#careful walking on it crabs love to hide in the grass

[aisling-saoirse]

Tangled High Marsh Grasses - September 17th 2023

[gamer-logic]

Hetalia Platonic Ships Week Day 4 Annual Canadian-American Sleepover

Allen and James had never had the pleasure of experiencing the annual Canadian-American sleepover/prank way before, so the kids all decide to 'initiate them.' Pure chaos ensues.

They all have the sleepover at Alfred's place since it's the biggest.

Full-on prank war starts right out of the gate. Allen and James are immediately initiated by everyone with the oldest trick in the book: getting slathered in maple syrup and chicken feathers. Louisiana teams up with Ontario to terrorize Quebec voodoo-based pranks. Of course, Allen runs damage control makes sure to keep track of what they're doing, and cancel any horrible aftereffects. Nevada runs bets on who falls for what prank. The highest is California falling for the kale snack that's actually grass prank. With Tony's help, Alfred pranks Mathew by beaming down beavers on his head and teleporting him into a giant pile of maple leaves filled with syrup. Mathew immediately retaliates by jump scaring him with a creepy eagle mask every time he enters a room then chases him into the barn where he's covered in ketchup and mustard.

Pennsylvania and New Brunswick team up to switch PEI's hair care products and New Jersey's hair gel. They also replace New Jersey's bottle of soap with Tan in a Can mixed with Cheeto puff powder. Saskatchewan and Nunavut scare New York and make him think Wendigos are after him. New Mexico and Arizona fill every bit of Minnesota's winter gear with desert sand. North Dakota and North Carolina team up against South Dakota and South Carolina in a giant nerf war. Delaware, being Delaware, puts sticky notes on everything. There's can only be one. The Southern States team up to terrorize Florida in revenge for Florida man. They convince Florida she needs to around dressed as all their state football mascots to ward off Florida man who's coming to fight her Alligators.

Arkansas borrows Lousiana's pet pelican and trains it to dive-bomb Alabama and Mississippi with stink bombs. Texas mixes his five-alarm chili seasoning in with food and gets people to eat it. Alfred easily falls for this when it's put in ice cream. Mathew as well when it's put in poutine. Wisconsin makes various cheese replicas of everyday items and replaces them. He'll go around just eating things like a lamp in front of people to subtly frick with them and make them question reality. Oregon tye dyes everything Washington has. Tennesee has trained various chickens to crow at Kentucky at various hours of the day whenever she walks by. Hawaii and Alaska are currently leading on the scoreboard because, despite their unassuming looks, they're little devils, especially when hyped on sugar.

Their most successful one to date would be tying one end of Texas' lasso to Ameriwhale and telling him they found it, giving him the other end, and making him go for a swim. British Columbia and Alberta accompany Maryland who loves subtly messing with Mr. Perfectionist Delaware by moving everything he has in his room an inch over to the right and making everything crooked. Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa rig a popcorn matching to shoot popcorn at random intervals. James ducktapes Allen's shades to his head and his bat to the top of the tallest tree in the yard. He also trains Kuma to roar in his face every time he turns a corner and turns on Jersey Shore every time he comes close to a TV to get him stuck using that accent for a whole day. Allen retaliates by hiding his hockey stick in a nearby beaver dam, dies all his flannel pink and puts polka dots on them, puts honey in his scruff and hair which makes Kuma chase him down to lick it off. He also rigs his motorbike to be remote controlled (a trick learned from Massachusettes) and attaches the back of his paints to it, making them fly off.

Eventually, things start settling down and everyone starts up the movies and eats pizza. The award for the best prank goes to, surprisingly, Wyoming and Newfoundland who actually are aresponsible for over 20+ pranks with Hawaii and Alaska in a close second and Wisconsin in third for sheer creativity. Wyoming enlists Newfoundland to help her set this up, swearing him to secrecy. Many of their pranks include creating an impossible-to-navigate maze and trick people to go in, being continually chased by prairies dogs, gophers, and various farm animals, rigging various wire traps around the house and whenever someone activates one they immediately get pied in the face, and somehow rigging every toilet in the house to flush and sing Another One Bites the Dust on command. No one knows where they got them or how they managed to do this in such a short time. They were also never caught until the scores are tallied and they revealed themselves after no one could figure out who did most of the pranks. It's always the shy ones.

About five minutes into the movie, New Jersey hits New York with a pillow starting another all-out brawl. Texas immediately goes big with a bean bag chair because it's on like Donkey Kong and his motto is 'go big or go home!' Even Delaware, usually a tightwad, gets crazy and helps West Virginia target, Virginia. All of the New England states hunker down in a pillow fort under heavy fire with the Southern states who also vote unanimously to sacrifice Florida. Oklahoma and the rest of Tornado Alley team up and become a giant collective twister of unstoppable force. The battle of the 48th parallel states and provinces i.e. BC, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario vs. Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington rages on with South Dakota betraying them for the chance to hit North Dakota and Ontario also going rouge after being booted out. Eventually, though, they reveal their double agent status which decimates both sides. Mathew and James immediately go into hockey mode while Allen goes into baseball mode and Alfred into football mode.

The party shows no signs of slowing as the chaos continues late into the night. Everyone wakes up the next morning to find feathers everywhere, Texas' entire cowboy hat collection on the roof, PEI, Ontario, New Jersey, California, and Quebec are all duct tapped to the ceiling, Kansas is wearing a Dorothy costume while Maryland wakes up surrounded by hermit crabs. Georgia is covered in peaches and Florida is seemingly missing until they find her safe and sound in the pool snoozing on a giant Alligator float still in the Bulldog costume with every other state mascot suit next to her. Manitoba, Utah, Kentucky, and Nebraska all wake up in the barn with the chickens crowing. Texas is sleeping on top of his bull ride with his state flag dropped over him. Alfred wakes up in the bathtub in a Captain America costume and Mathew Wakes up in the shower with a Captain Canada costume on. Allen and James come out of things relatively unscathed with Allen crashed on the couch with his motorbike covered in glitter courtesy of Hawaii and Alaska in the living room and James with Kuma in the garage with Wisconsin's cow and goats. Basically, everything is pure chaos and no one knows what has been replaced by cheese and what hasn't. Needless to say, Allen and James' first annual family prank war/sleepver was a success. See y'all next year!

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 36

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 3.9k

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: If no one sends me tons of messages/comments about THIS chapter then I will be eternally sad LOL. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you all enjoy reading it :P

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Ciri! Don’t go too far! Ciri!” You call out, concern laced into your voice as you stretch up onto your tiptoes to try and catch sight of the eager puppy. She’s over six months old now and she’s not grown a huge amount, although her personality is bigger than ever.

Something Hoseok and you had both discovered about Ciri was that she was just unbelievably affectionate and sweet. Kasumi hadn’t been too happy at her arrival but had resigned herself to it pretty quickly, taking herself away to the top of her cat tree when she’d had enough of play fighting with her new yappy sister.

You’d been trying to teach her when to be quiet so that she didn’t make too much noise and had been pleasantly surprised by how receptive she was to learning commands. She didn’t learn them incredibly fast but enough that you already had a little repertoire that she would do happily for a treat.

Hoseok had been the same with her; just as firm as he was fun and she was turning out to be a perfect little puppy. Already house trained at this point and so inquisitive, you didn’t think that you could ask for anything better. And you would admit to enjoying being welcomed so enthusiastically every time you came home.

Cage training was working very well with her and she often took herself off to sleep in it even when you were both sat on the couch. Just as Kasumi was able to have her space above the ground, Ciri had her space with comfortable blankets and a fluffy dog bed.

Probably her only issue was that she got a little too enthusiastic, but you didn’t get too annoyed over it. She was a puppy after all, and her boundless energy always ran out eventually. You did not doubt that by the end of this walk, she’d be fast asleep in Hoseok’s arms. It happened often enough.

Ciri just didn’t have the endurance yet to go for long walks and she still did the puppy thing of practically falling asleep midstep. It was adorable, but what was better was getting to see Hoseok holding her so close and how safe she must feel in his arms.

You understood that feeling so you can’t begrudge her a little snooze while being held by him. If you could do that then you would as well.

“I’m gonna have to carry her back, aren’t I?” Hoseok asks, once more seeming to read your mind and making you snort with laughter. Grinning broadly, you poke at his side playfully until he’s giggling and trying to shift away from you.

“Oh, you love it. Don’t lie. You get all those pretty ladies fawning all over the handsome, tattooed guy with the tiny, fluffy puppy in his arms. All that attention must be tiring.” He’s biting at his lip, trying not to let his amusement at your words show but you manage to tickle it out of him. 

His laughter is pure and infectious, body wriggling around in an attempt to avoid your searching fingers. It’s a half-hearted effort though as he doesn’t move too far away, staying close to you on the rough dirt path. You’d both taken up a little more walking since Ciri was able to go out properly, exploring the nature trails that could be found close to where you live and even driving further afield to make a day of it.

Today was one such day, with the two of you finally visiting the largest national park closest to you. There were rolling hills as far as the eye could see, lush grass growing in a wave of green. In the far distance, you could spy a herd of cattle as it grazed slowly along with another field of sheep. Life seemed so peaceful here compared to in the city.

“There’s only one pretty girl I want to impress with my puppy skills,” Hoseok finally gets out, a little breathless from the mini-workout you’d just given his stomach. “And that’s Kasumi. I think she’s very impressed with me. Ten out of ten would recommend on Yelp.”

Rolling your eyes in bemusement, you push his shoulder lightly and make a half-hearted complaint as he crowds you, kissing your cheek loudly. If there’s something you’ve learnt in over three years of dating this insatiably attractive man, it’s that he could be a certified idiot sometimes.

He was just lucky you loved that about him.

“The good news is that Kasumi is going to love you no matter what. Me, however…” That makes him wrap his arms around your waist, his chest against your shoulder as he tries to hug you tightly sideways. It’s combined with his whining and you wonder what kind of image you’re presenting now; the tattooed man crab-walking while squeezing his girlfriend tightly and making the most childish noises.

You wouldn’t think he was thirty-two-years-old. Though you knew he only did it because you let him, and you didn’t feel like stifling his personality for no real reason.

“Ciri!” Ignoring him, you call out for the puppy once more and feel relief when she stops where she is. Her head looks up at you alertly, watching you both carefully. It takes her only a few seconds to decide she doesn’t like what she’s seeing before she comes running back, barking as loudly as she can.

When she finally reaches you both, she growls lightly at Hoseok before trying to jump up at both of your legs. Smiling, you crouch down and fuss her with kisses and strokes before gently scolding her for growling at Hoseok. While you appreciate her being protective of you when she saw a situation she didn’t particularly like, you didn’t want her to encourage her behaviour when it was harmless. Particularly with Hoseok.

“Don’t growl at daddy, okay? He’s not doing anything wrong, see?” Reaching up, you gently tug Hoseok until he’s crouched with you as well. She sniffs at his hand for a moment before licking it and butting her head in an attempt to get more strokes. Of course, he obliges, his lips quirking up as he babies her with words that she couldn’t possibly understand.

But she doesn’t need to understand really, all she probably cares about is the positive tone to his voice. Ciri reciprocates immediately, yapping as her tail whips back and forth furiously and trying to almost climb into his lap.

Gently, you push at her until she’s just sitting there and accepting the love from both of you. Her eyes watch you both carefully with so much love and you can’t help but smile. While you were still more of a cat person than a dog person, you couldn’t help but love this little ball of fluff with her exuberant nature and unending love.

“Okay, come on. We’ve still got more to walk.” Standing back up, you gesture to Ciri and giggle as she runs off excitedly. She’s still adorably small but growing, her legs awkward as they’re a little too long for her little body. It means she runs oddly at the moment but it just makes your heart clench more, your hand pressed to your chest.

“Happy we got her?” Hoseok asks, taking said hand and holding it gently with his. You let him, happily leaning into him as you both carry on walking along the well-worn path. Instead of verbally answering him, you just nod before taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

The temperature is pleasant today, warm enough that you don’t need a coat but with a slight breeze to keep you from getting too warm. It’s a little stronger than you might have expected from all the open land but it’s nice to combat the heat. You hadn’t even known that this place existed, only finding out when Chungha had talked about the hiking walks she’d done with Dahyun over the last few months.

But you were glad that you’d listened properly, enjoying the scenery and the fact that you were getting a little bit of exercise in as well. Plus, you had the perfect company to do it with.

Turning, you walked a little ahead of Hoseok and just admired him as he followed you. His head tilted slightly, his question silent but easily understood. He’d dressed today in some jeans, a pair of hiking boots on his feet given the distance you both were hoping to walk and a plain black shirt that was covered by a hoodie. It made his shoulders look a little broader than normal and you couldn’t help but admire the way his chest looked.

Jungkook had convinced Hoseok to go to the gym with him every other evening straight after work, the two of them spending an hour working out before he finally headed back home. It had resulted in Hoseok just becoming a little...bigger overall. Muscular bigger, but still lean enough to resemble the man you originally fell for. You certainly weren’t opposed to it.

While you didn’t go to the gym with Hoseok much anymore, you had taken up going with Soyeon instead. The two of you attended some of those classes that they held every week along with going swimming. You much preferred swimming to being in a smelly gym.

Unlike Hoseok though, you were just going for general health purposes to make sure that you could keep yourself fit enough to ward off illness. You’d finally reached a place where you could accept your body and feel content with yourself, not feeling the need to hide away and just generally loving what you had. The exercises you did help to ease your mind’s worries as well.

“What?” Hoseok asks, a hint of laughter to the question as he can’t help the smile that spreads over his face at your inspection. There’s a tiny hint of awkwardness when you don’t respond at first which vanishes as you shrug, biting your lip coyly.

“Just admiring the scenery.”

You only hear his snort once you turn back, facing the path once more and keeping an eye on Ciri as she sniffs intently at the path just ahead of you both. There are only seconds that pass before you feel familiar fingers creeping around your waist, playfully tickling at your sides before linking up on your stomach.

Walking awkwardly for a few paces, trying not to fall over or trip over the extra feet you suddenly had, you don’t complain as Hoseok holds you. His embrace is tight enough that you can’t escape easily but also light enough that you can walk without being too encumbered. Leaning back slightly, you put enough pressure on his front to make him walk even more awkwardly until he’s complaining, his words loud against your ear and you just laugh pleasantly.

“You’re being particularly...annoying today,” Hoseok teases, tightening his arms until you can’t move properly. “What’s gotten into you?”

He doesn’t mean the words in a bad way, his tone is far too light and jovial for that and you wiggle until he finally let’s go. Darting forward a few steps, you carefully step around Ciri from where she’s been standing and waiting for you both to catch up before spinning around with your arms wide.

“It’s just...a nice day! I’m in a good mood.” And you were. It was the weekend, you were out with your boyfriend on a lovely walk in the beautiful countryside. On top of that, you’d found out this week that the promotion you’d put yourself forward for at your company had been approved. It was hard to not feel happy and carefree when life was going so damn well.

Feeling so good about everything wasn’t exactly something that came naturally to you, to be honest. It was still awkward for you to realise that you were allowed to be happy and to not have to feel anxiety about something going wrong, but you were getting a lot better at it. And you didn’t want anything to ruin the high you had going right now.

“Life is going good right now,” Pausing, you face Hoseok and reach out to take his hands. “I think I’m doing better than I thought I would be at this point. But then again, I was half-convinced that I’d be back at my parent’s house by this time.” 

“Why? You were doing pretty okay before.” He keeps going, one hand firmly encompassing your own until you’re once more walking alongside him. For a few moments, you don’t respond and just hum as you think over where you were back then.

Lips twisting, your nose wrinkles as you shake your head.

“No, not really. I wasn’t living. Just more...existing? Like I didn’t enjoy a lot of stuff, I had bad depression and anxiety, I hated my job and had become way too obsessed with my routines. Now...now I don’t feel the need to have everything in so much order. I feel a little happier just letting things happen sometimes. I do like my routine but there’s way more wiggle room in it. Not to mention the fact I have a better job, a house I never thought I would’ve had, waaaay better mental health and feeling a little more economically stable. It’s nice.” 

“That’s good.” Hoseok seems to be a little quieter than normal, his expression almost like he’s miles away when you look up at him. Frowning, you chew at your lips and wonder what he’s thinking about. You were being honest when you said that your life was going well right now, but you wondered if maybe that was about to change in the future. One of the constant issues of your anxiety, that still happened, unfortunately, was that you could never have too much of a good thing.

There was always an inevitable downside.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Playfully swinging his arm, you give him an encouraging smile while tilting your head. Ciri speeds past you both, having fully investigated that intriguing patch of grass and yapping at some birds ahead on the path. You're not surprised when they take off immediately, fleeing the scene before your excitable puppy can reach them.

Distracted by the fast ball of fluff, you don’t notice the way Hoseok frowns slightly. If you had, it would have been sure to worry you even further than normal. You may not be as anxious as you had once been, but that didn’t mean that you didn’t get a little stressed over things sometimes.

“Ciri! No!” Calling out sternly, you let go of Hoseok’s hand and speed walk ahead, catching up to her and scolding her while you take the empty food wrapper out of her mouth. She yaps at you annoyed that you’ve taken her prize but you take care to try and teach her that she was wrong. You know it’s a bit futile at the moment, but hopefully, she will eventually learn that she can’t go around trying to eat everything she sees.

Just the thought of what she could accidentally eat makes your stomach turn. Who knows what kind of crap gets thrown onto the floor by uncaring people?!

Lifting the wrapper as you stand, anger bubbles in your stomach as you note it’s for a chocolate bar. Turning, you hold it up for Hoseok to see while outrage laces every syllable as you speak.

“People are so fucking selfish, look at this! It’s a fucking chocolate bar, don’t they know that’s poisonous to dogs? God knows what might have happened if Ciri had- Hoseok? Are you okay?” He’s just stood, staring at you a little oddly and you feel unease burn. Stowing the wrapper away into your pocket, you move towards him hesitantly.

