes amg, but it will take some convincing.

— PAIRING ੭ lewis hamilton x fem!reader.

— FILE ੭ social media au.

— WARNINGS ੭ suggestive content, mdni !

— FACE CLAIM ੭ meghan fox.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ynwis_supremacy

liked by lewish44news, ynusername, and 878 others

ynwis_supremacy actual footage of yn trying to convince lewis for the keys to his benz.

View all comments

user yn liked omg 😭😭

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user "lew, look, i will take Roscoe on two walks, everyday, for 3 weeks,"

[ liked by ynusername ]

Y/N baby 💋

...

i will take ros on 2 walks everyday for the next 3 weeks ?

Lew Baby 💋

cute, but no.

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just one spin, that's all I'm asking here babe

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Lewis Baby 💋

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NO

fucking Russell snatched my phone

it's gonna take more convincing baby, sorry 💋

Carmen 💏

how's convincing lewis for those merc keys going hon ?

Y/N 👭

I am failing miserably carm.

I feel like I've tried EVERYTHING

even sexy stuff like-

Carmen 💏

OKAY YN !!!

on that note, g and I have an indea

Y/N 👭

oh ?

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Carmen 💏

4 words girl

sex in the benz.

ynusername

liked by georgerussell63, carmenmundt, and 1 223 454 others

ynusername keys to the benz ? keys to the benz 😉.

View all comments

user HE CAVED.

georgerussell63 hehe 😎

⤿ lewishamilton something tells me you and carm were behind yn's little...act.

⤿ user UH, WHAT DID MOTHER DO 😲

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landonorris I'd say I'm impressed, but it's yn we're talking about here so

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⤿ lewishamilton mhm, thanks mate.

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lewishamilton

liked by ynusername, landonorris, and 1 233 090 others

lewishamilton bought her own so she'd stop asking for mine 🙄 , happy 2 years baby 💋

View all comments

user DAMN.

user mother has a G-WAGON PEOPLE

ynusername thaaankkss baby 🙃

⤿ lewishamilton love, you can thank me with a redo of what happened in my benz

⤿ ynusername mhm, yes sir !

landonorris MY EYES

carmenmundt yeah, you're welcome lewis

[ liked by ynusername & georgerussell63 ]

user oh they did the nasty IN THE BENZ.

user goals honestly

[waveridden]

sky, intrepid heroes - time to vote on your faves!

i'm running a weekly series of polls to trace changes in people's favorite PCs in cloudward, ho! you can see all the posts here.

last week's winner was maxwell, and the poll receieved 454 votes. full results will be revealed at the end of the campaign.

give it a vote, tell your friends, and i'll see you all same time next week!

[transgendz]

My roommate has an important specialist appointment coming up this week. It was supposed to be a month from now, but someone canceled and now we need the money for it by the 15th. Less than two days. This goal covers the appointment and transportation.

I will do art for anyone who gives $50+, just message me at my art blog @theartistrans

Dm me for proof or details

$creepiecrippl

V: @tab-99

$75/$454

[fictionalsimp09]

Down Bad - Wolfstar & Platonic Moonchaser - @taylorswiftmicrofic - 454 words - AO3

Remus scrambles to hide his notebook as James barges into the dorm. He stops halfway to his own bed when he notices the guilty expression on his face. “What are you hiding?” he smirks. 

“Nothing,” Remus answers too quickly. 

They stare each other down for a few moments before they move at the same time, Remus to the door and James after him. The Quidditch player is obviously much faster than him, and snatches the book out of his hands, standing on his bed out of his reach as he flips to the last page written. 

“‘You know that I love you’,” he reads aloud, and Remus wishes the floor would open up beneath his feet and swallow him whole. “‘And I have a feeling that you love me back’. Of course he does, Moons. Everyone knows Sirius is mental about you.” 

Remus’ eyes widen. “H-how did you know this is about him?” 

James grins, “Because everyone knows you are mental about him.” 

“Not everyone,” he mutters defensively. 

“No, you’re right. Sirius doesn’t.” James waves the book in his hand, “Just tell him you wrote this song about him. Tell him just how down bad you are for him. You know how much he secretly loves romantic shit.” 

Remus sighs and takes his notebook back. “Sirius doesn’t like me like that.” 

“He does.” 

“Does not.” 

“Trust me, Sirius does.” 

“Sirius does what?” the boy himself asks from the doorway, Peter beside him. 

