#based on a tree I saw at a state park…

[bakedbananners]

painting i painted 🎨

[snoopledrooplecheesedoodle]

Love Bugs: Insect Dorm Leaders x Reader Part 1

It's yandere so don't read if you don't like. Also, to all my requests still working on them, I just needed a small break from Jojo's. This is my opinion on what insect they'd be, and I'll probably write full stories for each of them. If you think something fits them better, just let me know. These are scenarios that are not going to be part of the main story. Reader is gender neutral. They get a little long but hey enjoy.

Riddle: Fire Ant

How could this have happened? You were having a nice day in the park, which turned into a nightmare. Ginormous fire ants swarmed the park and attacked anyone they saw on sight. Frantically, you ran to find a place to hide. Quickly ducking behind a tree as a group of the loyal foot soldiers skittered by. Peeping around the corner, you prayed that those horrid carnivorous ants were gone.

Voices in the distance. You duck back and sink to the base of the tree, praying to the Gods that the voices don't come closer. If only the Gods didn't hate you so much. "Dueceeeee, this is so boring! Why didn't Riddle send someone else out here?" The voice held a childish yet bored tone to it and it sounded human. Could they be humans? "Quit whining it's an honor to be assigned such an important task for the King." The other voice sounded just as youthful as the first but with a more responsible air. King? What King? Your curiosity got the better of you as you peeped back around the tree to see who was talking.

To your horror you saw two men which look human from the head down to the torso (minus the antenna). From the torso down they had the body of ants... fire ants. Your luck got worse by the minute as the blue haired one spotted you. "Oi, you get out from behind that tree!" You yelped at the harsh tone and did the only rational thing. Run. Run far and fast. You could hear the sound of your heart pounding in your ears as you escaped certain death.

Almost.

"Gotcha" You squeak in surprise as you feel a pair of arms circle around your waist. You thrash in the redhead's arms as he laughs at your pitiful attempt to escape. "Nice try but you're nothing but a puny human compared to- ow!" You bit down hard on the closest bit of flesh that you could find. When it came down to it, you were going to fight for your life. Even if it meant biting the strange hybrid that was holding you. Running the opposite direction, you again find yourself captured by the redhead's blue companion. "Argh that little bitch, I ought to eat them for biting me." You trembled at the threat as the redhead glared daggers at you. "Quit whining, we need to report back to the King our findings." Duece stated before lifting you over his back and walking in the direction they came from. Ace chuckled a little, a sadistic glint filling his red eyes. "Yeah, let Riddle decide what to do with them. I can't wait! Oi, you hear that bitey? Riddle's gonna destroy you." The jeers do nothing to comfort you as you continued to scream and kick against the man's hard exoskeleton.

The duo arrived at a site that made your eyes widen with fear. An ant's nest that looked almost like a mountain. Thousands of ants and ant hybrids were moving in and out of the mound. The sight alone made you very queasy. That's it for humanity, if there were more of them inside. The duo holding you hostage crawled past the fellow ants who all drooled hungrily at the sight of you, causing you to shiver. You were going to be torn to pieces by a bunch of hungry ants. You silently sobbed as you lamented your fate.

Skittering through the corridors, the duo made it to their destination. Your ears were met with a joyful squeal as you heard someone skitter closer. "Ah that human you have is so cute! Can I touch it?" Even though the voice was friendly the dehumanizing way he treated you scared you a little, causing you to actively try and wriggle away from the excited voice. Another voice spoke. "Riddle won't be two pleased that you brought a human into the colony. You know the rule-" "Yeah, yeah no human shall dwell in or know of the colony. We just thought he might like this one as a trophy of sorts." The redhead spoke to the unknown voice with confidence oozing from his words. The ant he was talking to sighed. "Alright, I'm only allowing this since he's in a good mood from the hunt. Just don't be surprised when you find yourself headless." With that the two moved forward allowing you to see who the two were talking two. A green haired man with glasses who looked nervous, and a ginger who gave you a quick wink before returning to his post.

Inside the room you could hear the skittering of the ants and a single voice that rose above the others and gave out commands. "You two take those bodies to the food cellar. I want them to be preserved for future meals." The voice ordered in a serious tone. So much for a good mood. "Hey your majesty." The red head drawled out as they stepped before the King's humongous throne. An exasperated sigh came from the top of the throne. "What a pleasant surprise to see my scavengers come back empty handed. Weren't you supposed to look for survivors?" The man you have yet to see had a voice dripping with sarcasm. Duece knelt before the king causing your body to slide and fall off the man's shoulder. "Apologies your majesty, we were searching for more survivors, but we got a bit distracted." Duece hesitated at the end of sentence. The King falls silent before retorting. "Distracted? How?" Cue you lifting your head, a little disoriented from the fall. All of the ants gasped as the supposedly dead human rose shakily to their feet. You looked up at the throne to see an adorable man sitting on the dirt throne.

He had short red hair that blended in well with his antenna making the heart shaped antenna look like his hair. A crown of leaves and flowers sat atop his head, and two wide stormy grey eyes stared down at you with interest. His plush lips pulled a neutral look on his baby face as he looked at the scene with indifference. A ring of giant soldier ants with spears formed around the three of you, ready to tear the rule breakers apart.

That's it. You weren't going down without a fight. You turned towards the nearest guard and sunk your teeth into the fleshy part of his arm. He dropped his spear out of fear and surprise to clutch his hurt arm. You grabbed the spear from the floor and wasted no time charging at the guards. Even though the ants were bigger and stronger than you, you fought for your life. Slashing and jabbing at the soldier ants. Duece and his redheaded friend joined in the fight for their hides, beating back the soldiers. As you fought, it became very clear that this was a losing battle. One of the soldiers manages to knock the spear out of your hand and leaves you defenseless. This was it; you were going to die.

Instead of the sound of the spear piercing your internal organs and the feeling of pain attached the sound of clapping echoes through the chambers. From up on the throne Riddle is clapping with a smug look on his face, like an Emperor watching his favorite gladiator win. "Well done human, you have thoroughly impressed me." Riddle stood from his throne and waved his hand. The guards and all other ants nearby bowed low to the ground as the King approached. Up close you were able to see that he was much shorter than most of the ants here but commanded the room with his royal presence. You keep eye contact with the King and glare at him, causing a wicked smirk to appear on his face. "I must say of all the humans I've met you have the most spirit." He grabs your chin in a crushing grip. His gray eyes meeting your (e/c) eyes. Even in the face of the most powerful ant here, you refused to back down.

Riddle laughs at your defiance before leaning in close enough that your foreheads touched. "Let's see how long that spirit lasts." He blows warm air into your face causing you to flinch back. Riddle's amusement drops as he addresses the duo you came in with. "See to it that those two are locked away until I can come up with a fitting punishment." Some of the guards nod before dragging the ragged and confused duo away. Riddle turns back to you and smiles. "Good news you'll remain with your life." He turns to the ginger in the hallway and snaps his finger. The ginger comes in obediently. "Bad news is, your life in mine now." With that last statement the ginger urges you through the door and away from the King's watchful gaze.

Riddle returns to his throne and sighs happily, for the first time in a while he's found something worth his time. A human, a toy, and perhaps in the future a queen. Riddle chuckles to himself at his musings. However, he does know...

Every King needs a Queen

Leona: Ant Lion

Curiosity killed the cat.

Was that how the phrase went?

It must when it slipped through the elders' lips with such ease. They would always say it directed at you, with their judgmental looks and wagging fingers. However, you never paid any heed as these geezers were just looking out for you because you brought them food.

You were an ant, a worker ant specifically.

You were also a curious little insect.

Ever since you were a larva you dreamed of joining your siblings, friends, and neighbors to help scavenge for food and fight off enemies. However secretly you also selfishly hoped to go out and see a little more of the world you called home. Sure, it was dangerous for you to wander too far from the colony, but you were strong. All ants were strong and if only they would just use it differently. It was always "We're strong to protect the colony" or "We're strong to gather food" never anything about the individual.

You sighed as you worked with five other ants to carry a leaf back to the colony for supper. Your job was to fetch and deliver, no questions asked. The colony needs food and without you, it gets no food. You are important yes, but you only get to see a small part of your world. The part the scouts deemed safe and plentiful.

There was a job you wanted. Part of the scouts. The ones who risked their lives and explored the corners of the world in search of food and places to expand. In your dream like state, you almost dropped your part of the leaf which caused the team to groan at you. "(Y/N) you're not focusing." Neema complained. Neema was a close acquaintance of yours and the only one who didn't outright chastise your dreams. She was a dark-skinned beauty with short frizzy hair and almond eyes.

"Sorry, just thinking." You replied staring wistfully off onto the savannah. The sun cast a radiant glow on the acacia trees. Trees that you never climbed. There were watering holes that you never swam in, beasts you never faced. So much to do in your short life and you were wasting it picking up stupid leaves.

"Hey, I know as soon as we get back to the colony, we can help sort the food, that way we get first pick." Neema's dark eyes filled with joy at the mention of food. "All you think about is food." Was all you could say at your friend's childish remarks. "That's what ants think about food and work." Neema beamed proudly. She was the definition of everything you were not. Hardworking, food focused, and successful. In fact, you two might have been friends if that was all you cared about.

But it wasn't...

You had snuck out of the colony for some fresh air. During dinner time it can be a little chaotic. There were thousands of your people getting food. You had worked all day picking up leaves and sorting food, that you weren't hungry when it was time to eat. Sick of the sight of food.

No not you, you wanted to see the sun set over the savannah and the thousands of twinkling stars. Feel the gentle caress of the wind on her face and antennas. To breath the fresh air and not the hot and sticky air in the colony. You wanted freedom. More than anything. However, you knew an ant alone cannot survive for long. God you were so frustrated! Why do you feel like this when no one else does?

You wanted to cry your frustration out, you wanted to run. Where? You didn't know but you sure as hell didn't want to be here. With no other thought in mind, you ran.

Everything was a blur around you as you ran without a care in the world. Screw not being able to survive on your own, you wanted to thrive. Even if you lived just one more day, you want to live freely.

You should have watched where you were going.

Thump! You rolled straight into a sand pit, hurting not only your pride but your legs a bit. You twitched your six legs to see if they were in operating condition. Your middle and back ones were fine, but your two front ones hurt like hell.

Great, just great.

Things just couldn't get any worse.

"Hmm...what could have possibly ruined my slumber?"

Crap

You remember what the elders told you about sand pits, if any ant was unlucky enough to fall into one. Also, more importantly what hid in them. The sand began to rustle beneath you, causing your fear to rise. You needed to get out of here. Away from the Ant Lion. As he yawned and stretched you climbed with all your might on your four working legs. The sand was so uneven that you kept slipping back in with tears in your eyes.

Flick

Sand was thrown in your eyes causing your vision to blur. You cried in pain as more sand was thrown at you. You slipped further and further down the trap towards the waiting jaws of your predator. "Tch stop struggling herbivore, it's no use." You screamed at the lazy voice that was closer than you were comfortable with. Standing on all your legs to try to escape, you yelp in pain and fall back down. You tried blinking the sand out of your eyes to see the face of your killer.

Green eyes.

A handsome man with green eyes and tan skin stared down at you. He was much larger than you and stronger by the looks of it. His long dark hair flowed down his back in waves. You would have thought the man was an ant like you, except the lack of antenna. As well as the two sharp looking pincers in his mouth.

"Hm, you're a lot cuter than my usual prey. Tell you what, you agree to become my pillow and I won't eat you till morning." You could only squeak as you felt a strong pair of arms wrap around your soft torso. A sharp thing poked you in the neck back causing you to freeze up. "I need an agreement little ant, otherwise I might be tempted to eat you right here and now." You nodded swiftly causing the Ant Lion to purr and burry you both into the sand. Before you were completely submerged you hear him speak.

"I might just keep you after all because..."

You're too good to eat

Azul: Diving Bell Spider

You wished you had listened to your mother.

You wish you hadn't been so stupid

So naive

So kind

It was too late now as you were trapped in the lake with a man who claimed to love you ever since you showed him kindness all those years ago.

You were a cute and bubbly kid known for a kind heart and loud voice. Being the bundle of energy you were, your parents often sent you outside to play. You especially liked playing outside your family lake house. Swimming in the lake, chasing ducks, and catching fireflies at night were some of your favorite things to do. However, one day you met someone you firmly wish now you never met.

You had snuck out of the lake house early in the morning while your parents were still asleep. Hoping to get some early morning swimming in before breakfast, you tore over to the lake in your swimsuit. You jumped off the dock and began to playfully splash around giggling with joy. You stop splashing about and just let your tiny body relax, floating gently on the lake surface. As you absorbed the sounds of nature you heard the sound of...crying? You popped your head above the water and listened intently to find where the sound was coming from. Searching high and low, you were unable to locate where the sound was coming from until you noticed a small figure underneath the reeds.

It was a small boy but unlike you he was only a few inches tall. From the waist up he was a pudgy little boy with silver hair and blue eyes. From below the waist he had the body of a spider. The boy noticed you and shrieked in fear. "Who-who are you?" You beamed down at the boy with a friendly smile. "I'm (Y/N)! Wanna be friends?" The boy eyed you suspiciously before crying some more. "Why would you want to be friends with a fat, stupid, spider like me?" Your eyes softened at the boy's harsh statement. "I don't think you're stupid." The boy stops sniffling and stared up at you, blue eyes filled with hope. "You don't?"

"Nope!" You chirped cheerfully offering your hand to your new tiny friend. He hesitated once more before carefully climbing onto the palm of your hand. You lifted it up to your face so you could see your friend better. He bashfully tried to hide himself from your curious gaze. Nodding your head satisfactorily you smiled at the boy in your hand. "You're the prettiest kid I've ever seen!" Your words cause the boy in your hand to cover his face in embarrassment.

"What's your name pretty new friend?"

"Azul."

"Nice to meet you Azul."

"You too (Y/N)."

You and Azul hung out every day since the day you met. You'd come to the lake and Azul would wait for you on the bank. Then the two of you would play all sorts of games together. Azul showed you all kind of new and cool places near the lake that you had never seen before. You really liked hanging out with your new friend. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end as Summer came to an end. Your family was going to move back to your regular home for the school year, which meant saying goodbye to your friend.

"Azul I'm not coming back tomorrow." You stated sadly which caused the little spider great shock. "Why?" He sounded so heartbroken at your words. "I have to go home." You state sadly unable to look at your friend out of guilt. "I thought you lived with the humans in the house?" Azul's voice was wavering a bit as he tried not to cry. "This isn't my real home; my real home is far away from here." "No!" The little spider boy clung to your thumb like his life depended on it. "You can't leave, I love you." You patted the poor boy's head gently.