“Hobi?” His sudden change in demeanour frightens you, particularly given how you’d been babbling only minutes earlier about how good your life was. Did he not feel the same way? Was there something going on that you weren’t aware about? Was he ill or something?

“Will you marry me?” 

You’re that concerned about what could be wrong that you don’t quite register the words, your frown still present as your mind races through all the reasons that he could be unhappy. It must have looked comical when you finally realised, the lines on your forehead vanishing as your eyes widen and jaw drops.

“What?”

Whenever you’d imagined this moment previously, it had always been far more romantic in your head. Him on one knee after a meal, you clasping your hands in front of you before cupping them over your mouth while tears fell and you nodded. It would have not only been romantic, but graceful.

Instead, he’d just blurted the question out randomly in the middle of a walk and you’d just bluntly given a one-word answer. The one word you hadn’t quite imagined you would have told him. But you’re just shocked, this came out of nowhere. Although you supposed proposals did usually come out of nowhere, but still.

“Will you...marry me?” He’s grinning now, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Your eyes goggle in amazement as he pulls out a small velvet bag, revealing a beautiful ring. The band is silver, whether it’s white gold or platinum you don’t know because you’re not an expert in that kind of stuff. The solitaire diamond on top is circular and practically glitters in the sunlight.

Squinting slightly, you realise there’s something else on it. Without even realising what you’re doing, you take the ring from him and examine it closely. The elegant design beneath the diamond is in rose gold, standing out from the rest in a beautiful infinity symbol. On one side of the ring, the centre of the infinity symbol has a tiny amethyst while the other side has an aquamarine gem.

“Wha-” You go to ask, but Hoseok’s already moved closer to you with a hopeful grin. Pointing at each side in turn, he explains them a little more to you.

“Amethyst for February, aka my birthday. Aquamarine for yours, an infinity because I hope we’re it for each other and diamond because it’s traditional. Do you like it?” As the meanings sink in, the tears finally start to fall. A little late but better than never.

Pressing a hand to your mouth, you blink through them as your lips wobble slightly. It’s all finally making sense and you’re feeling a little whiplash at the change in topics. Mostly, you’re just flabbergasted that he’d suddenly proposed. And that he’d been keeping the ring in his wallet of all places.

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to you; the two of you had casually discussed the idea of marriage over the years. Much like you had both talked about children, or the decision to not have them. You’d known that you were both open to the idea, but you hadn’t thought Hoseok would truly want it to be honest. He’d always felt a little like he couldn’t be fully held down, and given his past, you hadn’t expected him to want to get married.

But here he was, proposing to you.

“Really? You...I mean...you want to get married?” Now he frowns, pressing his lips together until his dimples appear.

“Yes. I mean, for starters I did just propose. With a ring that I bought and everything. Seriously though...yes. I love you. I love living with you, I love our house, I love our dog, I love our cat, I love our life. I never considered marriage before, didn’t think it was for me. I do now. I want to just...be able to call you my wife and get to see you walk down the aisle while I blub. You can say no if you want, I won’t be mad.” He speaks earnestly, gently wrapping one hand around yours while his other takes the ring from you.

Holding it up in front of your face, his brows rise as he smiles at you. There’s a softness to his eyes, and you wonder what was going through his mind to make him do this suddenly. The realisation that he hadn’t been upset or annoyed was a relief though.

You don’t even realise you’re nodding until Hoseok’s smile widens and brightens, his eyes almost disappearing as his cheeks rise from the force of it. It’s enough to rival the sun in the sky above and you feel just as much warmth from the sight of it. Your lips mirror his as the tears fall, not of sadness but pure happiness and joy.

Carefully, Hoseok pushes the ring onto your finger and you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from squealing. You’re not hugely a ring person so it’s the first time you’ve ever put one on your ring finger. It’d be a lie if you said you didn’t like the look of it.

“I may have measured your finger while you were sleeping once,” He says, almost apologetically as he glances at you once it’s on. “But at least it fits.”

“Oh my god, Hoseok!” You breathe, lifting your hand to admire the ring and the way it refracts the light so perfectly. The design is incredibly simple but the underlying elegance and intricateness make it even better. It’s everything you could have ever wanted in an engagement ring.

Stepping forward, he carefully avoids Ciri from where she’d plopped herself down to sit at your feet. She’s reached her limit for the day, already beginning to snooze but you can’t bring yourself to truly care right now. Which sounds mean, but you’re far too enamoured with staring at the ring.

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he distracts you away from looking at it. His lip ring catches the light momentarily and you marvel at how you’d managed to get this stunning man to not only date you, but fall in love and even want to marry you. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I just had to when you were talking about your life being good right now. I wanted to make it even better. Not quite the setting or the time that I was originally planning but...I figure all this pretty scenery will make up for it.” Wiping at your face, you sniff as you nod slowly.

Instead of responding to him, you just link your hands behind his neck and tug him gently until you can press your lips to his own. It’s a soft kiss at first, full of love that you want to try and imprint into his skin before it evolves into something much deeper. Neither of you cares that you’re making out in the middle of the path, not even when his tongue slips into your mouth as it gets far more heated than you’ve ever felt comfortable with being in public.

You can’t bring yourself to give a damn, not when you just need to show Hoseok how much you love him. How happy you are and how happy he makes you. Needless to say, there’s not a whole lot of talking that happens for the next five minutes. At least, nothing that’s said verbally. It doesn’t get unsafe for the general public but you’re glad that no one comes by during that time.

The excitement and happiness you’d felt before are magnified to levels you didn’t even think was possible. 

You’re getting married to Jung Hoseok.

[goldenvoicedminstrel]

realised after posting it’s actually @feanorianweek and even day 2, so have some Maglor

The sun was hidden from the sea that day, the rough waves turned murky grey in a perfect mirror image of the dull clouds overhead, both divided only by an endless pale horizon. All around, the colours had disappeared from the earth and Maglor wondered, if perhaps this was what the void looked like. An endless space devoid of colour, sound and feel. 

An endless nothingness to isolate one from one’s own existence and drive one mad. 

It was a far more frightening thought than any darkness or torture. 

Is that what my brothers feel? he asked the only person still listening. 

Does it matter? he answered his own question. He would never join them now, it had been much too long since he had failed to follow his brother’s example and throw the Silmaril into the waves with his body still attached to it. Too many years of wandering and suffering had passed, that had made his next step and the next note of his lament as unescapable as the passing of the hours and years. He had woven the mourning resonance of the Noldolantë into the music of Arda itself and himself with it. 

Even if he did not care if he lived, he had been surviving for so long he thought he might not know how to die anymore.

The coarse sand and stones were biting into the soles of his bare feet as he walked, having long since discarded his worn through boots. Now the quiet crunch of his steps in the sand formed an imperfect metronome for his song. 

“I fixed it.”

Curufinwë stands before him, hands outstretched and in them a little box, ticking away with the steadiness of his own heart beat.

“It was easy, Atar did not even have to show me how. Now you must not be cross with me anymore.”

 Again his feet lost their rhythm, one sinking a little deeper into a puddle of water that had been hidden under the wet sand. Around his foot he could feel the pull of the waves towards the sea, dragging the sand with them and hollowing out the ground he stood upon. He stepped aside instinctively, onto a sharp shell that cut through his skin.

“Careful, Laurë!” Maitimo calls and the white towers of Alqualondë glitter behind him, shining with the colours of the Mother of Pearl fragments inlaid in their walls. 

“Let me see that. Where was that head of yours again?”

He picked up the shell. Its hard, curved form was broken and the white edges ragged, now tinted pink with his blood.

“Káno, look what I found!” A smudge of silver races towards him, so fast, that his light hair whipping behind him in the wind blends into the pale morning light around him. When Tyelkormo opens his small hands they reveal a cone shell and, emerging from it, the scarlet claws of a hermit crab. “Can we please take him home with us?”

He thought his hair might be turning pale too. Grey, like that of the Edain, when their spirits and bodies started to wane after long years of sorrow and grief. His skin seemed grey as well, and sometimes he thought it was because he could see the grey sky through it. Perhaps he was just becoming a part of that greyness around him, fading into a lament on the waves, his song lost under the cry of the gulls and raging of the sea. Another gull flew over his head, so close this time that he could feel the gust of wind from its wings in his hair. 

A shrill scream comes from the other side of the beach, followed by a bought of laughter.

“You sound like the gulls, Moryo!”

A dark haired elfling’s face is turning an impressive shade of red as he scowls at his brother.      

“I do not!” he cries and crosses his thin arms, but when his indignation shows no effect, he quickly ducks down and picks up a handful of wet sand, hurling it towards his still laughing brother. 

“Stop laughing at me, Tyelko!” he insists and the blonde’s face immediately turns grave, as he bends down in an exaggeratedly somber manner to pick up his own lump of sand. 

“If this is how you want to play…” he says, and the scene quickly dissolves into childish screams of laughter.

Little wet droplets were running down Maglor’s cheeks. Ah, he thought, it must be raining.

There was an opening in the high basalt cliffs, nothing more than a crack in the dark structure looming over him, a comfortable shelter for a child perhaps, but not enough to hide a grown adult. He walked past and let his scarred hand trace the stone. It was as rough and blackened as his own scorched skin and its sharp edges seemed detached from under his unfeeling finger. 

The wind blew sharper now and the dark strands of his dirty hair tangled before his eyes, obscuring his sight. He listened instead to the desperate howling of the wind trapped in the small cracks and hollows of unmoving stone.

Two red-haired children cling to him, the vibrant colour of their hair burning with the curb’s fire behind them and their identical faces are flushed with excitement and the only recently abandoned heat of the flames.

“Tell us a story Káno! About why the wind howls so. Does it sing like you do? What does it sing about?”

His hair was whipped away from his eyes again by another violent gust of wind, but the darkness stubbornly remained. Was it night already? There were no stars he could distinguish, not even in the West was his father’s creation visible to the hopeful eye. He clenched his hand and walked on, the howl of the wind lost beneath his own.

He walked until the path before him rose away from the soft sand and up on uneven stone, crumbling away under his feet as he climbed, the small pebbles falling endlessly into the abyss beside him. He would not sleep, only make one step after the other until he would drop from exertion, too exhausted for even dreams to find him, may they be horrible- or worse- good.

He stumbled.

There was a bird at his feet, the white feathers making it visible to him even in the night- no, that was the dawn breaking over the horizon.

One of the creature’s wings was twisted and its neck broken, overstretched into an unnatural position on the ground, his honey coloured beak turned away from its body as if pointing out the way ahead.

Did the storm do this to you? he asked, but the dark eyes gave no answer.

He touches the impossibly soft feathers with a trembling hand and suddenly, for the first time since he has been born into these immortal lands of Aman, he understands that even here nothing lasts forever. He thinks of his grandmother, lying as beautiful and lifeless as this little bird while his father strokes her soft hair. The bird must have a mother too, or little nestlings screaming for it, and if it doesn’t, how lonely it must have been.  Perhaps it is a silly thing to anguish about, but he has a vivid imagination and a soft heart and has never seen death before.

Through his tears he sees his father hurrying from his forge, alarmed by his young son’s despairing wails.

“What is it, Makalaurë? What has happened? Are you hurt?” his father’s face is tight and pale and his hands are running over his child’s small form, trying to find the cause of his hurt, to fix it as he always does. “Please, tell me why you are weeping,” he asks again and spots the lifeless bird in the same moment. His shoulders drop in relief and his features relax into a sad smile as he pulls his sobbing son into a tight embrace. “It is alright ‘Laurë,” he whispers to him. “Everything has its time.”

He turned away from the bird and walked on as the sun rose higher into the clear, blue sky.

His father, who then had been so much younger than he must be by now, and so anxious about any sadness befalling his newly formed family. 

Maitimo had been an easy child in that regard, and really in any other regard as well. Happy and content, with the sure confidence of someone who had grown up with all of his parent’s praise and attention and who, deep down, believed he deserved it. Kind and courteous to everyone and widely loved- and later admired- in return. When he had been quiet, it had been with thoughtful consideration or the comfort that needed no words. Maitimo had never been despairing.

He himself however, befitting the poet he would become, had been much more volatile. His joy had been delightfully loud but his sorrow even louder. How unsettling these first fits of despair must have been for his father, who had always lived under the shadow of his mother’s fate.

His brothers had shed tears too, of course, but they were easily quietened. Tyelko had cried in pain after falling out of a tree and Moryo often in anger. Curvo had sometimes teared up in frustration and the Ambarussa had sobbed in fear the first time they had heard the tale of their father’s mother and discovered that there might be a force in this world that could separate them after all. But Maitimo…

The hard stone under his feet had softened into dry earth and the narrow path was being overtaken by yellow and green patches of grass and finally a thick carpet of heather, the sea of small green leaves parted by spots of rose and purple flowers. A twig snapped underneath his weary feet.

The air is filled with the fragrance of blooming petals as he wanders through the labyrinth of thick green hedges and thorny bushes heavy with blossoms of every colour. Even now, thirsty and irritated as he is, he marvels at the beauty of it all, his parched throat aching to burst into a verse of song in celebration. Yet first he needs to find his brother, as his father had sent him out to do hours ago. But today Maitimo seems to have disappeared from the face of Arda entirely and his grandfather’s rose garden is his last hope. There is a spot there his brother had shown him when he had been but a little boy- his secret hiding place he had called it. 

He ducks under the low branches of a young tree and carefully pushes away some of the dense shrubbery before he stills.

He hears their laughter before he sees them, sitting in the grass, a bottle of what must be grandfather’s good wine lying forgotten next to them.  They are leaning against each other and speaking in hushed, excited tones, and suddenly his brother is throwing his head back and is laughing, laughing until there are tears running down his cheeks and he has to gasp for breath. He is still holding onto Findekáno’s arm as his giggling cousin wipes away his tears of mirth. 

Quietly he turns away and leaves, reporting to their father that Maitimo is nowhere to be found.

 The sun was high in the deep blue sky and the sea glittered faintly beneath it. 

Maglor’s path lead him down again, away from the heather, towards the waves where the smell of salt perpetuated the air he still breathed. He did not hear the gulls anymore and the light breeze that seemed to caress his cheek was too weak to drown out his lament.

When his feet sank into soft sand again, the sun was already setting and suddenly the sky was set aflame in the same shade of red he had loved and hated and grieved more than anything else.

And again he walked on. Was it raining again?

And when Maglor walks the shore alone, his brothers walk with him, and on the wind his father’s voice whispers: “Why are you weeping, Makalaurë?”

[toogayforthistoday]

mermaid AU, roaring 20s AU, and fake dating AU with Hiei and Dabi too plz? ~nikkzships

@nikkzships sdgsdrhdfgjghjk!!! AHHHHHH!! NIKKI!! I love you so much oml

As a note, I apparently do not know how to ‘just write headcanons’ for these two, and I just straight up started writing bLURBS AHH-

Mermaid AU: Who is the adventurous mermaid who swims a little too close to the shore? Who is the curious human who finds them? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU!

It goes without saying that for this AU, their first meeting(s) would be as wee beans. For those that don’t know what I mean by wee beans, they’re all children. Cause it’s adorable, and that’s how my brain thought these up.

For Hiei, he’d be the mermaid (merman?) and Gabe would be the Human.

Just Hiei being a tsundere little shit, like “No, I’m not getting too close to the Humans! I’m just making sure they won’t find us...” but the section of shore line that Hiei likes to hang out and sunbathe in, also happens to be Gabe’s little hiding spot away from everyone. So one day while Hiei’s laid back on a rock, almost asleep, Gabe stumbles down, rubbing at their eyes, so they don’t see him. As they settle against Hiei’s rock, still not having noticed him, Hiei had noticed them, and the fact that they were upset.

“Why are you crying?”

The question makes Gabe jump, and they start rubbing harder at their face as they stand back up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be here. I’ll leave...” They lower their hands to look at him, and finally notice he’s a merman.

“You don’t have to leave yet. Not til you answer my question first, at least...”

Gabe eventually manages to calm down enough to answer him, “My family don’t like me, and keep calling me a monster...”

“Hn. A Human as pretty as you can’t possibly be a monster.” At Gabe’s smile, Hiei smiles a little too. “I’m Hiei.”

“My name’s Gabe. Will you... be my friend?”

Hiei nods, smiling more.

@junkratsloverat also asked for Mermaid!AU with Dabi, so here you go, Hannah!!

For Dabi, Gabe’s the mermaid.

Touya had been going to that section of beach almost every day for a month, now; It seemed to be ignored by most of the locals, with tall grass and weeds growing right up to the waters edge. He thought he’d heard singing coming from there one day while walking by, and he’d hoped to find the source. Touya had tripped, crying out in surprise as his face met sand, before hearing a splashing sound and silence. Today, he was hoping his luck would change.

As he walked closer, he thought he could hear a melody over the wind. Touya had to force himself to be careful this time, didn’t need to trip and scare them away again. As he crept close, the song got louder and louder, and he could start making out the words the person sung. Passing a large driftwood log, a figure came into view, leaning over a large rock to look down into a tide pool. Their blonde hair gently swayed back and forth as continued their song, watching as a small crab scuttled by a starfish. The red-head leaned forward, putting more of his weight on the log, hoping to get a better look at the singer.

The driftwood let out a creaky groan before moving under Touya, frightening both him and the blonde. The figures head shot up, looking straight at him before pushing themself away from the rock and into the water.

“Wait!” Touya cried out, running towards the rock. The crab had the good sense to scuttle under the crags of the rock, before the human accidentally stepped on him. He jumped up onto it, where the figure had been resting, looking over to try and find them, but there was no sign of them. He sighed, and sat down, catching his breath.

“I just wanted to tell you that I liked your song...”

Hearing nothing but the waves lapping against the rock in response, Touya stood back up and turned to hop off the rock.

“...You liked it?”

The question made Touya jump and whip back around to the water, quickly loosing his balance and falling back into ocean. He felt the burn of the frigged water, followed by arms around him, pulling him back up. He’s set down on the rock, just out of the water.

