#but i primarily sat down to watch to see how the dog was being worked and if the situations were believable or not

[patrickztump]

not to resurrect a show i haven’t spoken about in literal years, but one thing about seal team that was Actually Unnecessary was how everyone referred to cerberus as a male dog when dita is blatantly female. sure it’s one thing when they would “good boy” her and what have you, yeah that can and does slide. but the time brock was like, “i’m taking him for breeding” and there was some kind of comment about how the dog is “getting more” than his handler. it’s not unheard of to refer to a dog of x gender as y gender in media especially when they are more coated and it can be obscured, but to call a short coated, tightly tucked, female malinois male and add to the story that this dog is siring litters is buffoonery.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Group Project.”

Alright everyone, still working on the lecture series, but I also wanted to get some ideas.

What parts of my worldbuilding do you want me to continue with?

What do you want to know more about?”

What story lines do you think I have left unfinished?

And are there any parts of the timeline you want to hear more about? (I was thinking about doing a story on how Adam was even given a ship in the first place) things like that.

I would find your feedback very helpful if you could :) at the very least it will help me get through my writing slump.

Almost six months.

Six months od doctor Krill’s lecture series and they still felt as if they didn’t understand humans anymore than they had when they first started. Despite months and months of research, and papers, none of them had managed to get a grade on an assignment that was higher than a C -- Dr. krill was using what he called the human letter grading system to give them some more experiences that would help them bond with humans, and boy were they bonding with the humans who just couldn’t seem to get it right.

It wasn’t that Dr. krill was an unfair teacher, it was just that most of them always managed to be wrong in some massive and obvious way about humans. For example, when writing a paper about how humans cannot see in the dark and would be likely not to survive on a dark planet, but then potentially forgetting about all the humans who survived being completely blind Everything you could say about humans was generally untrue for another human.

Humans have an extreme sense of survival however they seem prone on tossing  themselves from high places just for the fun of it. 

Humans were both the most survival oriented and the most danger prone species in the entire universe, and that let to some very strange stories that often seemed as if they couldn’t possibly be true, but often turned out to be true anyway.

Either way, the class had been both difficult and exciting, and now they were approaching the end of the semester, and Dr. Krill had promised them something very special to go along with their group project.

They all waited nervously in their predetermined groups watching as Dr. Krill stepped into the room.

He said something to his TA and then turned to his projector to fiddle around for a moment. 

When the lights blinked overhead this time. 

Dr. krill trend to look at the class, “Understanding that we are approaching our last few weeks of class, I have decided to do something a bit special for all of you. To prepare you for the real world of working with humans. I understand that all of you have been working hard despite your abysmal grades, and have decided to do something that human schools do when just such a thing occurs….. Grading on a curve. I certainly didn’t expect any of you to understand humans any better after all of this was over, so this week, I am going to give your real opportunities for some real learning.”

He looked around the room rather smug, “First of all, I want to introduce you to a REAL life earth predator.”

Somehow, in some way, Krill made a sharp whistling noise, and out of the darkness of one of the entrances, their came the soft thudding of footsteps…. Four of them to be precise.

When the furry animal raced into the room the entire class went into a state of panic. Aliens leaped up on their desks and screamed. Vrul inflated and began floating towards the ceiling, all was chaos as the large fuzzy creature raced around the perimeter of the room and then straight towards Dr. krill himself.

More screaming.

“Waffles Sit!” The animal skidded to a stop, and then sat with a soft thump on the floor.

The classroom grew very still as Dr. Krill began to pat the predator’s head.

A pink tongue lolled from it’s mouth past massive white K-9 teeth. Its huge ears swiveled back and forth.

The class slowly began to relax back in their seats as Krill continued to pat the dog, rubbing the fur under its chin so that it raised its head and grumbled deep in it’s throat. Its tail slapped repeatedly against the ground.

“Everyone, I would like to introduce you to one of the staples of a human pack….. A dog.” He continued to pat the animal, as she slid to the ground beside him tail still thumping loudly against the ground, “Waffles was trained by humans for humans, and has the ability to both detect and prevent psychological crisis. As you all know humans are rather prone to mental dysfunction, but this dog is one of the first line defences put in place for a specific human.”

The dog leaned up, and with her long pink tongue, she liked the doctor on the arm.

The class cringed back.

“If you ever want to work with humans, it is likely you will have to work with dogs as well. Any dog that is going to be aboard a human ship will have been vetted for work with other alien races. They will be friendly, and they will calm. Waffles has been around humans her entire life, and around aliens for over two years which is a little less than half of her life.”

He turned to look at the room, “I will give a hundred points of Extra credit to anyone who is brave enough to come down here and pet her.”

There was silence in the room.

No one moved an inch.

Off in the corner a Tesraki shifted nervously in his seat.

He had the lowest grade in the class and he knew it, but a hundred point os extra credit would bring him solidly up a letter grade or two…. but …. It’s teeth were so big, and it probably weighed as much as he did.

It was the look that Dr. Krill gave him that finally urged him onward. Dr. Krill knew, and was, surprisingly, trying to help him.

Knees shaking and hands about to tremble off the end of his wrists, the Tesraki stood, and made his slow way across the room. His ears were plastered flat against his head and his hands only shook worse. The dog grew larger and larger in his vision until she was sitting right before him. Even sitting down she was only a foot and a half shorter than he was, and the panic he was feeling was unbelievable.

He looked into her eyes, and she shifted forward on her paws, snout pushing towards him. He backed away and the entire class gasped. She rocked back on her feet and gently lowered herself to the ground, looking up at him with wide brown eyes.

When he didn’t move she slowly rolled until she had flipped over on her back, looking up at him with her head tilted

A tooth poked out from under her lip, and her tail beat against the ground.

“Look at that!” krill exclaimed, “That’s a submissive pose she would use on a human, she wants you to rub her chest and belly, go on, she’s giving your permission.”

Heart hammering in his ears, he leaned down, and with trembling fingers patted the coarse fur on her belly. She made a grumbling noise and he leaped back, but Dr. Krill encouraged him on saying that it was a good thing, and so he continued. The animal kicked her leg a couple of times and the Tesraki felt his entire body tingle with exhilaration.

He was…. He was petting a dangerous earth animal, just like the humans would!

Eventually he was dismissed back to his seat, and the dog rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on her paws, which she began to lick absently, large ears still perked.

Dr Krill turned to look at them, “But of course this class it primarily about humans, is it not, and I strongly believe that there is really only one way to teach someone how to interact with humans properly….” he looked around at all of them, “And that, is by experience.”

The class shifted in their seats with exclamations of surprise, and from down one of the hallways they heard a sharp repeated thudding. The beat was so regular and rhythmic it managed to make many of the Vrul students dizzy and confused, nearly lolling out of their seats.

Dr Krill stood firm two hands on hips, two hands crossed over his chest.

And that is when the column of humans marched into the room in perfect time with each other, their botos hitting the floor such that the seats about them seemed to rattle. The vrul could barely keep in their seats and the other students leaned forward in awe.

Most of the humans wore strange clothing in a black and greyblue pattern all over their bodies, while the human at the front wore light grey and a strange adornment atop his head. The front of his chest glittered with small colorful ribbons and little glittering symbols though no one could have been sure what they meant.

The line of humans drew to the front of the room and then stopped.

“LEFT FACE!”

The group turned in unison with the sharp rattling of boots on the floor.”

“ATTENTION!” Their bodies snapped into position, hands raised to their temples as they looked forward perfectly still.” “AT EASE.”

The group of humans, together, fell back into a posture of relative relaxation. Feet spread, hands clasped gently behind their backs, and there they stood as Doctor Krill moved to stand next to them, “Well class, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Omen’s Alpha team. These marines have trained for years in ground combat for most of their careers. IF there is ever a problem on your planet, this is likely who the humans will send as reinforcements.”

He turned to the last human, the one with the shiny uniform, “And it is my pleasure to introduce our ship’s admiral, who graciously agreed to come and bring his men today. I think you will recognize him from your textbooks.”

When the human removed his hat and turned to face them, there was a shocked muttering. They knew him from their textbooks, as HE was the very template for the classic anatomical diagram that adorned many of the pages in their textbooks.

It was essentially his system that they were examining whenever they discussed the systems of the human body.

“A couple of things I would like you all to note here, and those are the highly social structure in which humans operate. This structure includes a strict hierarchy that humans take pains to make known. The Single Star on the Admiral’s shoulder marks him as the highest ranking human in this room. He outranks me, these other humans and all of you as civilians. In the human world, he is to be listened to, and his orders to be obeyed. In certain cases humans will overlook the intelligence of what someone is saying, if they are of a higher rank in worry of social repercussion.”

He turned to walk towards the marines still standing in their straight line, “They rank in order from this symbol down to this symbol and each of them has an important task to preform. In the early days of our meeting humans, this strict social hierarchy was enough to make some assume that humans were in possession of some sort of hive mind. However, this is clearly not the case. Humans do not have a hive mind, but they do possess a social structure so rigid in some cases that it may seem like it. I would also like to note the diversity in human appearance. The only other species that we have seen with even remotely comparable diversity in facial, tonal, and physical structure are either the Drev, or the Tesraki.”

He turned to look at the groups and his antenna buzzed with amusement, “Now, in your groups, I want you all to pick one of the marines to come join you, and then for the rest of the class, I would like you to come up with a principal about humans to demonstrate at the end of the lecture.” he pointed to one of the first groups, “pick a human.”

There was some slight shuffling and discussion as they tried to determine which human would be best. In the end they went for the smallest human hoping beyond hope that they would be the least aggressive.

It was a real pity that they didn’t understand the rule about short humans, and maverick, in an attempt to get to her group, ignored all the rules of decorum and simply stepped up onto the desks clambering over with great dexterity until she plopped herself down in a seat in the middle of the group turning to look at them, “Yo.” She said, rather un ironically as they stared at each other in shock.

The other humans were quickly divided out and went to sit with their groups mostly enjoying being the center of attention.

There was one less marine than they needed, so the highest ranking human handed his hat to the dog sitting on the floor and walked over to slide into a seat with them, showing his teeth in a gesture that was supposed to be friendly.

All around the room chattering steadily grew as the aliens began asking the humans quick fire questions which some of the marines found hard to keep up with.

When asked a question Ramirez simply shook his head, “You know what you guys probably know way more about humans that me. I’m not a doctor, or anything else. I am a marine, I know how to do like four things effectively, I call them the four Fs, Fight, Fun, Food, and er well you get the picture.”

Maverick was having a very amusing time explaining teeth to the aliens, albeit rather inaccurately considering that teeth weren’t actually bone but a mixture of enamel covered dentine, but Krill let it go on for the factor of amusement.”

The nervous members of the admiral’s group had already been lulled into a sense of ease at the man’s friendly and relaxing demeanor, and he was attempting to do his best at explaining a question given to him by one of the aliens, and was doing a better job than the marines at taking their questions seriously.

“Well you see, when it comes to humans you are always going to be relatively safe. Over the past thousands of years, access to soft cooked foods have caused our jaws to grow relatively small and weak leaving little room for our teeth. So most humans don’t like food that is difficult to eat. We aren’t impressive enough predators that we can just strip flesh from bone. Plus thats a great way to catch diseases, furthermore, our diets and the way we eat really had to change as our vocal cords moved further up in our throats. Sure this gave us the ability to speak and mimic almost any alien language known, but it also made us very prone to choking on our own food.”

He sighed, “I remember this one time when I was five and I choked on a hard candy, scariest moment of my life probably, or at least in the top ten. If you don’t know what choking is, its when something gets stuck in your airway blocking your ability to breath and you die from oxygen loss, I know a horrible way to die.”

The conversations continued all around the room until there was only twenty minutes left in class, and he called a stop so that the groups could demonstrate a human principle that they had learned.

The first group brought Maverick up and one of the other students presented her with a rock No one was really sure why he had the rock, but the fact that it had big eyeballs drawn on it was enough for her to happily accept the gift and declare its name to be “The Boulder.” The class was surprised to find that it took such little effort for a human to pack bond with something, but the fact that she held the rock in two hands and occasionally stroked a finger down it was clear enough evidence that it was true.

The other students demonstrated a human’s depth perception by throwing an object and watching as Ramirez leaped out over the desks, hands stretched out to catch the object mid fly before landing back on the ground. The precision that it required to do that left the class very very impressed.

Someone else had a human try to identify what something was based on it’s smell, and he accurately guessed the difference between Vrull Texraki and Runid just based on their smell. They even brought in one of the other humans to which the test subject exclaimed,  “Don’t tell me it’s Ramirez and his bitch ass. I would know those fumes anywhere.”

One of the humans managed to demonstrate a very impressive climbing ability, and another one of the marines was pleased to demonstrate a human’s advanced vestibular sense by doing a backflip off of one of the desks. He tried to do it twice, but tripped upon anding and ended up on his back much to the amusement of the other humans.

That was also a good demonstration of the human’s empathy reflex as the humans winced and were silent for a moment before they began their ridicule.

If they remembered correctly, humans used teasing and humor as social bonding. They would never have made fun of their friend if he had actually been hurt, but the fact that he wasn’t made it clearly acceptable to joke as it let the other humans know that everything was ok.

The last group caught the admiral off guard by saying the word yawn and causing a chain reaction that made its way all around the room until it terminated with the dog, who also yawned, much to the surprise of the students.

Krill watched all of this with interest, keeping an eye on his more motivated students, and the ones who got along best with the humans. He was still trying to get permission from his superiors, but taking a few house students with them on the omen and back to earth would be a great PR move and also a good way to get some of his more invested students an experience that they could really take with them into their careers.

If one thing WAS  clear by the end of the lecture.

It was that Maverick was not going to give up her pet rock any time soon. 

[rheawritessometimes]

Not Part of the Deal

{ Childe x GN!Reader }

{ Summary } Living with Childe is starting to feel a little too comfortable. Series Masterlist

{ Warnings } Swearing, Physical Intimacy, Alcohol, Intoxication, Undefined Relationship.

{ Notes } This took a long time, I'm having a hard time writing. I can't decide what I want to write but I didn't want to leave this unwritten for too long. Hopefully, I'll be able to wrap this series up nicely soon. Masterlist

{ Word Count } 1,846

The bed was empty when you woke up to the sound of laughter, which was reasonable considering it was Childe’s laughter coming from the kitchen. You sat up, noting that this was the second time your sleep was disturbed by the Harbinger being loud in the kitchen. Groggily, you rolled out of his bed to figure out the source of his amusement.

When you entered the kitchen, bright blue eyes shining with laughter met your gaze. They were so beautiful, framed by long lashes and accompanied by a goofy smile that could probably light up all of Teyvat for weeks. Were those dimples?

“I thought you didn’t want me ‘cooking enough to feed a small army’, why so much food?” Childe asked through his laughter, seeming much more amused by this than he reasonably should be. Not that this stopped you from laughing along with him.

“Well, I didn’t know what you might like to make, so I decided to err on the side of caution,” you replied somewhat bashfully. It was the truth, minus the fact that most of it was fueled by panic.

“I guess that means I should make a lot of dishes for dinner!”

This turned into quite the ordeal, with several different things being prepared simultaneously, Childe needed to split his focus and time things correctly. You couldn’t even help with much of the preparation, too focused on clearing counter space of his used cookware and cleaning dishes so you wouldn’t be left with a mountain of them afterward, it was especially useful that you cleaned dishes he would later need to reuse for a different component of the meal he had planned.

“Childe, this all looks really good but I think this is enough food to feed all of Liyue.”

“I don’t mind sharing.”

Scoffing at his reply, you could only shake your head. You assumed Childe would pass the leftovers off to his subordinates in Liyue so you didn’t mind too much, so long as the food didn’t go to waste and you didn’t have to do the distribution. Not many of the Fatui in Liyue were very fond of you, considering your history of fights with them. Maybe that’s why the guard didn’t like you.

Redirecting your attention to the food laid out on the table, you were impressed by the array of dishes. There was a cold, primarily vegetable soup that had caught your interest when Childe began preparing it. There was also some sort of potato salad with plenty of mayo, something similar to dumplings with meat filling, and fruit cooked in a syrup. Several other dishes filled the table and you felt bad not sampling at least a little bit of everything, so you kept your portions small.

Throughout dinner, you listened to the Harbinger tell you about the times he made these dishes with his family or sometimes a little bit about the history of a dish. While you didn’t say much, it was pleasant to have his chatter fill the air. He continued to talk about his family back in Snezhnaya and the long days spent fishing even after the both of you had finished eating and were clearing the table.

“I need to start exercising again, I don’t want to get out of shape,” Childe lamented once you had finished with the cleaning. You had both settled on the couch, sitting on opposite ends facing each other.

“Have you forgotten about your broken ribs already?” you ask, a bit of incredulity dripping into your tone.

“No, but it won’t hurt that bad. I can handle it.”

You really couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not with that statement, his tone was serious but he couldn’t be that careless. Surely he understood the strain would impede recovery, perhaps even make things worse.