"I love you too Azul, you're my best friend." Azul's eyes lit with hope at your words. "Then you'll come back soon, right?" You smiled and nodded. "Yep, totally will!" "Promise?" Azul stuck his pinky out childishly. "Promise." You giggled booping him gently with your pinky.

Many years had passed, and you were now a grown woman. You had forgotten all about Azul and the promise you made to him. Instead, you were focusing on your last Summer of freedom before heading off to college. You brought a couple of friends and your current crush (c/n) with you to the lake house.

"Come on (Y/N), what's taking you so long?" Your good friend Bess asked stamping her foot in exasperation. You laughed at your friend's impatience. "I'm coming, don't worry." You eagerly walked out of the bathroom in your new bathing suit. "Wow (Y/N), wait till (c/n) gets a load of you looking all good." You blush at Bess' compliment before rushing past her. "Last one off the pier has to make lunch." "What no fair!"

The day was perfect. You spent plenty of time with your friends and even flirted a little with (c/n). (c/n) flirted back with you causing your heart to soar at the thought of them liking you. After you finished dinner, you went out onto the pier to relax a little bit. You sighed in contentment for the day and the days ahead. The sound of crickets and frogs lulled you gently into a state of calm. You yawned and stretched a little. Hmm you must be tired, time to go to-

You woke with a crick in your neck and back and well everything. Sleeping on the pier was not a good idea. Not to mention the mosquito bites you had accumulated throughout the night. Well, time for some breakfast. You went into the house to start fixing breakfast. The smell of fresh pancakes and bacon ought to wake Bess and the others right up. When you finished, no one came outside of their rooms.

Strange. Normally someone would be stirring at this point. Oh well they can fix their own breakfast. You ate in the silence of the house which gnawed at you. Alright, something is wrong. You walked up to Bess' room and knocked. One time. Two times. The third time you let yourself in. No one was in that room. In fact, the bed was freshly made like no one had even slept in it. You checked the other rooms of your friends. Empty. Worry and pancakes were not a good mix. Finally, you came to (c/n)'s room which laid empty but with a note on the bed.

"Come to the pier tonight darling."

-A

Okay, who was pulling a prank on you? It was not funny. Safe to say you were showing up at the pier tonight to give someone a piece of your mind. First, she had to clean the plates and then hatch your plan.

You came to the pier at night as the note said. However, you didn't see a single soul there. Another bothering thing was that your friends and (c/n) hadn't returned from wherever they went. You might as well sit down and wait for the mysterious Mx. A to show up.

"Oya careful where you sit." You jumped back as a dragonfly flew up from where you were about to sit. "Did you just t-talk?" The dragonfly person in question just smirked and flew close to your face. He had teal hair, and one eye was gold and the other was olive. A black piece of hair fell to the right of his face. "Yes, I did t-talk have any q-questions?" Your face paled at this site. Fairies weren't real and yet there was a tiny man in front of you with dragonfly wings.

"Jade stop teasing Giaganto so much, I want a turn too!" A childish voice whined out and a second dragonfly man zoomed over. He looked almost like a mirror image of the first man except he had his hair piece on the left and different eye shape.

"My apologies Mx (Y/N) you're just so fun to tease. My name is Jade, and this is my twin brother Floyd." Jade spoke while doing a little bow. The other brother, Floyd, had a lazy grin on his face. "Hiya Giganto, Azul's been talkin about ya all the time!"

"Azul?" That name sounded...familiar. Where did you possibly hear that name from? The two dragonflies smirked at each other before turning to you with wide grins. "Yeah, he heard all about your little troubles Giganto!" Floyd said in a "sad" tone while circling your head. "Yes, your dear lost friends who abandoned you." Jade responded, making himself comfortable on your right shoulder. You were insulted at Jade's implications "They didn't abandon me... they just must have gotten lost." You finished your sentence not too confidently. The twins caught onto that and grinned deviously at the other. "Lost indeed but not forever." Jade responded sitting elegantly on your shoulder.

"You know where they are?" You asked hesitantly, not fully trusting the twin dragonflies. Floyd stopped zipping around your head and settled on your left shoulder. "Not us but Azul knows, he knows everything you could ever want to know." There was that name again that you were having a hard time placing where you heard it. "Could you take me to him?" The twins chuckled to themselves like you said the funniest thing. "Of course." They responded together, Chesire grins on their faces. You then followed the devious dragonflies to the place they led you.

You found yourself in the lake swimming towards the small "island" of lily pads. The water was murky and dark at night making it hard to see what lay at the bottom. "Come on Giganto, he's right here!" Floyd flew ahead with his brother Jade in tow. Lucky bastards got wings while you had to swim in your clothes.

Floating towards the first lily pad you could see the figure of a man spider hybrid waiting calmy on the leaf. He smiles as he sees the twins approaching with you following behind. "Welcome Mx. (Y/N) I've been expecting a visit from you." "You have?" The spider nodded his silver locks bouncing. "Yes, I do believe you have a problem. All with problems on this lake come to me." Azul's smile was practiced as he reached his arms up towards you to come closer. You lean your head down to his level. He smiles, satisfied with your obedience as he saunters closer to you. "Your friends have gone missing have they not?" You nodded. "Well, I happen to know where they are." You perked up at the spider's confidence. "You do?" Azul smirks at your answer and pats you nose affectionately.

"I know where they are and how to bring them back." He states with a businessman grin. This was perfect. Though Azul seemed sketchy he looked like he was telling the truth. "However... this kind of deed comes with a price" You deflated at his words. What could the spider possibly want? "I don't have a lot of-" Azul places a hand to your lips "I'm not asking you for money." His eyes darken with greed as he places both hands on his walking stick. "What I want is you." Huh?

"My what?" All three insects chuckle at your naivety. "Not any of your possessions just you. See I've been very fond of you for years now and I feel it's only fair that you fulfill your promise you made all those years ago." Promise? What promise? Your eyes reflected your confusion, which caused anger to cloud Azul's blue eyes. "You don't remember...after all these years of patiently waiting." He chuckles bitterly to himself and looks back up at you.

"I suppose it can't be helped, you're a busy person. I'm a busy person so I'll cut to the chase. Be with me and your friends can go back to living their normal lives. Choose your own freedom and well...your friends will never see the light of day." He springs the ultimatum on you causing your eyes to widen. "What did you do to my friends?" Azul glances at you in a lovesick way before planting a kiss on your nose. "What I had to do to get you back where you belong. With me." You glared down at that swindling. lying, no good crook. He stole your friends and lured you out here to become his giant pet. However, Azul held all the cards, and you were forced to cave into his demands.

"Fine..." Azul perked up at your acquiesce. "Wonderful! You won't regret it. I'll treat you so much better than any human ever could my little jewel." He then turned to his lackies and nodded causing them to fly away. "First my friends." You said in a demanding tone. "Already taken care of my dear. They've been returned to their beds as if none of this happened." Azul responded adoringly, stroking your cheek, causing you to shiver in disgust.

"What do you plan on doing to me?" You asked the spider who giggled giddily. "Loving you for the rest of our lives but first, getting rid of that height advantage." Azul pulled out a vial from his pocket and handed it to you. "I've been working hard to make this ever since I met you. It's a potion that will make you, my size." Great he was prepared too. Well, a deal's a deal. Reluctantly, you threw the tiny vial down your mouth. Nothing happened for a while before you felt like you were falling in midair. Landing straight into the lake. Without wasting a second, the spider greedily grabbed you and dove into the water. You were losing air quick as you dove deeper into the lake. He cooed over you as you lost conscious. Before you went out you heard him whisper.

I love you very much my treasure.

Kalim: Peacock Butterfly

The desert's an unforgiving place for many. You being one of them. After losing your caravan and family you wandered the desert aimlessly in hopes of finding them. However, each day grew hotter and hotter, and each night grew colder and colder. You were tired, hungry, and so very thirsty. Not only that but desperate for somebody, anybody to talk to.

You would sleep during the day in caves or even bury yourself in the sand. Then when night fell, you'd search once more for your lost family. At this point you were searching for someone, anyone to save her from dying of hunger and thirst. One morning the sun was so harsh that she couldn't sleep through the day. Why not carry on?

You were reduced to crawling through the desert in hopes of finding some form of shade and water. Scanning your small view of things, you couldn't find anything. You were losing hope and vision as blurry spots began to dot the corners of the world. That's not good. Wearly standing up you spotted up ahead an oasis. Was this a mirage? You didn't care as you used your remaining strength to run towards this haven. You had to make it. You had to make it. Your vision began to become smaller and smaller as the oasis grew closer and closer. You practically threw yourself onto the ground of the oasis and landed in some bushes. Safe at last. You could taste the water now. However, as soon as you tried to stand up, you promptly fainted.

You awoke lying on something very soft. Was this heaven? Opening your eyes, you saw you were on a very comfortable and stylish bed. The room around you looked like something you would see in a Sultan's palace. Heaven was rich. However, you were not alone as a woman wearing an abaya came in and made a low bow. This was already a little strange, made stranger by the pair of wings on her back. "Are you an angel?" You asked the woman. The woman giggled and shook her head. "Not unless the honored guest wishes for me to be." Guest? "Guest?" You repeated your thoughts aloud to the woman.

"Master Al-Asim found you unconscious and brought you here. He's been very worried for your health ever since." The woman took a cup from the tray that lay neatly on the bedside table. "You must be very thirsty." You didn't have to be told twice. You snatched the cup from the woman and greedily drank the cool and refreshing water. Felt like bliss having some liquid. The woman refilled your cup, and you drank. This repeated for some time until you were satisfied. You immediately laid back down on the pillowy softness of the bed.

Wait a minute. You shot up from the bed and stared at the woman. "You have wings!" The woman chuckled at your astute observation. "Indeed, I have." That response floored you. "How?" The woman looked confused. "I was born with them Master..." "(Y/N)" You responded. "Master (Y/N) it is a pleasure to humbly serve you." All of this was happening to fast. People with wings? Master? "You can call me (Y/N) Miss..." "Esmat Master (Y/N)." Darn Esmat was stubborn.

You two spoke for a while. She told you that the Al-Asim Oasis was the biggest Oasis in the desert. Supporting hundreds of thousands with its bountiful water. Since the Al-Asim Oasis was created and maintained by the Al-Asims they were the wealthiest and most powerful family in the entire Oasis. Their oldest son Kalim Al-Asim was the one who found you unconscious and brought you back to his family home.

"Oh, my I forgot to tell the young master that you are awake. Please forgive me Master (Y/N) it has been very lovely talking to you, but I must go." Esmat left leaving you unsupervised in your room. Well you guess you could just-

You heard hurried footsteps approaching your chambers followed by cries of worry from people in the hallway. A white-haired boy burst through the door. His red eyes lit up with delight as he flew over to you with a goofy grin. "You're awake, oh I just knew it!" Suddenly, your world goes topsy turvy as you collapse onto the bed with the energetic boy hugging you. The boy in question's multicolored wings fluttering with happiness. "Kalim don't crush them!" A voice behind you spoke another. This guy was part man part scorpion with long dark hair and dark colored eyes. "Sorry Jamil, I'm just so happy to see them awake." The boy sheepishly responded while still laying on top of you. This boy had no shame. "Um Mister Al-Asim sir, could you please get off of me." Kalim looked at you and smiled. "Just call me Kalim..." "(Y/N)" "Ooh cool name!" "Yeah, Kalim can you get off me please?" The boy looked confused before realizing he was still on her.

"Oh, sorry about that!" He then hops off and stands in front of you with a grin. He was practically floating with how fast his wings were fluttering. This guy was always happy huh? "How are you feeling?" The man behind Kalim, Jamil you think asks you. "Fine, just a bit disoriented." You answered causing Jamil to nod. Kalim smiles and bounces on his heals. "We should totally have a feast to celebrate you waking up. Jamil start preparations immediately." Jamil rolls his eyes at the boy's commands but scuttles off. Leaving you and the hyperactive butterfly boy alone.

"So those wings are real?" Kalim smiles. "Yep! Wanna touch them?" You nod as you are curious as to what butterfly wings feel like. Reaching you hand out to touch them you graze the top gently. Kalim hitches a breath. "Was that okay?" You asked worried you hurt your savior. "Oh yes it's just my wings are very sensitive. It felt nice though." You continued to gently caress Kalim's wings which caused pleasant shivers for the Al-Asim. The two of you stayed like this for a while before your stomach began to growl. Very loudly waking Kalim from his trance. "Oh, are you hungry? Let's check on Jamil and see how the feast is going!" The white-haired butterfly boy grabbed your hand and ran out of the room.

The Al-Asim house was practically a palace with many workers bustling about and completing their daily tasks. Many pointed and whispered at what an odd couple the Al-Asim heir and his "special guest" were. However, Kalim was completely ignorant to all that happened around him as he continued running towards the dining hall.

The dining hall was massive and very luxurious, you looked around to see servants bustling around with plates of food and placing them down at the table. Kalim urged you to sit beside him on the soft looking pillows beside the table. Excitedly Kalim began placing food on the plate in front of you encouraging you to taste a bit of everything. Asking you how everything was and becoming increasingly more pleased with each response. "It's all made by Jamil. Isn't he the best?" You nodded once more before turning back to your food eagerly. He then began asking about you.

"Where are you from?" "Huh?" You asked the boy who had stars in his eyes to repeat himself again. "Well, you're not from around here because you reacted so weird to my wings." You scoffed at his reasoning before smirking. "You seemed to be enjoying it when I was petting them." Kalim's cheeks turned bright pink at your words. "Well, you were very gentle with them." You chuckled at his reaction finding him cute. Friendly and cute. "To answer your question, I'm from the desert beyond the Al-Asim Oasis." Kalim's ruby eyes became wider at the knowledge. "I knew it! You'll have to tell me all about life out there." Kalim squealed focusing his whole attention on you. It felt almost like you were an elder telling the children tales about the times of old.

"What would you like to know?" You asked smiling gently at the boy. "Anything and everything especially about you!" You blushed at the last part of his statement. "Well, I lived in a caravan with my family, we never stayed in one place for long." Kalim eagerly took in the information you gave him. You smiled as you recounted memories with your family and friends on the caravan. Days playing in the desert, trading the goats you raised, and dancing around the campfire at night. The whole time Kalim stared intently at you with a large smile on his face. "I miss my family you know." You finished bitterly as the memories were all you had left of them.

Kalim's eyes softened with worry. "What happened to them?" You looked away from those sympathetic eyes in pain. It was bound to come up at some point, but it didn't take away the weight from it. "A sandstorm, the caravan encountered a great sandstorm. By the time it was over I was left alone, separated from my family and everything I've ever known." You couldn't stop the tears that began to pool in the corners of your eyes. It hurt so bad to be lost and alone. Dying in the desert didn't really matter as much as dying alone in the desert did. You felt a pair of arms wrap around you and Kalim's soothing voice hushing your worries and whispering encouragements in your ear. You went limp in Kalim's embrace, too tired to cry or do really anything anymore.

