#me: i'm going to give a brief answer to an ask someday

[foxy-eva]

Cowboy Like Me

Summary: Spencer decides to fulfill a childhood dream

Author’s Note: This story is loosely based on the conversation Spencer and JJ have in S15E07 about parallel universes (a.k.a. Cowboy Spencer)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff

Content Warnings: none

Word count: 1.9k

Masterlist

Toy departments have always been magical for me. I clearly remember walking through them wide-eyed as a little girl, entranced by all the colorful and sparkly objects calling to me. There was nothing more exciting than to find one of them perfectly wrapped on birthdays or Christmas, waiting for me to play with it. 

Even as an adult I couldn't hide my child-like wonder as I walked along the aisles. Spencer was clearly more focussed on my reactions than on whatever toy we could pick for his godson's birthday. When my eyes landed on a particular stuffed animal, a gasp fell from my lips. 

When I reached out to hold it in my hands, Spencer chuckled, "I don't think Michael is into sheep. He's more of a dinosaur kind of boy."

I took the plushie into my hands, inspecting it thoroughly. In an instant I was taken back to childhood days, playing peacefully with a very similar one. 

"She looks just like her," I whispered. 

Spencer wasn't sure what I was talking about when he asked, "Like who?" 

"Fluffy. A sheep plushie I had as a child. I loved her so much but unfortunately I lost her when we moved."

"Awe I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe we should give this one a new home?" Spencer suggested. 

I put the toy back on the shelf and shook my head. “No, that’s okay. I’m sure it’ll make a child very happy someday.” 

Taking my hand in his, Spencer walked me to a different section of the store to find the perfect present for Michael. 

Neither of us mentioned my little anecdote again and I almost forgot about it altogether. That was until I got home from work a few days later. Spencer was waiting for me on the couch with the small sheep plushie sitting beside him. A wide smile was painted all over his face when we locked eyes. 

“What’s this?” I snickered as I took the toy in my hands to inspect it. 

“Fluffy 2.0 – or whatever you want to name it,” he said. “I had to go back to get it. You seemed so happy when you found it, so I thought it’d be nice to have it as a little reminder of your childhood.”

I found my place beside him on the couch, pressing a brief kiss on his lips to thank him. The toy not only reminded me of days long gone, it also took me back to my first ever career aspiration. 

“There’s actually more to the story,” I confessed. 

He placed his arms around my waist to bring me closer while he encouraged me to tell him about it. “I would love to hear it.”

It had always been astounding to me that even after years of knowing someone, there were still parts of their lives we had no idea about. Sometimes it made me wonder if it was even possible to know everything about our loved ones. After Spencer had surprised me with stories about his past - most of them a lot less merry than what I was about to tell him - it was my turn to let him in on this unknown side of me. 

“The reason I got Fluffy in the first place was because I was obsessed with sheep. It was all I could ever talk about. You know how most little girls want to be a nurse or a teacher or even a princess? Well, I wanted to be a shepherdess. I dreamed of living in the countryside with my flock of sheep, doing nothing all day other than walk around and pet them.”

Spencer couldn’t hide the playful tone in his voice when he chuckled, “That’s adorable.” 

I pinched his stomach, whining, “Hey, don’t make fun of me!” 

He was quick to take my hand in his, softly kissing it before telling me, “I’m not! I swear. I genuinely think that this is really sweet. So, what happened to that dream?” 

I thought about my answer for a moment until I decided to tell him the truth. “I would like to say that I grew out of it but the truth is, I still think about it sometimes.” 

Spencer seemed genuinely surprised. “You do?”

“Not about becoming a full-time shepherdess – I know that’s unrealistic for me – but I sometimes imagine us living on a little farm with a bunch of animals. Some chicken, my little flock of sheep, maybe even some alpacas,” I explained. 

I expected him to be more surprised by my confession but instead he asked, “Can I let you in on a little secret too?” 

After I nodded, he told me, “I actually like to imagine that there is a parallel universe where I’m a cowboy.” 

“A cowboy?” I giggled. “I would have never guessed that.” 

“Yeah. Maybe in this alternate reality you’d be a shepherdess and we’d fall in love after meeting at the farmer’s market,” he cooed before placing a kiss into my hair. 

I really liked this fantasy he created, I could see those alternate versions of us living a rural life. 

“I’d love that for us. We could sell milk and wool together after joining our ranches. We’d be the hottest farmers in town. The cowboy and the shepherdess.” 

Spencer laughed out loud at my words before adding, “I’m sure you’d be the hottest farmer in the whole state.”

For the following weeks we kept talking about this fantasy, adding details and creating scenarios of what we'd do in this parallel universe. It became like a nighttime routine to us to let cowboy Spencer and his wife go on adventures together. It might seem silly to anyone else but those stories became very near and dear to our hearts. 

Never had I expected that even a fraction of our fantasy world could ever come true. That was until one sunny Saturday morning when Spencer told me he had a surprise for me. It was rare for him to be the one to drive but it was even rarer for him to not tell me where we'd be going. Despite my constant pleading to let me in on his secret, he kept his lips sealed. 

I didn't recognize the roads he was taking when we left the city but I did enjoy the landscape the further we got away. After a forty-five minute drive, he pulled into the driveway of a very small but unbelievably cute ranch. There was a beautiful house with a small stable and a garden waiting to grow vegetables in it. 

Before I could wonder what we would be doing here, I took my time to take everything in. When I turned my head, I found Spencer smiling at me, curious about my reaction. I got out of the car to take a few steps towards the front door of the house. 

"What are we doing here?"

I expected him to tell me we'd spend the day here to pet some sheep and cattle. That wasn't what he had planned though. 

He was hesitant to answer me at first but when he began to explain, he did it in his usual rambling manner. "I found this little ranch for sale at a really good price. It'll need some work before we could actually live here but Morgan already offered to help us. The stable is in good shape though."

His words didn't make sense to me. I stared at him with lips agape and eyes widened. I kept looking back and forth between him and the house. 

When I finally found my voice again, I squeaked, "What? Spencer, this is crazy!"

"It's an adventure," he corrected me.

Still unsure of what to think, I breathed, "I don't know what to say."

He took my hand and gently squeezed it. "How about yes? Think about it. We're still within driving distance to both our workplaces. It's small enough to be able to take care of everything after work and who knows, maybe someday we'll actually sell our own milk and wool at the farmer's market. Just like we talked about."

Although my head was trying to come up with so many reasons why this couldn’t be a good idea, my heart screamed at me to agree with him, so I sighed, "You are very good at making compelling arguments. How could I ever say no to that?" 

"Thank god,” he groaned in relief while pointing at the stable. “I already bought two sheep." 

With a firm grip around my hand, he led me to the door where I could hear the sheep he just mentioned. 

In complete disbelief of everything that was going on, I said, "You did what? We don't even own this place yet!" 

Spencer just shrugged and mumbled, "I mean…”

"Spencer!” I reprimanded him, “You can't make big decisions like that without me! What if I had said no?"

While opening the door to the stable for me to look at the two young sheep, he said, "It was worth the risk." 

My husband must have completely lost his mind and I loved him so much for that. I stepped closer to the little creatures, reaching out my hand to make contact with their soft wool. They were very curious to get to know me, making my heart melt when they began nuzzling their little snouts against my hands. 

Spencer glanced over my face, wondering, "Are you mad at me?"

A bright smile spread across my face when I found his eyes, explaining, "I can't be mad at you for doing something so sweet. Very irrational, but sweet."

“I know it’s not a whole flock yet but it’s a start. How do you want to name them?” 

I was mesmerized by the little lambs in front of me when I cooed, “They look like little clouds.” 

“We could call them Alto and Cirro. Like the types of clouds,” he suggested.

“That’s perfect.” 

We spent the rest of the day at our future home, figuring out what exactly we wanted to do with this place. It would take at least a couple of weeks until we could move here. Even though it was impractical to have to come here every day to take care of our sheep, I was still looking forward to finally make my childhood dream to be a shepherdess come true. 

When I came home from running errands the next day, it was my turn to surprise my husband. It didn’t come close to the grand gesture of buying a ranch, but I still knew he’d appreciate it. He was reading a book about farming when I approached him in the living room, hiding a foreign object behind my back. 

With one eyebrow raised he looked at me and chuckled, “What do you have there?”

I showed him the ridiculously large cowboy hat and he broke out in laughter. 

“I know we don’t have cattle nor horses yet but I still wanted you to feel like a cowboy,” I giggled. 

When he put the hat on, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of the man in front of me. He placed a soft kiss on my lips before thanking me.

“I love it. And I love you,” he said. “How about we get going to see Alto and Cirro?” 

“I would love nothing more, cowboy.” 

If you enjoyed reading this story you should check out the other fluff fics in my SFW Masterlist!

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[siren-serenity]

who is luffy to you?

characters: red-haired shanks, monkey d. luffy, portgas d. ace, straw hat crew (all platonic) warnings: fluff, angst, brief mentions of suicide?, spoilers of marineford a/n: - i've always liked the idea of luffy being this god that no one can touch, yet everyone wants to covet and hold precious to them - but i love the idea of the straw hats being so possessive over one another. like "he's mine and i'm his" vibes - the platonic soulmate vibes from the straw hat pirates??? i want that - @officialdaydreamer00, here is some ace angst for you!!! :D - feedback is appreciated!

if one were to ask shanks, akagami no shanks, the fourth emperor shanks, who was luffy to him, he would have grinned so brightly (his smile reminiscent of a man long ago, who had brought change…great change to the world that they knew of) and simply said, “he is my anchor. And i am his shanks.”

those who knew him best would have chuckled, a knowing glint in their eyes. their captain was fond of short, simple answers, concise yet confusing. To shanks, one of them smiled, kindly explaining. a similar glint of fondness could be seen in their eyes. luffy was his anchor in the midst of his mourning. before luffy, he was just akagami no shanks, floating aimlessly with no purpose, no life in him. alive but not truly alive. but luffy…he came crashing, tumbling, and flying into their lives and buried himself in their hearts, especially the captain's. to shanks, luffy was his savior. he lived everyday knowing that he had a home to go back to (and a ‘D’ shaped smile to look forward to.

