#she's nearly home boys lets gooooo

[fioreofthemarch]

Finding Her - Chapter 19

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ]

Log date: 17:35. 9th month, 18th day 104AC Location: Lookout Landing, Emergency Shelter  Weather: Overcast, drizzle 

Arm hurts, really hurts. A Yiga got me there. In a bad way, but getting better. 

Don’t know where to start or where to end. It’s Autumn already, but it was Summer yesterday. Talk of a Blood Moon soon. Or did that already happen? Head’s swimming. Losing my grip a little and then suddenly I’m

Upstairs, in the loft, dozing. Zelda’s downstairs. Where’s the flour? she asks, I want to bake something. It’s been over a hundred years! So we try but I’m a better cook than a baker and she’s a culinary mad scientist. No measuring cups, no recipes, just vibes. We’re sitting on the floor waiting for the cake to bake, flour everywhere, and then she’s on my lap, then her lips are on mine, then her apron is gone along with the rest of our clothes, and when I wake up in bed next to her, there’s still flour in her hair. 

Was that yesterday or the day before? Trying to hold on. Time flowing through me like air out a window. If I reach out I can catch moments in my palm: Standing with Scorpis under a sunshade, waiting for the rain to pass. He’s telling me it’s a family legend that his great-grandfather was a Knight, like me. Then I’m with Jerrin, getting my bandages changed. She says it’s a miracle I survived, or perhaps the Goddess’ idea of a joke. Then Muzu is insisting we train the soldiers harder, but Slergo and Offrak say people are already working their guts off. Gralens hands me the latest edition of the Lucky Clover Gazette. Buliara and Harth take inventory of my gear and weapons. Mubs reads me a letter from Garini, who says hi. 

I’m here. I’m trying to be here. They’re saying the Sages are on their way to Lookout Landing. They say victory is near. But all I wanted was her, and that future only half-dreamed. The one where we have a house on a hill and it’s being renovated to add a library. Zelda’s downstairs, reviewing the plans over a cup of tea, and I’m upstairs, in the loft, checking on the baby. He was a winter-born child, like me, so he’s strong. There’s a cake in the oven. And it’s a good one.

A photograph of the kitchen in the Emergency Shelter. It’s quite orderly, as though someone has recently given it a tidy, though some jars of flour, sugar, milk and yeast are still out of place. There is a fire crackling below the stove.

Caption: Does she prefer vanilla or chocolate icing? I should know this…

---

Log date: 19:34. 9th month, 21st day 104AC Location: Passeri Greenbelt, Hyrule Field   Weather: Partly cloudy 

Cool morning. Trees are going red now. Rode out with the Monster Control Crew at noon. There’s a camp nearby that they hit once every few weeks, but each time it gets rebuilt a little closer to Lookout Landing. We prayed at the Goddess Statue before we left. Paya is here now, leading the services. As the hours tick down, all round the clock, people pray. 

The Sages arrived two days ago. Impa and Robbie not long after that. Here to give every last Message Medallion a service, Robbie said, while Impa handed Josha a stack of ancient texts to translate. Then, an emergency meeting with the Sages. They’re fidgeting, they’ve heard the rumours. Purah starts saying something but I stop her. They won’t believe the truth from anyone but me. Don’t know what I said, only that I tried to think of how Zelda would tell them, if she were in my place. 

Felt like all hell broke loose after. Gasps, cries, bowed heads, furious tears and vows of vengeance. All that anger and grief is a torch to a powder keg. Suddenly Purah is saying we march at dawn, tomorrow we avenge our Princess and destroy the Demon King! And I’m standing there unable to breathe because I realise I'm not ready. I can’t face him yet and I don’t know why. And I’m trying to think of how to say that without freaking everyone out, because your hero isn’t exactly meant to have second thoughts… when it’s Josha who saves me one final time. 

‘You can’t go!’ she cries. She grabs some ancient book and flips through the pages, pointing to what looks like a lunar chart, with a bright red circle at its centre. ‘There is a Blood Moon tomorrow! If it happens while you’re down in the Depths, it could be a disaster!’ 

More whispers. A bit of back and forth. Purah brushes her off as paranoid, but then the Sheikah gather around a couple calendars and do a few calculations, and in the end, the attack is called off. 

So Ganondorf got himself another day, and so did I. Can’t delay forever but… there’s just something not settled in me yet. When we win this, everyone else’s lives go back to normal. 

But what about mine? 

A photograph of the night sky, clear as glass and only broken up by the pinprick lights from distant stars. Low above the horizon, almost pulsating, is a huge, crimson moon. 

Caption: She was right, the little rebel. 

---

Log date: 10:00. 9th month, 22nd day 104AC Location: Sanidin Park Ruins, Hyrule Ridge Weather: Fine 

They’ll have realised I left by now. I put a note on my pillow promising to come back by sun-down. Have to keep moving in case they send scouts after me. 

Not abandoning them. Would never dream of it. But I promised myself to chase every lead and this last one is for me. 

Read through the Lucky Clover Gazette this morning and a headline on page 8 caught my eye. WINGED WRITER HANGS UP HIS FLYING GOGGLES. Penn? He’s leaving the Gazette? He told me that Traysi loved his work. I have a great all-weather climbing set to show for it. 

Might be stalling. Might not. Just want to figure this one out. Penn was looking for Zelda too, after all. And maybe searching for something else along the way – a reason to wake up each morning, get back on the trail, and soar long… 

He deserves to know what happened, or at least for someone to thank him for his hard work. Or maybe I just want to see a friendly face, before the end of it all. 

A photograph of the said Lucky Glover Gazette article, held up for the camera, the greenery of Hyrule Field just visible in the background. There is an illustration of Penn literally hanging up his goggles, with a pantomimed look of resignation on his face. 

Caption: You can take the man out of the newspaper… 

---

Log date: 15:50. 9th month, 22nd day 104AC Location: Great Sky Island, Central Hyrule Archipelago  Weather: Clear

I found Penn on Washa’s Bluff, in a gazebo where an old friend and I sat once. Kass would sing until the sun went down, and as thanks I’d make us both dinner. His songs still carry on the wind if you know how to listen. They’re the songs of the land, after all. 

We talked for a long time. I told Penn we made a great team, that his leads were invaluable, and that chasing them down kept me on my toes. Sure, we didn’t find Zelda, but we told the stories of her people and should be proud of that. He said he’s still leaving the paper no matter my flattery. Spoke about having lost his touch, that his instincts were gone. A reporter without instincts is like a Knight without a sword. It didn’t help when he noticed that I did, in fact, have my sword back. 

‘Don’t worry about me, partner,’ Penn said. ‘I’ll get back in the air, someday.’

But I was worried. I didn’t want Penn to lose hope… I didn’t want to lose hope. And in that moment, it felt like waking up. Like surfacing from beneath deep waters. I wanted to be alive. I wanted to live a good life. I knew I still did, even without her, even with all the pain.

So I said to him that maybe wanting to be better is its own instinct. Maybe trying to find something or someone or some meaning to it all is what keeps us going. And maybe we don’t have to do any of that alone. Penn sat with that for a long time, and then pulled out his notebook.

‘Would you want to write a column for the Gazette?’ he asked. ‘Our readers would love it. I’ll edit it, of course.’ How could I say no? We shook on it then and there. So much for his sabbatical.

It’s nearly time. I bid Penn farewell, then came here. Wondered — if I could choose how to spend one last afternoon, what would I do? The answer was easy, though it took a little while to coax Zelda to join me. But now we’re here and we’re ready: for a nap, with the sun on our backs, and nothing else but us and the quiet moments we can still share. 

I miss you, Zelda, even though you’re right here. I miss you more than I could ever say. But I’m going to keep on living. I’m going to live enough life for the both of us. I think it’s what you might have wanted. 

If nothing else, I consider it a duty. What is a Knight, if not a devotee to his lady? 

A photograph of the Light Dragon, coiled around a hollow tree stump that sits atop one of the atolls of the Great Sky Island. Three Korok wind-fans are placed in front of her snout – a makeshift lure, and apparently a successful one. On her mane is Link, resting comfortably on her hair. Together, they doze. 

Caption: You deserve all the rest in the world. 

---

Audio log transcription date: 104.09.24  Time: 9 minutes 45 seconds.

LNK | 08:00 Gloom’s Approach in sight. All units report. Vanguard?

MIN | 08:00 We will lead the charge. 

YNB | 08:00 Launching on your command, Link!   

LNK | 08:01 Flank? 

RIJ | 08:01 Static charging as we speak.

TLN | 08:01 With some guidance. Arrows ready. Any monsters down there won’t know what hit ‘em.

LNK | 08:01 And rearguard? 

SDN | 08:02 I am here. If you are hit, fall back to me. 

LNK | 08:02 Last not but least, intel? 

JSH | 08:02 Reporting in. We’re here to help from Lookout Landing, however we can! 

LNK | 08:04 Alright, listen to me. Zelda gave us everything she had for this, but she also gave me an order: protect you all. If anything happens, you get yourselves out. Everybody lives, do you understand me?

MIN | 08:04 Link… 

TLN | 08:04 What about you?

SDN | 08:04 Zelda would not want you to throw yourself at death!  

LNK | 08:05 That’s not happening, not when I have her power right here with me.

RIJ | 08:05 Then give us your orders Link.

YNB | 08:05 We’ll do whatever you say. 

LNK | 08:05 Fight smart, hit hard. Don’t touch any Gloom, keep your Sundelions in reach. As soon as we have a visual on Ganondorf, we do whatever it takes to finish the job. Clear? 

[All answer: ‘Clear’]

LNK | 08:06 And whatever happens… I’m glad to have spent this time with you.

RIJ | 08:06 Likewise, Link.

MIN | 08:07 Yes, it has been an honour. 

TLN | 08:07 We’ll finish this together! 

SDN | 08:07 For the Princess!

YNB | 08:08 For Zelda!  

LNK | 08:08 For Zelda. Any last words? Josha? 

JSH | 08:09 Nothing at the moment, but the further underground you go, the weaker your signal will be. I’m going to disable a few processes to conserve power, like the audio transcription. Let’s hope we don’t need it.

LNK | 08:09 You heard her. Make it count. Or at least live to tell the tale.

LNK | 08:10 Okay, heading in. See you on the other side.

[funky-gobbo-art]

John Donovan notes

(At this rate he’s a semi-oc considering how little the game tells us about him and this is all headcanon and speculation. Hamster weirdo became my hyper fixation cause I just wanna give him more depth.)

Some of these things were inspired from conversations with both @sleepytimemoga-p2​ and @thesketchykid​ as well. So giving them credit too UwU

Open to discussion as well ofc. I am releasing this for all who wanna see it.

LETS GOOOOO

Name: John Donovan Nicknames: Donovan, Johnny Birthday: November 21st 1932 Current Age: 35 Zodiac signs/Horoscope: Scorpio Sun/Leo Moon/Sagittarius Rising, Water Monkey Height: 5ft8 Weight: 150-something lbs Gender/Pronouns: Male, He/Him Orientations:  ▇▇▇/Not straight though Ethnicity: American Race: White (Irish background with grandparents) Place of Birth: Washington, Pennsylvania Current Residence: Delray Hollow, New Bordeaux, LA. 

Affiliations: C.I.A, U.S Army (Both formally), Clay Crime Family Education: Bachelor's Degree from Princeton Political leaning: Democrat (I GUESS??)

Hair Color: Honey Blonde Eye Color: Light Blue Body Type: ▇▇▇ (All I’ll say is personally I think the endomorph body type is more fitting than what we saw in game) Scars/Marks/Blemishes: Horizontal scar across his left palm, scar slash on his chest, moles on his face and neck. Faded freckles. Physical health: Left hand is prone to stiffness and pain on occasion, exhaustion. Chain smokes and nearly excessive drinking. Mental Illnesses/Disorders: Undiagnosed for all of these. C-PTSD, PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Insomnia. Susceptibility to illness: Medium-Low Overall: Despite everything, he’s okay.