“Are all humans this accident prone, or is it just you?” the voice joked. Touya opened his eyes, and saw the blonde figure in front of him, still half in the water.

“...Aren’t you cold?” He asked, noticing they weren’t wearing a shirt of any kind.

“Why would I get cold? Do humans not have good circulation? Is that why you wear those fabrics?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Touya stared at them, confused by their questions. He looked down at the water again, and noticed something shimmering at their waist. “...Are you not human?”

The blonde shook their head. “I’m a mermaid!” A look of guilt shot across their face and they ducked down slightly. “We’re not supposed to let humans know we exist... You promise not to tell anyone, yeah?”

Touya quickly nodded as he grinned. “I promise!”

The blonde grinned back. “I’m ᎶᏗᏰᏒᎥᏋᏝ.” At the sight of Touya’s confused face, they slowly nodded, “You probably can’t pronounce that... Uhhh, you can call me Gabe?”

“And you can call me Touya!”

Roaring 20s AU: Who is new to the city or visiting family in the city? Who’s the wealthy bachelor who notices them at a party? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU! 

Dabi would the wealthy bachelor? With Gabe being new to the city.

Touya had been dragged to the party by Natsuo, who just wanted him to have some fun without their father constantly breathing down his neck. Gabe had also been dragged to the party, by Atsuhiro, so they could make some new friends. So Gabe’s off being a social butterfly with Atsu, and Touya notices them flitting around, and their joy is almost infectious, and he can’t help but go and say hello.

Now for Hiei... He’d be visiting Kurama for one reason or another, and Kurama convinced him to go to the party to loosen up a bit. Hiei’s always constantly stressed, and maybe a bit of light-hearted shenanigans would do him some good. Gabe’s been too busy lately to just relax, and let’s their brother Yusuke convince them to come to the party as well. Yusuke and Kurama are old friends, so of course they introduce the two, and the enjoy the party together.

Fake dating AU: Who has a plan and needs a fake partner to show to their parents or ex? Who begrudgingly agrees? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU! 

In both cases, it’ll be Gabe who needs a partner, cause we already have Hero!Dabi needing the fake partner for that wedding.

Hiei doesn’t understand why the witch would need him to pretend to be their date, Kurama would do a much more convincing job of it. But the longer he thinks about that, the more upset the thought makes him, so he stops thinking about it, and agrees to parade around for their family. The sight of Gabe relaxing in relief has him feeling a certain way, and now he’s confused and slightly worried there’s something wrong with him.

Hiei hasn’t experienced these feelings before, so he goes to talk to Kurama, who would surely know the answer.

“Hiei, you like them.”

“I tolerate their existence.”

“I think you love them.”

“What? No, that’s ridiculous.”

Well, Kurama didn’t have the right answer.

So Hiei goes through the week of Gabe’s family visiting, holding their hand, constantly being near them, and letting Gabe do all the talk as he watched them. On the last day of the visit, it finally clicks that he actually enjoyed being that close to them, and after today, he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.

And fuck, Kurama was right.

So he goes and tracks them down. Luckily, Gabe’s just chilling in their room, as it’s still early, and they didn’t want to talk with anyone yet. So, true to Hiei fashion, he’s terrible with words, and just goes in for a kiss, hoping that would get his point across.

It does.

For Dabi... Hmm...

Gabe and Dabi would be chilling in a random bar, when in walks a rather attractive looking woman, who smirks when she sees Gabe and starts walking over.

“Ahh, fuck it’s my ex... Uhh... Can you make out with me?”

Dabi almost spits out his drink, “What?”

“Make out with me! I don’t want to deal with her manipulative ass tonight. I will cook you dinner for a month-” Their offer was cut off as Dabi’s fingers lifted their chin towards him, and he moved in to kiss them. Just as Gabe started to kiss back, Dabi felt a tap on his shoulder. He slowly pulled away slightly, just enough to glance at the woman, who was now sporting an offended look on her face.

“Excuse me, can you stop making out with my boyfriend?”

Dabi slowly looked her up and down, before smirking, and pulling Gabe over to straddle his lap. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I think you mean my boyfriend. They broke up with your terrible sense of style ages ago,” and pulled Gabe’s face down to connect with his again. The woman’s best impression of a fish did nothing to break their kiss a second time, leaving her to storm off, spouting off obscenities and threats.

After a minute, and neither could hear her screaming anymore, they parted again, their breathing heavier than expected. “Thanks Dabi. I... Really appreciate that.” Gabe smiled as a tint of red started to creep onto their face.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dabi smiled back, rubbing his thumbs gently on Gabe’s hips where he’d rested them. “I... Uh... wouldn’t mind skipping out on those dinners, if... you wanted to keep making out on a more... romantic basis...?”

Gabe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah...” and they leaned in to continue their make out session.

Oops, I got carried away again!!

~ Gabe

[neapolitanadonna]

cottagecore has taken over my life. can i request a scenario where human au England is living in this little cottage in the flower fields and he sees this strange girl in the fields all the time? He just kinda watches her and admires her and stuff and cute soft cottage core things ack I'll leave the creativity to you THANK YOU!!!

Oh you KNOW my cottagecore ass had fun with this one. I genuinely felt soft writing this so I hope everyone feels soft too. I love getting the opportunity to make imperialists look soft, its by far my favorite hobby of this quarantine. 

Also this is a bit long, so remember to click keep reading!!

Arthur was a hardworking man in the government who, despite practically signing his life away to it, hated the government. His London flat, aggressive cabbies, black coffee at 5 in the morning, three piece suit everyday life was something that got him far in life, it was a shame that most days, he couldn’t care less about it. 

After his grandmother passed, she left him her small brick cottage in Painswick. At first he thought of selling it, not that he needed the extra money, it would just be a shame to leave empty real estate. He didn’t think he would ever spend his days in the little place, but in a time where he tried to manifest nothing but peace, the universe brought him to the cottage. 

He spends his weekends there. It isn’t big government buildings and the bustling streets of London, but to him, it’s perfect. If he wasn’t tethered to the responsibilities of being an adult, he would pack up everything he had and move to the cottage. He considered it often, he had nothing left in London for him, anyway. He lived alone in London and in Painswick, but Painswick felt less lonely. 

His grandmother's cottage was relatively secluded, far enough from the little village to be truly alone, but close enough if he needed to walk to get anything. However, oddly enough, even if there were no other residences near him, one particular creature always showed up in his backyard. 

He wasn’t a fan of judging a woman by her physical traits, but he remembers the first time he laid eyes on her perfectly. It was cinematic, and if it was a film, he would watch it again and again. She wore a baby blue dress with a flower print that fell just above her knees. Her hair was pulled back into braids with two little bows the same color as her dress. He couldn’t quite see the color of her eyes from his window, but they held some sort of power in them even from afar. As she gently walked through the flower fields, she tucked the wildflowers she picked into the weaves of her braids, filling them with Bluebells, Columbine, Daisies, and Cornflowers. She didn’t trip over plants or roots that peeked through the dirt. She seemed to thank the earth each time she picked a flower. As he watched her card through the flowers, spin in the field, then sit under the Crab apple tree up upon the hill, he figured he must’ve been hallucinating. It had been a long week of work, he had gone through so many rough emotions that it was possible she was an angel and he was on the verge of death. 

Until she showed up again. 

Her visits to his field were almost scheduled, but sporadic all at the same time. She would come, sometimes pick flowers, others leave them alone, but dance among them either way. She would sometimes bring little baskets of peaches and bread for herself, other times she came with nothing but herself. She once got close enough to a deer that it let her pet its head, the same thing happened another time with a rabbit. His grandmother used to tell him stories and lore about Painswick, how faeries disguised themselves as humans to lure them in. He couldn’t help but wonder if his grandmother wasn’t just telling old tales. There was no way this girl was human. 

She seemed devoid of any human flaw. She couldn’t have been any older than 20, but even though Arthur was 23, his position aged him five years. She always seemed so happy, so carefree, like nothing in the world could have made her upset. If anyone else came through his property to take his flowers, he would be sure to lecture them, but she was his only exception. 

It was a Saturday morning when Arthur woke up feeling less on edge than usual. He was so used to having a migraine that waking up without one felt like a giant weight off his shoulders. The light filtered through the old blinds just perfectly, hitting the old paintings of flowers on the wall. It occurred to him that he did more staring out his window into the fields than he did outside. Maybe today would be the perfect day for him to spend a day out there, no stress, no work, and definitely no migraine. 

The sun was still rising as he walked out into the fields. He never noticed it before, but bumble bees danced around every honeysuckle and corn flower. He supposed they would be hard to notice from far away. 

He set down his little blanket at the base of the crab apple tree. It made him feel a certain sense of anxiety knowing that this is where the ethereal girl usually spent her time, that he was sitting in her spot despite it being his property. He looked out on the fields, the sun rising behind them, and began to realize why the girl loved it here so much. 

He spent a good while like this, staring off into the fields, down at his cottage, the trees and wood that extended beyond the fields. He only stopped daydreaming when he heard humming. 

He recognized it as Donovan’s “Sunny Goodge Street” before he processed who the humming could have possibly come from. When his brain finally did process, yes, it had to be none other than the voice of the girl, he felt his heart leap into his throat. She must’ve been coming up from behind, and his best option was to sit absolutely still from the other side of the tree hoping she would walk the other way around and avoid him completely. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to her, but he couldn’t quite admit that he was afraid. She had all the odds of the universe on her side, she might’ve been mother nature herself, and who was he compared to that? Unfortunately, his desires came to a fault. Her humming stopped, and her footsteps got louder. A soft, faint giggle could be heard from behind the tree. 

“Hello?” Arthur’s heart leaped to his throat again. Such a sweet voice she had, too. In retrospect, he should've moved, stood up to greet her and introduce himself, but he was frozen. He spent all week talking and negotiating with big government hot shots, yet he couldn’t face a silly girl who spent her days in the flower fields. 

“Are you hiding from me?” She giggled again, and then she was next to him, standing above him. He couldn’t help but exhale deeply the moment he saw her. His cheeks were for sure red, such an embarrassing thing for a grown man, he thought. She wore the same blue dress she wore the day he first saw her, her hair let loose and gently curled around her shoulders, instead. 

“Are you the funny man who lives down in the cottage there?” She asked, taking an uninvited seat in front of him on his blanket. She smelled like honey, roses, and the morning. She was even more beautiful up close than she was from his bedroom window. 

“Lots of questions you have for me. I should be the one asking who you are. This is my property” Arthur replied. The moment he said it, he felt a pang of guilt. He had a hard time talking to somebody without being defensive anymore. The girl didn’t seem to care. 

“I’m really sorry.” She smiled, almost solemnly. “I’m __. There was this sweet old lady, Mrs. Kirkland, who lived here quite a bit ago. She was a regular at my nans flower shop in town, she used to invite me over quite a bit to have tea. Before she passed, she told me I could still visit the fields whenever I wanted. It never occurred to me that somebody else would be living here after she…” 

“Oh, don’t worry, __.”  Was all Arthur could muster up saying. The way her name spilled off his tongue sent a shot of adrenaline up his spine. __. So very fitting. 

He found it strange from the start that his grandmother left him her cottage, of all things. Maybe, somehow, this was her funny little way of playing matchmaker for him. The blush rose back to his cheeks. 

“I’m Mrs. Kirklands grandson, Arthur. I’m sorry for making accusations.” 

“It’s alright.” She smiled. “I’m sure if I saw some strange girl on my property I would be curious, too.” 

“How did you know I lived here?” Arthur asked, meeting her bright __ eyes. 

“It just feels less lonely when you’re here.” She smiled. “That, and I heard you drop your mug one morning. Your reaction wasn’t all that discreet.”

She giggled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“Oh, for fucks sake, you mean to tell me you saw that?” 

“I promise I’m not a stalker,” her smile seemingly permanent on her face. “Just observant, is all.” 

“I wasn’t accusing you of being one.” 

“Oh, but I can tell you’ve thought about it.” 

Arthur wanted to tell her he didn’t think any malice of her. He wanted to tell her that even if she was stalking him, it was the best intrusion of his privacy he’s ever had. He wanted to grab her little hand that rested upon her knee, but he knew he couldn’t. He’s never felt so intimidated by another person in his life. 

Arthur said nothing to her in response, and instead for a moment, __ studied him, then stood up. 

“Don’t leave.” He said, suddenly. It wasn’t even his intention, it came out of him on instinct. She looked back down on him and smiled, and shook her head. 

“I wasn’t planning on it, darling.” She giggled. “I’ll be right back.” 

Arthur watched her as she tumbled down the hill to the fields, the tall grasses and flowers welcoming her like she was a part of them. He finally had the opportunity to sigh, and run a hand through his hair. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his grandmother probably set this whole thing up for him, she was always a clever woman. 

__ came back a few minutes later with hands full of flowers. She sat back down in front of him, and carefully broke the stems of the flowers to make them shorter. He wanted to question her process, but instead just watched her. He finally made a noise when his breath hitched as she moved to push some of his hair out of his face. 

“You have the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen.” __ marveled, her own eyes gentle as they looked into his. 

“I- Thank you.” Arthur held back a stammer. She brushed his hair from his face again, then gently placed a daisy behind his ear. 

“Perfect.” She giggled, pushing his hair away from the other side of his face to make room for another daisy. 

“You’re ridiculous, woman.” He shook his head, but couldn’t hold back a smile. “Who on god's earth are you?” 

She shook her head, and shrugged. 

“I’m just trying to enjoy the life I was given. No use in living unless you spend every day the way you want.” 

“Do you work?” 

“At my nans flower shop, yes. It’s not as much about money as it is enjoying my time with my nan.” She shook her head. “Besides basic bills and the likes, everything I need I make myself.” 

“Do you drive?” 

“A bike. I never felt the need for a car.” 

“Do you have a cellphone?” 

“Of course, I like to live naturally, that doesn’t mean I’m a barbarian.” 

“I was just wondering.” Arthur chuckled, making the bold move of pushing her hair out of her face. Her eyes fluttered shut and a small smile spread across her face. He grabbed a cornflower and tucked it behind her ear. He felt breath against his arm, there was something so intimate about her breathing. It had barely started to occur to him that this was the girl he’s admired from afar for months. 

“Perfect.” He teased, eliciting a giggle from her. His hand still touched against the softness of her cheek, lingering there, but she didn’t seem to mind. She gently reached for his hand, lowering it from her face, and instead threading her fingers in between his. The softness of her skin, the warmth of her smile, the sweet little chime in her voice, everything about her overwhelmed him. 

God, he wished he could thank his grandmother for this.

[its-ya-boi-autumn]

Omg omg omg its me AGAIN. Idk how its possible but im in love all over again. I was thinking, like idk ive got so many ideas but like what if one day adeline is like 15 and she kills someone out of instinct, rage etc. And shes rlly guilty and chrollo happens to be in the same city/area n sees n hes gives her the talk??? Like "it is what it is". Maybe even helps her hide the body n evidence so his ex s/o doesn't flip? Totally understand if u dont wanna do 2 requests in a row, love ya xx.

I'm totally fine with doing two in a row baby~ I'm just a little slow is all 🤣 I've had a lot of social interaction going on today and then I came home and now I gotta fix my room so if this doesn't come out the same day I apologize 😅 (probably won't, I'm just super tired) Warning: abuse and violence

Adeline’s chest was heaving, her throat feeling as if she were breathing fire instead of air. Her chest and cheeks were colored an angry red and her legs were beginning to go numb. She couldn’t fall now, not when he was quick on her heels. Tears stained her cheeks, still falling from her eyes. The adrenaline continued to push her forward. To keep her running as fast as she could. The ponytail that held her hair up finally gave way, allowing her long black hair to block some of her vision when she turned around for a split second.

Danny was still too close for her to even begin to slow, his stamina almost inhuman.

A sob wracked her entire body at the sight and she nearly tripped. Her eyes frantically darted everywhere. Where could she run that would slow him down? Could she hide anywhere? Was there anyone else around? She had to find something to at least slow him down. Was there anything at all? Running straight through the pathway in the woods had proven to be a bad idea after she came out into a vast meadow of nothing but grass and dirt patches. 

“Adeline-”

“Leave me alone!” her voice screeched into the evening air, tearing at the tissue in her throat. She prayed her voice would be heard by someone. Anyone. Danny’s pace picked up, his arms quickly enveloping her, crushing her ribs.

“Adeline Lucilfer-”

“LET GO OF ME!” her fist reached up, coming into contact with his jaw and forcing his head up roughly. Danny released her, his hands covering his mouth at the throbbing pain he was probably experiencing. Adeline wasted no time to be proud of herself and began to run again, but her legs weren’t having it. The short time she had been stopped caused her muscles to relax and they wouldn’t cooperate anymore. Instantly, she fell forward, trying to force herself up again and keep going. She heard the deep groan of pain resonating in Danny’s chest. Her heart raced. What could she do? Her legs were rendered completely useless right now and there was nothing she could defend herself with other than her own two fists.

All the running she had done was starting to catch up to her too, her lungs having a hard time allowing her to breathe and her throat burning. Her body wouldn’t help her this time. She was sure she was done for. Adeline flipped onto her back, trying to almost crab walk away while Danny was still getting his bearings. When his eyes met hers, they were swirling with nothing but pure malice. He’d had enough.

“Adeline...” his voice was soft despite his hard face. Her own eyes grew wide, tears once again blurring her vision. The only thing she could actually see was Danny’s broad shape standing to his full height, strolling towards her slowly.

“No... no, no, no, no- Danny please, just leave me alone!” she opted to beg for him, hoping that some slimmer of his good side would show through, showing him what he was actually doing. What he was about to do. Danny didn’t seem to notice her begging or at the very least he didn’t seem to care. Adeline pushed herself up to run but she wasn’t fast enough. A harsh blow was received directly between her shoulder blades, forcing any air in her lungs out within a matter of seconds. She choked, falling onto her chest again. Coughing, she made another attempt to steady herself, but another hit was taken on her lower back. It didn’t hurt as bad as the first one, but the initial shock caused her to hesitate for just a moment too long. A rough hand snatched up her arm and suddenly her body was flipped onto its back. Danny dropped to his knees on top of her and she watched his fist slam into her chest.

