#she wishes she could help more people... but she's just one bird mom !

[arikihalloween]

Miss Peacekeeper!! What your opinion about the world of where Wisteria Wally lives?

Oooh I finally found this ask again ! I thought I lost it to the deep and mysterious internet somehow

Don't worry, this question shall be answered soon I think ! I have it in my sketchies and wips :3

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

[Brodie flicked through the mail, instantly recognising the scrawling handwriting of a certain redheaded little boy. Scaring a few birds in the process, he bellowed up the stairs: ALEEEEX!] Alex: [breathless] Is it for me?! Brodie: Nah, but I could do with some help carrying this super heavy envelope upstairs. Alex: Who do you think you are, Johnny Zest? Brodie: I’m better than that guy, c’mon…

… Hi Alex! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to you, I promise I didn’t forget! I guess I just didn’t really know what to say cos I’ve sorta not felt like myself recently. My mom says I disappear into my own world sometimes so I sorta did that again and found it hard to think of anything fun to say. I don’t think I’d mind if you wrote to me about the less fun parts of your life though n’ my dad says you shouldn’t really keep everything to yourself all the time cos it ends up hurting so I thought I’d write anyway n’ just force myself not to worry about being boring or whatever. Your letters and your life always sound so exciting compared to mine though so sometimes it’s hard not to!!

I got in a fight at school which sounds like it should be an exciting story, but it wasn’t really. There’s this kid called Levi in my class that always picks on me (don’t worry though, I don’t care about that) and I couldn’t be bothered listening to him anymore so I hit him a couple times, I thought he’d hit me back but he just freaked out so I sorta felt bad about it afterward. He still makes fun of me but he doesn’t get up in my face as much so that’s a plus. Who says violence doesn’t solve anything? Hahaha I’m kidding! It wasn’t nice of me but maybe he should know better than to push people around so much.

I’m looking forward to summer so I can wander off a bit more and maybe it won’t rain so much! My mom doesn’t really like it when I go too far but as long as I’m back before curfew she tries not to freak out about it which is nice of her cos she knows I like to explore n’ stuff. I shouldn’t complain about my family cos I love them n’ stuff but I like being on my own sometimes and it’d be nice to have a bit of peace now n’ then. I’ve got SUPER good hearing so it’s hard to find anywhere quiet in my house, especially cos there’s always something crazy going on. My aunt Alma is sorta similar to me so she’s been helping me block out the noise with this meditation sorta thing, I guess it’s hard to explain but it’s not as lame as it sounds, it’s kinda fun to see how long you can stay in your own brain without people interrupting you. That probably sounds really weird but maybe you sorta get what I mean?

I finally have a treehouse now too!! It reminds me of your watchtower in some ways, but I guess it’s no way cooler than that, even though I know you’re bored of it by now. I wish we could hang out in it together cos it’s super awesome! Mom n’ dad don’t really bother me when I’m up there n’ my brother n’ sisters can’t manage the ladder yet so it’s all mine! It’s right at the bottom of the garden and looks out over the whole Bay too! Mom said she might let me sleep in it once it gets a bit warmer! It’d be cool falling asleep to the sound of the waves.. I hope it doesn’t end up making me need to pee all night though haha!!

Wren’s been obsessed with watching me play on the computer recently and I keep tryna teach her how to play herself but her little fingers can’t really reach all the buttons on the keyboard too well and she gets stupid mad when she dies so she just makes me play instead. She’d kick me if I told anyone but she’s a bit scared of some of the monsters too lol!! Mom told me I shouldn’t let her watch those ones but they’re the only ones she WANTS to watch and she jumps all over me until I give in so idk what they expect me to do other than lock her in the pantry, but I got told off for that so I guess I shouldn’t do that again haha (Wren thought it was funny though so it’s all good!) It’s a shame you don’t have a computer in the tower otherwise we could play together! Jude n’ Jacob aren’t really into that sorta thing so I usually just play on my own. Do you have a computer back home??

Oh! I got another badge for my swimming lessons too! I’ve almost got em all now which is neat but I sorta wanna avoid getting the last ones cos anyone that gets them all or has good attendance n’ whatever get an award at the end of the school year. They save em all up to give out at some stupid last year disco thing they put on before summer for the last year kids n’ it’d be so cringe to get called out in front of everyone like that. Some people think it’s gonna be amazing like my friend Jude, but I’d rather not go at all. Mom n’ dad keep saying it’ll be fun n’ everyone else is excited about it too but how fun could something be if you’re technically at SCHOOL? Bleh! I know you said you hate it sometimes, but being homeschooled sounds awesome to me lol.

I keep tryna bug my parents to go camping again so we could maybe see each other but they won’t take me out of school for a holiday n’ dad’s too busy with some work project so I guess we’ll have to keep writing to each other instead! Maybe if I keep annoying them about it we can come back in the summer! I hope so anyway but I guess I don’t wanna piss em off TOO much just in case my plan backfires or something.

I still feel really bad about not writing sooner but my dad said better late than never so hopefully you’re not too upset with me! I’ll try my best to write faster next time so you don’t have to wait as long. I’m looking forward to hearing about everything you’ve been up to!! Love Robin c: ps. my dad’s friend finally helped me fix that old polaroid so I’ve sent you some random pictures I took to test it out! I’m still getting used to it but the next ones will be better, I swear!

… the treehouse! it even has cool lights on it!! the back of our house! it’s so big it’s hard to fit in a picture.. it sorta looks fancy but it’s not really n’ dad said it was cheap cos it was a shithole a rare Byrd! (grumpy too – dad tried to take his dummy off him lol) he’s not supposed to be on my bed… the Bay! Jude says I sound girly for saying it’s so pretty here but I don’t care I could take a million pictures of this place n’ never get bored (I’ll stop now though cos mom says these polaroid things aren’t cheap for this model.. oops lol!!)

[thatlovinfeelin]

Flightless Bird | twenty | Bradley Rooster Bradshaw

Synopsis: Josephine Wilson Miller is alone for the first time in her life. She got married after her first year of college and became a housewife, but that life is gone now. So she runs to San Diego, to her childhood best friend Jake, where she meets the man who could very well be her salvation.

series warnings: unplanned pregnancy, just pregnancy in general, talks of infertility. past mental and emotional abuse. anxiety. talks of women's reproductive systems (idk)

Jose’s heart was in your throat as she watched Bradley get dressed the following morning. She wasn’t ready for him to leave yet. She wanted more time, she needed more. But he had to go, she knew that. She just wished he could stay longer. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he sighed, putting his hands on his hips. 

“I can’t help it,” She mumbled. 

He stood there for a second before climbing onto the bed. He reached for her, kissing her gently. He didn’t want to go either, but he had a job to do, for a little while longer at least. Soon enough he would be back here, if all went according to plan. He wanted to be back here with her, and her little girl. He wanted to live across the street again and be more than just some random man at an air show. 

“I don’t want to go either,” he admitted, “But I have to, baby.”

“I know,” She pouted, “Just wish I could keep you here for a little while longer.”

He smiled, “I wish I could keep you right here, like this.”

“Only because I’m naked,” You laughed, pulling the blanket up higher, “I need to get dressed too. Jake will be back with Wren before too long.”

“I can’t wait to meet her someday,” He said almost dreamily. 

She smiled and stroked Bradley’s cheek, the one with all of the scars. There was once a time when she wanted to kiss every one of those scars and make him feel as loved as he was. She did that last night as they tangled in the sheets. 

“You’re going to love her,” Jose told him, “She’s amazing.”

“Just like her mom, I’m sure.”

A blush rose on Jose’s cheeks. She wasn’t used to being complimented in the way that Bradley always seemed to make her believe it. It’d been years since she’d heard him, and now she wasn’t sure how she was going to let him walk out of her door again. The last time he swore he’d never be back, what if this turned into a one time deal and she never saw him again?

How would she be able to breathe without him again? She didn’t like being dependent on people, but she felt like she needed Bradley in her life to feel complete. Like he was some sort of missing piece that she didn’t know she needed until he was gone again. 

“It feels complete when you’re here,” She mumbled, chasing his lips again. 

“I know, baby, I know,” He seemed to agree, “It just feels right being here with you. I don’t know how I’m going to leave you again.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to let you go,” She replied, “If I didn’t have Wren…”

“But you do, and I’m so glad that you do, sweetheart,” He shushed her gently, “She’s your world. And maybe one day she can be a very big part of mine.”

“I’d like nothing more.” 

He grinned, the smile stretching across his whole face. They were locked into an embrace, clutching onto one another as if the other would disappear. Maybe he would…just disappear into the skies. Or maybe he would come back to them and they could be a little family again. Maybe she could have the life she wanted with Bradley and everything would turn out okay. 

His phone rang from her dresser, causing him to groan. He let go and stretched over, reaching for the device. His shoulders sank when he read the message on it. 

“I have to go, like right now,” He sighed, “I wish we had more time.”

“We will,” Jose swore, “We’ll have all the time in the world.”

He nodded and bent down to kiss her again. When they pulled apart, she reached for her robe again, tying it around her waist before following him through the house. It felt strange to be doing this after all this time. Yet it also felt right somehow. If they were leaving things like this, this would be the right way to do it. 

“I’ll come back to you,” He promised, dropping his forehead to rest against hers, “I’ll come back to both of you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” She tried to joke, “Fly safe.”

“I always do.”

“I love you, Bradley.”

He kissed her softly, his mustache tickling her lips, “I love you so much Jose.”

“Come back to me,” She begged him, “Come back home.”

“I will, my love. I promise.”

With that he was climbing into his rental car and driving away, taking Jose’s heart with him. She had her hand over her heart, trying to feel the steady beating of it, hoping it would help ground her. But it did little to help. 

But she knew that Wren would be home soon, and that would give her purpose. Wren was her whole life. Her everything. Her life wouldn’t have nearly as much purpose without having Florence. She couldn’t imagine life without her. 

So when she heard Jake pulling into the driveway she couldn’t help but smile and run towards the front door to hug her daughter. Wren came bursting through the door, yelling for her mother. Jose dropped to her knees and held her arms wide open. 

“Were you good for Uncle Jake and Auntie Nat?”

“Yes ma’am!” Wren cheered, “We had twea pwarty”

“A tea party? That sounds like fun.”

“It was honestly,” Jake said from behind you, “Get kiddo, why don’t you take your bag in your room. Your mama and I need to talk for a minute.”

“Otay!”

Jose stood and turned around, crossing her arms out of habit, “What’s up?”

“Phoe told me something last night and I need you to not be mad,” He said carefully, “I wouldn’t be able to handle it if you were mad at us.”

“Jake, what’s up? What’s wrong?”

He looked nervous, so nervous. He picked at his hands and wouldn’t make eye contact with her, he was even chewing on his lips. Jose hadn’t seen him like this in years. It was making her worried, something had to be wrong. Maybe something happened with Wren overnight? 

“You’re scaring me, Jake,” Jose took a step forward and put a hand on his arm. 

“She’s pregnant,” Jake blurted out, “Fuck, she’s pregnant.”

“I know.”

“Are you mad? God please don’t be mad. I can’t handle this if you’re mad at me,” He rambled on, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do. I don’t know how to be a dad, I’m barely a good uncle. How do I be a father?”

“Jake,” Jose said softly, “Calm down. It’s okay.”

“You aren’t mad?” He questioned.

Jose’s heart nearly broke. He looked so wounded, so scared. So Jose reached out and hugged him tightly. As tightly as she could, he slowly started to relax in her arms. She thought back to how she was when she first moved out here, and how Jake comforted her. 

“I’m not mad, Jakey,” She whispered, “How could I be mad about this?”

“Because you always wanted more kids,” He said, as if that was the only reason that mattered, “We weren’t even trying.”

“Jake, you’re going to be a dad, how could I be mad about that? You’re going to be an amazing father.”