((Relationships/Family))

Mother: Irene Donovan. Status: Alive Relationship: Was close with his mom as a small child, but she had to work a bit throughout his childhood and very much through WW2 and since then they’ve been increasingly distant and completely cut off by the time he graduated college. She’s pretty religious and once John started questioning things, she did not like that at all.

Father: Robert Sr. Donovan Status: Alive/Injured and needs a cane. Relationship: Had the fear/respect type relationship with his father, felt like walking on eggshells the time he got back home from WW2, increasingly got more hostile during his teens and escalated to his adulthood. Despite the rough relationship, the patriotism/nationalism got passed down, but not the Bible thumping. Had some contacts at Princeton from his past military service at least.

Siblings: Family of three children, oldest is Robert Jr. (Bobby or just Junior), the second oldest is James (Jimmy) and the youngest is John. Bobby Jr: Born Feb 1929 Status: Alive/injured-lost his right hand. Jimmy: Born March 1930 Status: Alive

Relationship with Bobby: Being the oldest he was expected to watch his younger brothers while their mother worked. They all got along for the most part but Bobby mostly wanted to keep his parents happy. John was closer with him when he was younger but once he was able to be independent, then they started to drift apart. Bobby being a “kiss-up” as a teenager was the start of a downfall. Volunteered to serve over in Korea and that made their dad happy at least.

Relationship with Jimmy: Much better than his relationship with Bobby weirdly enough. Even though Jimmy and Bobby were closer in age, Jimmy would hang out and play with John more when they were kids. He got into sports, specifically baseball and got real good at it too. John enjoyed going to his games. He got a scholarship and went off to college and only came back home when Bobby came back injured. Things got bad and he continues to be estranged from his younger brother.

((Romantic Relationships))

Single. He never got around to dating while he was in highschool, and had no time at all to allocate time into forming relationships like that while in college. It wasn't something he thought about either and I’m sure going to mostly all boys educational facilities did something to him. Being raised in this time period and Catholic made him never consider that he probably liked men like that until he actually got out of his home, but even then he wasn't sure. Did some impulsive stuff though during breaks that won’t be elaborated on.

Connor Aldridge: After being recruited into the C.I.A after graduating, John was put on an assignment down in South America and was to work under a more experienced agent, Aldridge. Without getting too into the actual plot and conspiracy happening, John got really attached to Aldridge because he was his mentor and things eventually elevated to a relationship that was really toxic thanks to the power dynamic and John’s willingness at the time to get jerked around like that. He was easy for Connor to manipulate because he was fresh but also had something off about him so convincing him to do more extreme stuff for their “jobs” was easy. Dangled patriotism in his face but also positive reinforcement. ((Theory: John still doesn't want to admit he was being abused by another man because of the stigma at the time and genuinely is more angry about Connor selling out information to the NVA. He puts his job and concerns about his country over his own well being, even though the betrayal really messed with his head.))

The Pen pal Girlfriend: Right after the fallout of the Aldridge situation, feeling lonely and confused, John joined a pen pal program being offered to the servicemen at the time. John started talking to this woman and it lasted for a while, he wasn't realizing it was a rebound reaction and just thought they went from friends to being in a long distance relationship. He wanted to meet her in person at some point but then she dropped a bombshell that she just got married which devastated him. He reacted by pulling information on her new husband and found nothing to realistically be mad about. John’s still upset because it implies she was seeing this guy the whole time they were writing and never told him. ((Theory: Girl joined the program out of boredom, John was friendly in the letters but was a little too weird for her (basically going on long rants and infodumping) eventually got a boyfriend in person and just kept the letters up cause John seemed kind of lonely. When John wanted to make plans to meet her when he was on leave, she had to cut it off for good because her and her boyfriend got married and didn't want to deal with it in person.))

((Childhood))

((Personally I don’t want to get into possibly too much uncomfortable detail because he’s not my character and I don’t know what it was like to be an upper middle class white boy in the 1930’s-1940’s.)) Was a chubby baby and you can tell he was even now. Old baby pictures of him are really funny because he just looks like dough in baby clothes. When he joined the C.I.A he worked hard to lose weight but it’s noticeable and he hates doing office work because it will come back. 

Always got into things as soon as he was able to crawl, digging through boxes, going to other peoples rooms. Really nosey, I’m sure he ruined the times his brothers brought any girls home. Unfortunately also eavesdropped when his parents were having some disputes.  

Him and his brothers went to catholic school their whole lives, church was unavoidable. Got into the habit of keeping up to date on the gossip at school and at church, during WW2 when his dad wasn't around and his mom was spread more thin, the habit got worse. Sometimes he liked to spread what he learned around because he thought it was funny, he’s probably about 11-12 at this time. With digging around he got interested in some technology, like figuring out how the phone works and messing with the family's radio (which got him in trouble).

Despite being technically “a nerd” during his school years, the other kids had mixed opinions on him. Either he was the weird and off-putting kid, the rude kid that always got into fights, the nosey kid or to a very small select group of kids: a pretty good friend. Really depended on who you asked. 

His oldest brother, Bobby, also got into Princeton thanks to his fathers connection, but took a break to volunteer for the N. Korean conflict. Jimmy got involved in a local baseball team and focused on his career in that, so John was expected to be the one that goes to college and finishes it. John graduated highschool at 17 and got into uni pretty fast, thanks to his test scores speeding up the process. He took mostly journalism and engineering related courses, but got into other programs relating to foreign studies and languages.

((Other))

((This is just random stuff that’s just speculation for fun that I didn't know where to fit anywhere))

Always complaining about the weather, even if he’s somewhere that snows, he’s complaining about it. Especially hates humidity and yet keeps finding himself near swamps.

Despite being an Ivy League graduate with a government job, he really likes psychedelic rock music and genres related. Can’t seem to stand music he doesn't like and will get cranky if he’s made to listen to it. (The Doors fan…perhaps)

Because John’s not beating the Autism allegations, he turned down Lincoln’s offer of eating Cajun food because that’s not “safe” food for him. As soon as he feels slimy okra in his mouth, he’s gonna run to the bathroom and his appetite will be ruined for the day. Ice cream’s a safe food, despite it not being a meal. 

He probably, if anything, learned some very base level Spanish that was somewhat useful when he was in Guatemala, but I wouldn't be surprised if Aldridge did most of the talking anyways. It didn't stick that well since he was insulted to his face during that one part in Stones Unturned and he didn't react to it at all. He’s probably better with South-East Asian languages, picking up Vietnamese, Khmer and Lao. Also just helps that he was there longer. 

Speaking of not beating the autism allegations, that’s why he uses those pliers instead of regular nail clippers. I eventually got over it and learned to deal with how clippers feel but John seems to be content with his own weird setup. 

When “Pong” comes out, he goes nuts over it. 

If anyone finds out where he’s from and if they bring up the fact he’s from the Appalachian region, he will get defensive and say he’s not like those “backwards hillbillies”. Also he’s pretty touchy about his Irish heritage. He has some internalized stuff he needs to work through. 

If he didn't get recruited into the C.I.A, he probably would have been some type of journalist specializing in political news and foreign affairs.

((Aldridge Notes))

Name: Connor Aldridge Nicknames: Aldridge Birthday: February 8th 1920 Current Age: 48 Zodiac signs/Horoscope: Aquarius, Metal Monkey Height: 5ft10 Weight: 160-something lbs Gender/Pronouns: Male, He/Him Orientations:  ▇▇▇ Ethnicity: American Race: White (British family background) Him and John have a 12 year age gap. Connor was 34 when John joined the C.I.A and got involved in the Guatemalan coup d'etat. At 43 he turned on his country to sell out information to America’s enemies.  48 at the end of Stones Unturned. Why this specific age and age gap? Similar sort of to Lincoln and John’s age gap and parallels of starting out as a mentorship thing. While that’s where the similarities lie, Aldridge did see it as a way to get under John’s skin on top of everything else when they were hunting him down.  The biggest difference is that Lincoln and John were equals, while Aldridge kept John in the dark and who knows what he was making him do without his knowledge.  Did really mess with John’s head though, that “Yeah…” said a lot. ((Keeping this ship neutral cause I think it’s also valid to worry about possibly hurting your friends because you were hurt in the past.))

[confuzing]

List the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there are any patterns and choose your favorite opening line!

Tagged by @chaos-monkeyy !

I went ahead and just did first paragraphs because why not? Ok ok ok let's gooooo!

1. Humans stank. Literally.

2. “I love you.” Eli told him. His posture spoke of nervousness, his hands clasped before him in a manner that reminded Thrawn of their cadet years. 

3. Right before finally coming off-duty after the ordeal with Savit, Eli got a notice that his sleeping cohort had been changed. 

4. She breathes a sigh of relief when the prenatal scan shows the baby is a boy. It's not definitive of course, but so few little boys exhibit skywalker traits. 

5. He was at the capital when the news came in, so he made the short trip back to the homestead. It felt right to send off the man who had given him his position and the only other person who had listened to him about Thrawn's potential. 

6.  Eli wanted it on record  —  at least with himself  —  that he hated this. 

7. "Nuha hasn't shifted in two hours." Aatos murmured in his ear. 

8. You are watching when the Grand Gates fail. You watch as the followers of the Void break the city's defenses over their knee. 

9. “Come look at this Vurawn.” his sister said and took his hand. She didn't tug him along like she often did. Today she walked slow enough for him to keep up on his shorter legs. 

10. Eli was dozing off against his chest, his head resting on Thrawn's shoulder. Unsurprising, they were up far past the human's usual bedtime, watching a holodrama that was much less dramatic than it advertised itself as. 

11. They'd been at the Royal Academy for a week before Thrawn asked his first truly weird question.

12. Eli's life flashed before his eyes when his speeder's engine died midway through his trip home.

13. He was nearly fully grown when the name appeared. This in itself is not so strange. Age gaps in relationships were not uncommon- though Thrawn had, at his age, been expecting to never have a soulmark. Most Chiss didn't.

14. Layne came in clutching the groceries to his chest, clearly agitated. Myles watched him grumble as he pulled his scarf and coat off, stamping his feet more than the cold outside would warrant.

15. He hadn't done this in forever.  He hadn't even brought his supplies to Myomar out of fear of being laughed at.

16. Retirement was not for him. He had tried for a while once he stepped down as Supreme General, but inaction drove him mad and he could only spend so much time learning needlepoint.

17. Eli woke up to a feather-light kiss.

18. Thrawn woke slowly, reluctantly. He was very comfortable, the sheets soft and his companion warm and pliant on top of him.

19. Eli woke to a bright light nearby.  He squinted at it... Thrawn was sitting up in bed, the datapad he was looking at lighting him and the rest of the room up with its glow.  The rest of their borrowed Coruscant apartment was dark- as was the sky outside the floor to ceiling windows surrounding the bed.

20. Sometimes people would ask him if he got bored. 

Patterns:  Hmmmm.... mostly that my first paragraphs are all pretty short. Also people waking up. XD

Favorites: I do like that 17 and 18 almost go together.  I also like 1, but that might just be because it’s the newest.

I’m tagging YOU. Yes you, the person going ,gosh this would be fun’ Consider yourself tagged.

[little-nightmare-gt]

Remember my dream rambling? Remember I said Tubbo is joining the Syndicate? Let's Gooooo!

Technoblade doesn't like leaving Tubbo home alone after realizing his mistake.

He creates little pockets in his armor (mainly because he knows how uncomfortable being immobile in armor is) for him.

Close to feel him but not touching.