James chuckles, and heads to the common room, dragging a confused Peter with him and exclaiming, “Good luck!” 

“Good luck with what?” 

“With my plan to murder him,” he retorts. 

Sirius smiles at him. “What was all that about? And don’t think about lying to me, Moony. You know I can always tell when you do.” 

Remus takes a deep breath, contemplating whether he should run out the dorm and find somewhere to hide for the next week or jump out the window, so he doesn’t have to deal with all this. Instead, he does something ridiculously stupid and holds the book out for Sirius to take. 

Once he finishes reading, an excruciatingly slow few minutes, he hesitantly asks, “Is this what Prongs meant? You…wrote this about me?” 

Remus nods his head, not trusting his voice to come out normal if he speaks. Sirius drops the book, flinging his arms around his neck and crashes their lips together. Stunned, Remus just stands there and before he has a chance to reciprocate, Sirius pulls away, apologising profusely. But he interrupts his ranting with another heated kiss, and they melt together, fusing as one. Fuck, now he has to thank James for helping them get their shit together. After he kills him of course. 

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddiemicrofic April challenge.

All Alone

April Prompt: Fool | Word Count: 454 | Rating: T | CW: Fear of Mortality, Prior Parental Loss, Prior (Unnamed) Health Problem, Anxiety | Tags: Eddie POV, Established Relationship, Long-Term Relationship, Steve Harrington and His High EQ, Beloved Wayne Munson, Everybody Lives, Happy Ending

The overhead light in the bedroom flickers on, and Eddie buries his head deeper into the pile of pillows on the bed. 

He's not getting up. 

"Eddie," Steve says, gently. Quietly. 

"I'm fine," Eddie mutters from under the linens, but he's sure he's not very convincing. 

"The hospital called," Steve says, and Eddie's whole body tenses with blinding, overwhelming fear. "Wayne can go home tomorrow. After lunch." 

And it's good news. Something to celebrate. But something catches in his throat and he chokes out a sound, somewhere between a whine and a cry. 

He's a grown man, unable to get out of bed, and he feels like a fool. 

"He's fine," Steve says softly, sitting down on the bed, rubbing Eddie's back. 

Sure, Wayne's fine. For now. But someday he won't be. Someday Eddie will be all alone, and the weight of that knowledge suffocates him. The fear of it. The inevitability. 

His mom is dead. His dad is dead. He has no siblings. Grandparents, all dead. He has Wayne. That's it. That's all that's left of his family. Wayne, the only connection left to his childhood. 

Wayne, keeper of the memories, answerer of the questions. 

"Hey, remember when…"

And Wayne will remember. 

"And what was…?"

And Wayne will know. 

But Wayne will go someday, and he'll take those secrets with him. 

Then, Eddie will have no family left. 

"Eddie," Steve says, "talk to me." 

And he can't. 

He can't tell Steve, the love of his goddamn life, his family, this. Steve is his family. He is. They've chosen each other. Over and over, year after year. 

Steve's his future.

But he's not his past. Not his beginnings, even as fucking rough as they might have been, more often than not. 

"Honey, he's okay. I promise," Steve says gently. 

It's foolish, this preemptive mourning. This wallowing. 

"Wayne's gonna die someday, and I'll be all alone," Eddie chokes out, and he hopes Steve doesn't take it the wrong way. 

He doesn't. 

"I know how scary that is," Steve says, and Eddie relaxes. Steve probably does know. He's an only child, too. With only his mom left, now. It's scary.

Maybe they can be scared together.

A week later, Wayne's on the couch, recovering, and Eddie is buzzing around the room.

Steve's sitting right next to Wayne, notebook in hand. Taking extensive notes. An oral history. 

Steve won't ever have been there, but he'll have Wayne's own words to reference. 

"...and the little fool thought he could drive my car. Couldn't even reach the pedals. Rolled it right into the shed," Wayne says, and Steve laughs.

Eddie had forgotten that. 

And Eddie smiles, standing in the kitchen, listening to his past share secrets with his future.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiemicrofic and follow along with the fun! ❤️

[bradleysass]

better - @into-the-jeggyverse - wc: 454

The sun had barely climbed over the treetops when James kicked off the ground, hovering lazily midair while Regulus adjusted his gloves with the kind of concentration usually reserved for national finals or hexing someone into next week.

He looked sharp in his kit—black and silver, tight at the waist, wind tugging at his hair in waves. His brow was furrowed, mouth set in that unreadable line that made James want to ruin him.