“I don’t know how to be a good dad,” he stated, “Mine is shit.”

“Yeah, he is, which is why you’re going to be amazing,” She replied, “And you’re an amazing Uncle, which is an even better reason as to why you’re going to be amazing.” 

“How do you know?”

“Because you told me the same thing when I was pregnant with Wren,” She replied honestly, “You told me I would be so much better than my mother, because I’d never want my kid to go through the same things that I did.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” he admitted. 

“No parent ever does,” She shrugged in response, “We just have to hope we don’t screw our kids up too badly and do our best.”

“Seems like there should be more to it,” He groaned. 

“I’ll loan you both some of the parenting books I read while I was pregnant, but for the most part it’s trial and error.”

“I don’t do well with that.”

Jose could hear Wren playing in the other room, talking to her teddy bear that Jake bought her before she was even born. Yes, she always wanted more children, but she was beyond happy to have Wren. She wouldn’t trade her for a minivan full of kids. 

“Are you happy about this?” Jose asked Jake. 

He stopped for a moment before a smile broke out across his face, “I’m over the fucking moon. I can’t wait to see Nat as a mom, I know she’s going to be amazing.”

“No doubt the primal part of you can’t wait to see her really pregnant,” Jose joked. 

“That too. Fuck, we did that, you know? Like we’ve created this whole new life.”

“I know, it’s crazy to think about,” Jose agreed, “I remember how stunned I was when Wren started moving and I could feel her. It became real all of the sudden.” 

“I’m gonna have a kid,” He said, a stunned smile on his face. 

“Yeah, Jake, you are.”

Wren picked that time to come running back out with a piece of paper in her hands. She ran to Jake and tugged on the leg of his jeans. He smiled down at her before bending down so he was on eye level. That was one thing he always did, he got on eye level with her so he was never talking down to her. It always made Jose smile, no matter what was going on.

“What’s up, munchkin?” He questioned, combing through her wild hair. 

“I dwew you somfing,” She held up her paper, with colorful squiggles all over it. 

“What’s this? Huh? You wanna tell me about it?” He asked her, gently grabbing the paper from her. 

“You fwying!” She cheered, pointing to the top of the page, “And Mawma and me and Auntie Nat watching!”

“That’s amazing, Kiddo! Can I put this in my locker at work so I can look at it before I fly everyday?” He asked, to which she nodded quickly. 

“Show everyone?” She asked.

“Yeah Munchkin, I’ll show them all! Gotta show off something my favorite girl made,” He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, “I love you, Wrennie.”

“I wuvs you!” 

She placed a big wet kiss on Jake’s cheek and smiled as big as she could before turning around and running off again. Jose’s heart was warm from watching the two of them interact. She couldn’t help but wonder how Bradley would be around her, would she like him? Would he like her? 

“I saw Bradshaw driving away,” Jake mentioned slowly, “You wanna talk about that?”

“Do you want to hear about it?” Jose raised an eyebrow. 

“Based off of the freshly fucked look you have, I don’t think so,” Jake gagged, “Are you two a thing again?”

“Yeah…I think we are.”

“Good, it’s about damn time y’all sorted it out.”

Jake was right, it was about damn time.

[taloumina]

Real Motive

JJ Maybank/Female Reader

Fluff, angst, insecurity

The reader in this is a night owl and former city girl.

Spoilers: none for any season

Summary: JJ finds out you can't swim.

I love unwinding at night with TV, and lately, my main show has been Outer Banks! Definitely makes me wish I was living right next to the ocean!

= = = = =

Living on an island like Kildare, you thought walks were much more enjoyable than they ever were in the city, and it was so much easier to run into people you knew. It happened during most of your walks.

This morning, one of those people was JJ.

“I knew it!” he said, pointing a finger at you the instant your eyes met.

Your pulse spiked, and you assumed that he finally knew what you’d been hiding from him and everyone else you’d met since moving here.

“You’re turning into an early bird, aren’t you?”

“Oh!” So that was what JJ meant. You released a shaky breath and smoothed out some invisible wrinkles on your dress, sounding as carefree as you could manage (which wasn’t very much). “Yeah, goodbye my night owl ways! I just couldn’t resist a morning walk!”

“You should try a morning swim. It’s even better,” he said with a lopsided smile. “I’m actually gonna go for one right now. Wanna join?”

“Oh, uh… no, I’m fine.” You hurriedly added, “But don’t let me stop you from swimming!”

Nice, you scolded yourself. Saying that when he wasn’t even in the water yet…

“C’mon, you can’t tell me you actually prefer walking instead!”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” You shrugged, and on the inside, you were desperate to get away from him before this got too long. “Sorry, but I gotta get back to, you know, walking!”

You tried being the “deadly” combo of funny and casual about it, but you must’ve failed because JJ’s smile fell as he looked at you, a perceptiveness in his eyes.

“Hey, (Name),” he said, “the reason why we’ve never seen you swim before… is it because you don’t know how to?”

You could just about feel your heart sink to the pit of your stomach with his question, and no part of you even thought about denying it. Why bother when JJ–or anyone else on this island–could make you prove it, only to unveil the truth when they see you really, seriously can’t swim at all once you hit the water.

You nodded slowly, averting your eyes. “Go ahead. You can laugh.”

“I’m not gonna do that.”

“And I’m saying you can. I know it’s bad, JJ. Moving to an island and not knowing how to swim?” You threw your hands up in the air. “It’s fucking crazy!”

“Last I remember, moving was your mom’s idea, not yours. And hey, I mean it,” you heard JJ say. “I’m not gonna laugh. I’m not that much a dick.”

You couldn’t help but look at him, a slight smile on your lips. “So you do admit you’re a dick.”

It was his turn to shrug, but the whole time he was smiling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Silence fell between you two, broken only when JJ spoke again. “So why… did you never learn? Not judging, just curious.”

You knew he wasn't lying. Anyone would be curious about the girl who now lived on an island but couldn’t swim for her life, let alone anyone else’s, and you didn’t see any judgment in his eyes as you looked into them.

“It’s not that I never wanted to. It just… never happened. After my dad died, my mom spent all her time–and I mean all of it–working, trying to put food on our table and keep a roof over our heads. And it’s not like we lived next to any water.” You sighed, turning to the morning sky above for a moment. “Honestly, it’s been so long, just the two of us, I’m not even sure she knows that I can’t swim. She might think I can.”

You weren’t angry at your mom for it. It wasn’t a complete excuse, but being a single parent was difficult enough on its own, and things like making sure you went to school and did your homework were more important than making sure you learned how to swim. As a kid, how could you possibly have known that swimming was a skill everyone should have?

“It never came up when you guys decided to move here?” JJ asked.

“The ocean, yes. A new house, yes. A new life, yes. Swimming, specifically?” You shook your head. “I told myself once I got here, I’d learn how to swim somehow, but…”

“But everyone and their mom, dad, and dog here already knows how to swim, goes out there 24/7, and it’s annoying as fuck?” JJ guessed with an expression that told you he was 100% joking.

You laughed. “Yeah, something like that. And,” you said, tucking some hair behind your ear. “I didn’t want to humiliate myself by jumping into the water and needing to be saved ASAP.”

“Is that why you never told any of us? Because you thought we’d make fun of you?”

“You guys all swim like you’re fish. Every time I thought about telling you, I got scared and backed out. Thanks, by the way, for not making fun of me so far,” you said, infusing a little humor into your tone, but to your surprise, JJ didn’t respond with humor of his own.

“What if I teach you?” he offered, a serious look on his face.

“No, JJ, I don’t wanna burden you with this.”

“Who says it’s a burden? I got free time, you got free time, and we can spend that free time together.” During all this, he pointed from himself to you and then both of you.

“Teaching me how to swim? I can’t promise I’ll be a good student.” You could imagine yourself crying from frustration if you don’t learn quickly or if you feel like you’ll never be as adept at it as JJ (and everyone else) is.

“Then let me promise this,” he said. “I’m not gonna give up on you, and I’m not gonna be like some drill sergeant with a stick up his ass. No matter how long it takes, we’re gonna get you swimming.”

“Drill sergeant’?” you repeated, wanting to laugh more freely. But you couldn’t, remembering the rest of your friends. “What about the others? I don’t… really want them to know.”

“They don’t have to,” JJ said softly, and you tried not to think about what that meant. Why he wanted to do this for you.

“And assuming it’ll take more than a day for me to learn… If they keep seeing us together, they’ll wonder what’s up.”

“We can just tell them we’re dating.”

Your eyes widened, but JJ’s were mischievous. “Okay,” you said hesitantly, “but would they believe that? And how would that explain us always being in the water?”

JJ waved off your questions. “It’s an island. Unless it’s hell outside, no one’ll ever wonder why we’re in the water all the time. And”–he shoved his hands into his pockets, slightly nervous all of a sudden–“they totally would… so I gotta be honest: I’m not without a motive here. I do wanna teach you, but I also like that we can spend all that time alone.”

You wondered if JJ could hear your heart pounding even louder now. “JJ…”

“Pretty shitty way of saying I like you, huh? Don’t blame you if you want another teacher, some selfless asshole.”

“Why would I want them when I want you?” It came out so fast you didn’t realize what you were implying until it was too late, and JJ latched onto it, stepping closer to you.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” he said slyly, “but does that mean you like me, too?”

“Maybe I should find some selfless asshole instead.”

“But you want me.” JJ was only too happy pointing this out. “Or was I just hearing things?”

“No,” you admitted, hoping you weren’t blushing as much as you thought you were. “You’re the one who offered, and since I can’t exactly pay you top dollar...” You bit your lip. “What if us dating is for real?”

JJ grinned. “That’s way better than being paid top dollar! Only Kooks would throw money at everything.”

“And everyone,” you added, yelping in surprise when JJ picked you up and laughing as he spun you around.

“So when are we doing this? Now?” he asked, holding you safely in his arms. “Because I’m dying to see you out of that dress.”

“Careful, JJ, your real motive’s showing.”

“Where? Show me.”

���Right here,” you said, bringing your lips to his.

[ladyloveandjustice]

I liveblog the Odyssey (The Liveblogyssey)

'I've been listening to and reading The Odyssey (Emily Wilson's translation) and I've been rambling a lot to my partner, so I thought I would also liveblog my first impressions! I read parts of The Odyssey in high school and college but never the whole thing start to finish.

Athena spoils half the plot right off, I mean obviously I knew it already, but still. We start near the end of the story with Odysseus trapped on Calypso's island, Telemachus really upset that the suitors are EATING ALL THEIR SHEEP, and the beginning follows Telemachus around as he travels around to try to learn about his dad and if he's alive. Which... we know he is so that takes a little of the tension out of it.

(Seriously, Telemachus is very fixated on the sheep thing. I get that it's a big source of food but maybe you should be a little more concerned about your mom fending off 108 suitors bud).

Athena in disguise goes to meet and accompany him, appearing as an older man, and this translation is very simple and accessible (though there are definitely moments of beautiful prose) but this sometimes leads to really awkward lines like Telemachus telling Athena in disguise "I will give you a precious, pretty treasure as a keepsake to mark our special friendship" which like. are you hitting on him Telemachus you just said you think he's fatherly.

Telemachus is going thru it though. so you can't help but feel bad for him. "My mother says I am his son, but I can't be sure [...} I wish I were the son of someone lucky, who can grow old at home, instead the most unlucky man alive is said to be my father." Like that one of the times you feel the connection going back thousand of years so fiercely, the idea of having no connection to your father because you've never met him and he doesn't even feel like your dad, just a story, and too bad you can't be the son of someone who's around.

Meanwhile, a super unintentionally funny lin from young Mac is "The poets are not to blame for how things are, Blame Zeus." which yeah, that sums up most of Greek myth doesn't it! (also very funny of Homer to be like "be nice to poets, they're cool".) He also tells his own Mom to go back to the kitchen so he can assert to the suitors he's in charge and there's a man in this house, but we are reading a story from 8th century BC so.

