princeof-stripes-blog

[teakayart]

What is one to do when drowning in depression and horrid life circumstances? Join as many tabletops as possible! Here’s my shiny new Hobbit OC, Aster Gamgee, for my friend Ari’s Adventures in Middle Earth campaign! She’s essentially a Druid (scholar level 4 with all the nature-y stuff picked out). She’s Samwise’s great great weed auntie and apprenticing under Gandalf. Currently she’s gotten pretty beat up in her first fight storming evil wizard Gorlanc’s keep with her new adventurer friends. The two comfort items i picked for her are a solid walking stick (one which i own irl and is sitting in my car, which some asshole teenagers nearly stole because I still don’t pass as an adult at 32 lmao), and a fluffy pillow— in this case a dragon stuffie because Aster’s obsessed with them. I also colored the plush after my OC Revvy who was in Ari’s She-Ra campaign. ♡

[aroacesetitoff]

OG Infinight Reference Sheet + Headcanons

Marcy Burns/Elleve the Amender

-4 feet tall

-its mentioned that she has "rainbow robes" and ive decided to interpret that as sunset colored

-pre mining accident Marcy has longer hair and has already lost her eye to unknown circumstances

-post mining accident Marcy cut her hair and it turned whiter, and she switched to more monochrome clothing-symbolizes her turning away from her faith and also grieving her husband

-still wears her wedding ring, and keeps Fred's on a chain with a locket of his picture

-we know literally nothing abt Fred but I think he was also a halfling and had a sick ass mustache

-the symbol on pre-accident Marcy's eyepatch + staff is supposed to be of the Diarians (followers of Dia). The circle is Faeza, the hands are Dia herself, and the six teardrop shapes are the Diagems. Also meant to resemble a flower as a reference to Gum Gum

-magic goblet-does it have a name? Anyways Paralyte stole it from the Sheerays so I gave it an aquatic wave/seaweed design (water = life)

-idk how to design tattoos, but other clerics of dia would probably have similar ones-i think hers are religious in nature

Ostin Tashe/Slique the Symphonius

-ya boiiii

-4'6-so just barely taller than Bart. Barely

-had the most satisfying color palette for me- i love green and so does he

-i rewatched the hobbit/lotr trilogies so Ostin is def inspired by that-gave him braided hair and armor

-idk how a tuning sword works. Like a bident maybe? Ive drawn the sword in his right hand (the one with missing fingers) but he might prefer to fight left-handed. Idk ive trained with longswords before but ive never lost any fingers so i cant say

-magic lute-gave it a greener/mossier color palette to show it was from the Elderpines. The strings are vines and the rosette has a tree design

-dont know where Ostin's scars came from either, maybe he really did fight a dragon maybe he didnt-doesnt stop him

-post-Wight Winter i gave Slique a grey streak to match with Spectril

-also gave him a cool colored eye highlight for the same reason

Leonard Lank/Spectril the Surreptitious

-i put his height around 5'7/5'8

-made the rogue armor sharp and dark-had to recolor it from the origianly palette bc it was too dark tho lmao. Fur collar to foreshadow his time in the Ethereal Plane

-post-Wight Winter i gave him simple, more homey clothes bc at that point he had a family and wasn't focused on fighting. The fur is not bear fur i swear

-already mentioned it before but his hair started turning white + he grew it out/braided it back.

-he's got normal rogue daggers, and then the Ethereal daggers. Not shown but yeah they fade in and out of the Material and Ethereal Plane

-"Walls Have Ears-Doors Have Eyes" by Clan D. Stine-the wiki i think mentioned him having books that let him turn invisible and walk through walls-this one's definitely a Leitner (ifykyk)

-boots-deceptively simple in design from the Elderpines

-piercings include several ear piercings, snake bites, and an eyebrow piercing

-warm colored eye highlight to match with Slique-your honor i have (accidentally) sun/moon coded then because they are gay

Luz Prattle/Paralyte

-6'0 tall and definitely uses it for intimidation

-i think she dresses kinda emo/alt

-the only infinight with a unique logo-instead of two crossed swords its a snake eating itself

