#sorry i think its fun if they were like hmm. this ones a weirdo. but the first time he actually did anything substantial was when we saw him

[lezarus]

personally i always ignored when they dropped that detail that cas was a known rebel and had betrayed heaven before bc i think its more romantic if he rebelled for the first time for dean. sorry

[heesbabygurl]

It Was Just A bet.

Synopsis: Discovering the truth that your one-year relationship with Jay was nothing but a bet, you take matters into your own hands and decide to seek revenge.

Genre: angst.

Pairing: Jay x Fem!reader

Warnings: one curse word, Jay(accidentally) fell in love, Revenge, heartbreak, lovers to exes, betting on someone's feelings.

A/N: hope you enjoy It, and again It isn't what I intended to be but I think its still 'aight so yah! Love y'all❤💘

"Oh, come on! It's gonna be fun," Jay huffed out a sigh of annoyance, "If I say yes will you leave me alone?" The Australian boy nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, then I'll do It." Jake was over the moon, as he started doing some silly dance, "I don't know why are you so persistent about it anyway, like what do we get from It?"

"An year of good laugh." He answered simply, Jay muttering a quiet 'weirdo' as he left the room.

Jay did really ask you out after being your 'friend' for a few months, he thought it would be as easy as it seemed, but oh boy, he was wrong.

There was nothing to dislike about you, he liked everything about you, starting from your great personality to your pretty face, and soothing voice, he just couldn't stop himself from liking you, and their bet simply couldn't work.

He fell for you, he just felt relaxed and comfortable around you. He sometimes thought about what would you do If you found out about the bet, but he decided to leave it for the future and enjoy the time he still had with you.

However, Jay a typical 'I only care about my reputation, even if it hurts me and people around me' guy, he still followed through with the bet.

You were happily skipping towards the boy's locker room as Jay asked you to meet him there, you were almost at the door when you heard a conversation coming from the inside.

"So? When are you gonna tell her?"

You didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything but, hearing your boyfriend's voice made you interested about the conversation going on inside, so listening a little wouldn't hurt, right?

"I don't know probably tonight?" You heard Jay huff out, "I still don't know If I'm gonna tell her at all, I don't wanna her hurt her."

"I know, but you gotta tell her, It's been a year already." You heard Jake mumble, "You gotta tell her your relationship with her was just a bet."

"Whose Idea was It huh?" Jay snapped.

Right at that second your heart stopped. A bet? Your relationship? You were gonna burst in to confront him, but then you got an amazing idea.

You: sorry couldn't come to the locker room, I had to leave to go home, something came up.

Jay❤: okay, baby, is everything fine?

You: yeah, It's brilliant actually. I have a surprise for you!!

Jay: Baby, what did I tell you about spending money on me??

You: It's nothing big, can you just come to the location I'll send you right now at 8 p.m.

Jay: yes, I can. See you at 8 p.m. then?

You: yeah, love you!

Jay: love you more❤

"Is everything ready?" You called out to your best friends, as you were doing last-minute preparations for your plan.

"Yes! Everything is great!" Your best friend Aeri called out as she sat down at the table right across from you with your other two friends Shuhua and Minnie.

"You sure?" You asked again, "Yes! Yes! And Yes! Don't worry we're gonna kick his sorry butt!" Shuhua said enthusiastically.

Your phone pinged , and you glanced at it to find a message from Jay that read, "Baby, I'm here."

"Okay, he's here get ready, I can't wait to see his face." You smirked as you took your seat at the table.

Right at that moment Jay walked in, dressed in a black suit. Hmm, not bad. You thought.

"Hey, baby." He immediately spotted you and walked over, "you look really pretty." He said as he leaned in to kiss you and take his seat.

"You look really handsome too." He grinned, oh you couldn't wait to rip that grin off of his face.

"So, what is the surprise you told me about?" He went straight to the point.

"You'll have to wait and see." You smirked as you saw his excited face, oh you're not going to be that excited when you'll see the surprise.

After an hour of you two talking and Jay cracking some lame jokes you didn't find funny anymore, It was finally the time.

"Miss, here's the cake, you ordered." The waitress came and placed the cake on the table, jay looked at you confused.

"A cake for wha-" He abruptly stopped mid-sentence as his gaze fell upon the cake. The words inscribed on it read 'you've been dumped'.

"Happy 364-day anniversary love! Do you like the surprise?" You smiled so brightly it almost looked sickening.

"Wha-What do you mean by dumped?" He looked as confused as ever.

"What I mean by that Is that you've been fucking dumped, park jongseong." You stood up.

"B-but why?" You let out a loud laugh.

"Because It was a bet." Now he looked very, very confused.

"A bet? What do you mean by bet?" He also stood up, looking helpless.

"It was a bet me and my friends made a year ago, that If I could get you, football captain, to be my boyfriend, they would give me a 1000$. A 1000$ can you believe It? That's so much money." You smiled mockingly as you took a few steps back, "You just aren't fun anymore, and It's already been a year so It's time you girls pay me right?" You turned around, looking at your girls as they walked up with money in their hands.

"That was hilarious!" Minnie said as she came up behind you to wrap her hands around your waist.

"So shall we get going," you told them as they nodded, you picked up your bag and turned to leave but before doing so you spun around and looked at Jay slowly walking up to him, and stopping when you were right in front of him.

"It was a fun year really, don't break your heart." You quickly rose on your toes giving him a quick peck on the lips, " Hope you enjoyed It as much as I did." And with that you finally left, leaving Jay standing there, puzzled, he couldn't speak, call out your name or anything. He was just glued to his spot as he watched you leave.

As he watched his first love leave.

Karma?

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Arezu thinks that because they're both wardens and wearing Clan uniforms that she and Ingo more similar to each other than they are to the other two. She is sadly very mistaken. Actually, does she even know that Ingo isn't native? Sure he's the weirdest person in Hisui, including the protag, with weird clothes and turns of phrase, but that's easily handwaved as prophet bullshit. Unless the Pearl Clan kinda rolled him out like, "hi, thank you all for coming, this is Ingo, he's our newest warden and... drumroll please... a prophet of Sinnoh who fell from the sky onto our lands! Boom our Sinnoh is clearly the correct one since they blessed us with him and not you, suck it haters." But yes, Arezu is really the only one on this trip who actually cares about their god, aside from maybe Lilligant and the protag. Even Sneasler, a noble descended from Sinnoh's champions, is just here because that's where her dude and the entertainment are. Ingo and Cyllene are most definitely in the "not my god" camp.

Yes, oh my god, and now I also can't help but think that in OoP she was pretty bummed out that she was tasked with keeping Rei out of the fray when Emmet turned out to be a really good battler who made that fight look awesome lol. Wait, okay okay, so we know that when you fight Ingo with his own team he says part of Emmet's pre-multi battle lines. What if, were he to battle against another person with Sneasler as either his ace or a 1v1, he did part of Emmet's pre-super double battle lines instead? Telling them to give it their all, because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun.

Well, my thinking re: catching pokemon to break the frenzy, was because when you catch an alpha pokemon in the game it's completely chill afterward. Fighting them to a k.o. might work too, since part of breaking the nobles' frenzy is wearing them down enough for the bags of comfort food to actually work their magic, but if the option is fight or catch, catching is probably easier in most cases because it won't completely exhaust their pokemon. And also catching in pokeballs is really the only thing I could think of that could be even vaguely vaccine-esque that'd also work with arceus sending a teenager from the future to fix things, especially if we keep the seek out all pokemon mandate. Maybe arceus gives the protag the ability to like, imbue pokeballs with a bit of their power or something, idk.

If battling can break the frenzy if they're knocked out, then the best case scenario would be for Lilligant to frenzy first, because should the others somehow not be able to stand up to her, Sneasler would be on her level and also super effective against her. The frenzy would give Lilligant an extra boost, so it likely couldn't just be Sneasler though. If battling on its own doesn't work and the nobles have to be caught somehow... well that might cause problems with the clans, for one thing.

LOL YEAH... sorry arezu you might have been right if you were paired with Literally Any Other Warden but nope you got the weirdo one instead. and HMM that's a good question... lol you know what would be funny is if the other wardens don't really know not bc ingo intentionally didn't tell them but bc he. didn't realize it was news. like everyone in the pearl clan knew immediately bc they were There when he got there, but the diamond clan wardens? everybody just forgot to update them on it. but that might not be super believable either... it might be like ounce of prevention's adaman, where she knows he's not native bc that's fairly obvious just from talking to him but didn't realize he was from The Sky. or maybe not idk!

wkwjhwjh YEAH she mighta been huh. and. OOOOH... aaaa man that little bit of trivia still hurts my heart so much and this spin on it is SO good... yes yes i love it. also the fact that he presumably remembers the multis lines in canon bc he would have been hearing those semi-daily when they battled together, but if the super doubles lines are also so close to hand then that means he's also heard those really frequently, maybe bc they spar battle each other in different formats a lot too which is already a hc of mine and YEAH. I LIKE IT

no no yeah i think the reasoning for this au works i was just saying that it's kind of. a goofy decision on the part of canon to make that work shksjhskjh. i think to make the "seek out all pokemon" thing more plot relevant it's actually a very elegant solution!! and ooh "imbuing pokeballs with divine power" is a cool thing... then i wonder if instead of balms, it works functionally the same way but you're hucking blessed pokeballs at them instead? hmm

ooh yeah, maybe sneasler's battling to keep her attention and wear her out, and then the protag is busy lining up a throw? but YEAH problems with the clans is a fair point... although lilligant's warden would be there to sign off on it so maybe that would give them some legitimacy? idk

[t4t-lumpygrab]

Fanfic Request!

Request: Fern and Lemongrab hanging out (or at least how I interpreted it) Word Count: 1.2K 

Thank you for the request! :v) I’ve never written for Fern before and I feel like as I haven’t thought as deeply about his character I probably messed him up quite a bit sorry about that! But it was fun to give him a go so thanks for the request, it was fun - I hope it ended out okay! I also ended up writing something a bit sad, but maybe also a nit hopeful? I do think they could be friends, I think Lemongrab has a lot he could teach Fern if that makes sense? It was interesting to think about how they’d interact together. I hope you like it :o) 

“When you put in a notice saying you needed the candy kingdom champion to help you I thought you meant slaying demons or some biz.” Fern had been trying to do something heroic to make up for failing Ooo in its time of need - when he’d been Finn work had always taken his mind off his problems and been a welcome distraction, if just for a while. And when he’d been in the Finn sword and not able to do anything but watch through a blue window, it had helped to be part of some fight for the greater good. But now, like everything else, it wasn’t working out so math. 

Lemongrab had thrown white sheets over his furniture and covered the floor in old candy kingdom newspapers. He set down the rest of the paint cans and looked up at Fern with a blank expression.  

“You unappreciate theeee struggles of interior design.” he stated flatly. 

“Yeah.”

Lemongrab used his claws to prise open one of the cans, and added a brush stroke to the wall. “Your opinion on the green.” 

Fern blew a raspberry. “Green stinks.” 

Lemongrab gave him a look but didn’t say anything. “Orange?”

“Cheese room.” Fern stated and looked around. It didn’t seem that anything dangerous was actually happening to the earldom. Lemongrab seemed to just need help with repainting his room of all things. Of course he had gotten stuck with the worst of Ooo’s royalty and the dumbest task ever. He never should have trusted a request for help from the Lemon earldom- everyone knew those weirdos were a bunch of b-lists. Finn was probably off slaying dragons or something else actually helpful. 

“Hm. Blue?” Lemongrab painted a light blue square on the wall. It felt familiar and calming to Fern.  

“Yeah that’s nice I guess.”

Lemongrab smiled and nodded. It seemed Fern’s job was over, and the admittedly boring distraction it had been was over now too. “Okay I’m going now.” he said glumly and turned to walk out.

“WAIT - yooouuuu think I can paint all this myself? Young man this body of mine is stapled together.” Lemongrab crossly shoved a roller brush at him. “Do theeeee high parts of the wall for me.”  

“You asked for a hero’s help to paint junk? Dude.” Fern frowned at him. He was starting to get annoyed at Lemongrab, and he imagined picking up one of the uglier colours and throwing it over him. 

“And what of it?” Lemongrab asked innocently.

Fern shifted. Finn wouldn’t have thought about throwing paint over anyone. Even someone as weird as Lemongrab. He felt guilty. “It’s not very hero-y.” he admitted. 

“You are helping mee… is helping people not what a hero does?”

“I don’t really know anymore.” Fern had given up and started slowly rolling the brush over the wall near the ceiling. The blue filled his vision slowly and he was reminded of peeking at the world through a blue peephole, back when he still had a purpose. Back when he at least knew who he was. “I’m no hero at all I guess. I couldn’t protect Ooo.”

“Is that what you are so upset about?” Lemongrab didn’t like thinking about what had happened with the elemental spell. It seemed Fern however couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Hmm… Yoouu have no elemental powers… there was not much you could do. LSP was the one who saved Ooo.”

“Finn helped. Finn got the jewels and… I was all junked up on rootbeer and being dumb.” Fern swiped the brush aggressively.

“I remember.”

“Oh my glob.” Fern remembered something and recoiled in horror. “That was freaking you wasn’t it. The pink guy.”

Lemongrab looked at him with a confused expression. Fern hurriedly leaned his brush against the wall. 

“I’m gonna go now.”

“Are yoooouuuu embarrassed?”

“No! I mean, maybe.” he clenched and unclenched his fists. “No?” 

“There was nothing you could have done plucky adolescent, eating root beer was byyyy far the least unacceptable thing anyone did under theeee curse’s influence.” Lemongrab said gently.

“I should have been stronger. If I was better I wouldn’t have gotten all janked up and pea brained.”

“Better how?

“If I was still Finn.” Fern said quietly. 

Lemongrab made a hm sound and sat on the floor, looking up at him, twirling his paintbrush in his fingers. “What is wrong with the way you are now?” 

“I hate it. I can’t do anything now and-and-” Fern wrung his hands and started pacing around, messing up the newspapers on the floor, it certainly wasn’t the first thing he’d messed up. “-Everyday I have to see a version of myself that’s who I want to be. I’m just messed up. Half of me used to be a sword… half of me used to be Finn…”

Lemongrab nodded in understanding. “Half of meee used to be a cannibal.” 

“-I just want to be Finn again… it’s not FAIR!” Fern grabbed hold of the ears on his hat and yanked them painfully. The pain brought a little bit of relief, it was a welcome distraction. “There’s already a Finn and everyone loves him more than they’ll ever love me. Bmo and Jake and- and everyone. If my parents were still alive they wouldn’t even know me for who I am. No one else does.” 

Lemongrab looked at him with wide, saddened eyes for a moment and didn’t say anything.

“I see.” he shifted, “I think that you are Finn in all the ways that matter.”

“Finn says I need to learn how to be Fern.”

