#but I don't think I'll survive the next winter without it

[shiraishi--kanade]

In other news: I've gone and ordered myself a cane.

This isn't the right type of mobility aid for me (my wrists and elbows are already fucked up, more than my legs), but circumstances are that it's the only option for me at the time. I probably won't use it much if at all, but it's cheap enough and I just want to have it in case one day I'll really need it.

[beastofburdenxo]

Hypothermia

Emmett shares a bed with you on a particularly cold night. 1.6k words Tags: dry humping, wet dreams, reader is a virgin.

Emmett promised your parents that he would take care of you if anything happened to them. Not realizing that, not long after he promised them that the creatures would come. Sadly, neither survived and you were stuck with Emmett. Nothing against him of course, he was an alright guy. He was a family friend; someone you saw all the time at the house on the weekends. He was quiet, reserved, resourceful. Emmett also lost his family not long after yours so you two were all each other had. You two toughed it out together, he taught you how to hunt. He taught you which plants were edible, and which were not. You taught him how to patch up his clothes when needed. The both of you were a team, working together to stay alive.  

Instead of moving out and going to college, you moved what little belongings you could to an old factory on the outskirts of town with Emmett. He found it on a supply run without you and thought it best to move away and stay hidden from the creatures. Besides, there wasn’t much left to salvage anyways, what you two haven’t already scavenged to use was in disrepair and too time consuming to try and fix. Emmett was a bit of a loner anyways, so moving away from the few remaining living souls didn’t bother him a bit. Not you though, you didn’t like the idea of leaving the only home you ever knew. But you went ahead and did anyways, because you knew you couldn’t make it without him. You two made the basement of the old factory your home, considering it was almost soundproof. Emmett brought down a mattress he found in an empty house to sleep on, not realizing it was going to be a tight fit for both of you. During the summer, he refused the makeshift bed, insisting you take it. He crafted a pallet out of old covers and towels that he slept on next to yours.  

One particularly cold winter night, you lie in bed, feeling your fingers and toes start to turn blue. Every piece of clothing you own is on your body on top of what little covers you have, but it’s still not enough. With teeth chattering, you look over at Emmett’s still figure wondering if he’s about to go into hypothermia as well. “Emmett,” you whisper in the dark, “Are you sleeping? It's so cold in here my body hurts.” Emmett turns towards you, “No, I can’t sleep either. It's an awfully bad night tonight. Would you like some of my covers?” A shiver runs through your body as you try to still your chattering teeth. “I don’t think that’s going to cut it here Emmett, we both need body heat or we’re not going to survive the night. Will you come closer?” A long pause sits in the air before you get an answer. “Are you asking me to get in bed with you? You trying to cuddle?” he asks with a chuckle. “This is serious, if you don’t get over here, we’re both going to freeze to death. It's not like I have anyone else to choose from. I'll behave, I’m just trying to not die tonight.”  

You feel a bit more weight on you as Emmett takes the covers off his pallet and throws it on yours. Before you can plead with him, he lies down beside you. “Alright, here I am, now go to sleep.” It is a tight fit with him beside you, both being on your backs, so you turn to the side away from him to make room. The heat radiating off Emmett’s body helps, but it’s not enough to knock the chill off your body. You try and scoot closer to him, much to his dismay. “Just what do you think you're doing? You wanted me here, so here I am. What more do you want?” You start to feel him move away. “No please don’t go.” you whine, “I’m just so cold and I know you are too. Please come here. Wrap your arm around me Emmett.” With a sigh he replies, “Only because it feels below zero tonight. Don't get any ideas here.” He pulls you closer to him, his body heat enveloping you. He has both of his strong arms around your waist as the two of you stop shivering. “Now was that so bad?” you ask. You get a scoff in response. You feel him move around. “What are you doing? I can’t sleep with you thrashing!”  

“I’m taking my shirt off.” Your eyes get big at his words. “Why in the hell are you doing that?” Emmett sighs, “Did I teach you anything? Survival 101, skin on skin contact is the best against hypothermia. It's dark and neither of us can see the other, so just do it.” With a gulp you shakily remove your shirt, goosebumps hitting your skin at the thought of being next to him in your bra. This is all new to you and you’re trying to remain calm and adult like about it. “My pants too?” you nervously ask. Emmett’s strong arms go back to being around you. “That’s up to you. Considering the layers are thin, I think we’ll be fine like this. Now let's get some sleep.” He was right about the skin-on-skin contact, it was almost too warm now. You were able to feel his broad chest directly on your back, his light coating of chest hair tickling your skin. Part of you wanted to turn around and face him, but you didn’t want him to leave either, so you stayed where you were. Your little heart was pounding, you’ve never had a man be this physically close to you, much less Emmett. You hoped he was too far gone in sleep to notice. “Just breathe, you know Emmett, he wouldn’t hurt you.” you tell yourself over and over until your breathing finally slows and sleep takes you in its hold.  

In the middle of the night, you awaken to Emmett still holding you to him. But this time, something is different. One arm is still around you, the other is next to you, his hand squeezing your hip. Something is also digging into your back. You move slightly trying to get comfortable, and Emmett softly moans. You realize what it is, Emmett is hard in his sleep. Trying not to panic and wake him up, you wonder what to do now. If he wakes, he’ll freak out at the situation and possibly get mad, so you just lie there for a bit. “It’s not like he did it on purpose, he’s dead asleep!” you think to yourself, “He has no control over his body, it’ll go away, just chill out!” at that moment, Emmett slightly moves, pulling you even closer to him, his dick even more prominent to you now. The hand on your hip now slowly strokes your side. His breath is still slow and labored, he’s still out cold. Emmett slowly starts to grind against you, the friction pulling down your loose pants, exposing your ass to him. His face is buried in your shoulder, panting heavy at his motions. You try to reach behind you to pull your pants back up, but there’s no room between you two, and you wind up touching his toned stomach instead. You freeze as a whine leaves his mouth, thinking you woke him up.  

Luckily for you, he’s a heavy sleeper and he goes back to dry humping you as you take your hand back. You must admit, it doesn’t feel terrible. “Do I just lie here and let him grind on me?” You like hearing his moans too, but you’d never admit that. You wish you could see the look on his face right now, but not daring to turn. His hand comes up and cups your breast through your bra, softly squeezing. “Yes,” he breathes into your ear, “Yes baby like that.” You close your eyes and pretend that he means that, that he knows it’s you and he really wants you; not pretending that you’re someone else. You softly place your hand on top of Emmett’s, not brave enough to do much else. “Babygirl, yes, right there, please.” That causes a moan to come out of your own mouth. Goosebumps return to your skin, but for another reason. Nerves be damned, you can’t take much more. You take the hand on your bra and slowly guide it downwards, reveling in his rough hand on your body and how good it feels. Reaching your soaked panties you wonder, “Am I seriously about to do this? Am I going to take advantage of a man that has been nothing but good and kind to me?”  

Before you can answer yourself, Emmett moves again. His bodyweight on yours makes you turn over on your stomach. He is directly on top of you now. With your legs slightly more open than before, you can feel him right where you want him. Now Emmett is just rutting against you without abandon, each motion moving your panties against your clit. It takes all you have in you to not answer his moans with your own. Right before you feel like you could come for the first time ever, he growls your name as you feel hot liquid seep onto your panties. Emmett slows, his high receding, softly panting as he moves off you, flopping onto his back. Your mind is reeling, “Did he just say my name as he came? Did I hear that right?” You slowly look over at him, for some reason expecting him to finally be awake after all that. But his breathing is the same as earlier, slow and soft in dreamland. “Well at least he’ll sleep good tonight, I sure as hell won’t.” You curl back up, parts of you demanding more attention after being rudely interrupted. It was a long night for you indeed.

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 6

Gojo Satoru x reader

Wc: 2835

Curseless au

Summary: Amidst the zombie apocalypse, your courage shines as you not only saves lives but capture the heart of Gojo Satoru. Together with his first-year students, you all embark on a perilous journey, not only for survival but in a quest for a cure that adds a poignant layer to the unfolding romance.

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You packed as much as you could in your backpack, it was hard finding the balance between clothes and medical supplies; you never know what could happen.

Satoru somehow always finds a way to be near you, right now is no different. "Which ones should I bring?" He smiles happily, showing you two parts of socks, both having the most crazy and ugly patterns you've seen.

"Don't you think those are a little out of style, Satoru?" You raise an eyebrow at his sock choices.

"Yeah? Well I could say the same for you." He eyes what you're putting in your backpack.

"Are you suggesting we go to a mall? I hear they have great deals." You laugh, "buy one get the whole store for free."

Satoru laughs loudly, throwing his head back, his white hair going everywhere. You've started to find some of his hairs on your clothes now that you've been near him for a while. Each time you do, you return it rightfully back to him.

"C'mon, we should go get our weapons." You roll your eyes, but before you left you turned back to face him slightly, "and bring the pink ones." You point to his left hand.

He shakes his head, still chuckling to himself and throwing his backpack over one shoulder. Despite you guys planning on being gone for a few weeks, Satoru suggested everyone just bring one backpack, it was safer that way in case you all had to be running.

You meet up with Itadori who seems excited about switching out his brass knuckles for a gun. "Are you still going to use your bow?" He asks you.

"Probably not. I don't see how effective it would be, bullets are faster and quicker." You answer, your back feeling empty without your arrows.

"It would be quieter though. None of the guns here have silencers." He tells you. You only shrug, but still opt to use a gun.

It was still dark outside, with it being winter the sun arose later, that also meant it would be freezing outside. You zip up your third layer jacket, knowing you'd need it.

Shoko looks exhausted, she had a tendency to stay up late reading, last night was no different.

"Nobody's carrying you." Satoru points to her and she rolls her eyes.

"I'll be fine."

"You really should've gotten more rest. We aren't stopping until sundown." Nanami's deep voice echoing in the room. Shoko goes off into the kitchen, most likely to make some coffee for the go.

"Who's carrying the food?" You say, looking at everyone who's only carrying things in one backpack, knowing it'd be a lot of food to carry for everyone going.

"I have some granola bars and other small things, but if we want to eat, we'll need to hunt and cook it ourselves." Nanami says, "I suggest bringing your bow still, the guns scare the animals." You nod and make a mental note to grab if before leaving.

"Won't the fire we'd be cooking our food on bring attention?" Nobara asks.

"Not at night. Nobody in their right mind is out at night." Satoru answers for Nanami, wrapping a scarf around Megumi for warmth, knowing his face gets cold easily.

Everybody had chosen their guns, and were waiting at the basement door, you had quickly gone back and grabbed your bow and arrows.

"How're we gonna get let back in?" Itadori asks Maki.

"This door leads underground, We can get back in through there." She says, putting on her gloves, mentally preparing herself for the cold to hit her.

"Where is it," Megumi says, slightly muffled by his scarf.

"A little into the woods." Inumaki signs, he pauses before saying anything else, but ultimately signals he's done.

"Good enough for me." You smile and join back in, you had been practicing signing with Satoru and Inumaki while you were healing. You were getting a lot more comfortable. "Ready." You say.

Satoru leads the group, you falling somewhere in the middle to protect the younger ones, Nanami found himself in the back. It was a narrow hallway after the stairs.

You were a little claustrophobic, but this wasn't too bad, you still had a little room put your arms halfway out, but nobody could walk side by side down there.

It was cold already, your breath could be seen and you weren't even outside yet. You prayed to whoever was above that this would be a safe trip with no casualties.

Satoru signaled to stop as he opened up the door above, it took a little strength because it had been frozen, but that was no issue for him. He went up first and Megumi following after him.

After everyone was out, Nanami shut the door, making a mental note of where the door was when you'd all return. Everybody took out their flashlights, the sun was peeking on the horizon, but it'd still be awhile before you'd all be able to see.

You scoped the area around, making sure no zombies were close. Your gun was over your shoulder, but you had never shot one before. Nanami gave you the basic rundown.

The single file line that was underground had dismembered, you found yourself walking with the second-years, Nanami and Shoko leading the way and Satoru with his students.

You all kept conversations at a low volume, you were very tense. Every noise caused you to look in that direction despite nothing being there when you had looked prior.

At some point, Satoru and you had ended up behind the second and first years, time went by much faster after the sun came up, it was warming, but not enough.

"You scared?" Satoru asks.

"Not really." You answer, putting your flashlight away, calmer too now that you could see around you.

"That's good." He says, copying you and turning his flashlight off.

"I am starting to get hungry, though." You rub your stomach.

"Same here, you take a bite out of me and I'll take a bite out of you." He jokes, you roll your eyes at him and call him stupid. "I know Nanami said we would only stop to sleep, but he'd let us take a break after a while."

"Good, I know our legs will be needing it." You chuckle.

Nothing interesting had happened for the last 4 hours, occasionally you'd run into a zombie and Nanami would get rid of it then keep walking. The cold wasn't bothering anybody no more, who knew walking for hours would make you sweat.

"Let's go for another 4 hours and see how we feel." Nanami tells the entire group, Satoru extends his hand towards you to help you up and you gladly take it.

After the four hours the sun was setting, Nanami led the way to the first checkpoint to get settled into for the night.