Anyway he goes around with Athena travelling and learning about his dad, and honestly, the Odyssey is so funny. Love the part where Nestor is like "oh if only Athena favored you as she did her father" and Telemachus is like “Yeah Athena’s not on my side” :/ and she's just. sitting there with him and says”hmm are you sure I think she maybe is probably"

(and then she's like "btw to gods don't control who lives and who dies TELEMACHUS we can't even protect our mortal loved ones (but please ignore all the times we've actively killed people) and also! also! I think your dad should be grateful to go on a cool quest and be alive when he could have just died the second he left Troy, think about THAT!!!)

then she just randomly turns into a bird and leaves after ensuring Telemachus has good sleeping arrangements. Telemachus never reacts to this, everyone else is just like "omg Athena!!" he says nothing I assume he was just standing there in slackjawed shock for the next couple of hours and going over all the embarrassing things he said.

Also we get to see Helen! And I knew from earlier Greek studies that people today acting like she was dumb just because men found her attractive was misogynist nonsense. But now I get to be extra mad because the woman isn't just not dumb, she's really intelligent and observant!

Not only does she immediately figure out who Telemachus is because she saw him when he was a newborn (how??) and relays that during the Trojan war she was the only one able to recognize odysseus when he came to her place in disguise and gave him intel, but most importantly she talks about "the day the Greeks marched off to troy, their minds fixated on war and violence. They made my face the cause that hounded them". Just subtly calling the whole army out. She knows they didn't actually go to war for her. She knows she was just an excuse, and a weak one at that. She knows they wanted this war, they wanted this violence.

So yeah, Helen is smart as hell! Screw that "Everyone wanted Helen of Sparta I wanted someone a little smarter" shit from Epic, sexist nonsense, I'm glad that song was cut.

She also mentions that "Aphrodite made her go crazy" when she agreed to run off, which could be literally true (Aphrodite did tend to do that) or a clever way to protect her reputation after leaving her husband.

Helen also has drugs, which I imagine is a big reason everyone liked her. The total package. But uh, she also does drugs everyone's drinks without apparently telling them. With what sounds like superpowered magic weed or something, to make them mellow and calm and erase anxiety and depression. It says "Whoever drinks this mixture for the bowl will shed no tears that day not even if her mother or father should die" which uh actually seems kind of dangerous! But Telemachus is goin' thru it, so maybe he could use it. but apparently it doesn't work (or takes a long time to kick in} because Telemachus gets upset anyway and says things like "This makes it worse! Courage could not save my father's life!" and wants to go to bed. (PS she got the weed from Egypt, and it's nice that the story is very complementary about Egyptians, calling them the "healer's people").

And then we've finished Telemachus's depression session and get back to Penelope. THE SAGA CONTINUES IN PART 2.

[pinkandpurple360]

https://www.tumblr.com/pinkandpurple360/734428651432591360/rewriting-the-i-like-tormenting-you-scene?source=share

Holy shit your writing of stella is amazing i would love to see more of your stella interpretation *picks your neurons in spoon like ice cream*

The "dragging me from one dollhouse to other" is just DAMN amazing and goes into my citation list. I see that Hellaverse isn't really egalitary and matriarchial so much (wtf where are moms that kills husbands why there are litterally so many characters who have dead moms...) as if it still have arranged marriages and i find it... Kinda... Stupid really idk... I want to see more punk and weirdness in hell, especially elite and hell culture. Btw they could just have random Orphan Child instead of their own lol. i think it would be fun since a lot of religious propagandist people i see are fixing about "making your own blood" on tv to convice people into making demography higher.

Like idk irl so much nonconfirmity and tradition repulsiveness considered terrible sin, i think they can have way more funnier culture and things than just plain anarchy. Or, like, monarchy and feodalism, but with more kill-counts. Idk what about instead of arranged marriage send your kids to marry who they want, have kids, but THEN make their kids forcefully friends-nemesis like in phineas in ferb lmao to express their wish to destroy other family and their plans, but not so much. So they can not only create one child, but multiple, so nemesis just try they best to have a bad effect on their younger siblings lol. Or try to make them into soblings. Or try their best to piss off them all. And parents may help both sides, or just laugh at them, and be proud. Now THAT'S the arranged shit i want to see rich elite characters in lol.

And also this ancient tradition help them to develop both social skills, manipulation skills, sarcastic remarks skill, and fighting skills, of course. That'll be funnier. I kinda just love seeing nonhuman characters acting nonhuman and managing their relationships nonhumanly, im very bored of seeing patriarchy in fictional species that can just not act in this way because why.

And your writing feels so much more natural than original, because... I like original stella because how comedical she is in her evilness (hiring killer right before victim right while dinner is a hella funny thing im ready to forgive all sins and oversimplyfying for it), but actually your version of writing is more relatable, and human-looking, and humane to her. And show her as not a pure evil i love it, since Stella in canon (and fanon because her poor writing) just made into a joke... And it honestly is the thing i don't like.

well... I lived with abusive family in a very weird situations. Basically horror irl, so it's indeed a shit story to be involved in as a kid. Amazing rewriting

Thank you!!!

Im so sorry you went through such a thing. Hope things are better now.

It felt soo cathartic just to write it and I’d recommend anyone who hates a scene to just rewrite it on your notepad or something because that genuinely helps. The inclusion of Octavia and how his gross sexual exhibitions affect her also felt very important to me. Because he refuses to ever accept it.

Thank youuu for picking my neurons hehe. Writing Stella is interesting because she’s such a blank slate, but there’s so much untouched subtleties. Her rage tendencies, her need to have money, an obsession with parties and stimulation, clearly the only source of excitement in her life.

Where are the moms who kill husbands? Stella is the only one, and this action makes her the next mom on the chopping block apparently. Crimson murders his wife and gets yaoi made of him despite the fact that he’s straight.

I too wish there was some semblance of a punk scene but everything gets labelled goth instead. Kindve a shame. And you’re right they don’t behave like birds at all, there’s no clever animal puns or character work being done. Swans peacocks parrots owls ravens? Why?

I wish Stella could be a character, while having her occasional moments of petty villainy and comedy. Stop trying to force a comic relief character to be this Uber serious abuser or whatever. Her story is just as sad as stolas in many ways and there’s no getting around it. The projection of amber heard hate onto her is so childish.

[ninacytosis]

For the time lost

Summary: Zuko wants to erase every reminder of his past mistakes, and Katara will take him on a journey to, quite literally, heal both of their scarrings.

Contains: Angst, Fluff, Katara has burns scars from Aang's first attempts to firebend, Katara tries to get over her resentment towards the FN, Zuko doesn't hate Azula.

Dear reader: I hope you enjoy it! <3 Let me know if you want me to continue posting.

Find chapter two here.

Also if you prefer reading in ao3 here's the link.

┊┊┊┊☆┊*🌙*┊☆┊┊┊┊

Chapter One

“Dear Zuko:

I hope this letter finds you well. Since you didn’t respond to my messages from the previous weeks, I couldn’t help but do a little investigation on my own. Aang told me he last visited the Fire Nation a couple of days ago, and to his surprise, you weren’t there. Honestly, this got me even more curious. What are you up to, Fire Lord? What juicy secret are you keeping from us?

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that my dad made some octo-fish soup this weekend. I bet you have never tried it, well, maybe on your finding-the-avatar days you stopped by and tried. But that doesn’t seem like you. One day Sokka and I will cook you some, but only if you tell me why you’re being so distant lately!

We’re always here for you, Zuko.

Hugs,

Katara”

Zuko read the letter while waiting for the water to boil. He had never heard of octo-fish soup to this day, but he wasn’t opposed to trying new dishes. In fact, most of his favorite dishes weren’t even from the Fire Nation. After trying the Omashu noodles, who could blame him?

 “Dear Katara,

I hope you enjoyed that soup and the company of your family. Knowing that you spend good quality time with your family brings me so much joy and relief because all of you deserve it. I hope that every good memory makes up for every bad one, though unfortunately, healing doesn’t work like an exchange, does it?

As the Fire Lord, certain duties demand my presence in the other nations. So, as much as I wish my lack of responses were due to a secret vacation of mine, they are more like business trips. Might as well call me the Fire Businessman now. (Don’t let anyone read this to Toph because she most certainly will call me that.)

It was nice hearing from you. Send as many letters as you please. Even if I’m not home, I’ll promise I’ll read them. By the way, how are your little waterbenders doing? I’m sure it was harder to handle Aang, you know, back in our teaching-the-Avatar days.

Best,

Zuko”

He sat down and frowned at the piece of paper. It’s not that he wanted to hide things from her, or his friends. But it was almost embarrassing to write and send a letter describing his last weeks. It was a path of emotions he was unready to walk through. She would probably forget it in a couple of weeks anyway, and then he would be able to tell her everything.

“Dear Zuko,

Or should I say, Dear Fire Liar?

Even though I don’t have a lot of time in my hands, I still managed to get some information about your mysterious “business” trips. Sokka’s been of great help, for once, and a little bird told him that people from the Northern Water Tribe have spotted you in very weird places. But being honest, I still don’t know what is it that you’re hiding so hard. You got yourself an Ice Lady?

On another note, it’s very exciting to see both of the Nations exchanging goods and, you know, not trying to slit each other’s throats. I always wanted the war to end of course, but it was very hard to imagine a future so full of prosperity. It’s hard to grasp sometimes.

I hope I’m not getting overly emotional but it makes me think about my mom a lot. She never lived in a world without war in it, isn’t that fucked up? Some days I feel a strange guilt running through my body because I get to move on and she will always stay there. This seems like I’m getting all over the place. I don’t usually say this stuff to anybody, but I know you would get it. And today seems like a good day for letting it all out.

When I’m down, I like to think that she sees the world through the eyes of Sokka, or dad’s, or even mine. It’s silly, I know. But it makes me feel closer to her.

Well, enough about me. Tell me more about your trips, about your uncle’s new place. I’m dying to know. Maybe next time you should try doing business in the Southern Water Tribe and pay us a visit. We all miss you!

Hugs,

Katara”

Zuko took a long breath. No amount of tea would cure the unmeasurable shame that he felt reading Katara’s letter. He knew how empathetic she was, and how much he loved her family, and he could never forgive himself for what his family did to the world. Every day he looked at himself in the mirror and was reminded of a past he could never erase, his face became no longer his once his dad put his palm on it.

His sudden state made him forget about Katara’s little quest. He was not only full of shame but also full of passion to help others. Every reminiscent of the war also reminded him of the resilience of people during difficult times. And every time Katara changed the subject, Zuko needed to excruciatingly tell her how much her strength motivated him to be better. And after writing that letter, he decided it was time to invite her to the palace.

[littleesister]

more tickle questions beucase I’m bored 😂

Glitch's Tickle Questions | Volume 1 |

Trying my hand at the tickle question creating game 😋 Calling it "Volume 1" in case I end up making more, don't know for sure if I will yet, we'll see how this one goes. Did my best to come up with some fun questions, I hope you all like them!