You woke in the middle of the night, feeling pressure on your chest. You looked over to see Kalim lying beside you with his head on your chest. What happened besides you breaking down, you don't remember. The haze of emotions clouded your judgement and memory. You tried not to shift to quickly to your feet, to avoid waking the boy. Speaking of Kalim, he looked so peaceful with a gentle smile on his face as opposed to his rambunctious one. Is this guy ever not handsome? Wait handsome, what are you thinking? A groan stops your panicked thoughts as the aforementioned boy opened his eyes sleepily.

"(Y/N)? What are you doing up?" He asked with a yawn. "I couldn't sleep. Why are you in my room?" Kalim hummed before snuggling back into your chest. "What do you mean, we're in my room. You were struggling in your sleep so I thought having someone with you would get rid of the nightmares." Well, that got your attention. Looking around you saw that you were in fact not in your room. This room was bigger and ten times more luxurious than your personal guest room. Kalim settled down right back where he was, drifting back to sleep. "Hey, get off me mister!" You lightly pushed away the sleepy man, who barely resisted it. "Nooooo, you're so comfy." Kalim whines while trying to crawl back to you. You stood up and walked away to the doors that led out to a balcony to get some fresh air. Hearing nothing but whining coming from Kalim.

The cool desert air felt refreshing on you heated skin. For a not so big man Kalim produced a lot of body heat. Looking around the Oasis you could see the lights of this small metropolis glow and felt amazement. Never have you seen a sight like this before. "Looks pretty cool huh?" Kalim surprised you from behind, he looked at you smiling. "Wanna see it from above?" You were already looking from a balcony so how much higher could you get. "You mean from the roof?" You asked the man, only for him to chuckle. "No silly I mean in the air!" Kalim states cheerfully while flexing his wings. He couldn't possibly mean... you turned your attention back to the innocent looking boy. His red eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he offered you a hand "Do you trust me?" Should you take it?

He did mean flying. You had excepted his outstretched hand tentatively. Wasting no time, Kalim picked you up bridal style and jumped off the balcony. You screamed in terror as you both plummeted towards the ground. There was no way he or his wings were strong enough to hold you both. Squeezing your eyes shut you expected to become a stain on the Al-Asim immaculate courtyard.

"You're not going to be able to see anything with your eyes closed." Kalim chuckled. You're not dead? Opening your eyes, you see both Kalim and you soaring through the air. Completely fine. Looking down you see all of the Al-Asim Oasis in its splendor. The glow of the lights in the buildings, the majestic fountains, the night bazaar with its multitude of goods. It all took your breath away. "Cool, isn't it?" Kalim jovially replied staring at your look of awe with glee. "Come on, let me show you the best part."

You stayed with Kalim after that day and the day after that day. Each day filled with excitement and new things to do. You really were starting to think of Kalim as a great friend, a little brother even. Even still with all the fineries and stability this couldn't last. You were incredibly homesick, which only got worse with each day. Sure, you had access to all the food you could ever eat, fine clothes, and servants at your beck and call. However, you longed to return to your family and simple life you had before. Then there was Kalim, sweet Kalim. He was sweet and cheerful, always wanting to know how you were doing. Always with you. Always. In fact, he became touchier and clingier with each day. You didn't mind that so much but were you wrong to want some time to yourself too? Were you wrong to want to talk to someone else sometimes?

These thoughts continued to rack your brain as Kalim ran up to you a threw his arms around you. "Hey (Y/N) what's up?!" You smile at Kalim and ruffle his hair. He eagerly leans into your touch. "Oh nothing, I was just thinking about things." "What kind of things?" "None of your business." Kalim pouted at your answer before lighting up. "Jamil and I were going to go to the bazaar, wanna come?" You immediately nod, you need something to take your mind from spinning any further. Kalim smiles and starts dragging you towards the door.

The bazaar was busy on that exceptionally hot day. Many people rushing around buying things from the multiple vendors. The scent of spices and savory meats filled your nose as you walked through, causing you mouth to water. There were fine rugs, jewelry, and beautiful clothes. That wasn't even half of what was there. Anything you stared at Kalim asked if you wanted it. "No Kalim I'm serious, this must cost a fortune." Kalim placed down a bag of gold coins like it was no big deal. "If you want it, you should have it, anything you want should be yours." Kalim went around buying out the entire bazaar for you which made you a bit uncomfortable. One because he was wasting his family fortune on you and two because Jamil had to carry all the stuff he bought. You needed to distract him with something quick. "Oh Kalim, I think there was a kebob stand a little way back. Let's check it out." Kalim immediately grins and runs off in that direction by himself. "Kalim!" It worked a little too well. Jamil groans and mumbles something under his breath. "I'm so sorry Mx. (L/N) but Kalim can't be unattended, so I have to go." Which led to you being completely alone.

Well, you're back to square one, all alone and this time in an Oasis. You should catch up to the duo ahead of you. That way you aren't completely alone. That way...no that way. Ugh, if only you hadn't stupidly forgotten which way to go. "(Y/N)?" Huh? You turn around to see someone very familiar to you. "Samir!" You immediately jump on the man in front of you. Samir was your childhood friend and even your crush. With beautiful long dark hair and light brown eyes who wouldn't fall in love with him. "We've been looking for you everywhere." Samir replies returning your embrace with as much vigor. "Well, I've been looking for you too! How's mom? How's dad? How's everyone? Where's everyone?" Samir puts his hands up in surrender. "Woah, woah settle down. Why not ask them yourself." Your parents were here? "Take me to them." Samir complied led the way.

Kalim was a wreck. He came back to the spot he left you only to find you had disappeared. No problem, you're probably just looking for more stuff you want. Wait you don't have any money on you! Oh no what if you get hungry? What if you get bored? He's not there to help you. "Jamil, we need to find (Y/N) now!" Jamil sighed as Kalim continued to freak out. "They'll be fine. You on the other hand need to return home, your parents are back today." His parents were back, today?! This was great news he could tell them all about (Y/N) and how great they were. Maybe even convince them to let (Y/N) stay forever. Kalim felt himself becoming giddy at the thought of spending the rest of his days with (Y/N). He liked them ever since he found them, but now it felt different. Anyone who brought up their name brought butterflies to his stomach.

"Kalim are you even listening to me?" Jamil asked the boy, pulling him out of his dreamy state. "Uh yeah, let's go home!" Kalim smiled happily to himself; he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with you.

You were light as air. Everything was going your way. You were happily reunited with your family with lots of tears and laughter. Your mother and father almost didn't recognize you with the fine clothes and jewelry you were wearing. However, your face hadn't changed much so they embraced you happily. "My dear (Y/N) we missed you so much!" Your mother said tearfully as tears of joy streamed down her face. "I missed you too mom, dad, how's everyone else doing?" Your father grinned and patted you on the back. "They'll be doing better when they hear you've returned." You were eager to reunite with your caravan, but you needed to say goodbye to Kalim first. After all he saved your life and cared for you for all those weeks. "Mom, dad there's someone you ought to meet."

You arrived back at the Al-Asim house with your parents and Samir in tow. Samir wanted to join you to catch up with you and thank the man who saved your life. Each of your companions' jaws dropped when they saw the sheer opulence of the manor. "(Y/N) you didn't tell me they were rich." Samir said agog to the amount of gold and marble of the main building. You preened like a peacock, happy at each reaction. "Wait till you see the inside." As you approached the front door you were stopped by the guards at the front steps. You hadn't seen their likes before. "Halt! What business do you have with the Al-Asim family?" The centipede on the left spoke, his broad frame being slightly intimidating. "I'm a friend of Kalim Al-Asim!" The guards took one look at you with your finery and stepped aside. However, they weren't so lenient with your family and Samir. "Halt! You are not permitted to enter." Each guard holding a nasty looking spear at your family. "Wait they're with me." You pleaded with the guards, but they did not relent.

"No way they are anywhere close to your status my liege. Master Kalim should be out near the fountain." Your family sadly bid you go on your own, feeling doubt with their own worth. Samir on the other had barged past the guards to join you. "Halt intruder!" You grabbed Samir's hand and made a run for it. The guards followed you two as you ran to the garden where you hoped to find Kalim. The guards were hot on your trail being more built for running long distances than you or Samir. However, luck appeared to be on your side as you burst through the doors out to the garden. A familiar mop of white hair appeared near the fountain. "Kalim!" You shouted, causing the butterfly boy to turn around with joy. "(Y/N)!" The boy screamed as he ran to you with his arms outstretched. He grabbed into a tight embrace swinging you about.

"(Y/N) where did you go? I was so worried for you but I'm happy you returned! I'll ask Jamil to prepare a feast for your return." The boy continued to prattle on happily as the guards chasing you both ran over to where you stood. They grabbed Samir by both arms and were prepared to drag him out. "Samir!" Kalim turned around to see who you spoke of and stared quizzically at the new face.

"Hello, I'm Kalim, who are you?" The guard interrupts Samir before he can speak. "Master Kalim this rabble claims to be a friend of Master (Y/N), we're simply kicking him out." Kalim waves his hands signaling for the guards to stop. "Nonsense of friends of (Y/N)'s is a friend of mine." He walks up Samir with a smile on his face. "Would you like to stay for the feast?" Samir nods as the guards let him go. Kalim smiles and ushers you away, not allowing you to talk for another second to your crush.

The feast was awkward as Kalim had you sitting beside him, and Samir was placed on the opposite end of the table. Kalim was trying to feed you himself which led you awkwardly rejecting him multiple times causing him to pout. As the servants came in with the food they halted as two majestic looking older people came in and sat at the head of the table. You guessed they were Kalim's parents and went to bow low like the rest of the servants. The older woman approached you and took your chin in her hand.

"I must say Kalim you do know how to pick your fiancés, they're absolutely exquisite." You flushed at the beautiful older woman's compliment, feeling very small in her gaze. "Fiancé?" You asked the woman almost by instinct. Where did Kalim's mother get that from? "Why yes fiancé. Don't be too shy (Y/N) we've heard all about how well you get along with our son and approve of your union." The older man spoke from the head of the table, servants tripping over themselves to serve him food. "I think you've got it wrong, (Y/N) isn't anyone's fiancé." Samir cut in which caused the older couple to glare at the man. "Who are you?" Kalim's mother asked stiffly as she took a seat in her chair. "I'm Samir, (Y/N)'s friend. We came to thank you for taking care of (Y/N) before leaving." Tension was building between the parents and your friend. This wasn't good.

The shattering of a glass caught your attention as you looked over a Kalim. He looked as if his heart had shattered in his chest. "You're leaving (Y/N)?" Kalim whimpered out like a kicked dog, causing your heart to swell with pity. "Kalim, you didn't think I was going to stay forever. Did you?" Kalim didn't answer as he lowered his head. Quiet sobs began to rack his body. "JAMIL! Take this unwanted guest away at once!" The man at the head of the table shouted fury ever present in his eyes. Jamil appeared out of thin air and grabbed Samir, who kicked and screamed in protest. "Samir!" You yelled; this was getting out of hand. If you knew this was going to happen, you wouldn't have returned.

"It's alright dear, no need to worry about him. He won't try and take you away from us." The older woman cooed as panic filled your eyes. "Us?" The woman smiled and nodded at the man at the head of the table. "We've never seen Kalim this happy before with anyone, this truly isn't something that money can buy." The man stated turning the guards near the table and nodding. The guards grabbed your arms and restrained you. "We'll take you to his room so you can begin preparations for the wedding at once." Wedding? No, they had it all wrong. "Let me go!" You shouted as you were dragged out of the dining room and into a familiar room. You were roughly placed on the bed. You ran after the guards but found yourself locked in Kalim's room. This was madness, Kalim's parents were insane! You pounded on the door till you ran out of energy. Defeated you slumped onto the floor and cried.

You awoke to the sound of the door opening, it was Kalim! Maybe he could be reasoned with. "Kalim, you've got to let me go!" You begged as you clung to his robes. Kalim wasn't looking you in the eyes. "Kalim please! I want to be with my family!" He still refused to look at you. "Kalim?" You softly asked trying to see his face. You wish you hadn't. His eyes held the most lovesick expression you had ever seen. You backed away from the boy slowly, who only followed you till you were against the bed. This wasn't good at all. "Sweetheart are you okay, you look terrified." Kalim cooed as he pressed kisses against any exposed skin he could see. "I am terrified of you Kalim. Your family is sick!" You complained as you tried to bat away his affections. Kalim continued to stay there and embrace you, while guiding you to the bed.

"You're probably just tired let's go to bed now." He cooed as he gently lay you beside him, wrapping his wings around you. You were trapped in the crazy butterfly's embrace and wanted out. The more you tried to resist golden powder floated around the air from his wings. You found yourself becoming drowsy as the pollen entered your system. No you needed to fight it off you needed to...

"Sleep my love, we have a busy day ahead of us..."

I know my parents are wrong but I'm too selfish to let you go.

[resident-idiot-simp]

You can write something where someone makes a sarcastic comment about Wade's appearance, and Logan defends him. with a lot of angst/comfort

(Sorry if my message is not very understandable I am French and use google trad 😭)

(your good my friend Google translate is probably better than my grammar anyways)

Wade was used to the weird looks and whispered comments that came with his appearance. He was used to it but that doesn't mean he enjoyed it

Logan had been shocked the first time he saw his face he hit it well but it was still obvious. Logan however had gotten used to it he had lived with all kinds of mutants with different appearances It wasn't any different.

He was also familiar with how others looked at those who were different and he had always hated it. He hated it every more because this was Wade. Wade who he loved who had saved him.

It was a normal day when it happened they were in the park with Mary and Laura who was actively trying to climb a tree a little way away.

The two of them were talking minding their own business when a comment caught their attention.

"Jesus Christ what happened to that freak?"

Wade froze and shrunk in on himself as Logan held back a snarl. Laura was the closest to the man who made time comment and had hopped out of the tree. She was glaring the man down lips pulled into a sneer.

Logan made his way over as Laura had started cursing the man out in Spanish. "Kit back off." Logan called to her. She turned and responded in clipped Spanish, 'WHY HE WAS INSULTING POP!?'

Logan too switched to Spanish responding, 'I know but I'd rather get in trouble then you.'

Laura scoffed but didn't continue her tirade. Logan turned back to the man scowl obvious. "The hell is your problem man?"

"MY PROBLEM?! First of all what the hell is wrong with her!?" The man said gesturing to a pissed Laura.

That's didn't help Logan's anger, "Sorry if the kit is protective of her pop. Lord forbid she gets pissy because you can't watch your mouth."

The man puffed up indignantly, "What's so offensive I'm just asking questions ."

Logan wasn't an animal he wasn't an animal he was better then his base instincts he was. Laura was growling now and Logan had to get ahold of this before blood was drawn.