“But you cannot create a new identity by avoiding your old one. Are you discovering a new self, or are you hiding from your Finnness?”

“What do you mean?” 

Lemongrab placed a hand over his chest. “I am Lemongrab.”

“Yeah?”

“I can only ever beeee Lemongrab. It is what I am made of, but, I am a different Lemongrab from the other Lemongrabs.” 

“So what?”

“Finn is Finn, and you are also Finn. But aaa different one.” He got back to his feet and resumed painting. “Perhaps it is aaaaa blessing as well as a curse, you are free to do the things Finn wants to do but cannot. Hm. Yes. Finn would never have come here and helped me, but now Finn has. Think of all the other places you can take Finn to.” 

Fern frowned. “I don’t get what you’re trying to say. I don’t want to do things Finn doesn’t do. I want to be a hero too… that’s what I’m supposed to be.” The room was almost fully painted now. It was almost like being inside the sword again, soft and blue and far away from anything else. Fern looked out of the window and saw the lemon earldom below, half expecting to see Finn’s face looking down at him. Huge and larger than life, the way he still was. While Fern was so so small and insignificant. 

“I seee…” Lemongrab said again, dabbing with his brush carefully. “However, neither of us can go back to the people weee used to be.” 

Lemongrab took a step back to stand next to him and Fern realised how much taller than him Lemongrab was. He supposed both the Lemongrabs had been older than him, but they’d never really felt like an adult to him. Lemongrab was more like an annoying teenager ,but now he actually felt mature in some way. It was sort of sad to Fern that he had to get blown up before he got any better. 

“Yes. This isss acceptable.” Lemongrab smiled pleasantly. “You may take your leave now, squire- stop by anytime! But hnnngh-”

“Call first? Yeah I remember.” Fern mumbled under his breath, and left. 

[binwoo-knock-24]

ASTRO reaction~ Their girlfriend being short~

Genre: fluff

Requested: no

Synopsis: astro has a short girlfriend. How will they react?

~MJ~

“Myungjun baby?” You called. “Hmm?” your boyfriend answered from the other side of the room. “Can you help me?” You asked as you tried to reach the plates in the upper cabinet. “Ah, you’re so short.” He smiled at you. “Hey, instead of making fun of me, why won’t you help me instead, hmm?” You sassed, trying your hardest not to hit his arm. “Nah, I’m good.” He turned away. “You’re good? Good? SO I guess you’re not hungry.” “NO! No! Please. I was joking. I love you.” He pulled you into a hug. “Mhm, I thought so”.

~Jinjin~

You and your boyfriend were walking down town hand in hand. It was one of those nights where Jinwoo would take you out, out of nowhere and just hang out together. Getting midnight snacks together and enjoying your time together. “Kiss?” You asked your boyfriend out of nowhere. “Come here then.” He said with a little smirk playing on his lips. “An, babe. Lean down. I cant reach you.” You whined. “C’mon a little further” He laughed. You pouted before you turned and were about to carry on walking, but JinJin grabbed you by your wrist and pulled you closer. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” He smirked before pecking your lips.

~Cha Eunwoo~

“So, How is it having such a short cute girlfriend?” SanHa said as he threw himself down on the couch next to Eunwoo. “Yah, don’t call her short. Only I can do that.” Eunwoo laughed. “She's just so cute, I love the fact that she is so short. She always has to ask me to grab things for her and it is the cutest thing ever. I really love it. I really love her.” Unbeknownst to Eunwoo, you were standing right behind him. “Well, I’m glad you do, because I don’t know if I love you as much as i did after i know that you love to talk about my height.” You said, leaning down close to his ear, making him jump. “H-Hi baby.”

~Moonbin~

You and your boyfriend were sitting together as the boys had a break from their dance practice. They were filming a video for Aroha where they were being themselves dressed in onesies. You and Binnie were cuddled up on the floor, not really caring that the others were literally 2 metres away from you. You wrapped your legs around him. “Ah, you’re so small.” “do you have to point that out?” “Yes. I do. I’m your boyfriend. Its my job.” “I love you weirdo.” “I love you too shortie.” Suddenly a yell coming from SanHa was heard, “I WANT TO BE LOVED TOO!!” He yelled before jumping onto both of you. Within seconds, the whole group was cuddling with the two of you. You shared a glance and smiled at eachother. “Next time we hang out at your place?” MoonBin asked. “Definitely”

~Rocky~

Rocky has been teasing you all week about your height for some reason. You didn't mind at first since he teased you about alot of things. But after hearing the same joke 24/7, you were pretty tired and annoyed by it. So you decided to give him the silent treatment. “Baby~? Why are you ignoring me?” Your boyfriend asked as he followed you around. You kept silent, like you did all day. “Is it because I teased you about your height?” “DING DING DING!!! Bingo! Your prize is…...another day of silence!” You exclaimed, mocking him. “No! Baby! I’m sorry! Please!” He pouted.

~Yoon Sanha~

"Sanha~” you whined. “Hm?” he hummed. “Why are you so tall?” you asked as you looked up as him. You barely reached the middle of his chest. “I’m not tall. You're just small.” He smirked. “I'm not small. I’m fun-sized.” You frowned. “Sure you are, babe. But why do you ask? Do you not like being short?” He looked at you, curious. “No, not really. I can’t kiss you whenever I want.” You pouted. “Aww. Well I think you’re absolutely adorable. Here.” He said, kneeling before you. “Better?” “Mhm, a little” You gave him a kiss on his forehead.

A/N: My first Astro reaction on here. I hope you enjoyed it. Like if you did it gives writers motivation to carry on. Leave a request if you wish. Thank you for reading ❤️

Admin Koala 🐨

[hyuniepot]

the butterfly effect. || chapter one

chapter word count || 3,214

genre || thriller, angst, drama

members || mark lee, na jaemin, lee jeno, huang renjun, lee donghyuck, zhong chenle, park jisung

warnings || mentions of death, implications of depression

pairing || fem!reader x jaemin || slight fem!reader x mark

synopsis || you never thought you’d be able to play with fate so easily, especially not through some shady app. but you suddenly must say goodbye to what you know and hello to a new world where everything seems perfect.

a/n || reposting this chapter because tumblr made it glitch out for some reason ;-; praying everything works out this time!! as always, send me a message or an ask to be added to the taglist.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

Yes, the thought of it is silly, but you were. You didn’t like bugs at all, the pretty ones included. The thought of them crawling on your skin made you ill. But there was one thing you loved, and that was your friend, Mark. And unlike you, Mark loved butterflies. So when he asked you to go to a butterfly exhibit with him, you sucked it up and said yes.

And you realized that day that butterflies were beautiful. They were harmless, and you giggled as they landed on you, excitedly showing Mark as you conquered your fear of them. Mark helped you conquer a lot of your fears.

And ever since he left, you felt more fearful than ever. Losing him made you realize how fragile life really was, and you hated it. You hated feeling like everything was on the verge of being lost.

“You good?” you jump at the sound of Jaemin’s voice in your ear. You blink, realizing you had completely zoned out. You were sitting next to him on the bus to school. You quickly glance out the window once more. The butterfly you had been admiring was gone.

You nod. “I’m okay. Just tired.” you respond.

Jaemin grins and grabs onto your hand. “Okay. Just checking in.” he says softly. “Um, we’re all gonna get food after school if you wanna come. It’s just a really nice day, it’d be a shame not to go out in it, you know?”

Truth be told, you had been feeling weird lately, and going out with your friends (or, to be more accurate — your boyfriend and his friends that you were friends with by association) was probably what you needed. “That sounds nice.”

The bus had arrived at school. Jaemin stands and picks up his bag, letting you out in front of him. You exit the bus and you’re met with the warm air enveloping you, the sun hitting your eyes and making you squint. Jaemin exits the bus as well, his frame blocking the sun from blinding you. He puts his arm around you, and you grab onto his hand out of instinct.

“Hey guys, got room for more?” you feel another arm around your shoulder.

“Hyuck, no. You’re gross.” Jaemin groans, rolling his eyes.

Hyuck gasps dramatically. “That’s mean. You didn’t even consult with your girlfriend first.”

You smile. “Sorry, Hyuck. But I’m only interested in Jaemin.” you tell him.

Hyuck removes his arm from your shoulder and crosses his arms. “What a low blow…” he mutters. Hyuck was your childhood friend. He grew up with you and Mark. He was like a happy virus, and you weren’t sure if you would have survived losing Mark if he hadn’t been there for you.

You giggle. “Sorry to break your heart.”

“You’d think after months of being rejected he’d give up, but he’s a trooper.” Jaemin adds.

Hyuck rolls his eyes this time. “It’s only because you guys are gross and kissy-kissy in public. We’re in school,” he says, moving away from his spot next to you. He puts himself in between you and Jaemin. “Leave room for Jesus.”

“Oh my god, Hyuck,” you laugh. “You are so annoying. You’re lucky you’re my best friend.” you tell him.

Hyuck grins and sticks out his tongue, turning down a hallway as you guys pass it. “You’re damn right you’re lucky,” he calls. “I’ll see you guys later!”

Jaemin shakes his head, laughing. “He’s such a weirdo. Love him, though.”

You reach your locker and lean against it. “He is. You learn how to deal with him after so long. I’ll meet you outside the entrance doors after school. Do you guys know where you’re going to eat?”

Jaemin leans up against the locker next to yours. “Nah, not yet. We’ll figure it out before the day ends.” he tells you. “You have a good day, alright?” he pecks your cheek.

You smile. “I will.” Jaemin gives you one last grin before turning and continuing down the hallway.

[12:39 p.m.]

“What kind of weird shit do you read at night?” Naeun asks, scowling at Jiwoo.

“It’s not weird!” Jiwoo cries, turning her phone screen towards the dark-haired girl. “There’s real proof!”

“What are you guys talking about?” you ask, taking a seat next to Naeun.

“Apparently there’s an app that can change your fate,” Sungyeon speaks up, holding back a laugh. “Jiwoo found it.”

Jiwoo turns her attention towards you. “See! You’ll believe me, right?” she turns her phone to you.

You furrow your brows and decide not to answer her question. You read the article she had pulled up.

According to the 13-year-old who downloaded the app, ButterFly, his wish came true a mere 3 hours after sending it into the ButterFly HQ. The young boy wished for his cat to come back to life, who had been dead for nearly a month. A few hours later, a cat showed up at the boy’s window. It was identical to the one the boy had.

ButterFly, a self-proclaimed life changing app has been growing in popularity as people hope to change their past. But the real question is, does this app really change a life or is it simply coincidence?

“Jiwoo…” you say softly.

“Come on,” she whines. “I can’t be the only one who thinks it could actually be real!”

“I’m afraid you are.” Sungyeon tells her, taking a bite of her food. “It’s just a coincidence. The only success story they have is something so… normal.”

“If they want to impress me, they have to come up with something way more exciting than a kid finding his cat.” Naeun says.

Jiwoo pouts, turning off her phone. “But… it’d just be so cool if it was real.”

“I agree, but an app should never be trusted for something like that. Plus, if an app had the powers to change the trajectory of someone’s life, wouldn’t the butterfly effect happen?” you asked.

“She’s right,” Naeun says. “Fate is not something to play around with.”

Dejected, Jiwoo surrenders and turns her attention back to finishing her lunch.

“What is that again?” Sungyeon asks. “The butterfly effect?”

“The idea that even tiny changes can make huge and unexpected changes,” you explain. “Like a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a typhoon.”

“Hmm,” Sungyeon hums. “That’s interesting.”

“Yeah, like if Jiwoo was born as a boy, maybe she’d be dating you and you’d be a millionaire for some reason.” Naeun takes a drink from her water bottle.

“What?” Sungyeon cringes.

“Hey, what’s that face for?” Jiwoo cries. “I think I’d be a cute boy.”

You laugh and shake your head as your friends continue to playfully banter about who would be the cutest boy in a parallel universe.

[3:30 p.m.]

You stand by the entrance doors, rocking back and forth on your heels. You try not to look too awkward as you wait for Jaemin and his friends. You wave to Naeun as she leaves, and are relieved when Jaemin appears a few moments later. He immediately spots you and makes his way to you, smiling. His friends, Jeno and Renjun walk behind him with Hyuck, loudly talking about something.

“Hi,” Jaemin says. “Did you have a good day?”

You grin. “It was fine. How about you?” you start walking away from school, taking hold of his hand.

“It was good. I have some annoying homework, but…” he trails off.

Renjun suddenly runs past you, turning around with a disgusted look on his face. “Hyuck, for the last time, I will not hold your hand!”

You turn your head to see a pouty Hyuck. “I just wanted to fit in!”

You laugh and roll your eyes, turning your head back towards the sidewalk in front of you. You all make your way to a nearby restaurant. You sat next to Jaemin in a booth and Jeno, Renjun, and Hyuck all squeezed into the one across from you. You all ordered drinks.

“Oh, Jaemin,” Jeno says, picking his bag up from the floor. He pulls out a notebook and hands it to Jaemin. “Thanks for your notes.”

Jaemin nods. “No problem.”

“Jeno,” Renjun says, shaking his head. “You’re never gonna learn if you keep copying Jaemin’s notes.”

Jeno shrugs. “It’s not like I do it all the time,” he says, defending himself.

“You borrow my notes, too, though… so Renjun kinda has a point.” Hyuck says, leaning back as the waitress sets his drink down in front of him.

You pull out your phone as the boys argue yet again just to see what was happening on your social media. It was mostly random tweets and posts from people you knew, but there was something that caught your eye. It was a promoted post from ButterFly. It had no likes or anything, despite being promoted to your Twitter timeline. And it wasn’t just one. After a few scrolls, you saw another ad from the app, just with a different caption. You saw another one before shaking your head and exiting the app. You opened Instagram, just to be met with the same ad.

Don’t be afraid. Having the chance to change your fate is much more fun than you think.

The caption sent chills down your spine. It didn’t sound like something that should be promoted. You clicked the link the ad provided, but it simply took you to the app store. Your curiosity was getting the best of you. You wanted to download the app, but something was holding you back.

Jaemin nudged your shoulder, making you jump.

“Huh?” you ask. Everyone’s eyes were on you.

“Do you want something to eat?” Jaemin asked.

“Oh,” you look at the waitress next to the table, notebook and pen in hand. “I’m okay.” you reply.

The waitress nods before turning around and entering the kitchen. You stand up from your seat at the booth. “I need to go to the bathroom.” You shoved your phone into a pocket on your bookbag and rushed to the bathroom.

You shut the door behind you, walking to the sink. You looked at yourself. You looked tired, disheveled. You couldn’t get rid of the feeling you had felt since waking up. You could barely even describe it. It almost felt like dread, but it was more of an unexplainable sadness. Not even being with your friends seemed to help it. You turned on the water, splashing your cheeks with cold water. How had you been so enchanted by the ads of that app that you had become completely oblivious to what was going on around you?

