#farmhouse au

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

"Turn on the heat." // "Oh, I will." // "No, I literally mean the heat! It's like ten degrees in here!" With our au?

yes kee our precious au 🥹

|| prompt list ||

prompt: "Turn on the heat." // "Oh, I will." // "No, I literally mean the heat! It's like ten degrees in here!"

au: farmhouse

word count: 920

warnings: fluff to the max, a secret other au

“It looks beautiful, Jay,” Ronnie said on a sigh as they stood in front of the farmhouse, frozen ground crunching beneath their feet. 

On the outside, it looked complete. White siding with a wrap around porch and green shudders. But Ronnie knew that the inside still needed some work. The plumbing finished and floors installed. That didn’t matter though. Jake had worked so hard for the past year to build her her dream house, putting in every last detail she wanted no matter how small, and it was nearly finished. Just a few more weeks. And it really did look beautiful. 

“Wanna go inside?” Jake suggested, “I mean, we drove all the way out here.” 

“Sure,” she shrugged with a laugh. 

Then he bent to pick her up, bridal style. Ronnie could do nothing but stare at him, wide-eyed, as he swept her off her feet with a knowing grin. Jake made a promise, when they started making up the plans for the farmhouse, that when it was done he would carry her over the threshold. An arguably outdated and traditional thing, but it felt right. As they sat and looked at blueprints all those nights ago.

But now he was carrying her up the porch steps and through the front door. A reality. A complete surprise as he carried her past the threshold into a completely finished, furnished, and decorated farmhouse. It was as beautiful and as complete as the outside. Everything exactly as Ronnie said she wanted it. 

“Jake…” she whispered breathlessly as she stared around at everything. 

“Had the boys come help me move everything while you were at work. Wanted it to be a surprise.” He set her back gently on her feet. “You like it?”

“God, baby, I…I love it,” she breathed, happy tears brimming her brown eyes as she turned to face him. “I love you. So much. Thank you.”

Ronnie lept into his arms and he caught her easily with a laugh, arms curling around her waist and holding her to him tight. They were going to build their lives in this house. Their future was here. When spring came she would start a garden out back while he worked on the landscaping. His nieces and nephews could come over and have plenty of room to run around. They would grow old sitting on that porch and watching the sunrises. It was perfect and it was all their’s.

“Welcome home, baby girl,” Jake whispered.

When she pulled away from him, she took him by the hand with a grin and walked him around the entire house. They both knew it like the backs of their hands after pouring over the details for months. But still, it was comforting to familiarize with the actual, physical space instead of just crude drawings on graph paper. Ronnie inspected every room, wide smile never leaving her face. And Jake watched her the entire time. 

They eventually made their way back to the living room. Ronnie dropped down onto the couch with a sigh, pulling the fuzzy blanket that was once in their apartment around her shoulders. Jake flopped down next to her in his usual way, legs spread and one arm draped across her shoulders, pulling her into his side instantly. She shuddered despite the blanket and Jake’s usual warmth. 

“Can you turn on the heat?” she asked. 

Jake looked down at her, wiggling his brows as he leaned in. “Oh, I will.” 

“No!” she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. “I literally mean the heat! It’s like ten degrees in here.” 

“Oh.” He looked slightly disappointed before he got up to check the thermostat, then he cursed with his hands on his hips. “Well, it’s not ten degrees but it’s pretty damn close. Says the heat’s on…I don’t know what the problem is.” 

“Think you can fix it?” 

“Not before dark.” Jake sighed as he turned back to face her. “M’sorry babe, I thought everything was ready…”

“S’okay!” she insisted as she pulled the blanket tighter, then her eyes caught on the fireplace right across from the couch. “Is the fireplace good to go?”

“Great idea, baby girl! Lemme go chop some wood.”

While he went outside, Ronnie continued to take in their new home. Built with Jake’s own two hands. She could picture it perfectly. The meals she would cook in the kitchen, with Jake coming home from a day at work to wrap his arms around her waist. The parties they would host with all their friends, with no special occasion in mind, just because they could. The laughter and joy and love that would permeate the walls and make the house into a home. She was ready for that. God, she was so ready. 

The front door opened on it’s own, and Ronnie watched with a smile as the chopped logs floated into the house first. Jake followed soon after, a light sweat broken out across his brow. Closing the door, he set the logs down neatly into the holder by the fireplace — while directing a few to go into the fireplace itself, all without lifting a finger.

With the fire crackling, Jake sat back on the couch with his bride. Perfectly content. With his arm around her shoulders and her head against his chest. This was how it was always meant to be. And how it would be for the rest of the time they had left on this earth. Snuggled up by this warm fire, with a love so strong.