“No, you can’t. You’d just mess up your recovery trying. Not to mention we have a deal,” you try to reason, wondering briefly if that kind of thing even worked on him. You knew Childe wasn’t one to break his promises but he also cared greatly about his strength.

“I will exercise restfully,” he said decisively, though his playful undertone made it apparent he was joking.

“You’re impossible.”

“And yet you adore me.”

Scoffing at his response, you meet his gaze. He wore a cheeky grin, eagerly awaiting your response in hopes of being able to further tease you. You know if you hesitate for too long he will also tease you about that, so your options were limited.

“You sound awfully confident in that,” you reply coolly. It was not an ideal response, but it was the best you could think of in the moment.

“Because it’s true, you didn’t even deny it,” the Harbinger gloats, seeming very satisfied with himself.

“Maybe,” you reply vaguely, rolling the thought around in your head. What were your feelings for him, exactly? It was clear you weren’t just friends, but it seemed like a lot to say you were in love with him and it didn’t seem to be enough to say you just liked him. You felt confused about him.

For the rest of the night, you thought about the same question, but even by the time you were falling asleep, you couldn’t bring yourself to give a solid answer. It left you feeling restless for the next few days, though things remained the same with Childe. To pass the time you took the dog Harbinger on regular walks through Liyue. Sometimes the two of you would stop at the various vendor’s stalls in the markets and others you would walk closer to the harbor.

Even with your uncertainty about him, Childe was as easy to get along with as ever. He joked and made you laugh, cooked most of your shared meals thankfully not making quite as much food, and explored Liyue with you. Sometimes you visited the restaurants and Zhongli would join the two of you, making a habit of keeping the two of you for hours with his stories before dumping the bill on the Snezhnayan.

Though fewer than normal, you still took up commissions around Liyue, leaving Childe unattended for some time. You couldn’t be certain, but you were pretty sure he still behaved in the time you were gone. It seemed he most often did some work for the Fatui in the time you were gone, you often came back to him reading over a report or writing something he would later handoff to the guard outside his door.

All in all, living with him was becoming fairly comfortable.

“Oh fuck we’ve been eating all this Snezhnayan food and stuff and I forgot to show you our most famous commodity,” Childe exclaimed one night as he was cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner. You looked over from drying a plate to see him pull two small glasses and a bottle of clear liquid from the cupboards. You knew enough to recognize it.

“Fire-Water?”

“Yeah, have you had it before? This is a bottle of the fancy stuff,” he hummed, already pouring some into the glasses, one with a noticeably smaller amount.

“I haven’t, I don’t drink much,” you admitted, taking the glass from him when he offered it to you.

“Oh, perfect,” he said with a grin that made you think it would not be perfect for you. That didn’t stop you from drinking the small amount in your glass after watching him knock back his.

The taste was awful, but the burn down your throat and how warm it made you feel was rather pleasant. Childe had been watching you, eager to gauge your reaction. He would be disappointed by the fact you didn’t cringe at the taste but also pleased you didn’t seem to dislike it.

“It’s not bad,” you said after a moment, which Childe responded to by pouring a more generous amount into your glass. They were small glasses, so it still didn’t amount to very much.

“I think you’re fully prepared for a visit to Snezhnaya now,” he laughed, also pouring more of the Fire-Water into his glass. Being awfully classy not drinking straight from the bottle.

“Is that your way of telling me you want me to visit you when you’re back in Snezhnaya?” you cooed teasingly, emptying your glass before setting it on the counter. It was already starting to feel a little hazy. That did not stop your companion from continuing to drink.

“Maybe. Maybe I would like to take you back with me,” he returned with a cheeky grin, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you into his side, not letting you go once you were there. Not that you particularly minded being held snugly against his side. “What do you say? You might even like the cold.”

Heart fluttering at his words, you wondered if he meant them. Of course, he had said it in response to your teasing, but maybe he did want you around. Did you want to stay with him, by his side when he returns to Snezhnaya? Perhaps even going with him when the Fatui send him to different nations?

“I don’t know, I think you’d need to convince me it’s worth going with you,” you mused, giving him a playful smirk.

“Is being with me not enough for you?” he pouts, setting his glass down before using his grip on your waist to turn you around so your back bumps against the counter. His hands rested against the surface on either side of you caging you in as he gazed down at you with an expression that made your heart stutter.

The Harbinger observed your expression for a few beats before leaning down to press his lips to yours. He was much rougher than he’d been in the past, more eager, but you mimicked his pace and intensity nonetheless. Perhaps it was the alcohol you could still taste on his tongue that caused the change.

When you wrapped your arms around his neck, he lifted you up and seated you on the counter. He pulled away from the kiss to brush his lips against your cheek before moving to your neck. The kisses he left there started out delicate but when his teeth grazed against your skin you couldn’t help but close your eyes and sigh pleasantly.

When his hands hooked under your thighs to lift you up, your eyes flew open and a surprised squeak left you. On instinct your legs wrapped around him to prevent you from falling.

“Childe?” you asked when he began walking with you in his hold. It became apparent that the Harbinger was carrying you in the direction of his bedroom, causing your heart to speed up. It seemed like things were moving too fast.

“Alcohol makes me sleepy sometimes.” Oh.

You were promptly dropped on the bed, still feeling a little shocked. He leaned down to press another kiss to your lips, smiling at your expression. That night was the second time you found yourself falling asleep in Childe’s arms.

[nationalharryleague]

The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF

Word count: 2.5K

A/N: Hi everyone! This is 2.5k of absolute tooth rotting fluff that was inspired by the Golden music video and the ultra talented @theharriediaries​!! Thank you to Soph and Lu (@meetmymouth​) for beta reading and giving me some direction when I needed it!! You can find more of my writing in my masterlist and I would LOVE if you could give me some feedback!! My requests are also open in my ask!! 

***

“The Italians drink a lot over dinner,” Harry told you in an informative tone, an attempt to order yet another very expensive bottle of red. “Wine is very important in Italian culture,” he tipsily explained across the table, dimples prominent from his cheeky smile. “I learned that in my Italian classes.”

“Oh, did you?” you teased back at him, feeling a bit floaty as you finished your third glass, only for Harry to fill it right back up, emptying the bottle on the table. You laughed and shook your head as you watched him make eye contact with the waiter, motioning for him to bring another bottle over.

“Vino, vino, vino,” he hummed under his breath, playing with the empty glass in front of him that was soon filled up again with the deep red liquid that had stained his pouty lips a deep red and his tongue purple. The two of you sat in the front patio of a small restaurant down the block from your hotel, under a giant and bright moon that made his eyes sparkle even more than usual.

He had a boyish flush to his cheeks, which could have been from the wine or the remnants of a scaldingly hot day in Italy; maybe both. You could still feel the summer heat radiating back up from the pavement below you after it had baked in the sun all day. The oppressive heat still hung in the air, just enough for a light sheen of sweat to be covering you both that seemed to make Harry glow on the dimly lit patio.

You two had found yourself in Italy while Harry had some time off because he insisted he needed to go and practice his Italian. “Devo andare per la mia istruzione,” he told you one day after he got home from his class. “I have to go for my education,” he translated a moment later after being met with a blank look from you. He practiced all day every day.  He struck up conversations with locals, spoke with every fan who came to say hi, and attempted to translate menus and order every meal. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but he was trying nonetheless.

Harry in Italy was a special version of himself. He was smiley and carefree and always trying to fatten you up or get you drunk. When he was here, he seemed to wholeheartedly become the H you always knew, abandoning the rockstar and becoming the mushy and emotional man that told you he loved you in every sentence and needed to be touching you at all times. His hair had lightened a tiny bit from your days outdoors,  his skin had grown tan and taken on a golden tone, a side effect of him constantly ignoring when you told him to put on sunscreen.

You drank and ate and talked until the restaurant was closing down around you, a common occurrence when you two had the opportunity to slow down and just be together for a while, trying to forget that there was anything else going on in the world outside this tiny town. If he hadn’t captivated the wait staff with his broken Italian and charming smile earlier in the night, you were sure you would have been met with eyerolls from those cleaning up around you. Eventually, you two walked hand in hand out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk along the windy road, both of you full and drunk, and beginning the short walk back to your hotel.

He was smiling so wide his dimpled cheeks must have been hurting, a bright smile encouraged by the alcohol running through his system. His hair flopped over his forehead, curlier than usual because of the sea air and his lips were an even deeper purple than before. His beautiful mouth babbled, every thought in his head flowing past his lips in a slightly slurred mix of italian and english; a verbal expression of excitement and clumsiness.

You couldn’t help but giggle at the sight beside you, your fingers lazily interlocked with his, tugging him back when he moved too close to the street, hoping his wobbly legs wouldn’t trip on the uneven cobblestone sidewalk. You primarily didn’t want him to tear or stain his favorite light blue blazer if he took a tumble. He once told you it was his favorite because he thought the color looked like the sky on the day you had met. You remember blushing and pushing him away from you, telling him he was cheesy with a playful eye roll. “It’s my job to be cheesy!” he had defended himself. “Also, I’m not being cheesy, I’m a man in love.”

You were brought back into reality when he stopped in his tracks and pulled you into his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around your torso. “We should dance,” he beamed, eyes wide like it was the greatest idea he had ever thought of.

“There’s no music, H,” you regrettably informed him while pushing his curls away from his forehead. You couldn’t help but lean in and press a light kiss to his cheek. His skin was warm and slightly sweaty on your lips, a salty taste invading your mouth.

“We don’t need music. All the music is up here,” he winked while tapping his temple. “We're listening to classical.”

“Oh I see, music man,” you joked, unable to contain your giggles.

“Shh,” he attempted to quell your laughter, bringing his pointer finger to your lips. “Can’t hear the music.” A sarcastic seriousness played across his face, prompting another grin to sneak onto your lips. You pressed a kiss to his finger, before giving into his demand and falling quiet.

You could never fight the spell he put you under. You lived in a cloud of Harry, an intoxicating daze that made you unable to focus on the bad of the world when he was around. He had seemed to melt down the walls you had built before you had met, a fact that made him endearingly call you his ‘Ice Queen’ every once in a while. The charm and wit he carried with him wiped away your practicality, always knowing how to convince you to play along with his antics and throw your precious caution to the wind. He was your rose colored glasses. He made your heart jump all day long and unexpected bursts of joy were felt in your chest whenever he smiled, laughed, or said your name. You were enamored by him, an all consuming love you couldn’t escape from.

“What are you thinking about, pet?” he asked softly, breaking through your loving haze. “You have your thinking face on.” A light smile continued to play on his lips but it was softer now, taking on a gentle questioning quality.

“Just thinking about how much I love you,” you confessed.

His eyebrows perked up and so did the corners of his mouth into a delightful smirk. “I mean, who doesn’t?” His smart ass comment earned himself a playful slap to his chest, but your attempt to wiggle out of his arms was thwarted when he pulled you even tighter to him. “That’s no way to treat your dance partner, my love.”

“I want a different dance partner,” you taunted, sticking the tip of your tongue out at him.

One of his hands fell from your shoulders to the small of your waist, the other found one of yours and he began to sway with care side to side. “Too bad, we’re already dancing,” he spoke softly into your ear. You two moved in an easy rhythm to a song only Harry could hear, a more caring and tender tone taking over for your previously playful one.

His cheek pressed to your temple and your bodies pressed loosely to each other. If you tried hard enough, you could hear the man’s soft hum of a melody you couldn’t quite put your finger on. Your feet fell carefully, wary of the uneven pavement in your heels, but you reminded yourself even if you were to fall, the arm looped around your waist would be sure to catch you. Small kisses peppered your forehead and you were released from his grasp for only a second for him to twirl you around, the skirt of your dress splaying out around you before being enveloped in him once again.

“I love you, angel,” he murmured softly when you found yourself resting back against his chest. He had abandoned his joking tone, shifting to a gentler and more serious cadence, pouring his soul into every word that left his lips as they brushed against your forehead. “I am so happy that I get to spend my life with you.”

“I love you so much. This is a happier life than I could have ever imagined for myself,” you spoke after a thoughtful pause. You were still swaying calmly, seeming to move in time with the cool breeze settling over the two of you, but Harry’s humming had been abandoned for a reflective silence.

“What kind of house do you want us to live in one day?” he asked abruptly, choosing to move in a seemingly unrelated direction.

“It has to be big; with enough rooms to fill with lots of cats and dogs, and when the time comes, maybe a baby. And I want a big porch to sit on together and watch the world go by on.” You felt him nod thoughtfully and with a hum of agreement.

“Do you want it to be the only house we ever live in? Or do you want to try out different places to find your favorite?”

“I think I want it to be our one house. I want us to be the crazy old people who have lived in the old rickety house at the end of the block forever; the ones who always have stories to tell and grandchildren constantly coming and going.”

“Can we be the ones who brag about never having a fight?”

“Do you mean the ones who lie?” you asked with a chuckle, looking up to face him. He broke out into a high pitched giggle, your favorite laugh of his. It warmed you to your core knowing that you were the only one who could make him laugh like that.

“Exactly,” he nodded in confirmation, still chuckling to himself.

“We can lie and say we’ve never had a fight as long as we never stop getting wine drunk and slow dancing to no music on random streets while on vacation,” you quipped.

“Sounds like a plan, my love.”

“I know we’ve talked about doing it, but when do you want to get married? I don’t want to inconvenience either of our careers with wedding planning or anything like that. I don’t really care as long as we get to spend our lives together.” The words fell freely from your mouth, the wine still running through your veins blocking the inhibition that probably should have kept the words inside your head.

“Getting married to you wouldn’t be an inconvenience, darling.”

“I know. Wrong words,” you chuckled. “Well, I guess I should have asked when you want to get engaged,” you corrected yourself. “I suppose we have to do that first.”

“Why not now?” he asked, with a mischievous twang in his voice. You felt one of his arms slip from around you and start rummaging in his jacket pocket.

“What?”

“I said,” he began again, “why not now?” His hand emerged from his pocket, presenting you with a tiny red velvet ring box.  

Your mind went blank. Your usually rapid and incessant thoughts seemed to stop altogether in a mix of shock and awe. You knew this day, or night, would come eventually. You two had discussed a future together extensively and had agreed you didn’t want to spend your lives with anyone else, but you had never imagined the moment he asked you to be his forever. You had never imagined this moment.

His eyebrows slicked up, lips curled in a devilish smile, and he sank down onto one knee before you. Your hands flew up to your face and the wetness on your fingertips alerted you to the tears that had begun to fall down your cheeks, your heartbeat pounding loud in your ears.

“My dear,” Harry began as he settled onto the sidewalk, balancing carefully on the cobblestone ground. “I have been in love with you since the very first day I met you and that adorable little snort slipped out when you laughed at one of my bad jokes. You have been the first thought I have in the morning and the last thought I have before I fall asleep for longer than you know. You are kind and smart and funny and you light up every room you walk into. I do not want to spend another second of my life without knowing you’ll be by my side for the rest of it. Will you marry me?”

He looked up at you with hopeful eyes and you looked down at him through tearful ones. You began a furious nod, before choking out the only word he wanted to hear. “Yes,” you sobbed, holding out a shaky hand for him to slide the ring onto.

The ring was beautiful; dazzling under the light of the full moon and the dim street lights above you. It slid onto your ring finger with ease, sitting snugly like the ring was made just  for you. It was simple, which Harry knew was your style and it held one (large) diamond in a simple silver setting, no bells or whistles needed.

Harry grabbed you by the waist as soon as the ring was secure and picked you up in his arms and spun, twirling you around like the two of you had just slipped out of a rom-com. Delighted giggles fell from both of your lips before he finally stopped, your laughter pausing when your lips found his.

It was a salty kiss, due to the sheen of sweat still sitting on Harry’s skin and the tears that were still streaming down your own, but it just felt so right. He was warm and smiling, lips still tasting of the pinot noir you had shared. Your lips moved together in a perfect harmony like they were meant for each other.

“Thank god you said yes,” Harry breathed when you finally separated. “I’ve been carrying that ring with me everywhere we go for two months now.”

With a playful eye roll, you pulled the curly man to you and connected your lips once again, unable to get enough of him. His intoxicating cologne filled your nostrils and you had never felt more safe or happy. The love you shared felt like when the sun warms your skin under a golden hour sunset; bright yet soft, spectacular yet easy. And you were ready for it to never end.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! FEEDBACK AND REBLOGS ARE SUPER APPRECIATED!! 

[kiirokero]

Outro: Love Is Not Over (2)

Pairing: Daycare Teacher! Hoseok x Single Mom! Reader.

Genre: Single Parent! AU, Teacher! AU, Hybrid! AU, Fluff, Angst, Adorable Kids,

Warnings: Nothing, just very cute moments between mom and son.

Word Count: 1.6k

Note: Heyo, if you want to be added to this story's tag list, you can reply to this post or message me!