-committing to the snake bit-i gave her scale armor

-the gloves have two talons on the pointer and middle finger, based very specifically off a homebrew item i saw where the hand kind of looks like a biting snake. It contains a venom that paralyzes enemies and came from the Sheerays

-put a snake on her sword. Cause why not. Thats why she teamed up with Brink they are both snake lovers

-not drawn, but she would have a snake tattoo somewhere on her body

-hands are turning dark at the fingertips as a side effect of using the gloves so often. Her veins are visibly green because shes pale as hell and also suffering from long term exposure to Sangrianite

-facial scar-man im sorry i dont know where this one came from either. Kyborg shot her once tho i do remember that

Bo Bender/Grislee the Groundbreaker

-height is about 6'6, very tall lady

-all i had to go off was red bandana so its like her thing

-her locs are made of rocks and also have veins of gold in them

-the stuff on her shoulders and hammer are lichen-she takes such long naps outside they've started growing on her. And also earth genasi

-when shes raging she has magma veins coming from her eyes and hands, and the inside of her body also glows

-when shes not raging it cools to golden veins-still very hot to the touch sometimes

-didnt have a lot if ideas for her second outfit but i gave her a bearskin bc she is "grizzly"

-hammer is the other item from the Sheerays and is pretty much just a trunk on a stick in terms of design. Combined with the lute tho, they are probably some of the most powerful items in Faeza

Man thats a lot of characters. Should i have made these before I made 3 painting and a comic page? Yeah. But i didnt lol. Enjoy✌️

edit: fixed the magic item origins

[bogginswritings]

Hi! May I please request a fic of Bilbo Baggins and fem!Reader having a happy/sweet married life in the Shire?

OKAY OKAY i was halfway with writing this one when I got your request, so I think it's fitting!

the wedding anniversary || Bilbo Baggins x Fem!Reader

Summary: It’s you and Bilbo’s first anniversary and fluffy things happen.

Pairing: romantic, relationship established

Reader's gender: Female, indicated

Warnings: taking a bath together. nothing explicit -doesnt even mention nudity- but still a heads up.

Story type: fluff fluff fluff

word count: 3467

Not so sure what i think of this one? It’s cute I guess but the ending is a bit rushed. In my defense it’s 5.26am- Also, idk for sure if hobbit holes have baths but now they do. okay bye!

I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway! and thank you so much for requesting! constructive critisism is always allowed and encouraged <3

Bilbo Baggins woke up to the feeling of tingles on his face. His nose scrunched up as he opened an eye. It was Y/N, waking him up by peppering kisses all over him. With a soft smile and a blush on his face, the hobbit stretched his limbs. “Goodmorning, Ghisvashel,” she smiled down at him, admiring the way the sun lit his face up. “Happy anniversary.” she chirped, kissing his cheek in adoration.

The hobbit’s ears grew red, “Happy anniversary.” he groggily replied, turning on his back so he could properly look at her. His curls were all over the place, his hair creating a halo around his head, and Y/N just couldn’t believe how beautiful her husband looked. Bilbo thought the exact same of her, with the way the sun shone on her face and reflected in her eyes. How her long, thick hair fell down her shoulders; some of the braids in it being ones he made (which made him feel kind of proud). Bilbo Baggins thought she was the prettiest person he ever laid eyes upon.

“How did you sleep?” She asked him, stroking a curl out of his eyes. He closed them in response to the contact, his nose twitching, “I slept well.”

“That’s good to hear,” She smiled at him, leaning down to give him a loving kiss, “I made you breakfast,” she mumbled against his lips and she could feel them turning into a small grin. Y/N pulled away, setting the tray in his lap. “Thank you.” Bilbo looked down at the tray that held multiple pieces of bread and fruits amongst other things.

The woman patted his thigh, “I’ll be in the living room getting ready, eat well.”

“Wait, hold on, what’s this?” The hobbit grabbed her hand before she could pull it away, pulling it back to get a closer look. She had a small bandage around her finger, to which he furrowed his brows, “What happened?”

“Little accident, it’s nothing bad though, just a small cut. Don’t worry.” She pecked his cheek before getting off the bed, walking out the room.