"I'll leave this hat with you. It's dear to me. Take good care of it! Bring it back to me someday, once you've become a great pirate!"

if one were to ask ace, portgas D. ace (never gol D. ace), fire fist ace, second division commander of the whitebeard pirates, who was luffy to him, he would have laughed heartily. ‘he’s my little brother of course!’ ace would have laughed, a loving smile crawling onto his face.

but luffy meant much much more than that to ace. if luffy was shanks anchor, then luffy was ace’s tether. a tether, a chain, a rope, something to keep him in the mortal world. a reason to stay alive even though he had to hear those bastards spew curses at ‘gold roger’s child!’ every single day. a reason to stay alive even though he knew he had a demon's blood flooding his veins. even though he knew that he was the sole reason for his mother's death (if he was never born, portgas D. rouge would have been alive. alive and thriving. if only he was never born)

"Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life, even though I have the blood of a demon within me... You guys still loved me! Thank you so much!"

if one were to ask the straw hat crew, the unofficial supernovas, the rookie crew who had shaken the world from its core, the everything-but-blood family, who was luffy to them, you would have received many different answers. some would have said luffy was their savior, dragging them from their mental torment and raising them to become something great. some would have said luffy was their brother. he was the younger, annoyingly endearing sibling, he was sometimes the older sibling, giving advice as if he had seen the world before his eyes. most would have confessed that luffy was irritating (but in a loving tone, as always). some would have said luffy was just...luffy. he was undefinable, unexplainable, yet they loved him the same.

some would have said luffy was a god. with drums echoing in their minds and resonating in their hearts before every battle. the fire of freedom licking at their souls, igniting something great, something life-changing again. sometimes, they would stare at tiny, stretchy, silly luffy and then imagine a tall figure, scarred with a cross on his chest, straw hat on his head, and then blinked. gone, dissipated in the wind. they could imagine a white-haired, floating being beside luffy sometimes, winking at them straight in the eye, before disappearing with a flash.

but luffy? luffy was theirs. luffy was their captain, luffy was their brother, luffy was their pirate king, luffy was theirs, theirs, and only theirs. at the same time, their souls knew that they were his. and he would never let them go.

so to the straw hat pirates? luffy was theirs.

and you don't touch what's theirs

"Luffy will become king of the pirates!"

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 23 thoughts

i am: confused. about everything i just watched. and i can’t tell if the problem is me missing something blatantly obvious, the episode being strange on purpose because it’s building up to something, or it just being an overall peculiar plotline. but i will attempt to elaborate on this later. for now, as always, we start at the top.

the first thing i wrote down was that i was so excited to watch tn’s ep!! i missed the last few days because i was busy and i was really hoping tonight would NOT involve any sort of disease which proved to be the case

“i want these nerds to deal with an art heist someday” <- this i wrote while the opening scene began in some random hotel… like yeah yeah yeah ghosts aliens etc. solve the gardner heist. OH MY the garnder heist hadn’t even happened by this time! well maybe if they had been at the scene it never would have happened.

in this hotel, we see a guy who looks scared knocking on the door looking for “Morris” and he says someone is dead!! guy next door is listening (and yeah, so fair, it sounded juicy as hell) but when the poor hotel neighbor stands up to listen he gets… sucked into ectoplasm?? he is no longer there. also, lights are flickering.

agents in the elevator, arriving to the scene. mulder looked really comfortable in there lmaooo that was a very funny visual.

they got information from this case from scully's "contact", and the contact is one of her students!!!!!! ahhh!! she looks so proud. this is funny because she was at the academy for like 3 months lmao but clearly she made a good impression in that brief amount of time!

“heard a lot about you” detective kelly says when scully introduces mulder and HAHAAAA he turns to scully and says “we’ll talk later”. about what. do share. 

(very funny that somehow he came up "a lot" in the 3-ish months she was teaching people how to do autopsies. like girl how did you manage to bring him up consistently whilst opening cadavers. that is talent)

investigation time! (mulder sniffs a drink in the missing guy’s room) "mmm, scotch" he mumbles <- LMAOOOOO THIS MAN IS WEIRD AS HELL 

they notice a big splotch burned into the ground, and as they are investigating the burn marks, scully says it “could be the residue of burnt human flesh” and yes!!!!! I love when she says weird and unsettling things!!!!

mulder seems enthused about this case and also that there is a young detective…… give them an intern i need to see what happens. that man seems to have an instinctive need to Mentor.

detective kelly asks him what he thinks happened. the answer? “spontaneous human combustion” yes ofc!! 

SCULLY IS SO SWEET AWWW “you’re doing just fine :)” she is not going to let her student doubt herself!

scully kinda sounds like she thinks mulder is teasing the detective with such an outlandish claim but i think he’s just being himself honestly

re:human combustion “let’s just forget for the moment that there’s no scientific theory to support it” “okay :)” <- yeah i had to pause and laugh. so what!

WHAT is he doing when they get in the elevator... he is making such a strange face. does anyone have this. it was so funny. he was at once locked in and a million miles away.

okay. so this wasn't the first victim. now they are arriving at the place of an earlier victim. which is a house with all the lights off. peculiar.

“hey scully, can you spare a prophylactic?” (now yes i did have to google this word's definition!) here is my live reaction:

"like a glove? because google is also saying that this can also mean condom. okay she pulls out a glove from her pocket. okay that’s the good ending i think"

makes sense for the doctor to have lots of gloves in the pocket of her jacket. more sense than the other alternative. i was really confused for a few seconds but in the end we got there.

he uses the glove to switch the light bulb on and she says “darkness covers a multitude of sins” which is EXACTLY what i'm here for!!! please keep saying creepy stuff queen <3

enter the home... another splotch from the other victim!! who also worked in tobacco, like the hotel man!!! but he says half of richmond works in tobacco, and the first victim was a scientist, so maybe not…? but regardless this realization made me think of that post that is like “people smoke less and now we don’t get spontaneous human combustion” which is soooo funny to me. if i ever find that post again i Will reblog it. it is true, spontaneous human combustion is a lost art.

mulder is very excited to dig through the trash, which is very raccoon-coded. he finds a ticket to a train station, and suggests that perhaps someone based out of the train station is hunting people.

cut to our deeply scared looking man from earlier who seems to be able to vaporize people. WAIT... earlier it was his shadow that vaporized the other guy. and he’s hiding from light... things are adding up. no light equals no shadow equals no vaporization. sort of adding up, at least. because still, how does a shadow vaporize you?

now he was getting held at gunpoint by cops, both of whom stepped into his shadow and get zapped into splotches. this is a distressing situation, but also a silly one. 

new mulder theory: if we have 3 victims, and they were all near the train station, we could cross reference the security camera footage from those 3 days and see if we can find the guy they've looking for. “that’s assuming that we’re looking for a guy”, says scully, which made me laugh because i had seen that blooper clip and giggled profusely

mystery man is spotted on the camera and jacket identified as working at the magnet place… same as the very first victim!

off to the magnet laboratory to get the scoop on this dr. banton fellow. we get a backstory reveal: he was involved in a terrible accident! he was investigating dark matter. oh man, you can’t be fucking with such things. 

the scientist guy is babbling about particles and dark matter. and while i am trying to keep up, there are bigger thoughts taking up space in my mind. namely: scully you are soooooo pretty idgaf about the particle accelerator <3

we see the scene of the accident, where dr. banton's shadow was burned into the wall……. the energy slid through his body?? girl idk. his coworker said it was almost like he wanted it to happen. maybe you get so involved in dark matter theories that you just want to taste it for yourself. anyway, the shadow left by the zapping looks like the other splotches….. 

train station time. going with the agents to the train station. boy i wish all of the US was supported by a rail system.

he points out that dr. banton was staring at the ground for a loooong time and he's trying to figure out why.

“nonsensical repetitive behavior is a common trait of mental illness” “you trying to tell me something?” YESSSS! i have seen this gif many times and now i understand its context.

(also yes mulder has got Something going on. he has been diagnosed in my headcanon with ocd... i am sure there has been plenty of discourse as to if that is the "correct" label for what is going on in his mind but it's my interpretation and i make the rules <3)

he's taking in the whole environment of the train station, and notices that the light is soft… diffused… no shadows… maybe dr.banton is looking for such an environment... BAM he rounds the corner!

aaaand he’s running but you cannot forget that mulder is a track star! you cannot outrun him! and sure enough, they got him. mulder picks up on what's going down and shoots the lights out so there are no shadows while they talk

now banton is in a facility with soft light smoking a cigarette. very 2013 aesthetic.

he's trying to explain his affliction: “my shadow isn’t mine… it’s like a black hole”

first thought: okay??? um. how and why. second thought: can we harness this for superhero purposes? fight crime by banishing the bad guys to the Void. that's an x-men adjacent power.

dr. banton says the government is after him and they are going to "suck his brain". he begs mulder to free him before this can occur, as if that is a normal predicament to try and escape from and as if mulder has any control over this situation.

the detective’s boss is pissed the FBI is there... like girl calm down does anyone really care? all this nonsense about jurisdiction and people getting frustrated when departments cross. man, if i was in a situation like this, i would be harnessing the power of teamwork, but they never seem to do that. the agents are dismissed, but mulder tells detective kelly that dr. banton needs to be in soft light.

okay, so despite my interjection of "girl who cares", clearly they care. and i'd like to wonder aloud about this exchange:

“I hope you know what you’re doing Scully, putting Detective Ryan’s ambition ahead of all good sense in this case”

“Ambition? She’s a woman trying to survive the boy’s club, Mulder. Believe me, I know how she feels”

because he’s like “we just handed over the a bomb to the Boy Scouts”

and he thinks this new detective is gonna get evaporated but also again they have no jurisdiction so like?? i wrote that i was lost and then i rewatched the scene and was still lost. he seems to be questioning scully's judgement on letting the detective take this case, which she was not in charge of assigning the detective to, and that they only agreed to help out on. so they help and then there is nothing more that can be done because it is Not Their Case. but it also seems to be less about the fact that he is concerned with the detective getting evaporated and more into fending off the alleged brain suckers.

i didn't really get it but i wrote "the girls are fightingggggg"

X AT THE STATION??? 

ohhhh mulder wants info, but X can’t help him because he exposed his identity to skinner and scully last time!!! “and you can trust them as you trust me”, says mulder, trying to get X to believe in the goodness of humanity

X brushes mulder off and says “promise you won’t contact me again unless absolutely necessary” <- damn power imbalance going crazy 

then we se X at the psychiatric facility???? breaking dr. banton out??? is he gonna be part of the brain sucking squad? he's got 2 guys helping him out, but they step in the room and the men grabbing him got zapped out of existence. X lets dr. banton run and looks very confused about the zapping of his colleagues. 

HUH? so is X doing this because he is trying to help mulder or is he really part of the government who wants to experiment on banton? by the end of the episode, it looks like he is, in fact, allied with the brain suckers... but to what extent?

OH! dr. banton got back to his old workplace and his friend the fellow magnet scientist. but the detective catches him there. and she forces him to step against the wall and his shadow gets on her and she. uh. falls screaming into a black hole? and then leaves a burn mark like all of the other cases? man what is going on.

so banton is going back into the chamber where he was previously zapped to try and unzap himself. but he gets in the chamber and his “friend” reveals he’s working for the government that wants to catch him!!!!