"Look it's not my fault you are being an insensitive prick with no tact." Logan shot back and the man just rolled his eyes, "Oh I'm sorry for pointing out the obvious how dare I."

"Is that how you treat all vets?" Logan drawled and that stunned the man silent. Logan didn't allow that, "No keep going if that how you treat people who were tricked and tortured?"

More silence

"What nothing to say? Thought you were just stating facts?" Logan needled and again nothing. Logan leaned in this time to where only Laura and the guy would be able to hear him.

"I've killed people for less then what you've just done. So go before I decided I'm doing a community service." Logan pulled back and flashed abnormally sharp fangs.

The man ran off and Logan just scoffed.

Wade was still shrunken in on himself and Logan hated it. He shared a look with Laura before walking back over. "How about we go harass Weasel? We might even be able to get a job out of it."

Wade's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Only if I can start a bar fight." He bargained. Logan rolled his eyes, "You were going to do that anyway bub."

[ymiahha]

🍓🚬 | strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you. (Sanji x Fem!Reader fanfic – · ep. 111)

📑 – · | 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: sanji attends a party to find someone to replace his ex with, only to find out that not a lot of women he saw there felt good enough. but everything changes when he meets a pretty lady who asked to light her cigarette...

❗ – · | 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬: this whole fanfiction is based on the song “strawberries and cigarettes” by troye sivan. this story takes places in a college au. it will be told in sanji’s pov. this ep is sfw but contains one suggestive joke! contains cursing and smoking. sanji’s family is complete here. y/n has a complete family + sister (already named). y/n will appear like a mary sue, but, in later eps, will be shown that she isn’t. hopefully not too ooc.

🗨️ – · | 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: hello! as promised this part has more interaction and story :) i’m really happy people are still liking the two other parts, so if you haven’t read them and saw this part first the links are in the collection <3

📁 – · | 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐞𝐩. 𝟏; 𝐞𝐩. 𝟐

I arrived at Akebono Fields, panting. I didn’t tell Y/n I was pretty far from the location. I was kinda entrapped in her spell or something when she asked me out. It was like, I was obligated to say yes?

I checked to see if I still smelled good. Uh, I could barely smell my perfume anymore… but luckily it was a cold night, so it didn’t really matter whether I took off my hoodie while running or not.

I walked around the bonsai-covered park. I’ve only ever been here once since I was a child, when my second eldest brother, Niji, threw a laser tag birthday party. I wasn’t allowed to go, so my mom took me here instead.

I was approaching the massive tree right in the middle of the park when I spotted a girl with (color) hair sitting on the stone tree ring.

I smiled when I saw her figure. Even from a far she looked so elegant. I walked faster.

“Hey.” I grinned, shoving my hands in the pockets of my hoodie.

Y/n turned, blinking her long eyelashes at me.

She grinned back. “Hey.”

She patted her hand on the smooth, stone surface, signaling me to sit next to her. I followed.

“You look pretty tired. Your hair’s kinda wet, too. Did you just shower, or did you run here?” She questioned. She was so witty. Her IQ must be high, no sarcasm there.

“Uhh, the latter.” I answered.

“You didn’t tell me you were far from this place, man! I was just a walk away, I didn’t know you had to run to get here.”

“It’s all good.” We exchanged looks and laughed subtly.

She stood up suddenly, placing her hands on her hips. “All right, you ready to have the ride of your life?”

I looked at her with round eyes, raising my eyebrows. For a minute, she was confused. Then she seemed to have realized what she said.

“No, no, no wait—” she said quickly, while I laughed at her.

She hit me lightly, smiling a bit. “You’re such a perv.”

Then, without warning, she sashayed away. Only then I got to fully take in what she was wearing.

She had the very same brown coat on, but this time she paired it with a black turtle neck, cream leg warmers, and black shoes that looked like they were meant for school. I couldn’t help but admire her style and cute choices of clothing.

I followed her suit to the parking lot, and surprisingly, there were only a number of cars parked there, including Y/n’s. She walked to a maroon-colored car. When we neared it, I noticed that it was a good old Toyota. Couldn’t go wrong with a car like that!

“My family owns a Toyota too,” I said, admiring the car. “Only it’s black.”

“My dad was supposed to pick the black model,” Y/n states, patting around her body for the car keys, “but I said black was too generic.”

“Maroon is generic too,” I commented playfully.

“I agree, but it’s better than neon colored cars.” She faced me with a dazzling grin. I couldn’t help but smile wider.

She looked down, continuing to search for her keys. I walked around patiently, observing some more extra features of her car. On the back window was one of those stickman family stickers. It had a dad, mom, and two girls. The labels: Dad, Mom, Y/n, Leah. So she has a sister…

The car looked so brand new and freshly washed. I wonder how long she’s had this car for… wait, how old even is this girl? I suddenly prayed to God, begging him to not make me into some pedophile. I glanced at her; she looked gorgeous, her skin soft, her hair shining slightly as the beams of the crescent moon kissed her (hair color) strands… WAIT! How old was this woman?

Y/n exhaled, sounding panicked.

“You good? Also, how old are you?” I asked, also panicking.

She took one look at me, eyebrows slightly creased, observing my figure. I looked away, cringing. Damn it, Sanji.

“I’m 20, Sanji,” she said firmly. Her voice was oddly reassuring— maybe that’s the tone she was going for? This girl is smart. Definitely not like anyone I’ve met. She sort of reminds me of Robin and Nami, a combination of Robin’s IQ and Nami’s will.

I sighed in relief. “Okay, good. I’m only a year older. Sorry, it was kinda sudden. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t, you know…”

She chuckled. “It’s alright.” She smiled only for a second before panic returned to her face.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned and ready to walk to her.

She didn’t reply. Instead, she looked inside the window of the driver’s seat.

“Shit!” she cursed. She sat on the curb, hand on her forehead.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I started, walking to the other side of the car to get to her. I looked to my left, the driver’s window in sight. I crouched a bit to see what she was getting anxious over.

Through the black tint was a chain of a few keys on the driver’s seat. Oh. She left her keys in the car.

“I can’t even call up my dad to unlock the car using the app, he doesn’t know I’m out.”

“I thought you owned the car now?” I asked, sitting beside her.

She wasn’t looking at me. I noticed that she was more focused on being frustrated but trying not to appear disheveled.

“I do, but we haven’t fully transferred it yet. Gosh…” she muttered the last part, evidently pressed about the situation.

There was a momentary silence. I fiddled with a loose string of my hoodie, pretending not to notice her staring at me. I glanced at her. Even when irritated she’s pretty.

“Sorry about this, Sanji,” she said, her cheeks turning into a light shade pink. “I really wanted to take you somewhere nice, too.”

“Is it too far to walk there? We can also take a vehicle.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit too far. If we went there by foot, we’d get there by midnight.” She said, looking away to sigh. “I didn’t bring my wallet, either.”

I paused to try to recall if I brought my wallet— shit. I didn’t even know where we were going and I didn’t bring my wallet? I’m kind of glad this thing happened, then. It would’ve been embarrassing if she was gonna take me to a fancy restaurant and I couldn’t pay or at least split the bill.

“Where were you planning to take us?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

“A place that not a lot of people go to,” she answered. “It brought me peace, I wanted to show it to you.”

“Why?”

Y/n turned her head to me, staring at lips, my eyes, and my lips again. It’s like I could already feel her kiss…

“Cause you seem different from others. Do you have a cig?”

[sportspuckball]

Matthew as a wag. Maybe he’s like a teacher

I think this one might be a full fic? Not sure? Anyway - this is what came out of my fingers!

__

Leon pulled into the parking lot and chuckled to himself. The playground was full of small children, sprawled all over various equipment and playing a few different games.

And there, in the middle of it all, was his husband posing as a human jungle gym.

Matthew may not have played competitive hockey since he was in college, but his body looked like it could hop back on the ice whenever it wanted - which also meant he was ideal for kindergarteners to climb and jump off of.

He understood the instinct.

Matthew saw him and brightened. "Mr. Leon's here, everyone! Carrie, can you go get the present we made for him today?"

A pigtailed child scampered to the tree were all their bags were piled, dug around, and then produced a very...interesting looking crown.

Leon walked over towards Matthew and knelt down so that he was eye-to-eye with the kids – a trick Matthew had taught him during Matthew’s first year of teaching, when he was so overwhelmed by the mass of small children that he had a minor panic attack. 

“What did Mr. Tkachuk teach you today?” He asked Amira, who was always eager to tell him something. He met Matthew for pick-up duty as often as he could. There were a few kids in the school whose parents were always a little late, and the men were happy to give them space to finish work, or whatever. Sometimes Leon even brought Bowie and he was obviously the star of every show. Amira’s moms both worked in City Hall and sometimes they just didn’t control their schedules. 

“We learned about GERMANY,” Amira replied, very excited. “We saw the castles, and the food, and Mr. Tkachuk told us all about the fast road you drove on and how you wouldn’t let him drive.” 

He cut his eyes up to Matthew, who had a smirk painted on. “I’m a very factual based educator, Leon.”

“You come home most nights covered in glitter, Matthew,” Leon said with a matching smirk. He was about to continue when something was placed on his head. He reached up and felt a…

“The kids were really excited you got first star last night,” Matthew supplied. “The announcers kept saying it was your birthday and so they wanted to make you a birthday crown of stars.”  

Leon had loved Matthew Tkachuk since he was fifteen years old and been forced to share a billet house with him. He fucking hated him for a solid ten months, of course. Back then, they dreamed of hockey glory. They still did. But parents fought for their children to be in Matthew’s classes. He’d been to the State House to advocate for early childhood education. He’d won Teacher of the Year more times than Leon had won anything.

Whenever a reporter asked Leon about his hockey, they’d get about four seconds of platitudes. When they asked him about Matthew, they got soliloquies of how the first male WAG in the NHL was also the country’s greatest kindergarten teacher.

Leon put the crown on his head very carefully – construction was questionable – and grinned at all of them. He thanked each of the kids, and posed for pictures with any kid who wanted them. (Matthew would text them to parents, and one would inevitably end up on ESPN and he’d just resigned himself long ago.)

Later, after all the kids were picked up, and the glitter was kind-of brushed out of Matthew’s curls (which trapped it like magnets), and they were eating dinner at a normal human time and not a hockey time since it was Leon’s day off, Leon looked over at Matthew.

“You’re just so fucking good at your job,” Leon marveled. 

“Competency kink really hitting tonight, eh, babe?” Matthew said with an eyebrow waggle.  

Leon met his gaze and held it. “Yes.” 

Matthew visibly swallowed and then leaned across the counter for a kiss. “I want to make a joke here about teaching or whatever, but please let’s just be naked.” 

Leon took the plate out of Matthew’s hands, placed it on the coffee table, and then acquiesced his beloved’s request.

[apomaro-mellow]

Could Petunia and her sisters be a fic if you are accepting requests?

Spoilers for "The Day the Earth Blew Up" LOL

Porky had thought it might be hard to pull Petunia from her work once she'd figured out the secret ingredient to her gum. But she was more than ready to take a break and go out on a nice, quiet date with him. Porky ended up planning a picnic for the two of them and they sat under a tree in the park.

"This is nice Porky. I still can't believe it's all over", Petunia smiled as Porky began taking food out of the basket.

"Yeah. Thank goodness that crazy mess is o-ov-o-ov-finished."

The birds chirped in the sky, children laughed in the distance, and the wind blew gently. It was the picture of tranquility.

"TUNI!!"

Porky was suddenly flying through the air, pushed by something with the force of a rocket. He landed in a tree and when the world was spinning so much, he was seeing double, no triple? Quadruple?

"Porky! Are you okay!?", Petunia shouted.

"That's the famous Porky?"

Where there had just been one beautiful pig, there was now four. All identical to Petunia. The only way to tell them apart was their clothes.

"I d-d-I think I might've hit my head. Are there four of you?"

"These are my sisters", Petunia smiled. "Porky, this is Pansy, Peony, and Primrose."

Pansy wore blue denim overalls. Peony was clad in a pink pantsuit. And Primose had a yellow dress.

"This can't be THE Porky Pig", Pansy said. "The one who helped you save the Earth?"

"It is! I can prove it", Petunia pointed at a bench. "They put a plaque in his honor."

"Where?", Peony asked.

Petunia took out a magnifying glass and let her sisters peer through it.

"'For Pinky Pig and Dippy Duck'?", Primrose read out loud.

"Th-they got our names wrong. B-but it's the thought that c-c-c-c-matters", Porky said.

"When I saw a giant gum bubble in the sky, I knew you had to be behind it Petunia", Pansy said.

"You make it sound like my gum was the one controlling people. I told you that new flavor was no good!", Petunia exclaimed.

"Why didn't they put your name on the bench?", Primrose asked.

"Oh, I didn't think it'd fit. Besides, the town and the Goodie Gum company liked my new gum so much, they gave me a different honor", Petunia smiled.

Pansy crossed her arms. "What'd they give you?"

A new state of the art lab just for her concoctions.

A giant statue in the middle of town.

And a new boba drink flavor based on her.

"This special drink is cool", Peony said as she sipped it. "And tasty!"

"Yeah, but it's just their normal taro drink, just marked up a dollar, which is highway robbery!", Petunia shouted before taking a sip of her own.

"Yeah, at least you get 'em for free!", Daffy said, pounding his fist on the counter. "I saved the whole world and I can't even get an extra straw!"

The employee behind the counter didn't look impressed. "Extra straws are ten cents."

"Hey, you're Dippy Duck!", Peony exclaimed.

"A-a-actually, it's D-d-d-d-d-"

"Porky! Get away from them!", Daffy shouted, pulling Porky from the others and holding a chair in front of them defensively. "I knew it! Petunia's gone insane! It was only a matter of time before she turned into a mad scientist! She's building a clone army!"

Pansy giggled. "People always think we're identical. We get that all the time."

"You're n-not?", Porky asked. Daffy was still holding the chair up.

"My tail goes counter clockwise", Primrose said.

"My hair is 0.2 centimeters shorter than Pansy's", Petunia said.

"And I have a tattoo", Peony said.

"....Where?", Daffy asked.

[th3-c0rps3-r0gu3]

Ravens.

a/n: this is a short part two to my story ravens which was requested like twice. I never planned on writing this but we do stupid shit when bored.

Warnings: slight swearing.

Pairings: Natasha X reader. Established relationship.

"no way"

Tony said astounded as he stared at y/n's shoulder. Upon said shoulder was a raven by the name nyx. Y/n gave Tony a smug look. Natasha was grinning ear to ear as she stood proudly next to her girlfriend. Natasha had known her girlfriends hobby would be worth it. Well she didn't but she believed so.

"yes way."

Nyx said. Tony screamed. Steve's eyes nearly popped out his head. Wanda fainted. A bird just spoke.