You're unsure on how they found this place, but you're not complaining. It's in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees which oddly makes you feel safe.

It was a little dusty inside, but everything was intact. The second years were tasked with setting up the beds and the first years did some light cleaning.

"You've got an hour or so of daylight to catch anything." Shoko tells you as she hands you a small map of the area.

"Any preferences?" You chuckle and wink at her, "You comin' Satoru?" You yell behind you.

You hear rushed footsteps and see the white haired boy, now wearing a beanie. "Aww, how cute." You pinch his cheek really hard making him frown.

"Can I shoot one?" Satoru asks as he opens the door for you both.

"Be safe." Nanami waves you two off.

"Absolutely not. You'll shoot me." You joke.

"How'd you know my plan?" He bumps into you. Your head shakes and you sigh at him. "Let's try this way." He points to your left and you both walk in that direction. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel alright, not too bad. And you?"

"Just cold." He shivers.

"You didn't have to come with me, I could've gotten Nanami or Shoko." You say, ducking under a tree branch.

"I'm offended." He says loudly and you hit him to remind him that he's scaring off the animals. "I'm better than any of them, so I figured you'd want the best."

"Cocky much?" You roll your eyes, "didn't I save the 'oh so strong one'."

"I wasn't armed." He side eyes you. "Plus I know you enjoy being around me."

"Mhm. And what gave you that idea?" You scrunch your nose.

"You're always near me."

"You follow me everywhere I go." You deadpan and he thinks for a moment, but ultimately changes the subject.

He extends his strong arm, making you huff as you run into it, he puts his finger to his lips, eyeing what's in front of him.

A fox was half behind a tree, it hadn't seen you both yet so you quickly crouch down and pull his tall self with you. Quietly you remove an arrow from your back, letting your bow fall slowly into your hands.

It was eating something it had killed, all of its attention was on it. You carefully draw your bow, slowly so it didn't make much noise, your aim was right at its head, wanting to make this quick and as painless as possible.

You let out a breath and released the arrow, the fox made a noise as it was hit and ultimately fell to the ground. Satoru was up before you were and ran as quickly as he could to finish it off.

He tied the foxes legs together to make it easier to carry. "Nice job." He praised. Then he pauses taking a good look at the fox. "What the fuck..." he whispers.

"What's wrong?" You ask worriedly.

"You hit it right in the eye." He says amazed. "You're incredible." His compliments gave you butterflies.

You took the arrow out of its eye and put it behind your back with the others. Satoru insisted on carrying the fox himself, you think he just wanted to show how strong he was. It was about 30 pounds, his guess.

Satoru tried to gloat about how he did all of the work, but nobody in their right mind believed him. Nanami was impressed, he was worried most of the animals would be dead from the zombies.

You watch from the window as Nanami chopped up some wood, you were just keeping a lookout for him in case anything happened, but Satoru had a sour look on his face.

He knew it was wrong. He quickly hid his very expressive face and stood alongside with you to see what was so interesting about Nanami.

"Oh good, now that you're keeping a lookout for him I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick." You say and leave him.

Now he feels stupid for thinking you were just watching Nanami to see him in action. Nanami then dragged him out to help make the fire and skin the fox.

You've never had any sort of animal besides the basic ones, but fox wasn't too bad, it was bland.

"I'm still hungry." Itadori says.

"No, we have to save this." Nanami frowns.

"Please?" Itadori rubs his still growling stomach.

"I don't mind hunting, Nanami." You join in, feeling bad for Itadori.

"That's not the issue, I'm afraid that there won't be many animals left to hunt." He explains. "Go drink some water, Itadori. Fill your stomach."

Itadori sighs and does just that before getting ready for bed. Nanami kept the fire alive in the fireplace. Nobody could see smoke in the dark and especially not this far into the woods. You still suggested that somebody keep watch and he agreed.

You offered to do first watch, so you sat in the living room couch, feeling the warmth of the fire. Shoko handed you a book to read, but you had gotten some word puzzles to work on instead.

Just as you thought everyone had gone to bed, Satoru startles you as he walks into the living room with a blanket and pillow.

"What're you doing?" You frown.

"I wanted to keep you company." He smiles widely, setting his pillow up against you and lying down with his blanket, his long legs were stretched across.

"At least get some sleep." You shake your head and return to your puzzle. He mumbles something and you notice his eyes are closed. He's so exhausted, he barely sleeps every night and it catches up to him.

You hear his soft breathing, thankful that he doesn't snore like 90% of the male population. You feel yourself nodding off every once in a while, but you keep yourself busy.

Satoru had shifted in his sleep, but you paid no mind to it. Suddenly he opens his eyes and jolts awake, you're scared as he hyperventilates. You quickly make him face you and you softly tell him to breathe.

His eyes were filled with fear, this was new to you. After a few minutes he had calmed down, slumping himself onto you.

"Do you want some water?" You ask him and he silently nods. You quickly come back and hand it to him, he takes slow sips as he's still calming himself down. "Is..everything alright, Satoru?"

He nods his head, not making eye contact with you. "Yeah. Just a dream." He whispers, rubbing his eyes and feeling his cold sweat go away.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" You ask him and he immediately denies. You frown, he made you talk to him when something was wrong with you, now you are determined to get him to do the same. "What happened? Talking about it makes you feel better." You urge him.

He denies again. This time moving his head to face the wall. You take hold of his chin softly and turn him to face you, "This is my question." You demand and he shuts his eyes momentarily before talking.

"I had a bad dream." He says, almost embarrassed.

"What happened in it?" You urge him more and he shakes his head, "you can't back out of this." You say. "You made me tell you and now I expect the same."

"We all got split up and some of the students turned because of me." He says, his voice trembling a little, he told himself he was not going to cry and he was standing by it.

"That's really scary, I'm sorry Satoru. It was just a dream, nothing bad will happen to any of us." You promise. "It's okay to be upset."

"Ive been having these nightmares for a while." He admits. "Since day one of all of this."

"How often?"

"Everyday." He says. "Well—not since we've had you join us, it stopped for a little."

You nod, thinking about your next words. "I get nightmares too, it's normal. But I believe one day we'll never have them again, all of this will go back to as normal as it can get."

"That's starting to feel like this is now our new normal." He sighs.

"I know." You sink into the couch. "I don't like that you have nightmares."

"I don't like that you get panic attacks." He says.

"Nothing will happen to your students. I promise." You look into his eyes, they are half-lidded as they look down at you from the height difference.

"We'll survive." He nods.

You two were silent for a while. Satoru occasionally took sips from his water.

"Thank you." He says, "for talking to me, I do feel better."

"I told you so." You bump his shoulder lightly.

"Don't you wonder how the rest of the world is?" Satoru lays back down.

"Sometimes." You say.

"Like what are other people doing? Do they feel as hopeless as us?"

"Of course they do. I bet they have nightmares and panic attacks too." You fight the urge to play with his hair, it's really been getting long.

He hums, "You better get some sleep." He says to you.

"And what about you?"

"I won't be able to sleep after my nightmare." He sheepishly smiles and gets up from his spot to switch with you.

"Are you sure?" You say, already feeling your eyes closing as you lay on the warm pillow he left for you.

"Yes." He chuckles and throws the blanket over you, taking your seat and continuing your puzzle.

You begin to drift off, you can smell Satoru's hair off of the pillow. He smells really good. It helps you fall asleep.

Satoru notices your steady breathing and cannot resist the urge to not touch your hair. He twirls it around in his fingers for a little, not in a creepy way at all, but he finds a lot of comfort with you. He notices his heart beating a little quicker whenever he's near you.

He's really screwed now.

[ctitan98official]

@hogwartslegacystuff : I'm sorry if I'm a bother, but for Donna's child AU, the Reader nearly gets killed by one of their uncle Karl's lycans that out of the blue went rogue, simply because the Reader accidently got in the lycans bloody path. I don't know how they escape with their own life, because by some miracle the lycan heard something from the distance and went after it, leaving the Reader injured badly but alive. They didn't know how they were gonna slip this one past their mom because she would be absolutely worried and the Reader was right. But after their full recovery, Donna is now being extremely overprotective than she already was, trying to avoid them from leaving the house without her. The Reader eventually had a thought about wanting to get the Cadou, so this didn't happen again and because of other reasons. Donna might protest to it and have a panic attack trying to explain the repercussions that could happen, but the Reader is like, "Mama I don't got a choice anymore, I could have died.. or better yet, I will eventually get physically older than you and I don't think either of us want that to happen. Someone has to protect us both, might as well let that be me. I'm going to talk to Miranda about the implant first chance I get, I promise you I'm going to be okay..." While comforting their mom. The Reader convinces Miranda to go ahead with the procedure.. Maybe repercussions did happen, which scared both Miranda and Donna to death, but luckily the reader made it out like a champ and survived the whole ordeal.(I'll leave what abilities the Reader develops up to you, I couldn't think of anything on the spot... But at the same time I would understand if you don't want to do this one, it was a mess when I first thought of it.)

This is really good! Not a bother at all. I love seeing what y'all have to share! Now, I might have changed some things but the main points are highlighted. I hc that the lycans get more aggressive and wander around in colder temperatures (Like in RE8. Thought that might be a good explanation). Let’s get into it!

You had been for a run in the woods and took a minute to catch your breath and pick out the next song you wanted to listen to.

As you finally made your song selection, a decidedly unmusical sound comes from behind you. A growl.

You had a pretty good idea of what creature could have made it, too. Your mom had told you to be very careful and alert when you were in the woods. She had also said that lycans were known to roam when it got cold outside… Damn! How could you be so oblivious?! Donna even told you to start limiting your workouts as the fall transitioned to winter. You… Kind of snuck out of the house before she had gotten up today. You didn’t want to worry her.

No time to dwell on the past, though! Your fight or flight senses activated and you found yourself running faster than you ever had before.

The lycan snipped and bit at your heels, furiously trying to attack.

You tried not to look behind you and just focus on getting away, but you could hear the lycan’s panting getting closer. You turn to assess the situation, but accidentally trip on a rock. You go flying and land roughly on your side, breaking your arm. You cry out in pain and the lycan quickly starts tearing into you. It bites your throat and claws your torso. You try to push it away with your non-injured arm, but your attempts aren’t doing much good. The lycan’s sharp teeth easily pierce your skin over and over again.

Suddenly, you hear a familiar voice.

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing out, mutt?!” You hear Karl shout.

The lycan immediately stops and runs over to Karl’s side.

Karl takes a look at the lycan’s face and sees the blood on it. He moves closer to inspect the mangled body in front of him before he gasps. “Y-Y/N?” He asks, horrified to see that it is you who’s so hurt. He drops to his knees and quickly tries to put pressure on your wounds. You are in bad shape. He can see you slipping away. “Okay, stay with me, Y/N. You gotta hold on.” He says, choking back tears of guilt. This was his fault. He should have kept a better eye on his lycans.

You muster the strength to smile at Karl. He had been like a fun uncle to you and he took you under his wing. “I’ll be… Alright, old man.” You joke, slipping in and out of consciousness.

Karl loves you like his own kid… And this… Absolutely crushes him.

Eventually, Karl decides that he needs to get you home. Donna would be able to help… Or… She would at least be able to say goodbye… Karl wipes his eyes in anguish before he angrily stands to his full height and smashes his hammer right in between the offending lycan’s eyes. The attack pierces through it’s skull and the hammer completely embeds into the lycan’s brain. The creature howls in agony before it eventually succumbs to it’s injuries.

Karl quickly looks at you and scoops you into his arms. “Just hang in there, kid. I’m taking you home.” He says quietly and makes his way to Donna’s house.

——————————————————————————

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” Donna roars and takes your limp body from Karl as he brings you in.

Karl winces in shame. He’s never seen Donna so livid. It’s unsettling. “A lycan… I tried to help Y/N, but they were already hurt. I-”

“You idiot! This is your fault!” Donna screeches through her tears as she lays you down on the couch.

Karl hangs his head. It is his fault. If you don’t pull through… He doesn’t know what he will do.

“Baby, it’s Mama. Can you hear me?” Donna says.

You cough up some blood and your eyes slowly open. You are so confused. “M-mama?” You say, barely lucid.

Donna sobs and gently dabs at your mouth with a cloth. She runs her hand through your hair. “Yes, Y/N. Mama’s right here, okay? Stay with me, tesoro.” She tells you.

Donna turns to Karl with a sharp look on her face. “Get Miranda.” She commands.

Karl swallows and nods before he runs out the door.

As soon as Miranda hears what happened, she teleports to Beneviento Manor with medical supplies. She absolutely adores you and she’d do anything to help. “Tell me what happened.” Miranda says and brings the supplies over.

Donna weeps as she tells Miranda about the attack.

Miranda’s eyes widen. “I’ve never seen a lycan attack so early into fall…” She says and furrows her brows as she works.

Donna is beside herself. Her baby. Her reason for living is fighting for their life. Despite all she’s been through, she’s never felt so helpless.

Miranda works efficiently and accurately, occasionally asking for Donna to hand her things. She’s got to move fast if she has any hope of saving you.