Technoblade feels Tubbo's flinches when Phil spoke but that lighten when the dad friend spoke with concern about Tommy and Ranboo.

Niki was another story, Tubbo never relaxed when he heard her voice and flinched hard. Well she did betray L'Manberg as well.

He knew Puffy was safe, but he wouldn't go as far as tell her about Tubbo.

Technoblade knew Tommy was avoiding him since he returned from fighting Dream and throwing him in prison, he admittedly didn't have the guts to tell him that his friend was alive just shrunk.

Ranboo...well he seem like a good kid, to bad he's sticking close to Puffy and Tommy.

Technoblade would take Tubbo to the Syndicate room so he could look around.

Technoblade felt a little pride seeing his eyes brighten briefly, considering he hasn't spoken yet, this was an achievement.

During Syndicate recon, one person finds out about Tubbo and threatened in silence.

Foolish feels life forces, so can Phil but not as strong, and Tubbo's is small. Not just in size. More like his will to live is nearly nonexistent but slowly growing.

This scares Technoblade, because if he hadn't noticed when he did then he'd really be responsible for a child's death. Would he had noticed? Would he care? How long until the younger boy's corpse crumbled between his fingers like it had so close before?

Technoblade continue to right his wrong, even if it meant apologizing to Tommy.

But Tubbo comes first.

[forkanna]

ALSO READ ON: [AO3] [WATTPAD] [QUOTEV]

WARNINGS: Petplay, exhibitionism, cunnilingus, watersports(kinda). This chapter is going to remind people that I once co-wrote My Sister's Mistress, haha… though honestly it's not that bad.

Happy December!

I'm very sorry to all three of you waiting for the epilogue of this fic. I was feeling fairly dissatisfied with my writing, so I took some time off for reading, and NaNoWriMo to focus on my original work (expect news about that soon). Though some mental fog remains, I'm feeling a little sharper and more capable now to continue delivering updates. And to that end...

Prepare yourselves for WE'LL FACE OURSELVES: GOLDEN! This will not continue the story of Yukiko and Chie, though they will be around here and there; instead, it will focus on another unlikely ship entirely. I'll begin posting that in about a month, or sooner if I find time. You may also want to keep your eyes peeled for more content pertaining to another fandom of which I am a part...

Thanks so much for sticking with this until the end. If you'd like to look me up on other platforms, please check out my Carrd!

Until we meet again, Jessex

                                                   EPILOGUE

A horrific day that everyone hoped would never come had finally ambushed the Investigation Team. Yu Narukami was leaving Inaba.

Not a dry eye was to be had at the Yasoinaba station as they watched their gray-haired friend bid fond farewells to all the other friends he had made throughout the year. Chie herself was a little shocked to see just how many there were — hell, even after almost a year she was still shocked that Rise Kujikawa, the real Risette, was one of them! An internationally known pop idol! But there she was, hanging on one of Yu's arms and sobbing into his jacket.

"Yu-kun, don't gooooo!" she blubbered, long auburn pigtails trembling with her movements. "I wanna get to spend G-Golden Week with you, Senpaiiiiii!"

Naoto and Kanji weren't much better. They made for such an odd-looking pair, the rough-and-tumble yakuza-wannabe letting fat tears roll down his cheeks as he was comforted by the small, reserved boy-who-was-not-quite-a-boy. Even after finding out Naoto was a woman, not much had changed; she still dressed like a boy and even behaved like one in most ways. All of Rise's attempts to "girlify" her had fallen flat. Chie really had wound up with a colourful assortment of friends, but she wouldn't change that for the world.

"Yeah, man, you can't take off," Yosuke chuckled. Trying to suppress his feelings with humour; they all knew he was going to miss Yu as much as anyone. "Your girlfriend's gonna miss you, and that ain't cool."

Not that he was pointing at Rise. No, his finger was levelled at Nanako — the little girl she and Yukiko had run into once upon a time who turned out to be Yu's cousin. She was currently hiding behind the leg of her father, Detective Ryotaro Dojima, coming over shy after he had reprimanded her for being too clingy with the boy she had dubbed her big brother. Not that he could control Rise doing the exact same thing, despite having nearly ten years on the second-grader.

"Oh, shut up," Yu grunted — though his motivation was pure, as always. "Don't tease her."

"Whaaat? I'm teasing you, not…" But at the glares from everybody, Yosuke sighed and deflated. "You guys are no fun."

Rise pulled back, her large doe eyes shining with tears — on purpose, Chie knew. She was a top notch actress. "Can't you give me a little kiss goodbye? Something to keep me from… from dying from missing you?"

"Oh please," Yukiko muttered under her breath with a begrudging smile.

But Yu obliged. Sort of. Instead of sweeping her into a graceful dip and really planting one on her, he kissed her forehead. It was a tender gesture, though, so Rise couldn't complain; a much more genuine little smile pulled at her pouty mouth, and she hugged him around the middle.

"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?"

They all pulled back to see Ai Ebihara approaching, hands on her hips. This bitch again? However, something was different about her compared to their last run-in. She was still glamorous, but Chie couldn't help noticing it seemed like her outfit was a little more… conservative?

"What is who doing?" Rise protested, clinging a little tighter to Yu's arm.

"You! Little trollop!" The teen queen stomped over to the two of them, getting right up in Rise's face. She was a little taller and therefore more imposing, but Rise didn't seem scared in the slightest. "Get your greedy little paws off my boyfriend!"

The idol stamped her foot and snapped, "HEY! I don't see your name on him anywhere!"

Yu gulped and began to back away. "Uh…"

"Really?" Ebihara scoffed. "What makes you think you have any claim to him, slut puppy? He went to the festival with me — and spent Christmas Eve with me, too! And for your goddamn information, we got pretty close!"

Poor Rise. Though she was flirty and manipulative toward Yu and Yosuke, it was in a playful way; she did consider them both friends but couldn't seem to suppress her impulses. And here Ai was making all kinds of accusations and getting legitimately competitive. Her lip wobbled, though Chie was fairly certain it had as much to do with losing out to Ai as it had to do with losing Yu himself.

"Senpai, say that's not true! How could you, when I… I let you… you know!"

"Hey, it doesn't count when I'm just sitting there and you plop your butt down on my hand," he protested at her. "And Ai-chan, we hugged a little; please don't tease her by making it sound like more."

Both of his would-be girlfriends pouted and averted their eyes, cheeks turning pinker. Ai seemed a little more genuinely hurt than her rival for the boy's attentions.

"Whew," Yosuke exhaled, wiping his brow. "Don't know how you get away with it, juggling two chicks like that."

"That's not- I didn't…" Yu sighed, shaking his head as he facepalmed. "Maybe I'm glad to be leaving."

But the minute he said so, even if it was in jest, all faces wore expressions of deep sorrow. Nobody really wanted him to go. They had all known his stopover in Inaba had been temporary and yet it was still a terrible shock that Yu would no longer be hanging out with them on a daily basis, going to school, having roundtable discussions in the Junes food court.

"The end of an era, man," Kanji grunted, trying to look tough and only partially succeeding.

"Aww, cheer up, guys!" Teddie proclaimed, bouncing up and down on his heels so hard his blond locks bounced with him. "We'll see Sensei again! Bet on that!"

"There you go, Teddie," Yu laughed quietly, nodding his direction. The bear-shadow-turned-human beamed.

"And in the meantime, I can look after all the girls for you! You don't have to worry about a thing!"

Rise stuck her tongue out at the well-meaning bear. "I don't want you, I want Senpai!"

As the squabbling only grew worse, other classmates began to approach to wish Yu bon voyage. Some girl from his drama class, those guys from the basketball team… even some young boy and his clearly married mother, though she did seem a bit too young to have a child of that age. Their team leader really had left an impression in the short year he had lived there.

When the train whistle signaled that it was about to pull away, the bickering came to an end so they could truly see their friend off. A lot of tearful hugs and well wishes were offered before he was inside, looking out the window at them as it pulled away from the station. They ran after him all the way to the end of the platform until they ran out of space, then stood waving after him until the train was completely out of sight.

Chie was amused that it turned out to be Rise comforting Ebihara, and Yosuke comforting Teddie. Those were some pretty mismatched pairings. Ryotaro took a sobbing Nanako home, and that seemed to be an unofficial signal for them to disperse from the station.

While Kanji was busy throwing an arm around Yosuke's shoulders, proclaiming loudly that they were about to go drinking despite the fact that neither of them had easy access to alcohol at their age, it was Naoto of all people who started drifting closer to Chie and Yukiko. At first, Chie assumed she just wanted some company, but it turned out…

"Forgive my curiosity, but I've been wondering about something for a while now."

"Hm?" asked a bleary eyed Yukiko. She hadn't sobbed the way Rise did, but she wasn't completely unaffected by the parting. "I'm sorry, what's that?"

"Why have you been wearing a dog collar for the past several months?"

Both girls stopped dead in their tracks. If this were an anime, there would have been a record-scratch sound effect. Yukiko flashed a nervous half-smile at her girlfriend, who was busy tugging at the neckline of her shirt and gulping.

"W-well, it's… a fashion statement," the junior innkeeper finally told her.

"Uh… huh." Her sharp eyes looked between the two. "You may have forgotten in all the excitement of defeating Adachi and Izanami, but I am a detective. Do you want me to simply state what I have deduced from my observations, or would you like t-"

"Okay, okay, already!" Chie hissed, waving back and forth rapidly with her hand. "Can you maybe keep it under that crazy blue hat of yours?!"

Before Naoto could respond to the crack about her belted newsboy cap, a throat was cleared behind the three of them. Ai had broken off from the others and approached them, looking penitent and uncomfortable.

"Yes?" Yukiko prompted her in mild surprise.

"I… thought I should say… I am sorry." She swallowed hard, brows furrowed. The expression still made her look angry and snobby, despite her tone of voice being gentle now; she just had resting bitch face. "Probably too late. But I was really going through some things when I sidelined you two in Aiya, and being rude is second nature to me. Can't be the most stunning girl in school without it going to your head, can you?"

"You say that like I would ever know," Chie snorted.

"Right. And… normally I would be agreeing with you and belittling you, Bowl Cu- I mean, Satonaka. I have a lot of practice." Grimacing, she growled, "Got so used to being queen bitch that it's so hard to just be nice."

After a brief silence, so awkward that it felt as if any sound would have been preferable, Yukiko laid a hand on Ai's arm, gentle and reassuring. "Please, Ai-san. We all have darkness inside of us; nobody is a perfect person. So I think it's very admirable you're seeing your flaws and that you're trying to improve. I am the same, and so are my friends."

"Oh yeah?" The girl let out a wet-sounding laugh; indeed, tears were budding at the corners of her eyes. "How the hell aren't you perfect, Miss Goody Two-Shoes? I mean… I've always been so jealous of how the boys talk about you. No 'buts'."

"No butts?!" Chie burst out. "What do you mean? She's got a GREAT butt!"

Ai chuckled a little more heartily at that. Naoto was the only one who tapped her chin while noticing Yukiko's slight blush from the compliment; the others weren't paying it any attention. "No, no, not her ass. Which fine, sure, it's fantastic. I mean like, they describe both of us as really beautiful, or hot or whatever. Same words for both of us. But with me, it always had a 'but she's such a bitch', 'but she's stuck up', 'but she's psycho' attached. Yukiko… a couple of guys said you were snooty if you turned them down for a date, but the rest of them saw through that. You're a good woman and I'm just a good-looking woman. I did so much work to be beautiful so boys would like me, but I'm just… ugly on the inside."

Though clearly, Yukiko was about to speak up, Chie beat her to the punch. "So that's it, huh? You're pathetic."

"Excuse me?"

"C'mon, Ebihara. You're made of tougher shit than that. Where's that girl who slammed her leg up on the table in Aiya and demanded we appreciate it?"