[solecize]

THE FARMHOUSE MASTERLIST

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: every summer on your grandpa's farm was real-life magic to your younger self, who left a piece of her heart in amber valley when the years went on and the town became nothing but a faint childhood memory. soon enough, you become rocked by his death and realize the dead end in your bustling city world. this leads to you making an abrupt decision. despite knowing nothing but designer purses and the corporate ladder, you uproot your entire life to take over your grandfather's old farm in the town you were desperately trying to remember - alongside a familiar face from your youth that permanently finds his way into your heart.

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: jungkook/reader 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃: 02/22/24 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃: 04/15/24 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒. inspired heavily by stardew valley, friends to lovers, childhood friends, cowboy jungkook,small town alternate universe, slice of life, grief, growing up, mutual pining, jungkook as a parental figure. warning for explicit language, substance use and mentions of death. 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒. nothing is proofread (sorry)

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ extra: playlist. interlude. epilogue ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part one: the storm, the envelope and the grandaughter ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part two: the caretaker and the sister ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part three: the letters, the saloon and the second storm ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part four: the routine, the posters and the dancefloor ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part five: the phone call, the apology and the confession ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part six: the dreams and the sunday market ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part seven: the all-nighter ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part eight: the final storm ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part nine: the plan, the failed plan and the distractions ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part ten: the midsummer festival

[tending-the-hearth]

the first time the other leos ask 2012 leo how he's feeling about splinter abandoning them, he just shrugs his shoulders and says that he's used to it.

and they ask him what he means, and he says that splinter's died in front of him at least twice, so him just leaving the turtles behind isn't a new thing, and he doesn't process what he's said until the other three are staring at him in abject horror because what the fuck does he mean he had to watch his father die twice and not be able to grieve or do anything about it?

[iztarshi]

Snippet of dialogue that just came to me. They're in the woods around the farmhouse.

“I’ve had dreams about places like this,” Michelangelo says. He points excitedly to an unpromisingly thorny plant. “Like, in summer that has the most delicious berries as big as your head!” “Blackberries,” Casey says, holding his fingers apart. “They’re for sure not as big as your head.” Michelangelo stops bouncing around and looks more carefully at the plant. “…Maybe I was smaller in my dreams.” Donatello pats him on the head.

[amymaleneart]

Going Home to Roost (DCA Harpy AU) Chapter 23

[lordshroom]

Asking some writers/artists I follow:

Is there anything in your fic/comic that you as the author know about, but won't end up in the actual story?

There are a couple of Snakeatello quirks that I won't get to just flat-out say in the comic, so I'll dump my favorites here.

-I've mentioned in a previous ask that both of his head snakes are fully sentient and independent of each other and Donnie. They don't need to eat but technically can.

-Snakeatello's shell is less "shell" and more "chemical storage tank". He can make pretty much any kind of venom he wants at whatever concentration. It's also where his smokescreen comes from, those purple stripes are semi-permable and let the smoke pass through.

In terms of plot stuff, nothing major so far since I've been sticking close to the original episodes but with Snake-Donnie. But I'm writing entirely new episodes in place of both "Withing the Woods" and "A Foot Too Big", and the new "Within the Woods" is going to have two new characters that I have L O R E for but that'll come later >:)

[superluigiglitchy]

((something stupid i thought up after hearing an audio clip from goblin slayer abridged))

(during the Farmhouse vacation mini arc)

Tari, to the seacows: Have a good night everyone! because one of you is going to the slaughter house tomorrow! Seacow: Moo!? Tari, petting the seacow: Of course it's not you Raul, your one of the good bois~ Seacow,sighing: Moo~ Harbor, at the entrance: Tari, are you lying to the seacows again? t'ain't right... OF COURSE IT'S RAUL!! Raul: MOoOoOoOoOoOo!?!?!?! Harbor: Yeah you better be worried, Raul Harbor: They're out of the sharp axes, it's gonna take like an hour. Raul:

MMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!??!?!?!?!?!?

[steeb-stn]

i know when Joel thinks about his girls together he’s thinking about them as both being 14, but idk man. I really like the canon age difference between Ellie and Sarah…like Ellie is Sarah’s BABY sister. Like that’s her BABY ELLIE, even if she does act like she was raised by wolves. And Ellie would argue with Sarah constantly but still would think she hung the moon and stars, and if anyone MESSES with her big sister they’re gonna get 90 pounds of 14-year-old whoopass brought down on them. I think of them having the same dynamic as kirsten and alex in station eleven (the show, not the book) and it makes me want to scream.