Feel free to reblog this around to receive some questions from your followers, just as my followers can send some to me if they'd like 😜

🥞 If you could make one spot more/less ticklish, which would it be and why?

well I’d make my ribs less ticklish because I’m so insanely ticklish there to a violent degree. When I was a kid my dad tickled me a lot until he tickled my ribs to harshly and I kicked I’m him the jaw. So he bit his lip and bled a bit (not a lot). So my point is I don’t like to be ticklish to a violent degree. I don’t wanna hurt my poor ler 🥲

🍦 Can you tickle yourself, and if so, do you do so often?

well when I have acrylics or press on nails, I tickle my tummy and wrist every time before bed. Since I love to be tickled there. Also if I turn of all my light I can tickle myself with an electric toothbrush on my ribs and in my bellybutton since these spots are so sensitive.

my mom tickles be before bed usually but because she’s also chronically ill sometimes she’s to exhausted. So that’s when I step in 💅

🔪 Are there any ticklish spots you have that you'd prefer not to be tickled?

well I’m kinda not into feet stuff, especially when it’s with tools or motion tickles. Like fine tickle my feet but I’m not comfortable with my feet being the main focus. Like when I watch a tickle video I usally skip the feet portions 🦶😷

🍿 If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for tickles?

well I’ve always wanted to talk any language, including animal ones. So think how funny like I give lots of teases in an ancient or just a rare or uncommon language my Lee can’t understand. So when they pull out google translate and literally have a fluster attack. Especially if they don’t know how to spell the words and say it themselves 😈

also think how funny like I’m tickling someone and I hear a fly or bird or heck their dog just tease the Lee to and I translate it heheh 😝

🍭 If you could choose one spot to be magically continuously tickled, which spot would it be and for how long?

my tummy, and here’s my essay form me as an educated zookeeper:

you know when a puppy or kitty shows you their tummy is a sing of trust. And the reason for that is most of the body is protected by bones. Like a rib cage, but the tummy doesn’t really have any bones except for like hips and spine but these bones more give structure. So my point is when you tickle or rub someone’s tummy you’re right on top of their digestive system and reproductive system. That’s why in the animal kingdom showing the tummy shows you trust them since you give them free access to hurt or damage your organs. That’s why tummy attention is one of the most vulnerable ones.

and since you are right on top of their organs tummy tickles and rubs helps with digestion and period cramps.

so my points is, if I let you tickle my tummy or someone else let’s me tickle their tummy. It’s an honor ❤️🤲

🌶 Think of a crazy wacky way you can think of to tickle/be tickled that you wish you could experience. No logical constraints. What is it?

Hunger games but with tickling instead of killing.

people get to enter and a friend can sign you up as a surprise, but consent to participate it needed

its a televised show in a secluded or closed of area

the crates from sponsors have tickle tools or restraints

food, water, hygiene and medical care is included

When someone safewords they “die” (not for real) and get disqualified

last one standing of the games is the ler of the year

🍞 Look around wherever you are while reading this. You can choose one item to come to life and tickle you. What item is it?

electric toothbrush…

🥯 If you could choose any fictional character(s) to team up with you to help tickle someone, who would you choose and why?

the dream them, like I got obsessed with the Dsmp during the pandemic, so yeah and I love the fandom’s head cannons.

Dream - more Lee then ler and will probably just hold me down and cuddle me to help me relax ☺️

Sapnap - a true switch and he’s very gentle and teasing, lots of games since he’s the youngest they play lots of games with him😉

George - more ler then lee and he’s ruthless, tickling any spot he can reach and siding in his bony figners 😈

🧇 If you could have an animal friend that loved to tickle you, what animal would it be and how would you want them do it?

a golden retriever ❤️🥹

Decent sized dog that can pin me down

has a long snout so the puppy can blow lots of raspberries and nuzzle it’s nose in my belly button and give little nibbles on my sides

a long fluffy tail that’s like a feather duster tickle tool

flappy ears so when the doggi shakes its head during nuzzling it tickles more

the playfulness so the dog will give lots of teasing

that slight smile or smirk on some individuals

and those puppy eyes

🍟 If you're feeling brave.. which friends, mutuals, and/or other tickle blogs would you want to tickle and/or be tickled by?

oh Noo hahah here we go again I guess, I love to expose myself, let’s see if my favorite blogs find me🫠

@kikibumblesqueaks

@the-shy-ler

@covenofwives

@fluffallamaful

@awkwardtickleetoo

@wishitweresummer

@eldelascosquillas-blog

@emmadoodlewrites

@kasey-writes-stuff

@mushiewrites

@missamyrisa2

@trashyswitch

@sleepysheepytea

nothing personal I just love your works and everything, so I wouldn’t mind if you guys wrecked me or I could give you a little tickle 👉👈 ummm yeah. I got so flustered when a few responded to me last time and guess what I wanna get even more exposed hahah 😍

[mama-qwerty]