BUT SOMEONE SHOOTS THE DUDE WHO HAD LOCKED HIM IN THE ROOM. It was X?! WHAT is the motive here!!!

okay, agents on the scene. accelerator is up and getting ready to zap. ZAP! another shadow shows up. so unzap the zapped equals no more banton? girl where did he go.

mulder is MAD and he is at the place X met him last time. confrontation time! mulder is pissed X used him to get to banton and again X is once again flaunting the power imbalance between them. and because X tricked him, banton is dead and so is the detective!!! boy, that has got to be bad news for mulder who blames himself for everything 

he says to X: “promise me this will be our last meeting. we’re finished” and why do I feel that this is a bad idea!!!

X says he didn’t kill banton, and walks away. and also that this is a dangerous time to go at it alone. WHAT DO YOU MEAN! first skinner's cryptic messages about the darkness that is coming, and now X?

NOOOO Scully at her student the detective's funeral... this is soooo evil. 

mulder is there but he’s late. he’s in sunglasses and they’re funny. she says this feels wrong and it shouldn’t have happened, a student came to her for help and she gave it and now the student is dead. oh scully pls do not blame yourself. it feels like they were led on this track on purpose.

mulder was late because he was tied up with a missing person’s case; the other guy from the magnet lab went missing that same morning. so maybe it was other guy in the room that had been zapped and not banton? 

X AT THE SCENE OF THE MAGNET LAB. watching the other guy run tests on banton??? a tear drops down his face. X is complicit in unethical human experimentation...

so, i’m confused on many levels. it seems like someone got the detective involved because she knew she would go to scully for help and get them roped into this case. but if that WAS what happened, you know that you buy one get one free with these 2, so why would you want to get scully involved if that meant mulder would also get involved, and mulder being the closest (arguably) to X would expose X’s involvement and whatever ulterior motive he is playing to? hasn’t scully suffered enough without being forced to wonder if her helping someone started a domino effect that resulted in death? and all of this is over a guy who zapped himself with black matter and his shadow burns people up. huh?

and how deep is X in with the government doing the evil stuff? is he just distracting mulder with various side quests to keep him from discovering the nefarious deeds they are up to? does X know cigarette guy?

i don’t like when they fight. i actually LOVE when they fight over things that make sense. but i was confused over the fight they had in this episode because he was mad that she was letting the detective… do her job? and he didn’t seem to think she could handle a guy that vaporizes people with his shadow, which i mean, fair enough, tough case for a newbie, but blaming that on scully really pissed me off because?? it’s not her fault??? they also were only involved unofficially so did he think somehow they were supposed to swoop in and rescue the dude to prevent all this from happening? and how do you even rescue a guy whose shadow vaporizes people?

either this makes no sense, i’m wildly misunderstanding something, or a plot is afoot. or all three really. pls feel free to enlighten me with what you thought on this episode and let me know if there is something i am interpreting entirely incorrectly. or not! it could be fun to try and put the pieces together myself. regardless, i am pleased we were reunited

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien's Through Thousands of Mirrors event translation (Day 2 - Friday)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

This post contains a HEAVY SPOILER for the event that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Through Thousands of Mirrors Event | Day 1 | Day 2 (You're here!) | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | HS/Uni SSR Story: Monochrome Scenery

-

[PREVIEW]

Everyone's school life is different. Some people wake up early to go to the library to research and study in advance, while others get up early to row on the Charles River for practice.

Lucien stops and watches the students training for a while until a woken goose begins to quack, flaps its wings in discontent, and fixes its deep, dark eyes on him.

I'm just passing by...

Lucien thought. He carefully and slowly backs away, leaving the dangerous place*.

-

[T/N: "是非之地" (shìfēi zhī dì) is a Chinese phrase that literally translated to "a place of right and wrong". it more or less mean a place where one is apt to get into trouble; in this case a place where there's a goose about to chase you at the slightest provocation😂. Funny how he now gets along well with another goose in current farming event LOL]

Also the fact that Lucien's campus is near Charles River basically confirms that his campus is definitely MIT; just get parodied to avoid copyright issues (in case if PG want to make merch of it).

-

[NEUROSCIENCE]

After class, Dr. Lawson stays for a while to chat with Lucien. It's unusual for Dr. Lawson to do so.

"Doctor, what's the matter?

"Did you already know the content we discussed today?"

"Yes, but I'm still very happy to hear it again."

-

[COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE]

When every piece of data is where it should be, within the expected range, and operates as it should, one should rightfully obtain the expected results, shouldn't they?

The irrefutable fact gives its answer with a smile: Nope!

-

[BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE]

Today, this class has a special guest lecturer. In order to help students gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and the broader applications of biomedical science, the professor has invited his working forensic scientist friend.

Pretty cool.

Wait, isn't this professor's network a bit too extensive?

-

[FREE TIME]

No one dislikes Fridays.

Especially a Friday when everything at hand has been taken care of and you earned some free time.

In a few hours, there will be other things to do, and the weekend should also be used to prepare for the upcoming week.

But at least for now, Lucien feels he deserves to enjoy the warm afternoon sunlight and the comfortable hammock.

-

[LAB]

Lucien frowns as he looks at the chart, "Let me run it again."

After a brief moment of consideration, Professor Lawson gives a suggestion, saying, "Hmm... No need. Let Elliot run it instead."

Despite his doubts, Lucien still went ahead and followed the advice.

Not long after, he gets a beautiful chart.

"Did I make an error in my operation?"

Colt, who was passing by, glances and says, "Elliot is lucky. If there are any tricky problems, letting him give it a try might just solve them."

Lucien looks at the chart in his hand again and feels that, someday when recruiting people for his laboratory, he should perhaps consider luck as one of the factors.

-

[Tidbits: And he did 🥹 In the future, he will hire a scientist named Luo Ke, with one factor being the rumor that Luo Ke brings good luck to lab experiments [Lab Koi call] 🤣 It's cute that this not-so-scientific behavior can be traced back to this particular past event]

-

[LAB]

In the laboratory, many problems can be answered by Caroline.

"Caroline, did I use the reagents incorrectly?" Elliot asks in confusion.

"Caroline, do you have time to create a presentation poster for the project?" Dr. Lawson proudly asks, confident in Caroline's abilities.

"Caroline— the photocopier has stopped working," Colt wails in despair.

In the midst of the recurring "Caroline to the rescue"; only Lucien remains silent.

For the sake of easy record-keeping and review, he chooses to send an email.

-

[MEETING]

Lucien's report this week also receives extremely high praise from Professor Lawson.

"But then again, Lucien,"

"After you joined our laboratory, the electricity bill went up a bit, supposedly because of overnight power usage and keeping the lights on."

Lucien smiles quietly and then looks away.

[salad-006]

I know you already gave us your thoughts about Eddsworld Legacy, but what do you think about Eddsworld Beyond for now?

To be completely honest, I'm really on the fence with beyond. They're in like this weird fluctuating state, and to me that comes off like them not knowing what they're doing

Sometimes we'll get something hilarious, but more often than not beyond feels awkard and rushed. Stilted is the best word i think. (I'm also just really not a fan of jons animation for the show, which doesn't help at all. His EW style has always felt extremely flat to me ,sorry jon)

More options down below vv

Stuff usually feel unfinished or rushed somehow , ex surf n turf. Part one was probably the most uncomfortable episodes we've gotten so far. you could've easily rearranged things so that the intro of them arriving at the beach was at the beginning of part two, and have it be a single episode. It feels like filler before the actual plot starts next episode

It kinda feels like they're trying to imitate every aspect of Edds work, and it's giving me like. Skinwalker vibes. I get it, Edd made little short animtions with random new characters occasionally. But when a full team makes one with a new character, ties an ad read to it, then never touches that character again, it feels confusing and out of place. IDK i just feel like you loose that ability to just make whatever you want when you put together a team, even if its a small indie group. Maybe im wrong there but the point is i thouht the birds and the bees was dumb

I'll keep my option on the team brief. I don't hate anyone on the team nor do i think any of them are Bad People, but there's definitely been a lot of questionable behavior that has come from these guys. Example, I've always been offput by their relationship with Tord’s characters. In the website they put this:

Yet consistently tease the fans with his existence (ex the caveman episode, tori being canonized, his picture clearly torn out in SnT1, having an entire month of tord merch) Either address the situation or don't, guys. You can't sarcastically be like "oh get over it" when YOU'RE the ones that keep bringing him back. You didn't even answer the question dude, no wonder so many kids beg for his return

I guess I can't be THAT pissed when the money all went to charity, but it still just feels inherently weird and disrespectful to merchandise this character after his creator removed him nearly 15 years ago. Atleast Tomska allegedly asked permission and had good intentions. This feels like they (beyond) just don't give a fuck. If any team members are reading this I'm BEGGING YOU: STOP LETTING THEM BRING BACK TORD . THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT . Tord Larsson deserves to be left alone, and to stop getting connected to this show in his past.

Despite everything, I still want to support the team. I'll be honest, SnT2 gave me hope for the series I haven't had in quite a while. It wasn't the greatest, but it was a step upwards. And I'd love to see them keep going up ! Genuinely, I would love nothing more than to see these guys succeed in recreating what made the show good initially. Eddsworld changed my life, so really its incredible to see it still kicking around today. Even if it's in this weird, amorphous glob state. They just need to figure out what the hell they're doing

TLDR: the current state of the show is kinda rough, the team feels discombobulated and has made some weird decisions, however I still have hope that they can make this into something amazing someday

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

CELEBRITY | chapter 4

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

SYNOPSIS: The protagonist knows for a fact she'll be famous someday. The way it happens is not as she planned, though. WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol; minors dni.

|[previous chapter]| — |[masterlist]|

CHAPTER IV — THE KISS

As she takes a hesitant sip of her first drink of the night, bitterness dances on her tongue. The anonymous messages and the media circus still linger on her mind, whispering doubts that threaten to drown the once vivid dreams she held. 

Our girl, delusional in her pursuit of fame, now faces the harsh reality that her dreams might crumble like fragile stardust.

She looks into the swirling liquid in her glass, regret pools within her. Regret for getting tangled up with that football player, for the choices that led her to this precipice of chaos. 

A lifetime spent chasing the fairy tale of fame, imagining herself bathed in the spotlight's glow, basking in the cheers of an adoring crowd. Now, that dream is threatened. The protagonist grapples with the realization that her pursuit of stardom might be nothing but  a mirage.