[petwifed]

wat is a Girl without her phillip grave’s housewife Pinboard …… ><

[gophergal]

Consider this 4 page comic a companion to "Ropeburn," my origin comic for western AU Jason

In this one, I decided to go for black and white and no dialogue. I figured it'd be a good exercise in visual storytelling

[solecize]

  ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘. every summer on your grandpa's farm was real-life magic to your younger self, who left a piece of her heart in amber valley when the years went on and the town became nothing but a faint childhood memory. soon enough, you become rocked by his death and realize the dead end in your bustling city world. this leads to you making an abrupt decision.

despite knowing nothing but designer purses and the corporate ladder, you uproot your entire life to take over your grandfather's old farm in the town you were desperately trying to remember - alongside a familiar face from your youth that permanently finds his way into your heart. 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. jungkook x reader 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. swearing 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 5k 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.  inspired heavily by stardew valley, friends to lovers, childhood friends, small town alternate universe, slice of life, grief, growing up.

part one: the storm, the envelope and the granddaughter ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ next. masterlist

i. the storm

  for the first time in a long time, your eyes flutter open to the golden curtains of the sun and not the blaring noise of a royalty-free iphone alarm. the rays are harsh and welcoming all at once, as you blink away the stinging sensation and adjust to the muddy path ahead. there was no mistake about it, the town withstood an unforgiving storm last night. however, mud coating the wheels of your bus seemed to be the only indication, as you became distracted with the kiss of summer from the skies above and the clear cerulean painted across cotton candy clouds. 

  memories of amber valley became bygone over the years, as memories always do. but, amber valley seemed to be a long lost chase you haven’t won in years and the older you became, the town disappeared entirely. it was like the smell of your favourite scented markers and the feeling rumbling at the pit of your stomach on the first day of school - nothing but faint ideas from your childhood. 

  “we’re not going to visit grandpa this summer?”

  at age twelve, you couldn’t fathom missing out on the midsummer festival or being away from your horse, marshmallow. for that age, absolutely everything felt like the end of the world, whether it was missing an episode of your favourite show or not getting an invite to a classmate’s sleepover. it was a little different for you, though, as you looked at your dad’s dull eyes. they’d been dull since the divorce went through that february. they never shone since and that’s how you knew things weren’t going to be the same.

  he shook his head at you, but never met your eyes. “no, i’m sorry. he’s coming up for to the city at the end of july, though - “ it would be later in life, precisely at age 25 and months removed from your grandfather’s funeral, when you would learn that he only began coming up to the city to regularly see a hepatologist, “ - so you can see him on your birthday.”

  you did, in fact, see grandpa for your birthday and for the rest of the years to come. he laughed with his whole body and his smile never failed to reach his eyes when he gave you updates on the farm and amber valley. grandpa did his best, but time passing came with you losing your bright eyes whenever he spoke fondly of his town. it was inevitable, when the big city enveloped your teenage self and you became more concerned with interests that come with the turn of youth - clothes, parties and boys.

  now, there was absolutely nothing wrong with any of those ideas. you stood by this at heart, embracing femininity and defending it alongside your love for science and life. you grew up and began wearing high heels to dates, to university lectures and finally, to your 9-5 on the busiest corner of your city’s financial district. you had long outgrown your riding boots, likely tucked away at the back of your closet in your studio apartment. you began just politely smiling and nodding when your grandfather shared local amber valley gossip about individuals who were just names to you now, also tucked away at the back of your mind.

  even though you eventually grew past the age where you needed your parents’ permission to make the trek over to amber valley, past the period of time where your mother refused to speak to your father to coordinate your trip to see your grandfather, the idea of returning to the valley never crossed your mind. like summer camp, it was something you thought you didn’t need anymore and preferred spending your school-less months with your friends in your hometown, working away at your first part-time job and getting your first ever drivers’ license. a seventeen year old city girl wouldn’t want to waste her summer at her grandfather’s old farm.

  “mrs. oh’s husband just left the valley for his deployment overseas. may god watch over that family.” it was one of the last times you saw grandpa, late on christmas eve when everyone else went to bed. your mom, her new husband and your little sister had bade their goodnight’s by 10pm and left the two of you sipping honey lemon tea by the fireplace. 

  your mom’s new husband made a lot of money. that was one of the first things you noticed about him and it was so different from the two bedroom inner city apartment you were raised in. it was certainly different from your grandpa’s farmhouse, where the television only got three channels and all of the windows never fully opened because they would fall apart entirely if you pulled too far. you and your grandpa mused these thoughts on their white leather couch, when the conversation slowly moved back to how the old farm was going.

  you tried to sound interested. “oh really?” the reality was you couldn’t remember if the oh family was the one that ran the general store or the one couple who seemed to be constantly fighting, on the verge of divorce.

  grandpa grunted in response. “mhm. thankfully, they have jungkook helping out around the store. ah, the wasted potential with that boy, but such a kind heart.”

  “jungkook..?”