Y/N had just put on her coat when she could hear her husband’s feet padding against the wooden floor. “Where are you off to?” he questioned once he got in the room, noticing Y/N was getting ready. “I’m going to get some stuff down at the market, did you need anything?”

Bilbo’s brows furrowed at that.

Y/N rarely went to the market, and even more unlikely was her going by her own intentions. It was customarily Bilbo who would go out to get food and other necessities. If he asked her to go it would take a lot of persuasions and coaxing for Y/N to finally give in.

“You’re going to the market?”

“Yes,” she replied, tucking her hair out of the back of her coat and letting it fall back over her shoulders.

“You?”

“Yes.” Y/N turned around to look at her husband again, an eyebrow raised, “you seem surprised. Why is that?”

“Well- I mean, you know- ehem” he pursed his lips, breaking eye contact. Y/n shook her head; “No, I don’t know.”

Bilbo let out a sigh, his head tilting slightly to the side as he looked at her, “Y/N, I pretty much have to drag you along whenever we go outside.”

“Okay yeh-” she acquiesced, “Well, you try.” She snorted, stepping towards the (slightly offended) hobbit to peck his lips, “I’m just getting some stuff for dinner, it’s our first anniversary, I want to make it special, cook you a meal.” she explained, closing the gold-colored buttons on her overcoat.

A line formed between the hobbit’s brows as he furrowed them, “Y-You’re making dinner?” The woman answered her husband with a nod.

The company had warned Bilbo about allowing Y/N in the kitchen. Not only because whatever she creates tasted abhorrent -no matter how precise she followed a recipe, it just wasn’t good-, but also for she was an absolute hazard. The dwarves had told Bilbo to not let her make any food that included fire, knives, or any other harmful stuff.

Bilbo could recall Fili saying she could’ve brought greater destruction than Smaug, although he really was just being dramatic.

However, despite these words of caution from the dwarves, Bilbo had to learn this the hard way. He didn’t really listen, assuming that they were merely overreacting. Surely his wife couldn’t have been that bad. Right?

Well, no. Bilbo let her make dinner a few times -during the beginning of their relationship- and it turns out that the company was not overreacting, if anything that what they told him was an understatement. The last time she cooked, she nearly burned off a piece of his hair (true story) and her own hand. It was no permanent damage, but it was enough for her husband to scold her while bandaging up her palm.

The hobbit still couldn’t fathom how she had helped fighting a dragon and orcs, yet something as simple as cooking seemed to go by nearly impossible without injuries.

Bilbo promised himself from that day one that she was to not enter the kitchen again, which actually wasn’t that hard; Y/N didn’t really enjoy preparing dinner anyway. She mainly did it so Bilbo could take a break, but he reassured Y/N he loved making dinner so she had not to worry about anything. Which was true; he really did love being busy in the kitchen. She would still go into the kitchen to create something every now and then, but other than that it was mostly safe.

So, keeping her out of the kitchen was easily done,

unless she wanted to do something nice, like now.

Bilbo cleared his throat, “Remember the last time you made dinner?’’ he averted his gaze to the side for a second before his eyes landed back on his wife. Y/N pursed her lips, blinking a couple of times before answering; “I have no idea what you’re talking about..”

“You nearly burned your hand off!” Bilbo exclaimed. “Not to mention you cut your finger just this morning!”

“It was only a little fire! Besides, it isn’t my fault about the cut; the knife just slipped.” Y/N pouted slightly, “I just want to help more around the house.” the hobbit’s gaze softened at that. He gave her a kind smile, “We can prepare something together? I can teach you.” he offered.

A big grin crossed the dwarf’s face at his suggestion as she nodded excitedly, “I’d like that.” Bilbo’s nose crinkled up when she kissed his cheek, “Would you like to join me to the market, Amrâlime?” She looked down at him, an eyebrow raised expectantly. Y/N wasn’t that much taller; although she was a dwarf for the most part, she still had some hobbit genes in her blood thanks to one of her grandparents. Her height was pretty much between that of an average dwarf and hobbit.

“Uh- yes, let me just get dressed.”