Summary: Years after a relationship goes south. You are the single mother of a beautiful 6-year-old golden retriever hybrid who you named Yunho. He is the light of your life. Yunho is everything to you, and you’d do anything for him. But you’re a human. Yunho doesn’t care, he will tell you he doesn’t. “You’re still my Eomma. No matter what.” He says. But you can’t help but feel like you will never be enough for him. You can’t be the mother he deserves. You can’t show him the ropes of being a hybrid, and you can’t teach him things the other moms can. But you try. You try your damn hardest. So, when a handsome German Shepard hybrid comes into your life, helping you and guiding Yunho in a way you can’t, you can’t help the cozy home he sets up in your heart.

Chapter Guide:

Previous / Next 

Tag List: @kurochan3​ @mrcleanheichou​

      “Yunho! Are you dressed?” I called up the stairs. “Yes! I’m coming!” Yunho called back in an excited voice. It was a wonder how he could be so awake and peppy at 6am. Maybe it was his hybrid genes... Golden retrievers are notorious for being cheerful dogs. 

      I heard Yunho’s rapid steps, and he quickly came skipping into the kitchen, immediately hugging my leg. I set down the butter knife I was using to make his lunch and gave him a full hug, kissing his forehead. 

      “Are you excited for your first day of school?” I asked, picking off some lint that was on his shirt. “Yes! I get to make new friends!” He exclaimed, hopping up and down. It made me chuckle. Even if I was exhausted, he was like a dose of happiness medicine. “I’m glad.” I smiled. 

      I got Yunho his breakfast and finished preparing his lunch. I did a check over all of his things to make sure he had everything he needed. I checked off every box in my head. Pencil case... Notebook... Water bottle... “Eomma!” Yunho called out for me. I walked over to the dining room and saw him sitting in his chair, still eating his breakfast. “What’s up bub?” I asked. “Can you sit with me? Please?” 

     I nodded, walking over and sitting in my seat. Yunho smiled and went back to eating. We sat in comfortable silence while I pet his head. I just admired him for a minute. I don’t know what God blessed me with such a son, but whoever it was, I’m indebted to you for life. 

     Yunho was a calm baby. In the way of, he wasn’t a screamer. I remember Hyejin telling me horror stories about Hajun screaming in the middle of the night, startling both her and Yoongi awake. They worried me when I had Yunho, but he never screamed, maybe once or twice, but he normally kept his volume to a reasonable decibel level. 

     Yes, Yunho was enthusiastic, but he never raised his voice enough to where it was anything but childlike excitement. As a baby, he’d just cry, but he’d cry softly. There wasn’t a right way to describe it. If I was in the kitchen and he was sitting on a blanket in the living room, I would hear him cry, but it wasn’t ear piercing. Maybe it was due to the small house that I could easily hear him... He was just a calm baby. 

     When he was around 3 and 4, he started being very emotive and enthusiastic. At first he’d do it all the time, even when he was supposed to be extra quiet. But after teaching him that there's a time and a place to be expressive, he caught on pretty quickly. 

    That didn’t mean we didn’t have problems though. More than once he’d draw on the walls or walk through the house with his shoes on. Sometimes he was in a foul mood and would throw a fit, but that was rare. There was a time he refused to clean his room, and it hurt my soul to put my foot down, but I was still his mother. 

Point being, Yunho was the sun. A sun that deserved the universe. 

      “Alright bub, are you ready?” I held Yunho’s hand as he stood wide-eyed in front of the school building. Yunho had only been to a small daycare that was also a kindergarten, so this is all new to him. I slowly started walking forward with Yunho walking behind me. It was cute, but I knew he couldn’t hide from school forever. I don’t want to go to jail. 

      The building was dazzling and straight out of a fairytale. Artwork lined the halls and the walls were painted with dragons and princesses, the occasional mermaid here and there. All in all, a very welcoming place. I could see Yunho’s eyes light up as he looked at the walls, and he was slowly walking next to me again. 

    We stopped in front of a room labeled, “Mrs. Hopkin’s First Grade Kingdom!” It made me chuckle. The building seemed to have a theme going on here. We walked in, hand in hand, and if I thought the hallways jumped out of a fairytale, this room jumped out of a Disney movie. 

     It was set up like the ordinary first-grade classroom, but the one wall had a whole mural. There were fairytale decorations hanging from the ceiling. The floor tiles were white with dots of rainbow colors, and they set the desks up in clusters inspired by different fairytale creatures. As in, one table cluster was mermaid-inspired, decorated with scales and a seashell rug underneath. One was dragon-inspired with flame details and a dragon stuffed animal in the middle of the table. A green rug was also underneath the table.

     It made you wonder for a second if you stopped at the wrong school because this seemed expensive and you definitely didn’t have the money to send Yunho to a rich kid's school. Being a writer paid well, but not THAT well. 

     Soon, an old woman walked up to us. She was wearing a floral, floor-length skirt and a white button up. “Hello! I’m Mrs. Hopkin. Welcome!” She smiled, and it was the classic grandmother smile. “Hello! I’m Y/n and this is Yunho.” Yunho waved, still holding my hand. “Lovely to meet you, we’re just about to start!” Mrs. Hopkin exclaimed, so I let Yunho go and ushered him to go play while I went to stand with the rest of the moms and dads. 

     This was a primarily hybrid school since Yunho and I lived in a predominately hybrid community. Meaning, most the parents were also hybrids, but I didn’t care. I hung around hybrids for 2/3rds of my life. Funnily, hanging out with another human would be odd for me. However, that didn’t stop the occasional side glances and looks I would get. 

     I was used to it at this point because I stuck out like a neon sign. It happened everywhere I went. We lived in a pretty sizeable community, meaning I didn’t have to go out of town a lot. At first, it made me insecure, but Hyejin and Yoongi snapped me out of it and told me they weren’t judging me; they were just surprised. I remember Yoongi’s wise words... “Look, dumbo, what the hell are they gonna judge you for? Living? Breathing? I already do that, so no need to worry.”

He got a pretty good punch from Hyejin for that one. 

     Mrs. Hopkin clapped her hands, calling everyone's attention to the front of the class. “Hello everyone! Welcome to first grade!” She exclaimed enthusiastically, “We’ll be going over the rules and then we will say goodbye to our mommies and daddies.” And just like that, she started explaining the basics. It made me think she rehearsed this in a mirror last night. She flowed as if she was running on muscle memory. Or maybe she's been teaching for way too long. 

      It was fairly simple. Keep your hands to yourself, listen to whoever is speaking, raise your hand, yadda yadda... I’ve been to first grade before. After Mrs. Hopkins finished speaking to the parents about expectations and what happens if one of our kids is bad, she let us all say our goodbyes. Yunho ran and jumped on me, burying his face into my chest. 

      He was scenting me, showing me he was nervous. “You’ll be okay, bub. I’ll be here to pick you up before you know it.” I pet his head and his tail started wagging. “I don’t want Eomma to go...” He whined. I swore that my heart exploded. “But you were so excited this morning?” I chuckled. “I take it back.” He grumbled. I cooed and softly put him down, unraveling the scarf I had around my neck. 

      “Here you go. Just for today, okay? You’re a big boy now, Yunnie.” I smiled at his big puppy eyes. Yunho held to scarf to his nose, and I gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I love you, baby.” I whispered. “I love you too, Eomma.” 

      Stepping out of the school, away from my son, was eye opening. Yunho was growing right before my eyes, and before I know it, he’ll be walking out of this school grown. Ready to tackIe the next level of school. It makes me tear up a bit and I feel like a mother in a slice of life film. I chuckle, shaking my head as I get into my car. 

      Just as I’m about to start it up, my phone rings. Hyejin. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask, deciding that I’d drive after this call. “Y/n! Thank god you answered!” She sighed in relief. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” She hums and I can hear ruckus in the background. “Yes... No...? I’m in a predicament.”

     “What?” I chuckle nervously, unsure if I should be worried. “So... Um... I forgot today was the boy’s first day of school, so Hajun is not there...” She cautions. “Okay? He can go tomorrow.” I reason. “He’s with me... And I can’t watch him, I have to go to work.” If I was in The Office, this would be the moment where I would look directly into the camera with a blank stare. 

“Hyejin-”

“I know! You can scold me later... Can you come pick him up? Please~” She begged.

“Yeah, I can... I’m at the school right now.” I grumbled.

“Great! Meet me at the daycare so you don’t have to drive as much. I love you!” 

I sighed, shaking my head. She’s going to be the death of me. 

[oddsnendsfanfics]

The (Mis)Adventures of Kal and Moose - Puppy Love?

Genre: Fan Fiction Pairing: Henry Cavill/Reader Warnings: Fluffy Summer Fun Rating: G Length: Drabble Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.  

A/N: Kal and Moose seem to be popular, what can I say? 

Henry Cavill Master List

“Oscar, can you not torment Kal?”

“I'm not tormenting him,” the boy pouted, attempting to push the dog away. “He keeps sitting on me, Uncle Henry.”

“Kal, stop sitting on Oscar.” Henry scolded the big black and white Akita.

Henry swore he could see Kal roll his eyes, but did as he was asked and climbed off of Henry's nephew. Kal yawned and laid on the bed in the corner, like a “good dog”, another eye roll. Please, this was his domain. Nobody moved him from his spot on the couch, except for maybe Moose. Even then, they would compromise and Moose would lie across the humans.

Closing his eyes, Kal sighed, listening to his human and the two tiny humans playing another video game. They had spent a part of the day outside in the garden yesterday. This morning they went for Kal's regulation walkie, and now they were in the house – again. Kal huffed and yawned. He wished Moose was there, they could bounce around the garden chasing squirrels, cats, and scare the tiny humans with their loud but harmless boofings.

Sprawled out on the “dog bed” Kal whimpered in his sleep. Oblivious to the fact he had company. Dancing around Kal with more energy than he knew what to do with, Moose nosed the big dog and yelped at him. Kal sniffled and boofed in his sleep. Henry laughed watching Kal completely ignore his best friend.

“He's pretty wrecked,” Henry explained with a casual shrug.

“Kids do that to ya.” You laugh, calling Moose back to you. “How was last night?”

“Good, they slept well. Aiden was up in the night, he crawled in with me, and went back to sleep. Thankfully.” A soft chuckle, Henry looked over his shoulder at his nephews playing the video game that he had set up. “They're glued to that thing.”

“Ah, like their uncle.” You tease, nudging him in the side. “Why don't we wake sleeping beauty and head for the park? Moose could use a nice, long run. He's been inside all day. I had Alfie this morning, he had an appointment so no dogs allowed.”

Henry snorted. “You're welcome to try and pry them away.”

His brother and sister in law had left the 10 and 6 years old with their uncle for the weekend, it was their anniversary and Henry wasn't doing anything. He had gallantly offered to take his nephews, they arrived Thursday morning and would be leaving around mid day Sunday. How hard could it be? His sister in law had told him not to let them spend the entire weekend in front of a screen.

Easier said than done. He'd had them for 24 hours and the majority of their time, they weren't happy unless they were stuck in front of a game. Henry couldn't blame them, it was an activity the three of them were equally matched at, and they all enjoyed.

“Hey guys,” You call cheerfully, walking into the room. “What's going on?”

You had met Oscar and Aiden before, although you weren't overly familiar with the two boys, you hoped they had remembered you.

At they very least, they would likely remember Moose. He had been the unexpected star of the show, stealing the tray of sausages from the grill allowing himself and Kal to a fine meal. He then proceeded to vomit on the lawn where one of the other nephews managed to step and slip in it. Henry had assured you that it wasn't a big deal. Right, because it wasn't him having to face the shame or clean vomit off of his dog.

“Playing a game,” Aiden answered dropping his controller and turning to you. “Would you like to play? Uncle Henry said it's okay for kids.”

“I'm sure it is, but I don't want to play. Thanks.” You smile, rubbing Moose's back. He stands beside you sniffing the small human.

Kal is awake, stretching and wagging his tail. Moose is here and the fun is never far.

“Okay.” Aiden shrugs turning back to the game.

“Oscar, don't be rude.” Henry scolds from his spot holding up the door frame with his body.

“Oh, hey.” Oscar turns briefly to greet you.

“So, how many more levels to this game?”

“Seven.” Oscar's eyes never leave the screen.

“Ah. Well, I guess you're probably going to play those then. Sorry, Hen, looks like you and Kal are here all day.” You begin to talk, making no sense whatsoever to Henry.

“Wh-I don't.” Henry begins, when you wink at him. Indicating for him to follow the lead. “I guess we are. Too bad.”

Aiden's attention was now piqued. Ah yes, the little ones always caved first. Standing up and walking to his uncle, Aiden hangs onto Henry's hand for a second before whispering to him.

“What were we going to do?” Henry asks out loud. Kal prances and Moose begins to wiggle around as well. Aiden nods.

“I came over to see if your Uncle Henry wanted to go to lunch,  or maybe we could go to the park, then get an ice cream. But since you guys have seven levels left.” You shrug as casually as you can. “Guess Moose and I are on our own.”

“I want ice cream!” Aiden cheers. “Oscar, turn off the game. Turn it off! We can go get ice cream! Oscar!” the small boy pesters his big brother.

A sight all too familiar for Henry. He was often the one pestering his brothers to do cool things, too.

“Go away.” Oscar pushes Aiden to the side, trying to play the game.

“Oscar, don't push your brother.” Henry corrects. His brow knit, he means business. “Why don't we turn off the game and go to the park.”

Scowling, Oscar rolls his eyes, a Cavill trait. You can't help giggle at how much the two boys look like their uncle.

“Why can't she take him and we stay here?” Oscar pauses the game.

“Because we are all going, I said so.” Henry pulls rank over the sulking child. “Now, it is my game and I want it turned off. I will banish you from playing the rest of the weekend.”

Did that sort of thing actually work?

Indeed it did, for Henry at least. He didn't have to ask the second time. Oscar did as he was told, powering down the gaming system, not without a pout though. Dogs and children wrangled, everyone was out of the house in a timely fashion. Another grumble came, when the boys – primarily Oscar – realized that this was an adventure to be taken on foot.

Whatever, he would get over it.

Holding tightly to Moose's leash, Aiden walked proudly along side his uncle. The red Aussie being on his best behaviour, although you made sure to keep a close eye in case he got any ideas to run off with the child. Making it to the park in one piece, no run offs or mishaps, was nearly a miracle. Letting the two dogs off to play, Henry handed Oscar the ball and told him to throw it as far and hard as he could.

Aiden didn't go too far, sitting in the grass, chatting idly with you. He told you about his favourite subject at school. His favourite sport and hobbies. The topic of conversation got real, when he leaned in closer. Whispering that his favourite superhero was Ironman, but he would pretend to like Superman to make his uncle Henry happy.

Overhearing the confession, Henry shot you a wink and a slight nod. He was well aware of his nephew's acting skills.

Throwing the ball with his uncle, until the two dogs returned panting and tired, Oscar ignored you and Aiden. Enjoying the time he had to chat with Henry about various things. Sports mostly. He made the observation that the usually shy Aiden was your new best mate. Sitting on your knee in the grass, Aiden laughed as you tickled him. Your bonding interrupted by Kal wandering over and slobbering against your face.

“Kal!” You squeal and push the big dog away. “Get off.”

“I think he's saying it's time for ice cream.” Henry laughed, retrieving Kal.

“Ice cream!” Aiden cheered rushing to his feet, Moose dancing along beside him.

Settled on the grass under a big shady tree, Aiden had his wish. An ice cream cone in his hand, melted debris on his cheeks and chin. He was a picture of happy. Oscar sat with his back against the tree, watching  flock of birds near by. Henry rested beside him, Kal's leash in his hand. The big dog licking his paws, having finished a small cup of delicious ice cream.

Sitting beside Aiden, you hold your ice cream for Moose to take a lick. He had his own cup as well, although he refused to share with you. Funny how dogs and children were that way. Henry had shared his with you, insisting that you try the passion fruit frozen yogurt. Resting in the shade, you can't help but enjoy the comfortable silence between the four of you. The boys had been perfect all afternoon, you were certain their mother would be thrilled to hear that they had done something other than played video games. In the silence, Oscar shifted around, sitting to face his Uncle.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.” Henry nodded.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Hearing the question, you nearly choke. Sputtering and wiping a hand across your chin.

“No, we're friends.” Henry rolls his eyes. Giving you an apologetic look.

“Friends who like to kiss?”

“No, friends who like to sacrifice small children who ask too many questions.” You speak without any thought on that comment. The sheer look of terror on the child's face is enough to force Henry into hiding his laughter.

“Uncle Henry, she's weird.” Aiden licks his ice cream cone, pushing the melting treat a little too hard. Resulting in it splatting to the ground, bottom lip trembling Aiden is on the verge of tears when Kal and Moose rush to the rescue. Kal hunting down the ice cream on the ground, cleaning up. Moose goes straight for the face, licking the remains off of the little boy's face. “Uncle Henry!” Aiden laughs as the dog's tongue tickles his face, Moose now joined by Kal.

“Boys, off.” You attempt to call off the dogs, while Henry has already gone to get Aiden a second cone. “Kal, Moose. Now.”

“Here we are,” Henry holds a new cone, laughing when he sees the sight. Aiden on the ground, Kal and Moose licking his face like it was their new day job. “Well, at least I won't have to clean him up.”