  “oh, you remember him! the two of you would always bike by the beach,” he said. “i’ll never forget, you two would always come back and show me the seashells you collected that day. always made a competition out of everything.”

  he chuckled and you joined in, hiding the despondence for being unable to recall. grandpa didn’t seem to notice, though, continuing to discuss amber valley. cranberries and pumpkins were the strongest crops of the fall, mayor kim was re-elected for a third time and something about the town soon getting their first chain convenience store since amber valley’s founding. then, grandpa’s face lost his smile and a serious expression formed on his ageing features. he asked you about your job and how life was for you.

  by now, you’re 22 and working an entry-level position with nothing but a bachelor’s in your pocket and a hunger to climb the corporate ranks. like any fresh college graduate, there was no meaning to life if it weren’t for paying overpriced rent, mimosa sundays, dating apps, and maybe remembering to go to the gym every now and then. the life you lived was loud from city traffic and heavy from looming student debt. 

  “my job is..okay. i’m just starting out and i’m really just trying to do my best,” you replied.

  grandpa, still with a serious look, placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. “it gets stressful, doesn’t it?”

  you opened your mouth to respond again, but failed to find your voice this time. your stress was found in a growing caffeine addiction and getting too tired to give your parents a call on the weekends. adulthood was everything you expected and nothing you expected. you secured a job that you dedicated four years of studies to and just like that, was pushed into a world of hustle and bustle and nothing in between. once this realization settled, you tried to hide it by cracking a faint smile. grandpa saw through it, though - he always did. 

  “well, darling, if it ever does get too stressful..” you became confused when grandpa reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope. he handed it to you and you turned it over, finding no writing other than your name in your grandfather’s decorative penmanship.

  you asked, “what is this, grandpa?”

  he finally smiled again, but shook his head. “a gift. it’s yours for when you find that you need a break from the challenges of life.”

  grandpa only gave gifts from the heart. only, this time, you wouldn’t know that he was giving you his entire heart and soul. you had taken this envelope and slid it in the drawer of your desk at home, where you tirelessly worked after hours, even after returning from the office. it was hidden away, but always poked your curiosity at the back of your mind. however, you restrained from opening it, even when it eventually became one of the last things you had from grandpa. 

  ii. the envelope

the only time you took the pristine envelope out of your desk was on the day of his funeral. 

  it was no surprise that grandpa wanted to be buried in amber valley, his home for over fifty years and his birthplace. it was once your heart’s home, too, once upon a time when you were a child skipping rocks by the town river and rode your horse through mustard-hued sunflower fields. for that, you were nervous to return and confront the realities of your coming of age in the face of a town that only lived in your memories, sickeningly reminding you of the years that have gone past.

  wedged between your mother and father who had only began speaking to one another as of three years ago, you stared blankly at the onyx coffin that, in about 20 seconds, was gone from your sight and lowered into the ground. it happened all too quick. you clenched your arm tighter, squeezing the envelope tucked underneath and protecting it from the rain. your very last summer in the valley was marked by constant rain and wind and once again, you greet the town amidst storms.

  the drive was quick, having gone directly to service after the three hour drive from the city. you couldn’t make much of the town through the gloom and suddenly, the valley was so much colder than you remember. like your being since your grandfather’s passing, it lost its colour. it was unwelcoming and felt like a punishment for your neglect over the years. amber valley was unforgiving as much as it was perfection. 

  you couldn’t make out much of the attendees through the gloom, either. many of them appeared absolutely devastated, sobbing and cold-faced at the goodbye of a beloved neighbour. your grandfather was always well-liked amongst the townspeople, helping out his friends with mundane tasks whenever he had free time away from the farm and shared his warm personality at community events. this was affirmed through the stories that were shared about him at the service, recognizable for his distinct good heart, but seemed so far away for you, having detached yourself from amber valley.

  “oh, an unfamiliar face! what’s your name, dear?” a man around your father’s age with salt and pepper hair was handing out hor d'oeuvres at the post-service gathering in the church basement. he seemed to be the most upbeat one in the room - though, it wasn’t saying much, considering the occasion.

  you told him your name, while looking around for either one of your parents. being in a room of strangers wasn’t your favourite activity, especially following a funeral. the last thing you wanted to do was socialize, feeling like you weren’t even in your own body all day. while you were saddened and to an extent, numb, you knew your grandfather’s passing was coming up. his illness was going to catch up to him and you spent months mentally preparing yourself for the day you would have to say goodbye. despite not being surprised, your grief was accompanied by the painful nostalgia of the town that raised you in the summertime.

  the man looked at you, appearing to search your face for something. “you’re the old man’s granddaughter? bunny?”

  the nickname almost made you flinch, having not heard it in so long that you were surprised you recognized it. you began searching the man’s face, too, also looking for some signs of familiarity. for so many years of your childhood, you were almost exclusively called this nickname by adults and friends alike.

  there wasn’t room for a response when the man pulled over another individual by his sleeve, merely attempting to walk by in peace. this one was a man closer to your age and you were too distracted by the glisten of his facial piercings to scan for recognition. the second thing you noticed the adornment of tattoos peeked from below his sleeve and trailed onto his hands. the third and final thing you noticed about him was how gentle his hands were. this was realized because the sight of this man made you drop whatever was in your own hands in surprise.

  the only thing you were holding was your grandfather’s envelope, no longer pristine and stained with a few raindrops. you noticed that you had been clutching onto this keepsake the entire service. you bent down to reach for it, when he also attempted to make the save for you. your hands brushed and you looked up at his eyes, suddenly taken away by confusion.