"that.. that thing can talk!?"

Tony exclaimed. Y/n shrugged.

"actually I'm a raven not a thing."

Nyx stated. This time Tony nearly fainted. The bir- raven just corrected him. The avengers just stood in shock. They all knew that y/n fed the local ravens but they never thought anything would come if it. Let alone one warning her of danger and setting up spies to assist her.

"What's wrong guys? You look like you saw a ghost."

Y/n said teasingly. Of course y/n was going to milk this for all it's worth. Tony glared at her.

"A goddamn crow is talking to us! How are you calm!?"

Tony basically screeched.

"I am a raven."

Nyx reiterated. Tony glared at nyx this time.

"So now we have the whole talking raven part out if the way can we discuss the matter at hand."

Y/n said. Despite the joy she got out of Tony's annoyance they were still under threat by HYDRA.

"what matter at hand?"

Steve asked, seemingly recovered from the initial shock.

"a place by the name HYDRA plans to attack you."

Nyx repeated to the avengers the story they shared to y/n. The avengers took it surprisingly well other than, well, Tony ofcourse.

The next couple weeks were a blur. Y/n now spent time feeding and talking to the ravens and discussing information about the planned attack so when it finally came the avengers would be ready. This was quite successful. The ravens who weren't locals and from the HYDRA base were skeptical of y/n though however after affirmation from nyx they came around.

The attack came. It was easy. The avengers already had the entire of HYDRA'S plan memorised and a counter plan in place. What was better was the fact an army of ravens attacked too. Swooping down from above. And due to HYDRA'S lack of preparation for a small airforce they were greatly outnumbered. And so greatly beaten.

After the attack wounds were cleaned and injured ravens taken into y/n's room for care because apparently to no one's knowledge y/n had done a secret veterinary course in case she came across an injured raven whilst feeding them. Even Natasha didn't know. And she was her girlfriend. This incident although did claim y/n one thing. And that was the avengers respect. And the fact that y/n had befriended basically the worlds raven population scared the shit out of them.

As y/n promised her window to her room was constantly open for nyx or any other raven who needed assistance or help. Of course however nyx got her own personal perch tree type thing y/n crafted out of fallen branches from a nearby park. Tony however was now under constant teasing from y/n and nyx for the disrespect y/n got during simply feeding the ravens. Y/n was eventually deemed raven queen by Natasha as her hero name as nyx and the other ravens, or so nyx says, call her their lady.

Tag list:

@screechcat

[alex51324]

Trip writeup, part 1!

Kooser State Park, Fall 2024

It's been almost two and a half years since I've been to Kooser. Duke and I had our last visit there two springs ago, and then when the Sophie Era began, I decided I'd go somewhere else the following spring, and do Kooser in the fall, so Duke not being there wouldn't be the only thing that was different. Then last fall I ended up having surgery instead; this year's spring and summer trips were already booked, so a full year later was the next time I could make it to Kooser.

Luckily, it's still there, and not much changed!

I didn't take many cabin pictures this time, because I have plenty; you've all seen it. It's the little cabin by the creek, with the all the stone around the fireplace, and the little wood-paneled bedroom. This one:

Here's the view from the porch:

And the little creek:

Arrival day was kind of drizzly; we walked the little trail from the cabin area up to the campground, and then got settled in the cabin.

Saturday was the one day of nice weather that we got; we went to the neighboring park and walked my favorite trail there; its called Hemlock Trail, and it goes along a creek and through a small stand of old-growth hemlock trees. I haven't done it in a while, because it's rated More Difficult, and the last time I was here Duke was only up for Easiest. So that was my top pick for the one good hiking day I was going to have!

Here's the creek by Hemlock Trail:

And a walking tree, with it's creepy crawly leggies:

Some of the hemlocks in the old-growth area:

Sophie says hi!

On the steep bits up the hillside, you get some nice views down to the creek:

This trail's other fun feature is the reproduction CCC Adirondack Shelter:

For readers of The Witcher and the Lordling, this is the main inspiration for Witcher architecture in that fic. (The most alert of you may notice that these are unpeeled logs, which explains why it's a reproduction and not an actual CCC-built one.)

It is, however, up on stones to keep the base logs from rotting:

And it has lapped-board shingles for the roof:

So this would be like the sturdier version on the way to the Keep of the Free Witchers, but in a minute we'll see some ones that are more like what Geralt and Julian built on their own.

Here's the side of the shelter:

You're not actually allowed to sleep in it, but people do go there for cookouts and stuff, and here's a cooking hearth like Mr. Braceridge has on the Island of the Gays:

Another creek view and bonus Sophie:

Then we came down to the lake for a little picnic lunch:

If only my boat had come in time, this would have been the perfect place to try her out! But alas she was still in transit at this time.

But I did have a Sophie:

No picture of it, but while we were hanging out here we saw a water snake swimming along! It was neat.

Back at the cabin, I made a crucial gear upgrade:

As a result, I was able to cook outside even though it became drizzly again in the evening. And on Monday, when it poured, I devoted the whole day to campfire cooking experiments--of which more, anon.

[longlistshort]

The hand carved wood sculptures above were created from 2020-2022 by Pittsburgh artist Thaddeus Mosley and were on view at Karma in NYC in 2023.

From the gallery’s press release-

In a recent photograph taken in his studio, Thaddeus Mosley peers between the soaring columns of his sculptures. They are gallant constructions of wood, each hand-carved and formed out of unique sections from three to four logs. With his chisel, Mosley exalts the warm tones and woodgrain which lay beneath the outer tree bark. His dimensions vary, ranging from monumental to modest, rounded to angular, vaulted to hovering just above the ground. Their presence is determined by Mosley’s negotiation between natural materials and an exploration of weight and space. A feat of balance, his sculptures exist in a constant state of suspension: heavy sections seem to float above the delicately-carved pieces that support them.

Mosley began creating wooden sculptures in the 1950s while working at the United States Postal Service, which enabled him to both provide for his family and develop his craft in his free time. At 96 years old, Mosley continues his life’s work as an artist in his Pittsburgh studio near the Allegheny River. A strong influence in his practice can be traced to his encounter with a photograph of African American grave markers in Georgia. According to Mosley, their slender, soaring forms called to mind Constantin Brâncuși’s Bird in Space (1923). He explains that “in each of them I saw a similar spirit, a similar approach to clean fluid shapes coming from people working close to the earth and trying to fuse the earth and human spirituality into a single form.” Mosley allows the natural forms of wood to guide him toward a conceptual and aesthetic meeting point, where European modernism meets the abstract and interpretive traditions of West African mask-making, and the movement of his chisel captures the rhythmic improvisations of a Jazz soloist. Mosley’s process bears traces of Isamu Noguchi’s own navigation of natural materials, providing new meaning to the late sculptor’s adage that “it is weight which provides meaning to weightlessness.”

Working primarily in hardwoods such as walnut, cherry, and chestnut, Mosley reveres the surfaces he uncovers with his chisel: deep lustres, arcs of bright coloration, growth rings, and the shadowy depth within deep cuts. Panoramic Quarter (2021) brings together inverted forms, in which recessed spirals and connected logs create a dramatic inflection. Horizontality is emphasized in Phase of a Phrase (2022), while Path of Pendulum (2020) delights in the vertical movement of arching forms, which are composed in a gravity-defying embrace. His work dances with viewers as they encircle it.  Mosley’s dynamic forms encourage deep looking, whether it is in Id (2021), a low, conical carving, or Southwestern Suite (2021), in which monumental sections seem to vanish when viewed at specific angles. In Elegiac Stanza for Sam Gilliam (2022), Mosley honors the life of the abstract painter and close friend through a lyrical intersection of walnut, varying between hewn and smooth surfaces. On rare occasions, Mosley has incorporated salvaged metals into particular pieces of hardwood. In the case of Industrial Collage (2022), a curved cut of steel is affixed to a base of walnut, from which Mosley has balanced two pieces of chestnut, adorned with pounded metal that has been grounded off from the steel section. Mosley salvaged the steel piece from an abandoned industrial building, where it was previously used as a support beam for an industrial fan. It stayed with him in his studio for fourteen years while Mosley waited, searching for the right slab of wood. Each piece of wood, every material for Mosley is subject to this process of aesthetic consideration: a three-dimensional call-and-response.

His work can currently be seen in City Hall Park in NYC for the exhibition Touching the Earth, on view until 11/16/2025. The eight bronzes included were cast from wood sculptures he made between 1996 and 2021.

For more information on the artist- this ARTNews article is an interesting read.

[picopepin]

So, I saw yer new artwork, and Imma now giggling and kicking my feet, cuz you made me to fall in love with Atanas AGAIN

I was just wondering, cuz I haven't seen him in a while, does he have lore? 👀👀 All of your OCs are fascinating, but, well, just got curious

uh.. Hope it was okay to ask 👉👈

Atanas is one of a number of automatons, dubbed "nephilim", built by Ube with minor collaboration from Tella as like.. living suits of armor/guardians. They provide companionship and accompany Tella on certain routes around the underground - this isn't because Tella is indefensible its actually because hes prone to shutting down entirely (literally off switch due to battery life) and cant just be parking it unconsciously in an otherwise hostile environment. Ube is actually not physically present 100% of the time (hello LDR projection) so Tella is often straight up alone* Atanas, like his fellow creations are truly inorganic but uncannily so. He's not the first or last of his kind, he's just the one I've drawn more than one time and has a more bellicose demeanor. Others have gone by the names Zadkiel, who happens to be the first and is themed around the idea of a reliquary that protects important and precious echoflowers, Eadric, Nereus, Desolas, Rohan, etc more names just arbitrarily cooked up as I make designs. Like... they're not children they're not literal offspring but you'll see me use that term now and then because its funny also because of the base concept being nephilim biblically. They're actually combined fragments of Ubetella's personalities and artistry both in structure and in ingenuity ie some are musically adept others are heavy lifting types for repairs around the cathedral, like basically if Ube and/or Tella decided to spec into specific branches of their own skill trees but like each Nephilim representing a different branch I guess? I'm deliberately dancing around this because its a more recently designed mechanic in our world building and I don't want it to get misinterpreted sdgjkdsg. But anyways, Atanas himself doesn't have a whole lot fleshed out really we haven't invested too much into any of them really other than overall aesthetic/visual concepts. Like "oh this would be a cool design to see roaming around hanging out with Tella". We do know hes got a lot of the stoicism - but make it too serious - of Ube with a really unfortunate set of Tella's insecurities so he just kinda has a resting stink face a lot. *Trapped is not the right word but in this particular expy blorboverse its important to imagine if the Barrier were like.. reinstated with some stragglers in the underground for "reasons" - wont get into this on blast cause its kinda long winded and unimportant to the current state that Tella exists in anymore; just was important prior to 2019.

[sunghoonnsupremacy]

DESIRE.- s.jy. pt. 7

- summary; park sunghoon, the famous ice skater. what will happen when one of his best friends decide to hit up his sister? will their secret relationship cause pain in between bonds?

- warnings; sneaking around, nsfw scenes, kys/kms jokes, lying, angst (if u squint), A LOT of kissing, desperate/needy jake.

read under the cut¡! written part + texts.

jake sighs, not wanting to break a bone by sneaking up a tree. but what wouldn't he do for a pretty girl like her?

he made sure to park a street earlier, so sunghoon wouldn't notice his car incase he went by. "shit this is gonna be embarrassing if I fall. " he slowly walks up to the side of their house, looking for a tree. he didn't know which window belonged to her room but he guessed it was the one that the tree had access to.

he peeked through the window, seeing a room that highly resembled haneul. his eyes wondered around, knees beginning to feel weak.

his hand slightly pressed against the window, to see if it was open, and to his surprise he fell right through.

he managed to knock down all of her decorations on the window seal on his way down.

with the amount of loud ruckus, haneul ran to her room in panick.

"who- jake what the fuck?! " she rushed to his side, who was currently clutching his head after hitting her table.

"hi pretty. " he replied in a slurry voice. she removed his hand and looked at the spot. nothing there, but it did sound like it hurt.

"god you're so clumsy. " she giggles at his state but pecks the spot to soothe the pain, receiving a pout from him. "I want a kiss too. " his pout making him look absolutely adorable.

"you idiot get up from the floor first. " she orders and pulls him up by his hands. jake wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her closer so their chests are touching.

"now kiss me. " he says leaning in along with her. haneul can sense his desperation through the kiss. her eyes shut at the feeling, the messy kiss fogging her brain.

their bodies somehow moved from the window to her bed where she was sitting as he was standing in front of her.

her hands immediately shifted to unbuckle his pants. jake sighed from pleasure at the feeling of his pants untightening. his cock was hard the minute he saw her and he was more than full of excitement to finally feel her soft and delicate hands working wonders on his hard dick.

she took his already covered in pre-cum dick from his boxers, licking her lips at the thickness of it. he was longer than average, around 7 inches, girthy and thick, veins going from the base until the tip.

he quickly settled his member into her mouth, moaning out loud at the feeling of her warm tongue circling around his leaking tip.

"that's right baby. keep going. " he groaned and grabbed a fistful of her hair, clutching it tightly.

he suddenly slammed his dick deeper into her throat. jake tried really badly to substain the feeling of needing to release but it was so hard with the way her mouth felt around his cock.

he kept face fucking her, evolving gagging from her tight throat, probably leaving bruises. his moans got higher in pitch and her hands patted at his thighs.

"cmon baby you can take it. just a little more okay?" he looks at her and goes faster. his tip keeps hitting the back of her throat, feeling himself closer to release.

her gagging eventually stopped, when he came deep inside of her throat. her mouth being stuffed full with his cock and his cum. "swallow baby." he pats her head.

"open wide. " he orders her to see if she listened, and she did. he leaned down to kiss her.

"was I good? " she looks up at him with teary eyes. he groans again, "fuck baby more than good. you look so hot right now, all fucked up and mine. "

she was about to reply when suddenly-

"HANEUL! I'm back. " sunghoons voice emerges from the bottom floor.

the two turn to each other , pale in the face. "shit! he's back way earlier than he was supposed to! " haneul whisper-screams in panick. jake quickly kisses her, "don't worry baby." he whispers back. "don't worry?! if he sees you we're both fucked. " she stands up and opens the window again.

"HANEUL!! are you still sleeping? " his voice gets louder, walking up the stairs.

she hurriedly rushes jake to get his pants back on, complaining about how long it's taking him. he gives her a peck on her temple before (surprisingly) jumping out the window, resulting in a quiet thud. she ran to the see if he's alright but he was already sprinting to his car.

thank god for their quick and not-so-logical thinking, sunghoon walked in a mere second after jake left.