Another hit.

Another.

And another.

Her face.

Her chest.

Her stomach.

Adeline was limp on the ground, her breathing becoming more and more labored as the sun set behind her. Her vision had gone completely blurry and she could feel the large bruises forming on her skin. He was brutal. Adeline was only 15, this shouldn’t of been happening. She should have listened to you. She should have listened when you told her to find Chrollo and bring him to her. She should have listened when you said to have Chrollo handle ‘daddy’. But she didn’t. Adeline thought she could protect you from Danny. She wanted to be the hero.

“Are you done running, Adeline?” his voice broke her thoughts. She couldn’t even bring herself to make eye contact with him, still watching the sun fall below the horizon, stars beginning to twinkle in the distance.

“Answer me.” the command shook her.

“Yes...” she tried to form the word properly but her tongue was too big for her mouth all of a sudden.

“Yes what?”

“Yes... daddy...” his sexualization of the word sickened her, but she couldn’t bear to be hit again. She might go unconscious if he struck another blow. He stood, taking her by the shirt collar and making her stand. She stumbled, coming across something in her jacket pocket as her hand fell in while she stabilized herself on her knees.

Her house key.

Hope pushed through her misery. She could put an end to this. An end to him.

“Hurry up, your mother can’t be alone for too long, not with that Chrollo guy running around still. Fucking scumbag..” Danny scoffed, turning to face her again. It hurt her to hear him call Chrollo such a thing. Chrollo had been nothing but sweet you her and you when he came over to see you. She wasn’t sure of why it was her specifically that he wanted to see, but that was probably what you meant to talk to her about today.

“Let’s go!” he ordered, waiting impatiently. Adeline didn’t move, thinking her plan out of how to end this man. This horrible, sick man. Her hand stayed within her pocket, fingering the key in thought. Danny’s teeth ground together, his feet stomping up to the young girl.

“Was I not clear enough? I said let’s go-” when he raised his hand to hit her again, he left himself open. Adeline slid the key out of her pocket and dug it across his throat. At first, she thought she failed as no blood even shown. What gave it away was Danny’s mere expression of surprise. An uneven white slit on his neck turned dark red as it spotted with blood. Then, it poured. The red liquid ran down his chest, leaving the man choking on himself. Adeline slowly backed away, hoping he wouldn’t charge at her in a spur of the moment. Danny did no such thing, solely focused on the fact that his throat had been slit. The fact that he was going to die. Adeline didn’t know what else to do other than watch him struggle to breathe. His hands covered his throat for a moment and wiped at the blood, pulling them away again to see the bright red on his fingers.

“You... you cut me...” his voice was weak and shaky. Adeline didn’t reply. She backed away more, falling onto the ground as her legs fell numb from running. She kept backing away from him, trying to keep her distance.

“Adeline...” he was trying to make her feel like shit, and it was working. What had she done? She just killed the man she called her father and for what? Her mother? Herself? She didn’t even know the answer as he crawled forward. She moved backwards, keeping her distance from him. Danny fell to his knees before her, hand outstretched.

“Why would you... why would you do this?” he kept going as if he didn’t know. As if he hadn’t been the cause of so many sleepless night for both Adeline and yourself. How was he not dead yet? He had to die soon, this was too painful for her to watch. Danny balanced himself on his free hand while the other tried to hold his neck closed, stopping himself from bleeding out. Faster, he scrambled towards her. Adeline held no mercy in her leg as it surged outward, kicking him in the nose. He recoiled on the dirt. Crying. Danny had never cried before, in fact, it was always Adeline and you who cried because of him. Nonetheless, listening to the man sob, helpless and dying in the dust made Adeline nauseous. She couldn’t take this, she couldn’t just sit her and watch him bleed out. But she felt like she couldn’t leave him alone here either. Dying alone was her worst fear. The knowledge of murdering somebody and leaving them to nature made her wretch up her dinner. Doubling over, she puked to the sound of Danny’s final sobs.

Her hands trembled as she held the key in her hand. Why hadn’t he continued to fight her? He still had a chance and he just laid there, surprised by her courage to go so far as to slit his throat. Again, her stomach shoved food up and out of her esophagus, a horrid stench clouding her senses. Her shoulders shook as she lay there on the ground. She didn’t even hear the footsteps come up from behind her.

“Adeline?” a gentle male voice startled her, making her gag on her own vomit. She turned, her eyes meeting Chrollo’s. His brows we’re furrowed, worry obvious in his features.

“What happened?” he kneeled down to her, ignoring her mess underneath her and behind her, curled up in the dirt. Dead.

“I... I can’t-” and she threw up again. Chrollo’s hands worked themselves into her hair, pulling it back for her to keep it out of her face.

“You’re okay, I’m right here.” he shushed her gently, his free hand rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her shaking form. Another vile pool retched out of her mouth, hacking and dry heaving following suit.

Eventually, she managed to calm down. Adeline sat up and wiped her mouth with her jacket sleeve, quickly becoming disgusted with the action and discarding of the attire altogether. She wheezed against her sore throat, the tops of her lungs burning again like when she was running.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Chrollo didn’t even seem affected by the dead man right next to him, even taking a chance to glance at him. His eyes didn’t linger too long on Danny, obviously more worried about Adeline herself than anything. When his eyes met hers again, she couldn’t help but let those tears from before slip out and onto her bruised cheeks and chest. Chrollo didn’t push her any further, instead moving closer to her and embracing her. Every instinct told her to push him away, that she was a monster and that she didn’t deserve this kind of treatment, not after killing somebody. But her weakness didn’t allow her to fight back and she simply melted against Chrollo’s chest, sobbing and quaking. You always told Adeline that Chrollo was a sweet-tempered man, that he was always patient with you and with his friends. It seemed you had been right. He didn’t force Adeline to tell him anything, he didn’t shove her away or treat her unkindly. He knew she wasn’t a bad person and that she was in a state of distress. He had to of known that Adeline wouldn’t kill someone without having a reason. A good one at that.

“Now, Adeline,” he started, lifting her head up to look at him in the eyes. The same eyes as her own. Almost like staring back at her own reflection. It was strange, “I do want to hear about this, however we don’t have much time. We need to dispose of this immediately.” she could hear the urgency edging in his voice, but he still held a level of stability. Adeline nodded, pressing her hands into the dirt to push her body back upright. He followed her over to Danny and thought for a moment, hand on his chin.

“Okay, I’ll have someone take care of this here in a second. I’ll call him.” Chrollo was speaking more to himself than to Adeline, pulling out his phone and dialing a number before letting it ring. She didn’t hear the other end pick up, but it was apparently instant, as Chrollo began speaking to the other man. He gave him their location and the situation at hand, even mentioning his daughter.

At first, this confused Adeline. She wasn’t his daughter. She was Danny’s daughter... her brows furrowed and her arms crossed over her chest. What was he talking about? Sure they had the same eyes and the same hair, and even the same nose now that she really looked at him. You had never told her anything about Chrollo being your father.

“Alright, he’ll be here shortly-” he started after hanging up.

“You called me your daughter..?” she knew it was rude to cut him off, but she couldn’t help it. She felt like she needed to know, felt as if she had the right to know. Chrollo turned his attention her, setting his phone back into his pocket.

“Yes. I did. Y/n never told you?” even through the monotone sound Adeline swore she could hear the hint of pain there. You told her Chrollo didn’t feel much, but when he did they were pretty strong emotions.

“No...” it was the only word she could think of to respond with. At first, she didn’t know how to feel. She didn’t blame you or anything, understanding that she was young and you must not have wanted to confuse her. You may have even planned to tell her now. Then the reason behind Danny’s outrage hit her like a train.

She gasped out loud, her facial expression giving her away. Chrollo’s own features formed into a visual of worry.

“What? What’s wrong?” almost as if it was his instinct. That gave her even more evidence that he was truly her father. Danny never worried about her, but any slight movement drove Chrollo to panic.

“How long until that guy gets here?”

“Already behind you baby~” a deep voice sounded from behind her. Adeline turned around but was met with a stomach instead of a head. Craning her neck up, she found an exceptionally tall man with tan skin and fluffy grey hair. He smiled down at her.

“So this is Adeline boss?” he was addressing Chrollo, who nodded in response.

“Yes, she’s just finding this out as well. Adeline, meet Uvogin.” he explained. Uvogin made a face down at the both of them.

“Wait, you’re saying y/n never told you Chrollo was your daddy?” he kneeled down to her level, she could see his level of confusion even better now. She shook her head.

“Honestly, I suspected considering that my appearance is much like that of his own. Especially in the eyes and the nose,” she turned to face Chrollo who was also watching her, “and I looked nothing like Dan either.” she explained, finding herself being rather analytical. It wasn’t unlike her, as she grew she came to terms with the fact that she enjoyed learning and finding out new things. You always told her that she was intelligent. Uvogin laughed though, standing back up all the way.

“Damn boss she even sounds like you. It’s adorable. Anyway, where do you want me to put this thing? I assume this is Danny?” Uvogin wrapped his hand around the corpse’s waist, throwing it over his shoulder. The sight made Adeline sick and she doubled over again, nearly throwing up. Chrollo was at her side in an instant, holding on to her to make sure she didn’t fall.

“Sorry babe, I forgot you’re not used to that.” Uvogin turned his head away in apology. Adeline raised her hand to signal that he was fine but didn’t turn around for another minute or so, Chrollo soothing her the whole time. She felt dizzy when she met Uvogin’s eyes. The little names her called her were of some comfort, considering this must have been Chrollo’s–her father’s–friend. 

“Well, I’ll just take it with me so you two can have your moment or whatever. Tell her everything.” Uvogin sent a finger gun Chrollo’s way and sprinted off, leaving the Chrollo and Adeline alone. She was felt slightly perturbed by Uvogin’s absences, it was so quick.

And tell her everything is just what Chrollo did.

Chrollo told her about how he made you leave in an effort to keep you safe. He told her about his background, about the troupe, about you. About how much he missed you. About how badly he wanted to see Adeline born but he couldn’t because he was too far out. Adeline didn’t interrupt with anything, though she still had so many questions, but he kept going. He must have wanted to enforce as much trust in her as he could. It was working.

“I’m sorry for not being there and I’m even more apologetic for driving your mother away, it was for her safety...” his eyes never left hers.

“I understand, and mom does too. She was just upset.” Adeline accepted this apology even though she felt like he shouldn’t even be apologizing. It wasn’t his fault. He was just trying to protect you the best way he could think of. Chrollo let out a breath she didn’t know he was holding.

“Now, please, explain to me why you killed Danny?” there was no filter. It made Adeline’s stomach churn at the thought, the feeling of the house key tearing through his skin. She took a deep breath.

“I think mom was going to explain everything to me,” her voice had become shaky. She sat on the ground and curled into herself to gain some comfort as Chrollo followed, an arm draping over her shoulders and keeping her close, “and I think Danny somehow found out... and got upset about it. He liked when I called him ‘daddy’ almost in a like sexual way...” she tried to explain without crying but the word was almost triggering. She hated the way he’d make her use it. He become irrationally upset with her if she called him dad instead of daddy. It was disgusting...

“And I don’t know why... I think he... he just...” she was desperately trying to think of her next words. What could she say next? How should this all go? Chrollo was patient with her the whole time, never getting upset with her or scoffing. He just listened. She was so confused on everything that had just happened and the fact that it all happened so quickly.

“I don’t know, all I remember was that mom said she was going to talk to me and then I went in my room for like 5 minutes and then I heard her screaming,” she sniffled, not able to hold back her tears again. Her head fell into her knees for a few minutes before coming back up to take a deep breath, “and a loud bang against the-the counter. Dan was yelling at her about something, I can’t remember. So I went down to see her and make sure he didn’t hit her like I thought he did, but he did. Chrollo he hurt her...” Adeline was full on sobbing again, feeling another round of bile ease it’s way into her mouth. Chrollo’s grip on her tightened and he rocked her, letting one of his hands rub her arm. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his chin on her temple.

“Is she okay now?”

“I don’t know. She told me to just go and get help but instead I got upset and threw the pan she was cooking with at him. Obviously he got mad and started chasing me, so I tried to defend myself as best I could and-”

“It’s okay, I understand. It’s alright...” he continued his motions, keeping her at bay from breaking.

“Do you think you can take me to y/n?” Chrollo asked after Adeline had calmed down. She nodded, standing again.

“Yeah, I wanna make sure she’s okay after all of that. He didn’t get to hurt her too bad that I knew of.” she wiped the tears away with her hand, searching for her jacket somewhere. She found it next to a bush along with her bloody house key. Picking both items up she led Chrollo home, hoping to find you there, okay and at the very least, resting.

[ren1327]

Taken Everything Ch.1

-November 2020-

The table was set with white plates and crystal glasses filled halfway with rose wine. It was the sweet kind with hints of watermelon he liked so much.

The plate had still steaming crab cake, asparagus and a leafy salad with the dressing to the side. A favorite meal of his.

“Do you like it?’ The man across the table asked him. “I know you don’t care for the regular Thanksgiving feast.”

“I love it.” He said softly. “It smells amazing.”

He cut a piece of the crab cake and hummed as he let it melt on his tongue, chewing slowly before swallowing. The man across from him smiled, pleased.

“What have you been up to today? Do you want more books? More journals? More paint?” He asked.

Ben looked at his lap.

“No. I’m good.” He said, smiling softly at the man. “And I just drew some dogs I saw on tv. I can show you if you want.”

The man smile widened. “My sweet Ben. Have you finally stopped fighting me?”

He knew better than to say no.

He never hurt Ben. Never laid a hand on him. Never lost his temper in front of him. But he would stop talking to him, leaving Ben alone for long periods of time in his room; the bathroom door gone, the shower curtain and rod gone, the mirror removed and timers on the automatic sink and tub drain.

The camera lights from their high corners would blink their little red lights to show they were watching him. And they always blinked when the man was away. He would bring him food, but never speak to him. Giving him no stimulation. No entertainment beside the mattress and windowless white walls, the lights never dimming.

And Ben would beg to be let out after only two days. He would do whatever was asked of him. Happily.

Ben looked down at his ankle where a thick metal cuff hung as not to irritate his skin.

“I won’t take that off.” The man said. “Not for a bit. It’s for your safety, My Ben.”

“It’s fine.” Ben said hollowly. “I understand.”

“…finish your food for me?” He asked. “I don’t want you to get malnourished. I can’t bear to see you in pain.”

“Yes, Kenji.” Ben said and raised his fork again.

 *

 -November 2019-

Ben watched as they lowered his mother into her grave. Sammy held him close to her as Darius placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Ben.” He said. “If you need—”

“Thank you. Darius.” Ben grit out, trying to hold back his tears. “I think I need some time to process this…”

“Ben…” Sammy said as Ben walked away from the grave.

He wiped at his eyes and took out a paper, seeing how much he stilled owed for his mother’s hospital bills and now the funeral. He knew he could cover most of it if he used his savings.

His mother deserved to be put to rest.

He sat on a stone bench and checked his phone, seeing a message from his boyfriend Jeremy.

“Meet you at home.” He read out loud and sniffed softly. “My mom died. Why couldn’t you come?”

He got to his feet and walked to the bus stop.

The ride was silent. He ignored people and they largely ignored him. He was invisible.

When he reached his crappy one bedroom apartment he shared with Jeremy, he felt exhausted just unlocking the door and seeing his boyfriend lounging on the sofa, drinking a beer.

“How did it go?” He asked.

“Fine.” Ben said.

“Did you get anything?”

“We used everything on her treatment.” Ben said. “All the money was used to pay off the—”

Jeremy threw the bottle, Ben ducking out of the way and covering his head when the bottle shattered on the door. He stayed on his knees as Jeremy stalked past him, slamming the door as he went off to who knew where.

Ben let out a sob and covered his face. He cried for hours, and when he woke up, among glass and stale beer, Jeremy hadn’t come back.

 *

 -November 2020-

Ben accepted the fingers that combed through his freshly washed hair.

“There we go. Better?” Kenji asked as he placed a comb down.

“Yes, thank you.” Ben said softly and smiled at Kenji.

“Would you like to sleep with me tonight?”

“…” Ben looked at his lap.

“I get it. You’re not ready yet. But I promise I won’t touch you. Not like that. Not yet.” Kenji said, kissing his forehead with soft, dry lips.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course!” He said, delighted at Ben’s answer. “I swore to you. I would never hurt you.”

“…Can we watch another movie together?” He asked, knowing it would calm Kenji.

“Of course. What would you like?” He asked.

“Something with animals? A documentary?” He asked, feeling a bit better when Kenji’s shoulder relaxed.

Kenji leaned down and Ben closed his eyes, giving him silent permission to kiss him. He felt his lips again and pushed slightly into him, making him believe he was accepting of the affection despite the numbness he felt.

He lifted his arms and Kenji picked him up like a bride, Ben leaning his head on Kenji’s shoulder as he walked him to the living room, his bound ankles swaying slightly.

Kenji sat him on the sofa and Ben waited patiently as he untied his ankles and stood. He looked at him a moment before walking to the next room to get blankets. Ben shivered in his clothing.

He was given soft loungewear, short sleeved shirts and shorts, and slippers. Not allowed anything more or less, as Kenji always feared Ben could hurt himself. Blankets use to be only allowed when Kenji was home and could get to him. Now, he had gained enough trust to have them and a few more luxuries.

At this point, Ben knew better than to run. He wasn’t strong or fast or smart enough to escape.

So he tucked his feet up under him and leaned on the sofa arm.

When Kenji returned and saw him relaxed and waiting, he tilted his head with a smile.