——————————————————————————

Finally… You start to stabilize. Your vitals look better and Miranda finishes bandaging you up. “I’m going to observe them, but I think they’re going to be alright.” Miranda says and wearily sighs. That was entirely too close.

Donna cries in gratitude and hugs Miranda. “Thank you, Mother Miranda. Thank you for saving my child.” She says.

Miranda hugs Donna back. “I love Y/N, too. I would do anything to make sure they’re okay.” She tells her.

Throughout the day, Miranda monitors you and administers pain medicine.

You sleep completely through that day and all through the night.

The next morning, you wake up finally. You see Donna dozing next to you and gripping your hand in her sleep. You’re confused. What happened? “Mama?” You ask gently.

At the sound of your voice, Donna’s head whips up immediately and her eyes lock on yours. She gasps and cups your face. “Sweetheart…” She says before bursting into tears. You’re okay. You’re alive. She is so thankful and she carefully presses kisses to your cheek.

“Did something happen?” You question, not remembering anything. As you try to move, blinding pain erupts in your body. You wince in agony and groan.

Donna grits her teeth at this and swears she is able to feel physical pain when she sees you hurt. Only mothers can understand, she reasons.

Miranda walks in just then and gasps at seeing you awake. “Oh, Y/N.” She whispers and hurries to your side.

Donna and Miranda tend to you as they explain about the attack and your subsequent injuries.

You feel like an idiot. Why did you go out in the first place? There was no way for you to defend yourself. You’re a helpless human, you can’t even protect yourself…

You quickly come to a realization.

As a human… You’re completely vulnerable. But… What if you had powers like Donna or Karl? Then you could protect your Mama. You wouldn’t have to worry about losing her ever again. Plus… You weren’t getting any younger. You can’t stand the thought of continually aging until…

That’s it. Decision made.

You pipe up as Miranda changes some bandages. “Mother Miranda… I… Need the cadou. Please.” You plead with her.

Miranda’s shoot wide open in surprise. “W-what?” She asks, totally shocked.

Donna is dumbfounded as well.

“I need to be able to protect myself. And you, Mama.” You say before looking at Donna.

Before Miranda can say anything, Donna voices her opinion. “Absolutely not.” She says firmly.

You raise an eyebrow and tilt your head in confusion. “What? Why?” You ask her, completely bewildered.

Donna looks at you and you’ve never seen her have such a bleak expression. “I am not losing you again. The cadou has very serious side effects, Y/N.” She tells you.

You look to Miranda for assistance, but she refuses to meet your stare.

“But… I need to protect you. And… I’m… Getting older.” You tell her.

Donna scoffs at this. “Do you think that I’ve never considered that?” She asks lowly.

She’s never had such a bite in her tone when speaking to you before. It makes you nervous.

Miranda clears her throat which eases some tension. “Um… If I may, the chances of mutation are much lower for Y/N seeing as you had a more favorable reaction to the cadou, Donna. A parent reacting well to it almost guarantees that a biological child will as well.” She offers.

Donna snaps her head to Miranda. “Do you… Honestly believe that this is a favorable reaction?” She says harshly and points to her eye. “I am a complete FREAK now!” She roars. “This is what the cadou did to me! If you think I’m going to risk having my child go through that, then you are an utter FOOL!” Donna yells and turns to you. “The answer is no, Y/N. Don’t even dare think about asking me again!” She tells you and storms out.

You are speechless. And… Heartbroken… Your mom thinks that she’s a freak? You look at Miranda who now has silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

The priestess feels so guilty. Deep down, Donna resents Miranda for the cadou implantation… It’s hard to reconcile.

You sigh. But… You know what you need to do. Consequences be damned. “Mother Miranda?” You ask.

The blonde looks at you through her teary eyes.

“We’re doing this. There’s no other option. We have to.” You all but beg. “If something else happens… It’s going to destroy my mom.” You tell her.

Miranda sighs. She’s in a moral dilemma here. She agrees that the cadou is the only chance she has to guarantee your safety and Donna’s eventual well-being… But, going against Donna’s wishes? Could she do that? Selfishly, she wants you to get the cadou too. She wants you to be able to protect yourself and stop aging. She adores you too much to let you go (And knows Donna does too). Eventually, she relents. She hopes that she won’t regret this and Donna will forgive her. “Alright,” She nods. “I’m in, Y/N.”

Now, the hard part truly begins…

Masterlist

[howlingday]

I am a man of my word.

Dark knight soul stone Au

The bridge between realms, how quickly it changed for people's hope to escape to a trap. Ruby, Yang, and Blake got launched off. Even Neo fell, and Jaune almost lost himself when he saw her first. However, it was the request of Penny that sent him over the edge. Cinder had ambushed them, and Weiss was holding her back but failing. He didn't want to, he swore, but her request....with a heavy heart fulfilled her last request and let out a blood curdling yell as dark energy explodes from him.

Hearing the yell Cinder would knock Weiss away and try to reach Penny's body only to be met by a slash of energy and a distorted voice: "We meet again, false maiden....and this time I promise you won't survive" said 'Jaune' (Fray) giving her a deep cold look that promised unending pain.

First / Previously

---------------------------------------------

The battle grew silent, if only for an instant, as a cry of anguish erupted in the center of the battlefield. Eyes fell to the young paladin holding a blade coated in blood over a very still Winter Maiden. Jaune had killed Penny, and it was in this act that he shut himself out. If it were anyone else, this would have been a resignation of his life that would only end in, well, his end.

"How sad." A dark voice said through the lips of a kind man. "Guess it was too much for him. But don't you worry, Cinder," red eyes burned with dark glee at the Fall Maiden, "I'll be more than happy to fill in." He broke into a sprint towards her, blade and shield at the ready. "And there's no way in hell I'm going to let Jaune stop me this time!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter was still reeling from her interaction with Penny in her mind before coming to. Thankfully, Cinder was just a woman show and she was already engaged with Jaune Arc, leader of the technically fugitive team. Still, there was something different about him, like the man fighting the enemy Maiden wasn't the same man she fought with before. Swooping in, she provided backup to the huntsman already involved. However, she was met with a sword clashing with hers.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jaune asked with fury in his voice and indignation in his eyes. "This is MY fight! MINE! Stick to your damn job if you wanna keep your life!"

Rather than argue, Winter swallowed her pride and continued with the evacuation. Landing next to Weiss, who was kneeling next to Penny, she places a hand on her shoulder.

"She's gone, Weiss."

"I know." Weiss murmured. "And I shouldn't be distracted. Not when someone so dangerous in still active."

"It seems Cinder is distracted, however." Winter nodded. "But I don't think we can get to the relic without angering Jaune."

"I'm not worried about Cinder." Weiss stood, turning from Penny's lifeless form to the fight above them. "As of right now, she isn't the most dangerous opponent."

"No?" Winter followed Weiss' gaze to Jaune, whose sword had been shattered. However, this did nothing to deter the dark paladin. She gulped. "What should we do?"

Weiss gave a chuckle. "I never thought I'd hear you ask me that."

"I've never been in this scenario. Have you?"

"This will be the third time." Weiss admitted. "And I still don't know how to bring Jaune back."

At this, Jaune rocketed down to their level, knocking the two aside and causing Penny to roll off the edge. Smoke hissing from his body, but his aura still shimmering, he pushed himself to his knees with a feral growl. Cinder readied a huge fireball above and was ready to launch it.

"Even like this, you're still no match for me!" Suddenly the fireball died as her Grimm arm twitched violently. She let out a scream, unaware that Winter was now closing the distance. Jaune was about to join her when he felt something hold him down.

"Get the hell off of me!" He roared.

"Jaune, snap out of it! This isn't you!" Weiss pleaded.

"Of course not!" He tried to break free. "I'm not Jaune! I'm BETTER than Jaune! I'm the reason Jaune is still alive!"

"But you're not Jaune!" She argued. "And throwing yourself at Cinder isn't going to help you win this! You need to stop and think!"

"STOPPING AND THINKING GOT YOUR FRIENDS KILLED!" He finally broke free, horrible red eyes wide and directed on her prone form. "And I'M not going to stand around and get beaten by that-"

"LOOK OUT!"

In a blink, everything went white. In an instant, everything changed. Taking the full brunt of the attack to his side, Jaune fell unconscious on the floor and the last thing he saw was Weiss flying over the edge and a voice screaming her name.

And then everything fell to black.

[k-s-morgan]

I heard news about a snowstorm in Ukraine that caused several deaths, and I was so worried for you. Are you okay, Morgan? Is your family safe? Are things calming down there? I keep checking for news that announces the end of this war, and it's disheartening to see that it never arrives. I can't imagine what it must be like to live through this. Is there anything we can do for you? Do you need somewhere to take refuge outside the country? Is the money you receive from your job sufficient for you and your family to live comfortably? I always check the updates you post, and it's admirable that these horrible events haven't changed the golden heart you have, you are a wonderful person and you don't deserve any of what is happening, I hate that I can't do anything to stop it this war, but whatever I can do for you I will.

please be safe, please keep fighting.

Another ask: Hey, I hope you're just busy but please give us some sign that you're okay, please. I'm worried

Another ask: Katrin, you are okay??

Another ask: You okay??

Another ask: How are you going?? Is everything already? Please asnwer 😭

----------------------------

Hi! Thank you all, you wonderful anons (and my lovely first anon, I'll respond to your questions further down in this reply). I'm so touched that you've been thinking about me! There was indeed a serious snowstorm that caused some deaths, but I'm fine: honestly, I'm such a hopeless stay-at-home introvert that I usually leave only for short trips to the shop and to feed pigeons & stray cats. So I meet most storms safely tucked in my bed))

It's all right now, though everything is still covered in snow. If there is snow where you are, too, and you see miserable pigeons or other birds around, please feed them if possible! They rely on us entirely during winters. Some grain would be ideal.

I was hoping to make a monthly post, but my tight work schedule + migraines ruined these plans, so I decided to give up on it. Russians haven't attacked my city again yet after that the most massive attack by drones. I'm pretty sure it is coming, though, especially on holidays. They tried to tun our last New Year into hell on purpose by sending missiles during the day, killing people, and then sending drones at night. I worry that this year might be even worse, but I've been teaching myself to live in the present and enjoy peace while I still have it, so I manage to keep my fears at bay.

First anon, thank you so much for your kindness! I have places where I could go and stay beyond Ukraine, but for the next year at the least, I intend to keep holding on because I can't leave without my family (and the bigger half of my family is not allowed to leave legally yet). If Russian attacks get completely unbearable, I might go to Poland to my relatives for a month or two just to unwind and to repair my sanity a bit.

As for the money, I'm doing more or less okay, and people who keep supporting me on Patreon help me to stay afloat. I have some debts, but they are under control - I owe the bank $300, which is 1/3 of my monthly salary, so I'm capable of paying it back little by little. The situation is not ideal, but nothing to worry about.

Like many Ukrainians at the moment, I feel burned out regarding the war. There are many amazing, kind people in this world, and our soldiers are absolute heroes who deserve all respect in the world, but those with power to make decisions like money way too much. It's an unfortunate fact that has been making people all over the world suffer generations after generations. Many US, European, and Chinese companies continue to help Russia manufacture its missiles and other things they use to kill us. The help Ukraine gets is enough to let us survive but not enough to let us win. Those who can make money on it eagerly grab the chance, including some members of our own government. I'd like to be optimistic, but I really don't see a scenario that would end with justice. It's very difficult to accept the fact that terrorists and murderers won't be punished - on the contrary, many of them will continue to live in luxury, unable to imagine what an explosion even sounds like, until the day they die. But like I said before, it is what it is. The world is full of bitter examples like this.

Thank you for being with me and supporting me, reading my stories and sending your asks. I hope to end this month with posting two chapters for my two stories. My second job comes to an end December 15, and hopefully, I'll get a chance to really dive into writing after this!

[balkanradfem]

So I haven't made many garden updates because of my mental health, I went into survival mode for a bit, but now things are looking up, so I have things to share!

The garden has started producing zuchinnis monstrously, I've somehow managed to get more than 6 zuchinni plants which is a Mistake and I should have known better. I've ran out of ideas so I've been looking online for recipes and then I found this video, which I believe is the most sinful video ever created, if you're into women and wanting to get severely tempted then and only then watch this.

I've managed to get poisoned again, nobody is surprised, but this time I didn't do anything except eat food that was more than 24hrs old, I thought it would be fine, it didn't taste like it went completely bad, it was more like, on the edge. I think it happened because I put raw chives in it, and it was like, a blended soup, so maybe I just shouldn't do that. It took me 2 days to recover, I'm alright now.

The rest of the garden is doing so bad it's kinda funny, I haven't been taking care of it like usual, and I've found myself not having enough seeds of everything I've wanted, like green beans, peas, potatoes, so I've decided to plant what I have, only to get seeds, without actually eating those things. I also want to learn to grow potatoes and onions out of seeds, I've never done it before but I'm very excited at the prospect! My potatoes are not currently flowering but I saw a big field of potatoes and they all had flowers, so I'm planning to just sneak in there and steal a few potato fruits - nobody here is growing potatoes from seed anyway and the fruits are very poisonous. (I will not eat them don't worry).