  “jungkook, you remember bunny?” 

  you forgot the older man was in your presence, as he was the one who pulled jungkook over in the first place. jungkook. this was the little boy you spent hours running around with all those years ago. although you seemed to forget when your grandfather had last brought him up, those moments began to rain down on you upon taking sight of him for the first time in years. you had barely looked, but it hit you.

  jungkook handed the envelope over to you and you cleared your throat, standing up properly and trying not to wobble on your favourite high heels. he also stood up and seemed to mirror your confusion, not understanding who was the person in front of him. you muttered a thank you and fixed an imaginary snag on your cardigan.

  “i just go by my first name now,” you said through a tight smile to both men, still feeling like your gut was punched in after hearing the nickname that your grandpa coined,

  “oh, of course. you’re all grown up now!” the man exclaimed. “do you remember me? mr. kim?”

  the truth was that you didn’t remember him by face, but instead remembered that your father mentioned a man of this name being the mayor. if he was the same person, mr. kim’s father was the previous town mayor, as well, and was your grandfather’s best friend before his own untimely passing. given his larger than life presence, it was same to assume that the man in front of you was the tiny valley’s politician.

  “mayor kim, of course.” you hoped you sounded convincing.

  jungkook was still standing to the side, the same confused look etched on his face. “you’re the girl that tricked me into eating mud that one time?” he blurted, as if an imaginary lightblub flashed above his head

  that took you by surprise and you almost snorted. “i didn’t trick you, you just went for it.” the quick snap back also took you by surprise, having left behind a bit of your normal self in the city before coming down to the valley for the funeral, as well as your instant recollection.

  somehow, this memory was clear as day and you could remember jungkook as a seven year old with a horrible bowl cut and missing teeth. you wore light-up sneakers and candy bracelets that day, sitting on the porch of your grandfather’s farmhouse with him and were exchanging dares to see who would give up first. maybe that was why your grandpa said you two were - 

  “ - always competitive,” jungkook said.

  although the two of you surely shared countless more memories, it was this one that stood against the test of time and it showed when it immediately hit you with a laugh. it took jungkook a second, too, but he eventually gave in and joined with his own. you hadn’t realized it until his swollen eyes became crescents in his giggles, but he seemed to be having his own trouble of a day.

  “there it is, jungkook! nice to see you finally cheer up a bit,” mayor kim encouraged and jungkook’s chuckle immediately fell back to a straight face, almost intentionally. you suspected that this was not the first time today that mayor kim was on his case.

  before mayor kim could add on, his attention gravitated towards something at the other end of the room. he sighed and set down the hor d'oeuvres, checking the time on his wrist dressed with gold. 

  “oh, i’m being called over,” he sighed and turned back to you. “it was a pleasure seeing you again, i hope to see you around town before you have to go back to the city.”

  swiftly, mayor kim weaved his way through the crowd and just like that, it was just you and jungkook.

  you took this opportunity to give jungkook an actual once over, comparing it to the faint image you had of this man from when you were children. undeniably, he was handsome, but you were more concerned with the fact that this was still the little boy you spent your summers with. he grew into his face and you didn’t realize that you accidentally said this out loud.

  jungkook looked as much taken aback as he was amused. “oh, you got jokes, huh? that’s what you learned growing up in the city?” he teased.

  “i didn’t mean it like that - “ you started, but he waved you off with a laugh.

  the conversation was a bit overwhelming, considering you were still stuck in a church basement following your grandfather’s funeral service and could not locate your parents anywhere. jungkook recognized this in your face and eased into a sympathetic smile. somehow, you felt okay enough around him to drop your tense shoulders for the first time that day.

  “i’m sorry, i should be giving my condolences. your grandpa was a loved man by everyone here.”

  looking around the room, it was clear. everyone had shared fond stories and were making toasts in his honour. you felt out of place, but more so because you felt like you should have been joining in with the attendees. instead of being a kind of extended family that once saw you grow up, these people were strangers. you weren’t sure if anyone recognized you, having tried to lay low and not draw any attention to yourself. the only times you seemed to have caught anyone’s eye was when you were sat beside your parents at the burial, but no one dared approach you then.