A tap on the shoulder jerks her away from the erratic rhythms of the club, and she turns to see Rúben standing there, a silhouette against the pulsating lights of the nightclub. "It's just me." He says, his voice barely audible over the thumping music. "I've been looking for you." Avoiding the curious glances from the crowd, he motions towards a secluded corner. "Let's talk." He suggests, leading her away from the chaos.

Little did Rúben know, this exclusive VIP area, wrapped in luxury and seclusion, was not foreign territory to her. She was here with REDACTED once or twice before, a history she chooses to shroud in this moment. 

Rúben speaks in her ear. "I was worried. You didn't answer my texts. Needed to make sure you were okay, and that everything was settled between us." He confesses, speaking with sincerity.

The protagonist takes a moment before responding. "Between us, yes." She barely settles into her decision, a subtle doubt in her voice.

Meeting Rúben's eyes, she catches a flicker of uncertainty, a question unspoken. Rúben, not quite sure if he should dig deeper, lets it out. "Honestly, not even sure if I should be talking to you right now." 

A chuckle escapes Rúben, but the protagonist doesn't find it amusing. Confusion across her face, she cuts through the tension with a blunt: "Why the hell not?"

"I don't think your ex would like seeing me with you." Rúben says. The protagonist, trying to avoid the topic, takes a swig of her drink, clocking that Rúben’s not having any.

"You're not drinking?" She observes.

"No, no. I'm not much of a drinker." Rúben scans the surroundings, visibly uncomfortable. "Just came by to see you. Heard you like this place." He absentmindedly scratches his neck, a nervous habit showing. "Thought all this drama might be hitting you hard, so I wanted to make sure you're holding up."

“Right, you said that already.” She leans in even closer, and Rúben starts toying with the hem of her short dress. Sitting face to face, knees touching, she whispers into his ear, taking a good, lingering look at his handsome face, savoring his good looks.

"Don't give me that look..." He warns, blushing.

"What look?" She feigns innocence.

Rúben's fingers continue to play with the hem of her dress absentmindedly, the distant thump of the music forming a backdrop to the building tension between them.

"Why did you come here, really?" He asks, his voice low, matching the intimate atmosphere.

"Needed a break." She replies with a nonchalant shrug.

Rúben understands, planting a brief, almost careless kiss on her cheek. He rises from his seat, casting a glance across the crowded chaos of the nightclub. "Gotta go. Try not to get yourself into too much trouble, okay?"

She shoots back a half-smile, a glimmer of defiance in her eyes. “I can’t promise you that.” Looking around and feeling like there's not much else to do here, the protagonist rises from her seat. “I should be going too.”

“Need a ride?” Rúben can't help himself, almost biting his tongue after the words escape.

“You just told me not to get into trouble.” She laughs, exposing his hypocrisy.

“I know, I know…” Rúben is hesitant, getting a good look at her. She's too pretty for him to back out now. He puts his hand up in the air in surrender. “It’s just a ride!” Even he doesn't believe that.

With all the things happening to her lately, the last thing our girl will do is refuse to spend more time with a handsome man. 

They walk out separately.

The night air hits them like a slap as they stumble out of the club, leaving behind the heat and chaos. Rúben, ever the gentleman, gestures towards his sleek car. She shoots him a look, half teasing, before sinking into the passenger seat. The car roars to life, a metallic beast merging into the rhythmic chaos of the city's nightlife.

The drive is filled with moments of comfortable silence, punctuated by the distant sounds of the city. As they approach her stop, she hesitates, hand lingering on the door handle.

"Thanks for the ride." She says, a subtle tension threading through her words.

"Any time." Rúben mumbles, his voice a low growl echoing in the car's close quarters.

In the muted ambiance, time seems to stretch, and the air thickens with an unspoken longing. They find themselves suspended in a moment charged with the electricity of possibility. Without a word, Rúben's hand, rough but oddly tender, gently lifts her chin, his eyes locked onto hers.

Their mouths collide with an urgency that mirrors the chaos they're trying to escape. The kiss that follows is a feverish dance of intertwined lips and deep desire. Outside, the city lights cast erratic shadows on their flushed faces.

As they break apart, breathless and blushing, the cityscape around them feels different somehow.

“Oh!” Escapes the protagonist’s lips. They stare at each other like they have just seen a ghost. She waits for Rúben to say something, but he appears to regret the kiss even more than she does. So, she blurts out the first thing on her mind.  “I’m getting threatening anonymous messages.”

“What?” It takes him a full minute to try to process what she said. “No. What? What do you mean?”

“Somebody sent me a video of the fight at REDACTED’s house.” She inhales deeply, the aftermath of the kiss still lingering. “I don’t know who it was.”

“Someone recorded it…?” He inquires, attempting to connect the dots. “So that’s someone who was at the house!” Rúben runs his hand through his hair, scratches his neck nervously, then continues his train of thought. “I don’t know his friends very well… Fuck.” As he says that he stares at her lips. “Let me help you with this.”

“Are you sure?” The protagonist asks with her sweetest voice.

Rúben nods assertively.

“Yep, I’m sure.”

|[masterlist]| — |[next chapter]| join the taglist @kcharlyy @melanieph321 @goregoal

[hummingbird-of-light]

In Our Favor

Part 343

McCoy

“Scotty… what is—”

“Nothing!” Scotty cried as he hurried over and grabbed the small box from McCoy’s hand. McCoy stared in surprise as his husband’s face grew bright red.

Suddenly, understanding washed over McCoy, and his own face heated.

“Did I— did I just ruin a surprise?” he asked, embarrassed.

“Nay!” Scotty sat heavily on their bed. “Aye,” he said quietly. He brought the hand not holding the box up to cover his face, mumbling something McCoy couldn’t hear.

“Oh,” McCoy said softly. “Scotty, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean- I was just trying to be helpful and now I’ve gone and ruined your surprise—”

“Not mine,” Scotty interrupted him, sounding miserable. “I feel a fool. I told him ye’d never bother that bag, my books being in there and ye having no interest.”

“‘Him?’” McCoy paused. “Robbie?”

Scotty gave a slight nod.

Another realization passed through McCoy and he felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

“Is that—? Is he going to—”

“Aye,” Scotty said just above a whisper.

McCoy crossed over to the bed and sat down next to his husband.

“I don’t know when and I promised that hiding it in here would keep the lass from accidentally finding it.” Scotty had dropped the hand from his face, and McCoy could see his frustrated, disappointed expression.

The prince slipped an arm around him and pulled him close.

“I won’t say anything. I won’t let on that I know at all. We’ll put it back in your bag and pretend this didn’t happen.”

Scotty looked over at him, a weak smile pulling at his lips and he sighed.

“I promise darlin’,” McCoy said reassuringly. “Robbie won’t know that I know.”

Scotty sighed again, but nodded slowly. He stood up and went to the bag with his books. He slipped the small box back in and pulled out a book.

They spent the rest of the time before dinner snuggled together each reading their own book. McCoy’s focus had not kept on his book as much as it could have. His thoughts had been racing. Robbie wanted to propose to Leah?

Of course he was delighted by the idea; Leah and Robbie were as made for each other as he himself and Scotty. Their families would be tied together even tighter.

But did Robbie really know what he was getting into?

Not only would he marry the princess of Georgiares II, Leah would someday be the queen— the first queen to rule the planet. Eyes would be on her from all over, and scrutiny would follow. Her every move, every judgment or ruling, would be held up against a long history of kings.

McCoy knew his sister would hate it, but she would handle it with grace. Could Robbie? Would he find strength to take on the pressures of royal life? McCoy loved his brother in law, but he had seen Robbie retreat into solitude in hard times.

The prince kept a soft sigh to himself. Of course Robbie would learn. With Leah at his side, with David and Eleanor to support them and guide them, Robbie could learn.

Leah and Robbie were already at the table when McCoy and Scotty entered the dining room. McCoy kept his face neutral and greeted both as they looked up.

“These two were telling me about town,” Dr. Boyce said from his seat at the end of the table. “Did you two also have a good time?”

McCoy turned to face his former teacher as he sat. He wouldn’t give anything away. Robbie would never know that McCoy knew.

“A very good time,” McCoy answered the doctor.

Part 344

Scotty

Two days later, the right time had come and the small group made their way to the slopes. Scotty noticed that Robbie was very worried about Leah, knowing full well what had happened the previous winter. The princess kept reassuring him that it had only been an accident and that it wouldn't happen again. After all, she was actually a very experienced snowboarder.

Scotty was looking forward to trying it again.

After a brief reminder of all the important facts from a trainer, they set off.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Lenny!" A grin was on Leah's lips as she looked to her little brother, who just rolled his eyes.

"Ha, no way! We both know I'm going to win."

Robbie groaned. "Could the two of ye please not treat this like a competition?"

"Hey, where's your fighting spirit, sweetie?" Leah's gaze traveled to her boyfriend and he raised a critical eyebrow at her. The princess of Georgiares sighed. "It'll be fine. I promise."

For a moment, the two just stared at each other before Robbie dropped his shoulders and looked down the mountain.

"Well then... Let's go."

It was an incredible feeling to ride down the slope. Scotty enjoyed the cool air blowing towards him. He had quickly found a suitable pace at which he felt safe.

A little further into the lead were Leah and Leonard, who were in a neck-and-neck race. Neither of them wanted to be the loser. Their sibling rivalry in sport was once again clearly evident. But that's the way the two of them were.

In complete contrast to the Scott brothers.

Scotty cast a cautious glance over his shoulder. Robbie was a little behind, didn't seem to feel too confident on the snowboard. Perhaps it was simply the worry that something might happen again.

But luckily nothing happened.

When the brothers arrived at the foot of the mountain, Leah and Leonard were already there. It was clear from the expressions on their faces which of them had been quicker.

Leah had a broad grin on her lips, while Leonard had his arms crossed. Scotty immediately went to his husband and gave him a kiss.

"That's the spirit, Scotty. Comfort our poor little Lenny."

Leonard didn't take that lying down. He glared angrily at his sister.

"Oh, you're such a show-off!"

Leah only shrugged her shoulders, before she welcomed Robbie with a hug. She kissed him lovingly.

"You were great, Robbie. And it all went well," Scotty heard her say and he saw his brother nod.

"Now, who's up for hot chocolate?"

No one could say no to that.

They were just on the way to the ski lift station, which was quite a walk away, when it suddenly happened.

A loud grumble sounded and everyone flinched, their eyes darting around.

"What was that?" Scotty, who was holding Leonard's hand, squeezed it a little tighter.

And then they saw it.

Masses of snow that came loose and tumbled down the mountain. Slowly at first, then faster and faster.

Scotty's heart dropped and his eyes widened.

"Oh my God."

They stood rooted to the spot for a moment before Leah took the lead.