{}

Not much time later the couple was walking along the cobbled pathway, down the green hills, to the marketplace. Bilbo was wearing his blue coat, which was Y/N’s personal favorite on him. According to her, it fits well with his personality. He didn’t really understand what she had meant by that but took the compliment nonetheless. Y/N had slowly taken on the custom of walking around barefoot. She already felt like an outsider when first coming to Hobbiton, and wearing her heavy boots and armor was not helping her case. Besides, she actually quite enjoyed how the cool grass felt underneath her feet. Especially with the spring breeze and nice weather.

“I’ll get the fish,” Y/N said, pointing to the stand further up. Bilbo nodded, deciding that he’ll get the greens. She gave her husband a quick peck on the lips (making him blush; other people were there!) before walking over to the lady behind the stand.

“Good afternoon Mrs. Baggins, what will it be for you today?” the woman greeted. Y/N gave her a smile, “the usual trout.” she answered, knowing it was one of Bilbo’s favorites.

A tug on her coat made her look down. It was Marie, a little girl she was asked to babysit once. “Mrs. Baggins!” The girl exclaimed in excitement, making Y/N’s eyes light up, “Hello Marie, how are you today?” she asked, picking the girl up. Marie shrugged in response, “Good, I saw a bunny!”

“Did you now?”

“Mhm! Could pet it too!” the girl exclaimed, starting to play with one of the braids in Y/N’s hair. She usually did this, Y/N couldn’t really tell why. It made quite a mess of them, but the woman didn’t want to ruin the kid’s fun.

“Come pick flowers with me, Mrs. Baggins! We can make a crown!” Marie exclaimed excitedly, and who was Y/N to say no to that adorable face? “Why of course, my lady, lead the way!” she set down the girl, who began running to the side of the market where a small patch of grass was located. No stand had occupied it, giving the two enough room to sit there, and along the small cobble walls surrounding the place multiple kinds of flowers grew.

Marie sat down on her knees, pulling Y/N down by her wrist to sit next to her. The woman crossed her legs as she started picking some flowers with the girl. She told Marie what each flower was and what they did and meant.

“And what are the flowers you’re using?” The girl asked, pointing at the flowers Y/N was carefully weaving together. The dwarf smiled at the girl, “This is Alchemilla Mollis.” She laughed at the girl’s confused expression. “Alcherla what?!” Marie exclaimed, her eyebrows creased.

“They’re better known as Lady’s Mantle,” Y/N explained, “They show comforting love. You give it to someone you love, to show them that you’re always there for them.” The blonde child nodded in understanding, “For who is it?”

“It’s for Bilbo, it’s our anniversary.” Y/N could feel the corners of her mouth moving up, grinning to herself. “I love him more than anything.”

“And those?” Marie’s small finger pointed at the other flowers Y/N was putting in between the yellow ones. “These are Peonies, they show someone you care. They represent a happy marriage.” The woman’s face beamed as she recalled the memory, “I had these in my bouquet when I got married.”

It was silent for a while, the two of them busy with making their crowns. Sometimes Y/N had to hold back curses when a flower accidentally snapped in her hand; reminding herself there was a child present. The woman did her utter best to make it as beautiful as possible, putting the flowers together carefully.

“I heard you and mister Baggins fought a dragon.” Marie suddenly spoke up, her blond curls hanging in front of her face, “My mom told me.” She looked up at the dwarf, “Is that true?”

Y/N blinked a few times, the question pretty much coming out of nowhere. It wasn’t the first time a kid had asked her about it, but she didn’t expect to have to recall those memories today. “Uhm- yes, we did.”

“Was it a big dragon?”

Y/N nodded, attentively putting down the delicate flower crown she had by now finished. She felt proud of it, although it wasn’t the prettiest one ever it was good enough.

Also, she couldn’t handle another flower breaking in her fingers without exploding.

“It was a huge dragon!” Y/N stated, turning to the girl, “He had big wings, enormous claws, and sharp teeth. Teeth he’ll use to eAT YOU!” suddenly Y/N pulled the girl into her lap, tickling her sides and ‘biting’ in her cheek. Marie yelped and was giggling uncontrollably, wiggling around.