@laketaj24​​   @the-winter-witcher​​ @viking-raider​​ @sciapod​​ @stars-meets-the-sunlight​​ @honeychicanawrites​​ @badassbakers​​  @cris101071​​ @fucktrucks​​ @ohjules​​ @zoe-rachel-crisp​​  @mrsadrianraines​​  @angelic-kisses13​​ @marthasantos95​​  @hows-my-hair​​ @omgshuddupmeg​�� @shileen91​​ @moviegirl50​​ @havenoffandoms​​ @nerdzzone​​ @captstefanbrandt​​ @supernaturalvikingwhore​​ @intototaloblivion​​ @carlya65​​ @letowolfie​​ @thisisabigmaze​​  @lostinthoughtsandfeelings​​ @heavenly1927​​ @henchry​​ @mitzwinchester​​ @vicmackeybullshxt​​ @dogshemp​​ @alwayshave-faith​​ @centaine​​ @romyr4​​ @inside-the-time-stone​​  @nedbear​​ @ly--canthrope​@agniavateira​​ @flowerthug​​ @badwolf-in-the-impala​​ @mariahill2001​​ @mytbel0st​​  @fcgrizi​​ @dancingwendigo​​ @peakygroupie​​ @magdelen69​​  @s-ravenall​​ @legendarywinchester1​​ @littlefreya​​ @michelle-1185​​ @daniig95​​  @hcfavoritegal​​ @didiintheblog​​ @thiccgeralt​​ @titty-teetee​​ @charlieferret​​ @taytayize123 @mis-lil-red​​ @anndreaae​​ @dearlybelovedluke​​ @gearhead66​​ @p3nny4urth0ught5​​ @tinychemicals​​ @mary-ann84​​ @townmoondaltwistle​​ @buckysgoldenheart​​ @thethirstyarchive​​ @meowpurrbooks​​  @hell1129-blog​​ @nuns-and-roses​​ @vikingsbifrost​​ @comboboo​​ @onlyhenrys​​ @sideh0e​​ @deathonyourtongue​​ @obsessedwithcavill​​ @omgkatinka​​ @woofgocows​​ @newfanhasenteredthechat​​ @lestersglitterglue​​ @speakerforthedead0​​ @rmtndew​​ @ravenpuff02​​ @summersong69​​ @ladyreapermc​​ @fuckoffbard​​ @marswritings​​ @cherrybloomn​​ @radkesgirl83​​ @harrysthiccthighss​​ @bloodyinspiredfuck​​ @alyxkbrl​​ @horny-nd-bored​​ @aaescritora​​​@writingforhenry​​ @ffreadings​​ @tsukuyomi011​​ @kaitieskidmore1​​​ @newfanhasenteredthechat​​​ @kinbhot4henners​​ @palaiasaurus64​​ @evnscvll​ @sofiebstar​

- if you want to be added? removed, please let me know

[miruko-will-fight-god]

Class 1A x Immortal reader

Warnings: death, Reader death (But revival), talks of pain

Reader info:

Quirk: Complete Restoration (This quirk allows the reader to completely heal from any injury, even allowing them to regrow organs and limbs)

A/N: I swear this isn’t angst, tbh I dont even know what to call this since it isnt fluff, crack, or angst enjoy anyway tho (Also Mineta is replaced with Shinso but that shouldn’t really be a problem lol)

You walked into the room of class 2-A greeted by the faces of your new classmates and Eraser Head, who you had met a few days prior, was lying on the floor wrapped up in his blindingly yellow sleeping bag. You walked through the door, the exhausted teacher sluggishly sitting up. “Alright, introduce yourself quickly, we have things to do afterwards” he grumbles before slouching back down.

 You stepped beside the podium, reciting your rehearsed introduction from memory “Hello, I’m [Y/N] [L/N], I’m a new transfer from [Country]. I look forward to getting to know you all!” You finished, looking over towards Aizawa who was now standing, only half covered in his sleeping bag. “Alright,” he said, “now that that's over with, everyone get suited up and meet me at ground gamma.” 

You followed the rest of the class towards the lockers to change into your costumes Your costume was simple, it consisted of a simple black full bodysuit that had two large pockets running down the outer sides of your legs containing rope for restraining, and some combat boots. Since your quirk didn’t give you any offensive properties, your weapon of choice was a scythe, which was quite noticeable as you paraded out of the locker room with it.

 You, Ahisdo, Shinso and Midoriya were the first ones out of the locker rooms. You stood in awe of the massive industrial training grounds, as Ashido and Midoriya tried to convince you to tell them what your quirk is and Shinso looked like he was planning. As the rest of the class gathered up, you were greeted by your grumpy homeroom teacher and the frail form of all might. When all of you had arrived, All might began to brief you all on the exercise. “Today the battle will be a free for all, The border will be marked by a large red line that will shrink every minute, get pushed out of the border and you’re out, become immobilized, you’re out. Someone will win when they’re the last person standing within the border. We’ll give a 45 second grace period, for you all to get into a position, just make sure that you stay within the border.” He finished explaining. “Does everyone got it?” he asked, eliciting varying ‘yeses’ from you and your classmates. Before the class was told to begin Aizawa added something on. “One more thing, [L/N] and Shinso” your features became riddled with confusion. “As you most likely guessed this test will be an evaluation of you skills. And if I feel like your lacking what it takes to remain in this class, I will expel you.” You jumped at the notion of expelling while Shinso only narrowed his eyes,  you knew that Eraserhead has expelled entire classes of students before, you were no exception to this.

You calmed your nerves just as the pair gave the signal for the grace period to start. All of you ran in, some moving faster than others due to their quirks. An overly loud horn blew throughout the arena just as you reached a safe area near the edge of the border.

‘I guess that was the signal’ you thought, starting to come up with a plan

You knew that you had the benefit of them not knowing your quirk, you were told of them and their quirks and you remember seeing them in the sports festival from last year. So your best bet would be sneak attacks and to knock people out of the border since you only had a limited amount of rope, you figured the stronger and more ballsy of your peers would be near the center, so the majority would be around the outskirts like you.

You were taken out of your thoughts by tape narrowly avoiding your face. You towards your right, to find the person of origin perched on top of a pipe. You readied your weapon in front of you, The memory of the sports festival last year coming back to you. The grip you kept on your weapon tightened as you ran towards Sero, dogging and cutting tape as it was shot as you. Once you were close enough to the pipe you jumped up, hitching your scythe into a vertical pipe adjacent to where you were jumping using the momentum to pull yourself up. As your feet landed on the metal with a soft thud, you pulled your weapon out, grasping it with both hands.

Without hesitation you run towards your current opponent, making your way between the two streams of tape he shot at you. Once he was within range of your weapon, turning the blade around so he was hit with the heel of your scythe. You watched as he fell off of the pole landing on his butt. Before he had a chance to get up or even register the slight pain in his tailbone, the large red line marking the perimeter began to move inward, leaving him outside the line. You slightly felt bad but remembered that there was still a challenge going on. However you knew you were definitely going to be apologizing.

Your next destination was closer to the center of the arena. While it was still fairly early in the game, you had no doubt that quite a few people were out. After a while navigating, only accompanied by the sound of your footsteps and the sound of fights off in the distance. Before you knew it you reached what you assumed was the center. Primarily due to the fact that the area seemed more cleared out compared to other places in the structure. The area seemed almost under ground due to the lack of pipes at the bottom but random pipes acting similar to a roof only letting stray beams of light worming their way to the ground. Within the large cleared out area three people stood the arena. Three who you recognized from their files Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, and Hitoshi Shinso.

You remembered them specifically since one only transferred to the hero course this year, and the other two were fairly powerful. From where you stood you noticed a few other people, their either eyes trained on the scene in front of them waiting for an opportune moment to take one of them out or fighting someone else. The boys were currently engaged in a three-way battle trying their best to keep each other at bay while also trying to keep each other down. 

The boy in the green seemed to have a slight advantage since he seemed more skilled in close ranged hand-to-hand combat than the others. The blonde was stuck primarily on defense and the purple haired boy seemed to have a decent balance between defense and offense. You remembered Aizawa’s words, the threat of expulsion still slightly terrifying you. You took a deep breath and formulated a plan.

 As the battle continued you scaled your way up the pipes avoiding the other spectators. You eventually made you way to the end of a pipe that led directly over the battle- well as direct as you could be considering how much they moved around. You did your best to stay as quiet as possible as your made your way across the pipe until something caught your eye. Quite a bit ahead of you, the pipe got unstable due to it missing quite a few screws. It was unstable enough that probably if you applied enough pressure the pipe would collapse causing a domino effect to the few pipes below it. You knew if you spent anymore time thinking it over you would psych yourself out of it.

 You got a running start and jumped onto the pip fell with it  was everything collapsed. The trio below you saw and each to appropriate actions to save themselves. Bakugou jumping back using the force of explosions to power himself back. Shinso using his capture weapon to move larger pieces of debris out of his way. Deku jumping off of the falling rubble to make sure none of it fell on himself.

That portion of the Arena was covered in a layer of dust causing everyone to cough. As the dust started to settle, letting everyone open their eyes and get fresh breaths of air into their lungs, that's when they noticed it. You were dead…? You laid on top of the rubble, only small pieces laying on top of you. There was quite a noticeable head wound, and a hole in your stomach. Almost like a piece of metal had passed clean through you.

No one dared to move, the sight of a dead body causing some of them gag, trying to keep the bile in their stomachs. No one’s eyes dared to stay fixated on anything your body, like if they looked away you would really be dead. The most stoic of your classmates were unable to keep their unwavering facades together. Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden yelling from the pile of  wreckage “THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH!” You yelled, sitting up unaware of the state of your classmates. Tears started to flow as some of them finally gained the courage to run up to you bombarding you with questions. 

You chuckled at the familiar questions of “what?” “how?” “weren’t you dead?” Aizawa looked through the screen, a shock that was unknown to his colleague riddled his mind. He knew what your quirk was, but he didn’t know it was to that extent. He had seen healing quirks at work before, but he had never seen someone just come back to life like that. Aizawa ended the training session early giving you his logical ruse spiel while also reprimanding you for being that reckless.

Soon enough lunch rolled around, and you sat with a large group of one 1-A students ending up next to the green haired boy from earlier. As soon as you sat down you were bombarded with questions before you chuckled. “I can’t answer all your questions at once, one at a time please.” Midoriya asked his questions first which were basically all the practical ones. 

“What is your quirk?”

“It’s called complete restoration, I’m just able to heal any injury on myself, including ones that are fatal.”

“So you’re immortal?”

“Pretty Much.” you answered curtly, continuing to stuff your face. 

“Do you feel pain?” a red head asked sheepishly. “Not in the slightest! But I can tell when I get hurt, it’s like some sort of sixth sense. And “dying” is practically just waking up from that weird falling feeling ” You shrugged. “But it makes it really fun to jump off of buildings and stuff!” you finished giggling. Your classmates looked at you with a mix of awe and disbelief, continuing to ask questions throughout the lunch period.

[ranmanjuu]

not a request but can you imagine oda forces trying to play smash against the anti-oda or they all play minecraft together

i’ll expose myself here. i have never ever played smash (although minecraft steve being announced is super pog) so i can’t tell ya that part bud. but i can with the blok game. (disclaimer that this request was made after i closed it yet my heart said No, you actually Want to do this so here i am. most probably will be short).

‎

welcome folks, to SengokuSMP.

oda forces:

—nobunaga:

would be the one that steals your iron and shit. commits thefts willy nilly, and no one is exempt from this. if he needs it, he’ll get it with or without your consent.

would kill an iron golem for the few iron it gives

before he got his own base (cause i think he’d just spend most of his time mining and getting materials to protect himself) he’s probably just barge in the nearest bed and sleep in it, regardless of the owner.

his base would probably be built by hideyoshi or sumthn.

he prefers playing pvp more than just survival. since mc placed a kind of restriction for the end (and therefore blocking them from completing the game), he goes onto servers and practice his battles even in a block game.

1.9 axe-shield pvp. he’s tactical in knowing when to strike and block and to back down, and is immaculate with his crits.

—hideyoshi:

probably spends the first few days around nobunaga to protect him. he always fights off the mobs near him even if nobunaga can handle himself.

always reminds people to sleep every night, so that the phantoms don’t come. even though a lot of the players prefer to just stay up.

built a base for nobunaga near his mine cause he needs A Place and not just mooch furnaces and beds from other people.

spawned iron golems for “protection” but nobunaga keeps killing them cause it just gets in the way

would be the one to make mines 4 blocks high so you don’t Bump your head thing, probably like 3 block width and even staircases. would also be the one to make a safety railing across any bridges he finds.

if an ally, he’d greet new players and give them some extra stuff so that they have Something to start off with

i feel like he’d be a pve player idk why

—mitsuhide:

no one knows where he is most of the time. nor his base.

unless you see his nametag (which, most of the time, he’ll see yours first) it’s kinda hard to find him when he’s off and alone.

mf is the black market of the server. whatever potions, potion ingredients, or shit like that, he has. he probably owns like several wither skulls enough to summon a wither.

he would sneak around when mc is mining and just like. scare the shit out of them. the cave noises don’t help.

(the newest screenshot hasn’t been released yet but,) y’all know the warden? the new mob? cause it’s reliant on sounds, if anyone is ever in its proximity he’d throw like snowballs at them so that it goes after them. little shit.

bow skills?? perfect. even in a game his accuracy is spot on. you know those obstacles people make with like slime blocks and maybe mlg 360s? mf can do that

he probably knows enough redstone to make traps, too.

somehow knows what everyone has/doesn’t have.

—masamune:

prank ass bitch.

he probably has like a Source of tnts in his base or something. if anyone is moving out of their old base, he’ll either blow it up or burn it, whether they wanted to or not.

fuck it. he’ll do it even if you’re not moving.

probably doesn’t often sleep and would rather fight off the phantoms than anything.

he probably wants to defeat the dragon quick, cause it’s supposed to be the game’s ultimate goal. but because of the previous restrictions you put, he just goes off and fights other players (cough kenshin, nobunaga)

and when he does kill you, expect like half of your items to not be returned.

also one of the casual thieves in the server. he just doesn’t care that it Belongs to someone and just yoinks

also a pvp player, although i find him leaning more to 1.8 style. he will jitter click you out of existence.

has dogs because idk he gives off that vibe also they Attack.

—ieyasu:

does not log on much lol. he got on once and then Never Again. it’s only when you ask him that he begrudgingly does get in in his own contrarian way.

definitely goes wayy far out for more isolation cause he doesn’t want to get caught up with whatever shit masamune has.

the only major thing he did besides mining and everything was that he got a cat. and almost no one knows about it, other than you because:

“ieyasu has made the advancement [Best Friends Forever]!”

“mc: :OOOOO!!!!”

yeah, you never told anyone.

the longest time that he logged in at first was probably when he found out that cats sleep in beds and just. sat there as the night goes by in his bunker just watching and hearing it purr. he’s a bit irritated when the others tell him to sleep, but then see that the cat went and slept on him that secretly made his heart soft.

and then you insisted on going to his base which took a considerable amount of time, and even with his denying, you decide to decorate and expand his base! you also got to name the cat, but you never knew since you just said like “i’d name it [...]!” and later ieyasu found a name tag and actually did name it that.

—mitsunari:

he doesn’t run a lot i don’t feel. primarily because he was wonky with the controls from the start.

i feel like he’d have the brain to be a redstone engineer. he spends more time like, making those cool machines than anything (probably those that’d help out everyone like an automated farm, etc.)

thing is he forgot that he could die, so most of the time he’s just starve to death without even noticing it.

much like in real life, he always forgets to sleep. and that’s why phantoms are his number 2 in his cause of deaths.

doesn’t have an actual base. hideyoshi built a small one for him, but mitsunari kind of never uses it and just logs off on the spot. at this point it just became a part of the main buildings for everyone or something.

he doesn’t do an awful a lot of collecting and often asks others for some. and when he is given it, he goes “thank you ^^ <3″ and does like the happy-shift thing. it’s honestly too cute for it to be just pixels.

probably knows a lot about minecraft stuff too, it’s just that he never uses any of it.

—ranmaru:

he was so excited the first time you told him that he was invited to the smp of sengoku warlords! would probably frequent the most.

i think he’d just vibe really. not exactly going extremely into pve or pvp or redstone or building, he plays it at a very slow place and more like an animal crossing player would.

like, he builds a small farm and stuff. it isn’t as efficient as mitsunari’s, but it is what it is. also has an animal pen with loads of one animal category and he tends to let people use it with the exclusion of some (coughs masamune) as long as they breed them again or something.

and while he doesn’t go for the big projects, he is kind of a builder? he has the Aesthetic sense while building his house and stuff yk. would maybe lean into the cute, cottagecore stuff.

favorite food in game is probably cake! it takes more effort than most other foods and it just looks cute so he likes making them.

totally has shaders on.

is scared shitless of cave noises at times. you could play 11 near him and he’d just straight up panic and log off.