"We have to get away! Now!"

As quickly as the four of them could, they set off, running for their lives. It was hard to fight through the heavy snow, but the adrenaline gave the group strength and energy.

"Up ahead! There's a cave!" Leonard was the first to see it, pointing his finger at the hole in a rock formation that would save them.

They reached their destination just in time before the avalanche could overtake them.

Completely out of breath, the four fell into each other's arms. They had made it... but that didn't change their predicament.

The avalanche had blocked the entrance. They were trapped in the cave.

[yzeltia]

Closer to You

Chapter 11 Characters: Natsu Obinata, @ladyofvoss 's Thalia Voss, Raiden Obinata, Y'zel Tia, Claudien, Fuyu'li cen Zwhan, Leonnioux Ouraux, Patient Heaven, Hayzel Summers(Hypnos), Rating: T for Teen Notes: Thank you @driftward for the mechanics pass and @ladyofvoss for Our Golden Timeline. Sorry sprout, you can read this someday! Dialogue borrowed from Penguindrum! The next few chapters will heavily reference Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa (though I've had a few allusions along the way).

“Natsu….Natsu…Natsu Obinata!”

A groan escaped Natsu as she stirred awake, her mother looking over her. Yawning, she sat up and stretched before furrowing her brow. “What!? I'm up,” she huffed, watching as the blue-haired Hyur moved out of the room.

“Now you are! You can’t be sleeping all day. Get downstairs and get ready for breakfast,” the woman yelled as she descended to the lower level of their apartment.

Natsu groaned, slipping from her sheets to wash up in her basin before tugging on some pajama bottoms to join her family downstairs. Her father was already at the table, morning coffee steaming in front of him as he flipped through paper. “Thalia, did I remember to pay the water bill? Adeledji is calling to double the late fees during the drought.”

“I remembered,” Thalia answered, handing Natsu some plates to set out.

Natsu tossed her hair a bit, noticing a particular absence from the table. “I don’t understand why Y’zel gets to sleep in and I don’t,” she said, aggressively setting the plates out around the table before rolling her eyes as she set a fifth plate.

“When you’re grown-,” Thalia started before hearing the clamor of footsteps hurrying downstairs followed by Y’zel yawning loudly and noisily pulling his chair with a big yawn.

“Anyroad, I’d like to keep my darling son in his room as much as possible before he abandons his poor mother to go out to the Hinterlands,” Thalia said while setting out a pan of bacon on the table.

Y’zel folded his ears back and avoided eye contact as their mom laid on the dramatics. “Anyroad, I would have let you sleep in, but didn't you have plans with your little alchemist friend? Is he ever going to properly ask you out?” Thalia said, dropping a loaf of bread and knife in front of Raiden for him to cut for them.

Natsu cringed then shook her head, “Fuyu’li? He’s just a friend. If Y’zel didn’t have half the men over 6 fulms rotating through his room I’m sure he’d have found someone by now…Though I think he still fancies his long distance gentleman.”

“Y’know, if I was a Nuhn, no one would balk at me having two girlfriends,” Y’zel grumbled. 

A brief silence fell over the table before the family burst out laughing. The Miqo'te’s ears sunk back, huffing as the other three tried to catch their breaths. Wiping her eye, Thalia shook her head, “I'm sorry sweety. I'm sure you'd make a fine Nuhn.”

Y'zel scoffed a bit then flitted his ears up and turned as the door opened up behind them. Striding in, Claudien waved to the family. “Good morning Obinata-Vosses,” he said, giving Thalia a little kiss on the cheek before sitting down beside Y'zel, doing the same to him as Natsu rolled her eyes.

“Help yourself, Claudien. Y'zel was just telling us about his Nuhn aspirations,” Raiden chuckled.

Claudien chuckled then pretended to cough as Y'zel turned to glare at him. “I was not. I was just making a point it's not uncommon for Miqo'te to have multiple partners,” the latter huffed, hand reaching out at the same time as his sister's for bacon.

Both siblings glared at one another, only to have their hands get little taps from their mother’s wooden spoon, Thalia taking it on herself to distribute the bacon, ensuring Raiden got a few extra slices. “Can’t you two get along for one meal?”

“She started it,” Y’zel pointed out.

“Of course the favorite is innocent,” Natsu shot back.

“Enough,” Raiden said sternly, making the siblings recoil.

“I’m sorry, Claudien. Our mornings are rather eventful. Even moreso when Leonnioux isn’t resting from his late nights bartending at the Quicksand.” Claudien watched on quietly, over buttering a piece of toast before folding a piece of bacon in it. “It’s quite alright. I was an only child, and so meals here are rather enriching. I’m sure you’ll miss it when I return to Idyllshire with Y’zel.”

“I don’t see why I can’t go work for Uncle Asa too. I might not be Sharlayan educated, but I learned plenty from Master X’ruhn and graduated with just as many honors as Y’zel. We could work together for the restoration,” Natsu said, mimicking Claudien’s sandwich making.

“Claudien and Y’zel grew up there. They’re familiar with the territory and dangers present. Besides, we need you here and Leonnioux will want company with your brother so far away,” Raiden said, handing the newspaper over to Claudien.

“And it will give us more time together. Maybe the aunties can come visit and we’ll have a super majority of the house for once,” Thalia said before taking a seat next to her husband, near instantly getting her hand pulled in by him.

“That would be fun,” Natsu mused, before brushing crumbs off her face. “Speaking of fun, I do need to meet up with Fuyu’li. He wants to make plans to take a trip to the Golden Saucer over the weekend.”

“How fun,” Thalia hummed, getting a kiss on the cheek from her daughter.

“How much is it going to cost me this time,” Raiden said wryly, tilting his head to get a peck of his own.

Claudien tilted his head a bit, looking to the ceiling as he mumbled to himself before looking to Y’zel. “You know, I have a theory about the payouts on some of the machines. I think a little outing would be fun before we headed off to the Hinterlands,” he said before catching a reproachful look from Natsu, “Or perhaps we can find a spot of our own.”

Natsu nodded in approval at the change in plans, then hurried upstairs to dress, getting dressed quickly before hurrying downstairs. Stopping at a mirror by the door, she brushed her bare hands through her hair to ensure it wasn’t too out of place before heading outside to their stoop.

“Like I said! The apple is the universe itself! A universe in the palm of your hand. It’s what connects this world with the other world,” a voice sounded out. 

Natsu blinked as two Roegadyn boys passed in front of her before stopping, the older looking one walking backwards with his arms behind his head.

“The other world,” the younger one asked.

“The world where Campenella and other passengers are heading to,” the elder said, becoming exasperated.

“What does an apple have to do with anything though?”

“The apple is a reward for those who have chosen love over everything else,” the elder brother said, waving his arms.

“But everything is over when you’re dead…”

“It’s not over! That’s where everything begins!”

The youngest crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks, “I don’t understand at all.”

“I’m talking about love! Why don’t you get that!?”

“Drowning Thunder! Pouncing Otter! You get over here right now! You’re in the way of that girl trying to get by,” a woman’s voice sounded out. 

Approaching, a smiling Roagedayn woman came to collect her sons, arms filled with grocery bags. “I’m so sorry, miss. They’re bad at looking where they’re going.”

“It’s okay,” Natsu said before bending down to look at the two, “They were just having a little misunderstanding. I’ve had plenty with my older brother. But it’s always okay, because family is always there for one another at the end of the day!”

The boys grinned and gave her a little nod before being ushered away by their mom, both giving her little waves before taking an apple each from their mother and excitedly jumping into conversation with her. Natsu found herself smiling at the scene before a sharp pain hit her in the chest. Wincing, she clutched at her shirt, feeling a rush of melancholy hit her as she braced against the stone rail of her family’s home. It went away quickly, almost as soon as it started. 

Staring down the street, she looked around a moment before remembering she was late to meet her friend. Hurrying along, she took all the quickest shortcuts she knew, passing through alleys and familiar shops before finding herself running up the stairs of the Quicksand toward Fuyu’li. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I hope you weren’t waiting to eat, mom made breakfast and we did the family thing.”

“Must be nice,” Fuyu’li sighed, “I’d love to visit home and have a nice meal with my brother and sisters.”

“You should go visit. I’m sure they’d be happy to see you. And then you can swing through to Thavnair to see that handsome Au Ra of yours,” she teased.

“Perhaps I should, though you’d be utterly lost without me. You’d probably just lounge about your parent’s shop sighing: ‘Oh Fuyu’li, why did I send you away? My life is so boring and dull without you here’,” he dramaticized.

“Hardly. My life could use less Miqo antics. Honestly, I can’t wait for my brother to move on. Mom and dad are always doting all over him. I almost never get any attention unless the aunties come for a visit,” she said, leading the other inside to find them a table, “On the other hand it would be nice to go out to Idyllshire. Master X’ruhn has had work out there before and Uncle Asa is far more interested in teaching me things than dad was. I want to learn more sword play, proper bushido from our homeland. Dad is worried that we'll choose to be adventurers and get ourselves hurt if we pick up a sword.”

“My mother was relieved when I chose science over active combat. No parent wants to see their children struggle or get hurt. They want to see them thrive,” Fuyu'li pointed out.

“I wouldn't get hurt.”

Fuyu'li plopped into a seat, crossing his arms as he swayed his tail side to side. “You don't know that for sure. Besides, the thought is scary enough, isn't it? Your folks know what the stakes are better than most. They don't want you to see you struggle.”

Natsu shrugged, taking her seat with a little sigh. In truth, she didn't want her family to worry; however, she was restless. Adventuring might not be her calling, but she wanted more. She wanted the freedom her big brother had to seemingly be allowed to go off on his own to places like the Hinterlands or study in Old Sharlayan. Anything to go far beyond her birdcage of Ul’dah’s walls.

“Natsu?”

The girl hummed a bit, looking up once realizing the inquiry hadn't come from Fuyu'li, but Leonnioux standing above her. “Oh. I thought you worked the evening shift. I ate already but I wouldn't mind a cool glass of cider and a cinnamon pastry,” she requested with a little wave of her hand. 

“Listen to me Natsu,” Leonnioux said, squatting down to grab her by her shoulders. “This isn't right. We did not have this life.”

Natsu jerked away, “What are you on about? Did you fall off the wagon? Dad is going to be pissed if you're drinking again.”

Leonnioux gave her a little shake, eyes pleading. “Natsu, think. You didn't live this life. This is just a perfect illusion made by some crystals and those sensitive to time, death, and our dreams. You must realize this isn't our world, and then wake the others from their own. I've not much left in me to keep going so I will do my best to rouse the others…please, for Y'zel's sake…I give what's left of me for you to stop him,” he said before holding her hand to his cheek.