“You’re glaring like I insulted your bloodline,” James called, looping lazily around him. “You do know this is just a training session and not a duel to the death, right?”

Regulus mounted his broom in one swift motion. “I’m treating it like a duel. You’re annoyingly smug when you win.”

James snorted. “I’m smug all the time.”

They circled above the clearing, a private pitch James had booked for the weekend. A pair of enchanted dummies hovered at the opposite end, programmed to play interference. James flicked his wand, and a bludger shot into the air with a wicked crack.

Regulus didn’t flinch.

“Rules?” he asked.

James twirled his wand. “No rules. Except that if you make that little noise again—the one from last night when I pinned you to the headboard—I will crash us both midair.”

Regulus’ broom twitched, just slightly. “Then maybe I’ll keep it in, Potter.”

James cursed under his breath and launched forward. The bludger swerved toward him, and he knocked it away with practiced ease, looping beneath Regulus and shooting upward, just to show off.

Regulus ignored the theatrics, flying tight and efficient. He had the Seeker’s discipline, but today he played differently—chasing James instead of snitches. Cutting him off. Anticipating his turns.

“You are getting better,” James said after a particularly brutal interception.

Regulus looked over, face flushed and hair wind-whipped. “Told you I learn fast.”

James grinned. “I like you better when you’re breathless and asking me to slow down.”

Regulus didn’t miss a beat. “Catch me first.”

It wasn’t really a game after that—it was a hunt. James gave chase, but Regulus led him in brutal spirals and hairpin turns, through conjured hoops and around bludgers that moved like they’d been charmed to hate.

Eventually, James cornered him near the tree line, chest heaving, laughter bubbling up like he was seventeen again and in love with flying—and maybe, definitely, in love with the arrogant bastard smirking in front of him.

He leaned in until their brooms nearly touched.

“Lesson’s over,” he said, voice low. “My flat. Ten minutes. You’re going to tell me what you think you did right today.”

Regulus raised a brow. “And if I say everything?”

James grinned. “Then I’ll reward you accordingly.”

[lulublack90]

Prompt 11 - Divination

@wolfstarmicrofic October 11, word count 454

Why had he taken Divination?! It was the most boring class! Remus had it right. Care of Magical Creatures was outside. He could just make out the class from the window. Remus had said they were studying Nifflers. NIfflers! Remus was having a great time, and they were staring at Peter’s sweaty palm. 

The next hour dragged, and Sirius let off a dung bomb just to get out of the class ten minutes early. If he ran and used a few secret shortcuts, he’d make it down to the entrance hall just as Remus came back inside. 

He’d just bounded down the final set of stairs when his name was shouted across the stone hall. 

“Sirius Black, come here!” Professor McGonagall was not happy. He looked longingly at the entrance door, where any second now Remus would be coming through, and walked over to the head of his house. 

“Yes, Professor?” He asked. 

“Why had Professor Foxwood's class ended early?” She asked him sternly. He winced, she knew exactly what had happened. “Do you enjoy that class? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I never pegged you for one to sit silently and stare into a crystal ball.” Sirius sighed, she saw right through him. 

“Yes, Professor— I mean no, I don’t particularly enjoy it.”

“You know it isn’t too late for you to change electives. You are incredibly intelligent, and I am certain you could easily catch up if you put your mind to it,” Sirius was shocked. He hadn’t even thought about changing it, he just accepted that for two hours a week for the next three years, he’d be mind-numbingly bored. 

“I’d really like that actually,” He grinned at her. 

“Any idea what subject you’d prefer?” The huge entrance door creaked open, and Remus’s class entered the castle, chatting excitedly about their lesson. Remus spotted him and waved, and Sirius automatically waved back. He turned back to his professor.

“Care of Magical Creatures,” He told her. She nodded approvingly. 

“Excellent choice, Mr Black. I shall make sure your professors are alerted.” 

“Professor!!!” James and Peter came hurrying over. 

“I suppose you want to swap to Care of Magical Creatures too?” A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. James and Peter nodded profusely. “Very well,” She sighed and strode away from them into the Great Hall. 

“What was all that about?” Remus asked once he got to them. 

“We, my dear Moony, will be joining you in Care of Magical Creatures,” Sirius beamed at them. Remus groaned. “Don’t worry Moony, we’ll behave,”

“Mostly,” James snickered. Sirius linked Remus’s arm and led him into the Great Hall for lunch, actually excited to find out how Remus’s Niffler lesson had gone. 