I've gotten a decent harvest of garlic, I'm very happy with it! I got above expectations amount of chamomile, and I got gifted a whole lot of thyme. I'm in the process of drying strawberries for winter and I love how much I've got already. Next zuchinnis to get harvested will get dried too, and then finally, I'll dry cherry tomatoes as well. I can't wait to have a stash of dried goods again, they were invaluable last winter.

My tomatoes are looking pretty bad this summer, and that's not usually the case, I wonder if it's the bad weather, or I just haven't done enough fertilizing this year. I've gotten a few tiny ones from my balcony, where I'm having a few dwarf tomatoes grow, but they've also been doing bad, and they seem to be dying already. Peppers are still tiny little things and I only hope that eventually they start to grow properly. Beans, on the other hand, are doing great, they've taken their space and they're ruling their lands, climbing up to the skies and creating tons of produce. I'm checking every day to see when I can start a harvest, I would absolutely love some beans.

I feel like this year is a preparation more than a great gardening year; the beans will fertilize my soil, the lessons I've learned about planting in strawberry beds will help me do a better job next year, the tiny amount of green beans and peas I've planted will give me the seeds to plant big amounts next year, and if I learn to grow onions and potatoes from seed, the next year I will have more than enough, and I will have the knowledge to keep producing these things forever, without ever having to worry about seeds again.

If anyone has recipes for zuchinni that only require potatoes, flour, garlic and spices, I'd love to know! I have poisoned myself with soup so I have to hit the pause on that. Once I get tomatoes and peppers it will be pizza time!

[irenethewoman]

Mrs. Shelby - Chapter 22 - Goodbye Johnboy

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@ell0ra-br3kk3r

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Thank you for getting this far, this will be the last chapter of this story. 💕

Even in the long-uninhabited house, it's not cold, but I still tighten my collar. Ismay... she must have left with the children, something she always wanted. Everyone has their own aspirations, which is understandable. I just wonder if the Lee family will accept her as before—with her husband and ex-wife's children in tow.

"What about Maria? Is she okay, injured?" After John's release, he bought a small villa in the countryside, with a yard, where he lived with his little family. He survived the gunfire on the hellish battlefield, only to die in a shameful ambush.

"Do you want to take her in?" Tommy, still holding the phone, just turned his head to ask me.

"If she's willing, do you mind?" Despite Tommy's attempts to stop me, I still went to John's house. ...Maybe now it can only be called a house.

It's winter now, the yard desolate, remnants of snow covering dry grass, dark red traces winding on the stone path. Without a fireplace, the living room on the first floor is as cold as an ice cellar.

Ismay is not at home, only the children wrapped in thick blankets huddle in the attic. When they see me, they all rush over. I make some hot milk, tuck them into bed, just like seven years ago.

Seven years ago... it was also winter when the Shelby brothers returned from the battlefield. Birmingham train station seems to float before my eyes, John's hearty laughter piercing through the lingering smoke...

I lower my head, wiping my eyes. "Dad is gone."

Maria sits next to me, looking out the window like me. I turn to look at her, but can't find any words to comfort her—because this is the truth. She's 13 now, buried her mother with me, and I can't use the words like "he just went to a place we can't go" to fool her.

"I'm an orphan," she says, her voice choking, trembling as she wipes her eyes.

I embrace her.

I know, just as I thought, even if Maria has no malice towards Ismay, and they get along well, Maria will not admit another woman as her mother. Just like me back then, Maria won't face the ruthless relatives dividing the property, even if Ismay leaves the Shelbys, I'll find a lawyer to settle John's assets and hand them over to her personally. A widow with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

Once she calms down, I bring up my intention to her, "Dear, would you like to come and live with us?"

"What about Harry and them?"

"Just you."

It's not that Tommy and I can't afford to raise Maria's half-siblings, relying on my own assets would be enough to support them, along with my sons, without worry. But now we're at a disadvantage, it's not easy to take care of more children, and I don't want those Italians to use Martha and John's children as bargaining chips. Even if Ismay wants to leave the Shelbys, I'll calculate John's assets with a lawyer and hand them over to her personally. A widowed woman with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

"I'll take care of them."

"Even in this situation, you still think about those children?"

"What can I do, Maria?"

After finishing the conversation, I still went to John's house...

Maybe now it can only be called a house.

Now it's winter, the yard is desolate, the remaining snow covers the dry grass, and dark red traces wind on the stone path. Without a fireplace, the living room on the first floor is as cold as an ice cellar.

Ismay is not at home, only the children wrapped in thick blankets huddle in the attic. When they see me, they all rush over. I make some hot milk, tuck them into bed, just like seven years ago.

Seven years ago... it was also winter when the Shelby brothers returned from the battlefield. Birmingham train station seems to float before my eyes, John's hearty laughter piercing through the lingering smoke...

I lower my head, wiping my eyes. "Dad is gone."

Maria sits next to me, looking out the window like me. I turn to look at her, but can't find any words to comfort her—because this is the truth. She's 13 now, buried her mother with me, and I can't use the words like "he just went to a place we can't go" to fool her.

"I'm an orphan," she says, her voice choking, trembling as she wipes her eyes.

I embrace her.

I know, just as I thought, even if Maria has no malice towards Ismay, and they get along well, Maria will not admit another woman as her mother. Just like me back then, Maria won't face the ruthless relatives dividing the property, even if Ismay leaves the Shelbys, I'll find a lawyer to settle John's assets and hand them over to her personally. A widow with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

Once she calms down, I bring up my intention to her, "Dear, would you like to come and live with us?"

"What about Harry and them?"

"Just you."

It's not that Tommy and I can't afford to raise Maria's half-siblings, relying on my own assets would be enough to support them, along with my sons, without worry. But now we're at a disadvantage, it's not easy to take care of more children, and I don't want those Italians to use Martha and John's children as bargaining chips. Even if Ismay wants to leave the Shelbys, I'll calculate John's assets with a lawyer and hand them over to her personally. A widowed woman with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

"I'll take care of them."

"Even in this situation, you still think about those children?"

"What can I do, Maria?"

After finishing the conversation, I still went to John's house...

Maybe now it can only be called a house.

Now it's winter, the yard is desolate, the remaining snow covers the dry grass, and dark red traces wind on the stone path. Without

a fireplace, the living room on the first floor is as cold as an ice cellar.

Ismay is not at home, only the children wrapped in thick blankets huddle in the attic. When they see me, they all rush over. I make some hot milk, tuck them into bed, just like seven years ago.

Seven years ago... it was also winter when the Shelby brothers returned from the battlefield. Birmingham train station seems to float before my eyes, John's hearty laughter piercing through the lingering smoke...

I lower my head, wiping my eyes. "Dad is gone."

Maria sits next to me, looking out the window like me. I turn to look at her, but can't find any words to comfort her—because this is the truth. She's 13 now, buried her mother with me, and I can't use the words like "he just went to a place we can't go" to fool her.

"I'm an orphan," she says, her voice choking, trembling as she wipes her eyes.

I embrace her.

I know, just as I thought, even if Maria has no malice towards Ismay, and they get along well, Maria will not admit another woman as her mother. Just like me back then, Maria won't face the ruthless relatives dividing the property, even if Ismay leaves the Shelbys, I'll find a lawyer to settle John's assets and hand them over to her personally. A widow with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

Once she calms down, I bring up my intention to her, "Dear, would you like to come and live with us?"

"What about Harry and them?"

"Just you."

It's not that Tommy and I can't afford to raise Maria's half-siblings, relying on my own assets would be enough to support them, along with my sons, without worry. But now we're at a disadvantage, it's not easy to take care of more children, and I don't want those Italians to use Martha and John's children as bargaining chips. Even if Ismay wants to leave the Shelbys, I'll calculate John's assets with a lawyer and hand them over to her personally. A widowed woman with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

"I'll take care of them."

"Even in this situation, you still think about those children?"

"What can I do, Maria?"

After finishing the conversation, I still went to John's house...

Maybe now it can only be called a house.

Now it's winter, the yard is desolate, the remaining snow covers the dry grass, and dark red traces wind on the stone path. Without a fireplace, the living room on the first floor is as cold as an ice cellar.

Ismay is not at home, only the children wrapped in thick blankets huddle in the attic. When they see me, they all rush over. I make some hot milk, tuck them into bed, just like seven years ago.

Seven years ago... it was also winter when the Shelby brothers returned from the battlefield. Birmingham train station seems to float before my eyes, John's hearty laughter piercing through the lingering smoke...

I lower my head, wiping my eyes. "Dad is gone."

Maria sits next to me, looking out the window like me. I turn to look at her, but can't find any words to comfort her—because this is the truth. She's 13 now, buried her mother with me, and I can't use the words like "he just went to a place we can't go" to fool her.

"I'm an orphan," she says, her voice choking, trembling as she wipes her eyes.

I embrace her.

I know, just as I thought, even if Maria has no malice towards Ismay, and they get along well, Maria will not admit another woman as her mother. Just like me back then, Maria won't face the ruthless relatives dividing the property, even if Ismay leaves the Shelbys, I'll find a lawyer to settle John's assets and hand them over to her personally. A widow with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

Once she calms down, I bring up my intention to her, "Dear, would you like to come and live with us?"

"What about Harry and them?"

"Just you."

It's not that Tommy and I can't afford to raise Maria's half-siblings, relying on my own assets would be enough to support them, along with my sons, without worry. But now we're at a disadvantage, it's not easy to take care of more children, and I don't want those Italians to use Martha and John's children as bargaining chips. Even if Ismay wants to leave the Shelbys, I'll calculate John's assets with a lawyer and hand them over to her personally. A widowed woman with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

"I'll take care of them."

"Even in this situation, you still think about those children?"

"What can I do, Maria?"

After finishing the conversation, I still went to John's house...

Maybe now it can only be called a house.

Now it's winter, the yard is desolate, the remaining snow covers the dry grass, and dark red traces wind on the stone path. Without a fireplace, the living room on the first floor is as cold as an ice cellar.

Ismay is not at home, only the children wrapped in thick blankets huddle in the attic. When they see me, they all rush over. I make some hot milk, tuck them into bed, just like seven years ago.

Seven years ago... it was also winter when the Shelby brothers returned from the battlefield. Birmingham train station seems to float before my eyes, John's hearty laughter piercing through the lingering smoke...

I lower my head, wiping my eyes. "Dad is gone."

Maria sits next to me, looking out the window like me. I turn to look at her, but can't find any words to comfort her—because this is the truth. She's 13 now, buried her mother with me, and I can't use the words like "he just went to a place we can't go" to fool her.

"I'm an orphan," she says, her voice choking, trembling as she wipes her eyes.

I embrace her.

I know, just as I thought, even if Maria has no malice towards Ismay, and they get along well, Maria will not admit another woman as her mother. Just like me back then, Maria won't face the ruthless relatives dividing the property, even if Ismay leaves the Shelbys, I'll find a lawyer to settle John's assets and hand them over to her personally. A widow with her children returning to the wilderness needs financial support. Society, even the Gypsy society, is too malicious towards orphans and widows. I think John would agree with what I'm doing.

-

A few months passed, and life in Small Heath began to settle into a new rhythm. The Shelby family faced the challenges that came their way with the resilience that defined them. The absence of John was felt deeply, but they carried his memory forward.

Maria, now a part of the Shelby household, brought a different energy into the home. Despite the hardships, she managed to bring laughter and warmth back into the lives of the Shelby children. Ada, always the pragmatic one, helped guide the family through the intricacies of their evolving circumstances.

As winter gave way to spring, Thomas Shelby found solace in the routines of daily life. The business thrived, and alliances were forged that solidified the Shelby name in Birmingham. He and Grace grew closer, finding comfort in each other's presence amidst the storm that had passed.

One day, as Thomas walked through the garden behind the Shelby residence, he found Grace sitting on a bench, lost in thought. The scent of blooming flowers filled the air, and the sun cast a gentle warmth upon them.

"Tommy," Grace said, breaking the silence, "I never expected this life, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

He sat down beside her, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "We've been through hell and back, Grace. But here we are."

She turned to him, a soft smile playing on her lips. "For Johnboy," she whispered.

Thomas nodded, the weight of their shared losses hanging in the air. "For Johnboy," he echoed, intertwining his fingers with hers.

The Shelby family, though scarred by the battles of the past, found strength in each other. The Shelby Company continued to prosper, and Small Heath, once a battleground, now stood as a testament to their resilience.

In the evenings, Thomas and Grace would take walks through the quiet streets, hand in hand. The echoes of the past began to fade, replaced by the promise of a future they had fought hard to secure.

As they stood on the balcony of their home, overlooking the city that had witnessed their triumphs and tragedies, Thomas Shelby realized that, despite the losses, life had a way of moving forward.

And so, in the fading light of the Birmingham sunset, the Shelby family found a new beginning—a testament to their strength, love, and the enduring spirit that defined them.

-

Years later, the Shelby family found themselves reflecting on the tumultuous journey that led them to where they stood. Small Heath had transformed, and the Shelby name resonated not just in Birmingham but far beyond. The once gritty streets now bore the marks of progress, but the memories of their rise lingered like shadows.