“Hold me, Ben?” He asked.

Ben opened his arms and Kenji hugged him, nuzzling into his chest. Ben hugged back and closed his eyes.

He was warm, he was loved, but still so empty and scared.

 *

 -November 2019-

Ben sat alone at the diner, in a corner where no one would bother him.

Jeremy had come home. Angry.

Angry about not having enough money. Angry at his job. Angry at life. Angry at—

Ben winced as he touched the skin swelling around his eye.

He wanted to take the bus to Sammy and Yaz. To Darius or even his old teacher’s apartment.

Somewhere to hide away until Jeremy calmed down.

But they would ask questions. They would demand to know. They would hate Jeremy. They would say Ben had to leave him when Jeremy had done so much for him.

Jeremy had paid attention to him. Had been there when his mom’s chemo failed. Had taken his mind off the sadness. Had held him throughout.

But once his mother had taken her last breath, he changed.

He wanted to know where the insurance was. What had she left him? Did his family leave or send him anything?

And Ben had been open and honest.

His mother had no family and he never knew his father. He was just alone trying to get as much money as he could for college working at a flower shop.

And Jeremy…

Ben looked at his glass of water with a frown.

He loved his boyfriend, right?

A plate was placed before him and he gasped when he saw it was a veggie burger and sweet potato fries.

“Um, I didn’t…” His stomach growled and the waitress placed a glass of sweet tea next to the plate.

“Another customer asked us to send you a meal. Said you looked so alone and sad, that a hot meal might help.” She said, an older woman who often waved at Ben when he would visit. She looked at his eye and made a face, then smiled.

“He was real handsome. No ring and some fancy clothes.” She said with a wink.

Ben looked around.

“Sorry, Sugar. He bought your meal right before he left.”

Ben smiled and looked at the plate. The sweet potatoes had salt and extra pepper. The veggie burger most likely was dressed with mustard and had no tomatoes. The bun was the cheap honey wheat they offered but he loved so much. And even the tea had two lemon slices and only half ice like he preferred.

“I’m surprised he knew all the details of your order.” She said and walked off.

Ben froze and stared at his food. She was joking, right?

Right?

  Ben walked back to his apartment to find Jeremy asleep on their bed.

He took a duffle bag and filled it with as much of his things as he could. There was a room for rent right across from his shop and he would beg the owner if he had to.

He had to get away.

 *

 -November 2020-

Ben moved closer into Kenji’s body, sleepily seeking out his warmth.

Kenji had been stroking his back, lulling him into a daze as lion cubs played on screen.

“Are you tired, my Ben?” He asked.

Ben nodded into his collar bone, feeling the other shiver as he exhaled on the warm tanned skin.

Kenji cupped the back of his neck and Ben could feel the larger man’s heart thudding through his ribcage. Ben had never felt that from another person before.

His nerves died down, and he took advantage of this lull in his anxiety to kiss Kenji’s chin. He felt the heart speed and he moved to kiss Kenji’s neck.

Kenji gasped and clutched Ben’s hips. He surged forward, kissing Ben, who welcomed it this time. He pinned Ben on the sofa and started kissing the right side of his face, Ben moaning sleepily.

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you!” He chanted as he kiss Ben’s neck, cheeks, lips, nose.

“Kenji.” Ben moaned softly. “I changed my mind.”

Kenji wasted no time lifting him and taking him to his bedroom.

Kenji’s bedroom had a tv, a plush sofa, an empty desk with a flat bolted down lamp, two shelves full of Ben’s favorite books and even newer additions to certain collections, the bathroom had no door still, but a rainfall shower with thick plexiglass and a large tub that could fit four people. The bed was what was most impressive. A four poster with a high luxury mattress and piles of fleece blankets and plush pillows.

Kenji laid Ben in bed, leaving only to lock the door and the windows that overlooked the sea.

Ben still couldn’t believe he was still here.

The mansion was a beautiful creation of dark wood and white brick. It sat right beside a cliff where a grove of trees had flourished along with long feather grass. The cliff had a wooden deck and wall keeping people from falling to their deaths, but from Ben could tell, no one had ever fallen.

Kenji’s father had jumped.

Kenji forbade Ben from going to the back yard or deck. And when Ben looked at the greyish blue water, Kenji would sweep him away or call the house phone to suggest Ben do something away from the sea that took his parents.

Not that Ben could. As he was always bound by the chain and cuff around his ankle when Kenji was at work or busy in his office.

Trapped by a man living off his parent’s wealth and not having to do anything but go into a fancy building and sign papers. His fortune was enough for several lifetimes, perhaps even enough to fund, care for and pay for college for at least three generations.

But he hadn’t want anything.

Until he saw Ben, he had said.

Ben remembered that night. In snippets and flashes. Screaming and limbs pulled taunt. Yelling and—

He broke out of his thoughts when Kenji’s door locked.

Ben laid on his side, watching his captor.

Kenji never initiated sex. Even when Ben tried to use it to gain favor and escape, he denied it.

“You’re not ready yet.” He’d coo and kiss his cheek.

But he always pulled Ben close, spooned him, kissed him, touched his body. But never under clothes or more than light rutting before Kenji excused himself to the bathroom. And Ben would will his body not to react to Kenji’s moans and groans and his name being called softly.

He felt Kenji lay next to him, pulling him close into his bare chest. Ben pressed a sallow pale cheek to Kenji’s skin.

“I love you, Ben.” Kenji whispered a final time as Ben fell asleep, fighting between the feelings of being secure and knowing he wasn’t yet safe.

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

Here’s the first chapter of Taken Everything. 

I’m sorry, I’m a little tired, so please enjoy while I nap.

[terrorandtales]

Where the fuck are you supposed to start with something like this? My therapist has encouraged me to try this exercise to help with my night terrors. Which I trust her. Dr. M is one smart cookie. I’m just scared shitless to have all of my night terrors come to life while I’m awake. The whole point of this is to redirect the story. Control the narrative and directly know that they aren’t in fact real. They may share some oddly sick similarities, but hey Doc knows best so let’s dive in.

Arctic Tundra

So I’m trying to piece this together eloquently. It’s been a few days since I had this night terror. Bear with me please. Alright like most dreams/nightmares how are we supposed to know where the beginning, middle, and end are. Could it be that the end is the middle? The middle is nomans land, and the beginning nonexistent? Does time even exist in this pandora’s box, this colorful brain of mine? Half the time I don’t even know if it’s me in the dream as the lead character. Most of the time I am, but sometimes I feel like I’m a ghost floating through these nightmares scene to scene. Still, living the God awful fucked up shit, but seeing my physical self below my floating self just asking the other me, “what in the actual hell is happening? Can I wake up now? Let’s set the scene…

My other me (I guess my sleeping me) is seeing my physical me in a Biergarten walking around aimlessly. Fretting about some assholes that look like storm troopers rounding up the masses. It almost feels like we’re all the Anne Franks of the world in this place. My brother, sister, and Jean Paul (my lover) are in the dream. So these motherfuckers find our hiding spot which honestly isn’t hard to find because it’s literally the Biergatedn I’ve been to before in real life on a drunken Seattle night. Anyways, we all start panicking and make a run for it through these hidden secret hatches on the floors. Tear gas is dispersing and those fuckers are closing in. I lose sight of my brother, sister, and Jean Paul. I think they made it out before me. So I’m running and trying to get through this secret hatch with all of these panicked people. The hatch turns into a ceiling shaft. Almost like the one in the movie Posidean where they were all trying to escape a sinking cruise ship that was overturned by a tsunami wave. Anyways so I’m panicking because I know those God-awful Sith bloodsuckers are coming for us. The person in front of me is crawling and turning the corner then he starts screaming because he gets blasted in the face with this green and orange acid that starts burning his flesh off immediately. Kind of reminds me of the contagion movie where those people started bleeding from their eyeballs. Sick stuff man. Don’t ask me how it smells because I have no idea. I haven’t had the terrible pleasure of smelling burnt skin in my waking life. So his skin starts peeling off, his eyes are burning out of their sockets. Meanwhile, I’m in shock and trying to crawl back to get away from him and the acid. I don’t know if there’s more coming!! So I’m like what the hell!! When I turn around on all fours which I think is much faster than crab-walking backward up a metal shaft by the way the scene changes again. Now I’m on an airplane. The seats are gone. Everything is stripped away. I’m in what looks like a cargo plane, but the emergency windows look like the ones on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. There’s padding along the sides of the aircraft and I’m not alone. There’s a little boy stuck inside with me and we’re trying to get out before the plane sinks in the arctic ocean. I’m scrabbling around to try to get the windows open. The first two exits I try are jammed because I guess the plane hit an ice burg or something and it’s dented in. We’re peering out the smaller windows and we can see people lined up in huge parkas with gear. They made it off the plane, but somehow we’re the only two left. The snow is coming down hard and whistling so loudly. So they can’t hear us screaming for help. You can barely make out the faces of the people because of the blizzard. Plus they have their heads down to protect their faces. I look at the kid and say, “don’t worry we’re going to get out of here. We’ll be okay.” I can feel the bile rising in my throat and the butterflies in my stomach. I feel guilty because I honestly don’t think we’ll make it out alive, but I can’t lie to this kid. So the third emergency exit that I try and put all my strength into opens miraculously! I yell to the crying kid, “come on let’s go!” He gets up and runs to me. I throw his gear out first and then push him out of the plane. Meanwhile, the plane starts jerking violently. So I know I’m running out of time. I throw my pack out of the exit. When I try to get out the exit seems to become smaller. All of a sudden I can’t fit. I start panicking. Screaming for help, but they can’t hear me. I’m crying and try to use my arms to push along the ice-cold plane to push myself out. My tears are freezing to my face. My lips are burning because of the cold. My lungs are on fire, but I’m still fighting. I can see the plane approaching the water. “I’m going to die,” says my sleeping self to my physical self. Then before the nose of the aircraft hits the water I wake up shaking and gasping for air. (End Scene)

Okay, so now here’s the part where I take control of the narrative and direct it elsewhere. So which part do I change? Nomans land, end, the nonexistent beginning? Just seems like a lot of work, but we’ve come this far. So let’s pick up from this particular part of the ending scene “I’m going to die.” Ready? “And scene!” “Action”

As I close my eyes preparing for my doom strong hands grab my forearms and violently pull me out of the aircraft seconds before the tip of the aircraft hit the water and the ice underneath gives. I can’t see the person’s face at all because my eyes are closed shut with fear and ice streaked tears. All I can hear is the loud crashing sounds of the ice breaking and the aircraft sinking into the ocean. The blizzard is swirling around us like we’re in the eye of a hurricane. My body feels like ice and I’m so scared I refuse to open my eyes. I just let myself be carried by these strong arms. I feel the wind swirling around us still. I can hear the air and feel the wind pick up. All of a sudden the terrible cold starts to fade. I start to feel warmth coarse through my body. I feel my cheeks start to warm. The wind starts to die down, and those strong arms...Wait Cut! Let’s talk about that for a min. Not a dream min, but a real-life minute or two. The arms holding me are just arms. I don’t imagine anyone. I don’t even imagine the body of a man or woman. If anything it’s more the comfort of them and the bravery of them. They’re magical; invisible strength and comfort you’d feel from a father figure. Caring arms, strong arms, non-judgmental arms. What I’d imagine Hagrid’s arms to feel like as far as size is concerned. I’m remembering that particular scene when he’s carrying Harry’s body back to Hogwarts, minus the death because these mystical God fearing arms saved my life. Anyways let’s get back to the scene. Ready? Take 2! Or is it 3? Anyways, Action! The wind starts to die down, and those strong arms holding me lie me down on what feels like the softest fur, almost like what I’d imagine the Lorax’s fur would feel like. Finally, when I start to feel this immense calmness overcome me and flood through my body I decide to slowly open my eyes. I’m in a white vast 2-dimensional allusion. I’m on a soft mound of grass resting underneath a Pink and orange Truffula tree that smells like papayas and lemons. My skin is glowing like I’m Joy, from the “Inside Out” movie. Except I’m still me. My skin is just the same, just bright and I feel warmth, love, and wonder coursing through my body and mind. When I look up into the white nothingness the scene changes again. Now I’m looking at a beautiful night sky lit up by green, white, purple auroras. Shaped as beautiful people dancing to the music I can’t hear. I’m sitting up against the Truffula tree and peace overcomes me; a faint smile comes across my lips and I fall into a deep slumber. (End of scene)

Okay, Dr. M!! I see what you’re saying. This was a very enlightening experience. I can feel that peace and comfort right now. I feel safe and adventurous. Off to the next one I suppose.

Goodness, I’m writing these back to back. So I’m going to be on a roller coaster of emotions. Extreme fear, anxiety, wonder, enlightenment, and finally peace. It’ll just keep repeating. Rinse, Freak Out, Repeat. No matter, I’ve been putting this off long enough. I have 4 more stories to share. They’re all blending together so I better hop to it.

[fredsweaslies]

the gardens that grow between us | chapter thirteen

● word count: 1696

● fic index

"YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT!" Paloma shouted. Draco was red in the face, walking quickly beside Crab and Goyle who almost cost Gryffindor their match with Ravenclaw. The three of them had dressed up as Dementors to taunt Harry during the game. Draco stayed quiet, his pale complexion smeared with mud and green grass marks. 

Professor McGonagall had the boys at the scruff of their necks as she carried them off to Dumbledore's office.

Paloma and Dolores stood arms crossed in the middle of the corridor, watching them disappear down the hall.

"At least Gryffindor wound up winning anyway." Dolores sighed. "I can't believe we're actually going to up against them." Paloma shook her head and started to walk about to the Slytherin Dungeon. "Maybe your boyfriend will go easy on you." "He is not my boyfriend." Paloma snapped, Dolores was surprised at her defensive tone. "I didn't know friends went off with each other in the dead of night to -" "Sh!" Paloma put her finger to her lips as two second years passed them in the hall.

"I think you should talk to him about it," Dolores said coyly. Paloma shrugged as she played around with the idea in her head. She wanted so desperately for Oliver to be her boyfriend but something kept her from asking him to make things official. Plus - they were practically dating already. Gryffindors would whisper about her when she walked down the hall and Oliver's friends would whistle if they saw them together.

"Do you actually think so?" Paloma asked quietly. "Yes! Aren't you guys seeing each other later tonight? Ask him then." Dolores whispered excitedly. As they entered the common room sans Draco, Paloma looked forward (albeit nervously) to seeing Oliver.

That night, she did her usual sneaking out routine; leave to the Gryffindor Tower to wait for Oliver. Paloma would hide around the corner, not wanting to be berated by Sir Cadegon who made too many snarky comments about Slytherins.

As he emerged from the portrait hole, he smiled brightly and gave Paloma a tight hug. She could tell that he was in a good mood due to Gryffindor's win. As they joined hands and walked away from the common room, Paloma decided it was now or never.

"Can I ask you something?" She said gently. Oliver looked over to her and nodded, stopping just a few feet away from where they met. "This is going to sound really dumb..." Paloma started, struggling to put together her question, "but...uh...what...are we?" She winced at how cliche her words sounded. Oliver laughed slightly, but his crooked smiled turned into a weak and unreadable curve across his lips. Paloma started to feel instant regret.

"Do you want me to be honest?" Paloma shook her head, knowing that whatever came out of his mouth couldn't be good.

"I...I don't think I'm looking for a relationship right now." Oliver whispered slowly.

Paloma felt as if her legs turned into jelly, she hoped that the hall was dim enough so he couldn't see her face grow red hot.

"Oh." Was all she could muster up. "I mean - don't get me wrong, I have a lot of fun with you...but...I'm just a busy guy...and I'm...leaving next year..." He stammered. Paloma nodded quickly. "No, I get it. I do." She smiled weakly. "But -" He interrupted slightly above the whisper they were speaking in, "we can still...see each other."

Paloma nodded, but before she could respond, the pair heard yells coming from the Gryffindor Common Room. The two turned to the common room concerned at the muffled commotion inside.

"What the..." Oliver started, "I - can we catch up later?" He continued. He ran over to the portrait hole where Sir Cadegon was still fast asleep despite the shrieks inside. Paloma nodded and moved closer to the portrait hole for better eavesdropping capabilities.

As Oliver gave the password to Sir Cadegon, Paloma caught a glimpse of the chaos ensuing inside. Ron, Harry, and Neville were all standing there bewildered, the only words Paloma could hear from the boys were "SIRIUS BLACK! SIRIUS BLACK!" Her eyes widened and she tore off down the tower and back to the Slytherin Dungeon.

★

"What an asshole! And Ron! Oh my God, poor Ron!" Dolores wavered.

That next morning during breakfast Paloma spilled everything from the night before, although she didn't even need to tell her about the Sirius Black break-in considering it was all the school could talk about. Students all over the four tables looked sleepy yet on edge from getting no sleep last night.

"I don't know what to do..." Paloma began. "Should I go to the Gryffindor table and comfort him?" Dolores turned around and bobbed her head around at the Gryffindor table. She frowned seeing all the girls crowding around him for his version of events.

"I just have to suck it up..." Paloma sighed and rested her head on her palm. "I'm gonna talk to him. Fuck it." Dolores took a deep breath and raced up from her seat and towards Ron. "Good talk," Paloma mumbled to herself.

As soon as Harry saw Dolores walk up to the table, he smacked Ron's chest, interrupting him and the other girls who were clinging to every word he was saying.

"Dolores." Ron's eyes lit up, ignoring the girls who were now staring at Dolores' Slytherin robe in disgust. "Are you okay?" She started, "Wanna take a walk?" Dolores continued, pointing to outside the large wooden doors of the hall. Ron nodded excitedly and practically knocked over the girls that circled around him.

As they exited The Great Hall, Draco was walking in.

"Draco!" Dolores called, but instead, his face twisted in disgust. Draco slammed his shoulder into Ron's as they walked past each other.

"Bloody he-" Ron winced. "Ignore him," Dolores said, annoyed.

