#stepping out of the stream is the best thing i've ever done

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

i've been turning more and more inward about how i'm enjoying harry and how i'm processing the end of tour, but it feels good, for now at least. i celebrated seeing him live so thoroughly that my last time seeing him felt like the end of tour in some way. i don't want to feel like i'm missing out when i'm out with friends, like i will be during his last show, bc in a world without streams i also wouldn't see that show. i've basically been training myself to slow down and appreciate (old) content more, and bask in a show and its content for longer. or be at peace not seeing content from a particular show. bc sometimes i feel nervous about missing something, or i feel myself having fomo for a thing i could not possibly be at. and most especially, i am not missing out, bc i had so many glorious opportunities to see the tour. i'm literally having a diary moment here just analysing my behavior and my feelings about being on tumblr and in the fandom during tour bc it's been a lot but i've loved all of it. i'm so fucking happy (and relieved) i can find ways to enjoy it all in my own pace. this space has changed a lot in the last few years but the way their content hits me personally hasn't changed, unless i let it all overwhelm me and i lose sight of what really matters to me about following them. i think it'll feel great to have a break from harry on tour, and let all of it hit me. to revisit little things that happened. to go through my own photos and videos. to go back to his mvs and dive a little deeper into them, at last. maybe i'm just a little overstimulated and ready for harry to stop bombarding me with content fshdf but the way his music makes me feel and the way his goofy face makes me smile and the way his creativity and presence inspire me every day will clearly always remain, after staying strong through all of this, after all these years. thank you, dear diary, for listening. harry styles forever

[padded-piss-pup]

I decided I wanted to be diapered today so of course I had to ask my partner to put it on for me. After he did, he kissed me like he usually does and started talking about his day, but as he did so he put his hand on my crotch and started casually rubbing, acting like he didn't know what he was doing to me. I subtly (or not so subtly, as I would find out) started grinding my hips against his hand, trying not to let my expression betray how turned on I was. He finished talking and patted my diapered crotch, making me shiver, and told me he was going to leave me frustrated.

I drank a generous amount of water and soon enough I had to pee. Really bad. I was rocking back and forth and he noticed, asking me what was wrong. I blushed and told him I was trying not to pee. "So go pee!" His eyes flickered down to my crotch and I covered myself, feeling awfully exposed. I had to pee, but I didn't know if I could wet in front of him. He smiled and told me he would step out and use the bathroom to give me privacy and I felt so relieved. As soon as the door closed I started rocking back and forth, moaning, as I let the pee trickle out at first before becoming a steady stream. I shivered at the almost orgasmic pleasure of finally letting go, whimpering pathetically as my diaper rapidly expanded between my spread legs.

He came back and asked if I peed yet, and I was so embarrassed I covered my face before admitting it. He came over and patted my diaper, lightly groping it as he exclaimed "You did! Good job!" I was so flustered from the whole thing I couldn't stop blushing and trying to hide my face. He laughed at my embarrassment and then went back to gaming.

I drank some more water as he gamed, periodically taking hits of my dab pen until I felt warm and fuzzy. My desperation grew quickly and soon I was writhing and clenching my body, shuddering as I tried to keep the pee inside my body. After an hour of desperation I finally said "hey, I can't hold it much longer, do you want to watch?"

His eyes widened and he was instantly excited, but he was in the middle of a match. "I'll do my best to hold it until the end of the match" I said with a shaky voice. The next five minutes felt like an eternity, and my bladder spasmed when I heard the announcer say "Victory!"

He practically leapt out of his chair and rushed over to me, sitting in front of my splayed legs on the bed. I covered my face, embarrassed again, and he pointed out "This was your idea, I'm right here" and those were the words that broke my brain. Pee started gushing out of me as I whimpered, slowly uncovering my face to lean back in ecstacy. I met his eyes for a moment and saw him watching my diaper fill with a lustful look on his face. He reached out and felt my diaper as I peed, softly squishing and patting it. It was so hot feeling him grope me as I peed for what felt like an eternity. When I was finally done he patted my diaper affectionately and kissed me deeply while rubbing my crotch. I felt like I was burning with how horny I was, and I so desperately wanted him to keep rubbing but he stopped after a bit and gave me a quick kiss on my diaper. Then he went back to gaming, leaving me even more hot and bothered.