Natsu tensed up before feeling the sharp pain in her chest. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to believe what the other was saying. “Leon…I just don't want to be alone anymore…”

Opening her eyes, she found herself in a train car, hand out and holding an apple where Leonnioux once held her hand. Around her, her companions slept peacefully, Patient Heaven among them. Angry, she set aside the apple, then stood,  moving to shake the woman, infuriated as she continued to sleep. “Wake up damn you,” she cried out, raising her hand to slap her before having her wrist caught.

Natsu turned, finding a slightly taller figure holding her arm, face blurred out by a glowing red sigil. Her captor shook their head, long blond hair dancing over their shoulders. “Don’t wake her. You won’t be able to handle her alone,” they warned.

Natsu jerked her hand free, backing up from the other, careful not to bump into Patient Heaven as she stepped away. “Who are you?”

“An awakened Ascian, an Ancient from before the sundering reborn through the lifestream” they said, pulling a black mask from their hip to wave, “Do not worry, I don’t intend to harm you, rather, I brought everyone together here to save them.”

Natsu watched cautiously as the Ascian walked to where Carter propped up against his sleeping brother. They reached out, gently stroking the other’s bangs from his face before turning back to her. “This space was created by Patient Heaven’s desires. A realm of manifested Dynamis,” they said before taking a seat.

“Dynamis?”

“Yes. Willpower and strong emotion made into energy. Patient’s pain, her hopes, dreams of what could have been…her broken heart given form,” they trailed, “Assisted of course by the channeling of Mikoto Jinban, Violet Fisher, and myself’s own Echo.”

“You’re…,” Natsu said before lookingfrom them to Carter, “Hayzel Summers?”

“Yes. Or Hypnos would be a more suitable name in this situation.”

“I don’t understand? What happened? How did we get here?” Natsu asked, stepping forward, “Did she kill us!?”

Hypnos shook their head. “We are not dead. As for how we got here, Mikoto saw that Patient Heaven would be successful in her endeavors, and more pressing, how Y’zel Tia would react. I used Patient’s dynamis to create this space to help undo what has been done so that way you would be ready for what comes after, with a little help. As for the why, well, you have the power to find that all on your own do you not? You can use that same power to wake the others from their sleep. I would see to them first, as when she wakes she will not be pacified easily with all this ambient dynamis.”

Natsu looked back to Patient Heaven as she slept soundly then to her own gloved hands. Carefully, she pulled a glove free then wandered down the car to where Thancred slept. “How did you manage to do all this?” she asked, hand ready to take Thancred's.

Hypnos pursed their lips then stroked their hand through Carter's bangs again. “The only prison for a dreamer is to be awake.”

[moonspirit]

Hi Moon🌙

For ask game for fanfic writers :3

2, 7, 17,29, 30, 64 and 98 (yes, this one on purpose for make you praise yourself and be kinder to yourself 🫶)

Hello Anna T_T This took way too long, I'm so sorry.

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

I answered this one over here :3

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

The first ever fanfic? Oh god, that's more than a decade and a half ago... but okay xD Basically Kei and Hikari (the main couple from S.A) take a trip on a cable car during a winter getaway, and as you can expect, the car stops right in the fucking middle. What happens next? A lot of sexual tension, that's what. I was like... 13 or 14 when I wrote this xD It was titled 'Love in the Ice' btw, lol.

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

Oof, this is hard #_# There's got to be many, though my head is blank now... but... okay. I guess this one from Ch.16 of VBEOW:

He bid her goodbye, once again, and that time had been the most painful of all, because now he knew, there could've been something between them, something called love, and it couldn't be, only because she was supposed to be just Annie, and he wanted that for her more than love.

29. give us a spoiler for one of your stories.

XD Wah, really? A spoiler? Uhhhhhh okay, so there will be a chapter in VBEOW titled "Once a Fighter, Always a Fighter" and personally, I'm very excited for it (though it's a long way away for now). Very vague, I know, but it's a spoiler xD

30. most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

Hm... from a fic? Or just in general? Okay, I guess I'll go with Carl Sagan's dedication to his wife in his book 'Cosmos'. It goes like this: "In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie."

I think about it often, because in our very brief time of conscious life on this (rare) planet, it is certainly such a wonderful thing that we live alongside other wonderful people who touch our hearts and change us forever.

64. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve read?

Ooohh. I think it's got to be "Breathturn" by ladywongs, who wrote it for the touken fandom. I can't find her/their fics up anywhere anymore, but since I have a downloaded copy of it, I often go and re-read it. It was an angsty-smutty piece, which captured the quality of the title very well, imo.

98. what don’t you like about your writing style?

:< Oh no. Everything, sometimes. Other times, I don't like how it seems very much like violet prose... or maybe that's just me because I'm too critical of my skills and hate everything I do haha xD Anyway. Someday, I'll be proud. That's good enough.

Thank you anna T^T You're always too damned sweet :<

[shapelytimber]

Hi there! I am obsessed with those TES tarot cards you made. The shapes, the lines, the colors . . . I think The Devil is my personal favorite.

If you don't mind, could you talk about your compositional choices for those? Like layout, structure, arrangement/placement, visual hierarchy, color decisions? Seven years of art school and no composition lessons . . . I'm taking things into my own hands.

Hello !

First of all, omfg thank you so much ?? I'm so glad you like my silly tarot cards :D

I'm really flattered you asked me this question, so I'll try my best to answer it (I'm no teacher and english is not my first language so I hope it will be comprehensible lggklflfifkf)

When you say your an art student who never had any real composition class, I feel you- I've been an applied art student for 4 years (7 if you count design), and apart from really basic and classic stuff like dividing by thirds, the different shots used in cinema, using a little window to help frame what you are trying to draw from life (witch are all very useful), I never really had many composition tips ?

So yeah idk what I'm doing, but that's art baybee

I'll share my process when it comes to designing my cards and hope it'll help lhgktlgofk

I begin by doing little thumbnails (3-4 cm long maximum) with a non erasable pen (or if I'm doing it digitaly, I dezoom a lot, use a big brush and don't erase what I'm doing)

It helps me coming up with big shapes and an interesting compisition (if your doing this on paper, never draw the borders first, it limits your creativity by "putting your drawing in jail" (wisdom from one of my best teachers))

And I personnaly don't use black lines when doing this, because the uglier the lines the less precious I am.

And because I associate dark lines with clean lineart, and this step is about being messy ! So the uglier colors the better :) (for me)

(I'll use two cards as exemples, one I did by doing thumbnails on paper, and the other on my art program)

(And sorry I could not use the devil as an exemple, it was one of the three cards I did in class and so I skipped the thumbnailing for time saving :/)

Next step is sketching, still using my ugly colors :)

But to talk a bit more about composition, for these I always have the important element of the card near the middle (sanguine's face and his lovers head, and miraak as a whole) (I know trick of the year glgjorlfifjl)

And to help with dynamism, I use a lot of diagonal elements (sanguine's shoulders and hips, his right arm and leg, his is leaning back slightly, and his lover is laid a bit to the left. For miraak he is also laying back, his shoulders are not straight, and his to dragons are going on two different diagonals)

Next comes the line ! For this project I chose to use a pretty simple-ish and stylised look (mainly for time saving since it began as a school project)

The colors are really simple, I just do a grey scale version then apply an overlay on top :)

And as a final touch before adding the title, I add a white frame, that I always put behind the foreground to try give them a bit of depth :))

So to sum up my design brief for these :

- clean and stylised lineart

- one color for the whole illustration (exept for the devil because it was the first one I did and I did not know what I was doing glg'goflf)

- a second very saturated color used to highlight important elements (in either yellow, blue, purple or red)

-always have black somewhere

-white frame behind the foreground

-the numbering alternate between the top right and top left (exept once angain for the devil gmgkfnfon I'll have to change that someday)

-the title is always in the middle on the bottom, on top of the white frame

Hope I answerd your question ^^'

thank you again for the very kind message :)

[dandelion-wings]

Trying to shake a little rust off after a writing hiatus, which means some random scenes as warmups! This is, in theory, from the latter half of the "Jean marries the prince of Khaenri'ah" AU, if I go with a particular thread I'm still debating--whether or not to go with multiple false identities and have Diluc be, at first, in disguise himself. I like identity porn, okay. >> I'm just not sure if it has a plot function. But since I haven't written the main story yet, I can play about freely!

---

When Maram steps out of her private chambers, her son is in her receiving-room, pacing back and forth across the floor. His head jerks up at her entry; there's a brief flash of light in his eyes, the cold pale-blue gleam of Cryo, clear in the left, fractured and flickering in the right. Her heart seizes, as it always does, at that sight.

But he masters himself, reins in the shadow of the Abyss creeping up through him, drawing himself straight in a gesture so reminiscent of his father that Maram almost smiles. Almost, because the stiffness that has become natural in her husband is a warning-sign in her son. His shoulders are held with a rigidity that comes from more than the armor, a tension that's all defensiveness, little as he'd like to know she sees it there.

"What troubles you?" she asks him, beckoning him to join her as she steps up onto the low dais at the center of the room. The benches at the sides are more intimate, but when he's this tense, she doubts that she could make him sit down.

"Diluc," he says, following her up. He takes a formal pose, standing at attention before her like any other knight, but she can still see the tension humming through him in his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, the samll shifts of his weight. "Jean's bodyguard, her Dark Knight- he was there when I went to visit the horses this morning. He didn't tell me, but I remember how he was with horses. Mother, I would swear that it's him."

Maram's hands tighten on the arms of her chair, and she leans forward, nearly as tense as he is. "Is that so?"

"I'm almost certain. It would explain quite a bit. But if he is Diluc…." Below the hollow crackling that the armor gives his voice, Maram can hear the raw edge of distress. "How could I have missed it for so long?"

She can hear the other questions beneath that. Has Diluc changed so much, or has he? Is his memory failing him, or worse yet, his love for the boy he knew? The last shivers through his tone in unspoken terror.

"I have long suspected that mask he wears of holding some enchantment," Maram says firmly, to banish those fears. Her son's mind may go, someday, but never his heart. She trusts in that. "It must be one of concealment. He said he took it from the Fatui, and their spying would benefit from that sort of tool."

He breathes out a sigh that isn't quite relief, but his voice shakes less when he answers, and his chuckle is almost real. "That would explain why he insists on wearing something so hideous. Even Diluc wouldn't sport such an unfashionable trophy without a good reason."

Maram relaxes a bit herself. But not entirely. "Now that you know, love, would you like me to kill him for you? If I do it myself, you don't have to lie to your wife. Formidable as he seems to be, my Wind Glede and I are his equal, and I know how to take a man by surprise."