On the other end of the market, Bilbo had made his way to the fish stand, only to find his wife not to be present. He furrowed his brows, looking for her until he heard her laughs. He turned around, seeing Y/N roll around the grass with Marie. He chuckled to himself, taking the fish she had ordered from the lady by the stand and thanking her.

He had to admit it was a sight to behold, Y/N always claimed she wasn’t that good with children; saying she had no idea what to do with them. But, right now as he saw her talking to Marie -who was seated in her lap again and playing with her braids- he couldn’t help but think she was an absolute natural with them. The kids in Hobbiton adored her and it was clear as day she adored them. Bilbo had to admit he had thought about maybe having kids of their own, one day. Starting a little family. And as he watched the two laughing with each other he thought he maybe, just maybe, could bring that topic up to you in the near future.

Deciding not to ruin your fun, he seated himself on a bench not far away; looking at their exchange.

“This is an orchid,” Y/N tucked the flower behind the girl's ear. “It is for good luck.” Marie grinned, again playing with a strand of hair. “Can I make a braid in your hair Mrs. Baggins, with flowers?”

Uhm,

what?!

Y/N’s eyes went as wide as saucers, staring at the girl.

It had been a completely innocent question, the girl just wanted to make a braid. However, Y/N pretty much only let herself or her husband do such things to her hair. The fact that she let the blonde girl play with them already came close to her boundaries, but braiding? Marie tilted her head in question, the kid was completely unaware of what a big deal braiding is to dwarves. The woman didn’t really know what to say, there was no way she would let the kid braid her hair, but Y/N also did not want to disappoint the kid.

A tap on her shoulder made the woman look away from the girl, seeing her husband standing next to her. He held the fish out to her, his nose twitching, “I think you forgot this.”

Y/N let out a laugh, one of both relief and about the fact she forgot the fish. She felt pretty stupid for forgetting such a simple task. “Thank you, Amrâlime.“ she nodded her head towards Marie before continuing; “Sorry, I got distracted.”

“I could tell.” the hobbit responded, chuckling to himself.

“Looks like I got to go, kid.” Y/N gave the girl a hug and set her down, standing up and dusting herself off, “I’ll see you another time, Marie.”

“Wait wait! The crown!” Marie picked up the flower crown Y/N had made, holding it up to her. The dwarf took it, thanking the blonde girl and turning to face Bilbo again. 

She beamed at him, “Ghisvashel, a crown made of flowers just as pretty as you.” the woman placed it on her husband's head, who had a pink hue dusting his cheeks. Y/N held his face in her hands, leaning down to kiss him softly. Bilbo’s face had now turned a dark shade of red, but he closed his eyes nonetheless; simply enjoying the feeling of her lips on his. The kiss didn’t last too long -neither of the two very big on PDA- and when Y/N pulled away Bilbo spoke barely above a whisper: “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

{}

“Thank you for saving me back there,” Y/N said as she sat on the carpet, Bilbo on the couch behind her. He was busy with undoing her braids (they got quite tangled up), carefully pulling them apart. Y/N was leaning back against his legs, allowing the hobbit to have better access.

They just had dinner, which went surprisingly well. Y/N hadn’t burnt down anything and both of them were still in one piece. So, they planned to cook more often together; Y/N wasn’t trusted in the kitchen on her own (yet!).

“No need to thank me, love,” he stated, his fingers brushing through her hair once he removed the last braid and placed the bead away safely. “Do you, uh, want me to redo them?” he asked, still playing with some strands of hair. The woman shook her head, “Not yet, I was planning on taking a bath.” she tilted her head up, looking at her husband -who still had the flower crown resting atop his curls- “Care to join me?”

He hummed in response, “Yeh, why not.”

That’s how they found themselves here, sitting in the tub filled with warm water and bubbles. The hobbit sat back comfortably against Y/N, who was playing with his curls. “Remember the first time we met?” she suddenly piped up.

Bilbo chuckled, his eyes closed, “You mean when you all but barged in my house with 13 other dwarves?” Y/N snorted, “Yeh.”

“I remember.”