An Evening Yule Remember

This was entirely inspired by a conversation we had as we were trimming the tree. Christmas carols are weird.

~~~~~

Snow fell softly on the town of Green Hills, Montana. The forecast called for a few inches by morning, but so far it was a lazy flurry that barely coated the ground.

It was two weeks before Christmas, and the atmosphere in the MacPherson house was warm and comfortable. Callie had invited Wade over to help trim the tree, and they chatted as they did so. Silver helped, using his telekinesis to lift himself and place the ornaments higher than he could otherwise reach. Eclipse busied himself by sneaking as many Christmas cookies as he could before Callie caught him.

“You eat anymore of those and you’re not gonna be hungry for supper,” Callie warned as she placed another ornament.

Eclipse scoffed. “We’re having meatloaf,” he said through a mouthful of crumbs. “I’m ALWAYS hungry for meat.”

“Fair point. But seriously, stop eating the cookies. We only baked about two dozen and the rest of us would like a few, too.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

The darkling brushed his hands and grabbed the remote to turn the volume higher on the TV. It was set to a music channel, playing Christmas songs as the crew decorated.

“You’re welcome to stay for supper, Wade,” Callie said as she moved one of the ornaments Silver had placed. The little hedgehog seemed determined to hang all of his on the upper branches of the tree.

The deputy smiled as he hung another ornament. “Thanks Cal, but I probably oughta head home soon. Mom’s got company coming and she wants me there.”

She nodded with a shrug. “Offer still stands if you’d rather spend your evening here instead of with your mom’s bridge friends.”

Wade gave a nervous little laugh. “I wish it was her bridge friends. These people are . . . not as fun.”

“Ah.”

The implication was clear. Wade’s mother was part of a small but annoying group of people in Green Hills who were not very accepting of the alien residents. Callie referred to them as the “Pearl Clutchers”, as they seemed infatuated with the idea that somehow these alien children were ‘tainting Earth for we humans’. She thought that absurd, obviously, not only because she was a mother to two of those kids, but also because ‘we humans’ seemed to have no trouble screwing up the planet without the help of extra-terrestrial children.

That was one reason his mother didn’t like Callie. The other likely had to do with the fact that Wade spent a lot of time at the librarian’s house, which gave the indication they were more than friends. Which wasn’t true, but his mother seemed to think Callie was trying to steal her son away. Which, again, not true. They were just good friends.

Callie cast a sideways glance at Wade.

Right?

“Why are there so many birds?”

Silver’s question drew her out of her thoughts, and she turned to him with a furrowed brow. “What?”

The hedgehog pointed to the TV, where the current song title was listed. The 12 Days of Christmas.

“This person is giving the other a lot of birds. Why would someone need all those birds?”

“They could eat ‘em,” Eclipse said with a shrug. “Maybe they like poultry. Like, a lot.”

Silver landed, placing his hands on his hips. “Why do you always think about eating things?”

Eclipse shrugged again. “What else are you gonna do with all those birds?”

“They could keep them as pets. Lots of people keep birds as pets. Like parrots and stuff.”

“People don’t eat parrots, I don’t think. But they do eat partridges and hens and stuff. Right Mom?”

“I think so,” Callie said with a shrug of her own. “But I don’t think that’s why this person’s giving their true love all those birds.”

“Then why?” Silver asked, his head cocked to the side. “That’s a lot of birds to give as gifts.”

Another shrug from the redhead. “I dunno. This was written a long time ago. Maybe giving a large number of birds to each other was common then.”

“Where would you even keep that many birds?” Eclipse asked. “Seriously, that would just make a huge mess.”

“How would you feed them all?” Silver added. “That would get expensive.”

“Are the pear trees only for the partridges? I guess a lot of the birds could just sit in them. Unless the trees are small and can only fit that one partridge.”

“Guys, I think you’re giving this way more thought than you should,” Callie sighed, snagging a few cookies. She brought one to Wade as she tucked the empty ornament boxes into a storage bin.

“No, they have a point,” Wade said, and smiled when Callie gave him a look. “No, hear me out. This person’s getting all these things from their ‘true love’, and it’s birds and people doing stuff like dancing and milking and drumming and stuff. That’s just weird. Why would that be the first thing this person thinks of as gifts for the person they love? It’s weird.”

“I wonder how these things are delivered to the recipient?” Callie couldn’t help but get caught up in the theoretical nature of the ponderings. “Like, is this person just opening up their door and finding a bunch of birds sitting on the porch? Are they in cages or free roaming in the yard?” “And what about the people?” Wade asked. “Are they just hanging out until the door’s opened, and then they start doing their thing?”

“There are maids a’ milking,” Silver said. “Does that mean the person gets cows, too?”

“What are the lords leaping over?” Eclipse asked. “Are they just jumping around like weirdos in the yard?”

Wade nodded, crossing his arms as he thought. “And does this person get just that thing on the day, or do they get everything else up to then, too? Like, on the 5th day, do they get the rings AND all those birds again, too?”

“Oh man, that’d be even MORE birds!” Callie said, before a smile curled her lips. “C’mon, we’re figuring this out.”

The group huddled around the kitchen table, phones out and a notebook open as Callie wrote notes. Wade leaned close, his shoulder brushing against hers as she organized the info. The feel was comfortable, and she unconsciously leaned into him. After a moment he backed off, cheeks burning furiously, apologizing for crowding her, and although she played it off with a joke, her own cheeks felt warmer as well.

Nearly an hour later, and after much Googling to make sure they had the most accurate lyrics—and maybe listening to a few funny versions of the song—the group had a final tally for the gifts the ‘true love’ gave the singer.

“Okay,” Callie said, looking over their sheet with tally marks, cross-outs, and scribbles in the margins. “At the end of those twelve days, if the gift giver is ALSO giving everything up to that point as well as the new day’s gift, we have: 12 partridges and 12 pear trees, 22 turtle doves, 30 french hens, 36 calling birds, 40 golden rings, 42 geese a’ laying, 42 swans a’ swimming, 40 maids plus whatever animal they are milking, 36 ladies dancing, 30 lords a’ leaping, 22 pipers piping, and 12 drummers drumming.”

Silver looked at the page with wide eyes. “Wow.”

“That’s a total of 184 birds.”

Wade blew a whistle through his teeth. “That’s a lot of birds.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this dude would NOT be my true love anymore if he kept chucking birds at me as ‘gifts’.”

The deputy snapped his fingers. “There goes my Christmas gift idea.”

Callie snickered. “Sorry, pal. Although jewelry is always a good idea. Maybe not 40 of them, but hey, it’s better than a dozen guys standing in my front yard pounding on drums.”

“Pretty sure that would be against some sort of noise ordinance.”

“Pretty sure owning that many birds would be against some sort of law too, honestly.”

“Most likely.”

“Are we done talking about birds and stuff?” Eclipse moaned, draping himself dramatically over the arm of the couch. “I’m hungry.”

Callie cast him a cocked eyebrow. “You ate your weight in cookies not an hour ago.”

“So?”

“You got me with your ironclad logic,” she sighed, pushing herself away from the table. “Okay, Time to make some supper.”

As Callie moved to the fridge to pull out the meat and various other ingredients, Wade stood and stretched his back. “Well, I guess I’d better get going.”

“Okay, if that’s what you want to do. Thanks for coming by tonight, Wade.”

He blushed, moving closer. “Thanks for the invitation.”

Callie shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I want my best friend here to help me decorate for the first Christmas with my boys?”

His blush deepened. “Still . . . thanks.”

Callie paused, giving him a gentle smile. “Anytime, Wade. You’re still welcome to stay for supper. If you want.”

Wade shook his head. “I really can’t stay.”

A little smile curled Callie’s lips. “Baby, it’s cold outside.”

She said it with a little song in her voice, and Wade looked back at her a moment. She flicked her eyes up to his and her smile turned into a little smirk.

“I’ve got to go away,” he sang back, a smile on his lips.

“Baby, it’s cold outside.”

“This evening has been . . .”

“Hoping that you’d drop in . . .”

“So very nice . . .”

“I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice . . .”

“My mother will start to worry . . .”

“Deputy, what’s your hurry?”

“My . . . mother will be pacing the floor . . .”

“Listen to that fireplace roar . . .”

“So really, I’d better scurry . . .”

“Deputy, please don’t hurry . . .”

“But maybe just a half a drink more . . .”

“Put some music on while I pour . . .”

They trailed off for a moment, sharing a look as blushes burned both their cheeks. At this point they couldn’t keep straight faces, and the pair broke into laughter.

“I didn’t know you knew that one,” Wade said, moving to sit at the kitchen island.

“You kidding? I’m a sucker for a good duet like that,” Callie said with a shrug. “And that’s one of my favorites. I love how she’s trying to be all prim and proper, acting like she should go because that’s what society expects. But all her arguments are based on what others would think if she stayed, and you can tell she doesn’t really want to go.”

Wade nodded. “I always thought it was kind of a sweet moment between these two who really liked each other.”

Callie nodded as she pulled the different ingredients together. Silence descended over them for a moment, and she considered the situation. Her friendship with Wade. He was a regular visitor to her home, and her boys loved him. In all her years as she’d kept herself distant from everyone, she’d never really had a friend at all, so having a best friend now was nice. He was easy to talk to, a good man, and sweet as hell.

And she had to admit to herself, she liked having him around.

A lot.

When Callie spoke next, her voice was soft. There was no hint of the snark or confidence she usually had in her tone.

“Stay.”

Wade looked at her, and she couldn’t really read his expression. She cast her gaze down at the bowl as she prepared the meatloaf, her cheeks warming as a blush surfaced. Had she made herself look foolish?

“Okay.”

His response brought a smile to her lips, and she flicked a look back at him before returning her focus to the fixings before her. Wade watched her for a moment, before moving next to her to help prepare tonight’s meal.

Two pairs of eyes watched from around the corner of the archway to the living room. Silver suddenly hurried off, heading to his room to grab his phone.

“Where are you going?” Eclipse asked with a furrowed brow.

“I have to call Sonic! I need some mistletoe!”

Silver disappeared upstairs, leaving Eclipse to glance back into the kitchen. After a moment, he shook his head, turning away.

“If we get a bunch of birds delivered, I’m eating them.”

[zippidi-dooda]

Chapter: 1, 2,

3 - The Castle

You sat next to a small pond, a little ways away from your house. A basket of clothes and a small bar of soap was besides you.

Not wanting to come help you do laundry, Lucas was still inside playing make believe with the few toys he'd brought with him.

He was probably recreating the scene that happened the other day. Even though it was a potentially life-ending event, he seemed ecstatic that it had happened. And he kept asking to go back to the Valley of Th- no. To Briar Valley. Just to see the green haired guy again.

You were greatful, of course, that he'd been saved and would like to do something to thank his savior. But he didn't seem to want that. Plus you didn't know what anyone in the Valley would consider offensive, so you decided against going and making anything for him.

Focusing on the water in front of you, you rolled your sleeves up to your elbows, plunged the clothes into the cold water, and began to scrub them clean.

It was calming.

Birds were chirping in the trees, a slight breeze rustled the leaves, sunlight shone through spaces between the branches, the ground beneath you was cool and the water rippled as you dipped everything in. 

Before, cleaning your clothes wasn't something you'd done often. But it wasnt too difficult to learn, just took some time.

Actually, a lot of what you do now wasn't something you used to. 

Cooking, repairing, cleaning, gardening, hunting, gathering, even shopping . . . Things like that were all taken care of for you. 

Your father did make you do some of those things when you were younger. He believed it was stupid for anyone not to know how to do things on their own.

But since you were royalty, your mother wanted you to live as such. No need to exhaust yourself doing menial tasks when you had the blessing of having people to do that for you. Besides, the time you spent learning that could be spent learning how to help rule a kingdom and take care of subjects.

So, eventually, your father stopped making you learn those things and you didn't mind one bit.

If you had known how important they would be for you now, you would have begged your dad to teach you more.

Oh well, no time to regret it now. Just keep doing it all and you'd get better at it, sooner or later. Hopefully sooner.

Finished washing, you hung the clothes up to dry and walked back to the house. 

"Lucas, baby, what do you want to ea-" You froze in place when you entered the house.

"Mom! You're back! Look, Dad came to play with me! And he said he knows that green haired guy! Can we go see him? Please, Mom, please?"

You licked your lips and took a deep breath. 

Lucas was sitting on the lap of the dragon fae who had visited some time ago. He felt no fear or suspicion around him at all. Got comfortable with him so quickly.

You wished he was more cautious.

"Lucas, I left the clothes by the pond, can you go get them for me?"

"But you were just there. Can't I do it later? I want to go see that guy."

You gave him a look. "Lucas." 

He pouted and wrapped his hands around Malleus' neck. "Daddy!"

Malleus smiled as he held the small boy. "I can take care of that for you."

"No, it's fine. Just leave it, you shouldn't be doing that."

"I assure you it's no big feat for me." 

With a wave of his hand, the clothes you had just washed floated past the door, towards your room, and folded themselves, looking completely dry.

"I ... uh, thank you. Lucas, let him go, I'm sure he has more important things to attend to. And stop calling him 'Dad.'"

"Dad, can we go now? Mom, doesn't have to come with us does she?"

"Excuse me, what?"

Malleus stood and walked towards you.

He was wearing plain, black clothes with a few silver accessories. The high heeled boots he wore made him taller than he already was, so when he was right in front of you, you had to tilt your head all the way up just to meet his eyes. His horns were practically grazing the ceiling.

It was hard not to back away from him. 

You could hear your breath quicken and had no doubt he noticed as well.

"It appears she wouldn't be comfortable with that. But I'm happy to take the both of you if she doesn't mind."

"She doesn't! Mom, c'mon let's go!"

Malleus held out a gloved hand towards you. "I can get us there much quicker than by walking. Just take my hand."

Your eyes flicked from his hand to Lucas.

He was beaming, thrilled with the idea of meeting his hero again. He was an exact replica of his father, right down to the bouncing excitement. Seeing his wide smile tugged at your heart.