Though the teen queen had been firing up, being reminded of that moment in the diner made her squirm and fold her arms tightly over her chest. "That was stupid. Do you wanna know why I did that?" When Yukiko nodded, she pushed ahead, "Thing is, I was a... when I was little, I was nowhere near the adorable Ai you see before you now. Fat and hideous, got told I had pig hooves. So like, I'm sure it sounds really stupid to you guys, but having dainty little feet now is super amazing to me still."

"You were fat?!" Chie demanded, looking her up and down afresh. "No way! I call bullshit!"

"Yep, a total blimp. And I got hella teased because I didn't match up with their… whatever. Yu already knows all this stuff, but pretty much I decided to reinvent myself when I found out we were moving to Inaba. Obviously it went to my head, but… at least I'm better now. Getting better all the time."

None of them knew what to say. Chie, for her part, was stunned that Ebihara turned out to be more than a one-dimensional prima donna; she had never given any indication otherwise, even in Aiya when her interests in Yu were revealed to be genuine. Maybe he was the one responsible. After all, while the team had been doing their best to save the victims from dying inside the TV and stop further kidnappings in the first place, Yu Narukami had touched all their lives, brought about an awakening of sorts to their inner beauty that they likely would never have found within themselves without him shedding that light. It just seemed to be one of his latent talents. Unsurprising that he had done the same for the entitled fashionista.

"There seems to be only one solution for this predicament," Naoto was stating firmly with a small nod, finger tapping her chin. "We must return to Aiya to remember our departed friend, and strengthen our bonds with each other."

"Oooh, a party!" Rise piped up with an excited little bounce, despite the light drizzle that was beginning to fall. "Yes please!"

"I guess that's a plan," Chie agreed as Rise, Kanji and Yosuke joined them. "What do you guys think? We catching the portal to the meat dimension?"

Grimacing, Yosuke demanded, "Do you have to call it that every time, Satonaka?! Geesh! Sounds super nasty."

"Bet you can't even handle it."

"Wha- OH YEAH?! BRING IT ON!"

                                      ~ o ~

"Ohhhhh, I couldn't eat another bite," Yukiko groaned as they slid open the door to her bedroom at the Amagi Inn. They had whiled away many hours at the diner before the fellowship was broken, and they began to drift their separate ways. Rise was the most afraid to be alone out of any of them, and seemed to want to hang out with Ebihara, despite their strife over Yu's affections. Naoto went off by herself to think, Kanji and Yosuke reinitiated their quest for liquor, that girl from drama class was hanging out with Daisuke and Kou from the sports clubs… and the two illicit lovers had paired off with no one questioning why. Probably because they had already been best friends for their entire lives.

"Well I could," Chie laughed in response as she grabbed a pair of paper slippers. "But you know me, I can always eat."

Yukiko giggled as she began to strip off her remaining clothing. "You and Yosuke, I swear. Your appetites are bottomless."

"Hey, I'm a growing girl!" she said, jabbing herself in the chest with a thumb. "What's his excuse? He doesn't even do martial arts!"

Once fully divested, lithe form fully on display for the other woman in the room, the junior innkeeper approached her side and slid her hands up to gently perch on her shoulders. "Mmm, yes of course. So very strong."

It was impossible for Chie to keep the blush fully out of her cheeks. "Y-yeah. I mean, strong when you're not making my knees weak."

"But Master shouldn't say things like that in front of her pet. She might think she can control her Master, and that isn't very good, is it?"

"True, yeah." Chie shook her head with a vague smile on her lips. It was funny; she was supposed to be the one in control, but most often it was Yukiko who reminded them of their play. The roles they were to serve for each other.

"Mhmmm. Alright." Even though she was clearly a little nervous, she crossed to her dresser, slid open a drawer and began to rummage behind the various undergarments arranged there. "I think we're both ready now."

Poor Chie didn't even bother to ask "ready for what?", because by the time the words began to form on her lips, her best friend was turning around, dropping to the floor and crawling toward her… with a long leather leash dangling from between her teeth.

"A-ah."

"Wrgh dng hrrg trh," Yukiko said — before Chie took the leash from her to allow her room to speak. "I m-mean to say, this is only if you feel up to it, or are interested. But we've spoken a lot about it in the past few weeks, and… and I feel like I would be alright with it."

"Okay, whoa whoa," she laughed nervously. "Listen, I… know you think nobody will see us, but c'mon, the inn gets guests all the time! And like, what if your mom sees us?!"

Sitting up a little straighter, the puppy-girl reassured her, "No, no, I have a plan. Do you know the forest behind our property? It's a little bit of a walk, and I know it might seem silly to take a walk before my walk, but we will probably be free from prying eyes out there. So… so do you want to?"

Any fool in Chie's position could have been able to tell that this girl wanted nothing more than to take her love into the woods so they could play. Even if the type of play they wanted to do was highly unorthodox. How could she say no to those big, baleful eyes?

"Yeah, of course. So um, maybe just put this around your waist under your kimono?"

"YES!" she burst out — before calming herself and clearing her throat. "I mean, yes, that is a good plan. I'll get dressed, try to keep the leash on."

In no time at all, they were strolling through the grounds behind the Amagi Inn, seeming to the single gardener they passed as if they were merely two high school friends out for a stroll. Nothing telltale from their appearances to suggest otherwise — except the collar, and even that wasn't immediately noticeable.

"Okay," Chie whispered once they were in the treeline. "Are you really sure about this one? Cuz like, if you wanna bail on the idea, you can, right now, and I won't give you any shit. I swear."

But Yukiko was already shaking her head from side to side, even before she got halfway through speaking. "I've been looking forward to trying this for so long! Maybe it hasn't always seemed like it, but… how can we know whether or not we enjoy it if we don't try?"

That, as they say, was that.

"Okay…" Chie cleared her throat and tried not to feel too overly self-conscious. "Then take it all off so we can get started."

By far the most difficult thing to endure was watching Yukiko slowly disrobe — which she was clearly doing on purpose, adding to the anticipation. She even did that thing where she paused with the yukata halfway down her back, looking at Chie over her shoulder with a coquettish flutter of her eyelashes. 'Nosebleed City, population: me,' Chie thought to herself. Then she let it drop all the way to the forest floor, pooling amongst the grass and leaves.

Nude… except for two leather straps. One around her neck and another trailing down her back.

"Gooooood," she managed to groan. Then she shook herself and caught up the end of the lead. "Okay, so like… what now? I just take you for a walk?"

"Master, come on," she giggled. "You're not being a good Master." But when Chie frowned, Yukiko fidgeted and added, "I'm sorry. That was supposed to sound teasing, but instead… well, I really am sorry. I was trying to say that you weren't playing your role yet."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath, she cracked her neck and tried to shove away those feelings of inadequacy that had begun to brew. "So you mean I'm supposed to start being a dog owner for real? Like, until we decide we're done and wanna go back inside?"

"Yes," she sighed in obvious relief that Chie wasn't upset with her. "How about this: I'll get on hands and knees, and that's when we start? And I'll stand up if I need to stop."

"Sure yeah, that sounds pretty simple. Go for it when you're ready."

With a small nod, Yukiko stepped out of her zori and into the grass, toes flexing as it tickled them. Her lips quirked into a reassuring little smile before she dropped down to all fours, perky little ass high in the air. Chie wanted to dive right into that inviting sight now — but she could wait. They had a game to play; they could have sex pretty much anytime they were alone together, as long as they were careful about noise levels. And door locks.

"Okay girl, let's go!" she commanded her in a more cheerful tone. This wasn't their first time playing in this way, or even their tenth. They just had never taken the playing outside of a locked bedroom before.

And miraculously… they went. Yukiko started walking along on her hands and knees, making little panting noises now and then. Just to maintain the illusion. Chie was both disturbed and turned on, but that happened a lot during their more adventurous encounters. The more they learned about this strange new culture they were a part of — thanks to the internet — the more intrigued they were, but Chie wasn't as good at taking it in stride as her puppy was.

Her puppy, Yukiko. Still bizarre to her.

"What is it, girl? You like that one?"

"Wan wan!" she yipped joyfully as she continued to mime sniffing a tree.

"Then it's all yours," she laughed easily, reaching down to scratch behind her ear. Her girlfriend hummed at the pleasant sensation, and even tried to jiggle one of her legs. With some success. Then she unclipped the leash from her collar. "Wanna play fetch, Yuka?"

More gleeful barking. So she found a stick and wiped it quickly on her sleeve — which, obviously, she wouldn't do for a real dog like Muku, but she figured she owed Yukiko at least that much.

"Go get it, girl!"

As Chie watched Yukiko, a real human being, bound off into the brush after a stick, she couldn't help feeling that her life had really gotten off track at some point. Mostly, she just wanted to be a semi-normal girl who went to school, hung out with her friends, practiced martial arts. Lately she had been toying with the idea of going into law enforcement when she grew up. Maybe it was because of all their adventures inside the TV, and saving Inaba from the menace of a vengeful god who had judged humanity as both too complacent and too volatile. She had found that not only did her kung fu training really pay off, but she also had enjoyed the idea of saving people more than she expected. And it was important work.

But seeing Yukiko creeping back from the bushes with the stick between her teeth gave her pause. Surely a cop didn't do things like this. Or maybe they did and she was just naive. No matter how many times they discussed the fact that she obviously loved her little Yuka, it still felt foreign and weird to order her around, treat her like property.

Even if they both got off on the roles of master and pet.

They had probably been playing fetch for about twenty minutes when Yukiko dropped the stick at her feet, then reared up to rest her "forepaws" on her master's hips. Barking at her. It was as cute as it was bizarre. Privately, she kept wondering if it hurt her knees to romp around like that, but Yukiko never complained. So she crouched down to scrub all over her hair, disheveling it so badly that she would definitely need to brush it out when they got back to the inn, and her girlfriend responded with more happy yips and licking all over her face.

"AH!" she giggled, trying to push her away without any success. Yukiko could be pretty strong when she set her mind to it. "Cut it out, Yuka! Ewww!"

Of course, this wasn't the first time the kisses had turned to doggy kisses. Though it was still a little icky, it was also highly entertaining for both of them so they had slowly incorporated it into their play. Yukiko's wet pink tongue slathered all over her cheeks, lips, chin… anywhere she could reach. Until finally, Chie grabbed her by the collar and held her back.

"Okay, girl! I love you, too." Yuka barked again so she grinned and pushed their foreheads together. "Who's a happy girl? Huh? Who's my sweet, sweet, happy girl?"

The junior innkeeper's ass wiggled from side to side. They had discussed getting her ears and a tail to help complete the illusion, but decided it would be a lot harder to explain those versus the collar and leash, which could just as easily be for Muku as for Yuka. Besides, she was pretty good at wagging a non-existent tail.

Chie was distracted from her thoughts when she noticed her girlfriend was sniffing around the hem of her skirt. She saw a coy smile grace her lips just before her face shot beneath to nuzzle against her center.

"WHOA!" she gasped — and went down hard on her backside. "Oof!"

When Yukiko's face reappeared, she looked very concerned. Still, they had agreed she was not to break character unless Chie had made it clear that she should.

"I'm okay, girl," she reassured her pet with a shaky laugh. "Just, uh… did not expect you to go for it like that. What is it, girl? Smell something good?" Yukiko gave a very human nod before remembering herself, and letting out a bark instead. "Yeah? Um, y-you want a treat from Master for being so good?"

That prompted a very strong bark, and her girlfriend gave a pronounced wiggle from stem to stern, to make sure there could be no question she really wanted that treat. So Chie leaned back against her elbows, allowing her thighs to fall open. Within a single second, her face was right back between those thighs, snuffling around and making sure her lips and nose were pushing into everything firmly.