Thomas Shelby, now seasoned by time and experience, sat in his study surrounded by the relics of a bygone era. The clinking of whiskey glasses echoed as he and Diana raised a toast to the legacy they had built. The photographs on the walls captured moments of triumph, loss, and the indomitable Shelby spirit.

As he looked at the framed picture of John, a bittersweet smile crossed Thomas's face. The pain had dulled with the passage of years, but the bond with his late brother remained etched in his heart.

Ada, a pillar of strength for the family, had forged her own path. Her intelligence and resilience had taken her beyond Birmingham's confines, and she had become a symbol of women breaking barriers.

Tommy's children had grown into formidable individuals, inheriting the Shelby grit. Charlie, with a keen mind for business, played a crucial role in expanding the Shelby Company. His sister, Mary, had become a force to be reckoned with, embodying the Shelby strength in every decision she made.

Arthur, though scarred by his past, had found redemption through love. His family had helped him conquer the demons that once haunted him, and he had become a symbol of transformation.

Diana, sitting beside Thomas, reflected on the sacrifices made and the victories earned. The love between them had weathered storms, and their partnership had become the backbone of the Shelby legacy.

The Shelby Company had diversified its interests, and its influence stretched across various industries. The family had navigated the treacherous waters of politics, business, and crime, emerging not unscathed but victorious.

In the dim light of the study, Thomas raised a photo of the entire Shelby family—past and present. His gaze lingered on the faces of those who were no longer there, a silent acknowledgment of the cost of their chosen path.

As the clock ticked, the Shelby family continued to stand against the currents of time. The streets of Small Heath whispered tales of their triumphs and struggles, a testament to the indelible mark the Peaky Blinders had left on history.

And so, with the weight of their legacy behind them, the Shelby family faced the future, their story forever etched in the annals of Birmingham's history.

Fin

[eightsisterofmatariki]

Shazam!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

!! TW: child abuse !!

Billys P.O.V

I walked home and sighed in relief that the guy who owned the house was asleep, he was supposed to be my new dad and he was failing, hell even ignoring the abuse I didn't even know his name! I sat in my 'bedroom' and sighed. I wanted to run away, forget this place, welcome the streets.

And it's not like the guy upstairs would even notice until he missed a child support payment, but once CPS was alerted I was screwed. I doubt I could run form CPS for long as Billy and Captain Marvel would have no means of making money, at least as Billy I could beg which got me the food I needed. And here, when I was lucky, I could sneak a microwaveable meal, they weren't that bad raw, really.

Okay, that sounded pathetic even in my head. But another -more solid- reason was that the basement didn't freeze, even in winters, even if I was stuck awake I wasn't going to die from the cold, and most of the year it stayed warm enough that the abuse wounds healed by the time I went on patrol. Even ignoring what abuse wounds would do to my public image, I don't think I could deal with two sets of injuries. I was sure heartless muggers could and would replace a nameless drunk.

I sat down in my bed and my stomach rumbled, I ignored it, it was stupid that I was hungry. I could survive of meals from begging, the watchtower, and if desperate the cupboard. I snuggled into my jumper, pretending that there was someone in it, someone who cared enough to lie still of me; and if I cried myself to sleep that night, well that was none of your business.

I woke up with a sigh and as I sat up Phantom appeared "Why are you here?" I asked, Phantom held out a meal, a warm meal which varied from ration bars

"You can't check if it's poisoned." Phantom offered gentely, I took the food and ate it happily without checking. I was sure Phantom could've killed me by now, poison would be a waste. "I promise I'm here to help." Phantom said

"Why?" I asked suspiciously, something broke in Phantoms eyes

"Superheros- esspecially minors, often value their jobs above their own well being; and while I can't say that's bad even more hours for begging could change your life from what I've seen. I've never been in a situation like this but I know that presure and limited time can have effects, I just want to help." Phantom exlained, I hesiatated and Phantom opened up his... soul? Emotions? Mind? What ever it was it radiated safetruthcareprotect worriedconcernrelate helpnurtureteach protectsafe childghostlingbaby

"Okay," reliefhappydetermine "But nothing too big, I don't want to owe you or anything."

"Don't worry, I'm not a rope into deals kinda guy." Phantom said "I'll get you some food and heal what inguries I can." Phantom explained,

"If you're not lying... thanks." I said.

That afternoon I walked downstairs and found another meal, I ate it slowly and savoured the taste of actual warm food, I slept with a full stomach for the first time in a while that night. Next morning I woke up to the smell of another meal and relaxed when I realised it wasn't a dream!

-

A few weeks later when I walked downstairs Phantom was sitting there, "Uhh, hi." I said, he handed me a plate of food and I started eating,

"I looked you up, you have wisdom of soloumon-" I winced at how bad his pronunciation was "-or something. Does it apply to homework? For example can you know which one is the right answer on a multichoice math quiz?" Phantom asked while glaring at a book, I laughed

"I don't think so, I'm not going to be much help with math considering I dropped out before primary even ended." I mentioned, Phantom gave a long suffering sigh

"You know how to spell right? All my friends are busy and Clockwork's dealing with all the knots your speedsters keep making in time and Frighty and Pandora keep saying my grammars incorrect and suggesting words like 'twas' and 'shall' and stuff that belongs in a medieval movie!" Phantom complained, I made a mental note to look into Clockwork and tell Flash that he was pissing off someone powerful enough to have at least some control over time and know the ghost king.

"I can spell, just not really big words." I confirmed, Phantom gestured for me to sit next to him

"Great, you're helping me with my english homework." Phantom informed me

"You have to do english homework?" I asked in shock

"Yeah, I kind of want to strangle the guy who said that death is like sleep right now. Mr Lancer is relentless, oh and he doesn't know I'm dead yet." Phantom mentioned, I choked on the mouthful I was trying to swallow

"What?" I asked, Phantom gave me a small smirk

"What summoning book about me did you read? I'm a halfa, half human, half ghost," rings of light wrapped around him and showed me a very human looking teenager, almost 20, black hair that no longer defied gravity, teeth that have sharp canines but to a convincibly human level, freckles that were the same shapes as constellations but didn't glow, blue eyes that flashed green when the lights hit them just right, pink blush instead of green, a tan skin tone instead of a deathly pale, white and red socks, and a normal jumper and jeans with silver stars embroidered onto them. "I still live as Danny Fenton, not in this realm of course." Phantom said

"Wait, Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom... seriously?" I asked

"No ones put it together yet, I mean at the very start I looked pretty much like I do as a human only I glowed, and had green eyes, and white hair, and just happened to be wearing a hazmat suit. But I grew up within... two days I'd say, got a few more ghostly aspects, ghost instincts replacing or clashing with some human ones, and control over my powers. Then at two years of death I went through ghost puberty, Vlad is lucky, he just sped through it all in a hospital bed, I had to grow a mouth full of sharp teeth and deal with my nails turning into claws before I could control that stuff! Oh and get different forms and became way stronger but like, the teeth were really annoying and I accidentally sliced a door handle off when walking into class." Phantom ranted, I giggled

"That's gotta be hard to keep your secret identity." I said

"You'd be surprised what people are willing to overlook if you play it right." Phantom said, he waved his hand and a small portal appeared "Can you keep a secret?" Phantom asked

"Have you seen my secret identity?" I retorted, the portal cleared into an image of a guy with glasses opening a door and accidentally shattering the handle, another scene where the same guy pulled a different door off it's hinges, and accidentally lifted a weight which was definitely heavyer than most weightlifters could. "Is that... Superman?" I asked and I moved closer and sat down to watch

"Also known as Clark Kent, I'm the Ancient -which are... ghost gods? Kinda- of Space, Protection, and Heros. I have all of their moments." Phantom said happily, he pulled up a portal of some guy with spiderwebs in red and blue spandex swinging straight into a building, then a lamppost, then stopping while being chased by a giant man in a rhino suit to pet a cat. Then another portal of (IS THAT BATMAN!?) setting a pan on fire while trying to cook something, then deciding he could totally do that obstacle corse in high heels, then piercing his ear with a medical needle. I laughed as the scene changed and Flash ran into several walls, then managed to be late for work 3 times.

As I moved my hand up to cover my mouth it moved Phantoms bag and a few school books fell out, he sighed and closed the portal "Okay, okay, we're writing a novel on Frankenstein, how do we start this?" Phantom asked while clicking a pen

"Uhh, introduction, three paragraphs, conclusion. It should be TEXT, Topic sentence, Example, eXplanation, and then Tie back, you can swap the e's." I explained,

"Okay, uh, what about..."

-

The next morning I woke up leaning on Phantoms shoulder and curled into his hoodie, I sat up slightly and Phantom woke up

"Morning." Phantom said as he got up and stretched, turning back into the king he opened a portal "I'll get breakfast, take aways or cereal? The cereal might be slightly contaminated but it never really died so it won't come back to life."

"Your food comes back to life?" I asked

"That's not normal? I'll uh, get you a pastry and a smoothie." Phantom said, "I thought everyone's hotdogs unionised?" I heard him mutter as he stepped through the portal

[pregnant-piggy]

omg dev can i please get just like cuddling in front of a fireplace with jesper after a long day

i know the weather is still summery like but i’m a sucker for autumn/winter cozy fics

yes taja i absolutely loved this. im so done with summer and these types of fics are the best

Fireside

Rain slammed against the window, an uneven rhythm drowning out your thoughts. Orange and yellow flames danced in the fireplace, basking the room in a cosy hue and spreading a welcomed warmth. 

There was a book lying in your lap, pages lit by the firelight just enough so you could read. One finger was fumbling with the corner of the right page while your eyes travelled over the words quickly. 

Softly, the door of the room opened and Jesper walked in. He was wearing linen trousers and a cotton shirt, much different from his usual, colourful attire, but you loved it because it showed the softer side of his personality. One that only came out around you. 

"Still not finished?" Jesper nodded to your book. 

You huffed. "I started this morning." 

"That usually doesn't stop you." 

Jesper sunk down next to you on the sofa, throwing one arm over the back, right behind you. He pressed a kiss to the side of your head and rested his own head on your shoulder after. 

"I missed you," he mumbled. 

You smiled despite yourself. "Babe, you were gone three hours." 

"Yes! Do you have any idea how long that is without" —he took your hand— "your hands? Or" —he tipped his index finger against your lips— "your kisses? And, don't even get me started on missing" —he used his finger to push the corner of your mouth back and you giggled— "hmm, that. I can't survive without your laugh." 

You let out an embarrassed laugh and hid your face in the crook of Jesper's neck. He pulled your head back, holding it steady in front of his own. 

"Don't hide from me." Very slowly he kissed you, cupping your jaw. 

The heat of the fire was nothing compared to the heat in your cheeks, but you smiled at Jesper and pressed a kiss to his nose.

"I missed you, too," you said. 

Jesper rested his head on your shoulder again. You appreciated the heat radiating off his body. He was always warm, even on the coldest nights, and you loved having your own little heater. Whenever you were cold, all you had to do was crawl against his chest. Luckily, he never declined. 

The hand behind you slid down to your waist and Jesper pulled you closer to his body. You were pressed tightly to him, feeling his breath on your skin each time he breathed out. 

You tried to focus on your book, but you were just too comfortable. 

"I'll fall asleep like this," you mumbled. 

"Good," Jesper said. "That'll give me an excuse to sleep too." 

You laughed, closing your book and putting it aside. "You can always fall asleep against me." 

"I'm usually otherwise occupied when so close to you." You could feel Jesper's smirk against your skin. "Don't think you'll appreciate me falling asleep then." 

"You're impossible," you chuckled. 

You threw your arm around Jesper and placed your legs over his. His free hand rested on your thigh.

Jesper pressed a kiss to your collarbone. "And all yours, too."

[thats-alittle-gay]

Warning: Talks of depression, su!c!de, and SA

This is going to be long, but if you care enough to read the whole thing, then thank you. Not looking for an argument. Just giving my perspective and my thoughts on Taylor Swift. If you don't want it, then don't read.

Taylor has been under fire a lot recently for many different things and I don't think that's fair. I saw a video talking about her plane usage and there was a comment defending her. Someone had replied to that comment saying things along the line of "Taylor is never gonna give you anything, you're not going to get invited to her house so I don't know why you're defending her."

You're right. She is not going to see our comments on a random YouTube video. We'll never be bff's with her. The majority of us will never even get to meet her. That doesn't matter to us, at least, to me it doesn't.

I was three years old when her debut album came out. I remember jamming to Picture to Burn (OG lyrics) and Our Song. I even remember that Teardrops on My Guitar had a version that said "You" instead of Drew and the song also used to say the word "Damn". It wouldn't be until high school that I became a Swifite, but I always liked her songs.

I remember 7th grade when I was su!c!da1 and depressed. My favorite artist at the time was Sabrina Carpenter and I found her cover of Safe & Sound. I had never heard this song before but I was in love with it. This led me to the original recording by Taylor and Safe & Sound has been my favorite Taylor Swift song to this day. I cried when she announced the Taylor's Version of the song because of how much that song helped me. Watching Sabrina Carpenter grow up covering multiple Taylor Swift songs and end up opening for her at the Eras Tour was magical and shows that dreams can come true. Sabrina Carpenter's song Exhale was also a song I used to cope and calm myself during panic attacks.