You dried your face before you heard a small knock on the door. “Hey, are you okay?” You opened the door and saw Jaemin. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern.

You forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, sorry…” you say, stepping out of the bathroom.

“You’ve been acting… strange today. No offense,” Jaemin says.

“None taken,” you sigh. “I know I have. Everything just feels off today, I don’t know why.” You tell him.

Jaemin puts his arm around you and you both begin walking back to the table the others were at. “It’s okay to feel that way… I think everyone does. It just sucks to watch you feel so sad.” Jaemin says. He sighs. “I really hope you start feeling better soon. I miss hearing your laugh.”

You smile. “I miss it too,” you say, reaching the table. Jaemin scoots into the booth and you follow after. You try to ignore the horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach and have a good afternoon with your friends. You ended up starting to feel better. You stole some of Hyuck’s food after panicking and not ordering some of your own. You laughed at everyone’s jokes and dumb arguments, and before you knew it, an hour had passed. You all decided to stop being a bother and leave. You waited outside as everyone paid; Jaemin offered to pay for you since all you got was a drink.

“Are you heading home?” Jeno asked Jaemin.

He nodded. “I’m gonna walk this one home and then head home myself,” he said, resting his head on yours.

Jeno nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Renjun and Hyuck also waved goodbye. They were all going to Jeno’s. You went your separate ways, and as much as you loved them, you were glad to be alone with Jaemin. Your house wasn’t too far, but even if it was just a few minutes, you were glad to be with him.

“Are you just gonna go home and do homework?” you ask.

Jaemin nods. “Yeah… it’s probably gonna take some time.”

“Sorry baby,” you say. “I’ll facetime you once my mom gets home,” you tell him.

Your mother worked late, so you were in charge of looking after your younger brother, Jisung, until she got home. He was only 2 years younger than you, so it’s not like it was hard, but you still felt obligated to keep tabs on him.

“You don’t have to,” he says. You both walked through your driveway and to the front door. “But if you want to, however… I would love it if you did.” he grins as you open your door.

“Well, then expect a call later,” you say, grabbing both of his hands.

Jaemin leans in and kisses you, and for a second, it feels like everything is okay.

“Gross!” a voice yells. You jump away from Jaemin and turn around.

“Jisung, your sister and her boyfriend are smashing their faces together again!” Chenle, who was standing in the kitchen, yells. Jisung’s pokes his head around the corner.

“Shut up, Chenle.” you say, grinning. “You’re not a child, kissing isn’t that weird.”

You step inside, taking off your shoes and setting your bag down. Jaemin steps in behind you and walks to the kitchen, putting Chenle in a headlock. “You little jerk,” Jaemin teases.

Chenle giggles, trying to get out of Jaemin’s arms. You walk to the living room where Jisung had gone, continuing his video game. “How was your day?” you ask.

“Good.” Jisung says, eyes still glued to the TV.

“That’s good,” you look back to the kitchen and see that Jaemin has released Chenle, and is now talking to him. “Do you have homework?”

Jisung nods. You watch the TV, and watch his character die. Jisung sighs and sets the controller down, turning to you. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Can you try and get it done before Mom gets home?” you ask.

Jisung nods. “Yeah… Chenle and I have the same homework so we can do it together, I guess.”

You nod and go back to the kitchen. Talking to Jisung sometimes felt like talking to a brick wall. “I better get going.” Jaemin says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You walk him to the door. “I’ll see you.” you grab both of his hands again, never wanting to let go. Jaemin kisses your cheek and turns.

You bite your lip. Why was this horrible feeling back so suddenly? “Hey, Jaemin?” you call after him. He turns back around.

“I love you.” you say, almost too softly. For a second you weren’t even sure if he heard you, but he gives you that classic smile, the one that made you fall in love with him in the first place.

“I love you too.” he blows you a kiss before walking away.

[9:41 p.m.]

You sat down on your bed, freshly out of the shower. Since Jaemin had left, you helped Jisung and Chenle with their homework, did your own homework, and facetimed Jaemin for a bit while he did his. And then you took a long shower in an attempt to clear your head.

You look around for your phone, finding it hidden in a blanket on your bed. You answer some unread texts and then open Instagram again. You’re met with the same ads from before. Your heart drops.

Without thinking you click the link again, pressing download. It downloaded in no time. Your thumb hovers over the icon of the app. The moment you muster up the courage to click on it, there’s a knock at your bedroom door.

You jump, startled, but get up and open it.

Your mother’s exhausted face greets you. “Hi sweetie. I’m going straight to bed, so… goodnight. I hope you had a good day.”

You smile, shakily exhaling. “Today was fine. Goodnight.” you say, not wanting to delay her sleep anymore.

She gives you a warm smile before going to her room. Before you close your door, Jisung appears from the staircase nearby. “You going to bed?” he asks.

“Uh,” you open your phone, looking at the time.

ButterFlyHQ

Greetings. What is your name?

You ignore the notification. “No… but I’ll probably be in my room for the rest of the night.”

“Oh, okay… well… goodnight then.” he says, going to his room which was right across from yours. He closes the door without another word.

You press your lips together and shut your door as well, laying down on your bed. You opened your phone and clicked on ButterFly.

1 Unread Message

ButterFlyHQ

Greetings. What is your name?

You hesitantly enter your name. You regret it as soon as you responded — maybe you should’ve used a fake name.

ButterFlyHQ

Hello, (y/n).

What do you wish to change?

Wow, straight to the point… You think.

You wonder what you should enter. You try to think of the most outrageous thing you could think of, something completely unimaginable. Something that would surely trigger the Butterfly Effect.

There were things you actually wanted to change.

You wanted your mother to stop being so stressed.

You wanted Jisung to be happy.

You wanted to stop feeling so insecure about you and Jaemin’s relationship.

You wanted Jiwoo to finally pass trigonometry.

Okay, the last one was a bit dumb, and actually imaginable. And then you thought of the most impossible thing.

You

I want my best friend to come back to life.

You almost laugh as you sent the message. But your faint smile fades at the immediate response.

ButterFlyHQ

What is your best friend’s name?

This was suddenly feeling too personal.

You

Mark Lee.

ButterFlyHQ

Understood. We will try our best to meet your request.

You stare at your phone. Now what? You turned your phone off and set it on your nightstand, plugging it into the charger before laying down and staring at the ceiling.

Great, now some random stranger knows some girl thinks an app can bring her friend back from the grave.

When you got the chance, you were gonna chew Jiwoo out for bringing that app up. You get under the covers and close your eyes, trying to sleep. But your mind was racing. You finally feel yourself drifting, your mind finally giving you some peace.

Your last thought before you finally fall asleep is Jaemin. You just wanted to be with him again, his arm around your shoulder, his fingers lazily intertwined with yours. You felt yourself smiling before finally falling asleep, unknowingly saying goodbye to your last normal day.

[ablackfangirlwrites]

New neighbor

Part 1 2 3

Im really loving this series and where its going 😁

"Hey there cutie," hawks said to you as he saw you walk out your apartment

You sighed shaking your head "I thought I asked you not to call me that."

Keigo laughed, "Im just stating the obvious."

"Then don't." You told him sticking your tounge out at him and walking off

"See ya later babe!" He called out again with a laugh

You turned around flipping him off before turning away

But keigo cought the small smile you had in your face as you did

Its been about two mouths since you moved onto your place

And about one month since you rejected him

But since then the two of stayed friendly

A little too friendly for your tastes

Keigo was a huge flirt

And was determined to get you to change your mind

It was clear you liked him or at least found him charming

But you had this no dating hero rule that got in his way

You wouldnt even tell him why you had the rule

But he had a new plan to get you to change your mind about him

That night the two of you would find yourselves in a familiar situation

You were struggling to get in your apartment with your groceries

And Keigo just so happened to be coming home

"This feels familiar." He said as he picked up some of your bags

You smiled, "Hey thanks....and kinda but this time I wont invite you to dinner."

When you got inside your place you sat your things down and turned to him

"Thanks birdy...you can leave now..."

Keigo pouted, "I was hoping for another heart to heart."

You gave him a smile, "sorry to disappoint."

"Whatcha got against us heros anyway?"

"Nothing you can fix." You said before pushing him out of your place, "good night Keigo."

Once out keigo leaned against your door

He wanted to be with you so bad

The next morning keigo would walk out the same time as you again

"Morning y/n." He said with a yawn

A little surprised you smiled at him, "Morning Keigo no pet names today?"

You asked as you locked your door

He shook his head, "Im a lady respecting man you asked me to stop so ill stop."

You raised your eyebrow, "suuure"

"You have a lovely day y/n." He said walking off

You stared at him suspiciously but in the end you figured it was him just being a weirdo as usual

Unbeknownst to you right after you locked your door instead of putting your keys in your purse like you thought you did

Keigo used one of his feathers to take them

The rest of your day went uneventful as usual

All up until you went back home

You looked everywhere

You knew you put them in your purse, you were sure of it

But your keys just werent there

Annoyed you called your friend asking them if they could come over and bring the spare set

But they said it was too late into the night and they were busy

Sighing you were really at a lost now

And you were so tired

It might have been an uneventful day but it was still a long

Feeling even more annoyed had to gather up your pride

You didnt even know if he was home

But you knocked on your neighbors door

After about two minutes

Keigo lazily opened his door, "y/n?"

"Hi," you said not making eye contact

"To what do I owe this random visit?" He asked knowing full well why you were there

"Im locked out my place....do you mind it I crash here for the night?...please." you asked him in a small voice

"You lost your keys?" He asked

"Tch, yes now are you gonna let me come in or not?" Asked him in a rush

You were feeling so embarrassing

You were a grown woman you shouldnt be still losing your keys

Keigo laughed and stepped aside, "Mi casa es su casa."

You sighed deeply thanking him as you walked in taking in the room

Everything was pretty modern in his place

"Ill get you some sheets to sleep in." Keigo said walking to the next room

You simply nodded looking around his place still

It was a nice place nothing special just simple

You half expect with a cocky attitude like his that hed have trophies and picture everywhere

But no not even a family portrait

Keigo returned with some covers for you laying them down on his couch

"Here ya go sorry I dont have much."

The sheet he gave you was just that a sheet

"Thanks..." was all you said

"Are you hungry?" Keigo asked, "im guessing you havent ate today."

You nodded, "I am actually."

"I might have some left over chicken nuggets."

You raised your eyebrow, "Do you have any...um..like real food?"

Keigo snorted, "Excuse me nuggets are the realest food out there."

You laughed now, "Yeah, if you're two."

Keigo acted like he was offended

"I guess i can find something to satisfy your shitty tastebuds."

Your rolled your eyes at him

In the end he ended up ordering a pizza

The two of you got into talking

And as usual you had to admit to yourself he qas very charming

And deep down you didnt think it was because he was a hero

Keigo was simply charismatic and funny

You had to keep reminding yourself not to fall for him

It would like 3 in the morning when you realized how late it had gotten

"Oh wow! I didnt mean to keep you up so long."

Keigo also hadnt actually realized the time either

He was honestly having a nice time

The best he had in a while

And the crazy part was all you guys did was talk

You didnt even talk about hero things

It was just silly stuff

He actually was having fun

He didnt want it to end but it was late now

So he stood up, "ill see ya in the morning."

You smiled, "Goodnight."

About an hour would pass since keigo went into his room

And you couldn't sleep

His place was way to cold and the sheets he gave your were papers thin

You tried to ignore it but nothing was working and the cold kept you awake

So swallowing your pride again you got up and knocked on his bedroom door

A moment passed and keigo opened his door shirtless

"Hmm?" He asked looking like he was just falling asleep

"Its really...like really cold can you turn up the heat?" You asked

You didnt want to be pushy but you couldnt sleep

"Im sorry y/n but my heatings down." He told you

"Seriously?"

He nodded, "yeah it sucks....wish i could help more but i did give you my spare sheets."

"How can you sleep in thia cold." You growned

"Trust me its not easy...but the feathers make it a bit easy."

"Lucky." You sighed unhappy to go back to the cold couch

"You can always bunk with me...not in a weird way of course." Keigo said

You raised your eyebrow at him, "bunk with you?"

"I mean it would be infinitely warmer. But it was just a random thought im not trying anything."

You sighed with a little laugh

You knew better tham to take him up on his offer but you were tired

"Alright but if you try anything ill kill you."

"I wouldnt dare." He smiled as he walked back into his room laying on his bed

You followed and got in his bed

Admit it was much warmer especially as you moved closer into his arms

All while keigo was secretly happy that his plan to get a closer to you worked

[poptod]

The Game (Baxter x Reader)

Description: You’re either a weirdo or a psychopath. Or both.

Notes: so this is um. kind of weird. but i guess thats kind of my thing at this point WC: 1.7k

+

"Didn't think this was how it'd go, did'ja?"

"I would really like it if you took these handcuffs off."

"Why? Cause they're yours?"

You stepped closer to his chair, dragging your gaze over every knot you tied around his body. The rope around his ankles and chest, the metal handcuffs behind the back, the gag unceremoniously hung round his neck ever since he wrestled it off.

"Does that bother you?" You asked as you bent in front of him, a wide, toothy grin spreading across your lips. "Being tied up by your own tools?"

"Shut. The fuck. Up," he hissed out beneath his breath, staring straight forward with a glare that could kill. As usual he completely avoided your own eyes.

"Aww, tiny cop is a little testy today, isn't he?"

Shooting up from your position on the floor, you wandered into a darker corner of the room, where the fluorescent light shining over Baxter couldn't quite reach. There you kept your bookcase stocked full of a variety of your tools. Mostly books, but several of the shelves held cases for knives and bug specimens, two of the most beautiful things you imagined one could have. The white light reflected off the glass case and into the detective's eyes.

"I think you need to calm down," you said as you dug into one of the bookcase drawers, feeling around for a lighter and cigarette. "You smoke, right?"

He remained quiet, that glare still piercing the wall in front of him.

"Doesn't matter. I've seen you smoke. I watch you a lot, you know," you spoke through the cig, clicking on the lighter in your hands before a flame burst.

The steps you took towards him were small, calculated, and gentle with your tapping shoes on the cement floor. This room didn't have the best sound quality, and every little noise was magnified by the stone walls. The minimum amount of furniture had made way for the same echo.

"You're very interesting to watch. You're the only cop that's actually interesting. Did you know that?"

With how low his seat was on the ground his face was right in front of your hips, and you spared him no mercy. Instead you stepped even closer, till he was forced to lean back with uneven breath, ire lacing his stare that had nowhere else to rest but you now.

"I've met a lot of cops in a lot of different countries," you admitted thoughtlessly, taking a long drag from your cigarette. "But you're fun. And so fuckin' pretty."

You knelt once more, this time nearly sat between his legs, and blew smoke into his face. His nose scrunched up as his eyes shut, annoyance clear on his pursed lips.