You wondered what he would have said to Lucas if it was him taking care of the boy. If he ever met him.

"Mom! Hurry up!" Lucas' voice pulled you from your thoughts.

". . . Okay." You sighed.

"Yay! We're going!"

You reached for Malleus' hand. Your hand hovered above his palm for a second. 

. . . 

This could be a horrible decision. Fae were notorious for being mischievous.

Sneaky.

Misleading.

Devious.

Evil.

And this one in particular was known as the most powerful and dangerous one of all. He had no problem with displaying his strength.

And he had your son in his arms.

. . .

You pursed your lips, shut your eyes, and took hold of his hand.

His grip was firm, steady. If he didn't want to let go, you wouldn't have been able to pull away.

"Hold on tight and don't let go. Unless you want to get lost along the way."

Then, in seconds, once you opened your eyes, you were no longer in the small house.

Instead, you were in a huge stone hall with long banners hanging on the walls. The roof was high up and arched, with small pikes jutting from the frame. Large oak doors with brass handles and hinges lined the side by the wall. The other side had large arched columns that allowed the light from outside in.

You stumbled a bit, your head spinning from whatever magic the man had used to get you where you were.

"Woah . . . Where are we?" Lucas asked.

"The place I live. Sebek should be looking for me by now. I'm sure we'll run into him." Malleus answered.

"'Ooh, look at that!" Luca jumped out of his arms and ran towards the large arches that allowed you to look outside towards the city below. "I can see the whole world from here!" 

"Not quite, but you can see the whole of Briar Valley."

"This place is huge! Look, Mom, there's the place we were yesterday. Over there. Ooh and look at that thing! What is it?"

"That's a grotesque. There are over one hundred of them around the castle. Not to be confused with the  gargoyles on the parapets, like that one over there. You can let go now." Malleus directed the last part at you.

Your hands were still holding. Though his grip had lightened completely, you were still holding on tightly.

You blushed and quickly pulled your hand to your chest. "Lucas don't lean so far over the edge, you might fall."

"You live in a castle? Woww!" He ignored you then started to run down the hall. "Mom, we should live with Dad!"

"He's not your dad, stop calling him that."

"It's alright. You're both free to call me whatever you'd like."

"Don't encourage him, Mister Draconia."

Malleus smiled snidely. "Oh?"

"WAKA-SAMA!" A familiar voice shouted from behind you.

It was the green haired man marching up to you. The silver haired man from before followed behind him.

"We've been looking all over for you! Where did you go? And who's this human next to you?"

"I am alright, Sebek. The boy says you rescued him and wanted to see you again."

"Hm? Oh, it's you two."

Lucas ran towards Sebek, his shoes clacking against the grey floor. "Hi! You're my hero! Can you teach me how you did that roll thing? It was so cool, I wanna do it just like you! Can you teach me how to use your sword too?"

A proud, satisfied smirk made its way across Sebek's lips. "Do you hear this, Silver? This tiny Human looks up to me. But I can't teach you anything. I have to watch after Waka-sama so go ahead and leave now."

"Aw, Dad?" Luca frowned, tears coming to his eyes.

"'DAD?'" The two soldiers asked, eyes widening.

"Is that what you've been doing each time you dissappear?"

"Forgive me, your highness! I did not know you were the successor of the Draconia name! If it is I you wish to teach you the art of the sword, then I would be honored! And I apologize, Mistress, for yelling so rudely at you last time! I will gladly accept any punishment you deem fit!"

"What!" You're face burned as the pair knelt in front of you and your son. "G-get off the floor, that's not- I didn't- He isn't- Eugh- Lucas is not his son and we didn't do anything! Lucas you have to stop calling him that."

Both men stood up abruptly and bowed their heads to you instead. "As you wish, Mistress!"

"No. Just- just call me Y/N." 

You glanced at Malleus who didn't seem at all concerned about the misunderstanding or the tarnishing effect it would have on him if rumors spread.

He simply looked outside towards the horizon.

"Well, we met your hero, Lucas. It's time to go home."

"No! Not yet, we haven't been here that long. And I'm hungry. Can't we stay to eat, Mom?"

"Lucas-"

"I believe lunch will be served soon?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Please stay until then."

"Yay!"

"No, we-"

"Sebek, Silver, take him to the training grounds to see everything. Keep an eye on him, don't let him get hurt."

"Yes, sir!"

"This way, your highness."

"Yay! See you later, Mom!"

"What? No, you can't just-"

It was no use.

Your voice fell on deaf ears as the two escorted Lucas out of sight, to the training grounds.

You turned to Malleus. "What the hell? You can't just allow them to take my son wherever you want!"

"He's quite safe if that's what you're worried about. Those two are my own personal guards. They won't let harm come to him."

"No! That's not it at all! How would you feel if your son was taken away from you in a place you aren't familiar with by some strange men who work for the Master of all Evil?" You snapped.

Malleus stared at you for a minute, silent, lost in thought.

You gulped realizing what you'd said and how you'd said it.

"I do have that reputation, don't I . . . ?" He turned and began walking in the opposite direction of the other three.

He beckoned you to follow.

You looked between him and the way your son went. You didn't know if you'd be able to find your son by just chasing in his direction and you also didn't know how angered Malleus would get if you didn't follow.

Didn't know what he might, or have his trained men, do to your son.

So, you walked with him. A gap between the two of you the whole time and you kept a watchful eye on him.

"You know, your name reminds me of someone." He said. "A queen."

He held his hands behind his back, standing strong and tall with his head held high, gaze set in front of him.

"Well, my mother did name me after one. Its not uncommon to be named after a queen." 

Many of the women in your family were named 'Y/N,' paying homage to the first Queen, your, who knows how many greats, grandma. It was in hopes to have the same amount of influence as she did.

She ran the kingdom well, expanded it the largest amount during her reign and her battle strategies helped keep many in her army alive, more than any other of your ancestors. An impressive feat for a woman, though of course the people knew it to be the king's doing, not hers. She was simply a smiling face, the caring hand to the people.

"Indeed. After all, people like to name their children after kings and queens. They think sharing the same name will bring them good fortune."

"Yes, maybe people will be named after you too one day." You said.

He looked at you from the corner of his eye and smiled. "No. Not with a title like 'Master of all Evil,' right?"

You began to fiddle with the string of your necklace.

"You know, almost four years ago, a Queen named Y/N suddenly disappeared from the Kingdom of Rourinville."

Was it just coincidence he brought up that Y/N, or did he know it was you who was missing?

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. Most have given up the search for her. But not the king. I can see why. Losing your lover must be devastating. Especially for you humans who cling so desperately onto what's around you. I imagine he'll be more than happy to have her at his side once again."

You tried to steady your breathing. 

Rias was scared of the man in front of you so you knew he wouldn't come close to the Valley. He probably didn't even think you'd be crazy enough to get close.

But Malleus? He had no such fear. He could take you back to Rourinville in seconds.

You needed to do everything you could to keep that from happening.

"Do you have someone to be at your side every day?" You tried to get him off the topic.

"I do not. Though I know it'd please Lilia if I did."

Lilia? Was that his mother, you wondered?

You opened your mouth to ask but he spoke first.

"Are you a widow?"

"What?"

"Forgive my straightforwardness. But it's uncommon for a woman to take care of a child on her own. So either your husband died or he walked out on you."

You scanned his face for any clue as to what he was thinking, but he gave away nothing.

"I am." That was ... close enough to the truth.

He hummed.

Using magic to open the large doors, he walked in to what you assumed was his office. A large desk sat in front of the floor to ceiling window and large bookshelves lined the walls. He took his seat behind the desk and locked his eyes on you.

"I am sorry." He gestured to the window behind him. "You can see the training grounds from here. Your son should be there any minute now."

You raised a brow at him. 

Why would he want you to know that? Was he planning on letting you see Lucas get hurt? Or was he really just being kind and trying to calm your fears?

"You can move into the Valley if you'd like. Your neighbors may be apprehensive at first, since you are the only other human here, but they will warm up to you. It's safer in here than out there. You've done a remarkable job fixing up that old cabin, but it won't hold up forever and dangerous creatures like to prowl around at night."

Only other human? Had someone else come here seeking to hide under the protection of Malleus' reputation?

"I've been fine so far."

"There you are, Malleus. Those two boys have been quite worried looking for you. What have you been up to?" A deep, yet cheery, voice said.

In walked a person with wide, red-eyes, pointed ears, and an impish smile. They had black hair with hot pink highlights, styled in a bob with parts curling up, giving them the appearance of horns. They were rather short so their soldier uniform hung losely on them.

They looked like a ten year old girl.

"Oho? Who's this?" They asked tilting their head at you.

You couldn't hide the shocked expression that crossed your face as you heard that same deep voice come from their mouth. "What the . . . ?"

"This is Y/N. She and her son are staying for lunch."

The man giggled. "Keehee, wonderful. I'm glad to see you're finally getting along with someone, Malleus."

Malleus frowned. "I get along with others very often . . . ."

"Hello, Y/N, I'm Lilia. If you need anything don't be scared to ask."

"Do you seriously have children working for you?" You asked Malleus concerned.

Lilia laughed.

"You think him a child?" 

"Why it must be my boyish good looks and wide eyes full of innocence that gave her that impression. But it'd be wrong to call me such."

The way he described himself was strange to say the least.

"Lilia, I have work to do. Show her around until it's time to eat."

"Of course. Right this way, Y/N."

You looked out the window, trying to spot Lucas.

"He'll be safe. Trust me." 

You looked at Malleus.

You didn't trust him. But Sebek did save him once so if anything happened, you believed he'd do it again.

"He better be."

***

Lunch came by quickly.

Your son was a-okay, animatedly explaining what he did. He sat next to Sebek, praising him much to his delight. 

The two seemed to have become best friends after such a small amount of time. Maybe you should have been concerned about it, Sebek was Malleus' soldier after all.

But you couldn't help but feel relieved at this knowledge.

Lucas didn't get a chance to make friends since you were often on the move. So any time he got to talk to someone you met while traveling always made you happy.

Silver was asleep through most of the meal, seated beside Lilia, and Malleus was quietly eating at the head of the table.

Lilia entertained your son with tales from his war days, occasionally bringing up stories about Malleus as a baby just to entertain you. Malleus did try to make him shut up, but Lilia easily ignored him.

The way Lilia spoke during both lunch and your tour of the castle with him made you wonder just how old he was. What his role was in this kingdom.

The atmosphere was relaxed and you could tell the relationship between these soldiers and Malleus was more than the usual 'king and army' one.

They were like a family.

You had never seen a relationship quite like it in any kingdom before. Not even your own.

It confused you.

Why would someone so feared have this many people so close to him?

Soon enough, the meal was over and you requested to go home. Lucas was sad and begged to stay, but you were acknowledged and Lilia was the one to take you back.

You thanked him for his help and the meal and got ready to follow Lucas inside your house.

"Y/N, " you turned to Lilia. "Please stop by for a vist again soon. Malleus enjoyed having your company."

Before today, you would've declined that offer no problem. But now, all you could do was slowly nod your head.

"In Ruins" Masterlist

[kerink]

the attic liveshow live react

you can always go in the same way you go out. well. not always. i can think of one time thats not true such as....life

this too shall pass reprise

thai food and mario kart tournament and sawa dead body

listen up to not hurt cecils feelings

wendys built the brown stone spire?!

sniffs cecils lapel sniff sniff

AQUARIUS TRICKING A LEO INTO A CAVE FKDKDKFK

looking at family pics instead of doing the news

a photo of mom and cecil and abby <333

abby and cecil are gonna fall into the big hole...

cecil collected animals..

BEAVER PEED IN ABBYS BBED

named the snake after his mom...

tamikaaaaaa

cecils stuffed animal TT_TT

NOOOO HE LEFT IT BEHIND

"she could be cruel i suppose" ill say cecil

JACKIE FERRO MENTION POG

wretched gretchen: she hesrd your wish

"kids with their tiktok dances" cecil talk to your husband

michelle helping people become musicians?!

oh ok shes my queen never mind

theyre mouthing yergent lmfao

ah. the picture of cecils mom. ah

oh they just keep making new trauma up for him

lee macin best known for being 30 years old

WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN ONLY 30 YEARS OLD 💀💀💀

cecil going to sleep cuddled up to his radio listening to leonard 😭😭😭💕💕💕

cecils face when kip was insisting the shirt was a card almost killed me

carlos please take his credit card away

AUOTE GET REAL

kip trying to take cecil soul... this already happened to him

CECIL YOU DID PLAY BASEBALL AS A KID COME ON

well he played with earl so it makes sense why he wouldnt rememebr

CRANOR PUT ON THE T SHIRT

qhen he shook his head and mouthed no about meditation 💀 he was so cute

he freaking teleported us to san fransciso

BALDWINS LITTLE POSE WHEN HE STARTED THE SECOND WENDYS PART THE WAY HE KICKED HIS LEGGIE

THERES A MAN PLAYING MYSIC

disperitions little nod

CECIL POKIG AT SDISPERITIONS STUFF

cecil was sooooo cute at the keyboard 😭😭😭

larry leroy shooting birds‼️‼️

cecils little sad/scared uhhuh was so cuuuute

cecil dismissing a book not holding up TO TAMIKA girl howd she not kill you

SHE CALLED HIM CEECCEE

CECIL WENT BACK TO THERAPY oh its an iguana

"nobody has repressed more stuff than me" baby we know

this is condos 2

THERE WAS NO FAMILY TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON

we should see something of this country but we only made it a few blocks

abby and i sat in the dark holding hands not knowing what game was being played only that we were losing it

wendys is no bed bath amd beyond when it comes to interdemensional magic

perfection isnt human

"i cant change the pain of my childhood past"

CARLOS AND CECIL ARE TAKING ESTEBAN TO THE GRAND CANYON

"as soon as i figure out how to get out of night vale" 💀

I ACCIDENTALLY STARTED A PREMATURE CLAP AT THE SF LIVE SHOW 🙈

[gravity-barbie]

Parenting with The Sparrows HCs

+Your child having powers

Request #1 Request#2

A/N: The children all have the same power as their sparrow parent