Draco slammed himself next to the empty seat that Dolores had left next to Paloma.

"Where have you been?" Paloma asked, finishing up her plate of bacon. "Where are they going?" Draco demanded. "I asked first." She teased. "Don't act stupid, where did they go?" He moved closer to Paloma's face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down." She said, backing away from his hostile presence.

Draco sighed heavily and bounced his knee.

"What's up with you?" Paloma asked. He stayed silent and ripped a piece of bacon off of her plate.

The cold, brisk morning air masked Dolores and Ron's faces as they circled around the outside of the castle.

"So Neville just left the passwords lying around?" She asked. "I've been telling everyone he's thick..." Ron shook his head and dug his hands further into his robe pockets. "But are you okay though? When Paloma told me..." "Aw," Ron laughed and looked over to Dolores. "What?" She giggled, hitting his shoulder. "Someone was worried..." He tried to stop any further laughter but he couldn't.

The pair stopped walking and faced each other, both in a smiley haze.

"Well, thanks for caring," Ron said gently. Dolores noticed that the quieter his voice went, the more it would get raspy. A tuft of red hair hung over his eye, Dolores instinctively grazed her hand over his face to sweep it away. Ron's cheeks turned crimson.

"No problem," Dolores responded, giving him a sweet smile. "Can I walk you to class?" He mumbled innocently, his eyes were no longer looking directly into hers, but pointed down at the grass between them. The question caught her off guard, "Oh - yeah, I would love that. Thank you."

★

As the sun was setting, Paloma and Draco finished their Quidditch practice with the rest of the Slytherin team. Draco seemed moodier than usual, Paloma attempting to get some kind of response out of him that wasn't a grunt or "Leave me alone."

When Paloma and Draco left the changing room and started to walk off to the castle, they caught the Gryffindor team striding towards the pit. Paloma's stomach turned at the sight of Oliver.

"Should I say something to him? She whispered to Draco. "I couldn't care less." He responded.

But before Paloma could even think of something to say, Oliver called her name. The entire Gryffindor team broke out into whispers as she approached.

"Hey." She said weakly. When she turned around to see if Draco had left, he was stood watching from afar with his arms crossed. "Hi." Oliver sounded uneasy, "Can we talk, in private?" Paloma nodded eagerly.

Oliver led her into the Gryffindor locker room, which was dark and damp with scarlet flags donning every corner.

"What's up?" She whispered. Although they were both alone in a completely empty room, she still felt the need to whisper. "I don't think we should keep doing this," Oliver said firmly. Paloma inverted her lips and looked down at the concrete floor. "I'm sorry, I just think we want different th-" He continued. "But last night..." She said quietly. "I know what I said last night but...I just think it's for the best." He firmly put. He had made up his mind and had apparently closed the chapter on behalf of Paloma as well. As if in a blink of an eye, Paloma was racing out of the locker room.

"Paloma!" He called, but she hurried down the grass with her eyes slowly welling with tears. When she emerged into the sight of the Gryffindor team and Draco, Paloma couldn't even bear to see their concerned faces.

"What happened?" Draco asked, breaking his silent streak when she reached him. "Paloma!" Fred tried calling, but his shouts were mixed with Oliver's and she didn't bother to turn around. "Let's go." Her voice quivering, she felt too embarrassed to look Draco in the eyes, afraid that he would only poke fun at her first world problems even more. With his free hand that wasn't holding his broom, Draco grabbed her shoulder and shook her slightly, forcing Paloma to look at him with dampening eyes.

As the pair started to walk back to the castle, Draco turned around to see Oliver still attempting to flag down Paloma's attention.

"You'll get what's coming to you, Wood! I assure you that!" Draco boomed before flipping off the entire team behind them, "And she'll give you back your sweater so you can shove it right up your-" "Draco!" Paloma barked through tears.

◀︎ chapter twelve ☆ chapter fourteen coming soon! ▶︎

[nadziejastar]

Isa’s TRUE Personality: The Beautiful, Tortured, Selfless Moon Goddess of Love (Part 1)

Saix’s weapons are an absolute goldmine of esoteric symbolism. There’s no way I can cover it all in one post; there’s just too much. But I want to do a series analyzing everything, to show just how differently his character ended up in canon, compared to how it was originally conceived. I think the original idea for Isa’s character and his relationship with Lea is extremely unique and utterly fascinating. According to the symbolism, Isa’s TRUE personality is exactly as the title describes. A tortured, beautiful, selfless Moon Goddess of Love who was clearly intended as a love interest for Lea.

Part 1: The Tortured Moon Goddess

Cool, collected, and mature beyond his age. He’s good friends with Lea.

— Jiminy’s Journal (Kingdom Hearts Union χ)

Saix’s title, Luna Diviner, is a reference to Selenomancy, named after the Goddess Selene. It is a specialized form of divination that examines the various aspects, phases, and appearances of the moon. According to diviners, moon phases are associated with certain personality types at the time of birth. There are several specific moon phases used as names for Saix’s weapons. Gibbous represents someone who is a healer and humanitarian. They care about other people; sometimes more than themselves. The pain and suffering of others is something that they are not only highly sensitive to, but also want to help transform.  

Balsamic Moon, is the waning crescent that is the trademark symbol on Isa’s jacket. It’s the final phase of the moon. This is a phase of decline and darkness—a rich opportunity for your soul to experience. It is considered the most Yin or Feminine phase. Balsamic means soothing or restorative. If you are born under this Moon, you will be aged and mature in some way. Balsamics are quiet, retiring and resilient; they are often seen as “old souls”. They are complex and wise beyond their years, as well as loners who usually only enjoy the company of a select group of people.  

New Moon is also known as the Dark Moon. It is the phase where the Moon’s energy is weakest. Even though the New Moon is invisible in the sky, those born under it are cloaked in darkness. They tend to lack self-awareness. They may be known for being selfish, callous, or unable to see things from other people’s perspectives. This weapon has the same shape as Berserker and Werewolf.

Saix’s Pandora Gear is Dichotomy. This word has several definitions. It means “a division or contrast between two things that are entirely different.” Or, “the phase of the moon in which half its disk appears illuminated.” It represents the clear division between the past and the present, Isa and Saix.   

Many of Saix’s weapons incorporate ♐︎ the astrological symbol of Sagittarius into them. I believe ♐︎ is meant to represent Lea. Sagittarius is a part of the Fire Trigon of the Zodiac. As an archer, he is said to never fail in hitting the mark. Sagittarius represents the centaur Chiron, an immortal centaur, who was renowned for his gentleness. After being accidentally shot by a poison arrow, he was in agony, but unable to find release in death. So he decided to offer himself as a substitute for Prometheus, who was punished by the gods for giving fire to man. Zeus saw the kindness of Chiron and immortalized him in the stars.

Axel’s weapon Prometheus is a combination of ♐︎ and the symbol of Mars ♂, and ALSO ♋ the Cancer symbol. Mars was known as the Roman god of war. He was said to love the violence and conflict. He carried a spear that was often depicted as covered in blood. He was the patron God of soldiers and was worshiped prior to battle. Soldiers in the Roman Army prayed to Mars before battle, hoping that he would protect them and lead them to victory.

Selene is shaped like a torch combined with ♐︎ the symbol of Sagittarius. In ancient Greek mythology, Selene is the Titan goddess of the Moon and is said to drive her glowing chariot powered by beautiful white horses across the sky each night. Her symbols were the crescent moon, a chariot, and a torch. Selene was very well known mostly because of her beauty. She was a very peaceful goddess and did not approve of war. Her personality was said to be secluded and timid.

Most Ancient Greeks looked to her for healing. Selene also had many powers that you would not think a moon goddess would have. Mythology states that she had powers surrounding dreams, she could harness the ability to awaken intuition and she could also catalyze psychic visions. As the patron of femininity, she was known to have the power to ease childbirth, to inspire love, to mask reality, and to pierce illusion.

Artemis has been commonly associated with Selene. She was the goddess of the Moon, the ruling planet of Cancer, and the daughter of Zeus. Her personality was individualistic and free-spirited, yet kind. She was a patron goddess of hunting and childbirth, and she was also the protectress of little children and baby animals. In Greek mythology, Artemis was usually portrayed as a very tall, beautiful young maiden with a hunting bow the shape of a crescent moon and golden arrows. She is often accompanied by either a stag or a dog. One of her special talents is calming animals, meaning that when she walks near them they come towards her and become calm.

Artemis is one of the ‘virgin’ androgynous goddesses, along with Athena and Vesta. Due to her well-integrated masculine energy and independence, she possesses an introverted temperament, preferring solitude. She was also known to be friends with mortals. Her assets were courage, confidence, and strength (both mental and physical). Her weaknesses were vengeance, impulsiveness, and being quite aloof. She was afraid of men, which is why she used to live in the woods and only went for walks at night. She rarely had any male companions; she only loved one person, Orion, but she ended up unintentionally killing him due to trickery. In her pain she appealed to Zeus to immortalize Orion in the stars so she could be with him.

A quiet and cool-headed youth. Though he does come out of his shell when talking to his best friend Lea, toward others he is distant and untalkative. Often scolds Lea and his contrasting personality.

— description from KHBBS Light Novel 2 (Best Friends)

The design for the weapon Astrologia incorporates ♋, the sigil of Cancer into its design. Cancer is associated with Artemis, who is similar to people born under the sign of Cancer. They are very modest, shy, and extremely emotional individuals who love children and pets. Artemis exemplifies the caring, nurturing and protective qualities of the mother. Deeply intuitive and sentimental, Cancer can be one of the most challenging Zodiac signs to get to know, but they are sympathetic and very attached to the people they keep close.  

Being ruled by the Moon, they are mysterious— they can struggle with sharing their innermost feelings. Cancer was known as the “dark sign” because of the obscured visibility of its constellation in the night sky. They have a tendency to brood and can be very moody and pessimistic. They often don’t have enough coping and defensive mechanisms for the outer world, so they can be prone to introversion and slow to warm to strangers. Cancers are quick to retreat into their shells if it suits their mood. The crab is a perfect symbol for the Cancer sign, symbolizing how a sensitive soul hides beneath a tough exterior.

A Cancer is caring and vulnerable, however callous they may appear on the outside. They are introspective and serene folk, who love solitude yet care gently for the people surrounding them. This receptive nature, however, makes them easily hurt. Cancer is the most emotional sign of the zodiac but at times they might appear icy and separated. Empathy for others is likely to be strong, and they will have an intuitive ability to sense what others need. They have a tendency to be quite clingy. Cancer’s shyness comes from their insecurity and deep fear of rejection. They are a cautious and shrewd people. 

Moon Rabbit is known as the Jade Rabbit in China. The Jade Emperor disguised himself into a poor, starving old man and begged for food from monkey, otter, jackal, and rabbit. Rabbit could only gather grass. Knowing well enough that grass can’t be offered as food to humans, rabbit decided to offer its own body, sacrificing itself in the fire the man had started. Somehow, though, rabbit wasn’t burned. The old man suddenly revealed himself to be the great Jade Emperor. Touched deeply by rabbit’s selfless sacrifice, he sent it to the moon to become the immortal Jade Rabbit.

More than just cute, fluffy, and white, the Jade Rabbit is a sign of selflessness, piety, and sacrifice. The Jade Rabbit is on the moon so that no matter where we are on Earth, we always have the ethics of righteousness and self-sacrifice to look up to. In East Asia, the Jade Rabbit is a widespread cultural symbol. When the bunny isn’t busy making immortality elixirs, it keeps the beautiful goddess Chang’e company in the Moon Palace.

Saix’s weapon Crescent is based on the Phoenix’s wings. This weapon represents the albedo stage of magnum opus. Following the chaos of the nigredo stage, albedo involves the washing away of impurities. In this process, the subject is divided into two opposing principles to be later coagulated to form a unity of opposites during rubedo. The aura is light blue, meaning truthfulness and serenity.

Psychologist Carl Jung equated the albedo stage with “unconscious contrasexual soul images; the anima in men and animus in women”. Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, with each transcending the personal psyche. This makes albedo a phase where insight into the shadow side of the self is gained, while inflated ego is removed from the psyche.

So, that makes it VERY interesting that the weapon has a similar shape to ⚸. Even if they never planned to actually show it explicitly, the writers seemed to be inspired by Black Moon Lilith. Which raises very disturbing (though very interesting) implications about what happened during the experiments on the “darkness of the heart”. It would certainly explain how Axel’s personality became so warped. It would also explain why he didn’t find Saix’s personality change that unexpected, either, and why Axel seemed to always give him the benefit of the doubt no matter how cold he was. 

Astronomically, Lilith is considered an asteroid. Yet, some astrologers identify Lilith with the “Black Moon”. It’s the mathematical point that’s exactly in between the earth and the moon–essentially, empty space. Astrologically, it represents the cosmic void; the very energy Black Moon Lilith embodies. Psychologically, it is a point that represents how we react to emptiness and isolation. It brings up deep and primal issues like repressed feelings of rejection, rage, and the refusal to give in. This particular archetype is associated with sex, death, obsession, addiction, transformation, resurrection, magic, the occult and the taboo. These things are seen as the entry way between the spiritual dimension (or the underworld), and life on the physical plane.

Put simply, Lilith is the dark side of the moon. She represents animus, the feminine shadow side—What society rejects as appropriate for the feminine, Lilith takes up. The vilest manifestations of sexuality like pedophilia, rape, and satanic ritual abuse are all the domain of Lilith. She was actually said to be a hermaphrodite, so she could act as both a succubus and an incubus. Trauma based mind-control, through the use of sexual torture is another area connected with Black Moon Lilith. She symbolizes the transformation that occurs after going through a dark night of the soul. Usually, the trigger is great suffering, mourning, pain or torture. I can only imagine what poor Lea and Isa must have gone through.

Astrologically, Chiron (Sagittarius) stands in total opposition to Black Moon Lilith and all she represents. He is a symbol to remind us to look at the vulnerabilities we face in light of our connection to Divinity. Through the exploration of our wounds, we are called to heal all that creates a rift or disconnection with our Spirit.

[bitletsanddrabbles]

I understand, I was the idiot who asked the question. Still, I blame @alchemine for my Camp NANOWRIMO project this year. Behold, scene one of my most recent probably-never-to-be-finished WIP:

“The first dome was built in Hampshire back in the twenty first century - 2049 to be precise. It was moderately successful, but it wasn’t until 2062 that the unbreakable glass used in modern domes was created. The Downton dome was constructed in 2064 and reaches over a thousand acres, with a side dome of about half that size, making it the largest dome at the time. Most of the farm land was originally woods that have been converted for the production of food animals.”

“You mean the woods used to fill the entire dome?” Phyllis asked, her eyes not moving from Mr. Molsley’s face. She loved hearing the footman talk about history, watching his expression and listening to the low note of excitement in his voice. Besides, it was interesting to learn about the place she was increasingly coming to think of as ‘home’.

“Pretty much, from what I understand,” Mr. Molsley agreed, dropping his eyes from the lattice work of steel and glass above their heads. “The town was there already. They’d wanted to get it under the main dome, but they didn’t think they could do it without sacrificing structural integrity. As it was, if you look at the original concept sketches, the support pillars weren’t there. Those were added later when they determined they couldn’t reliably support that large a structure without them.”

Phyllis shuddered at the idea of the huge structure arching over them collapsing in on itself. “Which dome is the largest?” she asked, trying to distract herself before she could think about it too much.

“The capitol, New Westminster,” was the prompt reply. “The main dome is the size of the entire Downton complex, including the side dome, and it has six auxiliary domes dedicated to different forms of farming and residences. I’d love to see the park dome! Imagine, six hundred acres of just trees and gardens and ponds to walk through and explore. “

“That does sound nice.” Although she’d spent her formative years in Manchester, Phyllis’s family had moved to the Treowen dome before she’d finished her schooling. She was therefore already well accustom to green growing grass and trees by the time she came to Downton, although coming here as she’d done from the slums of London, it had been a relief beyond words to be able to draw a breath without wearing a gas mask again. Still, it had been common place enough that the Mr. Molsley’s enthusiasm over plant life, as dear as his love of history and undamped by thirty five years serving the Granthams, had been immediately endearing. “Do you think you’ll move to New Westminster, one day?”

“Move?” Mr. Molsley laughed a little at the thought. “Goodness no! Visit, perhaps, although even that means traveling outside.”

“It’s not that far, though. It would only be, what, an hour by train?”

“About that, when you factor in stops.”

“You should go there on your next day off,” Phyllis smiled, imagining him wandering through the parkland, “Then come back and tell me all about it.”

There was a slight hesitation as he thought about it, then he suggested, “We could go together. Assuming, of course, we could get the same day off. I’m certain her Ladyship would allow it.”

Phyllis turned her attention upward, trying to hide her own hesitation. On the one hand, the idea of going somewhere with Mr. Molsley made her feel flushed and excited, which was a little ridiculous if you considered she was hardly an innocent and they weren’t going to be doing anything beyond wandering down pathways. On the other hand, as he had pointed out, it involved leaving Downton. Even after two and a half years, the idea of somehow getting stranded in the world beyond the domes was terrifying. It was hypocritical of her, she supposed, to encourage him to do something she lacked the courage to do herself, but there it was. She was only human, after all.  “Perhaps I’ll speak to her Ladyship about it at some point,” she finally compromised. “When we both have the time.” There was a chiming from her pocket. Pulling her com screen out of her pocket, she turned off the alarm, then stood from the bench they’d been sitting on. “Speaking of her Ladyship, it’s time to go get ready for tea.”

“Would you like me to walk with you?” Mr. Molsley asked, also standing. “That is, I’ve been gone a fair while. Mr. Carson might come looking for me if I don’t get back soon.”

“Of course,” Phyllis stood. It was always adorable when the tall footman, who wasn’t really gangly but somehow gave the impression of it, tried to court her attention without seeming forward. She knew he was doing it, of course, and part of her felt she should return the favor. She certainly found him attractive. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be forward either. And so, their uncertain courtship continued with the two of them starting down the path that led from the garden to the servant’s yard.