[mikolunaria]

Grieving

Still grieving the loss of his daughter, Joel can’t deal with it anymore.

Warnings: Angst, mention of canon character death, sad dad Joel, grieving Joel, a week after outbreak day, attempted su@cide (read at your own risk).

Word count: 454

A/N: I apologise, the moment I saw this gif I immediately thought of Joel just after the outbreak and remembered how he told Ellie he missed :( also apologies if it’s written poorly, I just suck at writing fanfic-

———

Emptiness.

That’s all Joel felt the past week. His body sluggish, heart hollow. Aching. Grieving. He’d been to too many different infirmary set-ups after the outbreak happened, never wanting to stay in the same place at once yet never really wanting to leave either.

Flashes of Sarah cross his mind and he chokes, shoulders tensing and body rigid. Heart aching. Grieving. Missing his little girl, the way she’d smile whenever she’d talk about her favourite things, her laughter that would coax a smile to his lips. Her little know-it-all quips that never ceased to earn a grunt and eye roll from him.

His footsteps trudged beneath his feet, dark eyes cast downward as he walked. Nervous chatter filled the air at his current infirmary set up, the noise deafening and loud. The world had greyed in Joel’s eyes, that old spark he had diminished and dwindling since he lost his daughter. His Sarah.

A ripple of laughter tears him away from his dazed state, eyes lifting up to catch two children run around with bright smiles on their faces despite what had just happened to the world.

His heart constricted in his chest, mind reeling when yet another flash of Sarah crept into his mind — the image of her at that young age, clinging to Joel and laughing her little head off when he’d do something stupid, just to hear her adorable sound.

His breath caught in his throat and he stomped away, putting as much distance between him and those laughing kids before exhaling shakily. His feet lead him behind a tent, eyes drawn to the side when he caught the pistol resting on top supply crates.

His Adam’s apple bobbed and his eyes darted off to the side to make sure no one was around before grabbing the firearm then heading off to a secluded area.

Joel soon found himself in a wooded area far from everyone, his eyes drawn to the pistol in his trembling hand before he forced the it to his head.

Seconds went by and Joel stood there with his finger threatening to pull the trigger yet he doesn’t move. Not yet. More seconds go by and the sound of the firearm goes off - Joel’s ears ringing loudly from the close proximity.

His eyes slowly blink open and he looks down. He had moved last second - managed to barely miss lodging the bullet through his skull and instead scaring the bridge of his nose.

He exhaled and let the firearm slip from his hand, his knees giving out as he crumples to the dirt floor. He chokes out a sob - body trembling and tense while attempting to hold back his tears.

His heart aching. Grieving.

[mercars-musings]

1-2-3-4-5 tag game

Aaa tysm for the tag @andthekitchensinkao3 !! Super appreciate you as always :3 <3

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words (feel free to interpret however you would like; if not on AO3, can be on Tumblr or FFNET, etc!). ~

Most Hits: "Would You Fall In Love With me Again?" with 454 Hits! This Fic got the 454 Hits in the few months it has been up which is wild bc I haven't had anything hit that level of views before! AND this is my favourite Emrook piece that I yap about from time to time!

Az comes back from the fade, realising the 7 years he spent in there was only 2 weeks for the rest of the lighthouse crew. After years of despair and torture he returns older and a broken man, wondering Will Emmrich Fall In Love With Him Again? {Inspired by the Epic song of the same name hehe!}

2nd Most Kudos: "Market Memories", with 31 Kudos! My first ever Dragon Age Fic! I was so scared to post it but now I'm so happy I did ;w; ! Emmrich convinces Az to show him around Dock Town. Trying to get closer to his crush, Az takes Emmrich to a market near where he grew up, all is going adorably till a shade from Az's past appears to sink it's claws into the Qunari again.

3rd Most Comments: "Gone Too Soon", 4 comments. This is one of my more recent pieces, based on an ask game I joined a few months ago atp!

Shortly after leaving the Fade Prison, the loss of one of his found siblings & friend Davrin hits Rook like a Avaar War Nug. So, he does what anyone would - spiral in a corner until Emmrich finds him and calms him down lmao.

4th Most Bookmarks: "Breaking In" which has 1 bookmark! This is another ask game prompt, though this time I actually tested the waters of more comedic writing and honestly I enjoyed it A LOT! It gave me a nice little reprieve from the trauma I keep putting my boys through hehe :3

Harding approaches Rook and asks him to help her break into Taash's room for... important information. Shenanigans ensue as the Scout tries to surprise her new partner with a personalised... "special" present.