  “you were like a son to him, too,” you offered. it was true, given the amount of time you spent with jungkook as a child, maybe even going so far to call him your best friend at one point. 

  he let out a long breath, eyes moving to the enlarged portrait of your grandfather propped up on the wall. “that’s nice of you to say. i miss him already. i’m sure you feel the same.”

  you learned quickly that, in light of your disappearance from your grandfather’s farm over the years, jungkook was the one who began helping out and taking over what were your old chores. your grandfather was physically able, but he kept the young boy around for company and made feeding the chickens an excuse to have his presence. hearing this made your heart drop, feeling an unknown sense of regret that you didn’t know existed when it came to the farm.

  “it’s not like that!” jungkook cut in, seeing the tears well up in your eyes. “he would always talk about the two of you going on adventures in the city and how he loved spending time with you whenever he came up to visit. he knew that’s where your heart was.”

  you sniffled a bit, having already promised yourself to limit your breakdowns to two that day, and took a second to reel it in. “sorry…i don’t mean to - “ you sighed. 

  “it’s okay. it’s weird being back here, huh?” 

  it was weird. it was so damn weird that the air of amber valley stuck with you for the months following, like bubblegum in your hair and a melody on loop in your head. you couldn’t shake it. not when you were working an extra 20 hours overtime in a week, not when you became stuck in traffic everyday, and especially not when your boyfriend of three years dumped you because you “changed” so much since the start of the year.

  and, it was true. you changed a lot since your conversation with your grandfather on christmas eve, with his words echoing about the stressors of life everyday. it opened your eyes to how much you were really struggling and it wasn’t simply you who had changed, but your outlook on life. ever since you were twelve years old, everything shifted to the fastlane and years breezed by you in the blink of an eye. everything moved so fast and you never got a chance to catch your breath. one moment, you were 15, sneaking a sip of your first ever drink, and the next, you were 24 and drinking straight out of the wine bottle on a tuesday evening. you wondered how you suddenly found yourself jaded at a 9-5 black hole of a job that sucked out your energy and passions. 

  these days made you think about what truly deserved your energy and what truly were your passions. did you like your everyday routine of gluing on false lashes and slipping on pantyhose? were you happy, alone in your apartment with not even a cat to talk to? your parents had their own worlds and new lives to deal with and long stopped asking why you never call. your friends were co-workers, having no time to meet anyone new. you didn’t even have time for hobbies, given how tired you were every time you finished work and the amount of overtime you did.

  one thursday night, you arrived home from work at 10:13pm and decided you had enough. it was constraining, nearly strangling you with exhaustion everyday. you spent the entire day wondering was “it” was and when you kicked off your loafers by your doorstep, it hit you. this was what your grandfather was talking about.

  almost walking with fear of what was to come, you creeped over to your desk. after your grandpa’s funeral, his envelope no longer lived underneath manila folders in your drawer, but found a place on the surface. you kept it there, as it mocked you every time you opened up your work laptop after hours. you didn’t realize why you left it in plain sight, until this moment when you came to terms with the fact that you were reminding yourself of him.

  “if you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of change. the same thing happened to me, long ago. i’d lost sight of what mattered most in life. . . real connections with other people and nature. so i dropped everything and moved to the place where i truly belong.”

  it took you precisely two weeks to pack up your things after opening the envelope. nobody could convince you not to. your mother complained that you were wasting your degree and your father had concerns about the massive role you were about to take on all by yourself. it didn’t matter.

  two weeks later, you met amber valley and its sunlight for the first time in years, pretending that the storm ceased and the sun shone to welcome you back. 

  iii. the granddaughter

the sun faded quickly when you realized the bus dropped you off on a plain dirt road in the middle of nowhere. the movers took the rest of your belongings separately, so you were left with nothing but a duffel bag and a cell phone that couldn’t find any signal.

  “oops,” was all you could say. you didn’t think it was a crazy idea, that there would be service at the very least.

  it took you a few moments to let the situation settle in and for you to realize that you were abandoned in a place that was unfamiliar to you. was it unfamiliar? you looked around, seeing nothing but fields on fields and accepted that there was no way you could even try to remember where you were, even with the help of the maps app. you knew you made it to town, but you were certainly left at the farthest point of the borders. 

  and then, you heard it.

  it was over at least ten years since you last rode, but your ears perked up at the sound of a horse’s gallop naturally. you had to squint, but it was unmistakable.

  they were going in the other direction and they were going fast, so you had to think fast. you tried yelling and waving your arms, but quickly saw that it was useless. so, you dropped your bg and brought your hands to your mouth, releasing the loudest whistle that your vocal chords could handle.  

  the horse and its rider kept going and for a few seconds, you thought you lost hope. but, then, as you were about to pick up your bag in shame, you watched them take a wide turn back around. they were headed to you.

  you waved your arms back and forth again, affirming that you needed their attention. as they came closer, you could make out a figure of a man with chestnut brown hair peeking out underneath his cowboy hat. he wore medium wash, stained jeans and a plain white t-shirt. 