"No!" He rocks back on his heels in shock and horror, armor grating on itself. "Why would you do that? That's the last thing- that's hardly necessary."

Because she wants to kill him, Maram doesn't say, and had hoped he might allow it, though she'd already known that would be his answer. Her son's heart is his greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness.

"Your father would have ordered it. He's hurt you once, and we'll take no more chances with you if we can avoid it."

"No," he says again, more firmly, regaining his composure. "He's here to guard Jean. Our court is enough of a threat to her without taking away one of her protectors. He has no idea who I am, and I intend to keep it that way."

"And how will you do that when your curse comes to an end?"

"I'll handle that when it happens." He chuckles, and Maram feels her heart ache anew at the false blitheness of it.

As his Queen, she could overrule him; as his mother, she dares not to. Her heart has always been her greatest weakness, as well. If she does lose him to his people's curse, as he's so certain that she will, she doesn't want him to go still angry at her for her actions.

If she does lose him to that curse, to the darkness that first gathered in that wounded eye, she can always wait until he's gone to kill Diluc Ragnvindr for his betrayal.

[weakforskz]

Sounds Of Someday- Chapter 1: The First Meeting

Summary: Sam and Dean first meet Dejah when Bobby unexpectedly falls into a coma. They discover they weren’t the only people Bobby cared for. They meet her again later, right before Bobby passes away. After his passing, she wants to help them take down the leviathans and becomes forever entangled in their lives.

2008

Dejah

As I glance at my phone, an unknown number appears on the screen. I hesitate to answer it and allow it to go to voicemail. However, my curiosity is piqued when I listen to the message: "This is UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. We hope to contact Ms. Dejah Kiligan regarding Robert Singer's well-being. This name and number were listed as one of two emergency contacts. If this is you, please call us back at your earliest convenience. Thank you."

I immediately call the number back, "Hi, this is Dejah Kiligan. I was just informed about Robert Singer." There's a brief pause on the other end before the lady who called me answers, "Yes, that was me who made the call. I'm glad you were able to get back to us.” 

I don't waste any time and ask, "He's like a father to me. What happened to him?" "He unexpectedly fell into a coma with no other complications," she replies. I'm puzzled and say, "Really? That's quite strange." "Yes, ma'am, that's the case," she confirms.

I nod and ask, "Alright, could I please get his room number so I can visit him?" I grab a pen and paper quickly. "Yes, ma'am. He's in room 314," she says. I jot down the number and say, "Alright, 314. Thank you so much. Bye-bye." "Bye-bye," she responds.

I hang up the phone and immediately email my bosses, informing them I'll be out most of the week. I then pack my belongings and prepare to leave.

I rush to the hospital, still feeling puzzled about Bobby's sudden coma. As I walk through the hospital corridors, I can't help but feel a sense of dread. I take a deep breath and steadies myself before entering Bobby's room. 

I see him lying there, hooked up to machines, and my heart sinks. I pull up a chair next to him and take his hand. I whisper, "Hey, Bobby. It's me, it’s Dejah. I'm here." 

As I sit there, two men enter the room. “Can we help you?” One of the two asks, weary about my presence in the room. “Yes, I’m Dejah. Bobby is a dear friend of mine.” Both men look at me confused, “I wonder why he never told either of us about you.” The other man wonders aloud. I nod in agreement, “Yeah, me too,” The man who spoke first sticks his hand out, “I’m Dean, and this is my brother Sam. Nice to meet you. I’m glad Bobby has at least one other person in his life.” I shake his hand and then Sam’s, “Nice to meet both of y’all. And likewise, I’m thrilled Bobby has other people in his life.”

As we talk, there's something different about these two men. They're not like anyone I've ever met. However, I don't dwell on it too much, as my focus is on Bobby and his recovery. 

After spending a few hours with Bobby, I return to my hotel. Before I leave, Dean gives me his number, “Here. Call me if you need anything, okay? We’ll also keep you updated on Bobby as needed.” I graciously take the piece of paper, “Thanks. I will. Here’s mine in case you need to contact me first.” I hand him a slip of paper back.

Dean sits with a conscience and sits up Bobby as I return to the hospital. “Bobby! Thank God you’re okay!” I run over and hug him tightly. “I ain’t dead yet, child.” He retorts, and I giggle. “And you weren’t worried about me, were ‘ya?” My head shakes, “Na, ‘course not. I know you’re tough and whatnot.” Bobby rolls his eyes, and Dean scoffs. My eyes sharpen, and my gaze shifts towards Dean with a hint of warning. His scoff quickly turns into a nervous chuckle as he realizes he has overstepped. 

I turn back towards Bobby, "What happened?" I ask, concern lacing my voice. “Work,” Bobby responds. I nod, “So, a case gone wrong.” I muse, and Bobby nods. “She knows?”Dean voices his confusion. “Yeah.”

 Sam enters the room before more can be said, “So, uh, stoner boy wasn’t in his dorm. My guess is he’s long gone by now.” He glances over to Bobby, still in disbelief that he’s awake. “He ain’t much of a stoner.” Dean looks confused yet again, “No?” “No.” Bobby responds, “His name is Jeremy Frost, full-on genius, 160 I.Q. Which is saying something, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head.” He continues, and Sam looks miffed. 

Bobby grabs one of many pieces of paper off the tray before him and hands it to Sam. “Here’s father of the year. He died before Jeremy was 10.” “Looks like a real sweetheart,” Sam responds sarcastically before handing the paper back to Bobby. “Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand. He hasn’t dreamt since.” “Till he started dosing the dream drug.” Dean deduces from the conversation, yet I’m still confused, not fully aware of what’s going on. “Yep.” Bobby responds, nodding his head. “How did he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?” Dean questions. “Hey, he was rooting around in my skull. God knows what he saw in there.” Bobby deflects, but Sam sees through it, “Yeah, how’d he get in there in the first place? Isn’t he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA, or something?”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees. “Yeah,” Bobby agrees, “Before I knew it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest friggin’ thing.” I roll my eyes at Bobby. “Of course, ya did,” I mutter. Dean looks down and does not make eye contact. “Oh, I don’t know. It wasn’t that dumb.” He laughs nervously and looks up at Sam and Bobby, whose eyes are on him now. “Dean, you didn’t.” Sam glares at him. “I was thirsty.” Dean rationalizes his dumb mistake. “That’s great! Now, he can come after either one of you.” Sam scolds, his voice growing slightly louder. “Well, now we just have to find him first,” Dean states, staying calm. “We better work fast and coffee up. ‘Cause the one thing we cannot do is fall asleep.” Bobby reveals.

I stay with Bobby until he is released from the hospital. “I should head back. I didn’t tell my boss exactly how long I planned to be gone, and I have work to do. Plus, I know you, Sam, and Dean can handle what’s going on here.” Bobby nods, “I understand. Hey, thanks for coming and checkin’ on me.” I smile at him. “Of course, Bobby. I mean, you’re really the only family I have, so of course I had to be here for you.” We hug before I turn to walk away. “Bye, Bobby!” “See ya kid.”

[executethyself35]

There's this thing that i haven't rlly seen talked about as much, and it's even after you do everything to present masc with being pre-everything, is that there’s a possibility that you're still going to get misgendered. I struggle with this all the time and it takes a toll on me mentally. When i got my binder i believed that if my chest was going to be flat i was going to finally be seen as a guy, that has rarely happened. I believed this, because i've seen so many of my trans siblings online get their binders and talk about how they got gendered correctly, which i'm very happy for them, but this caused me to believe that the same thing would happen for me. One of the VERY FEW times i've been properly gendered in person was on Tuesday at my UIL concert, i was walking towards the restrooms and this lady who was working there saw me pass by briefly in my tux, and immediately thought i was guy, and saw that i was walking towards the womens restroom (i am not comfortable enough to use the mens, and me being constantly misgendered is the big reason behind it), and she told me the mens was over there, but when i turned and she saw my face it clicked in her head that i was a 'girl', in that brief moment i was so happy, but looking back at it, she saw my face and immediately clocked me as a 'girl'. I try everything in my power to present masculine, wether that's doing my makeup in a masc way, dressing masc, having my hair in masc haircut, lowering my voice, and binding my chest to hide it, and i still get called a girl. And somedays i question wether it's worth it to even try anymore, it hurts more to be called a girl when you're trying not to look like one, than to be called one when you are dressed like one. And everyone tells me it'll get better, which i know it will, but i want to know when, when will it get better for me?? When will i finally be seen as a guy?? And i ask what about me makes people see a girl and not a guy, and no one can give me a good answer. I've been told that i give masculine energy, that i just radiate that i'm a guy, but if i do, then why do i still get called a girl?? I want a proper answer to this question and not some bullshit, i want to be told what the hell is making people see me as a girl, so i can fix this shit. Because it's getting to the point where somedays even with my binder on, my dysphoria is making me notice everything feminine about me.

Thank you all for coming to my TED Talk, i expect this to get no attention

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

Prompt request?

Blasted Scorn + disguise/dressing up

sksksk, this was an unexpected yet fun idea! i didn't think whether disguises would have a pivotal part in their adventures. however, i suppose this is making me think.^^

somehow, it turned out to be about discussion of disguises and a domestic moment. however, i wrote what i could write. ^-^ 🌊🌊🌊

send me a prompt? for any oc, dynamic, fandom characters, concepts.

Word Count: 796 T.W/C.W: None-ish

***

"Do you expect me to put. . ." Ianette shuddered, lifting a wig from the crest. ". . . this?"

"We need to be in disguises," Titanarin answered with a shrug.

Ianette simply arched a brow. "You mean need me and a few others to be in disguises. But do I need to hide my hair with it? Couldn't I borrow one of your hats?"

"If you insist, alright then." Titanarin launched out of their seat, sauntering towards a tunic from a hanger. "Okay, what about you, Kumari? What will you choose?"

After word of a corrupted duchess hosting a party at her manor, someone sold seven invitations to them. Several other people of high status would be in attendance. And they would sneak in with their crew, infiltrate the areas, where no one would bother going. No one that wasn't a thief, that was.

It would be a grand opportunity to steal some fortune, especially from those of nobility. They didn't go to these sort of events often. And when they did, they would make the most of it.

Piles of trousers, blouses, gowns, and more cluttered up on the floor. Most of them bought from a market owned by merchants that paid their seamstresses and tailors fairly. They didn't steal much in terms of clothing.

And they did stole some from people, who discarded them as if they didn't need it, anymore.

Kumari scrunched her face while examining the various gowns. Tapping a foot.

"This looks nice," Kumari remarked as she picked up a dress, stretching it's puffy sleeves. "Elegant like royalty yet modest enough for a commoner."