As they walked the irrigation system kicked on, spraying the surrounding roses with a fine mist. Mr. Molsley paused for a moment to watch, then continued on. “You know, the roses were what impressed me most when I first came to Downton. That is, this was the first place I’d ever really seen plants, outside of crab grass and brambles and even those were half dead, so everything was new and fascinating, but the roses were even more so than everything else.”

“How so?” Phyllis asked, curious, even though she loved roses herself.

“I’m not entirely certain,” he admitted. “I think it was the sheer variety. I mean, you have everything from white and pink, which are the natural colours, to blue and black which aren’t even possible natrually. That took genetic engineering. Then there are the different shapes and plant types.”

“I love the way they smell.” The observation seemed a bit feminine to Phyllis, but it was met with enthusiastic agreement.

“The fragrant ones are very nice, and no two varieties smell the same, have you noticed?”

The topic of roses carried them from the gardens around the back of the house, past the stables and to the servant’s entrance. It wound to an end when a whiff of smoke alerted Phyllis to the fact that someone else was already taking up space against the yard wall. Despite the fact they were making no effort to disguise their footsteps, he seemed quite unaware of their presence, his head leaning back against the brick of the house and his eyes closed, cigarette apparently forgotten in his hand. Cautiously, Phyllis greeted him. “Hello, Thomas. Is everything alright?”

With a small start, proving that he really hadn’t been aware of them, Downton’s under butler came to life, pulling away from the wall and settling his expression into a polite smile that served as a better poker face than any gambler ever wore. “Of course,” he assured her. His tone matched his words, but Phyllis could never quite trust the promises that he was alright. He always insisted he was the happiest after she’d caught him looking miserable. The lack of trust hurt, but she couldn’t blame him. “Just finished examining the domes is all. Thought I’d have a smoke before I give my report. Taking stock of damage done by that last storm. Fifteen hundred acres is a lot of glass and steel to look at.”

It was generally agreed by the staff, quietly, when they thought he couldn’t hear, that the only reason Thomas had been kept on as long as he had was because he’d been raised by a glass maker and dome repairman and therefore the Granthams could save money on bringing the dome guild in by having him do inspections and minor repairs himself. A few of them, in their less charitable moments, had hoped that the elevator system that allowed access to the great structure hundreds of feet above them would break and leave the position open via an untimely death.  (Mr. Carson, as unfond as he obviously was of the younger man, put his foot down on such conversations. Phyllis said it showed he cared. Thomas said such an accident would reflect badly on the family and therefore Mr. Carson considered the suggestion unacceptable.) While Mr. Molsley liked Thomas as little as everyone else, he did try to at least somewhat get along with him in Phyllis’s presence, for which she was grateful. “How’s it look?” he asked, the question brightened by his genuine interest in the domes in general.

“A bit of damage,” Thomas allowed. “To be expected, really, given the size of the hail we were getting. We’ll have to call in the repair guild, possibly resurface a few of the panels, that sort of thing. The solar film on most of them is still in good working order, though, so we shouldn’t have to redo it all.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Phyllis replied with genuine relief. Since living in the least livable section of London for three years, she was hyper aware of the fact the structure allowing her to breathe without a gas mask was made of glass, and even Mr. Molsley’s assurances about how indestructible it was couldn’t make her any easier.

“Right,” Thomas’s smile broadened, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, then, I’d probably best make my report, and you two will be wanted inside.” He flicked out his cigarette and walked over to pull the door open. “After you two.”

...seriously, though, I have some idea where this is going, but no idea how to get there, and the science, while fun, is also kinda nerve wracking. So don’t expect to ever get more than this. >_<

[beewaggle]

Hi!!! Can we get some tuckington cuteness? Whatever you feel like. I love reading what you write

Title: Reading the SignsCharacters: Tucker, Wash, EnsemblePairings: TuckingtonRating: I think pretty G. Warning: None

Summary: Tucker learns that Wash is gay. And he has no problem with that at all. Not. At. All. So why is he making things so weird? Notes: Well this was much longer than I intended. Hope you like it.

It started innocently enough. Breakfast at Blue Base, talking about former conquests.

“You really think you’re a ladies man?” Carolina snorted.

“What!?” Tucker exclaimed. “Is that in question?? How long have you known me?”

“You’re allll talk,” She emphasized, smirking.

“He does talk about it a lot,” Caboose put in while spreading an abundance of peanut butter on his toast.

“Dude! Shut up! Girls throw themselves at me!”

“When someone throws themself at you, you should duck,” Caboose said wisely before taking a huge bite. Tucker side eyed him.

Wash silently pushed a glass of milk over to Caboose when it became apparently he couldn’t stop chewing.

“Wash, you know how it is.”

“Huh?” Wash looked caught out.

“You’re a ladies man too, you get it right? Back me up!”

Wash continued to stare at him. “What? N–wait you don’t know?”

Carolina looked between them and laughed really hard.

Tucker huffed, “What’s so funny? Are you telling me Wash is a thirty-something virgin with those abs?”

Carolina clutched her chest laughing harder, “I’m dying. How long have you known each other now?”Wash rolled his eyes at her.

“Stupid Tucker,” Caboose said after downing his milk.

“Oh God, even Caboose knows.”“Carolina!” Wash whined.

“Dude? What’s so funny?” Tucker demanded.

“I’m gay, Tucker,” Wash said. “So… no, not a ladies man. You really didn’t know?”

He hadn’t. He really hadn’t. At all.

How had everyone else known though?! It wasn’t like Wash EVER talked about normal things like bad dates, or his type or anything. Carolina okay, fine, she’s known him since Freelancer, but Caboose? The others???

-

“Uh, yeah?” Grif looked at him blankly. “So?”

“Wait, you knew too!?” Tucker shouted.

“You didn’t?” Simmons asked, dumbfounded.  

“How did you know?” Tucker asked.

“He didn’t hide it,” Simmons said, “Does this really matter to you?”

“No!” Tucker denied, “–I mean.. Sort of…not because I care, but I didn’t know!”

“The hot dudes going into his room at night with him didn’t tip ya off?” Grif asked.

“Hot dudes?!?!” Tucker squeaked.

Simmons snorted. “How self absorbed are you?”

“I was out doing recon and shit!” Tucker said in his own defense. “You two were the ones hiding at base, and he was stuck back there to train everyone and deal with Doyle and Vanessa.”

“Okay but it’s not like the hot dudes magically disappeared when you were back.” Grif yawned. “Are we doing this band practice or not?”

Hot dudes?

Now he was wracking his brain thinking about hot dudes. What hot dudes? Guys that were hot… guys that were hot enough for Wash to sleep with . A lot apparently.

-

Wash was lying in the grass. Tucker came over and looked down at him.“Uh, hey Tucker. Need anything?”

“There were no hot dudes on Chorus.”

Wash gave him a long look. “You know I don’t understand your line of thinking with a non-sequitur like that… and people think I’m cryptic.”

Tucker flung himself on the ground and tugged up some of the grass.

“Grif and Simmons said you had a bunch of hot guys in your room at night all the time when we were in Armonia.”

“A bunch of hot guys?” Wash laughed.

Tucker felt oddly relieved. “So you didn’t?”

“There were a couple of people I passed the time with,” He glanced at Tucker, suddenly looking unsure, “Do you… have a problem with that?”

“No!” Tucker instantly denied. “I don’t! But you did?”

He didn’t have a problem with Gay Wash–with Wash being gay. That wasn’t–there was no problem. He knew lots of gay people. Donut…probably…and pretty sure Grif and Simmons were doing it…and Kai was bi–

“I did…” Wash gave him an odd look. “I’m not a monk.”

“What type of guys?”

“What??”

He was being confusing, he was just confusing Gay Wash–Wash. He was just confusing him.

“Like what type of guys did you do–cause I was there too, there weren’t any hot guys that I could see you doing.”

“Tucker. This conversation needed to end several sentences ago,” Wash said flatly.

Fuck. He was fucking this up. He was being weird. Okay…

“Sorry, I’ll shut up.”

-

It didn’t bug him. It didn’t. So Wash was gay. So what? That didn’t change anything. It wasn’t like Wash had changed. He wasn’t hitting on Tucker or anything–

But he was having sex with random guys on Chorus…

“His type?” Carolina raised her eyebrow.

“Like, you’ve known him a while,” Tucker said slowly. He had agreed to spar (aka get his ass kicked) with Carolina because it meant he could dig for more info on this.

Because he totally didn’t have a problem.

Be he just–he needed to know a bit more.

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” Carolina asked. She swept his legs and easily pinned him to the floor. “One point.”

“Fuck–ugh–I’m not obsessed with this.”

“Big guys,” Carolina said helping him up.

“W-w-w–ha—big guys?”

“Mhm,” Carolina nodded. “Muscles.”

“E-examples?”

She gave him a long look… then her eyes lit up. She slowly smiled. “Like Andersmith.”

“HE DID ANDERSMITH?!?”

She swept his legs again.

“Two points.”

“OW!”

“No, but physically, that’s the sort of guy he goes for,” Carolina said helping him up again. “Strong, tall, muscular. Like Donut, farmboy type would be right up his alley.”

“Donut?”

“Is there an echo in here?”

“Is he with Donut?”

Because nope. That isn’t acceptable. That isn’t…

“Does it seem like he’s with Donut, Tucker?”

“No.”

“There you are,” Carolina shrugged. She still had a tiny little smirk. Suddenly she charged forward and shoulder checked him to the ground.“Three points, I win,” She said cheerfully. “Remember, Tucker, when someone throws themselves at you, you should duck.”

-

“Sexual Tension?” Donut asked. He poured more fruity–fruitful–fruit-tasting! (HE WASN’T HOMOPHOBIC GOD DAMN IT) pink wine into Tucker’s glass.

“Yeah… I mean… I just want to know that like… “ There was no reason for him to be asking this. He didn’t even really know why he was asking this. Luckily, Donut liked answering questions without reasons behind them.

“Well there was Locus.”

“LOCUS?!?!?”

“Sure!” Donut said brightly, leaning back on the couch. “They had a weird sorta creepy tense sexual energy. I wouldn’t have been surprised if one night, Wash unable to sleep, training, Locus showing up. Commenting on his sparring. Both agree to a match and it gets–”

“Stop. Please stop.” Tucker took a huge gulp of wine.

“You’re supposed to sip,” Donut chided, “Putting it in your mouth all at once isn’t classy.”

“Right,” Tucker sighed.

Something seemed to occur to Donut. He glanced at Tucker and dropped his voice a little, “It’s too bad he’s a Virgo.”

“Hm?” Tucker took another sip of wine.

“Wash, classic Virgo. Otherwise I’d offer him a ride, but alas,” He gestured at himself, “Gemini.”

Tucker spat out his wine.

“Whoopsie. You’re supposed to swallow it all, Tucker,” Donut said innocently.

-

“What are you looking at Tucker?”

Tucker startled.  “Remind me to get you a bell, Caboose. It’s just–horoscope shit.”

Caboose looked over shoulder. “I’m a crab.”

“What?”

“The Crab,” Caboose pointed at the sign for Cancer.

“Oh,” Tucker read through it, “Figures.”

“Because I am good at pinching things?” Tucker dodged before Caboose could demonstrate.

“No, I mean compatibility-wise,” Tucker said.

“With the scorpions,” Caboose said proudly. “Church is a scorpion.”

“Surprising no one. You’re also compatible with Virgos…Wash is a Virgo you know.”

“What are you, Tucker?”

“Sagittarius,” Tucker threw the data pad onto the table in frustration, “This stuff doesn’t mean anything anyway, it’s all made up. And we’re on like, an alien Moon not Earth. Wash wasn’t even born on Earth, I think he said he was from a colony, and–”

Caboose tilted his head staring at Tucker, processing. “OHHHHHH.”

“What?”

“Agent Washington doesn’t care if you’re an arrow, Tucker. He still likes you! Just don’t pierce his virgin.”

Tucker did not want to know who taught Caboose about star signs.

“Right. Yeah. Thanks for your help…”

“You’re welcome!” Caboose said cheerfully.

-

Tucker had been avoiding him.“Tucker.”

Just keep walking. Pretend you didn’t hear.

“Tucker!!”

Keep goi—

“FUCK DUDE!”

Wash had tackled him. Tackled him!!”

Damn it, he really did need to learn how to duck when people throw themselves at him…Although with Wash it wasn’t--

“We need to talk,” Wash said in his serious, freelancer Washington voice.

Crap.

It wasn’t like it was just Tucker avoiding Wash. Wash had been avoiding him too!

Although, could Tucker really blame him? He had been acting like a douchebag. He was making things weird, but it was driving him crazy. He hated the idea of Wash and some random guys on Chorus.

Big, muscled Taurus no doubt…

“Okay, dude,” Tucker said as casually as possible. He followed Wash out onto the grassy hill overlooking the field. They both sat down. Wash spoke first.

“Are you worried about me hitting on you? Because–”

Tucker’s stomach twisted. “No man, no that’s not–I really don’t have a problem with you being gay. I don’t. You’re like, my…” What? Best friend? It wasn’t really the right word when he thought about it, but Wash was important to him… “You’re like a brother to me!” he finished….no… no that didn’t work either–

“Then why?” Wash asked. “I know you can be immature, but–”

“I am, I am immature, but I’m not–listen I know I’ve said shitty things in the past, but I’m not like that anymore. I get it now.”

“Okay,” Wash said slowly. He looked away from Tucker, out at the field. “So what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing!”

“But something is bothering you about it,” Was countered, “Because you’re acting like this. So what is it?”

“You’re such a Virgo dude.”

“What?”

“Sorry, I’ve been doing some…research. Okay listen. I have no problem with you liking men. I just… don’t get… like… who on Chorus…” He tried to explain. “I just don’t like the thought of you with men.”

“What?” Wash asked helplessly, “So you’re okay with me liking men… but not me being with men?”

That sounded bad… but also correct. Shit, maybe he is homophobic. Fuck.

“But like,” Tucker said quickly, “Who on Chorus was really up to your standards? LIke, I know you, you’re a perfectionist, and paranoid, so you’d have to trust them, and like, you never mentioned anyone to me.”Wash nodded slowly, following along.

“And like, I know I’m not super muscular, but I mean, have you seen my calves? And I am like a little taller than you. And yeah, I’m a sagittarius but–”

Wash held up his hand. “Stop, back up. It sounds like you’re mad that I wasn’t hitting on you.”

“I mean, compared to those guys? Uh, yeah, I’m a bit insulted.”

“Tucker, you’re straight, why would I hit on you?”

Tucker opened and closed his mouth. “Huh,” He looked up at the sky. That was a good question.

“Oh, fuck,” Wash muttered to himself.

“What?”

“Could it be, Tucker… that maybe…” Wash looked pained. “…I don’t want to be wrong about this.”

“Go ahead, dude, can’t be more embarrassing than what I’ve been doing.”

Wash took a deep breath, “Could it be that, you don’t mind that I like men, but you do mind that I like men… that aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Wash ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Is it maybe that you’ve been  jealous after hearing that I had other people’s company?”

“Oh.”

No that’s…

“Yeah,” Tucker said suddenly. “Yep… yep… yeah…yeah that’s actually. Yes. Yes it…yes. Yep.”

“You okay?”

“Processing.”

“Okay…”

“I’m…I like girls.”

“Right.”

“But I also like… you.”

Tucker snuck a look. Wash was going a little bit pink.

“Okay.”

“I’m bi.”

“You don’t have to put a label on it if you’re not… ready for that.”

“No…I…” Tucker waved his hand trying to figure it out. “I think I just have… higher standards for dudes… cause now that I think about it, the guys I’ve had to choose from were the guys in Blood Gulch, and like… ew. Not to mention, guys in pornos are always pretty ugly so you just focus on the girl and–”

“Tucker?”

“Sorry, yeah… still processing.”

“Okay.”

Tucker’s eyes widened. He looked over at Wash.

“Is that–okay???”

“That you like me?”

Tucker nodded furiously.

“It’s… unexpected, but… uh… not…unpleasant.” Wash looked like he was trying to control his blush. “I–it’s good.”

Tucker seized his hand.

“Tucker!”

“No take backs, dude.”

Wash tugged his hand out of his grip, which made Tucker tense until he clasped Tucker’s properly.

“Okay,” Wash agreed.

They stared silently out, the wind blowing the grass, clouds floating lazily above them, both reeling.

Tucker took a deep breath and let himself smile. “Okay.”