And God help her, it was so hot. Every time they played like this, she still expected to feel disgusted regardless of how often she enjoyed it. And then was still surprised again. Maybe she really did have a learning disability of some kind.

When the nuzzling began to feel a little more pointed and purposeful, she realized that Yuka had hit an impasse. Sliding a hand down between them, she shakily tugged the crotch of her panties aside to grant her pet access. No time was wasted. After only a couple of sniffs, a warm, wet tongue was pressing into her needy flesh.

Chie really hoped nobody else would suddenly decide to take a walk through the woods. Not with her screaming out in ecstasy like that, a buck naked girl's face between her legs.

After a few months of trial-and-error, Yukiko Amagi was nothing less than a professional when it came to cunnilingus. That tongue knew every little fold and crease of her lover's sex, and she was an expert at finding the ways to set her off. With almost brutal efficiency, even if the touches were sometimes so light and delicate. Chie gave herself over completely, reaching down to grip her raven locks and hold her in place as she began to buck her hips against that insanely gifted mouth.

So close… "I'm coming! Good girl, Yuka! More!"

Well, she most definitely got what she asked for. At this point the game had been suspended while Yukiko ate her out with all the skills she had learned over the past several months, almost as if someone had challenged her to do the deed as quickly and spectacularly as possible. Her tongue almost seemed to be in two places at once.

Birds took off flying from the treetops when Chie cried out from the climax rocking her entire body, back arching off the forest floor. It was beyond mind-blowing. And all thanks to a good little doggie.

"Tapout!" she finally gasped a few moments later. That was the codeword they had developed for when their eager clits had been overstimulated to the point they couldn't handle any more. Yukiko's tongue disappeared, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her entire body shook and shivered. "Nnhh… oh GOD, that was… super intense!"

A little giggle spilled from the shining lips of her love as she crouched over her. Looking at her with bottomless affection. Just a moment for that to be made known — before she bounced a little. "WAN!"

"Y-yeah… good girl… c'mere…" She patted her chest and Yukiko crawled up to lick all over her face. "AWWW, NOOOO! Yuka, down! C'mooooon!"

Of course, it didn't take long for her to shove her puppy off and to stand up again, though her knees were a bit wobbly. A few deep, cleansing breaths cleared her head enough to clip the leash to Yuka's collar again and set off walking around the woods with her.

"You did such a good job!" she told Yuka — and Yukiko, really. Though she knew she couldn't talk back while they were in the middle of play. "I'm really happy. And even though Narukami's gone, I mean, he'll be back… and the rest of our lives are pretty great. Kinda kicking ass and taking names lately."

"Wan, wan!" Yuka replied. Too cute.

"You like taking walks with Master?" She paused to turn and look up at her, panting with her tongue out; a doggie smile. "Awww, I'm so glad! Sweet baby!"

Yukiko put her paws up again, but this time Chie pointed at her and said, "Down. You know better than that, girl." In response, she let out a little whine and got down on all fours again, looking up at her with large, baleful eyes that would have melted glaciers. "I'm sorry, but you have to behave; I can't have you jumping up on my friends!"

Not that there was any chance of that happening. Even after Naoto had figured it out, they still agreed this was only something for the two of them — nobody else.

Mostly obedient, Yuka pouted a little longer before she resumed trotting through the grass. Once or twice she winced when she crawled over a stick or a rock, but mostly she picked her way around them; they already established their rules for this interaction were no permanent injury. Chie wouldn't begrudge her that, even for the sake of "committing to the role".

They came to a stop nearly half an hour later when Yukiko began sniffing around a white pine tree excitedly. Chie couldn't blame her; evergreens smelled amazing. But as she sniffled… a memory of a previous conversation came back to her master. Were they ready? Most importantly, was Yukiko?

"Okay," she suddenly said, though she could hear the nerves in her own voice. "Mark it so we can go home."

Yukiko's look of surprise was priceless. Even while in Yuka-mode, she couldn't seem to fully suppress that deep level of alarm. But she didn't argue or stand up.

"Go on… if you, um, you need to."

There was a brief moment where it almost looked as if her girlfriend would either cry, or stand up and tell her off. Then she raised one leg…

And let out a golden stream against the bark of the pine's trunk. Chie felt her stomach disappear: she really did it. Her girlfriend, poised, refined innkeeper that she was, a true classic Japanese beauty… was pissing like a dog on a tree. Curiosity spiking, she took a further step to her right to get a better view, and was greeted with the sight of the thin arc of urine issuing from the top of her flawless pink pussy — two fingers on either side, to help keep the liquid from catching on the flushed lips.

Flushed from arousal, from going down on her? Or did she like this? Maybe "like" was too strong a word: Yukiko found it satisfying to be degraded in very small ways, so long as they played into her role of belonging to a loving master. By now, Chie had figured out — thanks in part to her shadow — that this was due to her desire to be cared for, cherished. To belong. Perhaps having to pee like a puppy in the woods pushed the boundary of what constituted a small way, but it wasn't so overboard that she broke character. In that way, it had been a perfect thing to demand of her.

As her thoughts bumped around inside her skull, the stream petered out. Yuka shook her raised leg a little, to rid herself of lingering droplets, then lowered it back to the ground. She was trembling all over, and she winced, but still made no comment.

"Very… good, Yuka," she told her in a distant voice. "Oh wow…"

A whining noise came from her puppy-slash-girlfriend, and she made baleful eyes up at her. Not very often had she witnessed Yukiko's cheeks flushed as they were in that moment. But the moment Chie began to frown, she nuzzled her leg — reassuring her that she was not upset with her. Just that the experience had been a strange, unsettling one.

"Okay, um… well, you did your business, so I guess we, like… should head back? Y-yeah…" But she instead dropped to one knee, pulling her in for a hug. Yuka leaned into the contact gratefully but didn't embrace her back, since dogs didn't use their forelegs like that.

In a flash, she knew what she could do to make her feel better. It was so obvious! After petting over her hair and back a few times, she started sliding her hand all the way back to her rump, then angling downward.

"Wan?" Yuka barked, the noise holding a very human question even if it was animal speech.

"Shhhh, shhh," she soothed her, petting along the damp folds. "Master saw you were really wet back here, girl. I-is it okay if I clean you up?"

Her girlfriend let out some very sensual dog-whines. Which apparently were possible. Chie felt her stomach turn a tiny bit at knowing this wasn't just excitement she was playing around in, because some of it was pee, but probably not much. And either way… it was Yukiko. She didn't mind.

And clearly, neither did Yukiko. As her attentions grew more pointed and firmer, fingers parting the lips and dragging up toward her ass, then back down toward her pulsing clit, the puppy panted and moaned, hips squirming from side to side as if to shake her off. Their past experiences had at least taught them to stop taking that involuntary reaction as a sign that their partner actually wanted them to stop; there had been a few touch-and-go moments thanks to miscommunication. Practice makes perfect, after all.

Kissing the top of her head, Chie whispered, "It's okay, Yuka. Master's gonna take care of you. Just let it feel good, okay? Like you made Master feel good before!"

By now, Yukiko was full-on baying — when she wasn't making more human sounds of pleasure. They were terribly hard to suppress in that state. Her hips were rolling into the contact, begging for more. Not for the first time, Chie wished she had a cock to slam into her — and they had considered buying one, many times. Probably would soon. Maybe even one that had two ends…

Once she started in on her clit, it only took another minute of blistering punishment before Yuka couldn't suppress her climax anymore. Her back arched and she let out a howl as the pleasure racked her body, nearly sending her face-first into the leaves and grass. And even doing something so base, she looked as elegant as always. The magic of Yukiko.

"Gooooood girl!" Chie praised her, kissing between her shoulder blades as her other hand pet up and down her neck. "So good, you were amazing! I'm so proud of my pretty Yuka!"

There was a much more subdued little "Wan" that fell from her lips before she gave a weak wag of her hips from side to side. But at least she was clearly happy.

As they continued their way back to the spot where they left the yukata, Chie was all smiles, and kept praising Yuka or commenting on what they might do later in the day. They had fallen into the habit of Yukiko using happy barks and whines to show her approval or disapproval of their various plans; that way she still got to put in her two yen without fully breaking character. Maybe it was cheating, but who cared?

"God, I could use some lemon soda," Chie sighed as the clothes came into view. "Oh — there we go. Did you have fun out here today, Yuka?"

"WAN!" she barked with a huge, panting grin, bouncing a little. Then she winced. "Nnn…"

"Yuka?" But she shook her head, so Chie sighed and pulled her closer to the clothes. "Mkay, let's get outta here; we still have time to play some Famidrive. Bet I can whoop you in Power Intuition!"

But as Yukiko drew almost right up to the clothes, which would be the official end of their play, Chie suddenly stopped and held the leash taut. There was a quiet gag before her girlfriend turned around to look up at her curiously.

"Wait… um… I was gonna do this later, but I think… I wanna do it now. While you're still on your walk, Yuka." Meaning during play. She actually had been going to wait for her birthday, but that was almost a year away — and she hated that she hadn't thought of it before the last one. Oh well, better late than never.

"Wan?" Yuka asked in concern.

"Huh? O-oh, right! I got you a little something." Kneeling down, she produced it from her jacket pocket and held it out. "Hope you like it, girl."

It was a dog tag. Not just any tag, but a bamboo tag with an elegant burned-in design of flames on one side. When Chie's nervously twitching fingers turned it around, the kanji "優花" were emblazoned on the back: Yuka. Gentle flower.

There was a very real gasp from her girlfriend before she squealed, "CHIE!" and threw her arms around her, bouncing with happiness. Her owner just began to laugh when she suddenly drew back and cleared her throat. "W-wan!"

"It's cool," she laughed as she reached for her collar. "We were almost done, anyway, right? Hmm…" Then she delicately began to attach the tag to her pet. The big grin and the way she could barely keep still was too adorable — and doglike, which continuously surprised her. Even if Yukiko was a beautiful debutante in so many ways, she was also the world's cutest puppy. "There!"

And no sooner had she finished than she was pounced upon, licked all over her face amid a flurry of giggles. After a minute or two, she managed to push the girl away and stood up.

"Okay, you can stand up too now."

"Ohhhh, Chie, it's gorgeous!" Yukiko gushed as she finally rose to her feet, catching up the yukata along the way. "Where did you get it? How long have you been hanging onto this?!"

"Few days," she told her shyly, watching her slip her zori back on. So cute the way her little toes wriggled to slip the thong between them. "J-just… you got me that necklace for White Day, and I don't know why, I didn't even think about-"

"Stop that," she cut her off. "We already discussed this, I told you I wasn't even sure if I should get you something. Since we aren't boyfriend-girlfriend, we are two girls; the rules aren't the same. So you didn't disappoint me!"

Shrugging as she helped her slide the light kimono around her body, she muttered, "Y-yeah, but you still deserved a gift. And we've been going out for like a whole year, so…"

"Almost a year," she whispered back with a twinkle in her eyes. One that made her suspicious.

"Um… you're not planning some kinda crazy thing next month, are you? Like, because it's our anniversary?"

Trying to sound innocent, she pressed a hand into her clothed chest — now that she had finished tying her yukata, naturally. "Why, Chie-chan! Would I do that?"

"Yep. Okay, okay… I guess I do wanna celebrate it, but don't go wacko! Just like, find us something fun. Maybe we can have a nice din-"

"Don't you worry about a thing," she reassured her lover as she linked their arms together. "Just don't be too busy that day and everything will come up roses. Okay?"

Letting out a loud "UGHHHHH", Chie tried to be grumpy as they headed for the edge of the woods, and toward the Amagi Inn beyond. But she still ended up leaning over to whisper, "Fine, I'm excited. Just don't tell anybody."

"Because our relationship is anyone's business as it is," she giggled. "Hmm… are you sure this is the right way?"