The dwarf hummed, “I knew you were my one that exact same day,” a smile ghosted her face, “I mean you pretty much caught my attention the moment you opened the door.”

Bilbo didn’t respond, but she could tell he was listening by the way his cheeks turned pink, “When you didn’t come along I felt sad, but I couldn’t really put my finger as to why. Until you came running towards us and I felt a feeling of relief. And then we rode our horses next to each other and talked, and I realized you were my one. My Amorem.”

It was quiet for a while, the two enjoying each other's presence. Y/N had her arm wrapped around Bilbo, who played with her fingers. They were bigger than his and he liked that. She always used her hands to warm his up in the winter or to massage his shoulders. And they gave him a lot of comfort when holding them, his smaller hands fitting perfectly within hers. He smiled when he noticed the golden material of her wedding ring reflecting in the water, a reminder of their promise.

Y/N left a few butterfly kisses on his shoulders and neck. Bilbo tilted his head up in response, looking at his wife, “After the goblins.”

The woman pulled her head back, looking at him with raised brows as she chuckled, “What?”

��I- well, I knew I liked you after the goblins. When you went beserk on Thorin, uh, defending me.” His nose twitched again (something Y/N thought was adorable). Y/N’s face turned a red hue as she laughed at the memory, “I can recall that.”

They sat like that for a while, enjoying each other’s company and talking until the water got cold and their fingers wrinkled.

{}

“If you drop soap, is the soap dirty or the floor clean?”

“What?”

“I don’t know, just wondering.” Y/N shrugged, Bilbo quickly stilling her shoulders, “Stop moving so much, I need to focus.”

The man was busy braiding his wife’s beads back into her hair, carefully pulling strand atop strand. He made sure to be extra careful, securing them tightly. Bilbo had placed his flower crown on the nightstand before taking the bath, but Y/N put it back on his head afterward; saying she thought it looked beautiful. The couple was seated on the bed, comfortable in their pajamas. Y/N sat with her legs crossed on the duvet with Bilbo on his knees behind her. They’ve been sitting there for some time now, braiding the thick hair had always been quite the job. Bilbo was thankful it was still damp; the task at hand was a lot easier now.

Bilbo tied the last braid secure, smiling proudly to himself at his work, “Done!” he beamed. Y/N felt the braids between her fingers, turning around with a big grin, “Thank you, Ghisvashel.” She cupped his cheek with one hand, leaning down to plant her lips gently on his. Bilbo tilted his head up in response, deepening the kiss and pouring as much love into it as he could. Y/N pulls away after a while, nudging his nose with hers in a doting manner; “I love you.” she says it quietly, so you could barely make it out. Bilbo smiled in content, scrunching his nose up, “I love you more.”

The two climbed into bed, under the warm blankets. Y/N was quick to pull her husband into her side, cuddling him close. She kissed the top of his flustered head, closing her eyes, “Goodnight, Ghisvashel.”

[laisselfreemaiden]

Grandmother’s Ring p.2

Pairing: I have it decided but ;)

Warnings: Cursing and...idk honestly I forget. Is genderneutral friend a warning?? Idk probably not oops

Summary: Your grandmother left you a silver ring. What happens when you find a new world after it’s yours?

A/n: I have a genderneutral friend for you in here, but if I missed a they/them in there please let me know, I’ve never used those for a single character before so it’s weird for me to get used to ^^; and I made your interactions and nicknames like how I talk to my friends so sorry!

    You wake up ten minutes before your alarm goes off, making you groan and roll over with your face in your pillow. You have no idea what could have woken you up, but something had. And it feels horrible because you were in the middle of a good dream, too. Rubbing your eyes, you decide to just get up for work. You shut off your alarm, put on your black pants and off-white t-shirt, then grab your bag and head out the door. You say goodbye to your cat, scratching behind her ears, then lock the door behind you. Your best friend is waiting outside in his car for you, texting on his phone as you slam the door shut.

    “Who you texting?” You lean over his shoulder with a grin, seeing “Beautiful<3” in the chat.

    “Just Mac. Ready to serve coffee and candy to people for like...five hours?”

    Your eyes roll. “How are they, anyway? And no, it’s gonna suck ass, but at least I get good enough tips.”