I remember watching the video of the one year anniversary of Taylor winning her SA case and playing Clean at the Reputation tour. I had something happen to me in my childhood that I struggled to even think of without crying. SA is a horrible thing that shouldn't happen to anyone, and it can be anyone. From a nobody like me to the person who was labeled the Music Industry. It helped me to know and understand that I wasn't alone in my fears or feelings.

Forever Winter came out a year after a very hard year for me. Beginning of the school year, a close and long time friend made an attempt on their life and I didn't see them for a month. It wasn't until they came back that I knew what had happened. (Check on your love ones, even the ones that seem fine) then the next semester, another friend went through the same. Except they didn't get to try because someone found out and was able to call the police and get them help. It was so terrifying and I sobbed when that song came out because it meant so much to me. I had nightmares over my friends being away. This song helped me when I was in a similar position and I didn't want someone to feel the way I felt. I don't want someone to hear Forever Winter and think about me. I have a connection with Soon You'll Get Better. My mom was in and out of the hospital for strokes and doctors couldn't figure out what was triggering them. For most of my childhood, my mom was pretty much the only parent I had. She's not a Taylor Swift fan, but I picked her first to come with me to Eras because all of the concerts I went to I went with her and she's very important to me. I literally can't imagine my life without her and I wouldn't be the person I am now if she hadn't been my mom.

I had another battle with depression and ended up hurting myself a lot. After hiding it for months, I ended 2023 with the line, "Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived". And I hope that those last two words continues to be true. Her songs also become my goals, both small and big. I have the day marked on my calendar when I'll be "10 months sober" from my last incident and she was right when she said "When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe". In my last incident I was crying uncontrollably on my kitchen floor, but was able to get someone to come help me before I escalated the situation. I needed that breakdown to finally get the help I needed and realize that I wanted to live. Someday, I will look back on these years and once again say, "I survived".

When people say that she's never going to give us anything. You're wrong. She wrote down the words and emotions that we experienced and she lets us know that we're not alone. She gives us a way to cope with our situation or just something to dance around to. She helps us connect with people. We all made friendship bracelets for Eras because of one line in a song. Bracelets have now become a huge part of the fan base and we connect and make friends with more people that way now. Taylor Swift is not perfect. No one is perfect. She is a good person who does care about her friends, family and fans and has proven that many many times.

You don't know what goes on when the cameras are off. People want to be upset for her bringing Lana on stage. I'm not going to act like I know what really happened, but I do know that if my friend won something and was trying to bring me up with her, I'd say "No, it's okay, it's your award" but if they wanted me up there I would've gone. Lana helped with Midnights with Snow on the Beach. Maybe she was just shy or introverted in that moment. We don't know. We don't know what went through Taylor's head when she won AOTY. I do know that her and Celine have interacted before so they weren't strangers. Taylor acknowledged Lana as a legacy artist because she inspires her and Lana helped with Midnights. And it is possible to be just as excited about your 14th award as you were for your first. People would've come after her if she hadn't reacted to winning. I get excited every time my best friend texts me first and I've known her for seven years. Let alone someone who won a record breaking award for most AOTY wins. She had limited time and was in the moment. Miley Cyrus didn't use up her time hugging everyone, which doesn't matter because we shouldn't be "Comparing all the girls who are killing it". To everyone who complains every time Taylor breathed, she's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't because someone is going to complain no matter what. But this post isn't about what you think Taylor should or shouldn't do. This is about what she has already done for me and others like me.

I'm going back to the YouTube comment. The next time you meet a Swifite, ask them why they like her so much and listen to what they have to say. Ask them what their favorite song is and why they like it so much. Taylor has given us all a voice with the songs she writes. A lot of us have a personal story that connects to one of our favorite songs. She gives some of us confidence. The day I started calling myself a Swifite was the day I started caring less about what people thought of me. I don't care if they call me weird because I am weird. If they make comments, it just encourages me to be myself more. She has a song for every emotion I have felt and I use music to cope and relax. Her songs make me smile when I'm having a bad day. I love the variety of sounds and lyrics throughout her discography. She makes me learn because she keeps using big, fancy words/phrases that I don't understand and have to go look up so I can understand the song.

You don't have to like her, but don't go after the people who do. One of the worst kinds of people are the ones who make others feel bad about something that makes them happy. We came for the music and stayed for her character. Look beyond what the media shares because the media only shares parts of the story and their "facts" aren't always accurate.

If you made it this far, I thank you and hope you are doing okay physically, mentally, and emotionally. I'm not great at advice, but I am always willing to listen if you need someone to talk to. If you wanna chat about Taylor or something else, I'd love to, or if you want to get something off your chest, I'm here. Our world has enough problems without us tearing each other down over artists we like or things we enjoy.

[catladywriter]

Inotan Fanfic: Pet the Cat - Chapter 2

Just a Cat

Synopsis: Inosuke wasn’t sure why he bothered rescuing the cat. In the wild, it was survival of the fittest and the weak were left to die. But saving the cat felt like something Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and even Nezuko would do. Before he could second guess his decision, he’d jumped into the freezing cold river at the beginning of winter without a shirt on and plucked the drowning feline from the clutches of death.

But far from being grateful, the cat turned out to be a good-for-nothing that poached his underlings and bossed them around in ways unimaginable to him. When it started competing with him for attention from his Underling Number One, Inosuke decided he must show this arrogant fluffball who’s boss!

Main Pairing: Inotan (Inosuke x Tanjirou)

Secondary Pairing: ZenNezu (Zenitsu x Nezuko)

Setting: Canon AU, 2 years after the main story ends

Wordcount: 11,200+ across 3 chapters

Chapters: 1 2 3

Status: Complete. 3rd story in the Series: Where the Wisteria Always Bloom.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The following afternoon, Inosuke and Tanjirou were taking a stroll through the garden when Kuro-chan emerged from beneath a thick bush. The cat let out a contented yawn and stretched its body. Then it bounded over to Tanjirou and rubbed its head against his leg.

"Watch this," Tanjirou said. He knelt down beside Kuro-chan and reached out to pet the feline. His hand moved slowly and carefully over the cat's fur. Kuro-chan leaned into the touch, its eyes closing in pleasure. As Tanjirou continued to pet the cat, its purrs grew louder and more enthusiastic.

Inosuke was surprised to feel soothed by the scene before him, a picture of calm and peace. The cat clearly enjoyed being petted, but even Tanjirou wore a tangible expression of contentment on his face. Inosuke had never seen him look so relaxed in a while. Running an eatery was a hectic endeavour that kept him busy day in and out.

The cat gave Tanjirou’s hand a final nuzzle and then moved away, tail twitching. Inosuke moved forward, eager to commit what he had observed to practice, but Tanjirou stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"His tail was twitching, and he moved away," Tanjirou explained. "That means he's had enough. Any more and he'll get stressed and upset. You'll have to try later."

"Huh?! Cats are so troublesome!" Inosuke exclaimed.

Tanjirou laughed. "Well, they can be quite fussy, but I think it's because they're very principled. And that's a good thing! You just have to be a bit more patient with them."

Inosuke felt put out. He’d thought that as the King of Mountains, he would have his new feline underling eating out of his hand in no time. Tanjrou must have registered his disappointment, because he said, “You can try on me first to get the hang of it! Then you’ll be ready the next time you see Kuro-chan.”

"Try on you?" Inosuke repeated, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Petting cats is like giving head pets," Tanjirou explained. "You have to be gentle and stroke in the right direction so you don't mess up the hair. Here, I'll show you."

Tanjirou reached out and gently patted Inosuke on the head. His hand moved in a slow and soothing motion, as he demonstrated the correct technique. "It's important to pay attention to their body language and to make sure they're enjoying the experience," he continued. "But when you get it right, it's a beautiful experience - for both you and the cat."

Inosuke closed his eyes in contentment. He enjoyed the warmth and affection emanating from Tanjirou's hand. Now, why had he never thought of asking Tanjirou for head pats? No wonder Nezuko liked getting head pats from her brother.

"I know what you mean," he said, thinking more about what a beautiful experience it was for himself, really, than for the cat. 

All too soon, Tanjirou stopped, and Inosuke opened his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that it was over so soon.

“So, that’s that. Now you try it on me!” Tanjirou pointed to his own head.

Inosuke placed his palm on Tanjirou's head with eagerness, feeling his heart race. He couldn't wait to give him warm and fuzzy feelings too.

"Oh! Your hair feels soft and nice!" he exclaimed, running his fingers through Tanjirou's fringe. He had touched Tanjirou's hair before, when they hugged or kissed, but he had never run his fingers through it the way he did now. The silky strands were like nothing he had ever felt before.

Tanjirou had been growing out his hair over the past year, and it was now long enough to be pulled back in a high ponytail. Without thinking, Inosuke reached out and grabbed Tanjirou's ponytail. He admired the fine and delicate strands between his fingers. They were such a pretty shade of maroon, and looked especially brilliant against the sunrays on that bright winter afternoon.

"Thanks for the compliment, but please don't grab my hair like that," Tanjirou winced.

Inosuke let go of Tanjirou's ponytail, but he proceeded to ruffle Tanjirou's fringe with both hands, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Cut it out, Inosuke," Tanjirou said, trying to pull away. "You're supposed to learn how to pet Kuro-chan. He'll scratch you if you mess with his fur like this!"

But Inosuke just laughed. "I don't care about that dumb cat. Petting you is way more fun."

Tanjirou sighed and gave up trying to escape. He closed his eyes and let Inosuke continue to play with his hair.

“Poor Tanjirou,” Zenitsu remarked to a giggling Nezuko as the pair of them walked past. “He’ll become prematurely bald at this rate.”

*

The next day, while they were washing up in the kitchen, Kuro-chan appeared out of nowhere and sidled up against Tanjirou's leg. Inosuke reached for it, but Tanjirou held him back again.

“If you pet Kuro-chan the way you grabbed my hair yesterday, you’re going to get scratched again. Pay attention and see how I do it.”

“How am I going to recruit Kuro-chan as my underling if I’m only allowed to watch?” Inosuke complained.

Tanjirou furrowed his eyebrows and tapped his chin contemplatively. Then he nodded and said, “This is what we’ll do. I’ll pet Kuro-chan, and you place your hand on top of mine and feel for yourself the strength and motion I use. Don’t make sudden movements or you’ll scare him. I’ll remove my hand after a little while and you can continue to pet him if he allows it.”

Inosuke nodded eagerly. Tanjirou knelt down and proceeded to explain the same thing to Kuro-chan. Kuro-chan just stared back at him with its gold-green eyes.

Tanjirou placed his hand on Kuro-chan’s neck and petted it. When Kuro-chan started purring, he motioned for Inosuke to follow. Inosuke knelt down beside him and placed his hand on top of Tanjirou’s. He felt the gentle pressure and strokes that Tanjirou used. He could feel Kuro-chan's purrs vibrating through his hand and it was a pleasant sensation. But all too soon, he was distracted by the feeling of Tanjirou’s skin against his own. Reflexively, Inosuke slid his fingers through the gaps between Tanjirou’s fingers and squeezed his palm. No matter how often he held his hand, it made his heart race with delight.

Tanjirou turned to look at him, his eyes widened in surprise. Then he beamed a broad and cheerful grin, his face radiant with warmth and joy. Inosuke felt his pulse quicken as Tanjirou’s fingers closed over his own.

“Are you learning to pet the cat or flirting with each other?” Zenitsu’s annoying voice cut through the air.

Kuro-chan seemed to agree with Zenitsu that they were doing a non-existent job of petting it. It emitted a loud, grumpy meow. Tanjirou pulled his hand away as the cat dashed off, its tail brushing past their hands.

*

As the days passed, Inosuke's interest in petting Kuro-chan waned. He had managed to touch the cat a couple of times for a few seconds. But the smooth, soft fur didn't quite compare to the sensation of running his fingers through Tanjirou's hair or touching his hands. Best of all, he could touch Tanjirou anytime he wanted without having to wait for him to be in the mood or worrying about getting clawed. However, Tanjirou seemed determined to help them bond. He carried a bag of fish flakes with him and showered Kuro-chan with praise and treats whenever the cat stuck around long enough for Inosuke to pet it.

Inosuke couldn’t help feeling resentful. He couldn't shake off the suspicion that this was a scam orchestrated by the scheming cat. How can it be that only Kuro-chan got rewards and praise when it was petted? Wasn’t the whole endeavour supposed to be about him learning to pet the cat? Shouldn’t he be the one receiving praise and treats from Tanjirou instead?

They were closing their eatery for the day when Kuro-chan strolled into the kitchen. As they both squatted down in front of the cat, it stayed still for a short while and allowed Inosuke to pet its head and its neck. Then it went to rub its cheek against Tanjirou’s knee.

“Ten seconds! That’s longer than yesterday!” Tanjirou announced happily. “Good boy!” He petted Kuro-chan all over. Inosuke felt a pang of annoyance. He had to bribe the cat with treats to allow him to pet it for mere seconds, and only on the head and neck. Meanwhile, it allowed Tanjirou to pet it freely, and did not seem in a rush to move away. He’s the King of Mountains. The dumb cat should feel honoured that he's giving it any attention. Why would the dumb cat prefer his underling?