"haneul did you know how nice the worker was-" he walks in, noticing how his sister has panicked eyes and standing by the window. "-are you okay? "

she nods in fast response. "did you get my coffee? " she asks walking over to him. he nods, handing it over to her.

haneul let's out a sigh and thanks him. they both stand there looking at each other. "haneul fix your bed hair. " he scoffs before walking out and closing the door.

"jesus that scared the fuck out of me. " sighing, she walks over to her mirror and grabs a brush to fix the mess caused by jakes hand.

masterlist.

[chorusofkhonshu]

Assumptions on Nowhere

First off the world of Nowhere is supposed to be a place where the nightmares of children become a reality be it the monsters or the places they visit. Like the Maw and the Pale City, well more so for the Maw, I'm not sure if the Pale City was included when it was stated that these places exist because there was a need for them. The places in the podcast all seeming like they have been in somewhat the same location, which hints that the locations, excluding the Maw and Pale City of course, are within the Spiral, a patch work of dystopian lands.

It's fascinating really, like a full city or structure can just be birthed into existence when needed as fears are vast and unique. The sudden change in weather conditions from episode 1 left me thinking a vast undetermined amount of time had passed in the Nowhere between then and episode 2. But Noone said in episode 4 that all these places are connected "Like how this basement is connected to the other floors but don't work together" in the LN 3 trailer we see the desert location and the rain in the fun fair so if all of the Podcast locations and all of the LN 3 trailer locations match, that leads me to think that the weather is almost like Minecraft funny enough, in the aspect that something like rain, will instantly cut off the moment you cut into another biome, like a point that you can clearly see the line to cross over. I doubt we'd see that though since Low and Alone will be traveling through mirrors so they don't have to cross these patchwork of places on foot. But it just seems that these places got plucked from the minds of children when these locations were at their scariest. The Stone Giant is at its most grueling when its snows so it might always snow in that part of the Spiral and for the Necropolis it always has to stay windy, it is the city of endless energy and it wouldn't really be called that if the weather changed seeing as most of its means of generating said energy, if not all of it, is wind based. For the other locations I don't think it matters seeing as they are not heavily dependent on the weather for their fear factor being that they are indoors. Yes the Stone Giant is an indoor place too but the snow adds a sense of hopelessness to it. If you saw nothing but a wide open field of snow in the freezing cold, sure you might get away, but you probably won't survive the conditions.

Moving on to the dilemma of just birthing places like this into existence. Land. These are all supposed to be in the Spiral if I'm guessing correctly but you have to imagine just how big the Spiral is. Episode 1, Noone sees nothing but a snowy field. Everything was white, it took her a moment to realize it was snow falling on a field. No trees, no mountains, no discernable features, its basically a minecraft flat land biome. So much land dedicated to one structure in the Spiral.

Episode 2 had a ocean stretching all the way into the horizon

Episode 3 before her was endless grey, broken by yellow lines of paint all the way to the horizon, a car park.

Episode 4- Honestly I won't count this one. This location sounds like its actually in the sky which is super uber cool and if true does not take land mass as its not actually on the ground if it is in the sky. I'll talk about this one in another post as I'm not even sure myself quite yet.

What I wanted to convey was that this is a lot of land given to all these locations so far apart from eachother they probably aren't even reachable by normal means and the Spiral itself must be absolutely gargantuan and these places are assuredly only a fraction of places it has. And everytime something new is added to the Nowhere more room needs to be made. How? Well either the world itself has a way to manage it's locations around to make them fit or........... my favorite assumption, it just makes more land. No micro managing no hassle or moving places or cramming together, every location still has it's original amount of land and somehow a couple thousands of miles of land was just spliced in somewhere into the Spiral.

It's almost like The Never Ending Story land of Fantasia, a land that will take you as far as your dreams will take you, or in this case nightmares exclusively.

Like, if the landscapes are changing, new lands just spawning, even changing the ocean, perhaps this is why the Maw never appears in the same place twice, because the same place will not exist as the oceans will shift.

The Pale City is an exception to all this I believe, the geological changes I mean. First off, the map we are shown in the game. Most people I've talked with assume its a world map, but that never sit for me. It doesn't look like a world map, the land masses down line up if you make the edges meet or if you wrap it around a globe. And if the world is always shifting, then honestly a map is pointless, you cannot map a constantly changing world. So I always thought it was the region under the Signal Tower's direct protection. It needs Mono, and imo I think Mono is the only one stuck in a sort of loop, its more complicated but Six isn't a part of it, but that's for another time. Basically the Signal Tower needs every possible assurance that Mono will make it back to the it at the start of every loop, so it has to eliminate every possible anomaly. That means no shifting landscapes, no introduction of new foreign entities, it needs as close to a controlled environment as it can get. So we've seen how Mono pulled the Tower towards him and if it feeds off him it very likely could do the same so its not a stretch to say that its holding all of that region together just to ensure nothing happens to Mono.

In conclusion, I think it would be cool if Nowhere was an unlimited neverending hellscape that isn't confined by being a "world". It simply is everything and nothing without end.

[kadavernagh]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: A perfectly normal hiking trail PARTIES: Elias and Regan SUMMARY: Elias insists on going on a hike with Regan, since she needs to return his planner anyway, and it's a good activity for not-friends. But they're not alone on the trail, and an acquaintanceship is put to the test.

It had been a few days since Regan had reached out to give him back his planner. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Elias asked if she wanted to meet up with him for a hike in the state park, as he was always looking for ways to lure people into hiking or running with him. To his surprise, she had agreed. And that’s how he found himself at the park's opening dressed in appropriate attire: a pair of jogging pants, a navy blue hoodie, and neon blue running shoes. He was obviously from southern California based on his choice of warm clothes. Still, he didn’t let the cooler weather damper his otherwise good mood. He watched as people came and left the park, then up the trees that were changing color, something he didn’t get to see a lot of back in California. It was beautiful, and he was ecstatic to be able to experience a northeastern autumn scene. 

Phone buzzing, Elias looked down to see a text from Regan that said she had just parked. His head shot back up, and he saw the familiar black Honda Accord parked by Regan. As she exited her car, he shot his hand up and waved in her direction to pull her attention over to him. “This weather is, like, winter for me.” He remarked as she finally stood beside him. He wasted no time going to the trail marker, eager to get into the forest and see the fall foliage. “I’m glad you agreed to meet me for a hike! Definitely more exciting than just exchanging things and moving on with the day.” His expression brightened as he remembered something, began to dig around in his pocket, and pulled out a bird skull. He wasn’t sure what bird it belonged to, but he figured Regan would enjoy it. He held it out to her with a bright smile. “I brought you a gift in thanks for returning my hobbits to me.”

Despite being earlier in the morning, Elias was wide awake and smiling. She may not consider him her friend, but he saw Regan as a very good friend he was still trying to make amends towards. He didn’t want to ruin everything because of what happened to him. Of course, he hoped she wouldn’t bring up any of the past beyond what was necessary. They had talked about it, and now it was time to move forward. 

This was not a social outing. Regan reminded herself of that the whole drive over here, and once more when she parked and hopped from the car. It held purpose. Elias definitely needed his planner back. It had a whole… couple of months of the year left that needed to be planned out. As she looked around for Elias at the trailhead, she clutched it under her arm – and another look at the cover revealed that, fine, Elias was right; those probably were not colonial women. Ah, there he was. Waving, cheerful as ever. Seemingly more so now than when they’d bumped into each other before. Was he getting comfortable here again? The thought gnawed at her; it seemed unwise. He was also swaddled up like he’d never experienced a temperature below 70 degrees before.

There was something else, too. Death. A light touch, a small presence on his person, like precious, pocketed remains. Sensing it, Regan tilted her head and stared down at his pocket, where the pull was coming from. Whatever it was, she would give him the opportunity to offer it willingly before she asked about it and made demands.

“Hello. I can see that. You’ve never experienced a New England winter before, have you? Or fall… most people find those pleasant, myself included.” New Englanders touted their fall seasons as a perk of living there, but the truth was that they were simply so accustomed to dreadful weather that anything to the contrary felt like a gift. “Here.” She handed him the planner. It had been in her office for months, but had accumulated no dust; she had taken care of it, some part of her clenched onto something she wouldn’t admit. Handing it to Elias just felt right, though; everything back in its place. Except for her.

And there it was – a gift, a token of appreciation, and one of the most lovely starling skulls she had seen. Its delicate zygomatic arches were intact and the beak had a polished look to it. She reached out, hesitating to touch it, feeling unworthy, before coming to her senses and claiming it from Elias’s palm with a loving caress. “Exceptional,” she finally said, looking at Elias. Her eyes could not come close to matching his excitement, but she could not completely tamp back her appreciation. “Thank you. It’s a starling, rather fresh. I am impressed that you found such a beauty even with your deficits.” She started, realizing how that came off. “I mean, when it comes to finding – everyone is deficient, except for me. That is what I meant. Anyway, um, you were right about the planner. They are not women, though they might still be colonial.” Regan looked to the trail ahead, hearing the chirping of birds and the whining of a cicada (probably one doomed to perish without reproducing, given it was well into the fall now). Elias’s life would undoubtedly be less messy if she were absent from it, but he seemed to want her present right now, and once more, Regan found herself giving in to the squirming unease inside of her chest. 

At least she was provided with something else to be uneasy about. She paused in front of a small marker sign left by the park rangers. Usually, signs like this would have information or a reminder not to litter. This one had a silhouette of a squiggly worm and screaming capital letters that read “WATCH FOR WORMS”. She looked at Elias. “Know anything about that?”

“No, never went through one yet.” He answered with a sheepish smile. “I’ll… get used to it. Believe it or not, I don’t like the heat, so. I’ll take the cold over heat any day.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging his shoulders as they walked. Planner back in hand, he looked it over. He really did not need it anymore. He had an assistant that kept tabs on that kind of stuff now. He smiled sadly, knowing that he wasn’t happy with his line of work, not really. He sighed discontent, then shoved the small book into his jacket pocket for safekeeping. Small enough to fit, big enough to make his pocket look goofy. 

As she insulted him, Elias gave his friend a weird look, then put his hands on his hip, opened his mouth, ran his tongue along his molars, and shook his head. “My deficits,” he mouthed as he narrowed his gaze, looking skyward for a moment before closing his mouth and dropping his arms back to his sides. “I’ll remember that, Kavanagh.” He vowed, pointing a finger at her. As she bumbled over an explanation, Elias couldn’t help but laugh, rolling his eyes with a hint of affection behind them. “Yeah, no worries, I get you.” He assured her with a smirk.

“So how have things been since– you know.” He waved his hands around as they walked onto the trail, gaze pulled to the sign that Regan had pointed out. He frowned, squinting at it. “Worms?” He questioned, staring at the sign as if it held the answers to the mysteries of the universe. “Nope, no idea.” He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “Never had to watch out for worms before, personally.” He gave the sign one last look, tilting his head from side to side, then shrugging once more for good measure, then walking down the trail. 

The rustling of the leaves as a gust of wind swept through, the sight of falling yellowing leaves, and the crisp fall air was such a sight for the native Californian. “I could get used to this,” he murmured to himself with a half-smile. Clearly, he had forgotten the ominous nature of the sign. “And for the last time, they’re the fellowship of the ring, not colonial women!” He pointed to the drawing of Aragorn in the center. “Does that dashing man look like a colonial woman to you?” He pointed at the man with medium-length hair clad in silver armor. “Maybe you could make a case for Legolas,” he pointed to the elven archer, shrugging his shoulder. “But Aragorn? How dare you.”

“Hubris. If you can tell me the same after a winter here, I’ll believe you then.” There was some amusement in Regan’s voice, but part of her wondered if Elias wouldn’t tail it back to California if the weather was more than he could tolerate. Was that just going to be a concern now? No, it didn’t matter. She was going to be the one leaving first. She frowned at his comment about getting her. How presumption. He got nothing at all. If he had, he would not have insisted she go into the woods with him on what Regan now suspected to be a recreational hike. If he had, he wouldn’t refer to her as a friend. If he had, he wouldn’t have come back. It doesn’t matter, she reminded herself a second time within the same minute. She forced herself to focus on the trail map next to the warning sign. “It looks like if we take the Wormtracks Trail, then Annelid Pass, it’ll bring us back here in a giant circle.” She traced the squiggly route with her fingers.

“I am the same. Always the same.” As a banshee ought to be. The problem, of course, was that banshees were supposed to be fixing their imperfections before becoming unchanging, yet here she was, like a wax mold of a body in display in a museum, the same as ever but a poor facsimile of what she was supposed to be. But that wasn’t really what Elias had asked her – things around Regan had certainly changed. The world left her behind and she in turn. This probably would have been a good opening to inform Elias about going back to Saol Eile, but she pushed that daunting thought way over to the side. The worms could have it. Distract. “We have a new bone saw at the morgue. Dr. Rickers has already allowed Karli to play with it. It has grimy little fingerprints all over it.” Regan tsked. “At least when you were there, you kept the children busy enough that they didn’t resort to playing games with my equipment. Marcy missed you. She said things have been dull, and I’m certain she’ll be pleased to have you back in town even if not with the morgue.” 

“Are you going to get used to it?” Regan eyed him, taking in the sense of contentment radiating from him. Maybe he could find happiness here, even if his job and success were not the cause. That was what people – humans – wanted, right?

Okay, yes, fine; upon closer inspection the long-haired men were probably not colonial women, and the “Lord of the Rings” branding should have provided another clue, but the approximation was there. “He looks a little like one, actually,” Regan looked down at the cover in thought, “Legolas and Aragorn are unusual names. And why are they dressed like that, anyway?” The one called Aragorn had a stern expression on his face that Regan could at least appreciate, and there was something familiar about it all. Ah – “They remind me of the Lady of the Ribs series. Quite popular with some, though it never interested me. An old neighbor of mine starred in the 14th film.”

Something seemed to scurry across the treetops, shaking free yellowing leaves that flitted to the ground, joining scattered others. Regan paused and visored her eyes to look up, but she couldn’t see any more movement. Squirrel, probably. Had she been alone, she would have flushed it out and made swift work of it. She needed every opportunity these days. Elias was just another thing battering against her willpower. Regan’s eyes flicked down to the small skull in her hands before she gently tucked it into a pocket. Easier to maintain professionalism when evidence to the contrary was not staring her in the sockets. “Did you want something else from me?” 

Elias had researched winters on the East Coast about the possibility of a Noreaster, which greatly horrified him. “If I survive a winter here without complaining, I deserve a prize.” He decided with a nod of his head. He listened to her name a route they could take, peering at the board with narrowed eyes. It was a long trail, but not too long. He didn’t want to take up too much of the doctor’s time. Seeing as she was hellbent on not making friends, anyway. “I’ve never seen tree worms,” he remarked with a blink. “Do you think we’ll encounter these worms we’re being warned about?” He asked, brows furrowing as he tried to picture these strange creatures beyond the silly illustration drawn on the warning sign.