    He smiles and starts driving to the cafe you work at. Mac and Jace have been your friends since middle school and you are definitely their biggest cheerleader when it came to their relationship. Mac is a huge sweetie, but they’ll kick ass if anyone messes with you or their boyfriend. They may be a shorty, but they are absolutely your bodyguard.

    You thank Jace for the ride and head inside, seeing Mac already handing out different coffees and chocolates to a small family. They shoot you a smile and wink as they put the money in the register.

    “Hey, baby girl, ready to work for your living?”

    “No,” you laugh softly as you wrap an arm over their shoulders. “But it can’t be so bad if you’re here.”

    Mac laughs softly at that, then pats your shoulder gently. “I’m glad to see you’re back to normal.”

    It’s been two days since the funeral, four since your grandmother passed, and almost a week of you being in a depressive slump. You’re not sure what had broken it, maybe having some of her things have helped. Like her ring. It’s an oddly comfortable weight against your chest.

    “Yo, you feel okay, babes?” Mac nudges your arm, then snaps next to your ear.

    You jump on instinct. “Ah! Um, s-sorry, I guess I spaced out.”

    They smirk. “Thinkin’ about a booooy~?” The teasing lilt in their voice doesn’t go unnoticed. “Aw, did he even get you a ring?” 

    When they reach for it, you playfully swat at their hands. They pout and whimper, cradling their hand like you’d actually hit them.

    “Hey! I have paper skin!” You know that’s a joke, so you shoot back at them.

    You roll your eyes. “Yeah, just as thin as your lies, isn’t it?”

    They grin at you, leaning against the counter as you start making orders. “So? Where’s the ring from?”

    “Apparently,” you hand off a latte and make change real quick, “my grandmother had it hidden away for me. Weird note, too, she played a pronoun game.”

    “So...you’re either gonna meet a mentor or horrible evil villain. Can I tag along?” They laugh softly again.

    “Yeah...I also knocked myself out, too, and woke up in a weird place. Really pretty, like something out of National Geographic.”

    They whistle lowly. “Trippy. Sure it wasn’t just a dream?”

    You shrug. “Something hit my head and I still have a bruise. Though maybe that’s from hitting the floor.”

    “And no concussion? Maybe it’s a lucky ring!” Their mouth forms an ‘o’.

    “I don’t believe in luck or magic like that, remember?” You playfully flick them, earning a laugh.

    “Cuz you’re boring!”

    “Hey!” Your manager snaps. “Maybe try working instead of chatting!”

    “Sorry,” you both say in unison.

    “Regardless,” they say as you both start working the machines. “It’s a beautiful ring.”

    “Yeah, thanks, Mac ‘n’ Cheese.”

    You and Mac work for about two or three hours until your break, when the both of you went outside to wait for Jace to pick you up for food. Well, he’d pick up food and bring it to you both. That’s his assigned job, according to Mac. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, since that means he can sneak food from your bags while he drives.

    When he steps out with two bags of food, Mac grabs their favorite before pecking his cheek. You smile. They really are cute together.

    “So, my two amigos,” Jace says casually as all of you sit on the steps, “who’s excited for the extended weekend tomorrow?”

    “Extended?” You tilt your head curiously. Why didn’t you know about this?

    Mac makes a noise around a mouthful of food. Then they mumble something with sporadic hand gestures and acting like you could understand them. You blink a few times before looking at Jace.

    He chuckles, ruffling their hair gently. “Boss called Mac last night and said that since Monday was a holiday, you guys could just take off the weekend and Monday.”

    You shake your head. “Nah, man, I gotta work Monday, or else my mom will find out and I’ll have to do God knows what.”

    “But we were gonna do Three Amigos shit!” Mac cries out after swallowing.

    “Sorry, babes, I can’t.” You say with a sigh. “You know how she is.”

    “She just cares about you, Y/n.” Jace leans back slightly. “When your dad just...disappeared, you know she basically only had you. And you only have her.”

    You get up and throw your trash away before heading back inside. “No. I have you guys. And I had my grandmother.”