As Chie Satonaka stared at the pretty little innkeeper, the shafts of light filtering through the trees, her heart stopped for a moment as time froze. Because her priestess was there, and warm, and real, and so sweet and beautiful. Because they were there together.

"Everything's right, Yukiko," she whispered with a huge, goofy grin. "Everything."

                                      ~ THE END ~

[giogio-gucci-gangstar]

The Porcelain Tour

Granny Erina takes young Joseph to the Met. Chaos and many restroom trips ensue.

CW: none? Young boy humor, art gets hurt (sorry)

————————————————————

“Granny pleeeeaaaae” JoJo tugged on Erina’s sleeve, crossing his legs with urgency, “I really need to go!”

“Joseph we just got here. And you went potty at home. Now come look at this piece here, aren’t the colors brilliant?” Erina pointed to a painting on the wall of the Met. She was taking about a brightly colored chest plate.

“Look at this! It’s so vibrant, and references the classical Roman roman breast plate.” Erina explained to a small Joseph, who exaggerated an eye roll.

“Oh stop that. I thought you’d like the elaborate armor.”

“I mean, fighting is cool. But like, if you’re good you don’t need armor.” JoJo stated, judging all the armor wearers before him.

“That’s very foolish, great warriors wear armor. Even grandfather Jonathan wore armor when he fought Dio.” Erina kneeled down to see Joseph’s eyes and he softened a bit at the mention of his grandfather, whom he idolized.

JoJo sniffed a little, trying to hide the fact that he was terribly embarrassed and guilty for mocking his grandfather.

“I still have to go to the bathroom.” He pouted with big glassy eyes.

It was now Erina’s turn to roll her eyes. “Fine. But be quick.”

~~~~~~

“Granny. I have to go again.” JoJo tugged at the hem of her dress again. This time in front of some ancient urns.

“Joseph. You just went. Are you sure you reeaally need to go?” Erina asked, very skeptically.

“Yes! I wouldn’t lie about something like this!! I really have to pee!” Joseph frantically tugged on her dress again, practically dragging her to the nearest restroom.

~~~~~~

“Granny-“

“Joseph, I swear I’d you tell me you have to go to the bathroom one more time, I’m going to lose my mind.” Erina aggressively whispered her threat to the small boy’s ear, but he held to his story.

“I have to gooooo.” JoJo whined, pleading with his little puppy dog eyes again.

“I don’t believe you.” Erina turned away, and continued looking at the Egyptian tapestry before her.

“You’re not going to take me potty?” He punctuated it with a few blinks of his big big eyes.

“Nope. And you’re far too old to call it ‘potty’. You’re nearly seven. Now act like it.” Erina started to walk to the next painting, but Joseph stayed put.

“Fine! Then I guess I’ll just have to PEE MY PANTS!” Joseph shouted, intentionally dragging a few stares to his clenched fists and crossed legs.

Erina, furious, flew at him and basically threw him into the nearest restroom.