"What the hell do you want from me?" He said in a low, quiet voice that you had already come to know quite well. The moment you recognized it another smile spread across your face, big and unsettlingly happy.

"A good time, hopefully," you said, raising your hand to his face. At first he flinched, twitching away from you, but your need was relentless. Your palm landed on his cheek, allowing you to stroke the small cut along his cheekbone.

When at last he raised his eye to meet yours, the first thing you noted was fear. Fear permeates every emotion––it raises itself above all else, tells on itself before any other emotion can. There were other things beneath that, of course; anger, contempt, the usual when someone is forcefully tied to a chair in the middle of a nondescript room with no windows.

"Don't worry," you chirped. "I won't hurt you. Much. I just... I have these cravings."

Before turning back to your bookcase, you took another slow drag from your cig, watching the end burn till it nearly touched your lips. The smoke you blew out was half in his face and half not, though by his expression it might as well have been all of it.

You reached into your pocket, pulling out the key to one of your glass cases. It wasn't a terribly secure location for the contents, but that little bit of danger was always thrilling––never knowing if your prey will manage to reach those knives. 

Your largest was closer to a sword than a dagger, and though it did its' job of intimidation, the easier tool was the small silver knife engraved with cuneiform. The most painful was the jagged-toothed blade, who tore at skin instead of slicing it. That was for another time.

With the silver knife in hand you turned back around, a knowing smirk on your face as you once more approached the detective.

"Jim Baxter. James. Jimmy-boy. How ya feeling? Good?"

No reaction from him. Perfect.

"You want to know something? Little tid-bit of information. Little fun fact about me," you said with a sigh as you knelt. "I don't like your line of work. Not just because you guys are always tryin' to bust my ass and ruin the fun, but I don't like the government in general. The perfect society is an anarchal society. It's probably too much to ask what your leaning on this is, right? I think I know anyway."

You fiddled with the knife in your hands, toying with the handle and picking at the blade.

"White-picket fence boy," you added.

"The hell does that mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. It's just––I think it's a little funny. All around you're such a law-abiding person, so nice, so plain, and you've got all this flavor on your face."

By the way his eyes widened, you could tell what came to his mind. It was what came to most people's minds when you tried to explain the essence of flavor in human personality; cannibalism.

"I'm not going to eat you," you clarified, chuckling when his breathing returned to normal. "I could, though. I have no qualms against it. Peel off the skin of your face, fillet that shit... probably taste like chips."

"Why are you doing this? What – what even are you doing?" He finally asked, succumbing to the confusion and curiosity that had plagued him ever since he woke up here.

"Intimidation. Kidnapping. Those are still illegal, right?"

"Yes."

"Right. Well, anyway, those are just some crimes that I by no means on purpose committed. It was just the only way to get what I really want," you said as the tip of your knife pressed into his clothed knee, running down the fabric and leaving a small scratch mark in his pant leg. He jerked away, but you only pressed harder, keeping him in place with a tight hand around his ankle.

"Don't be shy now," you grinned.

"You think you're hot shit –"

"I am."

"– but I'll find you, and –"

"It seems to me you already have."

"Would you shut the fuck up?!"

"Sorry. Go on."

"I'm gonna put you in jail, where creeps like you belong," he said through gritted teeth, his jaw set as he met your awaiting eyes.

"You think I'm a creep? I'm the most sane out of all my friends. Though, I do suppose we live in two different worlds," you said with a shrug.

His type lived in the light. Sunny-day type people, warm homes to come to at the end of the day, dark green grass and clean highways. Yours is more in the style of broken down street lamps––burning rubber from car wheels and the warmth of a lighter. At least that's the way you liked to put it, romanticized into the sweetest fashion so it's easier to swallow.

Honestly, most of your friends are coke dealers. There's one that sells guns to minors, but he's not a friend of yours. Just someone you know. All of them are good people, you can't deny that, but it's not a gentle environment.

Not that you're any bit unlike them. You do, after all, kidnap people and taunt them for fun.

"Alright. Question for you. Ever had sex?"

Nothing. You giggled, crossing your arms on his knees.

"Ever kissed someone? You don't seem like the person who would like any of that stuff. I'll still be surprised if you haven't, though. The idea that no one tried to jump your bones? Yeesh. I don’t think that's possible," you rambled on, making a few vague hand gestures as his glare never faded.

The surly twist in his face reached a high point, ending with him spitting onto your face with a deep irritation in his expression. It took a second or two before you quite processed what had just happened, but when you did you had no hesitation in your response; licking the flat of your tongue up from his jaw to his temple.

"You like that? Into that kinda thing?" You asked in a booming laugh as he spluttered, desperately trying to worm away from you. "That was on you, buddy. Come on. Admit it."

"I'm not going to –"

"Come on, say it! You deserved that. Right?"

You grabbed his chin in a tight grip, forcing him to look at you.

"You get everything that's coming to you. You deserve everything you'll receive within the next... hmm, let's say, three months? Depends on when I get bored of you," you hummed, glancing to the side as you thought.

"The next three months? What are you gonna do in that time?" He asked almost softly, brow furrowed in the same consternation as his eyes.

"Have a little bit of fun, for once. I hope you prove to be more entertaining than the last girl," you said with a grunt, pushing yourself to your feet. "In the meantime... you can't be missing for too long, baby."

"Wh –"

With the butt of your dagger in hand, you whirled back around, hitting him right in his temple. The hit of the massive gem on his skull knocked him out, muscles untensing as he fell limp in his restraints.

You smiled and breathed a sigh of happy relief, as though you had finished swimming in the brisk water of a lake.

"Ah... he seems nice."

Thirty minutes and he's waking up, waves of pain throbbing from his cranium. He hissed as he tried to sit up, realizing with much comfort that he was back in the linen sheets of his bed, the comforter all tangled and mussed beneath him. By the look of the clock, it was the morning of his first shift of the week.

And the first thing he has to tell his boss is that there's another psycho on the loose.

[ankewehner]

Livetweet of accidentally getting into fairyland...

Best twitter thread ever?

https://twitter.com/NeolithicSheep/status/1330548523721515013 Shepherd: Oh hey Ursula, do you have the number for those people who take out invasive plants still?

Ursula: Probably somewhere, yeah. They said they didn’t usually work on such small properties, though, and I don’t know if I’ve got an infestation worth their time.

Shepherd: Ok but what if I say "kudzu" to you, can we throw enough money at them to make it worth their time.

Ursula: If you say “kudzu” to me, I will panic, scream, and come running to Dogskull with a flamethrower.

Shepherd: Ok well I suggest driving but maybe pack up the flamethrower. Ursula: OH MY GOD YOU FOUND KUDZU OH GOD WHERE IS IT ARE YOU SURE IT ISN’T JUST WILD GRAPE

Shepherd: YES I KNOW WHAT WILD GRAPE LOOKS LIKE THANK YOU anyway I was walking Beamer this morning after the deer ate breakfast and the white deer was walking down toward the back of the property, you know that low tucked away part? And I thought, well, we'll just trail after her at a polite distance and if I'm lucky I'll find some of her fur caught on a bush! Wouldn't that be great! So we kept going past the big ass fucking oak trees that make, like, that weird arch? And there's kudzu.

Ursula: What big oak trees?! There’s no big oak trees back there! It’s all pine!

Shepherd: Yeah you know, the two really big motherfuckers that look like English oak. They're like, way the fuck back there.

Ursula: There are no English oak on Dogskull. Are you sure you weren’t trespassing on the Freemason’s property?

Shepherd: No they're closer to the front I think? Who's next door to them? Also I thought Dog Skull was 7 acres? Because I should be off it and hitting the road by now.

Ursula: Next door to them is the people with the trailer on its side. Do you see any trailers lying on their sides?

Shepherd: A lot of oak trees, a little bit of kudzu, zero trailers in any orientation. Some birds and squirrels. Oh hey Beamer found a nice pond.

Ursula: Okay, this is important. Do the oak trees still have leaves on them?

Shepherd: Yeah but so does the one up front. Oh wait. These are, uh, still green. Like summer green.

Ursula: Right. Okay. This could be a problem. Give me a couple minutes, we have to take trash to the dump and then I’ll look some stuff up. Meanwhile, DON’T EAT ANYTHING.

Shepherd: You mean in case it's poisonous, right? Like THEORETICALLY if I didn't see this tweet until just now and HYPOTHETICALLY I found an apple tree and ate an apple, that would be fine?

Ursula: ...that would not be fine.

Shepherd: Beamer didn't want any, which was weird I thought.

Ursula: INDUCE VOMITING! INDUCE VOMITING!

Shepherd: He didn't eat anything! I'm not going to gag my dog for not eating an apple!

Ursula: Not the dog! Induce vomiting in yourself! Every chunk of that apple needs to come out before you digest it!

Shepherd: FINE. I have puked it up. It was a really good apple, too.

Ursula: Oh thank god. Whew. Okay. The alternative was that you were gonna need a cold iron enema and I wasn’t sure how to do that on short notice.

Shepherd: Oh hey fun fact, "cold iron" is just, like, iron. It's not a special kind or anything!

Ursula: Do you have any on you right now? Beamer’s collar or tags or anything?

Shepherd: Collar hardware is all aluminum these days, otherwise it rusts. Let me pat down my pockets. Syringe of dewormer? Is that helpful?

Shepherd: Anyway I don't want to alarm you but uh. I can't find the trail I followed? So you and Kevin will need to go over tonight and give the boys [i.e. oxen] a hay bale and the goats and sheep two.

Ursula: No! I am scared of cows! We have to get you out of there! Look, I have a bunch of Llewelyn books from my teenage pagan days. I’m sure Scott Cunningham or Silver Ravenwolf covered this somewhere.

Shepherd: Scott Cunningham seems like a really drastic measure just because you're afraid of some cows. But sooner or later I'm going to run out of cigarettes so sure, why not. Oh!! The boys' bow pins are in my pocket, I was going to sand them today and oil them! They're very definitely iron!

Ursula: That’s good! That’s very good! If anyone tries to talk to you, keep hold of those! Now let’s see...do you consider yourself a “solitary practitioner?”

Shepherd: Ursula I'm an ornamental hermit, you don't get much more solitary. Also so far the only person who tried to talk to me was a frog.

Ursula: ...what did the frog say?

Shepherd: "SMOKING KILLS." I tossed it back in the pond.

Ursula: *rubs forehead*

Shepherd: Fucking frogs are all alike, I'm telling you.

Ursula: I really wish these authors had spent less time on “why Wicca isn’t Satanism” and more time on “what to do when you’ve strayed into the fae realms.” I mean, I understand it was the political climate of the time...

Shepherd: I feel like nobody really covers that last one anymore. You have 4 hours until the cows want dinner.

Ursula: Silver Ravenwolf suggests making your magical working space more inviting with stencils? These books spend a surprising amount of time on interior decorating as a vital part of ritual magick. I never noticed that when I was fifteen.

Shepherd: Yeah me neither honestly. It's remarkably unhelpful when you're stuck in faerie and your collie is getting bored. Shepherd: So you want me to... Build a magical working space and stencil it?

Ursula: I can’t actually see how that would help matters. Maybe I should check the Foxfire books instead.

Shepherd: I... Don't remember them having anything relevant, but I might be wrong?

Ursula: They have everything. Ooh, this one is about how to scald the bristles off a hog!

Shepherd: A) I already know how to do that and B) I do not have a hog, sufficient firewood, or a hog scrubbing brush here. FOCUS, URSULA. FOCUS.

Ursula: Sorry, the ADHD meds haven’t kicked in yet today...uh...let’s see...avoid whippoorwills, if you see any?

Shepherd: I do that already, otherwise they steal your toenails.

Ursula: If you harvest apples, leave one on the tree or it attracts the Devil.

Shepherd: You told me not to eat the apples! Am I allowed to eat the apples now??

Ursula: No! These are hypothetical apples! NO EATING! I tried to look up deer in the Foxfire books and there’s a story about somebody’s grandpa wrestling a buck in a mill dam and drowning it, but I don’t see the relevance here. I mean, Grandpa does sound like a badass, though.

Shepherd: I feel like I shouldn't wrestle deer here. What if I try telling Beamer to find his sheep? 

Ursula: Well, research has hit a small snag. I tried googling for the foxfire books and kudzu, in case there was something about fae kudzu portals, right? But it turns out your Twitter is the third hit. Shep, we may BE the experts.

Shepherd: Uh oh. OK. In that case, you and Kevin go over to Dog Skull. Hitch up Cole and Cannon and take them back to the oak trees. Put a logging chain around one and yell real loud "LET SHEPHERD OUT OR WE START PULLING"

Ursula: Oh hell no! I read tree law Reddit! I know how this ends! Do you want us to get sued by Freemasons?! 

Shepherd: I DON'T THINK THE FREEMASONS ARE THE PROBLEM HERE, URSULA

Ursula: I DON’T TRUST THEM WITH THEIR LITTLE LEVELS AND SHEEPSKINS AND WEIRDLY OCULAR PYRAMIDS Also if you see a pyramid with an eye on it, don’t eat it’s either.

Ursula: Okay. Never mind the Freemasons. I wrote a book about this once, I think. White animals, scary fae, random magic deer. It was set in Finland, so you may need to fashion some umlauts, though.

Shepherd: I've got my chore knife, I can carve so many umlauts. Do I just put them in trees until I get back?

Ursula: First of all, are you wearing pants?

Shepherd: YES I'M WEARING PANTS YOU WEIRDO

Ursula: t’s a legitimate question! I mean, I’m not wearing pants.

Now Shep, this is very important. You have to take off your pants.

Also your shoes, your hoodie, and probably Beamer’s collar.

Shepherd: Ursula. Why are we getting naked.

Ursula: To break the misdirection spell! Put your clothes on backwards!

And possibly inside out? Shit, there’s a bunch of different sources. I don’t know if they have to be inside out, but definitely backwards.

Uh...let’s see...hmm, backwards definitely. Inside out might be for leshy. Leshies? Leshys? What’s the plural form, do you think?

If you happen to see any giggling green hairy dudes, ask them what the plural form of their name is. That’s gonna bug me.

Shepherd: Beamer's collar doesn't have a backwards! I'll turn it inside out. And my clothes backwards and inside out, got it. 

Shepherd: There's just, like, frogs. And squirrels. I can hear music though! There might be a dance party, I could go ask about green hairy dudes?

Ursula: STAY AWAY FROM THE MUSIC unless it’s the Freemasons I guess 

Shepherd: No it's more folk music. The Freemasons play, like, Michael Jackson. 

ANYWAY clothes are backwards and inside out. Beamer's collar is backwards and just to be thorough I tied the rope end of his leash to his collar instead of using the clip, so his leash is backwards too. He's pulling me away from the pond! 

Ursula: Tell him to go find his sheep! 