‎

uesugi-takeda forces:

—shingen:

i find him to be maybe one of those builders that stick to large projects and stuff idk why

he does other things too, mainly pvp (he likes to just head over to nobunaga’s base and kill him sometimes. not that the man doesn’t accept the challenge). would probably also be more into 1.9 pvp because he’s a very calculative person in fighting. yes even in block game.

but the first thing he built once he’s set from collecting materials, was a “restaurant”. for what, you ask? why of course he takes you on a minecraft date. that was the top of his list the moment you even told him about the smp

once the others found out (which was not that long) he just started bragging. kenshin burnt down the building later on.

but he always escorts mc or some shit while spewing out his Lines in chat, sometimes doing the bow in game thing. in response, there are several barfs in chat, and a list of people coming to kill him.

mf likes to combat log on kenshin when he’s on a Killing Spree for the shits and giggles.

—kenshin:

first time you told him about it, he was very happy to learn something about mc’s modern times, even if it’s a children’s game. unfortunately, he didn’t know what an ‘smp’ meant.

so when he logged on and saw that there were Other people, his smile turned into a deadly frown as he just began punching them to death. he only stopped when they ran off and you intervened.

he tried having you stick around longer when you were giving him a tutorial of how to play the game.

at first he only collected material to get stronger. and by that only sword because he sees no need in getting armor (he doesn’t die in battle irl, he can’t die in a simple game). but WRONG cause he got killed by shingen who, even though he had a stone axe, had iron armor while kenshin got nothing but an iron sword.

he doesn’t make a base (why do so many here don’t make bases istg). in fact, he doesn’t log on much.

at first, he only goes on if mc is on. it’s only when he sees that mc appreciates some of the work the others have put into things (like shingen’s builds, mitsunari’s redstone, etc.) is when kenshin tries to Do Things Too and kinda fail.

this man kinda has no aesthetic sense in the block game. but you give him a for effort.

1.8 pvper. he can definitely do 1.9, but more the former mostly cause his deadly anger makes him jitter click like crazy. often challenges others (consented or not) which mostly includes masamune and nobunaga, and he often surprise attacks shingen and sasuke.

—yukimura:

honestly a normal player in survival.

he makes a decent house, has some pretty strong gear, and just helps around his allies a lot (mostly {try to} drag kenshin away from trouble, scold shingen for being too close to mc {though it’s a him problem ngl} and just being a messy caretaker).

i feel like he’d enjoy tekkit tbh. sasuke would probably introduce it to him and he’d just generally enjoy it.

but this is about the smp

he got lucky the first drowned he killed dropped a trident and it’s been his favorite weapon.

probably tried at one point to build kenshin a small base but he wouldn’t listen so like. shrugs.

he’s a bit iffy with playing alongside the enemies in the same server, but they are kind of divided into two. and mc did say it was just for fun and games and they didn’t want to see actual wars be dragged into this, so he just lets it go and has fun.

he looks forward to beating the enderdragon a lot, when the end is available.

—sasuke:

oh Boy he’s having a field day. his adored sengoku warlords? playing minecraft, his childhood game??? absolute pog.

even though it was you who proposed the idea, the one who set up the server in the first place was sasuke, since he has more knowledge on that stuff.

since he got his bearings quicker than the rest from experience, and he was earlier to log on due to testing and stuff, he mostly helps you with building like the main hub, like the center place for everyone and generally things that involve helping the overall smp.

can mlg water bucket, through a lot of trial and error. he uses it mostly to make dramatic entrances where he drops from a hill and just not take damage.

^ speaking of Dramatic Entrances, he probably has a chest full of ender pearls for those specifically.

although he helps a lot with guiding everyone, at times, he pulls out the ol’ “sleep in the nether :)” suggestion just to troll

ngl he’d stick to his ninja thing and successfully make a redstone-wired door and has his banger secret base in it

—yoshimoto:

the s in smp doesn’t exist to him.

he’s just a collector, really. one of his first priority isn’t even materials like stone, the moment he finds any kind of flowers he’ll pick it up. it’s only when yukimura and sasuke actually Give him shit does he start living a not broke life.

probably dies a lot to mobs and stuff

but like legit, this man spent a long time collecting all 13 discs and almost every flower (yes, even the biome only ones) because he wants to take it all in. nevermind the fact that he can just listen to the discs online and all.

he’s immaculate in his aesthetics. even with just wood he makes his base look really cool ngl. 

some parts of it are plastered with every painting there is in minecraft, or just item frames, or flowers in their pots. every decoration you can think of, lamps, campfires, even armor stands, he has them.

you gotta give him credit, it’s a lot of effort.

he often afks just to listen to the music even though, again, he could just listen to it online.

got into a bit of a spiel with ranmaru, since he unknowingly dyed a lot of his sheep (he did categorize it with color though). and so they made an agreement to just have every color sheep, and put them in different pens. so they just shared it now

he saw the cave updates and went silently bonkers because how pretty some look (like the lush caves? hello??)

he has like. 14+ texture packs and 4 different shaders ready at his settings.

[hockey-fics]

Soy Lattes and Red Wine ~ Tyson Jost Final Part 

| Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | 

Summary: There was nothing for you in Denver when you decided to move there except a studio apartment and a longing for a fresh start. But the fresh start you’re looking for comes with a number of complications, primarily two.

Warnings (for the whole fic are listed, those in bold are in this part): language, implied sex/light smut, smut, alcohol, cheating. 

Word Count: ~1,085

Link to the alternate ending (Andre)

Andre stares at you, trying to decode what the mistake you were saying you made was. But you don’t wait long enough to let him figure it out. “Falling for you, Andre. It was a mistake. Letting myself think you ever really liked me was a mistake.”

“Y/N.” Andre’s voice is deflated, shoulders slumped as he shakes his head. “I do, I do like you. I really like you. I care about you, so much. I’m sorry, I should never have let you go.”

Shaking your head you take a step away from him. “You never had me to let go of,” you tell him. “You made it abundantly clear that we were never together when you ran off to find someone else to sleep with the moment I was busy.”

“Y/N, I-”

“It was fun, Andre. But it was never meant to be more than that. I let my feelings get involved. That was my mistake with you. But I found someone who wants more, who makes me happy, someone I can trust. I hope you figure out what you want, someone who’s right for you. But it’s not me.” 

Taking another step back you notice Andre’s eyes drifting up over your shoulder and you look back, seeing Tyson walking towards you. “Everything okay?” Tyson asks, his hand on your lower back once he gets close to you. 

Reaching behind you, you take his hand off your back, lacing your fingers between his instead. “Everything is fine, do you think we could get going soon?” you whisper, turning around to walk down the hallway with Tyson, leaving Andre behind along with all the baggage and weight that he brought to your life with him. 

“Yeah,” Tyson says and when you begin to walk back into the banquet hall you feel his hand tug you in the other direction, nodding towards the front door. “Let’s go now.”

“You sure?” you ask, looking back into the still full room, the event still in full swing. 

Tyson nods, squeezing your hand gently. “That dress is nice but I think it’s time for you to take it off.”

“I can’t tell if you mean that in a sexual way or in a comfort sense,” you comment, following him out through the doors as he pulls his keys from his pocket with his free hand. 

Tyson looks over at you with a smirk, shrugging. “That’s up to you.”

“Both,” you finally say with a giggle, watching Tyson’s eyebrows raise slightly. 

Tyson starts walking a little faster jokingly, making you laugh as you tug him back to slow down, not trusting yourself to speed walk in your heels. 

You go back to Tyson’s apartment where he carefully takes your dress off, laying it delicately over the back of a chair in the corner of the room before yanking your panties and bra off in quite the opposite fashion. 

And afterwards you two fulfill the latter half of your agreement, curling up with Tyson in bed in one of his t-shirts while watching a movie till you fall asleep at his side. 

Months later when you get the email from your property manager about renewing your lease for a third year you don’t respond right away. Instead you bring it up to Tyson while you’re at his apartment that night, for the fourth night in a row. And if he hadn’t been away for the nights before that you were pretty sure you would have been there for those nights too. Because whenever Tyson wasn’t gone for a game you two spent the night together, typically at his apartment.

“Move in with me,” he whispers to you on the couch, pressing his lips to yours gently. “You’re here all the time and even with that I wish you were here more often.”

You agreed quickly and easily, knowing how completely and utterly in love with Tyson you were. How well you two worked. Disagreements were resolved easily. Having him around made the small things in life so much better. Having him to dry and put away the dishes while you washed them, dancing around the kitchen with him while making dinner. There was just an extra happiness he added to everything

“Another thing,” you whisper, waiting for him to nod for you to continue before you pull your phone out, showing him a picture of a dog with curly brown fur, sitting on a patch of grass with a red bandana around his neck. 

“Who’s dog is that?” Tyson asks. 

“Nobody’s dog,” you tell him, turning to face Tyson completely. “He’s at the shelter.”

Tyson’s look of confusion fades, a smile on his lips as he shakes his head in humourous disbelief. “And you know my apartment complex allows dogs.”

“And I know you love dogs. You told me you would get one if you weren’t away so often. But I’ll be here all the time now,” you reason. 

The two of you drove to the shelter that afternoon. It didn’t take much more convincing to get Tyson to get in the car and drive down there that very day. And the two of you sat in one of the visitation rooms with Ollie, the three year old labradoodle who’s owner had given him up because they were too old to properly care for the energetic dog. 

You tossed a stuffed elephant around the room for a while, playing with the dog together. Ollie walked over to where you were sitting on the ground with your legs crossed after being tired out from playing tug of war with Tyson, clumsily flopping into your lap.

“Well we can’t leave him now,” Tyson tells you, watching you and Ollie with a love-struck look in his eyes. Because you were perfect, you were everything he wanted in a girlfriend. In a wife. And even though he knew it was crazy to be thinking so far in advance, seeing you with Ollie made him begin picturing you as a mother, knowing you would make an incredible mom and distantly hoping he would be part of that equation. 

And just like that you became a little family. You, Tyson, and Ollie. And you were so incredibly happy you made the decision to move to Denver two years before. Wondering if perhaps everything in the world did happen for a reason. If that little studio apartment and a spilled latte were all part of the plan for your life. The plan that brought you to Tyson. 

[sleepless-stories]

Limitations AU |Meetings and a Meeting (end)

Summary: Roman, Virgil, Janus, Patton all go to a meeting of some sort of therapy group and become friends and play games. 

Warnings: None

Note please know that research was done for this series and people with some disabilities used did help with the ideas. if you find something wrong with this series please DM me

________________

Logan sat on Roman’s bed listening to him work and reading a book. Paper cutting, the occasional typing of a keyboard, fabric rustling, and quiet music from Roman’s playlist, which was primarily Disney and Musicals, playing. Roman cut the paper and glued it together, creating a paper puppet of a dragon. He was planning on doing another film with Logan soon. Though they were just relaxing and hanging out right now, planning a bit of the film occasionally.

 The door suddenly opened and Remus popped in, “H-hey bro, ready? Ready to go y-yet?” Roman looked over tilting his head slightly, he didn’t remember having to go anywhere. He didn’t believe he had any plans. Remus noticed Roman’s confusion and him getting lost in thought and laughed a bit, “For-forget al-already?” he laughed a bit, “It’s that st-tupid group therapy thing. I don’t… I don’t see why Mom signed you, you up for it.” Logan glanced over, “Group therapy?” “Yeah Nerd, Thera-py. It’s pro-bably just, just an excuse for Roman to, to get out of the ho-house and make Fr-friends.” Remus shrugged, today seemed to be a good day for him. Sometimes he had bad days and good days regarding his stutter. On bad days he felt like he couldn’t form a sentence without messing up almost every word. But today was alright. Logan nodded, “Could you drive me home after you drive him there?” “Why?” Remus asked. “Well, I walked here with Roman. I didn’t drive today at all, my parents needed the car.” Remus nodded, “Fine I, I’ll drive you.” Logan nodded looking back at his book before noticing the lights flickering. He lowered it looking over at Roman who was standing by the light switch. Roman smiled when Remus and Logan looked at him, ‘Thank you.’ he signed, ‘When do we have to get going?’ Remus watched then checked his phone looking at the time, “Now.” Roman rolled his eyes with an exasperated look as he went over looking in his mirror making sure he looked presentable, aka no glue or paper on him. Then he grabbed his jacket. Logan sat up stuffing his book in his bag before getting off of Roman’s bed and following the two out of the room and to the car. Near the front door he grabbed his jacket and shoes, putting them on, before they all left the house. Remus got into the car starting it up and turning on the radio, before he started driving to the address. It was across town and seemed to be at some community center, it was a place where people could rent rooms like office spaces or meeting rooms for any sort of thing they needed it for. Roman plugged his phone into the car and took over the music, starting to play his playlist some more throughout the ride. Logan just went back to reading his book for awhile till he lost interest. It wasn’t that the book wasn’t interesting or good, it really was a great book. But he just felt a bit bored of it currently and couldn’t read any more of it, that and he had been rereading the same paragraph for a while now and barely taking in what the words said. So he just sat back looking out the window as they drove through town. ____________

Virgil saw the flyer on the counter, group therapy. He knew his parents didn’t think much of him, but group therapy? For someone as anxious as him, that idea was shit. Why send someone who has an anxiety disorder to therapy with other random people they don’t know. Virgil stared at the paper, he had already determined that it would be the worst 3 hours of his life. But… it did mean he would be out of the house and away from his parents for 3 hours on the weekend. So… brightside. Virgil dropped the paper on the counter again before going back to his room. He was actually surprised about one thing though, his parents in question… weren’t actually home currently, which was shocking. His parents had a bad habit of being overbearing and over protective, or just fancy way of saying they were controlling. Virgil constantly was yelled at when he wanted to just go out of the house for a walk, saying how he couldn’t, he would get hurt, he’s too disabled to be on his own. Which was a really shitty excuse for their controlling nature. Virgil sat down on his bed and checked his phone, it was Saturday late afternoon, the group wasn’t for a few more hours, and his parent’s weren’t currently home. Virgil powered off his phone then put on his shoes and jacket before walking out of the house and down the street. He walked down the street not too far from the park in their neighborhood and went to a house. Most of the house was brand new, newly rebuilt, due to the fire a couple months ago. Virgil got to the door and knocked before standing there and waiting. Janus heard knocks at the door and stood up walking to the door. His bedroom was on the first floor right off of their living room. He walked out of his room to the front door. Thomas lifted his head up looking at Janus from where he was laying on Janus’ bed. He watched Janus walk out of the room before stretching and getting up following. Janus heard Thomas following and pulled a treat out of his pocket and gave it to the dog. He went over and opened up the door, “Virgil.” he asked as he opened the door. Virgil saw the door open and watched Janus’ lips, “Yeah.” he replied. Janus heard then smiled recognizing Virgil’s voice. “Come in, We’ll sit on the couch.” he said, still facing Virgil before turning and walking over to the couch and sitting. Virgil nodded, “Ok.” he followed. Virgil shut the door behind himself then went over and sat on the back of the couch before pulling out his phone and typing. “Apparently I have to go to stupid therapy.” the tts said. Janus heard and laughed turning in Virgil’s direction, “Wow, your parents are letting you out of the house?” “Yeah, surprising right?” “Oh absolutely, though I too have to go to some therapy group… My parents have been concerned since the fire.” “Yeah” Virgil nodded. Janus went silent and just leaned back, “You could hang out here for awhile.” Virgil nodded, “Thanks.” he put his phone away and leaned back relaxing. Virgil stayed for only an hour before he walked back home glad his parents were still out. He just went to his room and relaxed closing his eyes and napping for the time being until his parents were back and drove him to the stupid meeting. _____

Patton was in the living room sitting on the couch watching some show, his cat was laying in his lap demanding attention while he was adding more stickers to the side of his wheelchair. “Patton? We should get going so you’re not late.” his mother said walking into the room. Patton looked up, “Oh ok… why do I have to go?” “Because, it’ll be good, you’ll have fun.” Patton sighed and pulled himself off the couch and into the wheelchair. His cat got off his lap and looked at Patton betrayed. Patton wheeled himself to the door and put on his jacket before he went out of the house with his mom. He was helped into the car and sat there looking out the window. It wasn’t the first time he had to go to therapy through the years. He sighed watching as they went to the meeting. __________

Roman walked into the meeting, Remus and Logan decided to follow him in to make sure he got to the right place. Roman looked and saw a door with a cartoon of some guy and a speech bubble saying come right in. Under the character there was information saying what the meeting was. Roman opened the door walking inside the room. Inside the room there was a guy wearing a sweater, a pink tie, and some jeans was setting up the room. He turned when he heard the door open, “Oh! Hello! I’m Emile.” He smiled and signed as he spoke, “Welcome, are you three here for the meeting?” Remus threw his arm over Roman’s shoulders, “N-nope, just, just bringing my ner-nerd bro here.” He replied then pushed Roman forward. Roman stumbled forward then glared at Remus before smiling at Emile and waving. Remus looked at Logan, “Let’s go. See, see ya later bro.” Remus walked out of the room leaving and going back to his car. Logan waved bye to Roman before following Remus out and to his car. Roman sat down in a chair.