I've been lying in bed ever since and I can't stop wondering what else he'll do to tease me tonight. My diaper is getting fuller and fuller as I wait...

[heartysworld]

Your Beauty Never Scared Me || Lucien x Reader

Your relationship with your future mother-in-law was not bad, but you knew she likes to keep her distance most of the time. You turned the corner of the big hallway, finding yourself in front of Lucien's chambers. His mother was outside, pacing in front of the doors. Tears were streaming down her face.

"My Lady, what is happening?" You asked worriedly.

"Oh Gods, they have ruined my boy, my beautiful boy." She sobbed sitting down on a chair, hands covering her face.

"Who and what have they done? Is Lucien okay?" You asked once again, kneeling before her shaking form.

"His brothers, they attacked Lucien on his way back from the training field. I am yet to seen him, all I was told is that the healer has been called and nobody is allowed in. I heard his screams, my boy was tearing the skies, his voice was full of so much pain." She said.

Your heart clenched at the thought of Lucien being attacked and injured. The situation in court wasn't the best but you never expected for it to go this bad. You could only hope that Lucien would be okay, that's all you cared about.

You and the youngest son of Autumn are about to be wed in less than a moon. Your father, one of Lord Beron's most trusted advisors, had long ago noticed your fondness of the red-haired Prince, and after a long discussion with the High Lord and his Council it was decided, you two were to be married. Lucien was happy, you were as well. After a long agonizing few hours of waiting in front of the door, the Lady of Autumn was finally allowed in. You couldn't hear much from the inside but one particular loud scream scared your soul away, making your heart beat even faster than it did before. What had they done to him?

Time passed before the wooden doors creaked open again. Slowly, her ladyship slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her back.

"Is he in a lot of pain? Will he be okay?" You asked with a worried expression.

"Listen, Y/N... what you're about to see... Nobody would blame you if you decide to annul the marriage proposal." She said making your heart stop, your face went completely pale.

"What... what are you talking about? I would never! I love Lucien I would never do such thing!" You exclaimed. You felt offended that anyone would ever think this way of you. Have your signs of affection not been enough.

"Listen, dear..." She started again but you couldn't listen to her any longer, you just wanted to see your fiancé.

Walking past her, you headed for the doors, pushing them open. You were met with complete darkness. The curtains were drawn, the door to the balcony was also closed. It felt more like a cave than a room.

"Who's there? Y/N?" A voice rasped from the darkness. You immediately recognized it as Lucien's.

You took a few steps closer to one of the windows, reaching for the blinds to pull them apart.

"No! Don't you dare!" Lucien hissed.

"Lucien, love, what happened?" You asked with concern, heading to his bed as you sat down on its edge. In the darkness, your hand managed to find his, giving it a light squeeze.

"I think you should leave, Y/N. I can't bear seeing the look on your face when you catch sight of what I've become." Lucien said, his voice raspy from all the screams he had let out not long ago.

"No... Lucien, I am not leaving, not now, not ever. Whatever happened, I am ready to endure it by your side. I am to be your wife, I will never leave you. Please, my love, let me see." You whispered. His desperation made you feel even worse, to think you'd leave him just like this.

You felt him move around in the bed. The only light in the room was coming from the opened door. Lucien slowly raised up his upper body, the lonely stream of light falling right on his face. What you saw made your eyes water like a waterfall, your hands went over your mouth while tears started falling down your cheeks.

His left eye was gone, the entire half of his face being covered in bandages that went all the way up into his hair down to his chin.

"I don't expect you to still want to give yourself to me." Lucien said, his hand never letting go of yours regardless of his words.