    Monday has been the second worse day of your life. You flop face first on your bed and scream into a pillow. Not only was your manager an absolute dickhead, some idiot let their child sit on the counter and then the child almost threw their hot coffee at you. So, your work shirt is ruined, your head is pounding, and you really, really wish that you could fall asleep and wake up somewhere different. Anywhere different. You’d even take The Hunger Games at this point.

    Rolling onto your back, you feel the cold metal of the ring slide from your neck to rest above your shoulder. You hadn’t even noticed its weight all day. You close your eyes just to rest a few minutes. Just a few. Didn’t you deserve that? 

    When something whispers around you, you groan, wondering if Mac and Jace had let themselves in again. You keep your eyes closed, seeing if you can gauge where the voice is whispering from, but you can’t. It seems to be almost everywhere but nowhere near you. So, you sit up, wondering if you’d summoned a demon or ghost at any point in your life at this apartment. Nothing. The whispers haven’t stopped yet, though, but the voices seem to be coming...from the ring and your closet, which sunlight seems to be streaming from.

    “What the hell...I have to be losing it, right?” You mutter to yourself, getting up to walk closer. May be a stupid thing to do, but your closet is literally glowing by now.

    You put your hand into a beam of light. It’s warm, a stark contrast to the world outside and your apartment. If the landlord would turn up the damn heat.

    “If this takes me to Narnia, I’m gonna flip my shit,” you mutter, opening your closet and covering your eyes before the light could blind you.

    When you open your eyes, you’re greeted by green grass and warm sunlight. Your changed hair is in a loose braid and your clothes are slightly different, but you know it’s the same place. The smell of coffee is still on your skin and hair, but it’s almost completely masked by the pure smell of the world around you. No polluted air from factories, no global warming. It’s just...perfect.

    Taking a deep breath, you find yourself on the hill overlooking the town of curly haired people. You quickly made your way down, only to find that the tallest are nearly a head shorter than you, and you’re not really that tall. Their feet are bare and fuzzy and their faces are merry, but a bit dirty. Their clothes are bright as well.

    “No way…” you mutter before running to see if what you think is real.

    You stop abruptly at the sight of a curly haired man in a yellow vest smoking a pipe. He looks at you in surprise as the need to fix your outfit grows.

    “Good morning,” he says politely. “Can I help you, miss?”

    “Umm…” you trail off as you pretend you aren’t having an existential crisis. “C-can you...tell me where I am?”

    Bilbo gives you a confused look. “The Shire. Bag-End, to be precise. Are you alright? You look flushed.”

    Not willing to admit you believe you’ve probably died, you nod and squeak out, “I’m fine.”

    He taps his pipe with his index finger as he wiggles his nose in thought. “Well...I was just about to make some tea. Would you...like to join me? It might settle your nerves.”

    Tea with a hobbit. Not just any hobbit, either. The one and only Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End, who finds the One Ring and goes on incredible journeys and is one of your favorite characters, mostly because of his sarcasm and how he’d rather stay home than go out.

     You follow him in and you just fit under his lights, which surprises you. Maybe the magic also made you shrink a little. Honestly, you have no idea what the rules of this world are really.

    “Please, sit. What kind of cake is your favorite? I will see if I have any.”

    You blank for a moment, blinking a few times before you snap to your senses. “Oh! Ah, yes, um...if you have...um, any strawberry cake?”

    He smiles, nodding. “Lucky you, I went a bought a few today at the market.” He then disappears into his larder room.

    You slump down in your chair, sighing heavily as you try to grasp everything that’s happening.

    Let’s start from the beginning. One, you got your grandmother’s silver ring. Two, you went home after work. Three, your closet was glowing and you walked through. Which probably was stupid in theory. What if it had just been a really bright light? That would’ve been a prank Mac would pull on you. Four, you somehow have made your way into MIDDLE EARTH OF ALL PLACES from that closet. Has it always been there?

    Come to think of it...all these crazy things only started when you got the ring.

    You sit up more as Bilbo comes back with a tray of tea and cakes. You’d have to think more about this later. Up until you saw the cakes, you didn’t realize how hungry you are.

    You’ll think more about this with a full stomach.