“Why don’t you want this, Kuro-chan? Isn’t this your favourite?” Tanjirou held out a handful of fish flakes to Kuro-chan. But the cat turned its nose up at his offering. Instead, it went to rub its chin against his other knee.

“Oh nii-chan , there you are!” Nezuko came into the kitchen. “I was looking for the fish flakes. Kuro-chan doesn’t like those. I was going to see if Chuntarou and the crows want it.”

“But I’ve been giving these to Kuro-chan for the past few days and he eats them,” Tanjirou said, looking perplexed.

“I used tuna to make the fish flakes for the past few days. Today, I used mackerel and he doesn’t seem to like it,” Nezuko explained, shaking her head.

“Tuna and mackerel, aren’t they all the same?” Inosuke said incredulously.

“Apparently not,” Nezuko chuckled as she took the bag of mackerel flakes from Tanjirou. “Kuro-chan’s getting pickier about food.”

Tanjirou turned his attention back to the cat. “You came to me despite knowing that I didn’t have the treats you wanted? How sweet!”

The cat purred and rubbed its cheek enthusiastically against Tanjirou’s hand.

“Awww!” Nezuko gushed. “He doesn’t even do that to me although I feed him! Looks like Kuro-chan has chosen you as his favourite human! Or rather, favourite underling! Did I use the word correctly, Inosuke?” Nezuko beamed at him, looking very pleased with herself.

Inosuke, however, was less than pleased.

“This makes no sense at all! How can a tiny creature have an underling so much bigger than it?”

“No, I think she’s right,” Tanjirou said. “Yushirou-san said that cats think the world of themselves and they’re good at making humans do their bidding. He sometimes refers to himself as Chachamaru’s slave.”

Inosuke was definitely unhappy now. Tanjirou is his favourite underling. What kind of respectable boss steals other people’s underlings?

He’s always known Tanjirou to have an attractive disposition. Most people were eventually drawn to him, even if they disliked him at first. What he didn’t expect was that this disposition extended to cats too. At least people were less shameless. All he had to do was follow Tanjirou around and hold his hand to make potential rivals back off. Maybe throw in a few purposeful glares for those who got too close. But this cat had zero shame in encroaching on his territory. And Tanjirou was doing nothing to discourage it.

Before he knew it, he was yelling at the top of his voice, “Stupid Monjirou!! Who said you could be someone else’s underling!! You’re my underling number one and you only answer to me!!”

Kuro-chan dashed away into the shadows and Tanjirou looked startled. “Eh? But Kuro-chan’s just a cat.”

“Idiot Gompachirou!! Why are you paying so much attention to just a cat!! You should focus on me!! I’m your lover!!” He pinched and pulled at Tanjirou’s cheeks.

“Oops, looks like I said the wrong thing!” Nezuko said, looking apologetic.

“Don’t worry, Nezuko-chan,” Zenitsu said snidely as he came in with a stack of dirty dishes. “It’s just a dumb lover’s tiff.”

“I’m sorry, Inosuke!” Tanjirou cried. “You have my full attention now!”

“Hmmph!” Inosuke let go of his cheeks and stood up. Still feeling irritated, he folded his arms across his chest.

“Don’t be cross with me,” Tanjirou said, rubbing his cheeks where he had been pinched. “I, uhh… didn’t realise you were upset over Kuro-chan.”

“I don’t care about the dumb cat,” Inosuke snapped. “But if you want me to stop being cross with you, give me a kiss.”

"A kiss? Here?" Tanjirou looked nervously at their audience. Nezuko and Zenitsu had sat down around the dining table. Zenitsu eyed them warily, while Nezuko looked at them with a hint of pink on her cheeks, her eyes shining with intrigue.

"This isn't appropriate, Inosuke," Tanjirou said, blushing. "You know how I feel about public displays of affection."

"What's the big deal? You're happy to pet that damn cat but you won't even kiss me?"

“But kissing is different! Besides, Kuro-chan is just a cat!” Tanjirou protested.

“If Kuro-chan is just a cat, why do you keep petting him?”

“It’s precisely because Kuro-chan is just a cat, that it’s fine for me to pet him.”

Inosuke couldn't help but think, “Why can’t you pet me instead?” But he didn’t want to sound like he was fighting for attention with a cat, so he circled back to, “But why do you want to pet him if he’s just a cat?!”

“Zenitsu, let’s give them some privacy, shall we?” Nezuko suggested.

“No! I barely sat down. Besides, it's the first time I see a human, sorry, an idiot wild boar, being jealous of a cat, and I kind of want to see how it pans out,” Zenitsu said with a smirk.

Inosuke's anger boiled over, as he turned to glare at Zenitsu, who was now sporting a punchable-looking face. “I am not jealous of a cat! And who are you calling an idiot wild boar?”

“I didn’t mention any names!” Zenitsu squeaked, as Inosuke stormed over to him.

"Wait, Inosuke!" Tanjirou reached out and pulled Inosuke towards him. He cupped Inosuke's face in his hands and pressed his lips to Inosuke's in a gentle, loving kiss. Inosuke felt the anger that had been building inside him dissipate, replaced with warm, fuzzy feelings that spread throughout his body.

"That's more like it," Inosuke murmured when the kiss ended. He wrapped his arm around Tanjirou's waist, pulling him close and giving him a possessive squeeze. "You're mine, and I don't like sharing. Don't make me have to say this again."

"Of course," Tanjirou replied. He wrapped his arms around Inosuke and leaned in close, beaming at him with a look of pure adoration and affection. "You're mine too, and I wouldn't want to share you with anyone else."

Zenitsu crossed his arms and rubbed the sides of his arms vigorously. "You both are disgustingly sappy and shameless. I'm leaving before I die from secondhand embarrassment."

Nezuko laughed and walked out after him, shaking her head in amusement. "I hinted that we should have left earlier, didn't I?"

"Sorry about that!" Tanjirou said, his face a warm shade of pink.

"No problem!" Nezuko called back with a grin. "Lock up the eatery and don't forget to fill Kuro-chan's water bowl!"

After they left, Tanjirou said, “You see, this is what happens when you turn people off with public displays of affection. Now we have to close the eatery ourselves.”

Inosuke didn’t think it was such a bad thing. He had put the dumb cat in its place, shut down any possibility of it stealing his favourite underling, and scored a kiss out of it. It was a complete win in his opinion.

His victorious mood was interrupted by a loud and pitiful meow. The wretched cat was back, and it rubbed its head vigorously against Tanjirou’s shin.

“Ah… Inosuke, don’t mind if I pet Kuro-chan? He's frightened and needs comforting. Please?”

Inosuke glared at the cat, and then at Tanjirou. He could never refuse when Tanjirou asked like this, with a hint of a pout on his lips and a glint of hopefulness in his eyes. Besides, Tanjirou always looked so happy petting the cat.

“Very well! Permission granted! But just for five seconds!”

“Thank you Inosuke! You’re the best!”

More than five seconds had passed and Tanjirou was still petting the cat, a contented smile on his face. Inosuke found it hard to interrupt the moment. He figured he could use this to his advantage later. Like demand for more tempura. Or more kisses. Or both.

He looked around, trying to find something to keep himself occupied. If he got a head start, they could finish up earlier. And then they could sneak into an alleyway and enjoy some lovey-dovey moments together. Tanjirou was always hesitant to kiss in the alleyway. He was always worried that someone would walk in on them. But it would be so late at night and their town was quiet and sleepy. Who would be up and about?

He gazed around the empty kitchen, taking in the silence that enveloped the space. The dining area of the eatery was dim as Nezuko and Zenitsu had put out most of the lanterns on their way out. It was so quiet and peaceful that he could hear the gentle ticking of the clock on the wall and the sound of Kuro-chan’s purring. Suddenly, it occurred to him. Why would they have to sneak into an alleyway when they were alone now?

Tanjirou had finally finished petting the cat. He stood up and stretched himself. Inosuke sprinted to him, his heart pounding with excitement. He wrapped his arms tightly around Tanjirou's waist, pulling him close and relishing the feeling of their bodies pressed together. He pressed his lips against his neck, taking in the comforting scent of his lover. He may not have Tanjirou’s keen sense of smell, but he had grown so accustomed to Tanjirou's scent that he could pick it out from a mile away. Along with his comforting scent, Tanjirou also carried the aroma of all the delicious comfort food he cooked at the Wisteria Garden, including Inosuke's favourite tempura. He would eat him up if he could.

Inosuke slid his hand beneath Tanjirou's haori and found the familiar cotton material of his shirt. He cursed the existence of shirts and wondered why Tanjirou bothered wearing one. It always got in the way. He tugged at the shirt, trying to free it from the hakama belt that held it in place.

"Inosuke..." Tanjirou murmured, gently pushing against his chest.

"Hmm?" Inosuke responded. His grip on Tanjirou's waist tightened as he leaned in closer, his breath hot against Tanjirou's neck. He could feel the heat radiating off of Tanjirou's skin and it only made him want to hold him closer.

"Don't," Tanjirou whispered, trying to pull away.

Inosuke's gaze met Tanjirou's. He could see desire written all over Tanjirou's flushed face. He didn’t look like he really wanted him to stop. So why was he asking him to?

"Why? We're alone," Inosuke asked, his voice rough with desire.

"We're not alone," Tanjirou reminded him, his gaze flicking over to the cat that was perched on the kitchen counter, watching them intently. "Kuro-chan is here."

Inosuke glanced over. Kuro-chan's gaze burned into him, making him feel uneasy. But he was not going to let a mere cat get between him and Tanjirou again.

"So what? It's just a cat. You said so yourself." Inosuke leaned in to claim Tanjirou's lips.

But Tanjirou pushed against him harder, breaking their kiss. "Not here. I'm serious," he gasped.

Inosuke felt a wave of frustration wash over him. Tanjirou had agreed to let him take the lead when it came to doing lovey-dovey things since he was so bad at it. But ever since Nezuko stumbled upon them in the middle of an intimate moment, Tanjirou had been hesitant to kiss him unless they were completely alone at home. This was a tall order since Nezuko and Zenitsu were almost always at home. Being busy with the eatery left them with little time and energy to date. He really didn’t get it. Nezuko wasn’t mad about it, and she wasn’t even here now.

He pushed Tanjirou against the kitchen counter, his body pressing against his. "Why not? Give me a good reason or we're not going home tonight," he said, his voice low and demanding.

Tanjirou took a deep breath and stammered, his face flushing with embarrassment. "B-because I'll think of you when I'm cooking. And I'll confuse the salt and sugar, and mess up the customers' orders again.”

Inosuke's heart pounded as he leaned in closer to Tanjirou, his body igniting with desire. Tanjirou always remained composed and focused, even through the most challenging of circumstances. It filled him with pride to know that he could distract Tanjirou and fill his mind with images of him all day just by kissing him here.

"And that's exactly why I'm going to kiss you right here, right now," Inosuke declared, his eyes locked onto Tanjirou's. He could see the conflicting emotions in his lover's gaze, the struggle between his own desire and the knowledge that this might not be the most appropriate time or place. But Inosuke couldn't bring himself to care about that, not when all he could think about was the way Tanjirou's lips would feel against his own.

With a soft sigh, Tanjirou lowered his hands from Inosuke's chest, where he had been pushing him away. Instead, he wrapped them around Inosuke's neck. Inosuke grinned as their lips connected. Hashibira Inosuke, King of Mountains, had triumphed yet again.

A sudden impact on his back, followed by a familiar sharp pain, made him leap backwards with a yell.

“What’s wrong?” Tanjirou demanded, concern etched on his face.

“It’s the dumb cat!!" Inosuke bellowed. "It jumped on my back and attacked me!!”

Tanjirou rushed over to take a look at his back.

“Oh no, the scratches are deep. You’d better sit down so I can patch you up.”

Inosuke refused Tanjirou’s attempts to get him to sit down. He got down on all fours, searching wildly under the furniture for the miserable creature.

"Come out here, you cowardly sneak!! Get out here and fight me!!" he shouted.

Tanjirou knelt down beside him, trying to calm him down. "Don't yell like that," he said soothingly. "You'll only scare him into hiding. Get up and let me patch you up.

Inosuke shot him a glare. "The dumb cat attacked me because I was kissing you! It's jealous!"

Tanjirou shook his head. "That's silly. He's just a cat. He probably thought we were fighting and got upset. He meant no harm." He reached out and gently took Inosuke by the arm, trying to guide him to stand up.

But Inosuke was having none of it. He wrenched his arm free and continued to search the room, his eyes scanning every inch of space. Suddenly, he detected a swift movement near the cat flap, and he saw the end of a furry black tail vanish through it. "Bloody coward!" he growled and made a lunge for the door.

Tanjirou moved to intercept him, snaking an arm around his waist and hauling him back.

“That’s enough! You’re still bleeding! Come with me and sit down or I’m going to be angry!”

Tanjirou spoke in such a stern tone that Inosuke felt that he should comply for his own sake. But not before he had the last word. He squatted down and yelled in the direction of the cat flap, “If I see you again, I’ll rip your balls off!!!”