“Joseph, now listen to me, this is the last time we’re doing this. I am going to enjoy this museum, and you are going to walk along with me. It’s your choice whether to learn something or not, but we’re going to see every exhibit.” Erina leaned her head into crack between the men’s restroom door to scold him. She also tried to listen to a little boy’s restroom use and heard nothing but running water...

~~~~~~

“Granny-“

“Just stop. I don’t want to hear it. Now look at this Sargent. Isn’t it lovely? Now look at their expressions, the intertwining of nature and-“

“I have to pee again.”

“No. You don’t. You just want to waste time, and avoid the actual exhibits. Well I’m not going to let you weasel out of this gallery.” Erina leaned down and wagged her finger in front of Joseph’s face. She was afraid she was being a little too harsh, so she bopped his nose at the end of it. She still hoped they could make it a nice day at the museum.

“I want to leave. Come on this stuff is so boring.” JoJo whined desperately. He was a little shocked his plan had been caught onto so quickly. He guess granny was pretty smart, and tried to console himself by thinking that had he had an ever age grandmother they would certainly be fooled.

“Nope.” She stood up and turned to the next painting on the wall.

“Fine. Then I’m going to make make you leave.” JoJo gestured to the Sargent painting Erina had left him next to. He slowly brought up his hand to it, but stopped a few inches away.

“Joseph you wouldn’t.” Erina tried to call his bluff, scowling her eyes at him. Yes Joseph was a handful, but he wasn’t stupid. Surely he wouldn’t do something this asinine.

“I DID.” And with that he dragged his hand right down the painting. Alarms started blaring and he accidentally knocked it off the hook and the frame shattered.

JoJo froze in his spot. Erina turned ghostly pale. Then red, her face lit up as the fury caught up to her.

“JOSEPH YOU LITTLE-“ but she didn’t get to finish her sentence because at that moment the museum security burst through the door.

Joseph was brought back to reality with a jolt.

“NIGERUNDAYOOOOO” Joseph screamed sprinting with his tiny legs to the nearest exit.

“DONT TELL THEM YOURE RUNNING JUST DO IT!” Erina screamed after him. She was still mad, but she didn’t want her grandson getting into any trouble with the law either.

She casually popped her umbrella into the ankles of a pursuing guard. She strolled after JoJo casually, “at least he has a head start” she mumbled trying to find the nearest phone.

“Robert-“

“Erina what’s going on?! What are those sirens?? Did Joseph-“

“Yes.”

“Do you-“

“Yes.”

“On my way.”

[purplesurveys]

816

Gonna do a before and after of one of the first surveys I took when I was FOURTEEN. Fucking wild that I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade. Kinda my way of celebrating the fact that I’ve just been reunited with my old blog, which Tumblr has apparently changed the URL of. Baffled by the move but still stoked, and @a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse​ is absolutely the coolest person for being able to find it haha. Let’s gooooo 1. Are you registered to vote? No. I still have 3 years to go. < That’s so precious. I’ve been a voter for four years now. I registered the second I turned 18 and I remember being very excited to make it to the presidential elections because only a handful of people from my high school batch were 18 by the time of the elections. 2. When days go by, do you cross them off on the calendar? Only when I’m counting down for something. < This still sounds like something I would do, but I don’t really get to anymore because I have digital calendars on my phone and laptop now. 3. Are you currently counting down to something? If so, what? Summer vacation! 4 days left! < Again, so cute. There’s no countdown that exists because I honestly don’t know when it will be okay enough to go out like normal again, but I am waiting for Covid to go away or at least for a vaccine to be available.

No #4? 5. Ever got injured at work? What happened? Nope. < I sprained my ankle at one of the parking lots in school, while walking to my car. Worst thing was it happened in front of an ongoing rally, and I heard their chants slightly falter when they saw me fall. I tried to play it cool, but my foot clearly felt fucked and someone had to hold my arm as I hopped to my car.

6. What color is your roof? Brown. < Stop pretending like you have a roof, Robyn. The house has always had a rooftop.

7. Do you use MySpace or Facebook more? Neither. < I was still far too young when MySpace peaked so I never did get to participate in its glory days. I definitely use Facebook a lot more, then and now. 8. Last time you sharpened a pencil? When I took a diagnostic test last Monday. < Sometime in 2019 when I was still heavily into coloring and I bought several coloring books and a pack of coloring pencils. I loved coloring and wish I kept it up, but it was just a bit of a hassle for me to sharpen every ten minutes or so. 9. List all the people in your phone under T: Zero, zilch, nada. No phone. < A high school batchmade named Dani, a college colleague named Kate, and a couple of aunts and uncles whose contacts start with Tito and Tita.  10. How old were you when you got into text messaging? I once had a super obsessive text problem when I was 11, I think? < That would be the first time I got hooked with texting, but I got my first phone when I was 7 and was already texting by then. Mostly my parents and grandpa, but still. 11. Do you pay rent to your parents? No. < No. They’ve already told me they won’t pressure me to do so either, but out of gratefulness for taking care of me for 20+ years I have absolutely no problems covering some of the bills when the time comes. 12. What do you think of Obama’s new healthcare bill? I don’t know a lot about it. < Honestly, still same. That’s another country’s politics altogether and we have enough issues in our own nation as it is. I do pay attention to US issues that are more universal like LGBT issues, police brutality against black people, Trump as a person...but not the more in-depth ones like healthcare or student debt. 13. How many icons are on your desktop? 34. < Exactly half of that. 14. Do you spit or swallow? Get outta here!!! < Still can’t relate. 15. Ever wrote something on a bathroom wall? Nope. < Eugh no, public bathrooms are so nasty. I don’t usually touch anything in them other than the faucet. I’ve written on other things though, like the desks in school. 16. What’s your definition of a slut? Uh. < Someone who often has casual sex with a lot of people, is how I understand it. 17. If you use the word “slut”, do you apply it to men who do the same thing as what you listed above? Nah. < I don’t really use the word. 18. Do you dye eggs for Easter? I did once, in a children’s party. < Yeah, just that one time at my second cousins’ place when they were in the mood to paint on eggs and invited me and my siblings. 19. What did you do on the first day of spring? Never experienced spring. < We don’t have spring. 23. Are you currently crushing on anyone? No. < Yes. 24. What color hair did the last person you kissed have? NKSB. < LOOOOOOOOOL I spent like two minutes puzzling over this like who tf is NKSB??? Eventually realized this just meant ‘Never Kissed Since Birth’ oh my god 14 year old Robyn you were SO uncool. Anyway, her hair is black. 25. Do you stand up to say the pledge in school? We don’t have a school pledge, but we do recite our country’s pledge and yes, we stand up every time we say it. < Not anymore in university. Everyone just kinda does their own thing in college and we’re never gathered as one student body for anything, except for graduation. 26. Do you like your eye color? God no. It’s so boring. < I mean yeah it is a bit boring, but we kinda have no choice. Unless you go to West Asia which is nearing Europe as it is, nearly all Asians have brown eyes and black hair. 27. What brand of orange juice did you last drink? Zesto. < That’s the only brand of orange juice I’m okay with drinking, even eight years later. 28. Pens or pencils? Pens. < Still feel the same. 29. Last skirt you wore and why? My school skirt, because I have to go to school. < Omfg again, this is so precious. The last one I wore was my denim skirt, but it’s also been a while since I wore that because one of its buttons has since popped out and I never got around to having it fixed, leaving me with no skirts. 30. Last time you wore heels, what kind were they? A prom I went to. I actually have no idea what kind of heels they are so I’m just gonna say old-women heels. < They were stilettos, you dumbass. I also wore a pair of stilettos the last time I wore heels. They’re my favorite kind, so. 31. Shoes you wear the most? My Keds. < My pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. . 32. Favorite quote at the moment? “YOU DUMB BITCH! I’M NOT HOLDING A MICROPHONE! ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?” - CM Punk < Holy crap, I do not remember this quote at all and had to look it up on YouTube and – no regrets. Watching it made so many memories come rushing back lmao that clip is hilarious; Punk is the greatest. Right now I don’t really have a favorite quote. 33. What was the last magazine article you read about? I forgot. < It’s from the website version of the magazine, but the last article I read covered a viral Facebook post wherein someone had photoshopped the faces of The Big Bang Theory boys onto the traditional graduation photos of my university out of boredom. Article is here for anyone who wants to see how well the pictures turned out lol. 34. What do you think about communism? I don’t know enough about it. < I completely support the progressive youth orgs, especially the ones in my university, that are aligned with communist, socialist, and Marxist ideals. They speak the truth more than any other orgs, so I don’t shy away from defending them or promoting their ideals, especially on social media, even if it puts me in danger. 35. Are you planning on going to college? If so, which one? Of course. I want to study in Ateneo. < CAN WE CANCEL 14 YEAR OLD ROBYN?????? What a disappointment omg. You were always meant to be in UP, you weirdo. 22 year old me takes that appalling statement back lol I can’t even begin to imagine spending my college years in Ateneo. 36. What’s your favorite flower? Ugh I hate flowers. < Peonies and roses. 37. What’s the nearest beach? I think it’s like…600 km away + a 2 hour boat ride. < No it is not. There’s a beach I come back to in Nasugbu and that’s only 100 km away. 38. Ever been to Florida? Nope. < Still nope. 39. How old is your brother’s best friend? He’s probably 9 as my brother’s 9. < I don’t know if he has one and I don’t really care anymore. 40. What type of car did you ride in last? A Kia van. < Sksksksks this was referring to the school bus I used to ride omg :( I was last in our Vitara, when I had to go to the hospital to get some tests done back when I still had a pesky fever. 42. Are you excited for summer 2013? Fuck yeah. < I honestly don’t remember how it ultimately went, but apparently I was excited for it so that answers the question. 43. What class were your parents (ex. class of ‘75)? They’re the same age so batch ‘89. < There we go. 44. Are you in debt right now? For what? No. < Kinda-ish? I promised my sister I’d pay her for helping me out with iMovie (I wanted to make Gab a video for her birthday, but had never done it before), but I haven’t had the chance to do it since I only have big bills at the moment. She’s asking for ₱200 but I only have ₱1000s in my wallet, so I can’t pay her for now. 45. If you’re old enough, do you have a credit card? If you’re not old enough, do you want one when you’re older? I definitely want one. < Yep, still want one. Though I’ll need a crash course on how to use it because my parents never really taught me how cards work. 46. What color is your phone? No phone. < Apple calls it space gray but it’s really just black. 47. Have you ever had someone read a text message they weren’t supposed to see? Yes. < Yes. That person was me, and I accidentally read a text from my dad meant for only my mom when I was 5 because I had stubborn fingers that would click on anything. 48. What’s the minimum age you think someone should have a cell phone at? 10. < Holy cow, that’s a nope for me. I’d say 12 or 13. 49. Would you ever work night crew? Sure. < Yes. I’ve seen my girlfriend’s mom do it and honestly I find it pretty badass, especially because while everyone is stuck in traffic trying to get to work by 9 AM, she’s cruising down the highway on the opposite lane with no problem, to be home by 9 hahaha. 50. How old is the last person you texted? 41. < 22.

[katrinaberry]

“we felt empowered, active in the decision making. The energy of that day will always stay with us.”

You might think you know what a “good birth” or a “bad birth” is You’d be wrong.

Birth is about SO MUCH MORE than location, how long or how short a time it takes or how a baby is “delivered”. 

It’s about feeling powerful, present, engaged, supported and cared for.... The facts of a birth can’t begin to reflect the emotional side of experience and it’s that which remains with a parent for the rest of their life.

I’ve been blessed to meet many, many wonderful people through my sharing of hypnobirthing. Léa is one of the most inspiringly positive people I’ve ever met. Having had a miscarriage and ovarian cancer she’s had quite the journey to trust her body again. 

I ask the expectant parents I work with to bring THEMSELVES to their births; as professional dancers I think you’ll agree this couple move beautifully through the dance of birth to bring their boy Earthside. Her birth story had me in tears and I know you’ll be inspired too. Attitude is EVERYTHING.

Hello Kat!! I hope this finds you really well :) Gaspard was born 2 weeks ago! 18/04/18 at 14:08 (perfect numbers!), 2.7kg and 48cm of love, joy and wonders!

See... we were so afraid of him being super “early” that we didn’t think once he could take his time! He arrived +11 days after the d date and fair enough; he was so tiny, he just needed more time!! 

The birth experience was surreal and totally FUN!

It all started on Monday night. By the Tuesday afternoon, the surges got me into an other world, I felt like I was tripping every time one was happening..until they got even more intense during the evening. I was trying to let go, to breathe, to let my body lead... the intensity was so strong! I jumped into the shower for the warmest water. I couldn’t even stand Guillaume’s hands on my skin; every part of me was burning (the fire of life I guess!!). 

Once the surges were 3 minutes apart for more than 1h, we booked our uber and off we went to Homerton. There, a midwife examined me. It was the most painful vaginal examination ever, I begged her to stop and to give me a minute. Which she did. Eventually, she started again to tell us I was “only” 2cm and I had to go back home. No need to say I was determined to NOT go back home, I couldn’t stand the idea of that long walk again to the hospital exit, and that uber ride, the stairs leading to our flats etc. Guillaume and I had decided we’d stay at the hospital. Even if it meant sitting in that waiting room for 3 hours. I kept on breathing.

She came to find us 10 minutes later, she had read my health history and said she had a chat with the co-ordinator: they accepted to admit me under the condition that if the evolution was too slow they would break the waters and induce everything. Deal. 

I opted for an epidural and was able to walk around, rock around and dance around throughout the morning. Even the epidural was a fun moment.. Just when the doctor was placing the needle in my back I had a contraction. Guillaume, who was holding the gas and air for me, always hated needles. Of course it had to happen: he nearly fainted. Our midwife got him on the floor like a judoka and I had to stay super concentrated not to crack up laughing.. 

2hs after we got into our room my dear cervix was 4cm, 2hs later it was 7cm. They didn’t need to do anything - my body knew and I secretly hi-fived both my baby and my body.  Our night-time midwife was an extraordinary woman. I feel lucky to have met her on that very special day. 

Around 12, when I was close to the « magical » 10cm; I got a lot of fever, started to shiver, layered up my jumpers and cardigans, stuck my hot water bottle on my back.. doctors arrived after my temperature had reached 39.3; they were categorical, the baby’s heartbeat was high and the risk of infection too: emergency C-section. Let’s do it. 

They checked whether we could try to get the baby out vaginally first but his head was too high. I was born through a c-section so it was strangely serene and natural for me to go for the c-section too..Once we arrived in the « theatre » I asked one more time to try a vaginal birth. While the excellent and super friendly team of doctors were getting me ready for the cesarean, my legs were lifted, I asked to be sat as much as possible.... and secretly re hi-fived my baby “let’s do this” I remember thinking. That’s when all the visualizations, the hours of dance training and of abs made sense! 

I remember you saying about that powerful place above the uterus, the journey and the strength needed to breathe our baby out... I was ready. We were ready. 

The team around me transformed in football team supporters, they cheered me up « go mummy!!!!! Push that baby out!!!! Imagine you’re having a massive poo!!!!!! GOOOOO » All this happened very quickly, in such a wonderful team effort, we felt surrounded by joy, excitement and love! 

No c-section, Gaspard was out in 2 minutes - with the help of a forceps but I was lucky to only have a small tear and he only got a red mark on his cheek...which made him look like a badass boy during the two first days of his life. 

We had the most beautiful day. First of all because we got to meet our son, who is healthy! And because that day, there was so much love, care and fun around us. Wonderful human beings helped us get our baby safe in this world. 

Kat, we felt empowered, active in the decision making. The energy of that day will always stay with us. When I think about it, i realize it is the image of our life: fun, improvised, human and always ending up in a theatre..