Umbrella version

Masterlist

Marcus Hargreeves

-At first Marcus tries to balance your family and the sparrows, but it’s very hard for him to miss milestones in your child’s life and be away from you when he knows you need him most

-But it’s when the baby’s powers manifest that he realises he needs to make a change, giving Ben back the number one spot he wants so bad, so he can spend more time doing what matters, which is great for you because it’s very hard to handle a baby that’s nearly as strong as you are

-Marcus used to be so worried about the babies fragility that he wouldn’t even touch them, so it’s actually a huge relief that they have powers, and he’s really grateful for this opportunity to be a more productive parent

-He already felt like a dad, dealing with his bratty, trouble-making siblings so he’s completely unfazed by any of the kids tantrums and rebellions, and is good at getting them in line without creating resentment

-He’s a tough but fair parent, he’s committed to the rules you two set, especially in this case as you need to keep the child’s power in check

-But above all else his child means the world to him, he loves them unconditionally and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them

Ben Hargreeves

-Ben hates to admit it but he does realise he royally messed up last time he was in charge of something and it makes him a bit anxious going into this but he doesn’t hesitate to try his best

-Initially he thinks it’s really cool that the baby has his power, endeared by the little baby horror tentacles, but it soon becomes clear that the more limbs a baby has the more damage they can do

-He struggles to express it, but he’s grateful he has you to do this with because the burdens that come with raising a super-powered baby are unbelievably more tolerable with your company, and he’d just be stressed and angry all the time without you

-He completely spoils the child, both materially and with praise, partially as a result of over-compensating and partially because he wants them to be raised the way he wishes he had been

-But he also projects onto them, unintentionally pressuring them to have the same values and ambitions as him, and you may need to help him come to terms with the fact that your child can choose their own path

-He can struggle to express himself to and let his guard down around even the child, but he does really want a positive relationship with them, and frequently comes to you for advice

Fei Hargreeves

-Fei is eager to start this new chapter in her life, she had really studied up before the baby was born and seemingly effortlessly handles any new obstacles this responsibility comes with

-The baby manifesting Fei’s power nearly gives the two of you a shared heart attack, considering what Fei’s power did to her she goes into full over-protective parent mode, keeping watch of them 24/7

-And as they get older she’s very dedicated to helping them learn to not just control but also understand and appreciate their birds, it’s even somewhat therapeutic for her to help her child where her dad completely failed her

-She might scare a lot of people but never your kid, she is completely capable of shedding her hard shell with your family and being the sweetest, silliest mom you could hope to raise a child with

-Though she’s also sensible enough to be a bit strict when she has to be, when it comes to teaching them good habits or whatnot

-She has a hard time when it comes to things like rebellious phases or bad dating decisions, never sure to what extent she should concede or double down so she’s glad she has you to bounce off of and learn with

Alphonso Hargreeves

-Alphonso really struggles with the practical matters of raising a baby, his attempts at caretaking causes just as many messes as your child does

-You wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t see it, but he is extremely soft and sweet with the kid, he could put Grace to shame

-He’s a fairly cliche dad in many aspects, he tells so many cheesy jokes, he’s a food enthusiast, almost every time the kid asks for something he tells them to ask you, and so on

-He wants a lot of quality family time, from game or movie nights to going out to restaurants, and he often pressures his sister to join along so his kid can get to know their Aunt Jayme

-Maybe it’s because he too is a big kid at heart, but he’s the type of parent that acts more like a friend, so they feel like they can talk to him about anything

-It’s not surprising since he’s proud every time the child so much as breathes but he’s absolutely amazed when they develop their power, though as impressed as he is, he also takes it seriously and helps them deal with it

Sloane Hargreeves

-Sloane has been waiting for this for much longer than 10 months, she’s super eager, not complaining once about even the toughest parts of raising a baby

-She’s nearly overwhelmed by joy when she’s with you two, taking hundreds of photos and videos so she’ll be able to come back and relive these moments forever

-The first time your child floats she’s actually distressed and not for the obvious reason, but because she wanted your family to be as conventional and conflict-free as possible, basically the opposite of her childhood, but you help her see the good in this

-She’s a little bit of a helicopter parent, because she just really wants to be there for them and help or protect them if need be, but she’s willing to back off when they need space

-Vacations all around the world are a semi-regular thing in your family, it’s very important to Sloane to familiarise her child to other cultures and help them live their life to the fullest, plus she’s catching up on her own dream

-All in all, none of the futures she dreamed up for herself while stuck at the academy could live up to the one she has now, with her two favourite people in the world

Jayme Hargreeves

-Jayme’s not the best candidate for dealing with a baby’s neediness and its definitely not her idea of a good time but she knows what she signed up for and dutifully attends to them

-All her time with Alphonso was honestly kind of good practice for dealing with a kid’s many requests and complaints, they could potentially overwhelm you but now they don’t really faze her

-Jayme is fairly indifferent to the child having her power, finding it funny if anything, but she still warns them not to use it on anyone (unless they deserve it)

-She isn’t exactly strict, in fact she pretty much gives the kid as much freedom as you’re okay with, but when you do set a rule she’s typically dedicated to enforcing it

-She can be a bit emotionally distant but makes up for it with her helpfulness in practical matters, if your kid needs a lift, a snack, or something fixed they know they can count on her

-Despite her stoic demeanour, she loves your kid with all her heart and that shines through all her sarcasm and eye rolls

[ciaossu-imagines]

Khr for the 20 questions meme (you can choose the numbers if that’s a lot) Thank You!

Thank you for the request, my lovely anon! I didn't really manage to do all of them, though I explained why I couldn't do particular ones while answering and I hope you'll enjoy my thoughts on the ones I did do!

which muse is the easiest to write?

Honestly, I think I've answered this a couple times on this blog. But for those who might have missed those answers, the honest truth is that there isn't a single character left in KHR that I consider 'hard' to write about anymore. I don't think I write the best Reborn, Hibari, or Mukuro, but I do try my best. I will say, I do find Gokudera always naturally flows pretty well for me but overall, KHR is the easiest fandom for me to write about and I enjoy all the characters, in their own way.

which muse is most likely to go to jail?

Well, let's see. Mukuro, Ken, Chikusa, M.M., Birds, and the Bloody Twins are all canonically either currently in jail or they have been in jail. But if that's too much of a cop-out answer, Naito would definitely spend at least a night or two in jail here and there because he's an idiot and a loud one and gets himself into silly situations or causes a public disturbance. If it wasn't for the fact that they're protected by the Mafia and have so many resources at their disposal, the Varia should also be spending time in prison for multiple murders.

which muse would be the best parent?

That's a really hard one because, honestly, this cast is so huge, and there's a lot of characters I think would make excellent parents. There's no way to settle into best either, since I think they'd all have vastly different parenting styles. I will say, out of Tsuna's family, I think neither Gokudera nor Hibari want children, nor would either of them being particularly great parents, each for their own reasons. The only person in the Varia I see wanting their own children is Levi, though I also think Squalo could be a good parent if it did become a thing for him. Out of Mukuro's gang, I don't think Mukuro nor Chrome want their own biological children. They could all potentially be good parents, but out of them all, I do think Fran would make the worst parent, though even he has moments of being a really good parent.

what would your muses be the deities of? what are your favorite icons for each muse? what song do you associate with each muse? what sort of youtube channel would your muses have?

Okay, this is just an absolutely huge cast of characters, so I hope you don't mind that I skipped these questions, my dear. The resulting post, if I was to do the entirety of the cast, would take hours upon hours to write (and like I said, these prompts are supposed to be fun and fast in between the more serious waiting requests), and would be extremely long for any of these questions, though I'd be happy to do these with a narrower group of characters in KHR.

which muse would you most like to meet irl?

Oh, there's so, so many characters from KHR I do wish were real and were in my life. Shouichi, Spanner, Byakuran after the future arc, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Haru, Kyoko, Chikusa, Shamal, YamaPapa, Squalo, Skull, Enma…the list is literally too long to count.

which muse would be the MOM friend? DAD friend?

Mom friend? Both Bianchi and Kyoko definitely show signs of being mom friends to those in their lives, though each in their unique ways. I also do think Luce, Aria, and Yuni all are or were 'mom friends' and that, even before she became a mom, Nana was a 'mom friend' to those she was friends with. Now, I'll show myself as dumb here but I didn't really know what a 'dad friend' really meant, so I had to google it. I think Yamamoto and Reborn both have some 'dad friend' energy, as does Kusakabe and Romario, right off the top of my head. Of course, YamaPapa has the most daddest of dad energies though, just saying and is a father, so maybe that helps. I also think Timoteo was always a 'dad friend' to people, from the time he was a kid all the way until he becomes an old man, when he gains 'grand-dad friend' vibes.

which muses are cat people? which are dog people?

Okay, so again, this is a question that if I listed all the characters from the wide cast of characters that fit into both categories, the post would be very long and would take a very long time to write, so I'm just going to go with the first ones that popped into my head. Hibari would definitely be a cat over dog kind of person. While animals really love Hibari in general and he tends to get along best with animals rather than people, he's not really a fan of dogs, to be honest. They're too clingy and require too much attention. Gokudera, Chikusa, Julie, and Kikyo are all very much cat people too. However, Yamamoto, Skull, and Colonello to me are all very much dog people.

which muse would you want to have a sleepover with?

Of course, a sleepover with the girls (Chrome, Kyoko, Haru, Hana, Bianchi, and I-Pin) would be so much fun. I also think sleepovers with Byakuran would be a blast and though I know he's really unpopular, sleepovers with Naito would be hilarious and full of crazy stories for the ages.

which muse would try to befriend the others? which two muses would get along the best if they met? which two muses would immediately fight each other if they met?

Now, I'm treating all of these questions in terms of how I write the various characters in my crossovers and AU's. Again, if I was to write this thinking of all the characters, I could make each question a very long, thorough, time-consuming post, so I went with just my first thoughts. I would happily answer these questions more thoroughly, if anyone would like, with a narrower group of characters. In terms of the crossovers/multiverse AU's though, Tsuna is always the most accepting and the one to make the most friends. While not as outwardly extroverted and friendly as Yamamoto, there's this charisma to Tsuna that does draw people to him. Hibari, Byakuran, Mukuro, Gokudera, Bel, and Xanxus get into the most fights in these stories though.

which muse is physically the strongest? which muse would win in a fist fight against the others?

So, keeping this strictly in universe, the Varia are all considered elite assassins and fighters and I think most of them would survive a fist fight with any of the other characters to at least a draw. It's canon that Hibari is the strongest, battle-wise, of all Tsuna's Guardians, and the Arcobaleno are the absolute best of the best, with Skull in particular actually being known for his strength, something a lot of people seem to forget because honestly, canon and fandom does him a little dirty. In just plain out hand to hand combat, I think Skull can hold his own against anyone, even Hibari, if push came to shove. I'm also adding Knuckle and Ryohei to this category, as fist-fights are their specialities and something both really excel at.

what is a plot you’ve been wanting to do for [muse name]?

I mentioned this to a friend the other day in messages, but I honestly, if I had the time and artistic ability, would love to write light novel spin-off series for KHR, something that would never happen as those have to be approved, I'm pretty sure, by the original creator. But I would love to do light novels exploring so much - the Arcobaleno's individual pasts, how they each came to chosen, their experiences with the occasion that turned them into Arcobalenos, and the immediate aftermath of being turned into infants and how they adapt to life after that. I'd love to do light novels exploring all the prior generations of the Vongola Bosses and their Guardians. I'd love to do one exploring YamaPapa's past, especially his relationship with his sibling disciple of Shigure Soen and the creation of Shinotsuku Ame.

which muse would spend a night in a haunted place for $20?

Gokudera will do it for free. No kidding, legit, he might even pay for the privilege. I honestly do think Bianchi actually does share some of her brother's passion for ghosts and she would be interested in spending the night in a haunted house as well. Byakuran and Mukuro would both do it, just because it would amuse them, and both are enough of skeptics to not even be scared.

which muse would you not let into your house, under any circumstance?

Honestly, it's Kikyo. I do see him as being really judgmental, especially with anything aesthetic, and I do think he'd read my interior decorating skills and aesthetic to filth, despite how much I love my apartment and how it looks. I also don't think I'd much like Bel in my apartment…too much chance of me being murdered for my comfort, thanks.

which muse would investigate the scary noises? which one would hide?

Again, this is one where if I really focused on the full cast, putting them into the groups, I could create a post that would be very long, thorough, and would take quite a while to write, so I just went with my first thoughts. Lambo, Tsuna, Shouichi, Enma would all hide. Basil, Gokudera, Spanner, Byakuran, Mukuro, Hibari, Adelheid, Shitt. P, and Reborn would all investigate, some with less fear than the others.