Chapter 3

「 ✦ Please support your creators by reblogging ✦ 」

Author's notes: I had too much fun writing about Inosuke being jealous of a cat! Poor boy, will he ever stop getting bullied by Kuro-chan? We'll find out in the next chapter. There really is a difference between mackerel and tuna, at least, for my cats. There are a few particularly fussy cats who'd eat tuna variants but turn their noses up at mackerel variants of the same cat food product. It's very mystifying for me, but that's cats for you.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my fic, it’d really make my day if you could drop a like, reblog, and/or comment to let me know! This story is also published on AO3 where you can comment anonymously! Although I mostly write for myself, your encouragement keeps me motivated to post and share my work.

[writteninscarlet]

❛ if i slip on the ice, it’s totally your fault. ❜ ;; @cagcd

winter themed sentence starters ;; accepting

Her eyes flickered up to the sky, judging whether or not more snow was going to be coming. The clouds were a little ominous, but they were few and far between. They probably had some time before another storm, but the cold air was certainly a problem. A little childishly, she gave a soft huff of air to see the wisps of steam and air before her. No, she didn't appreciate the cold (she'd spent far too much time in the cold as a child, far too much time without suitable clothing or warmth) but she could survive. And there was some beauty to the winter season.

At which point she heard a strange sound behind her, and was more than capable of recognising Johnny catching up to her.

❛ if i slip on the ice, it’s totally your fault. ❜

She arched a brow in amusement, before glancing back to look over at Johnny. And no, no, she wasn't going to hide the amusement on her face. Let him see. Her smile was warm and bright, teasing glint in her eyes.

"I don't need ice to make you fall. And weren't you just going on the other day about... about..." She scrunched up her nose trying to think of what he had said, "As graceful as a gazelle! ...No. That wasn't it. A ballerina? Well, you were going on about your grace and style. Surely someone like yourself wouldn't slip on ice?"

Her eyes flickered down to his feet, taking in the footwear. "Those shoes won't help." Stated the witch in high heeled boots. But at least she had on a thick winter jacket.

"How about this? Should you fall, I'll catch you. And if I can't catch you and you get knocked out, I shall just make it seem as though you're lying there making snow angels. Maybe I'll even lie next to you. But come on... I don't want to do that. I hate the cold." Not even the jacket was keeping the chill out. And a cold witch would be either an upset or grumpy one. Good luck dealing with that.

[beta-adjacent]

Despite everything yesterday, my last ask inspired me to write this :')

After the events of Zombies 2, Willa consistently (like, once every couple months) admits she maybe needs to rest and plans to take a day off, to the joy and relief of all. But as soon as the day dawns, she’s restless. Her packmates tell her to relax, sometimes going so far as to physically drag her back to the den. But when they turn around, they notice she's following behind them, doing her chores and tasks anyway. Even on extremely low-energy days when most of the pack is resting, Willa is checking on others or working on a project. It's almost like it's her natural, idle state to fuss.

Deep down, Willa still feels the urge that she has to protect her pack, has to make sure they survive (despite them thriving, especially now that they’ve got the moonstone back). It’s a habit she doesn't know how to shake, one that frustrates her to no end. The battle is over, she knows she's allowed to breathe, but she just can't. 'I'm too used to the routine', she thinks. The pack's given up trying and maybe she should too. It's been a good way to keep her mind busy and sharp at least.

So fast forward to after the events of Zombies 3. Aspen, observing their first "Willa Day", immediately decides to confront Willa about it. "You said you wouldn't work today", they say, curious. "But I forgot about this", "I'll be done in a minute", "Don't worry about it", the replies roll off Willa's tongue like they always do.

After talking (see lovingly interrogating) the town, Aspen is determined to actually make Willa chill out on Willa Day. They recruit the entire town to help. Everyone's been told that if they see Willa, they should gently corral her back home. Addison and Zed --returning from Mountain College for winter break and itching to see what’s changed-- immediately jump into the fray of fulfilling Willa’s duties. Wynter, Wyatt, and the rest of Willa's pack clean up, prepare lunch, and make a big fluffy nest in the middle of their den so Willa never has to move a muscle. And Aspen is tasked with making sure Willa never leaves said nest. A perfect plan, if Aspen could say so themself.

When Willa wakes up that morning, she is shocked. 'There really is nothing left to do in town other than relax here', she thinks defeatedly as she slumps into the nest next to her partner. The day creeps along, they begin to binge-watch a generic sitcom together, and Aspen is truly exposed to cuddles for the first time. It is hilarious and awkward as it sounds, a mix of Aspen trying to replicate their research on comfiest positions and Willa trying to make them let loose. They eventually find their groove.

As the afternoon lulls, in that quiet, comfortable space between episodes --where there’s enough quiet to hear her own thoughts, where it feels like everything might be alright without her— Willa does something she hasn't done in years.

She cries.

Aspen freezes; crying isn’t relaxing and Willa should be smiling. But…it feels like this time, maybe it’s ok for Willa to not smile. Maybe this is exactly what she needed.

The next day, Willa would attest that it was the worst day ever, that she couldn't wait to get back and can someone take those stupid "Willa: Do Not Enter" signs off the froyo cart?? But not even she could deny how she walked with a fondness in her eye, with a little bit of weight off her shoulders.

[taohs]

I know that I've already said this many times now.. Black Lagoon is definitely one of my favorite series in every way. It is a complex series with well written story, well written characters, memorable music. I'd say there isn't anything a single thing I hate about it at all. I enjoy how it pushes boundaries for people in any ways that is considered good and bad for them.

For the original series, there are twelve volumes but the newest volume comes out in the winter. So that will be thirteen novels soon. I believe that there are two short stories that I know of - those stories have also mainly revolved around the female characters.. Which is no surprise. And the two spinoff series, for Eda and Sawyer (which have a fair share of novels).

Li Xinlin is a Chinese character that gets introduced in the next arc. But she, unlike certain characters, is willing to have help in her situation. Because of how similar her personality is to Rock's, they get along a lot during their time together. So Rock doesn't even become dark in that arc. That is all I'll say about it.

That's why I have mixed feelings about Rock as this character. I respect that he would do anything he is able to when helping people. Because he's trying all the time, saying and doing what he can for people - if they allow him to help. But people like Balalaika or Chang manipulating is causing him to become very similar to them. Even though Revy doesn't admit it.. She does want a normal life, as normal a life for her that she can have. Like you saw yourself. You know nothing about her mother, her father was always so abusive. That abusive situation that you saw, she is only a fourteen year old girl in that moment in time. She dropped out of school at a young age so she is not properly educated. And was in prison for some time before she escape, so she's a convicted felon. The woman has a dark life. So if Rock can't save her now, then I don't who would be able to help her.

But then there's Rock being a hypocrite. I might be able to tolerant small hypocrises.. Okay. That's a lie. I can't tolerant hypocrites. Sometimes I'm one. And I try not to be a hypocrite if I can help it, but I'm not on that level of hypocrisy at all. Rock preaches that he has his morals while also manipulating people to do things that he won't do, and then complain that they are doing those things. There are times when I want to hit Rock over those situations. And I know, I know. He's a fictional character. But still.

Yes! Those are the two main reasons why Roberta's Blood Trail was an ova season. Because of Rei Hiroe not wanting he work being censored, he just never wants his work watered down. Which I am so happy for. And because there wasn't even enough story to make a whole season, like the first two seasons.

The ending for that season was different.

In the ending to the "Roberta's Blood Trail" OVA, there are differences on how Roberta survived the fight. In both versions, she survives, but there are a few differences:

In the manga, she survived without sustaining any major injury.

In the anime, she suffers significant wounds throughout the final battle as she ultimately lost her left arm, right leg, two fingers, her right eye and she was also confined to a wheelchair, but this seems to be temporary when she recovered as she is seen rising from the chair at the end of the OVA.

Who knows if you'll feel differently when you do end up reading the manga, when you read the manga.

I'm trying to think of.. something...

I forget.

That's why fans were hoping a new season was now on the way. Because of the promotional video I sent you. But nothing else was ever mentioned after that though, so who knows will might happen now.

Another thought that came to mind. Personally, I'm not a fan of live action adaptions to from anime and manga series. Because those adaptions never live up to my expectations at all. That's just my opinion. But is it weird that I kinda wanna make a post of the celebrities I imagine as the Black Lagoon cast, like my fancast, if the series was ever a live adaption. Not that anyone I would pick for these characters would ever be used, but just based on my opinion.

And yes. For the person who mentioned it, I know people can read manga online. That is where I have usually read my manga if I'm not able to buy manga in that moment. The site I used was removed so I'm needing to search for a new site to read manga now.

- 💋

yes! black lagoon definitely pushes boundaries for people and i can see that it may not be for everyone. but i personally enjoyed it a lot and i love how much work was put into creating the female cast (balalaika easily made it into one of my favorite characters). honestly i haven't watch a series with good female characters that i haven't fallen in love with. i've also started reading the manga and binged up to roberta's arc (not yet to when she started fighting). i like how faithful the anime adapation was for the most part. i'm very excited to reach the arcs that the anime hasn't gotten up to yet and meet the new characters!

i agree that rock is probably the best and only person that might be able to pull revy out of her dark life. she went through so much as a child and her mindset is that only violence and murder will allow her to survive in her messed up world. i really would like to see her live a more peaceful life. it's really up to how rock develops as a character though, which will be interesting to see. i can't tell if revy will be willing to watch him fall to the dark side though, or if she will actually carry out her threat to kill him before that happens. their relationship is so complicated

personally i'm okay with live action adaptations! it's not something that i Absolutely Need, usually i don't care too much for them unless it's a series that i'm really into, but i do enjoy seeing how they bring these characters to life. i would love to see a live action black lagoon cast though, especially with how diverse it is!! (also seeing those female characters in real life will be heaven for me). do you already have people in mind for a fancast?

[theautisticcentre]

RELAXATION TIME

Wanda x Fem!Reader

Summary: Wanda and you having some time for yourself.

Warnings: Fluff, AU

Notes: Reader is the younger sister of Steve Rogers; Pietro survived because yes, Reader is the Winter Soldier in this AU (Bucky instead went in the ice with Cap.)

----------------------------------------------

Damn, was being an avenger and an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D hard. Constant battles, high risk of death, loads of people having it out for you. But there was one silver lining: You and your girlfriend had the same job.

You and Wanda were connected like grapes on a branch. Wherever one was, the other wasn't far behind. Whenever something needed getting done, it wasn't at all uncommon for a magical blast from the magic Maximoff to be followed by a sniper shot from far away.

But, neither you or Wanda were needed for about the next week or so. You finally had some time for yourselves, which is how you ended up bringing two mugs of hot chocolate for you and Wanda, both in your Pajamas, at your own home in the woods.

"Damn, those smell good...I mean, not as good as you, but..." said Wanda, laying on the couch, before sitting up as you put her mug down, then sitting down with yours. "I could say the same for you, hun." Wanda gave a chuckle at your response, before taking a drink of her hot chocolate, as you did the same. You pick the movie," you asked, before she responded, "Yeah. I thought Encanto would be nice. What about you?"

"Oh, yeah. Looked interesting," you said, as Wanda turned on the movie via Disney +. "Ah...hey, what's up with Steve and Bucky?" You turned to Wanda, before asking, "...What do you mean?" "I mean, are they...y'know?" You quickly pieced the innuendo together, then respond, "Oh, no. Steve's loyal to Peggy, through and through..."

"...But Bucky's super Bi." Wanda nearly chocked on her drink in laughter. "I mean, have you seen him and Sam?" Wanda nodded, wiping the drink off her face, before turning her attention back to the movie, as you did the same.

A few minutes later, as The Family Madrigal began, Wanda asked, "Hey, what if...the Madrigals met us?" You let out a sigh, and said, "Hoo, boy, where do we start with them without breaking their brains? Oh, I know, how about the Battle of New York?" Wanda laughed until her cheeks hurt, and replied with, "Yeah, that...that'd be a day for them."

As the movie pressed on and on, you both talked about the movie, your lives, and just about anything you could think of. However, as it reached beyond the half hour mark, you noticed Wanda's eyes getting lower, and her movements becoming less energetic. "Must be the sugar crash," you thought to yourself.

When the iconic song We Don't Talk About Bruno started playing, you pointed out, "Oh, hey, it's the song everyone remembers from this. I'll tell ya, one time, I found Freddie from S.H.I.E.L.D blasting this while mimicking Camilo's part. Then Hill came in, Freddie got flustered, then-" You were stopped when Wanda slumped onto your shoulder, fast asleep. You took a second to look at her, before smiling and kissing the top of her head, and whispering, "Goodnight, printsessa."

You turned off the movie, not planning on letting Wanda miss any of it. You went onto Prime Video and put on The Boys, and watched the first season (for about the 4th time) while gently stroking Wanda's hair as she slept. Just as you reached the fourth episode, Pietro came rushing into your home, quickly noticing his napping sister. He then quickly dropped off some bags of groceries he got for you, then sped off again. It wasn't long after that you fell asleep with Wanda on your lap.

THE END.