Shepherd: I have so instructed him! Hopefully there's not, like, the faerie equivalent of really good sheep here. Hey do you want me to grab you an apple 

Ursula: No, they don’t come true from seed, but if you can cut me a decent slightly whippy twig with a few leaves, I might be able to root that sucker. 

Shepherd: ...you want me to pause a collie on a mission while I test the whippiness of twigs?? 

I HEAR MOOING. I SEE PINE TREES. 

Ursula: GO TOWARD THE MOOING

Shepherd: THERE'S THE OLD RUSTED OUT METAL THING! I'm back! On uh the opposite side of the property from the one I left from.

Also there's a goddamned chorus frog calling. 

Ursula: Yeah, they do that.

Ursula: THANK GOD THE KUDZU IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PORTAL

...oh, and you’re back, that’s good too. Very pleased.

Shepherd: Anyway you don't have to feed the boys. Unless you want to?

Ursula: There is no situation where I will WANT to feed your giant-ass death bovines.

Also, what have we learned about following the white doe into the woods?

Shepherd: She knows where the really good apples are? 

Also my boys are tiny!!

Ursula: ...I’m gonna go take a nap.

[forceful-cupid-from-heaven]

Tsathoggua's (Forced) Day Out - MC4

"I don't like to go outside, it's too sunny... and crowded... and I see it as unnecessary. I'd rather play stay in my room than do something like that."

That's... what he practically said. Tsathoggua is definitely... somewhat of an obstacle to go through. Everything I had said related to going outside, he didn't want to do. Go eat outside? Nope. Play outside? He'd rather play video games. At least walk? He'd think it's a very tiring activity.

Honestly, it felt like his head had a huge talking stone wall connecting to his consciousness and this "wall" just said no every time I invite him out to go do something. Unless it's a really really urgent matter, he won't do anything! Huh, what should I do...?

.

.

.

It was a Friday. Almost every student in the vicinity was talking about what they'll do on the weekend. Basic student mentality. Based on the clock, it was also 12:46 PM so almost every student that is missing is either finishing their lunch or having an activity outside. Either way, I don't really care that much.

"Hey, Shinjou!" Kengo, along with Ryota and Shiro, approached my table. "Did you do the homework today?"

"Of course I did. I did it last night," I answered truthfully. "Wait, don't tell me..."

"Ehehe..." Kengo scratched the back of his head.

"As always, Kengo. Very unprofessional." Shiro shook his head in disappointment.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I didn't understand the lesson!"

I wanted to help him, I really did, but he needed to learn the hard way... And Shiro would probably scold me if I do such a thing.

"Anyway, what are your plans tomorrow, Shinjou?" Ryota interrupted.

"I think..." My eyes looked down to my lap while unhesitantly answering, "I think I'm gonna try and force Tsathoggua out of his habitat again."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't like going outside. Unless you have a card up your sleeve, I don't think just words are going to work on him."

"Yeah!" Kengo shouted. "And you should be spending your time fighting with me, instead!"

SMACK!

"What's that about fighting, Kengo?"

It was Mononobe who was standing right beside the door and bonked his head with a heavy-looking book.

"E-Ehehe! I-I meant that he should... p-practice fighting! Yeah!"

Mononobe, like Shiro, shook his head in disappointment and dismay. "You really should be focusing on your grades and balance your strength and noggin. You're... unsurprisingly failing your subjects."

"Ahhh..."

The whole five hours were just Triton, Jinn, and Ziz teaching us the different subjects while Kengo was just drooling around, bored of the class.

.

.

.

The whole day was over. The bell rung. And the clock struck five. Though the whole time, I was thinking about what gift to give to Tsathoggua.

"Alright, everyone!" Jinn smiled and faced everyone. "I hope you all learned something today! You are all dismissed!"

"Goodbye, sir!"

Jinn grabbed his notes and book as the students began to grab their bags and leave. The doors were wide open and the room was filled with noises, mostly from the students chatting with one another.

Ryota stretched and yawned. "Hah~ Good thing there weren't many assignments today. I think that's a positive sign!" His eyes almost teared up from my observation.

Hmm... What will be a good gift for Tsath? Anything worth going outside...

Then, an idea got into my head.

"I have to go, guys!" With excitement, I stood up almost immediately and ran to the door. "I'll catch up with you in the dorms!"

I'm sure they were left dumbfounded but I had to go before the store closes!

.

.

.

A day had passed. It was a Saturday. Shinjou was looking forward to hanging out with Tsathoggua... if he ever succeeds in doing so. What was inside his backpack is a secret only he knows and is a... well... a "hostage" for Tsathoggua. Maybe you can take a guess?

Though, to save money, he instead walked throughout the journey. Regret was written all over his face. Ugh... I should've saved up some money to get a ride... Now I'm sweating all over.

But after that thought, he finally saw what seemed to be the building he was destined to go to.

"Ohoho~! Look who we have here! You're Shinjou if I'm correct. What are you doing at our guild~? Perhaps you want to serve me in my harem?"

Shinjou almost immediately walked around her and shook his head. "U-Uh, no, sorry. But have you seen Tsathoggua?" What a stupid question! Of course he'll still be in his room...

"Oh, you're looking for that huge lump of laziness?" Her expression seemed to have turned from joy to disgust. "He's in his room playing, as you may have guessed already." Her hand held her chin as she looked sad. "I thought you would've been wanting to become a part of my harem."

"Thank you! And no, I'm not joining your harem..." he added.

--**--

Creeeaaak...

Tsathoggua turns his head to find Shinjou entering his room, hands behind his back and smiling like he just found the love of his life.

"Shinjou!" he excitedly calls out and hugs him. "Why are you here? You here to play games with me, yeah?"

"Actually... quite the opposite." The high schooler looks down shyly. "I want you to spend your time with me outside!"

A deadpan face was written across Tsathoggua. Shaking his head, he declines. "Nope. I already told you, I'm not going outside. I'd rather—" He then widened his eyes. "Is that Hack and Slash 2?!"

Waving the disc, he nodded. "Mhm! I heard that the game still hasn't released its digital version yet. It only released the disc version."

"Gimme! Gimme!" Tsathoggua pleaded but Shinjou just shook his head.

"Come out and spend the whole day with me first~"

Tsathoggua's mind was then challenged. Should he risk going outside while getting the prized item or...? "Hmph! I'll just wait for the digital release, then! No deal!"

The student pretended to look pensive. "Ah, that's quite sad, then. Since I don't really play that many videogames, I'll just sell it to someone else—"

"AHHH! WAIT, NOO!"

--**--

"Ugh, I hate you so much..." The blue bear transient grumbled as the two of them walked inside a crowded mall. "You promise that you'll give me my disc after this trip!"

"Alright, alright! Promise! Geez..."

The mall was bustling with customers from left and right. Clothing stores, arcades, and even restaurants.

It was, as expected, crowded. And it's also what Tsathoggua hates the most—being around people.

"Why did we even come here...?" he asks.

"Why, of course, to spend some time! Staying inside your room isn't healthy, you know?" The student, not with a white shirt and casual clothing, smiled at the transient.

"I'm a god! I don't need to be healthy!" He scoffs, tightly grasping the vase he was currently holding along with the other blue jelly-like monsters inside.

A promising restaurant caught Shinjou's perspective. He pointed at it and said, "Hey, we should eat first over to that restaurant!"

Hesitantly, Tsathoggua agreed to that idea instead of declining. Just for his game disc, of course.

.

.

.

Their energy was spent after spending their time on many of the stores. Playing arcade games, eating snacks, and buying new clothes. Everything they did was quality time spent. Now all they had to do was to go back home since it was already getting late.

"T... That was actually... kind of fun, yeah?"

"See?" Shinjou pointed as a matter-of-fact. "You don't have to go outside, just you spending some time with me outside is good enough. Oh! Before I forget—" he rummaged through his bag and handed Tsathoggua the game that he's been waiting for. "Here. This is the game you've been wanting to get, right?"

Tsathoggua hesitated a bit before grasping it into his hands. "I guess this can wait to be used. I'll get you to your dorms first, yeah? Lots of weirdos might try to hurt you, yeah?"

"Wait, what do you—"

Before he could even process the idea, he was immediately teleported in front of his dorm by Tsathoggua's hands, bride style carry.

He gasped for air, trying to scold the transient. "H-Hey! Could you have warned me first?!"

"I see no harm in it." He grinned smugly. "Anyway, you should go and rest now, yeah?"

"Alright..." Shinjou smiled and chuckled. "Stay safe, Tsath."

"You too, yeah?"

--**--

Before Shinjou opened his dorm room, he saw someone that he had never seen before. "Oh! Are you new around here?"

"U-Uh, yeah... You are...?"

"The name's Shinjou from Shinjuku Academy. And you are?"

"My name is... Seiko."

[angelsswirl]

Been Through

Chapter 4: Must be confused about me

Get ya, get ya, get ya shit together. Girl, I got 20/20 vision, and that's the reason I'ma keep my distance.

"I'm on my way to work now. Just dropped Lily off at preschool......Yes, Mom. I vetted the school extensively. She was on the waiting list since she was 2, so it better be worth it.....Okay. I have to go. Yes....I love you too."

You sighed heavily as you removed the phone from your ear.

Your mother, bless her heart, had a affinity for calling you at inopportune times, such as this one.

You were running late for a meeting. You don't like to blame your problems on your daughter, but this one was definitely her fault. After only two and half hours she had gotten attached to both Lisa and Jennie (you wish she would have just picked one and made this easier for you) and proceeded to have a mental breakdown when they eventually had to leave.

That mental break had caused the both of you to lose sleep, which meant you slept right through your alarm, causing Lily to be late for the one day a week that she went to preschool, and making you late for work.

And you hated being late for anything.

So, This was all your daughter's fault.

"Howdy, Boss." Your assistant, Max, greeted you as you trudged into your office. He handed you a warm cup of coffee. You took a sip, letting out a satisfied noise.

"Thanks, Max. I needed this."

He smiled, happy to be of service, "No problem, Boss."

You rolled your eyes, "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me 'Boss'? I'm a publisher who works for a publishing firm, I'm not the owner of this building. I don't sign your checks. That's the boss."

Max just shrugged happily. The beta was always infuriatingly happy.

"And stop saying 'howdy'. It makes me upset."

"You got it, Bos-Mrs. Y/LN."

You sat at your desk with another eye roll, "Maxwell. You know I'm not married. Just call me Y/N."

"But-"

"Aht! Call me Y/N."

You glared at the poor boy until he nodded back. You could feel a migraine sneaking up the back of your skull. After mumbling something unladylike in Korean, you set about turning on your computer.

"So, what's on the agenda today, Max-a-million?"

The twenty year old perked up at the question. The weirdo loved organizing and things of the sort. You're pretty sure his favorite part of the work day was when you asked him what you were supposed to be doing.

"Today is Tuesday. You've got a meeting with the boss in twenty minutes. Then, you have a manuscript in your email that I forwarded you. It needs to be approved by lunch. And by then it will be time to pick up Lily, and you can leave for the day."

You nodded slowly, "If a full manuscript needs to be approved in three hours why did you just now send it to me today?"

Max gulped, you watched his Adam's apple bobble in his throat. You felt bad at the look of pure fear on his face.

"I um...I'm sorry. It was only sent to me this morning. I was told that you already knew about it."

You wracked your brain for any mention of a manuscript approval by absolutely anyone you had ever had a conversation with.

You turned to Max, the headache was shifting forward towards your eyes, "No one told me anything. Ugh! Fine. I'll just have to skim. You can go back to your desk. Thanks, Maximus."

The boy scurried out of your office.

You sighed, then opened your email to locate the manuscript.

It was the last email you had been sent, you hurried to click it open and download it onto your computer.

It looked like a normal manuscript. No frilly font. No decorative cover. Just bare and unblemished. Just how you liked it.

Rosès Are Pink

Though, it had an absolutely shit title. That was an easy fix as long as the author didn't get attached.

Speaking of the author. You could tell it was a pen name. C.R. Park. There was no telling who that could be. But if you approved this manuscript then you'd probably be getting to know them a whole lot more.

You read the first line and frowned. Then you read the next. And the next. And the next. And soon your were through the first five chapters. The frown soon turned into an angry glare.

You dug into your cardigan pocket for your phone. You pulled it out and dialed a increasingly familiar number.

"Hel-"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Good morning to you too, Y/N. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE WRITING A BOOK?!"

"I didn't think I needed to?"

"Of course you fucking needed to. I'M IN IT."

"How do you even know that?"

"YOU FUCKING SENT IT TO ME!"

"You can stop yelling now."

"Boss? Are you okay?"

"GET. OUT. MAXIMUM."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I would like to reiterate that I didn't send anything to you. My managers probably did."

"What's the difference? You know I'm a publisher. I was bound to hear of it eventually." You wiped a frustrated hand down your face.

"What's the big deal, Y/N? Did you even read the manuscript?"

"Not all of it."

"Did you like it?"

"Chae, it's magnificent."

"So, what's the problem?

A heavy sigh left your mouth, and with it, your shoulders sag, "I-do you really want to put all of BP's business out there like that?" 'Do you really want to put all of BP's business with me out there like that' is what was really being asked.

"Yeah. The girls and I talked about it for weeks. The group is slowing down and we haven't liked the idea of lying by omission to our fans for awhile now. And I like to write. You don't have to worry anymore. " You could practically hear Chaeyoung's shrug.

"Okay. If you're sure. I hate the title."

Chaeyoung giggled, "So does Lisa. I'll let you fix it. Besides, it's not finished yet."

"You sent me an unfinished manuscript?"

"It doesn't have its happy ending yet."

"And what will that be?"