[salami2]

| The “Day Off” |

| eddie munson x fem!reader, platonic!steve, platonic!robin, platonic!nancy |

| warning!(s) - eddie calling you princess & baby, mentions of past sexual activities/innuendos, mentions of eating, drinking (alcohol), eds being kinda a perv, mention of death, the both of you being lovey- dovey, basically everyone being a lil’ OOC.

| a:n - just wanted to write at least one eddie fic with pure fluff to let go of my pain! enjoy <3

“Wait… what?”

You didn’t expect to hear Nancy Wheeler's melancholic voice on a chilly, Saturday morning in November. The sound of birds coming awake near the window of your bedroom. They were certainly more awake than you were.

Tiredly, you sit upright on your bed. Rubbing your eye with one hand and the other holding onto the bedside phone.

“Just you, me, Steve, Robin and your sweet ol’ lover Eddie Munson,” She states, “We’ll do some early morning shopping when there aren't many people and just spend the whole day out.”

While you would usually not want to do these two types of things, there were two factors that made you think about it:

1: Nancy Wheeler was the one who suggested it. Much different then Steve, who would usually insinuate outings.

And 2: She dropped your favourite boy's name…

You sighed, groaning into the phone. “Ok, fuck it- let’s do it. Gotta admit, this is new, Nancy. Never thought you’d ever want to do something fun.” you chuckled, picturing her annoyed expression perfectly in your mind.

“Just hurry and dress up. I plan on getting a well deserved break.”

And with that, she hangs up the phone on you. Making you shake your head. Though, you couldn’t help but agree with the poor, overworked girl. Girlie needs it!

Thoughts of Eddie lingered in your mind while you scowarged through your closet. A stupid smile plastered on your face at the thought of his stupid- but pretty- face. A small blush forming on your cheeks.

It did not take long before you could see Steve’s car pull up in your driveway, honking the horn once as to grab your attention, but not wake anyone.

Eddie excited the car, excited to see you again. His body leaned against the car, eyes darting around to try and find you.

You emerged, dresses in your favourite blouse, long skirt and high heeled boots. While slipping on a brown, soft coat you stole from your mom. Like always, Eddie was astounded by your beauty. Entranced with the Morticia that made his Gomez.

Like a bolt, you clicked the door shut and ran up into Eddie’s arms. Giggling like a school girl.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful, princess.” He professed, giving a chaste kiss to your temple.

“Goodmorning to you, too.” you chuckle, pulling him in for an actual kiss.

Steve honks his horn again to grab both your attention.

“Ok, lovebirds! You’re grossing out poor Robin here, don't stop making out and get in the car!”

Eddie rolled his eyes, offering a hand inside the car with a sweet smile. You slipped yours into his and giggled. Your boyfriend was a gentleman, after all.

Nancy smacked Steve's shoulder and grabbed his attention at the steering wheel. “C’mon, let’s get this show on the road!” Steve scoffed. “Yeah, I know. You act like we basically don’t have the entire day, Nance.”

You sat in the middle of Robin and Eddie. Resting your head on his shoulder and playing with his rings.

Robin sighed at the sight of you both being all buddy buddy with each other.

“Wish I had that kinda chemistry with Vickie. Maybe then I would vomit less whenever you two are together.” She joked, punching her in the shoulder.

The car ride was long. There were not too many car on the road, making it seem ghostly. The radio blasted the newest songs much to Eddie's dislike. Which he may or may not have gotten into argument with Steve on putting on his own music. But he simply said: “It’s my car, I’m driving, so it’s gonna be my music, Munson.”

Finally, after what seemed like a decade, your destination had arrived. Nancy got out of the car first, fully ready for the day ahead of her.

It took a while to drag Steve and Robin through those front doors, but it was worth it. The mall was almost desolate despite the couple of people roaming around.

Your eyes scan around and hit a store that catched your attention.

“Eddie, look! Let’s go over there.” You point, grabbing him by the arm. He chuckles.

The sound of Nancys voice reached your ears before you could get inside. “Be at the food court by 12 for lunch!” she exclaims, as everyone splits up to do their own shopping.

“Ah- hey! No peeking, Ed!”

Your hand swatted away at Eddie, who was trying to sneak in on you changing into the lovely shirt you found on the rack.

“Is it a crime to see my lovely girlfriend's body?” He jokes, sitting back down on the bench near the changing room.

You rolled your eyes. “You’re acting like you didn’t see and feel my body last night…” Your voice teased, making him remind of the nightly activities you did at his place last night.

Finally, you emerged from the dressing room. Giving him a little twirl and fiddling with the shirt. “Whaddya think?”

He puts on a playful gasp, hands both placed on his cheeks. Home Alone adition.

“Princess, you look like a goddess!” He places a kiss on your forehead. You laugh at your boyfriend's antics.

“It's just a new shirt, Ed.” You laugh, playfully pushing him in the shoulder. “A new shirt that I would happily rip off and neatly put it away before going down on you.”

Your eyes scatter around the small store. Eyes catching onto a black, leather jacket that hung there on the rack. Waltzing up to it, you pull it off and hold it up for him. “Look at this. Wanna try it on? For me?”

How could Eddie say no to your pleas? He immediately takes off his own jackets and slips the new one on. Making you blush like a schoolgirl at the sight.

His body was accentuated with the new clothing garment. Eddies slightly toned chest and arms looking amazing in it.

“Holy shit…” You muttered. He spins around and looks in the mirror. Adjusting his hair and smiling at himself.

“Damn. I look good!” He exclaims, checking himself out in the mirror. You nodded, not being able to make the right words on how you feel come out.

“You look.. hoooot.” You dragged out. He pulled you in closer by the waist. Placing a firm kiss on your lips, laughing while doing so. “Guess I’m going to keep this, princess.”

It didn't take long before you and Eddie's perfect moment was rudely interrupted by abrupt laughter from a Steve and a Robin. Robin, crouched inside a steel shopping cart. And Steve, driving said shopping cart while trying to catch his breath.

Both of your eyes widened. Rushing up to the chaotic duo.

“What the hell!?” You shouted. Robin broke down into a fit of laughter. “Hop on in, guys!” She motioned.

Eddie hung off the side without question. In a fit you paid the poor cashier in the store for the shirt and jacket and hopped inside the cart.

“This is crazy-“ You manage to say, despite the constant shaking of the cart going- what seemed to be- 1000 miles an hour. “Yeah, crazy fun!” Robin retaliated.

This day was not what a certain Wheeler was expecting. Cathching up to her friends complete stupidity while apologizing on behalf of them.

It. Was. Chaos.

Lunch rolled around: Nancy found the perfect restaurant near the mall. Classy, chic. Robin and Steve managed to ruin it by spilling water on the waitress and starting a debate on which movie actress was hottest.

They were at the GAP, and got kicked out because the staff caught you and your boyfriend performing… activities in the changing room. But in your defence!…

No, never-mind, you had no defence-

Now, the sun was setting. All of you, hanging around the mall parking lot. Hanging around Steve's car.

He comes rushing over with a pack of beer and a flushed expression. Setting it down.

“Don’t hate me- I tried this shit once at a party and I swear, I was flying. Well, either flying or completely wasted.” He admits. Handing one to a little concerned Robin. She was never entirely interested in alcohol anyways.

You grabbed one for you and Eddie. Everyone cheering in the middle. Everyone except Nancy, who was sulking on her own.

You give her a side hug, letting her head rest on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Nance. I know you wanted a perfect day.” You express. She hums in response, taking a long sip of her beer. “Was it so much to ask?” She mumbles.

“Honestly, if you think about it,” Robin chimes in, setting down her drink. “Today was pretty funny. Got kicked out of a restaurant, out of the GAP, and now were chugging beers in the mall parking lot. Like true teenagers.”

“Hey, to true teenagers!” Eddie cheers.

Nancy downs the entire beer way too quickly. Making you worry, just a bit. “I know, but I just… wanted to act like adults. I mean, we hang around my brother and his friends way too much. Wanted to get away from them. Y’know?”

Everyone gave small nods in agreement. Becoming quiet and slowly suffering. Moping around and being depressed- like true teenagers!

You got up from the concrete and Eddie's grasp. Taking that last sip of the can.

“Why the fuck are we just moping here? C’mon, lets hit the road! Be stupid! Let our hair out as we ride into the sunset and not tell our parents how shit faced drunk we are!”

Eddie stands up beside you. “Way ahead of you, baby!” he jokes, flipping his hair back dramatically.

You hop in the car quickly. Steve, Robin and Eddie following behind. You bring a hand out for Nancy. “C’mon, Nancy! Let’s end off your not so perfect day perfectly.”

And with a little hesitation, she grabs hold of your hand. Marching her way in shotgun and cranking everything up full volume.

“Yeeeeaah! Let’s go!!” Robin exclaims. Steve throws on his old pair of shades and goes faster.

You wondered a bit if the news report early in the morning would read: “5 Hawkins Teens Died in fatal Car Accident!” but shoved those ideas aside when you finally saw Nancy grin. A smile finally cracking her stone cold face.

What could you say? Being a teenager with the dumbest friends and boyfriend in 86’ was fucking metal!

@salami2

[breakerwhiskey]

151 - ONE HUNDRED FIFTY ONE

Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit patreon.com/breakerwhiskey.

Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.

[click, static] [a cacophony of beeps] [click]

Okay, okay, I get it, just stop. 

[click, static, beeps]

(sighing) This isn’t—this isn’t helpful. Maybe you can’t hear what I’m hearing, but two messages are coming in at once and as a result, I can’t hear a goddamn thing. A fox yapping and a bird chirping at the same time and I’m the fool trying to make sense of both of them. 

If you truly care for me to understand what you’re trying to tell me, then you can figure something else out, something that’s not…this. Meanwhile, I’m going to be doing my own goddamn investigating. 

I’m going to figure out how Leann lived. Surviving on your own, especially all the way up here, out here, and especially at her age…its no easy feat. Maybe she really was just proficient in survival because of her job, maybe that was enough, or maybe she wasn’t totally alone the whole time. Maybe the husband in the photos…maybe he was with her and died years ago. Maybe her daughters are still out there and have been gone from home for one reason or another. Maybe she had people to help her, people to rely on, people to…goddamn pass the time with. 

If she did, I’m going to find them. Even they are—even if they did eventually…

It matters that she’s dead. Of course it matters. I really, really wish that she wasn’t. But, dead or alive, she’s here. And that’s what matters. She’s existed in this strange after-world, right alongside Harry and I, without any of us realizing it. And as far as I can tell, the three of us have nothing in common beyond being women who are decently self-sufficient. Leann was born here, in North Dakota, and doesn’t seem to have traveled more than a few hundred miles from this general area her entire life. I don’t have an exhaustive list of every place that Harry has ever visited, but I’m pretty sure she’s never been out this way. So none of us crossed paths. 

Harry and I were criminals, and Leann worked for the government…but for the Bureau of Land Management. That’s hardly—I mean, it’s not the FBI, it isn’t like our paths would’ve crossed once Harry and I got arrested. And maybe it’s not important that we would’ve crossed paths or not, maybe it’s…maybe it’s some kind of weird gene we all share or something, something intrinsic in each of us that’s caused us to survive when everyone else…

What, evaporated? Leann’s body is the first that I’ve seen. If we were all immune to something, we’d see everybody who wasn’t. 

I have…I have no theories. After the thing with the tornado siren, I started to think again that maybe…maybe it’s not that everyone else is gone, maybe it’s that we’re somewhere else. That maybe that dark feeling I have sometimes about this being purgatory or hell is right. It’s what I deserve, and for years I didn’t understand what Harry would’ve done to earn the same punishment but then she—

[click, static]

I don’t know what Leann could have possibly done to land herself here.  And if it is some sort of cosmic punishment, well…where the fuck is everyone else? There are things that I’ve done that I’m not proud of, that I carry a hell of a lot of guilt and shame about actually, but I know there are worse people than me. Is this a perfectly calibrated hell for people who have done something bad but not that bad? Maybe Leann was a shitty mom, or was stealing money from her job, or…who knows. But if she had done something like that, then her and Harry being in the same place…sure, I can see that. 

But I don’t belong with them. What I did was so much worse, objectively.  I know that. I don’t pretend like it was right or noble or anything like that. Necessary, maybe,  or at least I thought so at the time—

[click, static]

I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how we’re connected. And maybe I’m looking for a connection where I’ll never find one, maybe it’s just weird fucking coincidence but that doesn’t feel…right. If only three of us made it past 1968, there must be a reason. 

[click, static]

[goldmanguyperson]

i watched Nimona with my mom and sibling a while ago

at the end i really felt like trying to tell her that i felt like nimona. not just in the metaphorical “rejected by society because of who i am” sense, not wholly, but in the I AM A SHAPESHIFTER sense. but i couldnt do it. cuz its scary. how do you explain that you you identify as something that is entirely within the realm of fiction to somebody else? it does not help that i go semi verbal to mute when talking about serious personal topics

Recently it turned out my sibling is also a therian. I found out because he asked if i was. I wish I had known when we watched that movie because maybe it would have been easier?

but oh well. Bygones are bygones. Maybe one day she will know. Maybe she already knows. it isnt like im particularly private to her about my internet presence. She could find this account if she tried, insanely easily in fact. She has known things ive wanted to tell her before because of similar events. And she’s never been upset by it even if it is strange. I hope she knows i appreciate that. That really is important to me. I love you momma.

Maybe one day in the future my dreams where i am a bird or a monster or just a general Thing will have less scary and isolating stories. maybe one day people like me will be more generally accepted. i do really hope so. the kids seem to be finding out about these concepts, even if not presented entirely accurately. Maybe a lot of them will brush it off as just the general animal kid phase as they get older, but a lot of them will probably keep those ideas, or at least respect them more. We can see now that the older our generation gets the more we actually like our past “cringe” ideas. It could all work out here too.

I do have hope