Eubha grinned, brimming with her usual energy. "Ooh! Can I have that?! I can pretend to be a princess!"

"Why not a queen?" Nishan asked. "After all, they have more power and reign. They get to sit on a throne. Of course, they need approval from their spouses. However, a queen that runs her kingdom on her own. . . she has freedom. However, she also needs to consider her subjects, I suppose."

"A princess has freedom too," Eubha replied. "She's still royalty, after all."

"You aren't going to dress up as royals, I'm afraid," Titanarin said with a grimace. "Perhaps, people of nobility."

"Is there any actual difference between those that are nobility and royalty?" Ianette asked dryly. "They're all the same, aren't they? People that have status and wealth they need to maintain. By following a rigid set of rules and obligations set forth by those before them."

". . . I suppose. . . You have a point," Nishan replied, her tone weak.

With a brief shrug, Titanarin opened a drawer and removed a small box from it. Setting it on a vanity table, which Eubha stared at. She picked up a powder and inhaled, only to hack up a cough. Nishan and Kumari's faces twisted as if in dismay.

Kumari still grimaced while looking at some armor pieces in their trunk. She poked it, tilting her head.

"How many of these did you manage stealing?" Nishan asked, sounding a pinch concerned.

Titanarin cackled. "Pfft, I wouldn't know. I just knew they'd be helpful, someday."

"Wouldn't they be useful for selling?" Ianette asked, making a face. "I can't fathom of not making money out of these. To people who would be happy to have such finery in their possession."

"No, they should be kept with us." Kumari frowned, clutching on a blouse. She sighed theatrically. "I wouldn't dare to think of giving these away! They're too precious to lose!"

Nishan giggled while Ianette tsked, rubbing their forehead.

When Eubha opened a small box, she gasped. "Jewels! Diamonds! Rubies! Emeralds! They're so wonderful!"

"I suppose we'd fit in like royals if we wear those." Ianette made an affirmative noise. "I'm rather gob smacked you didn't steal a crown."

"Oh, I had an attempt," Titanarin said, feeling rueful. "But those guards had been on my tail, so I had to flee. It all went accordingly to plan until some court lady. Looking for the princess, only to see me instead. And she called on them."

Ianette rolled their eyes. "You ought to have locked that door."

"Well, I was very new at the pirate gig." Titanarin scoffed. "My lack of precision is what cost me a crown. But you don't need it for your disguises."

A squawk resounded into the room as Moloky flapped her wings, soaring towards the jewelry box. She nudged her beak against an emerald, behaving as it belonged to her hoard of treasures.

"Hey!" Ianette threw their arms up. "We're trying to wear our disguises here, you irascible git!"

Eubha and Nishan shared a wild laugh. Kumari grinned, stroking Moloky along her back. Titanarin snorted, settling back into their chair.

Well then. They might take a while to get prepared for that party.

***

[thecoffeelorian]

The Transport On The Left, #3

Title: The Transport On The Left

Chapter: Three

Genre: Drama/Mystery

Word Count: Under 1k

Characters Included: Omega, Phee Genoa

Brief Description: "Of course the kid would feel the tension in the air. She had already sensed other things, other people, being around when nobody else could. That was the first major point to remember going forward.

She had also figured out that puzzle back in Skara Nal without any urging or guidance, almost as though she had been there before--and yet, at the same time, not been there until Phee had brought her along. That was the second major point.

Would it be too much, then, to guess that she could read people's feelings just as easily, even when they refused to admit such feelings to themselves?"

AO3: Click Here

Tags: @megmca @mysticalgalaxysalad @skellymom @ladykagewaki @talesfrommedinastation @slenderboo @localcryptid3 @me-thestarwarsfan @donut1642 @thats-cacti @gray-paladin @idkwhatdoyouwannabecalled @im-not-the-me-i-use-to-be @storminormins @wendywilliamsleftlip @danger-noodles22 @ladylienda @marvel-starwarsfangirl @carlycrays @littlefeatherr @spacemagicandlaserswords and...well, pretty much anyone and everyone who's too darned terrified to even watch one minute of the final season. This is where I'm gonna be until the dust settles, so...care to join me? :3

Special Notes: This divider was created by @djarrex , and so I give all credit to her. :)

One // Two // Three // Four // Five//

"It's...over," Omega manages weakly the moment they had hit hyperspace. "We're unemployed."

Phee Genoa feels a sharp, though painless, sense of finality in all that had just gone down. No longer would this kid, nor any of her brothers, have the opportunity for even the smallest handful of credits to their name. After they had just about kicked down Cid's door in order to get Azi-3 back, naturally, there would be some kind of consequences. Then again, Phee herself had never expected anything this crazy. "I know what you are! And believe you me, everyone else is gonna figure it out someday!"

That sentence alone was more than enough to start making her genuinely scared. Not just for Omega, mind you, but for any others like her still living--because, judging from one of the stories Omega herself had shared, there was just one other living Force-Sensitive who had recently been brought home to Kasshyyk.

Just two Jedi kids left alive.

Alone.

And a whole fleet of Imperials that grew just a little every day…

"...Phee? You okay?"

Kriff.

Of course the kid would feel the tension in the air. She had already sensed other things, other people, being around when nobody else could. That was the first major point to remember going forward. She had also figured out that puzzle back in Skara Nal without any urging or guidance, almost as though she had been there before--and yet, at the same time, not been there until Phee had brought her along. That was the second major point.

Would it be too much, then, to guess that she could read people's feelings just as easily, even when they refused to admit such feelings to themselves?

"...Just thinking, 'Meg."

"About what?"

"About you."

And when it came to that unnatural disaster, the one that just hadn't been recorded in the last thirty years, but made its next appearance literally minutes after Omega had first set foot upon the island--

"Are you feeling okay, I mean? After--well, everything?"

--Was it all that unthinkable that her emotions could end up having an affect upon anentire planet...?

"...I don't know. Nobody's ever asked me before."

And if all of this was true in the here and now..then what might she be capable of later?

"Well, try me. What's on your mind, kid?"

Provided, of course, that the Force allowed her to live that long...?

"...I—I don't think Cid likes me any more."

As if to hint at an answer, an inkling of all that had happened before and all that was going to happen, Phee feels a slight chill in the air that had once been heavy with the Ord Mantell heat. Maybe that was just the normal coldness of space taking over, though, so that wouldn't be too out of the ordinary.

Then again, the natural chill of space alone didn't account for the single hint of warmth that gradually unfurled itself like a blooming flower, and then spread slowly throughout the cabin until finally, she could almost feel it wrapping around them both like an invisible blanket. Or, dare she even think it, a shield.

"Fair. She probably doesn't like a lot of people, though, so—"

"—Yes, but why me?"

And when something like that presented itself, something like a secret weapon kept buried under layers upon layers of cloth, only to suddenly peek out from under it all the moment someone nudged a corner of the disguise away by accident...well, it was only a matter of time before such a secret grew way too large to hide.

"Didn't I help out enough? Didn't I help earn her credits back at the gaming table? I...I thought she liked me…"

Right now, though? Well, the old lizard had obviously done it. She'd gone and broken a little girl's heart, sent her away in a moment of fear, and if that wasn't enough pain heaped onto an innocent, left her alone to deal with her own tears.

"Hey. Hey, come on. Easy…"

"She...she was so nice to me before! What did I do wrong...?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Phee, on the other hand, wastes no time in switching on the autopilot so that she can free herself up to deliver a little bit of comfort.

“You didn't ask for this, okay...? Not for things to go south like that, no matter what that witch said. Do you understand, 'Meg? ‘Meg’ goes quiet for a moment, her usually lively brown eyes sinking to the floor in a moment of sadness. Sadness that isn’t gonna stick around forever, of course, if Phee herself has anything to do with it.

“Come on, kid. Look at me, okay? Do you get that it's not your fault?”

“I think so...yes…”

“Good. And whatever you do, don't feel responsible if somebody else wants to act up.” She drives this point home with a gentle pat on the girl’s shoulder, something which she hopes is a good enough sign to suggest that the worst of their problems is over.

“Just...if we ever travel together in the future, you leave people like Cid to me.” And if not...then she’s gonna have to start getting in touch with a few brothers of her own.

[cryptidshadows]

I don't know if this is in your purview, but in a novel I'm working on, the main character - the one who cracked my egg in realization, in fact - is a gay trans man who started transitioning at 17 in 2005, in south florida, just north of miami. i figure he started socially transitioning between 16-17 (he didn't have a lot of friends in high school) and medically transitioning at 18 while going to college, with the support of his lesbian mom and her transbian friend, his "aunt". what advice or input would you give me on what it was like to be in early transmasc transition in the mid-2000s? i've had a surprisingly hard time over the last few years finding out what personal experience of that was like. thank you for sending out the transsignal on this!

Your novel sounds fantastic and I’d love to read it someday! I’ll preface this post by saying that it includes brief descriptions of experiences with transphobia.

I first came out in Georgia, but began HRT in Florida, and even in the 2010s, it was a process. In order to start HRT, you were “required” to have lived as your “chosen sex” for a full year, as well as have a signed letter from a licensed therapist that indicated you had been in therapy for at least 1 year as well, and had been diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder. So your character socially transitioning from age 16-17 before getting approval to start HRT sounds accurate!

My insurance, of course, did not cover hormone therapy (or any kind of transition-related health care) and my appointments at Planned Parenthood were awkward at best, with staff asking tons of invasive questions out of fascination while continuing to misgender me despite my corrections. They weren’t necessarily hostile, but definitely bewildered at the idea of it. When I went to CVS to pick up my prescription for the first time, I was refused, and told that “we don’t serve your kind here.” I had to switch pharmacies to get my HRT filled. I was loudly and purposely outed by doctors, pharmacists, my dentist, and at a job interview. I was harassed repeatedly while out walking, at the laundromat, in other public spaces. I was threatened enough at my previous job that I had to quit.

I did not know any trans people in high school (I graduated in 2005). Looking back, I had a friend who fit the description, but was never out as trans. We likely didn't have the language to describe what it was at the time, especially since what little trans rep that existed in media was, well, very caricatured, and not typically positive.

Finding resources during that time was tricky too! In the mid-2000s, Tumblr didn’t exist - my first resources were Susans.org (a trans support forum and web site that’s been running since 1995) and Livejournal. I was able to safely connect with people in those spaces, and it was mostly through Susans.org that I found the resources I needed to start transitioning. If your character was well-off enough to have Internet access in the mid-2000s, this is what I’d recommend! Libraries were a resource as well for local communities, both for access to these emerging online spaces, and also for the few books on the subject which were invaluable resources during a time when info was scarce.

I hope this is useful! Feel free to reach out if you have other specific questions you're looking to answer!