“Rickers let a child play with a bone saw?” Elias asked, his voice sounding slightly horrified at the prospect of one of the doctor’s grandchildren wielding a medical tool like a weapon. “He’s an unpredictable grandfather, that Rickers.” He muttered to himself, shaking his head at the idea that he had created in his mind. He smiled at his memories at the morgue before everything went to shit. He had gotten along with everyone working at the morgue, but then he had to go and fuck it all up. He frowned, suddenly stuck on the idea that he could have had something that he screwed up. He seemed to be good at screwing things up. He shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of his mind. 

“Get used to it?” He asked, unsure as to what she was referring to. “Get used to this place? I think the novelty of weird species and strange disappearances and murders happening will wear off eventually.” He frowned as they walked along the path, the rustling of the leaves and snapping of twigs from nearby animals lulling him into a sense of calm. Hiking always calmed him down no matter what life had thrown his way. “As long as I have trails to run on and hike, I’ll be alright.” He shrugged a shoulder, giving a half-hearted smile. He wasn’t sure how to be truly happy, but that was no business of Regan’s, so he didn’t voice that comment aloud. 

“They’re dressed like that because they live in a fantasy world of Middle Earth.” He explained. “A magical land without electricity and modern advancement. Living off the land and also magic. Did I mention magic?” He grinned, thinking about the books that had enraptured him as a child and to this day. “Legolas is an elf. Technically, he’s a prince. And Aragorn, spoiler alert, is the king of Gondor, but the elves raised him. Different elves than Legolas, but elves all the same.” He paused to look at Regan to see if she was following any of this. “Then, there’s a dwarf named Gimli and four hobbits. Frodo is the ring-bearer, Samwise is his best friend that definitely has gay underlying.” He pointed to each character as he spoke. “And then Merri and Pippin. Oh, and let’s not forget the wizard, Gandalf the Grey.” He grinned. “I do a mean cosplay of Gandalf. I made it myself and everything.”

Completely swept up in talking about Lord of the Rings, Elias missed the creatures rustling in the trees and falling to the ground. Regan’s comment threw him off, however. “I don’t want anything from you, no.” He answered, a bit confused. “You know, you can hang out with someone without an ulterior motive.” He raised a brow at her. “Friendship is where you enjoy the other person’s company.”

“Yes, this place. I suppose the actual question is whether you intend to stay.” And even if he thought he did, what would actually keep him here if the truth penetrated through all of his medicated defenses? And then there was the matter of his happiness, which – although Regan couldn’t completely relate – seemed important to him, despite his continual pushing aside of it. His circumstances seemed to put him on another collision course. 

Even if his new position brought Elias little happiness, these lords of the rings did. His face lit up, eyes as bright as they used to be everyday, something returned to him. She wasn’t following everything he spoke of, but she tried to pay attention. The names were strange and the terminology was stranger. “This series means something to you. It’s nice… to care about something. What else is different about the center earth? Is anything the same? You can live off the land here, you know. But, um, not magic.” The word always rankled her. And as she stepped over the crunchy, dead leaves, she had to wonder why people wanted magic to be real in the first place. What could be more wondrous than reality? Autumn’s decay always lifted her spirits.

This fantastical world of elves and wizards was evidently not too much for his human mind to wrap itself around, even desire, but Regan supposed the books could be closed and the movies could be paused and Elias did not need to concern himself with dangers that stretched his imagination beyond its limits. Of course fae were too strange, even to his sensibilities. She recalled the way his fingers ran through the furred legs of the dead faun, the way his mind seemed to shatter in that moment. She refused to be the one to crack his skull wide open again. “You’re in good company here, I suppose. Everyone is in costume right now. You could wear your… Gandalf on Amity Road and no one would think twice of it.” She paused, considering. “That’s probably true outside of October here, too.”

Regan probably should have brought him those “acquaintance bracelets” she had as a reminder. They were not friends. Elias still clung to the word even if he would not insist she use it. “You know where I stand on such… things. Friendship is not something that I can have.” The word was stretched with disdain, but something else, and Regan was not sure she even knew what it was. But she did know Elias was another in her growing list of people who wanted to contest that fact. As if the course of her life was not etched in stone from her birth. The thought festered and she was only broken away from it by a light touch on her shoulder. Was he– 

“Do not touch m–” But when Regan whipped around, Elias’s hand was not on her shoulder. There was a rope. Or… no, it was pink. And moving. It wound its way under Regan’s arm and wrapped around it, pulled taut. “I – some kind of vine, or something –” She tried to jerk her arm away, but the coil tightened, and she realized with a surge of more confusion than fear that she couldn’t pull away. 

Did he intend to stay? That was a question that Elias hadn’t quite answered for himself. “I don’t know,” he answered after a long stretch of silence. Sure, he liked the east coast, he liked that there were changing seasons as opposed to one long, perpetual summer. He liked that he was still close to the water. He liked that it gave him a chance to get a fresh(er) start. But still, he didn’t like that there were so many unknowns within the town, unknowns that he wasn’t faced with when anywhere else. Was it because it wasn’t anywhere else, or because he wasn’t looking hard enough? And what would happen if he looked hard enough? There were so many questions that were wrapped up in this town, and there was a large part of him that wanted to stay so he could figure it out, even if he was afraid.

“Oh yeah, my dad introduced me to them when I was a little kid.” He responded with a grin. “He frequently says that he regrets doing it because ever since it’s all I watched and read. Turns out you can destroy a book if you read it too many times. I’m on my, like, third copy of the series.” He admitted with a casual shrug of his shoulder. “Middle Earth,” Elias corrected with a point in Regan’s direction. “Middle Earth has kingdoms and guards and little farm communities and forest homes. And goblins and trolls and orcs and balrogs and gods and celestial beings and–” He cut himself off, realizing that he was getting louder and more enthusiastic the more he talked about it. “Sorry, I get…” he trailed off, looking a little embarrassed. “I get overly excited about it. I understand if it’s annoying.” 

“Maybe I will wear my Gandalf costume.” He thought with a faraway smile. “If this town gets super into the spirit of things, then I’ll fit right in.” He then blinked, thinking about what would happen if he wore the costume in the middle of May. “I mean, I could wear Gandalf out in the middle of spring, but I don’t know if he’s that much of a flower guy,” Elias spoke with a tilt of his head as if he were really considering wearing the costume on a random Tuesday outside of October. He’d shelve the idea for another time. 

“Can’t or won’t?” Elias shot back with a raised brow. If she couldn’t, that would imply that she wasn’t allowed friends. And if she wasn’t allowed friends, then who was out there controlling her? His brows furrowed as if the idea truly troubled him. He wanted to know why she was so shut off from the world when he could tell there was a part of her that truly wanted companionship, even if she didn’t admit it. Even if the thoughts put a scowl on her face, Elias could see it, and he was ever so desperate to get to the bottom of it, but he also knew it wasn’t his place to pry. But still, it was something that worried him.

Elias held his hands up in the air to show that he was clearly respecting her personal space. “That’s one hell of a weird snake.” He spoke with wide eyes, though there was more curiosity than fear behind his eyes. “Is that the thing that the sign was warning about?” He then wondered, eyes narrowing as he stared at the pink snake. “Oh yeah, definitely a snake,” he confirmed as the thing tightened its grip around Regan’s arm. Thinking quickly, Elias grabbed a fallen stick from the ground and brought it toward the snake, trying to get it to latch onto the stick instead of her arm. “C’mon, little guy. Leave the good doctor alone.” 

This was an Elias she was more familiar with; gone was the suppressed torment in his eyes, replaced only by exuberant passion for this… middle earth. She could also almost imagine how Elias must have been at work, early on, in the fae bar, thinking the monsters around him were like minded nerds and nothing more. Regan shook her head, almost offended that he’d suggested he was being annoying. “Once, I could speak about my work with the same enthusiasm.” Sometimes she could channel it, recall some of her former excitement, but most of the time it slipped back between her fingers, insubstantial as the water it had drowned in. “Be unapologetic in your pursuits.” Was it not what gave human lives meaning? Passion. Interest. “You’ll have to tell me of it more thoroughly be – at some point.”

The wind blew in a harsh gust, and Elias’s question carried its chill. “Can’t.” The word was heavy, and she had not truly understood the weight of it until recently. Her voice shrank against it, small in comparison to its impact. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to intend to press her on the matter right now. At some point – despite herself, and certainly to her own detriment – she had become willing to extend a small amount of trust toward him. The problem was that she thought it might break him.  

The long, fleshy snake or worm or whatever it was provided what was almost a welcome distraction from that tense moment. But of course Elias was speaking to it. Of course he thought he could coax it onto a branch. Of course. The nearby presence of the stick only made it constrict tighter, and Regan was lurched back. The thing was surprisingly strong, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t a snake now; it had the slimy coating of a worm, but none of the limpness. Its grip was strong. A scream would sort the situation out, but she was finding that people frequently got in the way of such a solution, and Elias was no exception. She would not do that near him. “That isn’t working.” She was pulled further back, her heels digging in. “Do – I don’t know, what would the lords do? Not the Lord. I mean, the ones in your–” As the worm finally pulled her up into a tree, Regan’s legs flailed and her mouth clamping shut as a preventative measure. Branches jabbed her and leaves got in her eyes and the worm held on tight. When she was sure a scream wouldn’t fall out, she shouted down to a very stunned Elias. “Oh, for– just find something sharp and slice it.” That had worked terribly with the worms at the morgue. But this was different. Regan grabbed onto a sturdy branch but could feel her grip slipping even against the rough bark. “How embarrassing,” she muttered, “second time stuck in a tree this fall.”

Frowning, Elias realized that Regan talked about her love for her job in the past tense. It gave him pause, wondering what had caused her to be unable to. Was it the same thing that caused her not to be able to talk about certain things? All of it made Elias worry deeper for something he knew he couldn’t even begin to understand. But he wanted to. He wanted to be there for her, to be a friend to her even though she didn’t know how. Or that she wasn’t allowed, or that someone out there brainwashed this poor woman into thinking that she wasn’t allowed to have a semblance of personality or love for anything that wasn’t bones. At that moment, Elias’s gaze went distant. He wanted to understand her. He wanted to be the person she could go to. But there was something in her that he knew made her afraid. Something had happened, or someone had said something that turned her from excited about her job to what she was now. And he hated whoever or whatever did that to her. 

“Well then, a big fuck you to whoever caused you to think that way.” He spoke in a solemn tone. The previously jovial Elias was replaced with one of sincerity and understanding. He knew it wasn’t something she could talk about, so he wouldn’t push her further on it. Still, the anger festered, and he buried it for later. It was buried right alongside the part of him that was desperate for the truth about that woman who was laid out on the autopsy table.

As the snake constricted harder, Elias swore under his breath as he cast the stick aside. He was hoping that would have worked. Damn that stupid snake that had ruined what could have been a bonafide moment of friendship for the two of them! He snapped back to reality when Regan began to shout about killing it. Elias nodded, reaching into his pocket for the pocket knife he had learned to keep on him since living in this God-forsaken town. “Right. On it!” His gaze turned horrified as it seemed to suck her up into the tree with it. Absolutely not. This was going on the list of shit that he didn’t mess with—big rats, pink worm snakes, and definitely not fae. 

Carefully, Elias began to climb the tree, thinking back to his childhood of endlessly climbing trees or the time he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail to tie things up into the trees to keep his belongings away from bears. He was glad he kept up with his physical fitness, or this would have been difficult. “For the record, I wouldn’t go climbing trees for acquaintances!” He called out with gritted teeth that were holding the knife in his mouth.

As he got closer to the snake, he took his knife and sliced it in half, making a face as he did so. He really hated killing things, but it was actively abducting his friend. “Give her back, you pink noodle!” He shouted at it after slicing through it.

Elias was one of the last people Regan ever expected to carry a pocket knife. It probably should have been attached to every keychain and in every pocket of every individual given the dangers of this town, but still, she couldn’t imagine him using it. Was it possible this was a recent development, spurred by anxiety and what had happened before? That iron ring would still do him better most of the time, probably, but she was going to let that one rest. She watched from the branches as Elias surprised her yet again – he could climb. Something lurched inside of her at the acquaintance comment and she didn’t think it was only because of the worm tightening its hold. Maybe she just didn’t like being this high up. 

He could barely look at the creature as he went in with the blade. She hadn’t known him to shy away from autopsies, but apparently taking an animal’s life was too much. It was not in his nature. And yet… he was doing exactly that. It was a curious thing and had Regan’s attention.

Regan stumbled and grabbed for the tree’s trunk as the worm that was wrapped around her arm was severed. Clear fluid sprayed into the sky and both half-worms wriggled furiously. And then, it clenched harder, snaking around a branch, while its other half turned toward Elias, very much still alive. This was like the morgue with Eleanor all over again. Better because no decedents were threatened, but worse because she was in a tree. “That didn’t work!” She called out the obvious. A scream rumbled in her lungs, a reminder that the worms could be so easily reduced to nothing, but she denied it. But she had a feeling that cutting the worm up more would only worsen the problem, which left them solution-less. Regan scratched at the slimy body of the animal but it kept its hold tight as ever. Pulling only seemed to incense it. “You’re the one who… you’re good at thinking on your feet. Can you distract them?” As she asked, the worm whipped around and gnashed its teeth in her face, but Regan ducked back. “What right do you have to–” She hissed at the animal and nearly lost her footing. Mistake. She caught herself and gave Elias a steely look. “I can end this, but you won’t like it. So think of something else.”

At a complete loss for words, Elias watched as one snake became two snakes, followed by a face of disgust at the clear fluid that sprayed everywhere. “I…” he squeaked out, looking around for something. Cutting it wasn’t going to work. He’d have to think of something else. 

Climbing out of the tree, he thought about how to entice the snake away. Wait, what about a snake charmer, the dance the snakes would do? He had no other ideas, and it was better than nothing, right? He hopped onto the ground and threw his arms up in the air. “Hey! Snake!” he called out and began to wiggle his body in an almost worm-like manner. “Come on, snake!” He spoke in a ‘come-slither’ tone. He waved his hands again and threw his knife on the ground to better entice the snake by wiggling his arms at his sides.

By some act of mercy, it began to work. The strange snakes began to unravel from around Regan’s body and slither slowly toward him. “It’s working!” He shouted in surprise, continuing the strange, wormy dance. It was akin to an interpretive dancer having replaced their bones with spaghetti. At least, that was the energy he was attempting to channel. As soon as the snake had let Regan go, Elias stared at her wide-eyed. “Your turn!” He hissed at her, continuing the wiggly ritual that was causing the snake to slither toward him.