[derped-ranter]

*SCREAMING CAUSE THIS IS TOO CUTE*

Leo walked through the halls, gripping his backpack tightly with one hand and holding his beanie on his head tightly with the other. He was late for class but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered at that moment was getting away from the bullies that stood by his classroom door, waiting for him. So, he ditched. Opting to stroll around the school and wait by his next classroom so he can just bolt im before a bully spotted him. The halls were silent with just him walking in it, even with the beanie covering his ears he could still hear better than an average human. His footsteps echoed through the hall before they stopped completely, Leo having spotted a figure walking towards him. He tensed up, thinking it was one of the bullies and dropped his bag, letting the money in his bag spew across the floor before he bolted off in the other direction of the figure. Adrenaline pumped into his veins, fueling his speed through the halls. He wanted to cry, fear taking over his whole being. ‘Why me? Why do I have to be born like this? Why do they pick on me because of something im born with? Aren’t they taught to love everyone? I want my mom’ he thought, tears pricking his eyes. Heavy footsteps fell quickly into place behind him, indicating the figure that was walking to him was bow chasing him. He ran out the back door of the school building, looking at the thick woods nearby before shooting for there, hoping to lose the bully in the woods. The footsteps didn’t stop though, if anything, they sped up. Low hanging branches cut up at his legs, making him regret wearing shorts that day. He saw a large tree up ahead, quickly thinking to climb it and did so, first grabbing the lowest thickest branch and pulled himself up, trying his best to climb quickly. Aside from the fact he nearly fell a few times as well as his hands and knees being scrapped up, he made it to a steady part of the tree to hide. He looked down at the figure, noticing how they hadn’t tried to climb the tree and seemed to be waiting for him to come down. He sighed in relief, leaning against the tree and relaxing. Something tapped his head, making him look up and almost scream, losing his balance on the branch and began to fall. But the hand that had tapped his head quickly reached out, grabbing his hand and holding him to make sure he wouldn’t fall. He looked down, seeing the figure had disappeared before shooting his eyes upwards, staring in surprise at his savior. It was a girl, her light brown bangs covered half of her face and her eyes completely but even with the lack of face, she seemed worried for Leo. “DROP ME! JUST DROP ME! I DON'T WANT TO BE BULLIED! PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!” He screamed. The girl looked at him, confused. Tilting her head a bit to the side before pulling him up. “Why did you save me? I thought you wanted to hurt me.” He said, thoroughly confused. The girl shrugged, holding up his bag to him. Leo looked at her surprised, taking his bag and seeing everything was in it “thankyou so much. God, if mom knew I almost lost all my stuff she would have been so upset. We’re already tight for mo-” he shut himself up, pursing his lips and decided to keep quiet. “Why are you covering your eyes?” He asked her, motioning toward her large bangs. She shrugged again, leaning on the tree and taking out a lollipop. Opening it she ate it, closing her eyes even though Leo couldn’t see it. “Do you uh...come here often?” She nodded, twirling the lollipop in her mouth “do you even talk?” She nodded again. “Why aren’t you?” She shrugged, biting the rest of the lollipop and tossing the stick, hoping down the tree and landing on her feet. She looked up at Leo, motioning towards the other branches in a way of saying he should probably climb down instead of jumping down like she did. she looked at him or more at his hat and went to grab it but Leo quickly moved back, smacking away her hand. He looked at her sheepish while she seemed surprised at first before pouting“We should head back to the school, we’re missing a lot of classes” Leo said, starting to lead. The girl nodded, taking his hand and leading him the other way into the right direction of the school. Turns out later that day, Leo figured out she was a near mute. She would tap out morse code or write on a piece of paper. Her name was Ava. Ava actually happened to be one of his mom's friends daughters so, his mom didn’t mind all too much when he brought her onto their plane for a hangout. “Pilot Fox, you’re needed for a miss- oh hey kids!” Keira grinned, stepping into the plane. Fox groaned in her seat, turning to the blonde with a glare. “Tell wolf to go suck an egg, i’m watching the kids. And I am not leaving them in the hands of monsieur crab. I’ve made that mistake one too many times already” she growled out, shooting a glare towards the said spycrab. He quickly crawled away though, hiding under the dash board. “Do it or you’re fired soldier” Wolf popped their head in, glaring at Fox. Fox yelped, not expecting Wolf to be there “what about the kids?!” “They're old enough to take care of themselves” Wolf sounded bored, leaving the plane. Fox sighed, turning to Leo and Ava “behave. If I hear that you two caused any trouble, Keira will get it” “HEY!” fox got up, shoving Keira out of the plane and following her out. Ava grabbed Leo’s wrist and stood up, running outside and dragging him with her. Leo yelped, stumbling over his feet but kept running. They ran past Vito and Alejandro walking to the base cafeteria. They ran past the prankster triplets, watching them set up their pie launcher before running again. They even ran past Dipper’s kid, not doing anything when they saw him hiding all of the alcohol on the base. Ava looked back at Leo and grinned, leading them off the base. Leo looked around worried, thinking they would probably get in trouble. The forest thickened around them, the forest getting dense and musky until they found a clearing, a large tree planted in the middle of the clearing. It looked so quiet and secluded, making Ava grin and skip over to the tree. She plopped down with a light thump against the grass, leaning back on the tree. Leo looked around once more before following Ava and sitting sitting next to her, resting his chin on his knees. It took him a second before he realized it. “Hey wait this is the tree you found me at”he said, blinking and straightening a bit before scanning his eyes through the area. Ava nodded, taking out two lollipops. She opened one and ate it for herself before passing the other to Leo. “It looks so different” the last time they had been there was early fall. It was now spring. Flowers had bloomed in what used to be dying bushes and the grass was full grown, less patchy and dead. It actually seemed like someone kept coming here to work on the area, to preserve the beauty. Leo ate the lollipop, smiling at the amusing memory. Ava glanced at him, staring at his beanie for a moment before tapping his shoulder. Leo looked over at her, tilting his head and listened closely to her taps. ‘Isn’t it a bit warm out to wear a beanie?’ She tapped out, looking at him curiously. Leo frowned, looking away from Ava. “no it’s not” He said a bit bitterly. ‘Why do you wear it all the time?’ “because I look weird without it on” ‘i doubt that’ “I do. You’ll make fun of me” ‘you don't make fun of me for the way I talk so why would I make fun of you for your looks? It’s not like you can control that’ Leo looked at her hesitantly, not really wanting to take it off. He was fearful that she would still make fun of him for it, all the other kids at school do so why wouldn’t she? She could tell he wasn’t convinced before signing ‘it’s ok you can trust me’ Leo sighed before nodding, his face going blank before he slowly pulled off the beanie. He looked away from his friend, not wanting to see the look that was on her face. It had to be disgust. He was disgusting in his eyes after all. He could practically hear the taunting of the other kids from school. Leo started getting up, deciding it was just best to walk back to base until he felt a tug on his wrist. He looked back at Ava, a bit surprised when a smile was on her face and she stood up with a spring in her jump. “I love them!” her voice was soft, yet scratchy. Leo was taken aback, the fact after all these months, this was the first time he actually heard her voice. Tears pricked his eyes and he sniffled, the taunting in the back of his head vanishing after her words before he pulled her into a tight hug, tears of happiness springing from his eyes. Ava tensed up, not used to the sudden contact but smiled, wrapping her arms around Leo and returning the embrace. “Thankyou. Thankyou so much” he said, hugging her tighter. She brought a hand back, lightly tapping his back ‘What are friends for?’ @ivana-sin-fox ARE YOU PROUD OF ME @the-blue-army

[toomztoom]

This isn’t normal (part 1)

When my grandmother said we were moving, I had no idea what I'd be dragged into until I met the two demons face to face. I didn't know anything like the things I'd discover were hidden under the smallest veils in history. And I didn't know so many people knew about this and were able to hide it from the rest of us. But looking back on it, it made sense as to why they did and why they would in the first place.

And I started noticing something off about my life at the very moment I went to visit my father's side of the family. Normally families have at least one peculiarity about them. Normally something like "Aunt Jemima collects spoons" or "Cousin Tommy preserves all his pet fish when they die" or whatnot. As for my dad's side of the family... They're all half deer. When I opened the door, you could imagine my face when I saw everyone walking around on deer legs with fluffy ears and (in some cases) twisty antlers growing out of their heads.

Oh, wait, you don't know what's going on, do you? Okay, let me start from the very beginning. Keep in mind this one's a doozy, and if you don't believe me, at least you heard an interesting story.

When grandmother unexpectedly decided we should all move out of our secluded home and into the huge city, it was a big shock for both me and my brother. And to say that I was upset was a serious understatement. I was going to leave my home of nineteen years, leave my friends, and leave my school behind. And let's not forget that I'm a senior in high school, so I'd have to go to a new school and start the cycle all over again.

In the early morning, I sat in the backseat of my granny's minivan, watching my neighborhood disappear behind me. Soon, farm land took the place of houses, and cows and horses seemed to be the only life around here. A few cars passed every now and then, reminding me that we weren't the only people in the world. Right now, though, it was only us on the lonely road. I let out a frustrated groan.

"Are we there, yet?" It felt like my legs had become solidified clay, and my back was in excruciating pain. We've been cramped in this car for too long. It felt like forty-five years had passed, and now I myself had turned into a grandmother.

"No, sweetie," my grandmother's calming voice said; "we're only an hour away from entering the city."

"Can we at least stop for awhile? I don't think I'll be able to take it!" I sounded more whiney than anything.

My grandmother laughed. "Okay, we can stop for a minute, but Dylan," she glared over at him. "Stay. In. The car."

Her tone caught me off guard. She never spoke to any of us that way. Why did he need to stay in the car? Just as she parked on the side of the road, I burst open the door and leapt out of the car, bounding into the field as if my life depended on it.

"Freedom!" I took a deep breath of the country air blowing in my hair.

"Okay, Rose, calm yourself." Grandmother says behind me.

I let out a chuckled sorry and fall onto the soft grass. For a moment, I closed my eyes, before asking, "Hey, why can't Dylan come out of the car?"

Grandmother had taken a seat next to me. "There's just some things you don't need to know."

I opened my eyes and gave her a skeptical look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She kept quiet. I look back at the car as the wind blew a little fiercer, watching Dylan carefully. He was glaring at a cow on the other side of the road.

Grandma got up and went to the car. I followed close behind, feeling sorry for the cow and sad that we couldn't stay any longer. I felt heavier each time I stepped closer to the car.

* * *

"Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan..." With every time I said his name, I gave his face a little poke. He had been ignoring me for the past thirty minutes. It was practically neglect! My own flesh and blood, acting as if I wasn't existent and refusing to humor me. I was wounded.

"Dylan! Let me sit up front! It's my turn! Please? Switch with me!" I gave his face a hard poke, which was when he finally snapped.

As soon as my finger collided with his cheek, he began to shake with fury, and let out a raging yell as he leapt to the backseat. He grasped my neck and squeezed, his pupils narrow as a snarl graced his face. I tried to pry his hand off my throat as I lost air, an inhuman growl echoing in every breath Dylan heaved. The car spun out of control as granny panicked, and she slammed on the brakes, throwing us a little.

"Will you shut up?!" Dylan seethed, growling like a dog of some kind.

I couldn't do anything. I was too mortified.

"DYLAN!" Screamed granny. "What's gotten into you? Get back in your seat!"

Something changed in him, and his eyes softened, as well as his grip. He slowly let go, leaving me gasping for air. He looked at his hands as if he just realized what had happened. "R-Rose..."

I pushed him away, terrified. "I-I don't want the front seat anymore... Just take it." I could hardly speak from the lump in my throat.

He slunk back into his seat, and grandmother began to whisper harshly in his ear. No one spoke for the rest of the ride.

About an hour later, we could see buildings in the distance, and we were already driving through a small town.

"We're almost there." Grandmother informed.

We drove onto a street with nicely built apartments on almost every corner. There was one house among them that looked more like the gates to heaven if I were to be the judge. It was gorgeous, with two stories and white walls on the outside, and long windows atop The second floor. The front door was massive, and two pillars held up an overhanging balcony. You could only imagine my excitement as I saw that we were heading straight for it. You know the moment of pure excitement when your heart was beating so fast it felt like you were going to faint? Yeah, that's the one. And that's what I was feeling.

"It's so beautiful..." I awed, and my eyes teared up as we got closer to my dream home.

... And then we passed the mansion and parked in front of one of the apartment buildings. Confused, I looked behind us. "Wait, aren't we living in that house over there?"

Grandmother laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, we're not that rich!"

My jaw hit the floor as I looked behind us again. "Goodbye, love..."

"Stop being dramatic and help me with the bags, Rose." Granny says as she gets out.

After we all grab our stuff we brought for the night, grandma gave me a key as she sifted through the trunk more. "The door on the left is ours."

As I begin to unlock the door, my brother and I could hear our neighbors screaming about something.

"I pay for the rent, the electricity, the dishes, our clothes, our food, and everything else! The least you could do is get a job, women!"

"Don't *women* me, I'm trying!"

"You just lay on the couch all day! That's not trying! That's probably why you're fat, too!"

"Don't call me fat!"

We heard a vase or something crash on the floor in their apartment.

"That's my mother's urn!" Cried the man.

My brother and I gave each other an alarmed look, before running into our new home. Yeesh, our neighbors are going to be a handful. We were greeted by darkness, and I waded into its depths, careful not to trip on anything. I began to move as fast and as swift as a ninja or a spy, trying to locate the light switch. Darn those tiny switches. They need to glow in the dark or something.

When I finally found one I flipped it, and the room became illuminated. It was the living room, and it was fully furnished, luckily.

"You do realize you look stupid, right?"

I turn to see Dylan staring at me dully. I didn't realize I was standing in a crab position with one hand in the air and the other on the light switch. I stand up straight and ignore him, still shaken up by my brother.

"Hey listen, Rosey, uh... I really didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know what came over me. Can... You forgive me?"

I look back at my baby brother for a minute, before smiling. "Of course I forgive you. Just don't try and strangle me anymore, okay?" I walk towards him and hold out my arms for a hug. He meets me halfway and holds me tight, putting his chin on top of my head.

I grumble. "Stop growing. You're not allowed to be taller than me if you're younger than me."

He laughs and pulls away.

"Alright, enough dilly dallying. Rose, be a sweetheart and prepare dinner for us, would you? Food's in the cooler sitting in the car." Granny walks past and puts her bags on the floor. For a sixty year old woman, she looked incredibly young. Some people have even mistaken her for my mom.

"Sure thing, captain!" I stand straight and salute before going off to fetch the cooler. If we ignore the insane neighbors, maybe living here wouldn't be that bad after all.

[shaydedkitt3n]

My Father

I cherish the time I spend with my father. I have always looked up to him and I think of him as my hero. He isn’t a rich man or the smartest man, but he is a loving, caring, and wise man. Since my mother died when I was only 17 he had to take on a major roll in my life. I had a friend’s mom help me with a few things I wasn’t able to talk to my father with but once I hit about 25 I could tell my father anything. I was always sharing my thoughts and asking advice. I would always listen to what he had to say because my father, even though he may not know everything, would give me his best advice and opinion. I always want to do right by him. Even earlier today he gave me a big compliment and I don’t think he realized it, but he said “You remind me of me.” I smiled so big. I may look more and more like my mother as I get older, but I’m happy to take after my father.  Today, Laura (Dad’s girlfriend of like 15 years), went out with her granddaughter and is spending a few nights over with her son and family. Well she always has the TV on in the living room. My dad hates it but he tolerates it for her. So when she is gone the TV is off! My dad is a simple man that likes quiet and to just read or maybe even play little card/chess/word games on his phone. So today I had off and woke up and made us breakfast. As I was cleaning the house and doing my weekly chores we were talking. We talk about anything and everything. He was complaining about Laura a bit (she is very much an invalid and he takes care of her all the time) so I listened and cheered him up. We then went to the grocery store and when I got back I made lunch. My dad is a good sport and pretty much eats anything I make. Hates broccoli and cauliflower but that is pretty much it lol. We had bought some ground coffee cuz I was sick of the instant coffee we always have and I dug out my percolator from the back room where I have some of my boxes stored. (I had a big move from MO and not everything I had fit in storage.) So I brewed coffee at 3pm (I don’t care what time it is, I will drink fucking coffee!), and made the lunch. So while we ate lunch we talked and Dad told me about some of the summers he spent with his grandfather. I love these stories because they are good memories. (Dad, a really bad and rough childhood growing up and it crushes my heart to think he had to deal with that. To think he turned out to be such a wonderful man despite that upbringing.) 

My father told me how he would wake up with his grandfather (1960′s New York) and garden with him and go fishing with him. My father would go out by himself and collect clams and crabs to being home so that his grandparents could cook up dinner! The little neck clams he would harvest were HUGE, about the size of the palm of my hand! He told me of a time where he would catch giant blue claw crabs and how there was a place along the beach where they placed some chicken wire to help keep the fish and other things away from the swimmers. He would go to the fence and there would be some crabs hanging out there once in a while and he would just scoop them up. He told me how he developed this technique to get them quickly without them pinching him. One day he got a bushel of them and as he was biking home he hit a bump and the basket popped open and some of them escaped. So he had to hurry up and get them. Well when he reached for one, there was one hiding in the grass and it reached up and pinched either side of his wrist. He said he freaked out at first but he was able to secure the others, and with all his might he had to lift the crab’s body against itself and break the arms off. Now he had a crab claw bracelet! Ow! So he was able to get the claws off easier now but he was bloody. His grandfather was like, “Well that comes with being a good fisherman!” 

He then told me another story about how his grandfather bought him a BB gun and they marched from town with it. He remembers looking up at him as then walked home and he had a big smile on his face. My dad knew that his grandfather just loved him so much. He taught him to shoot birds (mainly Blue Jays since they were a pest) and squirrels. They would cook up the birds and squirrels! My dad said how one time he brought home 8 blue jays and how his grandfather plucked and gutted the birds but left the feet and heads on! My father said he was rather freaked out when he saw the blacked bodies of the birds with the heads and feet still attached and the wings all positioned funny. I would have been too! But he said they were delicious. Also Blue jays may look small but he said that they are actually pretty big birds, about a foot to 18 inches head to foot. I was surprised. He then told me a time when he was able to get his first and only rabbit. He saw the rabbit about 3 houses down and got close enough to hit it, well since it was just a BB gun he stunned it and was able to walk over and pick it up by its hid legs. Well halfway home the rabbit wakes up and starts screaming so my dad said he had to bonk it (not gently mind you) on the head along the road to make it shut up. So he brought it to his grandfather and told me his grandfather said they had to make sure it wasn’t diseased. In order to check, the grandfather strung the rabbit up by its feet and he smacked it on the back of the neck to make sure it was dead. My dad said his grandfather then got a tube, stuck it in the rabbits anus and blew into it to expand the stomach, he then split the rabbit in half from ass to neck, gutting it. He then showed my father the liver. It was pink. If the liver is spotted then it is no good. So they were able to have a nice roasted rabbit. 

I love the stories that my father tells me from his past. I had to write this down so I could remember this day with him. My time is now limited with him and I want to try to make sure I remember as much as I can. Even from my childhood. I’m the luckiest person in the world to have a father like him. I can’t express to the universe/God how grateful I am.