5th Most Words: Also "Market Memories", which is a surprising 5.4K words!

Won't bore ya with the details again! Check number 2 on this list for info on this! :3 <3

Least Words: "A Very Overdue Break", coming in at a wee 796 words! This was another ask game piece hehe, can you tell I like ask games? {When the brain soups actually souping right that is lmfao} Rook escapes to Arlathan forest for a well deserved break while he recalls some fond memories and gets some damned rest for once!

~ No pressure tags for the friendos! : @sunny374940 ; @ofcrowsanddragons ; @hyperions-light ; @caughtnyact ; @thedissonantverses ; @rookgallustroublesomehousehimbo ; @redheadsramblings ; @the-bear-and-his-sunbird ; and anyone else who may see this and want in! <3

[inkedtae]

xiii. rotten angelcake ⇾ kth. [teaser]

Welcome to this week's Rotten Teaser!

⟶ the following teaser is 454 words, does not have any warnings and contains some spoilers. it is also not edited. you have been warned. stay rotten.

⌁ border by jen ( @itaeewon )

DING!

The elevator chimes, doors opening. 

“Good morning, Angel,” EDEN greets. 

You can’t help but smile at the familiar voice. “EDEN,” you reply through a breathy chuckle as you step in. “I’ve missed you.”

“Should I send you a reminder of my capabilities, or would you prefer a more heartfelt digital hug instead?”

You laugh as the doors shut. If you didn’t know she was created by Taehyung, that comment alone would have given it away. “I suppose I can use a hug?” you slightly tease.

The elevator starts to whirl, moving upwards on its own. You don’t see any buttons glowing, but it seems to keep raising and raising. 

“I sense you are mocking me,” EDEN responds. “Mr Kim says you enjoy teasing. As always, he is correct.”

You freeze.

“He talks about me?”

“Mr Kim often talks about you. He worries about you when you are at work. He says he cannot stand that you are miserable there.”

You know you shouldn’t ask, but your curiosity is louder than your conscience. Biting your lip, you twist your fingers nervously and whisper, “What else does he say about me?”

“He says you’re beautiful, Angel. More than that, though… he believes you’re precious—something to be protected.”

Swallowing thickly, you clench your fists in an attempt to ground yourself. A shaky exhale escapes as you ask, “He said that?”

“You sound confused. Would you like me to relay Mr Kim’s exact words?”

“Yes.” 

“On numerous occasions, Mr Kim stated: Angel is beautiful, EDEN. She’s delicate and thoughtful, even after everything she has been through. She’s strong. She has a nasty attitude, but I like that she doesn’t yield to just anyone. I’ve never met anyone like her.”

Taehyung doesn’t just talk about you, he dwells on you. He didn’t just tell her all this at once, but rather on numerous occasions. He went on and on about you to his AI system, telling her what he liked about you and how you’re one of a kind. There is a certain degree of reverence in his words, as well– even when reiterated through EDEN. It’s as though he is revelling in your existence. 

Your heart pounds so fast in your chest, you can feel the heavy beats in your throat. Gulping, you try to settle your nerves at the new revelation. He really does like you– or at least enjoys your company. All those times you thought you were bothering him, or worried he was obligated to reply, based on the origin of your relationship, were ignorant and short-sighted. You should have believed him when he told you that you could never annoy him with your messages. 

“Would you like to hear more?”

“No,” you breathlessly reply.

please note that this excerpt is subject to edits, changes or removal from the final draft. this is still my work so do not even think about copying, translating or reposting any part of the teaser without my permission.

ও want more RAC? check out the masterlist.

[whatsthebird]

Week of 09Feb2025 Answers

Answers hidden under the cut.

449 - Snow Bunting by @strawberrygiorno

450 - Least Sandpiper by @rainbowkittenism

451 - Wrentit by @birbbro

452 - Northern Flicker by @nohriantomatoes

453- Canada warbler by Anonymous

454 - Eurasian Goshawk by @ascendeddragonsage

455 - Black Woodpecker by @etchif

How many birds did you get right? Consider adding correct birds to your WTB Life List!

As always, birding is a cooperative experience. Help your fellow birders out by discussing key features that help identity and distinguish a bird in the notes.

Finally, let's give a feathery thank you to this week's submitters.

Keep the game alive! Submit a bird HERE -or- submit as and ask!