Only after 5 minutes three people came into the room, one in a wheelchair. A woman pushed the wheelchair inside, “Hello! This is Patton.” she said and brought the kid in the chair over to the sitting area. Patton smiled, “Hello.” he greeted. The third person went to the back of the room, he was carrying a fold up table with him and put it down setting it up. Emile walked over to the guy and talked with him. The woman, Patton’s mom, waved goodbye and left. She paused at the door holding it open for two guys and a dog before she walked out leaving. Patton lifted himself out of his chair and sat down on the couch next to Roman, “Hi! Roman smiled and waved slightly back. The two guys walked over and sat on the couch opposite to Roman and Patton. Emile smiled and walked back over, “Hello, shall we begin?” he asked, making sure to sign along with what he said. He smiled and looked at Patton, “Why don’t you go first then we’ll go around the room.” Patton nodded grinning, “I’m Patton! Nice to meet you all!” Roman nodded and looked at Emile, “I’m Roman.” Emile repeated, translating for Roman. He then looked at the other two. “I’m Virgil.” Virgil signed then elbowed Janus next to him after he watched Emile repeat him. Janus sighed, “I’m Janus, this is Thomas my eyes. No you can’t pet him.” Janus greeted. Emile nodded, “Alright! Nice to meet you all. I’m Doctor Emile Picani!” He grinned then motioned for someone to come over. The guy from earlier walked over to them. “Hey.” he smiled pushing his sunglasses off and to the top of his head. “I’m Remy. I’m catering basically. So… there’s food over there.” He nodded smiling then stepped back going back over to the area he set up. Everyone waved at him before looking at Emile. Emile smiled, “We’re mostly going to play some games, and talk a bit.” Emile said and nodded grabbing a few things before starting. Roman and Virgil got grouped up and Janus and Patton got grouped up. Originally Emile had paired Virgil and Patton and Janus and Roman… it didn’t work too well, Patton was excited and spoke too fast for Virgil to understand him, then Roman had difficulties communicating with Janus. The games went well.

Near the end of the meeting they went over and ate snacks. Roman laughed softly watching Remy failing at flirting up Emile who didn’t even realize. He was pretty sure Remy volunteered to cater to flirt with Emile. They all hung out, talking and eating. Remus came into the room to pick up Roman and smiled, “Hey Bro!” He said and walked over. He grabbed some food and ate Roman waved at Remus. Remy glanced over, “I see you have a twin, that’s cool. Hey, what do you think of the food?” Remus looked up, “It’s good, have you ever tried adding peppers and pineapple to cookies?” Remy Paused, “Nope, do you have any other ideas?” Remus went over to him telling him a bunch of other ideas he thought of. Remy took notes. Before leaving Patton, Roman, Janus, and Virgil exchanged numbers finding each other fun. Everyone was taken home, it was almost dark out by now while they all went home. Roman ended up texting Logan about the meeting telling him how they mostly played games and he was excited to go again. Logan was glad he had fun at the meeting.

_________________________ General Tag List @crazy-multifandomfangirl @aceawkwardunicorn​ @mistythegenderqueermess

[starswornoaths]

Prompt 23: Shuffle

Wrote some silliness in the hope it makes friends smile. Featuring the ever wonderful characters from the even more wonderful friends of mine, @foewreckem‘s Aoife Mahsa, @holyja‘s Hyana Geriel, @karoiseka‘s...Karoiseka O’dayla, and @nuclearanomaly‘s Ninira Nira

Uthengentle just wanted his stars read, not a dissertation on why it’s pointless to do it.

Word count: 2,036

It was a relatively quiet day. Quiet enough that the group had made camp for lunch, taking a rare opportunity to enjoy the mild weather. 

Hyana and Ninira tended to the fish that had been freshly caught, grilling over the fire. In a pot, they added fish stock and vegetables to the rice they had only just cooked and fluffed, the smoky, rich scent of the cooking meal enough to inspire hunger even in the most stoic of the group. Karoiseka strummed lightly on her lyre, shaded in the tree as she was. At her side, G’raha dozed on and off peacefully, intermittently humming along to the tune his dearheart plucked out. Even not knowing the song necessarily, Aoife managed to harmonize on her own lyre, her voice soft as she joined G’raha in humming. Once he had laid out a folded up blanket as a smooth surface for his triple triad board, Uthengentle held out a deck of cards in offering to his sister, and at her nod, started to cut and shuffle the deck as she produced hers and did the same. 

By all rights, it was a blessedly mundane day, where they were beholden to nothing but the road, basking in the quiet calm, hard won after the chaos and strife they had endured.

That was usually when the trouble started.

“Why don’t you ever read people’s stars?” Uthengentle asked his sister offhandedly as he looked over his hand of cards.

“I don’t see the point to it,” Serella told him with a shrug. She laid her Moogle card on the bottom middle tile of the Triple Triad board. “I can, but whatever I could say is vague and doesn’t help anyone with anything.”

“Don’t you read stars to heal and shite?” He pressed, tossing down a Morbol card on the bottom right.

Serella’s Moogle next to it turned from blue to red, lost to her. She sighed.

“That’s different,” She replied, half mumbling into her hand of cards. “That would be more akin to pulling from the stars rather than reading them.” 

“Sure, sure,” He half heartedly agreed, eyes sharp as she laid her Tonberry in the center tile. He placed down a Griffin card to its left to steal it, motion swift and decisive. “But couldn’t you, I dunno, just put up a stall when we hit towns, help people out for a bit of extra gil?”

“I’d just feel like I’m lying to them. I assure you, card reading is just unhelpful in the best of times, outright harmful in the worst of them.”

After a moment’s deliberation she decided her Moogle was utterly lost to her, and instead opted to play her Ixal card on the middle right space to reclaim the Tonberry in the center as hers, and stealing his Morbol card in the process. Uthengentle glared at her.

“Cheeky.” He clucked his tongue. “And anyway, isn’t it something useful for people anyway? If you can predict a possible future for them and all? That’s what they do, right?”

“You’d think, but it’s so vague that there’s naught to be gleaned from it,” she answered, though let out a defeated grumble when he played Hraesvelgr on the left middle slot and all three cards flanking it turned red— with all but one tile his, his victory was secured. “Absolute bastard, you are.”

“And a sore loser be ye!” Uthengentle replied in a mock pirate accent, his arms scooping the not insignificant amount of gil they’d been betting, sat in a jar, and curling around it, held to his chest as he cackled like a gremlin adding to his hoard. When he was sufficiently with her flat, unimpressed staring, he put the jar away and asked, “So why can’t you get aught from a reading?”

“It isn’t helpful,” she huffed, even as she took her cards back from the board, “the most detail I might glean from reading the cards is that something might happen, but whether that thing is good or bad depends on how the card is facing.” 

“I don’t follow.”

“The best reading you could hope for would be me saying, “hey, in the morning, something might happen to you!” She wiggled her hands in front of her. “And then, in the afternoon? Surprise! Something else might happen!” She leaned across their makeshift table as a show of mock dramatic tension, hands on her knees as she rocked forward enough for her backside to leave the grass. “And then...in the dark of night…”

“...Something might hap—?”

“Something might happen!” Serella exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air and flopping back dramatically. With a huff, she let her arms slump back to her sides. “So yes. Very vague. Unhelpful. If I charged for it, I’d be a swindler and a crook.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Can’t do it.” Serella handwaved him as she tucked her deck back into her pack. “Stars say no.”

“Can you show me?” Uthengentle asked, and she could tell that his enthusiasm would not be sated with aught less.

“Really need a demonstration of how useless it is?”

“I like judging things for myself,” Uthengentle answered, leaning back in his chair and slinging an arm over the back. “Besides, sounds like it’d be interesting.”

“You have a strange idea of, ‘interesting,’ but sure,” Serella capitulated with a sigh, “I’ll read your stars— on the condition that you don’t complain when you’re disappointed.”

“Deal,” he agreed, already shuffling the Triple Triad board to clear it of his cards and flipped it over, blank side facing up on the folded over blanket. 

“May I watch?” Ninira asked, coming over to take a seat between them. “I’m curious on how this works.”

“Ah, is Ella on her bullshit again?” Hyana called over from the fire. 

At Ninira and Uthengentle’s confirmation, she dusted her hands on her pants and moved to sit right next to Serella. When the Astrologian turned a playful quirk of her eyebrow at her, Hyana shrugged and offered only, “If one or both of you is being stupid, I at least know it’ll be entertaining.”

“Cards?” Aoife asked, standing and peering down at their little makeshift reading board.

“I’m gettin’ my fortune read. Want to see?” Uthengentle asked her over his shoulder, gesturing for her to join them.

Aoife took a moment, eyes dancing between him and Serella. After a moment, she crouched down in place, not joining the unfinished circle that was forming, but not excluding herself.

“I will watch.” She said, tail twitching behind her. “From here.”

“As you like!” Uthengentle beamed at her.

Karo joined on the other side of the makeshift table, opposite of Ninira, between Hyana and Uthengentle. G’raha, equally curious for how little he had been able to witness of Astrology in practice, sat on his knees and pressed against his beloved’s back, hands on her shoulders, peering over her shoulder, tail swishing behind him excitedly.

Even as she laid her arcanima deck on the board, Serella could only shake her head at the group’s dogged curiosity.

“I can’t stress this enough: the only prediction I’ll make today that’ll be right is that you’ll all be disappointed. Now then.” Her hands were practiced as she shuffled the cards. “Let’s see what hand fate has dealt you.”

When the group groaned collectively, she laughed out of sheer delight, as she always did when she told her puns.

“Had to get one in, didn’t you?” Hyana grumbled at her side, half into her shoulder.

“You’re smiling.” Serella mused without even looking at her; she could feel it pressed into her shirt.

“I am, and I hate it.” Hyana groused, even as it was obvious in the way she tried to hide her face entirely that her smile had only widened.

“Now then— I will draw six cards. A full sleeve.” Serella dictated her actions, laying the six cards face down on the board in two rows of three. “I will reveal them one by one, and read the stars’ intent for you.”

The first card on the top row was overturned. The group collectively leaned in ever so slightly to peer at it.

“The Bole, upright.” She gave a pleased hum. “Your immediate future is filled with potential. The energy it turns into is dictated by the energy that you put into it.”

“Explain this to me like I don’t understand it.” Uthengentle said slowly. “I do, though. Understand it. Just...just for the group, y’know?”

“Try to have a good day, and you probably will.”

“Seems a fairly straightforward reading,” Ninira noted, tapping her chin in thought. “Though I can see why it would be unhelpful.”

“Hey now, there’s five more to go!” Uthengentle insisted, pumping his fist. His optimism would not be denied.

Serella turned over the next card, and frowned as she laid it out.

“Balance, reversed. Uncertain times approach you, and you will be made to make difficult decisions. Hard though they may be, stay the course. To flounder is to spell doom.”

“For...what…?” Karoiseka asked, a ponderous tilt to her head.

“A nondescript decision of uncertain import.” Serella replied, shrugging. “As I said: unhelpful at best, harmful at worst.”

“I’m starting to understand— this is primarily meant as a guideline, rathar than a strict edict from the stars, yes?” G’raha guessed after a moment’s thought.

“Generally, that’s the way of it. The idea is that it informs you of how things can go, if—” Serella pointed her finger up. “—You play your cards right.”

Another collective groan.

“I can’t stand you.” Hyana huffed, even as she leaned bodily into her.

“I know.” Serella gestured back at the cards. “Shall we?”

At the group’s murmured agreement, she turned over the next card. As she lay it out, face up, she hummed.

“Arrow, upright. I could wax more poetic about it, but more or less, what you’re doing is working, so keep doing it.”

“What...am I doing…?” Uthengentle asked, scratching his head.

“Exactly.” Serella turned over the fourth card. “Spear, upright. Your confidence works to your favor, but avoid growing arrogant, else your luck with take a turn for the worst.”

“How do I know when I’m arrogant and not confident?” Uthengentle asked helplessly.

“How indeed.” To prove her point, she didn’t answer as she flipped the fifth card. “Ewer, reversed. Your energy is finite, and you would do well not to run yourself dry of it over useless endeavors. Save something of yourself for yourself.”

“Wh—”

“No idea.” Serella replied, already knowing what he was going to ask.

As she flipped the last card with a dramatic flourish, she held it up, and as her eyes roved over the art, her face paled. The group leaned in even more, their attention hung on her reaction.

“What...what is it?” Aoife asked from just outside the circle of people.

Wordlessly, Serella laid the card down.

“The Spire. Reversed.” She said, tone grave as she laid the card down. “Your struggles will turn against you. Everything you’ve done will be for naught.”

Uthengentle swallowed heavily, though after a moment hesitantly spoke up, “Wait...didn’t you say this only pertained to the immediate future?”

“Oh hey, you’re learning.” Serella dropped all pretense of dramaticism, posture going lax as she shrugged. “And thus your fortune predicted itself: all your anticipation led only to disappointment.” Another shrug. “Or something else might happen. Who knows?”

“Coulda just said that in the first place.” He grumbled, puffing his cheek in annoyance. 

“I did, you gullible maroon.”

Peace returned to the late morning. Ninira and Hyana dusted themselves off and returned to the food, soup now happily bubbling and fish pleasantly cooked and crispy with the perfect amount of flavorful char. Aoife took to happily rummaging around for bowls and cups, replacing the bubbling soup pot with a kettle of water and tea leaves. Karoiseka and G’raha returned to sitting against the tree stump, the former now playing a brighter song with an amused smile on her face as the latter rested his chin on her shoulder, watching Uthengentle chase his sister down the hill as he lobbed stale muffins at her head. 

Mundane, exactly as they had fought for.

[jarofrebuke-transcripts]

Jar of Rebuke Episode 11 Unofficial Transcript

Season 1 Episode 11: Observations B

INTRO

The following audio recording is classified documentation for case [audio distortion]

GIA

I'm sorry, I'm not sure what that was. This equipment is in dire need of upgrades. This is Dr. Gia Castillo. The following audio recording is classified documentation for case H57. The subject has proven to be a bit... stubborn? Annoying? Well perhaps “difficult” is the best word. Ideally things would just go smoothly so that I could get back to what I was actually hired to do. I have a PhD in zoology, I have spent thousands of dollars for my education and title, but this? This? This is asinine, this is absolutely ludicrous, this is flat out stupid. There's no reason for this much time, effort, and money to be spent on Todd's little pet project. I was hired to examine how pollution and radiation could lead to the creation of these creatures, from afar. The local deer population for example? All of that research was led by me from my lab. Processing the radioactivity readings, exposure rates, things that could have led to the possible creation of the not-dear? In my professional opinion, is quite solid. And now? Now I'm playing babysitter to some… thing that Todd told me to watch over via nanny cam because he's too scared to. I have to play lab partner with something that never even earned its degree, yet still gets the title? I'll have to edit all of that out.

Today the subject took that hellhound on a walk after breakfast, which was then followed by some time watching television, a shower and then a frantic phone call. I won't know who it called until after a system synced tonight to pick up all the data from its phone and audio journal but it exhibited clear behavior and body language of being in quite a panic. It sat down and had started to record a session in its audio journal. While the audio journaling has remained as consistent as before, there have been some changes in its other behaviors. My recent findings have shown that the subject has been quite resistant to Dr. Daman’s sessions as of late. By the sound of its complaints and also of Dr. Daman's reports, the resistance is only worsening. Which led to another observer being brought in not too long ago- Mr. Zimmer. Now that I have the utter displeasure of working with him, my luck only continues to sour. Anyways, through the audio files and also the footage from the cameras, we are seeing signs of something else for us to look into. It taking in that hellhound as a pet of all things was both simultaneously surprising but also not too out of character for what we have seen previously. Creatures like those tend to be drawn to one another. But now there appears to be a third creature of sorts wandering around that particular home. We need to look further into what's captured on our recordings. The subject has mentioned to Dr. Daman seeing shadows around its home so that may be a good start for us. With that hellhound, Grove I believe it's taken to calling it, the team has agreed that it's best if that creature isn't around to further influence the subject. Of course the influence isn't intentional on the hellhound’s part per se, but the subject's empathy towards other supernatural creatures has only amplified since taking it in. That puts quite a hindrance on the goal that we were given by Todd, so it needs to go.

Dr. Daman suggested perhaps staging a sort of “running away from home” that pets tend to do. That may be our best course of action but putting this into action will take more time and planning. And we have also tried to get rid of those black-eyed children that keep tapping on its door. A bit of pest control as Todd calls it but well, in Mr. Zimmer's words- like roaches they don't die easily and they will come back. They seem to become only more adamant about being let into the subject's house. After the subject's investigation of those melon head children in the woods, Todd has decided that it'd be best to attempt to round them up and bring them in as well. Too dangerous to leave them out, he claims. Eating people seems to be the line, but Todd has shown no concern with the creature our subject encountered out in the river. I believe he has a certain disdain for creatures with child-like forms, at least that's a theme I've observed.

[door opens] Ah, what brings me the pleasure of your company?