Chaeyoung paused for a second, "...You tell me."

~~~

"Mommy!" Lily bounded into your arms as soon as she saw you.

You brushed the brunette locks from her eyes and kissed her on the forehead, "Hello, my beautiful baby girl. How was your day today?"

"Good. Miss Taylor let us paint." She bounced in your arms, a semi damp peice of paper in her hands that she wouldn't let you see.

"That sounds like fun. What did you paint?"

"Families."

"Oh?"

"We see Lisa and Jennie today?"

I hope not.

"Not today, sweetheart."

"Oh."

You thought back to the previous day. Lisa was bonding with your kid while you were making out with Jennie on your bed....yep, sounds like you. You had been fine with that turn of events until you stopped kissing Jennie. Well, she stopped kissing you.

She stopped kissing you like she had suddenly remembered she left the stove on at home. You shared a very weird look before she pretty much ran out of your room like a terrified puppy. Or probably, more accurately, someone who just realized they made a mistake.

So, yeah. Now, you weren't so fine with the kiss and you could deal without seeing either of them for a good month.

"Mommy? Why don't I have a daddy or other mommy like the other kids?"

Your kid is trying to kill you. Hmm. What an ironic way to go out.

"Sometimes, kids only have one daddy, or one mommy. Some don't have either at all. But that doesn't make them different or any less special."

"Oh. Okay, " Lily laid her head down softly on your chest. "But I want another mommy. I don't like daddies."

"And you're absolutely valid for that. Mommy doesn't like daddies either."

"I want Jennie or Lisa to be my other mommy."

You had been so close to dodging the fattest bullet in parenting history, but no, your kid really did want you dead.

"We'll see, Dancing Queen. We'll see."

[santiagoswagger]

i've never fallen from quite this high

Amy's birthday falls one month into her very new relationship with Jake, and he promises her he has plans to blow her mind.

Set sometime after “The Funeral.”

In all the years Amy’s known Jake, she’s been witness to the downfall of most of his relationships, and she knows they all tend to follow a similar pattern.

He was disorganized and completely consumed by his work throughout most of them, perpetually forgetting to show up for dinners or drinks because a case always took precedence. He could be selfish, unfiltered with his words and competitive to a fault. Most of the women he dated never seemed to last very long, and if they did, Jake usually found a reason to end things. There were a few exceptions, just as there are with any rule, but Jake was nothing if not consistent. He was a lone wolf, even in his personal life.

But the Jake Peralta that Amy finds herself dating now might as well be a stranger.

In the month since they decided to screw being light and breezy, she’s observed several small changes in him that often have her questioning if he’s the same man who once took her on a date designed for maximum humiliation.

When they make plans, he immediately adds them to the calendar on his phone so he won’t forget. He shares his snacks with her at the movies, even if he rolls his eyes while passing her the popcorn bucket. He takes the time to compliment her whether she’s dressed up for a date night out or wearing her ratty sweats on the couch at home, and genuinely means it either way. He’s still overly competitive, but that only makes her like him more.

She catches herself staring at him from across their adjoined desks, in awe of the person he was and the person he’s becoming. She can’t believe she’s actually falling for her goofy, infuriating partner. It’s scary, just as any big change is for a control freak like Amy, but she’s starting to believe that anything worthwhile begins with a little fear.

Much to Amy’s chagrin, Jake catches her mid-stare and smirks.

“Amy, I know you think I look extremely handsome in my new flannel, but this is a workplace. What would the Captain say?” he asks smugly, keeping his voice quiet enough so their coworkers can’t overhear. It’s something they’ve both perfected over the last month.

She rolls her eyes but can’t stop a traitorous grin from materializing on her face.

“Jake, we both know you took that flannel from the lost and found last week. And I wasn’t doing anything,” she says unconvincingly, burying her head in the open file next to her keyboard. “I was thinking. About my case. Because I’m a detective.”

Jake leans back in his chair and crosses his arms behind his head. “Does this ‘thinking’ have anything to do with a major life event happening this weekend?”

Amy cocks her head to the side. “’Major life event?’ What are you talking about?”

Jake lets out a loud, triumphant laugh, startling Hitchcock and Scully from their afternoon naps a few feet away.

“Amy, please tell me you didn’t forget your own birthday. No, wait, please tell me you did so I can make fun of you.”

Her jaw drops in horror. Amy Santiago, queen of organization, forgot her own birthday. Work had been so crazy the last few weeks and nights spent analyzing her planner were few and far between now that she had someone to go home with after work so something was bound to fall through the cracks. But she would rather let Charles cook dinner for her than let Jake know that.

“Shut up,” she says indignantly. “Just because I don’t obsess over my birthday like some people doesn’t mean I forgot it.”

Jake leans forward with a softer smile than before. It’s fond, almost. “You did, but that��s okay. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve for Saturday.”

“You do?” she says, surprised.

“Mmm-hmm,” he nods, grinning. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

She laughs. “Okay, I’ll hold you to it.”

As they pack up their desks to leave for the night, Amy allows herself to wonder what Jake could possibly have planned. It’s their first birthday or holiday as a couple, and it’s so early. Their relationship is still so new and exciting, but a birthday is a big commitment. They haven’t even discussed where they see things going or if there’s a future for them. She doesn’t want this birthday to be the thing that scares him away before the relationship really gets off the ground. She’s pretty sure it could be something great if they let it.

Amy wakes up Saturday morning to the smell of fresh coffee wafting into her bedroom. It’s a shock for two reasons: she’s fairly certain she ran out of coffee grounds earlier this week and she knew Jake was scheduled to work an overtime shift today. The rumpled sheets next to her confirm his absence, but they’re still slightly warm to the touch; he must have just brewed her a pot before stumbling out the door.

She takes the time to brush her hair and teeth, and wash and moisturize her face – she refuses to let her morning routine slip, even if it’s her birthday – before walking out into the kitchen. It’s where she finds a full pot of coffee, complete with a new bag of beans from her favorite neighborhood café. It’s annoyingly expensive hipster coffee, and she can’t believe Jake shelled out the cash for it.

She also finds a note written in Jake’s awful chicken scratch on some stationery he must have grabbed from her office. Lucky for him, Amy’s been forced to decipher a few hundred of his case files over the years and can read his appalling handwriting without a problem.

Ames,

Happy Birthday, weirdo! I’m sorry I have to work on the day of your birth but I promise to make it up to you later ;) See you at 5.

Jake

She smiles as she finishes reading before pouring herself a large cup of steaming coffee and taking a long sip. She sighs, and she’s fairly sure it’s not just the coffee warming her from the inside out.

Truthfully, a day to herself is the best birthday present she could have asked for. She spends the day fielding calls and texts from her family and Kylie while also managing to organize her binders alphabetically and catch up on her very full DVR.

But by the time 5 o’clock rolls around, Jake is nowhere to be found and Amy can’t help but be a little disheartened. He had been making much more of an effort to be punctual lately, especially once he discovered what that earned him from Amy, but she supposes he hasn’t completely let his old habits die. She does her best to shrug it off. He probably just got caught up finishing a case, she thinks.

By 5:30, Amy is concerned. By 6, she’s spiraling.

He’s never been this late to meet her before, and never this late without sending an emoji-filled apology text. She, more than most, knows things can get out of hand at the precinct within an instant, but a shadow of a doubt still manages to nestle its way into Amy’s brain as the minutes tick by without word from her boyfriend.

She pours herself a glass of wine and takes a huge gulp. She knows from past observations that a month is usually Jake’s tipping point in a relationship. It’s entirely possible that he’s starting to have second thoughts about turning their friendship into something more. The thought rips through her like lightning.

It’s then that her front door opens and an exhausted looking Jake practically stumbles into the living room carrying two stuffed takeaway bags. His hair is a mess and his flannel is even more rumpled than usual. Her previously racing thoughts are immediately quelled when she sees him.

“Ames, I’m so sorry but I couldn’t find the restaurant and then the order was wrong and then I had to go to a different place and it was a whole thing,” he says in a breathless jumble. She can barely make out individual words.

“Are you mad?” he asks as he catches his breath. He looks genuinely gutted at the mere possibility he’s disappointed her.

She puts her wine glass down on the coffee table and moves to wrap him up in a firm hug. She can feel the tension leave his body at her touch.

“No, I’m not mad,” she mumbles into his shoulder. “But I wish you had texted me so I knew you were alright.”

“Phone died,” he says sheepishly. She pulls away slightly and gently swats his arm.

“I thought I bought you a charger for your desk!”

“I may or may not have been playing Kwazy Cupcakes all day and it totally drained my battery,” he laughs. “The precinct was so boring today, Ames.”

She smirks. “Did you miss me, Peralta?”

“Pshh, no,” he says, eyes darting around the room.

“You did,” she says smugly and he rolls his eyes, visibly grinning. “Now, tell me about this food.”

She pulls away from him to rummage through the plastic bags he’d placed on her dining table when he came home. It smells unbelievably familiar.

“I, um,” he stutters. “Remember when you told me about your favorite birthday parties as a kid? When all of your extended family would come over and it was just a giant party with games and the best Cuban food?”

“Yeah, I do,” she says softly. It had been such a throwaway conversation, late night memories shared while cuddling on his couch in front of the TV after a long shift. She’s genuinely touched that it stayed with him.

“Well, I found a place in Park Slope that sells those cheesy guava pastries your mom used to make you every year on your birthday,” he says, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. “But they messed up the order and I had to drive around to a bunch of Cuban restaurants to find them. That’s why I was so late.”

Maybe it’s the nostalgic smell of the pasteles de queso y guayaba bringing back her childhood, or maybe it’s the look of pure vulnerability on Jake’s face, but Amy can feel the warmth from this morning’s coffee returning tenfold. A lump begins to grow in her throat and she swallows hard to tamp it down.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she says, astonished. “I haven’t had one of these in forever.”

He’s rubbing his arm again, a nervous tick. “I hope they’re right. The woman at the last place I tried didn’t speak English so it was a lot of charades and pointing.”

She laughs. “They’re definitely right. They smell just like I remember.”

She puts the bag down and walks quickly over to where he’s standing in her kitchen doorway. She kisses him delicately, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek, thumb sweeping his jaw as she pulls away. His eyes are half-mast but they’re shining brightly.

“Happy birthday, Amy,” he whispers, moving to gently grab her hand as it pulls away from his face.

She scrunches her nose and smiles. “Thank you. Now, are you ready to try some cheese and guava pastries?”

He wrinkles his nose. “Ugh, no, thank you,” he says vehemently, backing out of her embrace.

She walks closer. “Please? For my birthday? You did say you would make it up to me after working all day.”

He groans. “Fine. But this is the last time I do anything nice for you.”

She smiles. “Deal.”

[millennial-star-gazer]

A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath: Chapter: 1 (Nalu Week 2020)

A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath

Nalu week 2020 Prompts: Voice, Flirt, Charm & Smile(All implied)

Genres: Romance, Humor, New Adult Fanfiction

Pairing: Nalu/Endlu (Natsu x Lucy & E.n.d. Natsu x Lucy)

Rating: M for language, steamy and mature/adult sexual content (all consensual) in these and future chapters. Reader Discretion is advised.(You've been warned!)

Summary: God knows it was all fun and games at an outdoor guild party until a drinking contest results in a not-so-great time for a certain celestial wizard much to the dismay of a protective dragon slayer and company. Even worse is Lucy's hangover with some kind of mild flu and busted ankle to boot . At least a doting Natsu is more-than-willing to provide his mate plenty of TLC. One of my entries for @nalu-week 2020  and part of the Nalu-centric anthology series The Dragon Demon and His Celestial Princess anthology series (slight au/ canon divergent).

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Chapter 1: A Worthwhile Distraction

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again with my third entry for @nalu-week 2020 in the form of a new story and is also part of The Dragon Demon and His Celestial Princess anthology (TDDAHCP); series which is set shortly after the events of 100 years quest with said quest being completed in a matter of weeks or a few months (hence why it's slight au/canon divergent). Special thanks to @mannyegb again for helping me to edit and further develop this chapter. Now without further ado, here's the story-enjoy!

Scroll Down Past The Read More Button/cut for designated links and the actual chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairytail which instead belongs to the one and only Hiro-sensei instead!

Read  More  of This Fic and  on other  Platforms

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1.  A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath

A.  Tumblr

Chapter: 1   Next (Chapter) (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/624773467606319105/a-fire-dragon-his-princess-and-the)

B. Fanfiction (Click Here:) (or here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13623735/1/A-Fire-Dragon-His-Princess-and-The-Not-So-Terrible-Party-Aftermath)

C. A03 (Click Here:) ( or here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24802591/chapters/59983813)

3. Master Post  Of All My Writing And  Profiles (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/179665258923/master-fic-rec-post)

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Legend

Italics: Fantasy, flashback & literary/ song quotes

Bold: First Person Thoughts

Bolded Italics: empathized word

Bolded Italics: outside of main story): A/N

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" The friction between my words and your fantasy is making the atmosphere erotic."

(Soraya Marcelo: Twitter)

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"There you go baby - everything's ready now. It should be perfect for tonight. A guild picnic at dusk and bonfire under the stars, was it?"

"Yep, that's what Mira told us. Even said so on the Magicbook * page for the event. My friends from other guilds like Sabertooth will be attending too— a bunch responded."

"Awesome baby!"

"It really is. Thanks for helping me get ready by the way, Cancer!"

"Anytime. Have fun tonight!"

"Will do— thank you! "

"All right-catch you later, baby!"

"See ya!"

" Wow—- You look beautiful, Luce."

Natsu's arms encircled Lucy's waist from behind with the soft pressure of his lips on her shoulder; which sent a tingly shiver down her spine.

"Not that ya' didn't before. He amended, a fond smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Not to mention those striking emerald eyes the celestial mage could drown in. "You always do."

Major fan of this whole look.

"I still can't believe I got such a gorgeous angel as my mate and queen. How am I this lucky?"

"Dunno. How'd you ever get so sentimental?" Lucy shot back, a teasing lilt to her words. (She couldn't help but lean back into his arms ). "If Gray could only hear you now ...but yeah, I really like all this too ."

Golden half-braided hair framed the face of Lucy's reflection in a floral-mini, skater dress; who was gazing back through a mirror. Topping the whole ensemble together was a pair of Grecian-style wedges on her feet that were to die for.

"Still can't believe you're officially mine" the dragon slayer breathed, voice thick with reverent awe. "I love you so much."

"L-love you too... hmm."

The celestial wizard let out a soft hum of bliss from the peppering of feathery-light kisses on her neck leading to her collarbone just after a nuzzle.