  “that was the loudest whistle i’ve ever heard,” he hollered, drawing closer to you.

  you shook your head bashfully. “didn’t even know i remembered how to do that.”

  “pretty sure the whole town heard. my name is namjoon, are you visiting someone here?”

  likely a few years older than you, you tried to recall someone named namjoon from your memories. his appearance didn’t ring a bell, so you were searching your brain for his name or if you heard it from somewhere.

  you told him your name and then squinted at him, pausing for several moments before speaking again. “are you. . .joonie?”  

his eyebrows shot up immediately, looking at you like he couldn’t understand what language you were speaking. “pardon me?”

  joonie. he was mayor kim’s eldest son, who was sent to a fancy arts camp every summer when you were younger. you only met him a few times throughout the years, as he often arrived back the same week you were due to leave your grandpa to go back to your parents, but one feature stuck in your mind always. his dimples. you thought you recognized namjoon’s polite smile and piecing it together with his name seemed to be the key. 

  “i’m pretty sure you’re mayor kim’s kid. i’m bad with faces, but you’re joonie, aren’t you?” the confidence in your voice was fuelled by the fact that no one really left amber valley. it was the kind of place where families would raise their children with the kids they grew up with themselves. 

  namjoon seemed to still be calculating your appearance in his head when you heard the faint noise of galloping once again. the two of you looked over to see another person on a horse who was looking around the field, likely looking for namjoon. the man in question brought his hand to his mouth and released a whistle similar to yours - though, you did gloat silently because yours was, in fact, louder.

  still, it was enough to get the person’s attention and they finally made eye contact with the two of you. they began approaching and you could make out that it was a man’s figure. still, even with how small of a town amber valley was, you were surprised to see who it was.

  “jungkook!”

  “namjoon, i just spent fucking 15 minutes looking for you - “

  you tried to keep your expression neutral when you saw that it was actually jungkook on the horse. he wore an all-black outfit of cargo pants and a wife beater tank that exposed his tattooed arms. it made it hard to keep your expression the same.

“oh, hey. did you come to collect something from your grandpa’s property?” jungkook suddenly ignored his previous frustration at namjoon, cleared his throat and dropped his voice by an octave, in addition to cutting his voice’s volume by a cool half. he swiftly hopped off his horse, too cleanly to be casual.

  namjoon’s confusion only doubled, darting eyes between the two of you. “sorry, have you guys met?” he didn’t miss the way that jungkook straightened his shoulders without even trying to be subtle.

  you missed it, though, having cut away your stare to double check if your phone managed to get any signal. none. sighing, you shook your head at jungkook, as he began explaining to namjoon.

  “ - we called her bunny. remember bunny?” he nudged towards you.

  namjoon looked back at you again and concern formed. “you’re the granddaughter. oh, you were at the funeral - i’m sorry about your loss. your grandpa was such a great person.”

  you put on the same tight smile every time someone mentioned him. the worst of the grief came back on some days, but you learned how to manage it day by day as time went on. jungkook watched you do so and cleared his throat.

  “the old bus stop is the worst,” he interrupted, gesturing towards the tiny sign that indicated that it was in service. “people get lost all the time when they arrive. well, we don’t really have a lot of people visiting by bus - “

  you couldn’t help but cut in. “i’m not visiting.”

  the two men gave you and your single chanel duffel bag a blank stare and wondered if the idea was so hard to believe. it was for your parents, who both thought you caught them on some sort of prank show when you told them about grandpa’s envelope. you were wearing platform mary janes and a leather skirt in the dead of the june sun, so maybe they had a reason to be confused.

  there was a moment of silence, so you decided to speak again. “yeah, i’m not visiting. um, i’ve decided to take over my grandfather’s farm. i’m moving to amber valley permanently.”

[spiffghosthuntingcorporation]

You seemed to know quite a bit about ghost hunting, Dan, did you come into contact with any ghost hunters before you met these lads? If yes, how did you get out of it? And if no, how did you come by this knowledge?

-Baba

…Alright. Ghost Writing, EMF, and Fingerprints?

Myling.

Kevin?

He’s right!

Okay. Hunting behaviors of a Revenant?

Fast when it sees you, slow when it can’t.

Kevin?

Perfect answer, again.

A Spirit’s weakness?

Smudge sticks. Since most Spirits are often ghosts of people who were killed recently, they still retain a good amount of their senses, and a Smudge Stick overwhelms their sense of smell far longer than a different type of ghost.

Kevin?

Jesus, give a guy a moment to flip through the journal… Right, again! That’s, what, the tenth correct answer in a row?