This is what hypnobirth did for us: we were ready for the most magical day, we knew it was going to be the best, we were open and curious about the form it would take. That was the only thing we didn’t know and we let ourselves be surprised. :) Thank you :) Léa, Guillaume and Gaspard 

[sunnyoldbear]

Modern Day Curwen Headcanons (Spoilers)

Spoilers ahead! It's an AU because I want them to be happy, okay? Spoilers ahead! Just putting it a few times so people know and don't get mad at me but 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, here we gooooo!

-You're insane if you don't think Curt takes pictures of the two of them

-His camera role is literally just pictures of Owen, or pictures of him and Owen, and himself

-He loves his boyfriend so much

-He's such a sap honestly

-Owen flirts with him a lot

-He loves seeing Curt go all red and embarrassed and stutter-y

-He finds it adorable

-Cynthia always knew, so she made sure Curt knew she wasn't homophobic

-Curt once caught her flipping off Trump when he was on the news as she walked past the tv

-He feels safe

-He comes out to her by bringing Owen and is like "this is my partner." "Yes Curt I know" "No I mean my romantic partner" "Yes Curt I know"

-The next step is Barb

-He can't do it

-Owen still disguises himself as the Deadliest Man Alive but he's not evil

-He killed the real DMA a little bit after hearing he tortured Curt and only pretended to like the Baron

-Killing him was perhaps the best feeling Owen had ever felt

-Until he had Curt in his arms again

-They love each other so much

-Curt cried like a baby, whimpering apologizes and promising never to leave him again

-Owen apologizing for not telling him sooner

-Tatiana loves them so much bless her

-Barb finds Curt wrapped tightly in Owen's arms, both of them asleep and cuddling on the floor one day after a mission

-She can't believe it

-She later sees that when Curt is trying to learn more about her for once, Owen is holding his hand

-She spots them sitting together one day, Curt playing with Owen's hair as Owen talks about being tortured for information about the Americans and MI6

-Once he properly comes out (with Owen at his side), she doesn't have a problem with it but she's hurt because she loves him

-Curt gets jealous so easily save him

-Owen's protective

-Curt joined MI6 once Cynthia fired him for going rogue

-He swings by sometimes though

-When they're not on missions, they do really flirty shit

-They've gone to a pride parade

-Curt's so happy bless him

-He loves curling up next to Owen

-They've both grown in personalities

-Owen soon proposes

-Together, they take down Chimera, the group that saved Owen but later tortured him and tried to kill him and held him prisoner for three and a half years

-"Owen I want a dog" "Not happening, Mega" "A cat" "Nope" "What can I get" "Absolutely nothing, you have me" "A dog's better" "Fuck you"

-They don't really want a child yet but Owen doesn't trust Curt with an animal

-Curt has Owen as his lock screen and a picture of him, Tatiana, the Informant and Barb he had Owen take as his home screen

-Owen secretly has so many pictures of Curt saved to his phone but no one knows

-He loves taking pictures of Curt all the time, most times Curt isn't looking or is distracted and Owen just whips out his phone and boom

-His lock screen is a picture of him kissing Curt's cheek because his reaction was adorable but he lets no one see it, and his home screen is probably a picture of Curt and Tati and Barb (probably one of Curt in the middle with both the girls kissing his cheeks)

-They train together a lot like boys please don't be together every second of every day Jesus Christ

-Both of them will probably fight any homophobe (or transphobe really because Curt loves the Informant his friend)

-These boys are feminists, went to the women's march and everything

-Basically they're good people

-And real good spies

-Barb eventually gets over her crush on Curt and loves buying little things for them like photo albums and stuff

-They get Barb to take most of their pictures

-Tatiana loves to tease them

-Owen and Tati are real good buds and Curt gets pouty

-Curt's mom had a problem with it and Cynthia nearly killed her but Curt's mom eventually came around

[buttercream-me-up]

Tour Life // Byron Langley

Word Count- 1174

Summary- You meet a handsome male at a party in the middle of your tour.

Warnings; N/A

A/n; i SWORE I HAD ALL THE REQUESTS DONE, BUT APPARENTLY NOT?

Requested; It took me so long to do this, I’m so sorry!

req; can u do a byron one where ur both drummers for different bands and you meet on tour and really get along? 

req; and for the drummer ask, i forgot to include, but could the reader have blue hair? thanks babe, ur imagines are amazing!!

req; Moree byronn pleasee😍😍

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Being on tour was a crazy thing. Not in a million years would you have thought you and your friends, a small group of girls from a small area in Brighton, United Kingdom, would be able to do something as crazy as this. You were nearing the end of the tour, only 4 stops remaining after the one you’d done today, and you weren’t at all disappointed. The tour had been going flawlessly, and you couldn’t have asked for more.

Except for right now. You were hanging out at the bar of this party that your band had dragged you too. (It wasn’t the first time, but you were hoping it was the last). You twirled your newly-blue hair in your hand; it was something you and your band as a group had done; you’d all colored your hair specifically for the tour. You liked it so much, you were thinking of keeping it afterwards and possibly making it a permanent change.

You weren’t really in a dancing mood; specifically to dance alone. The entire of the tour, your bandmates had been flirting shamelessly with guy after guy, usually finding someone for the night and not remembering their names the next. You weren’t that type of girl; you weren’t really a fan of one-night-stands. You did them, still, occasionally, but no where near comparable to the amount of times your friends did on this tour, let alone back home.

You watched your bandmates stumble around the dance floor, drunk as hell. You sipped on your drink lightly, taking it slow. You’d already been here for about an hour, and you, yourself, were barely past the point of being tipsy, and you were the ‘designated driver’. Your lead singer, Y/F/N, was supposed to be, but she was the first to drink, and all of you knew she wouldn’t hold that title. Shortly after that, seeing them all dancing with partners, you took the responsibility.

“Mind if I join you?” You nearly jumped at the sound, turning to see a slightly attractive- oh who were you kidding, he was angelic- man standing in front of you, eyebrow quirked. “No one is stopping you.” You smirked, gesturing for him to sit. He chuckled, his voice deep, sitting down on the bar stood next to you. “Your drink is low. I’m about to get myself one, want anything?” He asked, and you looked down to see you barely had any contents left in the cup. “It’s alright, you don’t have to.” You said, smiling gently.

“Please. I’m trying to be one of those stereotypical guys who buys the girl a drink to have an excuse to talk to her. Let me buy you one.” He said, and you giggled. “You’re already talking to me, genius.” You smirked, shaking your head slightly. “I started the conversation with buying you a drink, didn’t I?” He challenged, and you put your hands up in surrender. “Alright, pretty boy. You win. I’ll have a..” You told him your favorite drink, and he nodded, calling over the bartender and ordering.

“So, now that I’ve paid for your drink, do I get a name to go with your pretty face?” He asked, cheekily. “I’m Y/N.” You said, smiling confidently. “I’m Byron.” He said, smirking. “Sorry, but.. I don’t think I asked?” You teased, and his face fell. “I’m just kidding. Nice to meet you, Byron.” You said quickly, extending a hand to shake. He did shake, but gently pulled your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

“Wow, going full Romeo, are we?” You said, trying to brush off the growing blush on your cheeks. “You know it, Juliet.” He winked and you laughed. “So Romeo, besides act like a total flirt, what do you do in your free time?” You asked, eyebrows raised. “Well, I’m in a band.” He said, after thinking about it for a brief minute. “Oh, really? What do you play?” You asked, now fully intrigued and curious.

“I’m the drummer. A pretty good one at that, I’d like to think.” You nearly spat out your drink at the coincidence. “No way!” You exclaimed, and he looked at you oddly. “You don’t think I’d be a good drummer?” He asked, confused. “No, it’s not that. It’s just, I’m in a band too, and I’m also a drummer!” You paused, smirking to yourself “But still, I’m probably better than you.” Byron held a hand to his chest, leaning back dramatically. “You hurt me, Y/N. It’s just a sign; we’re meant to be.” Byron said, winking. You shoved him lightly, chuckling.

“Care to dance, milady?” He asked, standing up and offering you a hand, bowing before you. You laughed, but played along, placing your hand in his gently, as he guided you towards the dance floor. The two of you danced for hours, not a care in the world. At this point, you’d given up on being the sober one; your friends were big girls, they could handle themselves.. for one night, anyways. You didn’t have fun like this often; you were going to enjoy it.

“Y/N!!” Y/F/N stumbled over, tugging on your dress. You turned, surprised. “Y/F/N? What’s wrong?” You asked, a bit annoyed at the interruption. You were having so much fun with Byron; you hadn’t even realized what time it was. “We have to gooooo! The bus is leaving in 10 minutes!” She slurred, leaning against you. You gasped, looking at your watch. She was right. “Shit.” you cursed, under your breath. “Where are the other girls?” You asked your friend, and she yawned. “On the bus.” She said, grabbing at your arm to try and pull you away. “Just wait. I’ll be there in a minute; you go get on.” You told her, and she did so, too drunk to argue.

“I’m so sorry. We’re on tour and we have to go get on our bus for our show tomorrow.” You said, and Byron frowned. You quickly pulled out your phone, handing it ot him. “I’d really like to see you again, though. Our tour is almost over; we can hang out afterwards? Or hey, maybe you can even come to one of our stops. Our last one is in London.” You said, and he smiled, putting in his number. “Text me the details, I’ll see if I can cram it into my oh-so-busy schedule.” He joked, and you smiled.

You reached up, kissing him quickly on the lips. “See you later, Byron.” You said, and with that, you ran off to your bus. Byron touched his lips in admiration, smiling to where your figure had just disappeared. He wasn’t a bar type; in fact, he was usually so shy, girls would have to approach him in bars. He wasn’t sure what brought him to act that way with you, but the banter flowed naturally between you. He’d never forget the night he met his blue-haired beauty in a random party in the middle of London.

[r-f-a-imagines]

Not In The Script ZEN X MC

Imagine being in school with Zen. He was the most popular kid in school. Due to that, it came as a shock when the drama department gave him a lead role along side a “ nobody.”

When your drama club, that you both attended religiously, announced they were putting on a new production, the two of you were stoked. You immediately auditioned, shooting to the stars for a lead role.

It sort pained you to hear envious girls call her a simple “ nobody ” with such disgust, but the pain washed away when Zen came running up to your locker.

“ MC! So you’re the one that got the other lead role? ” his smile was practically radiating charm.

“ Yeah, that would be me ” you ignored the girls staring you down.

“ Well it’s nice to meet you. You should come over after school tomorrow and we can look over the script together. I wanna start rehearsing with you as soon as possible ” Zen leaned against the locker next to you.

“ O-Oh! I’ll ask…. yeah. Definitely ” you stuttered out, feeling your knees weaken at his offer

“ Why do you look so nervous, babe? ” Zen smirked as the heat rushed to your face “ I don’t bite. Now let me walk you to class. ”

Zen took the books from your hand and you were astonished. As he walked you everybody seem as shocked as you were. Envious glares from strangers, excitement from your friends.

The moment you got home you were absolutely terrified. Your mother was on a business trip, so how were you supposed to ask your father if you could go to a boys house to study a script?

“ Dad! ” you called out, closing the front door. He was sitting on the couch, watching his favorite show. “ I got a role in the school play. ”

“ Are you going anywhere to rehearse? ” he spoke, his eyes still glued to the screen.

“ O-Oh well… I wanted to ask you if I could go- ”

“ Be home by ten ” your dad mumbled as the characters on screen began to strip of their clothing.

Oh

School was a breeze the next day, and you were standing nervously next to your locker. Zen was extremely late.

“ I’m so so so sorry! Fucking Jumin held me back and I kept telling him I had to go but he told me this bullshit story about how I couldn’t because his damn cat was lost and I ran here- ”

“ It’s okay ” you mumbled, cutting him off.

“ I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Luciel is gonna give us a ride home, okay? ” Zen scanned your eyes for any signs of distress and you nodded. The two of you walked out of the school and to his friends car. You didn’t know the red head too well. All you knew was that he was some infamous genius that played seven pranks on every single staff member.

“ You’re bringing a lady home!?!?!? I should tell Jumin that you’re not gay ” Luciel was practically radiating joy.

“ Zen! Who’s this? ” A younger looking blonde chimed.

“ Luciel, shut the fuck up. Yoosung, this is MC. We’re going to my house to rehearse. She got the female lead ” Zen sighed, visibly annoyed.

He remained tense the entire way home as Yoosung and Luciel yapped in the front seats. You couldn’t believe hanging out with Zen was such a hassle, and he felt so bad about it.

“ Thank you for the ride, Luciel. It was nice meeting you, Yoosung ” you and Zen stepped out of the expensive sports vehicle.

“ MC, I’m sorry about all of this. Can I make you some tea? We can start rehearsing right away or we can talk for a little bit ” Zen opened his door for you.

“ I would love some tea, and let’s get with rehearsing, okay? ”

Zen was truly passionate about acting, and you could see why. He was so talented! Every word that escaped his perfect lips were filled with emotion. His expressions and gestures were absolutely beautiful and you were ecstatic you had the privilege to see his acting when it was just the two of you.

“ My love ” Zen padded over to you, script in hand.

“ Who gave you the right to call me that ” you hissed. Zens face contorted in confusion. Fuck he was good.

“ You gave me the right you started calling me your boyfriend ” Zen brought up his free hand to caress your cheek.

“ And I’m revoking the right now that I’m calling you my ex ” you swatted his hand away, turning on your heel.

“ Are you seriously going to play with me like that!? ” Zens voice boomed, a sudden change of emotion just as the script had said. You face him, snarling at his words.

“ Oh, I’m playing with you now!? You weren’t playing with me when you cheated on me? You weren’t playing with me when you left me to hang out with all of your exes when I went to parties with you? You weren’t playing with me- ”

“ It wasn’t my fault! ” Zen cut you off, squeezing his lids shut. He didn’t even have to look at the script anymore.

“ It… wasn’t your fault? Who’s was it then? Lauriann? You seem to be real close with her ” you snapped.

“ Amira please! Lauriann knows things about me, and she hates you. I was going to tell you sooner or later that she was blackmailing me ” Zen began to pace his bedroom. You padded over to the bed, sitting down and burying your face in your hands.

“ Leave me alone. I don’t need this, Connor… ” you huffed. They had to give him the most basic name?

“ But I need you ” Zen kneeled in front of you. You set your arms on your knees, gazing into his loving eyes.

“ What do you want from me ” you whispered.

“ Your company. It’s all I’ve ever wanted from you ” Zen sat there, not moving an inch. He was like a statue. A sexy, sexy statue.

“ Get company from Lauriann ” you stood and went for the door but Zen quickly got a hold of your wrist.

“ Hear me out! ”

“ Let me go! ”

“ I love you, Amira! I’m not ready to let you go so easily ” Zen pulled you towards himself and wrapped his arms around you, tightly.

“ Let me go ” you repeated in a hushed tone.

“ No ” Zen spoke firmly, lifting your chin and scanning your eyes for discomfort.

“ Let me go ” you repeated.

“ How many times to I have to tell you that I love you…. and I can’t let you leave me? ” tears began to prick his scarlet eyes.

“ If you love me let me gooooo ” you quietly sang, causing Zen to break out into laughter.

“ That’s not in the script ” he lightly pushed you away as you giggled to yourself.

“ I’ll send a complaint to the writers. I felt like it was necessary to spontaneously break out into Panic! At The Disco “ you protested.

” You’re cute “ Zen chuckled.

” Go away I’m a potato “ you spun on your heel.

” You’re a beautiful potato “ Zen pulled you back into his arms. ” How about we restart? “

” Alright, from where we left off “ you nodded.

” How many times to I have to tell you that I love you…. and I can’t let you leave me? “ Zen’s eyes began to well up once again. How the hell does he do it?

” As many times as you like, but I won’t be listening “ you turned your head away.

” I’ll have to force you to then “ Zen narrowed his eyes, tilting up your chin. Your legs nearly turned to jelly being so close to Zen like this.

“ I’d like to see you try ” you hissed. Instead of speaking his next line, Zen closed the gap between the two of you.

The Zen was kissing you.

“ That wasn’t apart of the script either ” you mumbled, turning your head away as the feeling of his soft lips lingered in your mind.

“ Not yet, it’s further on in. Like I said, I want to start rehearsing with you as soon as possible ” Zen stepped away, scanning through the script to point out the kissing seen.

“ Very funny ” you pushed him away further, heat rushing to your cheeks.

“ Let’s continue ”

~ Admin Taylor