LIAM

Ah, Gia, hello! I just came to check in and see how we were doing today, do a check in with the patient. How is it doing today?

GIA

That is Dr. Castillo, Mr. Zimmer. It just sat down to record a session of the audio journal. It was rather wise for Dr. Daman to encourage that, giving us a clear look into its thoughts. Of course what exactly it's saying I won't know until later tonight once the cloud collects the data, though it just got off of the phone with someone and has been pacing around the room quite nervously while talking.

LIAM

Fascinating. It's always so adamant about the supposed feelings it has. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it's practically human in every way! Look at it- the stress, the agitation. You know, the way that it so often curls into itself in our sessions truly is human. If only it knew the truth.

GIA

We're here to see how long we can keep the truth from it. I know you're using this to satiate personal curiosities, Mr. Zimmer, but we do have a goal to attain, and we must treat this as if we only have one shot at it.

LIAM

Oh of course, of course. But you can't tell me it's not incredibly curious. It acts so human and doesn't even think for a second that it might not be? Even though it's experienced death, well, far more times than it can count. I've seen it's so-called medical files. Dr. Rahal must really stretch his brain to figure out how to explain it all in a way that doesn't tip it off. And the fact that its body scars like a human body does is also fascinating.

GIA

Considering that Dr. Rahal is being kept on a need to know basis with this case, of course he must get a bit creative with his explanations.

LIAM

And based on those little audio journals, we may need to make sure that the good doctor isn't getting too soft with the patient. We don't have the luxury to empathize with the creature.

GIA

Would you empathize with it even if we did have the luxury?

LIAM

Hmm that's quite an excellent question, though I'm inclined to say no...

GIA

Which does not surprise me, given your reputation. Now if you would excuse me, Mr. Zimmer, I would like to resume my examinations. I'll forward you my notes and findings once I'm done.

LIAM

Of course, of course, doctor. I'll send over my notes from my most recent session with it to you and Dr. Daman at my next convenience. Talk to you later, Gia.

GIA

He is going to break our subject before we can find another one. Bringing him into this project was a ridiculous idea. I get that we're here to see just how human this creature has become, but you can see humanity without shattering one's mental stability. Anyways, this would imply that the creature has become human at all. It's still what it was before just with a human shell. Nothing will change what the creature is no matter how it looks or acts. I'll have to edit all of that out as well.

The subject has now taken to rocking slightly in its seat as it records. Something new that it picked up. There's various reasons that people rock back and forth but if it's picked this up from witnessing someone do this that would make sense. Dr. Daman encouraged it to engage more within the community of Wichton, mostly so we could see how it would socialize, but we didn't expect it to have so much success in doing so. The primary documented friends that it's made have been a few residents in town, primarily a Darius Chapman and a Holly Darling. Also it is reconnecting with its old lab partner, Dr. Milo Lomax, who had never been told the full truth hence why they were separated as lab partners. It has also been spending time with a research scientist from another department, uh, Dr. Jamie Everett. I'm not sure how much she has been briefed on the situation. With the amount of employees here who have been left in the dark on the true nature of this case it's safer to assume that she doesn't know, but I cannot say that for certain. I will need to reach out to Todd to see how deeply, if at all, Dr. Everett is involved.

That hellhound has been sniffing around its house quite a bit lately. Whether it's just part of more canine behavior or if it's more of the cryptid nature, I am not sure. Whatever it may be it's getting in the way of my view. Has it spotted the camera? It couldn't have, it's still just a dog! [clicking sounds] Oh, no, okay. All right, uh well, this is, this is bad. The subject has found the camera! How did this happen, this is... I have to inform Todd immediately, this is not damage control that we can afford to handle poorly! Damn it.

OUTRO

Jar of Rebuke is created and produced by Casper Oliver. Dr. Gia Castillo is voiced by Vanessa Rosengrant. Mr. Liam Zimmer is voiced by Andy “Pixel” Smith. Credits are read by Ashley Craft who has created the podcast official graphics. Episode was edited by Chelsea Finley. Episode was written by Casper Oliver and Jenny O'Sullivan. Music was created by Luke Menniss, spelled m-e-n-n-i-s-s who you can find and support on bandcamp, spotify, and twitch. Follow us on social media for updates. If you've been enjoying us please consider leaving a rating, review or comment wherever you tune in. You can also support us on patreon or pod hero by following the links in our episode description. And special thanks to our patreon supporters Tristan, Perry, Devin, Becky, Nico, Danny and Joyce.

[meaninglessblah-writes]

Writing Prompt Wednesday

It hasn’t even been a full hour before Tim hears the clack of the handheld clicker again. It’s been plaguing his every waking moment for the last week, with increasing frequency, and whilst it hasn’t yet emerged into the realm of unbearably annoying, the mystery behind its use is starting to grate on Tim’s nerves. 

He turns to face Damian where he’s sat at the conference table, gloves shucked and a blueberry muffin in his hand. There’s a sprinkling of crumbs dotting his cheek that Tim is compelled to point out to his compulsively hygienic tendencies, except that his attention is drawn - once again - to the small black device resting in Damian’s other palm. 

“Damian,” he hedges, and braces for the staccato clack-clack. 

“Yes, Timothy?” Damian responds once the sound has settled firmly in Tim’s eardrums, turning to face him. Jason’s chin lifts a notch to watch their interaction where he’s sprawled back on the chair adjacent, tilting back precariously on two legs as he rocks his heels against the lip of the table. 

Tim shoves down the uneasy turn of his stomach and asks, “What on earth is that?” 

Damian inspects the device like he’s only just noticing it. “It’s a behavioural stimulant. Primarily used on dogs. I’ve been training Titus, and found it quite effective in bridging the gap between positive reinforcement and reward distribution.” 

Tim feels his brow pull into a tight crease. “So why do you have it down here?” 

“I’m experimenting,” he replies cryptically and shortly, and doesn’t seem to feel the need to elaborate. Tim frowns but returns to his post-patrol procedure, stripping back his cowl and setting the cape aside. 

Clack-clack. 

This time he turns entirely to glare at the pair of men at the table, meeting twin blank, innocent expressions. “Okay, what is going on here? What’s with the clicking?” 

“He told you,” Jason interjects. “We’re experimenting.” 

“Experimenting on what?” Tim snaps, though he suspects he knows the answer. 

“Whether subjects’ inadequate habits can be curbed and replaced with satisfactory behaviours,” Damian says primly. “Specifically with regard to cleanliness and environmental tidiness.” 

Tim blinks, and tries to digest that. “That doesn’t explain why you clicked at me, just now.” 

Damian pauses a moment, like he’s considering whether to explain or not, and says, “You folded your cape.” 

Tim glances down at the material in his hands, which is sure enough folded with neat precision into a compact stack worthy of display case. It’s a little surprising to see, given how haphazard he usually is with tossing the cape over any available surface in his post-patrol haze. He doesn’t even remember folding it. 

It makes him a little uneasy, as he drops into his chair and brings up his digital report. The sooner he can make his notes, the sooner he can duck out from under Damian and Jason’s lingering presences. He can’t help but feel how he’s being watched, the sensation dragging up his spine as he begins to type. 

He does his best to shove the thought from his mind. The less attention he gives them, the more likely they are to grow tired of whatever game they’re playing and leave him be. 

Tim almost manages to forget their presence after a few minutes, swept up in the tide of pattering keys and scrolling text, when he reaches for his mug of cold coffee. Lifts it to his lips without pausing, takes a sip, and sets it down. 

Clack-clack. 

It ratchets Tim’s shoulders up, snaps him right out of whatever focused reverie he’d managed to achieve, as he spins to stare pointedly at Damian’s palm. The man doesn’t break beneath the glower, except to shift his thumb off the button and chew silently. 

Tim lifts an eyebrow, and Damian eventually swallows. 

“Coaster,” he says, with a slight tilt towards Tim’s desk, and sure enough, when he glances down to where his fingers are still wrapped around the handle of his mug, it’s resting on the cork coaster to the left of his keyboard. 

He doesn’t even remember putting it there. Has only the vague recollection of Alfred huffing and shifting his mug time and time again, of it gradually becoming buried beneath the clutter of his desk, the coaster swamped with more mugs than it could possibly ever hold. 

Glancing down the width of his desk now, Tim is stunned to realise how… tidy it is. He hadn’t even noticed. 

“Damn,” Jason murmurs, almost too low for Tim to hear. When he glances back the man is nodding above the weave of his arms over his chest, an impressed smile tugging at his lips. “I still haven’t managed to train that one into Dickie yet. That’s impressive.” 

Damian looks a little too proud at the praise, and several dots connect in Tim’s head. 

“Are you testing me?” Tim asks, too shocked to be as incredulous as he intends. 

“Training,” Damian corrects, and Tim pulls to his feet. Shoves his chair back loudly into the desk on habit, hard enough to rattle the mug on its coaster and the handful of pens arranged neatly beneath the monitor. 

Not loud enough to drown out the resulting clack-clack. 

“Stop that,” Tim demands, frustration rising, and yanks his hand back from the tucked-in seat. Since when did he ever treat his furniture so well? Since when was he organised enough to do anything other than leave a careless trail of clothing and belongings behind him on his half-comatose trudge up to his bedroom? 

It’s downright spooky, and he doesn’t like the implications. 

“How long have you been training me with that thing?” Tim snaps in a sudden spiral of fear. Surely it can’t have been that long, or he would have noticed sooner. Wouldn’t he? 

Unless it’s been so pervasive that everything but his subconscious has tuned out the noise of the clicker, releasing a helpful little dose of dopamine into his sleep-addled brain every time Tim completes a designated task. 

Tim doesn’t think it’s been that long. It can’t have been. Otherwise the compulsion would be harder to shake. Right? 

Damian and Jason share a look that does nothing to ease Tim’s concerns. 

“How long?” he demands. 

“Three weeks,” Jason admits, folding his hands behind his head as he tilts. “Same time I started training Dick. We didn’t think it would work so quickly, but our apartment is the tidiest I’ve seen it in literal months. He even cleared the dining table without so much as a look from me the other night.” 

Tim’s burning gaze swings to Damian. “And you’re training me why?” 

“Because you’re filthy, Timothy,” Damian replies airily, and reaches for another blueberry muffin. Since he filled out his third upgrade of the pixie boots and came into as many inches, the current Robin’s appetite has been unquenchable. He’s rivalling Jason at the breakfast table most days, shovelling down eggs and pancakes with gusto only for Tim to find him hunting through the pantry an hour later. 

“Your mess was becoming unbearable,” Damian continues, with a corroborating nod from Jason, “and you respond poorly to advice from either of us. So we took matters into our own hands.” 

“By training me,” Tim accuses, “like a dog.” 

Jason shrugs, and Damian echoes the sentiment. “The results justify the means.” 

“You’re conditioning me,” Tim stresses, crossing over to the table to stand over the squirt. It’s not nearly as impressive as it used to be, now that Damian’s actually packing on and holding muscle weight. “Without my consent, without my knowledge. For your own selfish benefit.” 

“Have you not benefited?” Damian retorts with a pointed sweep of Tim’s very tidy workspace. He can’t bring himself to turn around to look, to be betrayed by his own unwitting compliance. 

“That’s irrelevant.” 

“I think it’s very relevant. Both Richard and you have made incredible progress in such a short time. Both your lives have become more manageable since we implemented your training. Your organisation has improved, and as a result, your demeanour. It can only improve further from here.” 

“So what comes next? You buy me a collar and start teaching me tricks?” 

Jason snorts, loud and obnoxious, as colour rises on Damian’s cheeks. Tim doesn’t give him a chance to draw in a full breath before he fixes the other man with a cold stare. 

“I’m sure Dick’s going to be just thrilled when he finds out you’ve been training him like a circus seal. I expect that’s going to do wonders for your sex life, Hood.” 

Jason’s laughter snaps off, his expression bleeding into sudden hesitant concern. “Now, wait a second-” 

Tim smirks. “You haven’t seen how bad his cold shoulder gets yet, have you? Dickie’s got a temper, Hood, and you’re about to find out exactly how bad blueballs can get when you set it off.” 

“That’s uncalled for,” Jason tries to defend, tucking his legs back under the table as he sets his chair down. Tim cuts him off with a sharp cluck-cluck of his tongue, stunning both men into sudden silence as he grins. 

“You know, that’s actually pretty useful,” Tim murmurs, malicious satisfaction filling his chest when both their expressions fall into wary horror. “Don’t even necessarily need a clicker to achieve the results either. But you’re both missing an important element of the training process.” 

“Which is?” Damian entreats with the hesitance of a man feeling blindly for a bomb. 

Tim makes sure he leans down close enough to see the individual crumbs on the teen’s face, to feel the sharp intake of his breath when Tim grins sharply and purrs, “You have to follow up the immediate approval with a reward.” 

Damian swallows hard, the blueberry muffin making an odd protrusion as it travels down his throat. 

“Good boy,” Tim murmurs, low and coaxing, and feels an immense wash of gratification when Damian’s cheeks flush red beneath his complexion. 

Damian’s mouth opens and closes, producing no sound as Tim straightens and glances over at Jason, who’s just as cowed. 

“I’m going to bed now. If I so much as hear the sound of that clicker in my dreams, I’ll flood your public social media profiles,” he threatens, pointing his index finger at Jason to watch him pale before it swivels to fix on Damian, “with his very inventive furry art.” 

Jason spins to fix Damian with an accusatory stare that he flounders to rebut, the muffin slipping from his fingers in his defensive panic. Tim smirks and turns up the stairs to the sounds of an argument erupting behind him, letting his shoulders slide out of their tense curl with the assurance that he doesn’t need to worry about any pesky clickers anytime soon. 

“Goodnight, boys,” he calls back, drowned by the shrieking below, “and be good.” 

You can send me a prompt here!

[twittytelly]

The Library

Chris Evans x Reader

Disney Drabbles Masterlist

Inspired by

Summary: Chris wants to make your first Christmas living together as special as possible by making a childhood dream come true. All the fluff.

Warnings: The slightest bit of swearing and sexual references.

The first time Chris took you back to his home, you were blown away by how nice it was. Tucked away in a quiet Boston suburb, far from the camera flashes you could see why he preferred to be here over the glare of Los Angles. Inside was clean, crisp and cosy, with the biggest back garden you had ever seen. Even in the dark, you spied a den and a climbing frame. Primarily installed for Chris' niece and nephews, you couldn't help but be tempted to have a go yourself. However, all thoughts of playtime and interior design went out the window when you felt a pair of strong hands squeeze at your waist and a beard brush against your neck. Turning to look into his ocean blue eyes, you couldn't help but surrender yourself to him as he leaned in to press his lips against yours...

-

A couple of years later, when Chris asked you to move in with him it was a no-brainer. So much so you gave your answer by simply jumping into his arms and kissing him. While there were creases that needed ironing out, the pair of you soon fell into your new routines and homes were found for your belongings. As Chris was taking an extended break from work after back-to-back filming and press, he decided that it was time he started taking carpentry classes like he always said he would and you relished the time to yourself to work on your own personal projects.  

However, when the oppressive heat of summer gave way to a cool, freeing autumn breeze Chris started acting strangely. He had asked you to stay out of the small spare bedroom to the right of the master suite and when you enquired why, he simply stated that it was a surprise, raising his eyebrow the way he would when he was up to something.

When Chris had first made his request, you thought it would be for a day or two. But the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. You still had no idea what Chris was up to, but the house regularly echoed with the sounds of sawing, drilling and hammering, and it wasn't even the kind you enjoyed! Once or twice, you gave into your inquisitive nature and tried to steal a glance only to find that Chris had installed a lock on the door. Bastard. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was fuelling your frustration.

As time came around to swap the pumpkins for fairy lights, more oddities started occurring. You started misplacing your books, only to find them the next day in the exact same place where you left them. You could have sworn that some of your other belongings had gone missing too but when you had tried enlisting Chris' help... well he was as useful as a chocolate teapot!

-

You were not planning on spending your first Christmas with Chris' family contemplating murder, but here you were stuck in snowy Boston traffic on Christmas Eve cursing yourself for not being able to resist Chris and his puppy-dog eyes. He had practically begged you this morning when he confessed that he had forgotten to buy the book of fairytales he had promised to get for his niece, but was too busy to get it himself.

“Please Y/N,” he pleaded. “I promise to make it worth your while.”

You began quietly reciting the long list of ways he was going to make it worth your as you finally found a parking space. Fortunately, the first book shop you came across had the exact copy of the book Chris wanted. Relishing in your victory, you decided to tolerate the shoppers who were as idiotic as Christopher and have a quick browse. A good bookshop was your Achilles' heel after all, and there were one or two books that you needed to buy sooner or later.

-

Chris was waiting for you at the front door when you pulled up on the driveway with a look on his face that aroused suspicion. Before you could think about it too much the air was filled with an excited bark and you felt two paws on your hip. Bending down to greet Dodger you felt any remaining annoyance dissipate. You had barely crossed the threshold before Chris had swept you down the hallway towards your shared bedroom.

“Chris I know you said that you were going to make it up to me, but you could at least give me the chance to put my bags down!”