I wasn’t keeping count. Daniel, how the hell do you know all this stuff? You know ghosts better than they know themselves!

I don’t know, really. I didn’t come into contact with any ghost hunters before you all - luckily - so I have no clue how I know any of this. I just… Do. Same way I know all of your equipment, and what it does. It just pops into my head, even though I haven’t even seen any of that for the past five years.

I’m sorry. I wish I had a better answer to give you.

Don’t worry about it, really. The knowledge just makes you more a part of the team.

Speaking of which, we’ve got another job. An old farmhouse, down at Grafton.

Damn, already? We just finished up at that Bleasdale farmhouse.

It shouldn’t be too bad, it’s another relatively small house. If we go fast enough, we might even be able to get a few hours of sleep.

Oh hey, did you see Kiwo earlier? She was practically dead on her feet.

Yeah, Minx and I talked about her. Apparently they’ve had jobs four nights in a row. The only reason Minx isn’t exhausted is because of energy drinks and enough coffee to fill a lake with.

Seriously, what is with the amount of jobs we’re getting? Has there actually been that many recent deaths?

I don’t know, but I don’t like it. We should ask Spiff if he’d maybe give us a break.

Nobody’s even seen him in a week! He’s just been in his office, talking on the phone about who knows what. And when he’s not locked in there, he’s completely gone. Spiff’s always been kind of distant, but at least he’d come out and talk to us!

I don’t even know how any of us haven’t seen him update the job board. You just turn around, and suddenly you’ve got a new assignment.

Lads, let’s not focus on this right now. Let’s just do the job and get paid. Then we can ask questions.

[duckapus]

More on uncle shredder AU? I love it!

So there's three characters I'm changing drastically and making major characters even though they're usually not.

Seymour Gutz/Mutagen Man A pizza delivery guy around the same age as the Turtles who found out about them after getting curious about who the heck would put a sewer grate as their address. He made fast friends with them mainly thanks to Mikey, and eventually got dragged into the crazy ninja superhero stuff due to bad luck.

Somehow he's actually resistant to Mutagen and turns back into a human after a few hours, which is the reason he gets the nickname Mutagen Man in this universe. Thanks to that, he can usually hold his own in a fight despite lacking ninja training and whatever Casey's got going on...at least as long as he has access to Mutagen and doesn't get a dud transformation(turning into Pigeon Pete when you're up against Stockman's robots is not a fun time). Initially he carries around test tubes of it, but he switches to water soluble capsules after the Central Park Zoo Incident.

Venus de Milo O'Neil A honeybee that got mutated into a teenage bee/turtle/human hybrid after landing on one of the Turtles and then on a puddle of Mutagen. She's initially pretty nervous and awkward, partly because as a bee she's not really used to the level of independence that her new mental state allows for. She ends up getting taken in by April's family while she figures herself out, with her hive getting transferred to a bee box in their rooftop garden so she can still take care of it.

Most of her appearance is defined by her bee dna, since that's what she started as, but she does have a shell, as well as patches of green scales on her limbs(which she still has six of). Her shell actually has two slits up near her shoulders that her wings can pop out of and retract into, and she's still able to fly despite their small size. She has the ability to communicate with and control bugs in a very similar way to the Rat King with rats, but she doesn't like doing the latter, mainly because she still sees herself as a Worker and not a Queen. She has some interest in ninja training, but doesn't go all-in on it until the obligatory Farmhouse Arc.

Antonio Turtelli A rival crime lord to Shredder with an extremely good public image, and also the guy funding the Purple Dragons. In a world of superscience, aliens, ninjas and monsters, he stays on even footing with the competition through charisma, careful planning, and pragmatism. Eventually he gets mutated into a mammoth of all things, and immediately installs himself as a spokesperson for mutants to make it harder for the Turtles to deal with him.

[fortjester]

the fic ive written in my head of gideon & all the other lyctor cav’s ending up trapped in a river bubble house together is so funny. wish i could actually write it

[toothlesshat]

I feel there be a distinct lack of April in the Rogue Leo au... I know it's not about her at all but what's her stance on all this??

She probably just feels bad for all of them, but doesn't try to do much about the situation when he's determined to not be leader. She cares, and acknowledges this as a hard time for everyone, but I don't think April is the kind of character to go out of her way to stand in the middle of a serious conflict between them and try to fix it herself. She's largely uninvolved because she's not... technically apart of the team at that point in the story? If I'm not wrong? She's working her way up to it but everyone is kind of a dick about her learning to fight for herself (which is. I don't even want to get into that lmao) so losing Leo isn't this dramatic change for her. And like I said in the last ask, Leo is wary of her because of the conflict at the beginning of the season. Basically, she feels bad, it's a bummer and she knows it's bothering everyone, but she's not personally involved

[wanderingchocolateeclair]

>:|