Regan could only assume it was by some stroke of sheer, stupid luck (which she did not believe in, thanks) that this was working. She hadn’t a clue what neurons sparked this idea in Elias’s head, why he’d started doing this strange… wiggling, gyrating thing, but the two worms turned to Elias like a reorienting compass finding the north. Her acquaintance was indefatigable enough to continue this, wasn’t he? Regan took the opportunity to carefully navigate her way down the tree, branch under branch. Under the necklace’s glamour, her wings wanted to offer lift, but she was on her own this time. With her feet on the ground, she breathed a sigh, and realized… there was a choice in front of her now. And choices were even worse than being stuck in a tree. 

“My turn? Absolutely not. I am not going to perform for anyone, let alone for something that’s trying to eat me.” She was too proud for that. Let Elias do it instead. He was so good at it. She sidled around the tree to get a better look, assess the situation. His inflatable car dealership tubeman dance was ridiculous, practically an insulting gesture to her presence, but it had saved her. Or more accurately, spared his ears. But now it was working too well. The two half-worms were drawn to him, squiggling hypnotically toward Elias. But they weren’t alone. Other worms dropped from the trees in droves, first a few, then dozens, all converging on Elias as he wiggled his body around like a small intestine being waved in the wind. One fell from above right onto Regan, and completely ignored her as it flopped to the ground, imitating Elias’s swaying. “Besides, you’re doing, um… such a good job.”

Why not just leave him? If she didn’t consider him a friend, it would be easy, right? She stared at Elias, at his dance, at the gathering pool of worms around him. Then over her shoulder, at the trail. They probably wouldn’t eat him. Probably. The trail looked so inviting, full of denial – no, certainty – that she had not befriended anyone. But sweat beaded Elias’s temples and his limbs seemed to be growing sluggish from exertion. Regan bit down on her lip as guilt and something unidentifiable nestled firmly inside of her. The mhothúchánach whelp she had become, why could she not just leave? She would not lower herself to what he was doing. But free from the worm’s grip, maybe there was something else she could do now. They liked the way Elias was moving… Regan’s eyes fell on one of the branches that had snapped off the tree. Hm. She waved it around in the air, even waggled it a little. Dozens of tiny black worm eyes followed it. Closer. Closer. They had squirmed away from Elias now, a teeming mat of them. Regan gave Elias a stern nod, a readying nod, and then threw the branch flying into the woods. “Fetch.”

When Regan turned to the path, Elias knew she was contemplating running away. He stopped dead in his tracks. He went from feeling stupid to downright idiotic. The signs had always been there. He had just attempted to ignore them. He was nothing more than a pathetic human to her, wasn’t she? The worms had wiggled off, but Elias was still frozen in place. A look of betrayal was evident on his features. Instead of saying anything, he simply shook his head at her. Flashes of his conversation with Parker came flooding back to him, all about fae and the different types that existed. One had stuck out to him like a sore thumb, leading to even more research that had left him with only one answer. He felt stupid for not seeing it sooner, or maybe because he didn’t want to see it. 

Regan wasn’t human. Then again, she hadn’t claimed to be.

Regan was a banshee. He knew she was, from the obsession with death to the ashen features. Even if his research wasn’t entirely accurate, Wikipedia and further folklore searching had led him to places on the internet he didn’t realize existed. He was an idiot for even believing for a moment that he was anything but a plaything to her.

Shaking his head at her, a look of betrayal became clear as day on Elias’s face. She may have turned back and grabbed that branch to send the snakes away, but she still thought about leaving him. She had wanted to, hadn’t she?

Elias dropped the planner he had been holding onto, and simply pulled the acquaintance bracelets off of his wrist and tossed them onto the ground with the planner that Regan had returned to him. “So much for friendship.” He said in a low tone before turning around and walking the other way. He didn’t care if he’d get stuck in the woods. He just needed to escape Regan and her lies. 

No, they weren’t her lies. They were the lies he told himself.

The worms were gone, chasing after the stick like a pack of slimy curs, but what remained was still a pit of vipers. A look of betrayal had flashed onto Elias’s face and wouldn’t dislodge. It took Regan a second, but she understood. She hadn’t been fast enough, that calculus in her head that, on some level, was weighted with the words of her grandmother. That stupid pride that had been drilled into her skull. The need to be apart. Elias registered her hesitation and doubt. And it hurt him. 

There was a harsh snap as Elias pulled his bracelet off. She hadn’t even known he’d been wearing them. But really, she should have guessed. She wanted to call out to him, explain – as if she could, as if there was an excuse – but the words seemed to stick in her throat like a stubborn scream. The last time she’d seen such potent emotion on his face had been during that autopsy – The Autopsy – before he’d taken off across the country. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. But maybe it was better. Or, maybe, she’d made a mistake more terrible than she realized, and it would only make him more obstinate. That was how Regan used to be, and something she could still occasionally find within herself; it was a hard part of the spirit to break.

“I’m sorry.” Regan said, the words clotting on her lips. For not being fast or human enough to make the right decision. But, mostly, for the sharp plummet of Elias’s emotions as they fell from middle earth’s highest cliffs. This had all been for her – the hike an attempt to socialize and bond, the strange wiggling an attempt to free her – and she gave him nothing except some of her own emptiness. She wasn’t even sure if he heard the apology as he dotted into the distance. Possibly better if he didn’t.

Regan stared at the planner full of lords of rings with long, silky hair that she realized she probably wouldn’t learn more about now. Something in her chest tightened more firmly than the worm’s grip. Gathering her resolve, she picked up the discarded planner and bracelets. Clutching them tightly, she started down the trail, foulness churning in her stomach. Uncertainty. Regret. Those first several months in Saol Eile had been the hardest – before her heart had made itself stone and before her thoughts stopped turning toward her family and friends. As they had vanished on the horizon behind her, she was left with only the aching sensation of loss, that she’d parted with something she had never appreciated quite enough. Why did this feel so similar, when there should have been nothing in her heart to begin with? 

[eomer]

Rating parks I go to cause my life is too boring right now apparently and there's a million around me I've never been to in the 20 years I've lived here. Not using the real names of the parks so I'll refer to them by their most notable feature. I'm not a parks and recreation expert I just rate based on vibes.

Red Flower Park

Environment: It's...fine. Very plain with a few scattered trees but at the amount I consider appropriate (I live in one of the most arid states in the USA we don't need more trees we're fine.) Good balance of coniferous and deciduous. Docking points for non-native trees. Saw some american robins (turdus migratorius) and rock doves (columba Iivia) but not much else, probably cause I wasn't looking too hard.

Structure: Again, very plain. No amenities like a children's playground and the like. Just a sidewalk that moves around it.

Activity potential: Again, no playground. Not a lot of space for sports. I suppose this is just meant to be a park for walking in. I suppose one could play catch with a ball or frisbee here but with the way it's built you'd have to do so on the long end of it, and perhaps share the space with multiple people which, is sort of cramped in my opinion. Playing throwing games is a little problematic here because of my next point-

Surroundings: Busy main street to the north side across the white fence, affluent neighborhood everywhere else that's also a HOA, which we are docking points for, cause HOA's are stupid. It IS cozy but a gleeful child or teen who doesn't know their own strength yet could easily knock a window out if they decide to play a throwing game near one of the houses. Or risk throwing the ball/frisbee over the fences.

Experience: First time in this park ever. Was nice to take Soji on a walk around its little path but he found a half eaten bagel that i successfully managed to fish out of his mouth, but he wouldn't stop thinking about it. Something also bulls eyed right into my eye. Not sure if it was a bug or a petal. I prefer not to think about it.

Overall Rating: 4/10. Soji loved it at least.

[thewoodsmansjournal]

Entry 1: The Man of the Mountain

March 3rd 1985

10:00 AM

In all of my travels I have been no stranger to the concept of Sasquatch. I myself am an open minded skeptic so, in my line of work, and due to the life I lead I simply cannot leave no stone unturned. Besides, I’ve seen stranger things all across the United States, it’s only natural that I find myself en route to the epicenter of Bigfoot activity.

My team and I flew out of Headquarters in Pasadena at 4:00 this morning and we should be touching down any time now in Jefferson County International. Tomorrow, we’ll be taking a bus to Deer Park, where we’ll be trekking to the campsite on foot. This expedition will be dangerous for certain, but for now? I’ll rest for as long as I can. We’ll be in for a huge trip tomorrow.

March 4th, 1985

1:00 PM

We’ve made it to the nearest location of recent sightings where the rest of my team and I will set up base camp. The weather is fair and the team seems to be in good spirits. Even while the jet lag from yesterday’s flight still weighs down on me, I’m far too eager to just sit idly, I have work to do! I’ll be scoping out the area northwest of base camp for any signs of life.

March 8th, 1985

3:30 PM

There is something here! Over the past few days, we were able to find a Myriad of evidence that undeniably proves that an up-right hominid lives in the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula!

We’ve been so busy recently that I’ve hardly had enough time to write. While traveling across the North-West Buffer Zone, (that’s to say, the North West border of Deer park) we found a nest! Thankfully its occupant wasn’t home, but we couldn’t just leave without at least documenting our findings.

The nest had to be at least 14 feet high and 10 feet wide. It was made with branches, sticks and other brush from the forest. The strangest and most amazing detail about the nest was that the sticks and vines were woven together and tied. This indicates a higher intelligence that many in the community haven’t considered. Whether or not this creature is a Sasquatch or quite possibly a prehistoric descendant of man is yet to be seen.

Murphy was able to snap a few photos with his camera before we made the trek back to our camp sight. It’s odd, but as I write this down, I have a strange feeling in the back of my mind that perhaps we shouldn’t have taken those photos, and I can’t shake the feeling that hateful eyes are watching us.

March 10th 1985

12:00 PM: Return Trip.

We bit off more than we could chew! We shouldn’t have gone to the peninsula to begin with! We-

I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to write down the facts. Even now my hands are still trembling from the sight of it. In short, it found us.

We had just returned to base camp after photographing the nest and my intuition hadn’t settled down. Jess thought I was acting crazy, God how I wish she were right. The moment the night fell is when all hell broke loose.

We were awoken by the sound of branches crashing in the woods outside our tents. Rushing to my feet I grabbed a light to see what was going on. Everyone in the camp was outside trying to make sense of the noise. It was just then that I looked up and saw a large tree hurtling towards camp!

I had just enough time to jump out of the way before it crashed onto my tent! The strangest thing was that it hadn’t been broken or snapped, the root ball was still attached! As if something had yanked the tree right out of the ground! Then more trees came, some smaller, some larger. One nearly took out our medic!

Then we heard it. That sound, that wretched sound! It bellowed for miles and sounded like the mix between a lion’s roar and the scream of a woman being murdered!

The trees kept coming as did large rocks. I don’t know what came over me or what even convinced me that it was our salvation but, the photos of the nest, I had to destroy them! I ran into Murphy’s tent, grabbed the roll of film and threw it into the fire! Then, as if a switch flipped, everything stopped!

No more rocks, no more trees, no more crashing branches, nothing! None of us got any sleep that night. We couldn’t bring ourselves to. Lord knows how wrong I was to think that that night was the worst part.

We packed up the morning after, wasting no time in getting out of that God forsaken forest. We were about 100 yards away from the road back to the RV camp, and I don’t know what compelled me to, but I looked back into the forest and I wish I hadn’t. I saw it, standing in the middle of the forest staring at us from behind a tree.

It was 8 to 9 feet tall, as broad as it was wide and covered in black fur. It had long arms down to its knees and its finger nails were gnarled to the point they looked like claws. I knew as it moved, as I saw its muscles flex under its matted fur, I knew this…thing was responsible for those rocks and trees that destroyed our camp. The thing that let out that God awful bellow, and its eyes, those horrid yellow eyes bore into you. They stared into your very soul, into my very soul.

I wanted to turn away and run but I was too frightened to so much as lift a finger. We watched each other for a what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few moments before it turned, walked behind tall tree and disappeared.

I don’t want to imagine what it had in mind for us if we decided to stay after that night. I don’t know if any of us would have gotten out alive but, I’m just glad none of us were seriously injured. On the bus back to the airport, I happened to seated next to an elderly woman who had gotten on before us. I don’t have any idea how she could have known this, but she asked if I had seen the “man of the mountains”. I asked her how she knew that but, she responded by saying. “Equivalent Exchange. The Man of the mountains is very protective of his land, and if you take something, you must give something back of equal value or it will spell bad omens.”

I wanted to ask her what she meant but, the bus stopped at her location and she departed. I pondered what she meant the entire bus trip and it wasn’t until just now, on the plane back to Guild Headquarters do I realize what she meant. We took photos of its home. We took something with nothing to give in return, so it became hostile.

The knowledge of the reason gives me some peace, but I know for certain that I won’t be going back to the Olympic Peninsula any time soon. At least, not for a while, But I know someday, someway, I will return. Better equipped to face the man of the mountain again.

Sincerely Journal, this is Hunter Wilds.

Ad Explorandom et Inveniendum.

[jamie-heng]

WOII: Week 1 - Phenomenology

A source of light can create shadows in the background. For example, when a person's standing in the sun, a shadow is reflected back onto the ground behind them.

That was what I imagined 'shadow' to be. An appearance of what happens when light conflicts with an object or background. That was my interpretation of the themes of shadows and time in class today, one of many interpretations about the subject.

When I saw my classmates' interpretation of the themes, one of their interpretations was how time passed visibly with each season based on a tree. Done through images showcasing the passage of time, you can visibly see how the tree matures and ages before starting its cycle of life once more.

Phenomenology to me is how I will consider the experiences I have might shape the outcome of my designs. As my experiences will reflect in the things I design.

During Digital Skills & Applications, Week 1's Expressive Type, we were trying basic ways to manipulate and settle type in Adobe Illustrator and our task for the day was to digitally manipulate the type to express the meaning of the word.

Without changing the font family, I had to interpret how I was going to alter the type to my understanding of the word, for example the word, 'progression', as a noun means, 'the process of changing or developing towards an improved situation or state.' (Cambridge Dictionary)

I chose to alter the letters to be bigger each time, adding a shadow to emphasise the size of each letter. That was how I chose to display progression which could have been done differently but that was the way I did it due to my understanding.

(285 words)

Kristina Kutleša. "Blossom Tree". Unsplash. 14 Apr. 2022, https://unsplash.com/photos/a-tree-in-a-field-with-a-fence-around-it-rEdfXipMrq0. Accessed 10 April 2024

Vitaly Mazur. "Red Autumn Tree". Unsplash. 3 Oct. 2023, https://unsplash.com/photos/a-tree-with-red-leaves-in-a-park-hKGkX7unagw. Accessed 10 April 2024

Tīna Sāra. Unsplash. 11 Apr. 2021, https://unsplash.com/photos/leafless-tree-on-snow-covered-ground-HgSE5lAwNuo?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash. Accessed 10 April 2024

"Progression". Cambridge English Dictionary. PROGRESSION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed 10 April 2024