"Y-You trying to distract me Natsu?" she inquired, voice coming out as breathy to her own ears. God, the sensation of Natsu's scorching lips on the celestial mage's creamy skin was scattering all train of thought— almost too much to handle!

It's really hard to think right now...

"Hmm.. just maybe I am, sweetheart," came the dragonslayer's reply, timbre, a languid drawl against her skin. "Is it working?"

"Yes," was all Lucy could utter, eyes drifting shut from the sweep of his hand up the curve of her neck in a single caress. Oh and the appealing sensation of a blonde tendril being dragged through his deft fingers was an added bonus too!

"Good," The vibrations of the fire wizard 's throaty chuckle sent sparks ripping across the summoner's nerves; which effectively turned the celestial mage's knees to mush.

"That's what I was aiming for ."

"It is?"

"Yep. Did I mention how amazing you smell?" He rumbled, pulling another shiver out of his mate. "Your natural scent now permanently mixed with mine..."

Dear God, the enticing charisma of this man- so natural! Who was she deny the incredibly overpowering ecstasy exploding through her veins with how the demon hybrid's nose was pressed against the crook of her neck?.

"And is that a hint of jasmine perfume I'm catching a whiff of?"

"Mhmm..."  Goddamn-  how extremely apparent  that Lucy was pretty much rendered incapable of forming any type of response other than a single ,answering hum.

"Thought so-pretty intoxicating if ya' ask me."

"Um..."

It was then Lucy couldn't help but wonder what Natsu's ultimate end game was. No doubt the man was successful in efforts to ensare her with his devilish charms— but where did he intend for it to all lead? Did any of his plans entail steamy kissing marathons on the couple's bed? Slow-burn love-making beneath the sheets, wild romps all over their apartment? Just what if it could be?

Holy hell— that pulsating of liquid heat pulsating that shot between to the keyholder's core from the scintillant flash of images flooding her mind .

Supple digits unzipping the back of her dress, an insatiable Natsu pinning her against a wall, being lightly tossed onto the bed by said dominant dragon slayer, all-too-welcome lips leaving a high-voltage trail of electricity down her bare form before...

"Crap... the time."

Just for that little fantasy bubble to burst once Natsu pulled away from Lucy; who bit back a noise of protest at the loss of contact.

"Eh sorry, Luce," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean to lose track of the time like that. Either way, we should probably start heading over if we don't wanna be late."

"Okay..." Lucy let out a sigh, not able to stop the wave of mild disappointment from washing over her.

"Aw come on now, weirdo!" Natsu wheedled, light-hearted amusement coloring his tone. "No need to be so glum! Tonight's gonna be fun, remember?"

"I know." Lucy conceded, with a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Should be great to spend time with our friends from Fairytail and other guilds. " Her spirits couldn't help but be lifted by the pyro's sunny mood.

Him and that infectious grin of his...

"Great! That's the spirit!" He crowed , planting a light peck on Lucy's cheek;aka the reason for the slight flush of scarlet .

"Tonight's gonna be awesome !"

"It sure will ."

"Definitely!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Natsu paused to shoot Lucy a lingering glance. "Just a little tiny something."

" What that might be?"

"Your outfit. I was thinking that maybe it could use a little extra piece to complete the look? Like, say that necklace I gave you?"

" Oh… that gorgeous pendant? You know what, yeah! Great idea-Thanks Natsu!"

"My pleasure. And pretty sure I saw said pendant in your jewelry box. Lemme' grab it for you."

"Sure thing!"

"Great then- so it's settled!"

"You bet!"

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A/N: Magicbook is a fictional social media app and site for all magic users and citizens in Earthland- aka the Fairytail equivalent of its counterpart in real life Facebook- in case anyone was wondering. Just a little sidenote about the chronological order for the timeline each fic in my TDDAHCP anthology series.

1. Fire And Gold(prequel)

2. Tantric Flames

3. A Dragon, His Princess and the Not-So Terrible Party Aftermath(this fic)

Figured I'd provide a little guide about the chronological order in terms of how each fic in this series takes place. Anyway, that's pretty much all for now until the next chapter. Hoped you enjoyed the first installment and please free to let me know what you think by dropping a review/comment!

Once again, don't forget to check out my other Nalu week entries along with the rest of my writing! Also be sure to stay tuned for chapter 3 of Fire and Gold which will be posted ASAP once I have a chance to finish the edits and format! Did I mention my other upcoming Nalu/FT projects in the works! Bet you're all fired now as Natsu would say! Oh and why not check out the rest of Nalu week submissions from the other incredibly talented writers and artists while you're at it? (Corresponding links to all my writing and profiles can be found above in this post, the navigation bar and bio if reading this on tumblr. Also on my respective FF and A03 accounts.) Thanks again to everyone for their incredible show of support ! Until next time-take care!

[thebibliomancer]

Shadows of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 14

Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee because a new challenger approaches.

Last times on book: Naia is on a journey to Ha’rar with Kylan to clear brother Gurjin’s name and warn the All-Maudra about all these dark crystals. Due to bad life choices, Naia and Kylan went through the Dark Woods at night, saw all kinds of spooky nonsense, and then Naia dreamfasted with a tree which unspooked the woods. Then a four-armed figure with a mask burst out of a tree.

Chapter 16

A weirdo four-armed guy called urVa has Naia and Kylan for supper. I’m sorry, I mean to supper.

Why would healing the Dark Wood end in releasing a dangerous monster?

Asking the real questions, Naia.

The four-armed possible purple Gelfling-eating monster moves slightly so Naia immediately hucks a bola at it.

It shot from her hand, on target toward the monster’s narrow-set eyes - but quicker than she could see, the thing’s hand darted forth, snatching the center bola stone before it could make its mark. The counterweights flailed uselessly, spinning in open air, striking nothing.

Wow!

Reflexes!

The creature just kind of chuckles at this and finishes the slight movement, removing the wooden mask from its face. Reveaing whorled skin.

!!! Definitely an urRu, yup.

“Sounds like Gelfling breathings,” it mumbled in a voice that sounded like many tones all at once, speaking the Gelfling tongue with an unfamiliar accent. “That Gelfling urVa sees there? Two? Ah! The one who healed Olyeka-Staba.”

! The Archer! Hey, Naia, its cool. This guy is friend-shaped.

Apparently, urVa had come to the Dark Wood to try to help the Cradle-Tree but “seems the Cradle-Tree could be healed by Gelfling hand, or else by none.”

Hmm. That keeps happening. You have a funny way about you, Thra, making Gelfling the only ones who can clean up the messes the urSkeks leave.

Naia is still suspicious that there’s something vaguely Hunter-ish about this guy. Weird but good insight, Naia.

urVa tells the Gelfling that the wood is dangerous and invites them to come with him, in the most ominous way possible, for some reason.

“Come with urVa, for supper. Been a long time inside that tree... Very hungry.”

Surely you know how you sound, dude?

Naia even goes ‘hey supper sounds great but what d’you suppose are the odds that we’re going in the pot?’ to Kylan. And asks him if he thinks urVa is the Hunter.

The boy gets sassy.

“Since when do you believe the songs?” he asked. Naia felt her cheeks warm, but Kylan went on. “The Hunter is ruthless. He isn’t a trickster. If urVa were the Hunter that took my parents, he wouldn’t have given us a false name... He wouldn’t have spoken with us.”

Good points, Kylan.

Besides, they’re both exhausted by traveling and Naia especially by dreamfasting with a tree.

“Maybe... we should see where he’s going. Just to find out.”

Kylan hugged himself with a shiver.

“Do we have a choice?”

“Yes. Our other choice is to sleep here in the wood and see what other monsters come crawling out of it.”

Well, when you put it that way...

So they hurry after urVa through the Woods Formerly Known as Dark which is already making up lost time by sprouting a whole buncha new green plants. They’re able to catch up to urVa without too much effort because as an urRu he has one travel speed and that’s ‘i’ll get there when i get there’

He takes them to a dirt hovel covered in a curtain of “frothy”? vines in a smal glen that urVa has simply littered with chimes made out of every given thing strung up between all the trees.

He has an Aesthetic and I appreciate that.

The hovel itself was hardly more than a few ancient stones holding up a mound of earth. The dusty rocks that made up the entryway were dream-etched, reminding her of the doorways in Great Smerth, back home. urVa entered without a word, leaving the two Gelfling to follow of their own will.

Naia also sees “a satchel full of thin spears with feathers on the ends, each stick longer than Naia was tall” oh my god! She doesn’t know what arrows are!

Although, in fairness, Gelfling as a whole seemed to have skipped past archery in favor of throwing rocks.

“Hmm... Left the door open too long and time came in, I see. Ha-ha.” He waved a hand, clearing some of the dust but stirring up just as much in the process. “Apologies, little Gelfling, for the time inside. Had I been meant to be found, I would have been more prepared.”

I like urVa. He’s fun.

He busies himself boiling a kettle of water and adding stuff to it and basically making soup. Vegetable soup I guess.

“A Drenchen, aren’t you?” urVa said suddenly. “I remember Sog... yes, ah! And that little sapling, what was it? Smerth. I suppose it’s grown enough now to climb, hmm? Do the younglings dangle from its branches like alfen fruits?”

The thought was nearly comical. Naia said, “Not exactly.”

Little sapling? urVa, how long have you been treestuck??

urVa mentions that the great trees like Smerth-Staba and Olyeka-Staba are supposed to be pillars of the world and protectors of Thra but inevitably the shadows of the crystal (oh! Almost a title drop!) have fallen upon them.

“... but I must stay out of such things. Have for a long time, will for a long time yet...”

Darn urRu passivity.

urVa serves Naia and Kylan some sopu.

“Now, eat, eat, little Gelfling. Gelfling like to eat. Yes.”

Yes, exclusively Gelfling like to eat as a unique trait to them =P

Those powerful urRu brains, amirite.

Since Neech seems relaxed, Naia decides she won’t worry either and she consumes soup.

And the more time they spend hanging with urVa, eating soup, the less worried Naia becomes about the other shoe dropping. Because it would be a really long con for urVa to secretly be sinister at this point, right? I mean, I know he isn’t because show and because urRu but Naia doesn’t but it has to seem like this would be a really long way to go ‘haha foooooled you!’

“Do you live here all alone?” Naia asked. “In the wood?”

“No, no. Plenty of trees and rocks.”

I adore urVa.

Naia couldn’t tell if urVa was being intentionally obtuse, so she clarified: “I mean, are there others like you...”

urVa tilted his head and rubbed his chin with a big hand.

“Yes. But we all went our separate ways... after the separation. Divided, then divided again.”

Huuuuh so I know that the urRu would sometimes come to the Valley of the Mystics because the Wanderer was famous for spending more time wandering widely rather than popping back in. But it sounds like the urRu just all fucked off to do their own things most of the time. And the situation with them living together in the Valley was primarily for Jen’s benefit? To give him a stable upbringing of ten dads and minimize the Skeksis deciding to pop in.

Naia was mostly asking because she doesn’t want to be surprised by another four-armed monster showing up so she’s tentatively satisfied with the vague answer.

Kylan has been staring at the markings on the wall this whole time pops in to ask about a triangular emblem with three concentric circles within.

“It is a time, I suppose?” he asked, as if Naia or Kylan might be able to answer him. “Or a door? A time or a door or an awakening. Yes. Something like that.”

“Those aren’t nearly the same thing,” Kylan muttered under his breath. “Perhaps he’s not the Hunter, but he certainly may be mad.”

“He makes a good pot of stew, even so,” Naia replied with a yawn.

Its a tightrope to write a character who is not only incredibly wise but also kind of lost in their own mind because they’re missing half of it.

I also appreciate the dramatic irony where the readers, if they’re familiar with the movie, understand more or less what urVa is getting at.

I also appreciate Kylan’s annoyance with not getting a solid answer. And Naia’s more practical consideration. Good characterization. Best boy Kylan just wants some solid deets to write down. Naia is soup-somnolent.

She watches Kylan try to puzzle out the symbols while also wondering if she could get seconds.

Whats also interesting is that this symbol isn’t known to the Gelfling apparently. Its a hugely important symbol in the lore but the Skeksis have managed to keep it out of public knowledge.

“The Great Conjunction,” Kylan said, and then he stopped. Naia didn’t know what he was referring to or what the words meant, but she shivered. “When single shine the triple suns.”

“Mm,” urVa agreed, though he added nothing despite Kylan’s querulous expression.

Hah.

Instead urVa points Naia and Kylan to a pile of robes so they can get some sleep.

urVa is a good host because the Gelfling nod off pretty much as soon as they lay down.

[amyscascadingtabs]

this is the safest place i’ve ever known

(read on ao3)

my mind is still reeling thinking about mel being pregnant and i needed some pregnancy fluff in my life so i wrote this hope you enjoy xox

~

Throughout their relationship, Jake has always cherished his and Amy's last moments of the day. The relaxed half an hour where she's solving crossword puzzles and he's playing games on his phone, followed by the moment she’ll decide she's tired and they'll turn out the lights and snuggle for a bit before each drifting off to sleep, is one of his favorite parts of living together. He never thought he'd see a day where these nights became even better, but the day their baby started kicking, he’d found out he’d been dead wrong. 

 He'd known Amy would feel it first. In a logical sense, it had felt more than fair when he considered their respective workloads for the whole pregnancy project, but on an emotional level, it wasn't as black-and-white. Jealousy was an ugly emotion, and he hadn’t experienced it for a second witnessing the first trimester’s crying feasts and vomiting episodes, but it hadn’t been without its sting when she'd texted him during the midst of a busy workday. 

 I think I just felt Peanut move. 

 Like, 90% sure. 

Oh my god, he’d written back, almost immediately. I’m so proud of them. 

 He’d stopped for a moment before adding, I hope I can feel it soon.

 I’m sure you will, babe. ❤️

 It had taken two long weeks before he did. 

Jake was embarrassed to admit it, but there had been times during those weeks where he’d felt left out, so clearly separate from the bond between Amy and the tiny life they’d created. She would put her hand on the ever-growing bump whenever it happened, a delighted smile on her lips, and he’d touch his hand to the exact same place without any reaction. Either their baby was shy for some reason, or they were straight-up trying to make him look like a fool. He didn’t exactly appreciate either, but any movement from them would leave Amy beaming with happiness and pride for several minutes, so he’d swallowed the self-centric jealousy, kissed her forehead and let it be. 

 They’d celebrated twenty-one weeks of pregnancy - more than halfway to the finish line - the night he’d first felt it. It was more of an early night in and snuggling under the comforter kind of celebration than anything else, but it had felt perfect all the same. Jake had been seconds away from closing his eyes, lazily tracing patterns with his fingers on his wife’s baby bump and pressing kisses while her shoulder, when he’d first felt something move beneath his palm. The smallest of nudges, subtle and almost inconspicuous; but he’d felt it. 

“Ames,” he’d practically gawked. “They moved!”

“Yeah, I know. Wait,” she blinked, realizing what he’d said. “You felt that?”

“Yeah! About time!” 

She’d laughed at his excitement, ruffling his curls as he dove under the comforter.

“I’m going to see if I can get them to do it again,” he mumbled with his lips right below her belly button, running his hands along her sides. 

“Why do I feel like this is going to be a long night?”

 Their evenings had gained a brand-new tradition since that night. If they’d been perfect before, Jake couldn’t help but think this was better still. Each night as they settled on their preferred sides of the bed, Amy with an increasing collection of pillows, Jake would give her about five minutes of solo crossword puzzle solving until he set to work on trying to communicate with their baby. Evenings were when they were most awake, he’d learned. To a beginning, he’d only get faint, bubbling movements that were gone in a second, but as the weeks passed, they grew more distinct until he could see them happening. It all felt very alien if he thought too hard about it, but then again, that was true for most pregnancy facts. At least he could have fun with this part. 