Chris chuckled shaking his head. “Keep it in your pants Y/N! There won't be any of those shenanigans until later.”

You then realised that you were being led towards the forbidden room. A nervous excitement rushed through you, and you quickly forgotten that you were still in your coat and bobble hat. Were you finally going to be allowed in? Chris suddenly stopped outside the door and you turned to him.

“I want to give you your Christmas present now.” He started sheepishly. “But it's too big to fit under the tree. I need you to trust me and close your eyes.”

Turning back around, you compiled with Chris' request; but apparently you were not to be trusted as you felt Chris' warm, large hand cover your eyes. As he leaned to open the door you felt his hard chest press against your back, as both of you felt Dodger brush past. Taking your free hand in his he guided you inside. Your face, back and hand felt cooler as Chris removed himself from you. But then you sensed his lips millimetres away from your ear.

“Open.”

As you opened your eyes, you couldn't help the gasp that left your lips. Your nostrils were flooded with the scents of fir trees, your favourite festive candle and fresh paint. Looking around the white, bright room you could barely believe what you were seeing.

The walls were lined with bookcases, mostly filled with your books; but with plenty of space for you to add to your collection. To the side sat a desk, where sat your laptop, a small potted Christmas tree and your most treasured trinkets, including your favourite framed photo of you and Chris at the L.A. house just before you left for the Oscars: the blue velvet of his jacket making his eyes pop and the golden yellow of your outfit making your skin glow.

You. Were. Speechless. You had mentioned on an early date that when you were little you wished you had a house that was big enough to have a library in it, but you didn't expect Chris to remember, least of all actually give you one.

“Chris this is incredible, I...” You breathed, trying to find the right words, eyes welling up. “Thank you so much!”

You hadn't realised you were still holding onto your bags until Chris had pried them from your grip. Placing the bags on the desk, he pulled you into a tight bear hug as you allowed the tears to fall. Dragging yourself from the embrace, you brought yourself back towards him and captured his lips in yours. Hoping to convey your gratefulness that could not be described with words. Soon enough you had to tear away from each other in order to breathe. You stole another glance around the room, as if it was about to disappear.

“Did you make all this furniture in your carpentry class?” You asked, still amazed by what was around you. Chris' body started shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.

“No this was all done by some Swedish guy. But I did make that” he said as he gestured towards the window.

Another gasp left your lips as you saw what you were too overwhelmed to see before. It was the pièce de résistance. On either side of the window stood two bookcases that were connected by a window seat where Dodger was currently lounging. There was more shelving underneath the seat, where Chris had placed your original Harry Potter collection as well as the books that you never got tired of rereading. On the side you saw your Christmas candle burning and you noted that it would be a perfect spot for a mug of tea. You looked out of the window onto the garden. New snowflakes were falling from the sky, blanketing the garden. You imagined looking out to see Chris playing fetch with Dodger, his niece and nephews playing on the play equipment, your future children running about and causing chaos.

“Oh, Chris this is perfect” you started.

“I'm sensing a 'but'.” Chris cautiously interrupted.

“But..” you said making your way back to the desk and fishing through the bags. “Where's the little guy gonna sleep?”

Confusion swept across Chris' face as he looked towards Dodger and back to you. “What do you mean?”

You couldn't hide the smirk that ran across your face as you walked towards him, book in hand. Wordlessly you placed the book into his grasp. You saw his eyes look down at the book and back to you, before doing a double take. You watched his eyes widen as he read the words.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

[magsallen]

♪ Giving second chances I don't need all the answers Feeling good in my skin I just keep on dancin'

And if we're here long enough We'll see it's all for us And we'll belong

Maybe we can Find a place to feel good And we can treat people with kindness Find a place to feel good ♫

BASICS.

full name: margaret elizabeth allen

age + birthday: twenty-eight | 03/13/1992

gender + pronouns: cis female | she/her

sexual & romantic orientations: demisexual/panromantic

hometown: new orleans, la

occupation: art therapist

personality traits: empathetic, enthusiastic, optimistic, altruistic, sensitive, gullible, cautious, stubborn.

looks like: melissa benoist

FAMILY.

mother: kate allen

father.: chuck allen

siblings: lowell channing ( step brother, 32 )

other important relationships: majorie allen ( maternal grandmother )

pets: she has 2-3 foster pets at any given time and it takes everything in her not to adopt them all. 

CHARACTER.

wester zodiac: pisces

chinese zodiac: monkey

primal sign: cheetah

hogwarts: hufflepuff, through and through. 

one song: used to be mine - sara bareilles 

one book: wicked - gregory mcguire

one movie: meet the robinsons

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: parental abandonment, anxiety

For as long as Maggie could remember, it had been her dad and her against the world. The gruesome twosome. Bonnie and Clyde. Collectors of take-out menus and mavens of Saturday morning Cartoons. Maggie knew she had a mother -- one who loved her very much despite never being around to tell her as much -- but apart from having her eyes and blinding smile, she knew very little else about her. Just that she left before Maggie learned to speak her first words and they’d lost track of her after that. And the look of sadness in her father’s eyes when she spoke of her, leaving crumbs and tidbits -- hints at stories, each of which Maggie collected like treasures -- left her feeling like she shouldn’t press. They were fine, just as they were.

It wasn’t until Chuck started dating that Maggie found herself asking questions she’d previously kept close to her heart -- what had happened to her mom, and if she loved her so much, why had she never been around? At just eight years old, her dad finally sat her down and laid it all down. How her mom had packed up her things and left Maggie with a sitter. How she’d moved her life across the country to get a fresh start. How he’d wanted to follow, but put Maggie first. How she loved them very much but wasn’t fit to be a mother. But she knew they were in New Orleans, and he would always welcome them back into their lives if she was ready, but that he needed to move on. After that, Maggie’s whole world shifted. The smile she’d once admired saw differently on her lips. Those big blue eyes haunting her in the mirror because they were hers. She couldn’t help but wonder what other parts of herself belonged to her mother, and who she might one day hurt because of them. The thoughts consumed her, but her dad had enough on his plate and Maggie worried she’d only stack it too full so she learned to bottle them up. Putting all her fears and anxieties in neatly packed boxes to be dealt with later.

It was six months of helping her dad get dressed for first dates that went nowhere and awkward meetings with women who had little interest in being stepmothers, but when Chuck met Birdie, Maggie’s world would shift again. At first, Maggie was wary but quickly noticed the differences quickly. Her dad was walking taller. When he talked about Birdie, his voice softened and his smile lit up the room and by the time they went on their first date as a family, Maggie knew it was for keeps. Birdie and Lowell felt safe, like home. Maggie didn’t have to worry about her dad’s heart anymore, because it fit perfectly in Birdie’s hands. Their fridge was full of fresh produce instead of plastic containers and she watched Saturday morning cartoons with her new brother, her life felt settled.

Until it was uprooted and moved to a coastal town in Maine for a job. The first few months in Somerton were miserable for Maggie. While she’d always had such an easy time making friends at her old school, she had trouble connecting with her new peers making adjusting to her new life even more difficult. Lunch was eaten in the bathroom alone, books read on the playground, and in the classroom, she kept to herself. But it didn’t take her cool older brother long to notice, and just as quickly as she’d lost her footing, she found it again and by the time she was ready to graduate middle school she had curated a small group of true friends.

High school would be the start of a whole new era, for Maggie. Walking the halls with a solid support group gave the previously shy girl the confidence to put herself out there. Dive in headfirst and explore interests she’d been too timid to pursue in the past. Maggie took drama, auditioned for show choir, learned to play the ukulele (and later guitar), even joined the debate for a minute or two. But it was building sets for the school production of Fiddler on the Roof, that she found her true passion in art. There was a sense of calm in hours spent building props and painting backdrops. Zen. Something clicked. For the second time in her life, Maggie knew what it felt like to be at home. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Maggie became a collector of notebooks, filling pages with watercolored scenes and charcoaled faces and poetry. She didn’t know it yet, but all that art journalling was helping her work through some things she’d long since pushed away deep in her subconscious. Relationships strengthened, grades were at an all-time high and by the time she was ready to leave the halls of Bursted Park High, she felt ready to take on the world.

Family-oriented and frugal, Maggie lived at home all through her degree at Somerton University (go seahorses!), where she studied visual arts with a minor in creative writing. But when it came time for graduation, she had no idea what to do next. So much of the last four years of her life had been spent finding herself in friendships and romantic endeavours, bolstering the people around her with a seemingly unending supply of optimism and enthusiasm. But apart from a good relationship with some local galleries, she had no real path into the real world.

She spent the first three months after graduation wallowing on her parents' couch, watching far too much television to distract from the very real anxieties she felt. Had she just wasted the last four years of her life? What if she never amounted to anything. But Maggie knew a person could only sit still for so long feeling sorry for themselves before they had to pick themselves up and do something about it, and so she did just that. She started looking for work around town, jobs to keep her busy during the interim. As always, it would be her family who guided her where she needed to be. After all, she came from a family of helpers, it seemed only fitting she join the family profession. Within a year she doing her master’s in art therapy out of state, but the pull of family would always lead her back to Somerton. As much as a desire to enrich the community that helped raise her.

These days Maggie primarily works with children in foster care as well as those stuck in the hospital, helping them work through the trauma of their unique situations and giving them tools to work through whatever cards life has dealt them. In her spare time, Maggie can be found hogging the mic on karaoke nights, attempting to beat every escape room in Maine, and fostering senior cats and dogs from the local ASPCA.

[maple-writes]

WHG 13: Post Games 2

tagging @concealeddarkness13 @ratracechronicler @onmywaytobe and @nightskywriter

(Takes place towards beginning of pre-heist prep week)

Indigo leaned back in her office chair, scanning over the documents on her computer screen. Research, reports, contracts… All things that she made a note to go over in detail later, after her meeting was over. She glanced down at her watch. He would probably be here soon. Maybe she should go wait for him out in the lobby, though on the other hand, he knew where her office was. Technically this lab was owned by the capitol anyway so he could come and go as he pleased. Indigo tapped against the armrest of her chair, letting her jaw set in frustration. How good would it feel to wait for him here, to make him seem like he wasn’t even a priority?

But she sighed, stood, and made her way down the hallway. As nice at it would be to try and knock Snow down a level, she couldn’t have him suspecting her little grudge.

He wasn’t there yet when Indigo stepped into the lobby, typical. Behind the front desk, the receptionist popped her head up with a polite smile. She was new, only worked there for a few months since she her predecessor mysteriously disappeared. It was a shame; he’d been good enough at his job. Rumor had it he’d gotten a little too comfortable criticizing Snow in circles which he should have just kept his mouth shut. Not that his replacement was bad, but Indigo wasn’t really sure they even needed a receptionist most of the time.

The front door opened and in stepped one of President Snow’s advisors. Indigo smiled as she greeted him and led him down the hall towards her office, pushing down her resentment. Snow said he would be meeting with her, not his advisor. Sure, maybe something had come up, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t met with this advisor countless times for their less than legal agreements, but still. How dare he.

He took a seat across from her desk as she closed the door behind them. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in here,” He said. “Hasn’t changed a bit though.”

Indigo sat across from him, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. “If it works, why change it, right?”

“Still,” He looked up over the desk, meeting Indigo’s eyes in an inquisitive stare. “Why the sudden change of heart? What’s wrong with the apartment? It would have been nice to have this conversation over some wine like usual.”

Right. She usually used it for these casual, off-the-record chats, but now… Well she’d had to move it to her office last minute due to the whole conspiracy to commit treason. Of course he would have found it suspicious, why hadn’t she thought of that?

“Truthfully,” Indigo let her head fall to the side, pressing her hand against the side of her face. She sighed. “I have a rat problem.”

“Rats?”

She nodded. “They’re huge and they eat everything they can get their thieving little hands on.” And responded to questions with far more snark than Indigo would have liked for an uninvited guest. “If you happen to know a good exterminator, let me know because I don’t know when I’m going to have the chance to deal with it myself.”

The advisor laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“Thank you.” Indigo let her hand drop and sat up straight again. “So, what brings you here?”

The joking atmosphere vanished and the advisor leaned forward. “Have you heard what’s been going on with the games?”

Indigo paused before answering. She was fairly certain he was referring to the band of rebels she’d picked up, but there was a chance he was talking about something else. “What part of the games are we talking about?”

“The tributes.” He answered. “One in particular.”

Oh, the one they’d picked up in the arena. “Skylar Tresting?” When he nodded, she continued. “I’ve heard bits and pieces, and I saw what they did at Robin’s interview.”

“Well, Snow isn’t happy with what they’ve done.” The advisor said, as if that wasn’t crystal clear or their probable intention. “And given how rebellious these games have been, I’m sure you understand the need reign in control again.”

Indigo nodded along, watching carefully. She wished he would just spit out what Snow wanted from her. He never came, or sent someone to talk to her, unless he wanted something.

“He’s planning on using them to do it, but I’m sure that you’re aware that they’re… A challenge to control.”

If they could remote hack into a capitol video feed, than a ‘challenge to control’ was an understatement.

“So, where do I come in?”

The advisor smiled, manufactured of course. “Snow’s planning on holding a gala as a show of power, and to make some important announcements about the future of the games, and will be having Skylar attend. They’ve been outfitted with, for lack of a better term, a remote shock collar, but we don’t want to underestimate them again.” He leaned forward. “So he was hoping you’d be able to help.”

Did she look like a peacekeeper? “How so?”

“Well, it’ll have to be something effective, yet not something that would look too out of place.” He went on. “It’s supposed to look like nothing is wrong after all.”

If he was coming to her, he was probably expecting a mutt. “Considering mutts aren’t usually at parties, I’m not sure how inconspicuous I can be.” She thought a moment. “Although…”

She opened a drawer on her desk, took out the tablet inside and scanned the reference files for the creatures she had actively on hand. Something with sharp spines, huge teeth, obvious aggression or venom were probably out of the question, which ruled out a good chunk. Something noisy would draw too much attention, and something too big would probably take up too much space. She opened one of the files and scanned through the notes. With a few tweaks, there was one that might just work.

“It’s a prototype, but it might be useful for you.” She slid the tablet towards him.

Displayed on the screen was a creature that looked like a  wolfhound, save for overlapping viper’s scales on the lower legs and muzzle, and the pit organs along it’s upper lip. It wouldn’t be fun if they sent it after Skylar, and might make their little plan of freeing them a bit harder, but unless something went wrong it’s attack strategy wasn’t lethal. Usually.

“It’s being developed primarily for catching, subduing, and retrieving.” She smiled, “It’s fast, agile, powerful, and has modified canines like a viper’s fangs that retract backwards out of the way when not in use, but delivers a fast-acting venom that paralyzes it’s victims so they can be dragged back to it’s handler more easily.” She pointed at the face. “And the pit organs allow it to seek out it’s target via heat if sight and hearing are compromised.” She leaned back again, tapping a finger against the side of her head as she paused. “Usually I’d avoid anything with any kind of venom for this kind of situation, but the most recent group we’ve raised are actually quite friendly most of the time.”

The advisor gave her a look. “Most of the time?”

“Besides when they’re attacking, yes.” She nodded towards the tablet. “I’ve been experimenting more with the inclusion of mechanics and little devices to better control neurological function. If Skylar still has their transmitter from the games, I can implant a receiver, program it to the right signal, and the dog will only see them as their target. It can be remotely activated as well, so at the push of a button it’ll go from docile to targeted attack in an instant.”

The advisor looked over the profile. He seemed to be considering it, evaluating it, but Indigo knew he didn’t really have a clue what he was looking at. As good as he was as Snow’s advisor, he didn’t know a whole lot about genetic engineering. But she didn’t mind the pause. She’d have to find a way around that dog herself if there was any chance of messing with Snow at his own party. With the receiver tuned to Skylar’s tracker, there wouldn’t be any deterring the dog, and even if they could kill it, moving a paralyzed body amid amped up security would be no easy feat. As much as it wasn’t her problem if they succeeded or failed, it would feel like a lot better of a screw you if their plan worked. It would be a bit too obvious if they just cut Skylar’s tracker out right then and there.  

Although, the receiver was capable of being tuned to different signals���

“If that’s the best you’ve got, I suppose it’ll do.”

Indigo barely hid her distaste. The best she could do? It was exactly the kind of thing he was looking for! “Do you want it or not?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

“Alright then, I’ll have one tuned up and ready to go in a few days.” She leaned forward to take the tablet back. “On one condition.”

The advisor looked up, and he didn’t look particularly happy.

But Indigo smiled sweetly, resting her hands on her lap. “I want an invitation from Snow, and I want to be seated at the same table as him, the head gamemaker and anyone else of any importance.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but must have thought better of it when he sighed and stood. “Fine.” He turned towards the door. “I’ll be back for the dog in four days. It better be good.”

Indigo watched as he left, then leaned back. It was a risk, what she was planning to do, but oh the look on Snow’s face as the dog came at him would be priceless. The only snag would be switching the receiver to the alternate signal. Oh well. That was going to be a problem for the rest of them.