 ~

 “Jake, are you trying to annoy them into kicking?” 

“Mm-hmm?” He feigns an innocent expression, pouting his lip as he looks up at his six-months-pregnant wife. “Just preparing them for the outside world, babe.”

“So they’re ready for you to annoy the crap out of them when they're born?”

“Pssch, me? I’ve never been annoying in my life.” He ignores the glare Amy shoots him. “I'm preparing them for actual annoying things, like taxes, and following rules.”

“Following rules isn't annoying,” she protests, twitching as Jake tries to tickle her. “Babe, I swear they’re asleep.”

“I swear you’re wrong.”

“Hey! I’m the one who’s carrying this child!”

“And you’re doing an awesome job of it.” He comes up for a second to give her a quick peck on the lips. He means what he’s saying - she’s totally acing the whole pregnancy thing, which he tries to remind her often  - but he has his limits. “Doesn't make you any less wrong, sadly.”

“Mm, you’re infuriating.” Her hands cup his face, drawing him back for a longer kiss that makes up for in heart what it lacks in flair. “You’re adorable, though.”

“The Peralta special,” he smirks. He’s still moving his palm back and forth on her stomach, hoping for the warm touch to garner a reaction. “Did you want to go to sleep, or -”

“You can talk to them for a bit, if you want.”

 Jake barely waits for her to finish her permission before he’s crawling underneath the duvet again, pressing his lips against the football-sized bump.

“So I know you’re very in love with your mom,” he starts off, earning himself another laugh from Amy. “Which, I totally get you. She’s the smartest, funniest, most beautiful and allover amazing woman I’ve ever met. Plus she’s literally growing you and all that, so you’re probably pretty loyal to her, right? That’s fair.”

He traces a heart around her belly button. “I know I’m not much in comparison to her. Right now, I’m just the weirdo guy who keeps trying to make you kick and sings Taylor Swift songs to you because you’re never too young to be introduced to the greatest songwriter of all. But do you think you could side with me, just for once? Come on. It’d be so fun to see your mom’s face.”

Nothing. He pushes his nose into Amy’s skin a bit further. 

“She makes this amazing expression when I’m right and she’s wrong about something, you know. She does this eye roll and purses her lips, like she’s trying to pretend she’s mad but she’s not. Trust me, it’s incredible.”

Amy huffs. “I don’t do that.” 

“Anyway, I know you’re not going to come out of there for a few months. You could actually survive now if you did, which is crazy to think about, but you shouldn’t because it would stress us all out very much and we haven’t even built your crib yet. Sorry about that. I just wanted to tell you that we’re going to have so much fun when you do,” he whispers, his voice softening. “We'll finally get to hang out just the two of us. We’re going to play games and share secrets, and when you’re a little older, we’ll watch all the movies for kids your mom never wants to see with me. It's going to be the best.”

 He has to pause for a moment. He takes a couple of deep breaths, in and out, pushing away the nervous 

feeling in his chest.  

“I used to be scared of this, you know. I still am. But… the weird thing is, it’s like the more you grow, the more excited I get, too. Because I'm scared of a billion different things, like maybe you’ll hate me or I won't know how to take care of you or maybe you won't even like Die Hard when you get older, but…” He lowers his voice and mumbles the next words. “You're kinda already the coolest person that ever existed.”

It's so weak, barely there at all, but underneath his palm, Jake feels a faint flutter.

“It’s an impressive achievement, considering you're not even born yet,” he continues, encouraged by the miniscule movement. “But it's true. You are. And I know it's like fifteen weeks left until then, but… I really can't wait to meet you, whenever you're ready.”

 There's another flutter. He presses his palm into the spot, waits a few seconds, and there's a proper kick right against his hand. 

“Told you so.” He looks up at Amy with a grin plastered on his face. “Awake.”

“You woke them up,” she says, shaking her head but smiling. “Waking up when you give them praise - that’s a Peralta if I ever knew one.”

He wants to retort something, but a series of repeated kicks against his palm makes him forget what he was planning to say. 

“I love you,” he whispers to their unborn child instead, his words muffled against Amy’s skin as he traces kisses up and down the curve of her stomach. “So much. You better get used to hearing me telling you that before you get out of there -”

 Jake doesn’t finish his sentence before there’s another kick - only this time, it’s right at his nose and packed with enough strength to make him flinch. “Ouch!”

Amy’s giggling so much she’s shaking, clasping her hand over her mouth as she keeps on laughing.

“They kicked my nose, Ames! I’m pretty sure that’s a hate crime!”

“Maybe they’re learning how to establish boundaries.”

“That or my discomfort with emotions is genetic,” he grumbles while massaging the bridge of his nose.

“It isn’t,” Amy promises him. She gestures at him to come closer and he goes willingly, meeting her lips with his and feeling her smile against them. “They just have to practice. If it’s any consolation, they’re kicking me in the bladder on a daily basis.”

Jake grimaces. “Ow.”

“Mm-hmm.” She beams, tracing her fingers through the curls near his forehead. “You’re going to be a great dad, you know.”

“You really think so?”

“I really do. And I can’t wait for us to meet our baby.”

“Our baby,” he repeats not for the first time in the last five months. Still holding one hand on the bump, he feels two more tiny kicks, growing stronger as Amy’s hand covers his. 

 He had a feeling their peaceful evenings together would come to change drastically in fifteen or so weeks’ time, but for now, they were well and truly perfect.

[loopyhoopywrites]

Sneezewort & Accidents - a Starlight & Ashes fanfic

Written for @wildswrites for the fic exchange! Thanks for giving me permission to turn your characters into absolute disasters, Fox was so much fun to play around with. (Sorry I took so many liberties with her magic.) Thanks also to @humour-and-hyperfocus for organising this awesome event!

.

Magic, Fox had always been told, was a gift. If that was true, she hoped whoever had sent it had kept the receipt.

Although in fairness, it wasn’t the magic itself that was the Problem. No, the Problem was the generous side helping of memory loss that had accompanied her gift and wiped out the past several years of her life. Oh, and the fact that instead of playing nicely, her magic only reared its head at the worst possible time.

Like when hot girls visited her flower shop.

“Hi!” She said, arranging herself artfully across the counter and quickly slapping away the Lollipop plant that tried to cheekily peer over her shoulder, “How can I help you?”

The potential customer – about Fox’s age, long blonde hair, the kind of don’t-talk-to-me smile that could have been either anger or anxiety and, in case it hadn’t already been mentioned, hot – gave a polite nod.

“Just browsing.”

“You sure?” Fox wasn’t exactly shy when it came to getting to know her customers, and this was one customer she definitely wanted to get to know. “I got some more Baby’s Breath in recently, makes a great garnish for a bouquet if you’re looking for a gift. Or if gardening’s more your thing I can show you the Turkey Corn, if you plant it now you’ll- OUCH.”

Under pretence of an itch, Fox had reached down and tried to bat away the Sneezewort she could feel creeping up her leg. She’d missed. The plant, that was.

Rubbing her leg, Fox attempted a disarming grin. The hot girl gave her a look that, again, could have been either annoyance or awkwardness. It was hard to tell. Fox decided to hope it was the latter. It was far easier to put someone at ease than apologise to them, especially if you didn’t know what you’d done to make them mad in the first place. The Lollipop plant was still getting handsy, so Fox gave it a subtle shove and coughed loudly to cover up the sound of the pot breaking.

“Give me a shout if I can help you with anything?”

Hot Girl nodded, and turned her attention to examining the wall-to-wall shelves Fox had somehow stuffed into the cramped storefront. Fox immediately elbowed the bouquet of roses that had started to creep across the countertop.

“Stop it!” She hissed, “She’s going to see!”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing!” Fox quickly moved in to block the roses from view as Hot Girl poked her head around a Swiss Cheese plant. The roses weren’t having any of it, and shuffled faster. Fox followed suit, hoping she was making it look natural.

(She wasn’t.)

Hot Girl didn’t seem all that convinced by Fox’s attempted nonchalance. In another misguided attempt to ease any suspicions, Fox laughed.

Great, now she looked like even more of a weirdo.

Hot Girl disappeared behind the shelves again, and Fox immediately grabbed the roses and stuck them in the nearest empty vase. Wiggle their little thorns all they liked; they weren’t getting out of that one.

A few whispered warnings and a threatening wave of the pruning shears later, Fox was feeling calmer. Hot Girl was still browsing, picking up a flower or pot every now and again to get a closer look, and as far as Fox could tell they were all behaving themselves.

Determined not to look like a creep who couldn’t stop staring, Fox stopped staring. Instead she busied herself tidying up the countertop; returning the roses to the back room, repotting the Lollipop plant and placing it safely out of sight, and taking great delight in impaling the morning’s receipts on the metal spike that sat next to the till. Hot Girl had made her way to the end of the aisle by the time Fox finished, holding an orchid in each hand and glancing between the two of them with a look of intense concentration. A few moments later she lifted the Showoff orchid to her nose, closed her eyes, inhaled, annndddd Fox was staring again.

She tore her gaze away and dropped down behind the counter, figuring that not only would she be unable to stare at Hot Girl with the desk in the way, but she could clear up that mischievous Sneezewort while she was down there. Only, the Sneezewort was no longer there.

Fox took a deep breath, readied herself, and peeked around the corner of the counter. Sure enough, the Sneezewort had decided to make a run for it, and was slowly yet surely inching its way across the shop floor. Directly towards Hot Girl.

“Here, Sneezewort,” Fox called as loudly as she dared, grabbing one of the sachets of plant food she kept under the counter and wiggling it enticingly, “Come on, come get this tasty little snack, there’s a good Sneezewort.”

Fox would have sworn the Sneezewort looked at her. If it had a tongue to stick out, it probably would have done that too. It didn’t, so it settled for an insolent wiggle before resolutely continuing its slow trek down the aisle. Fox cursed.

Abandoning the plant food, Fox succumbed to plan B and began to follow it. She crawled out from behind the counter as stealthily as she could and slithered her way across the floor, creeping ever closer to the runaway wildflower. Gradually, she closed the distance, until with a hiss of premature triumph she lunged forward, managing to grasp the Sneezewort by the roots…

Just as her head collided with Hot Girl’s leg.

“Are you okay?”

Fox briefly considered remaining on the floor. Maybe if she played dead, Hot Girl would take pity on her. On the other hand, deadness would drastically reduce the chances of her getting Hot Girl’s phone number.

Cons outweighing the pros, Fox scrambled to her feet.

“Fine!” She managed, only slightly manically, “Just dropped this.”

She held the Sneezewort up, realised it was still wriggling in a decisively not-normal manner, and quickly hid it behind her back. Hot Girl looked… amused? Or at least, Fox hoped it was amusement. She hoped…

Oh great. Now she was panicking.

“Letmeknowifyouneedanyhelp!”

Fox quickly waved – why did she wave? – and did her best not to run as she fled the scene of her embarrassment. Managing to resist both the urge to look back and the even stronger urge to rip the tendrils of Sneezewort into tiny, unrevivable pieces, she made it safely to the cupboard that masqueraded as a back room and plonked the unruly plant into the nearest soil-filled container.

Okay, now breathe. The problem with uncontrollable magic was that it made an excellent trigger for Fox’s panic attacks. And given that panicking just made the uncontrollable magic worse, it was best to head it off as early as possible.

In… and out. In… and out. In… and out. In… and-

“Excuse me?”

“Ouch!”

Fox had jumped, and slammed her hand down on a squat cactus that definitely hadn’t been there a moment ago. She spun around, the cactus keeping her company by way of its spines embedded in her palm, and immediately tripped over a sprig of Devil’s Ivy that had come to see what all the fuss was about. Fortunately, the vine had the quick thinking to wrap itself around Fox in order to steady her. Unfortunately, it grabbed the wrong leg.

“Oof.”

Fox looked up from her position on the floor to see a face – Hot Girl’s face, to be precise – peering around the “back room” door with concern. Fox tried to smile. From Hot Girl’s expression, it wasn’t all that convincing.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. How are you?”

On the other hand, maybe she’d hit her head harder than she thought.

“Do you need a hand up?”

Hot Girl took a half-step through the doorway, hovering awkwardly as if she wanted to reach out and help Fox to her feet, but had only just realised both her hands were currently busy with an overly large pot of Mother-In-Law’s Tongue. Fox shook her head, which both answered the question and helped shake some of her dizziness.

“I’m good, but thanks.”

To prove it, she reached for a shelf to pull herself to her feet, realised she still had a cactus stuck to her palm, and reached for a shelf on her other side instead.

“Interested in buying that, or just couldn’t make the gym this week?” She asked, nodding to the leafy plant in Hot Girl’s hands as she yanked the cactus from her own. Most of the spines came with it.

“Hmm?” Hot Girl replied, “Oh. Yes. I’d like to buy this, please.”

“Great!” With her non-spiney hand, Fox gestured out the door, “After you.”

In what was nothing short of a miracle, they made it to the counter without any more magical mishaps. Fox briefly considered letting out a sigh of relief, but decided that would just be tempting fate. Hot Girl hefted the heavy plant onto the counter as if it weighted nothing – and if Fox wasn’t convinced of her hotness before that was the final nail in the coffin – and Fox set about ringing her up, jotting a few notes on how to best care for the Mother-In-Law’s Tongue on her cutest gift tag. She was just deciding whether a rainbow-striped ribbon would be too obvious, when Hot Girl spoke.

“Your tattoo is awful.”

Um, what?

“Excuse me?”

“Oh!” Hot Girl’s eyes suddenly widened, as if she hadn’t actually meant to say that out loud, “Oh, no, I didn’t mean- I didn’t mean the design. Sorry. I just meant, the actual tattoo itself. Your lines are wonky, and I can clearly see where the artist has had blowouts. Plus, the colour isn’t saturated properly.”

And Fox thought she had a tendency to ramble. Hot Girl still looked horrified with herself, but Fox wasn’t one to hold a grudge.

“Yeah, it was one of my first,” She shrugged, reaching for the rainbow ribbon, “I’ve got some better ones since then.”

Fox would offer to show her, but dropping her pants at this stage might have been a little too straightforward.

“I could touch it up for you, if you like.” Hot Girl offered. Fox raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a tattoo artist,” Hot Girl quickly explained, “Maverick, I work next door.”

She held out a now-empty hand. Fox shook it.

“I’m Fox,” She said, managing to keep her cool only to immediately ruin it as she added, “I work here.”

By some miracle, Maverick laughed.

“It’s nice to meet you.” She said as she handed over a few crumpled notes and a handful of change, “I mean it though. You should come by the shop sometime. Even if it’s just to check I’m keeping this thing alive.”

Maverick waved at the Mother-In-Law’s Tongue. It waved back.

“Sounds good!” Fox said quickly, desperately hoping Maverick hadn’t seen. Ribbon tied, she gave the plant a stern glare and pushed the pot back across the counter. “Here you go. And remember, Fox’s Flowers, for all your floral needs!”

Maverick laughed again. Fox immediately decided it was the best sound she’d ever heard.

“I will.” Maverick promised. With a final smile, she picked up her purchase, and with a nod of goodbye she was gone.

The moment the door shut behind her, Fox’s head collided with the counter. She hadn’t had a disaster like that in a long time. Groaning, she batted away the Venus Fly Trap that was trying to get her attention, refusing to lift her head. It was a shame really. If she had, she might not have been all that concerned about her unruly magic after all.

Because as Maverick passed the window, the Mother-In-Law’s Tongue in her hands began to glow a bright, vibrant blue.