"Lucien, no, look at me," you said, when his head remained lowered you repeated your words, "look at me, Lucien!" You raised your voice.

Slowly his gaze met yours, his healthy eye was teary, ready to release its tears.

"I've loved you for so long, my love. Nothing could ever make me detest you, your looks are the least of my worries. You're the one I want to call my husband, the one whose children I want to carry and whose life I want to share. We will get through this together. I need you to speak to me, about everything, whatever you're feeling I want to know about it. That's the only way we could be able to handle every challenge fate throws at us." You said. Your free hand slowly laid on his cheek, feeling the coldness of his skin.

The two of you spent hours in his chambers, at one point he asked you to lay in bed with him. You nestled safely in his embrace, careful not to touch his face. The entire day was spent in bed, talking, you were even able to make him laugh twice, which made your heart flutter. A few kisses were exchanged as well, at the time night had fallen, Lucien was already asleep against your chest while you combed your hands through his beautiful white hair. He looked so peaceful when sleeping.

A quiet knock was heard, followed by the doors opening. The healer from earlier stood at the entrance of the room, a bag in his hand.

"It is time for me to change the Prince's bandages, my lady." The old man whispered.

You nodded slowly. With your hand on Lucien's back, you softly shook him awake, a quiet groan escaping from his mouth. He never liked being woken up.

"My love, it's time to clean your wounds. The healer is here, you must get up." You whispered against his forehead.

His body tensed when your words sank in. There was no way he could make you leave, you were going to see how damaged he was.

"It's okay, hey, I love you. I love you a lot." You said, cupping his cheek softly.

He nodded, slowly rising from the bed in a sitting position.

You followed the healer's every move, trying to memorize the process as much as possible so that whenever it was needed you could take care of your future husband as well.

It was nothing complicated, after a few tries you were confident in your skills and knowledge.

Lucien didn't complain, the opposite, he was actually glad that it was you who took over in taking care of him. He was always more comfortable in your presence and nothing could change that.

Years passed and your love for Lucien never disappeared, it became even stronger with each day. Drastic changes occured all around Prythian. Lucien was now the emissary of the Night Court, away from the wrath that used to rule his life. Beron was long dead, defeated by Eris after he tried to murder his mate as revenge.

Lucien still had his insecurities,but you spent every moment possible reminding him how much you loved him until every single ounce of doubt was gone from his mind.

You had recently given birth to your first child,a little girl who was the most precious angel ever. When Lucien held her for the first time you recognized the look on his face from that horrifying moment years ago. He was worried about his own daughter being repulsed by his appearance.

However, your little girl was all smiles and giggles. Whenever she was in her dad's arms she always wanted to look at his face, she was adorable and had him wrapped around her finger. You knew that your family would be fine,as long as there was love present.

If you're interested in more check HERE !

[j4keluver]

baby, i'm here to love you

pairing: boyfriend ! jake x girlfriend ! reader genre: established relationship, angst, comfort warnings: reader calling herself stupid, crying authors note: this is for my pookie @luvj4key. i hope i did you justice love </3

jake has always been the best boyfriend - like a golden retriever to your beck and call. his smile radiates through the entire room and his laugh could heal the souls of millions. he has loved you endlessly and never once have you ever doubted it.

so how did you end up yelling at him over not washing the dishes? "jake i asked you to do one thing for me ! and you couldn't even do that," you yell out. whatever those girls said about mercury being in retrograde, were right. it felt like the earth was rotating backwards with finals week around the corner. you have summed up about an average of 3 hours of sleep a day, the rest of the hours hunched over in the library.

it was getting more frustrating with the days going on and jake has been busy with his own school work. you knew jake was busy, either studying for his own finals or gaming with his friends. jake was always a smart guy, being in honors classes and passing them with ease. you. on the other hand, struggle to grasp concepts until they are fully immersed after countless hours of practice.

you had given jake a heads up to ask him to please wash the dishes before coming home. you wanted to cook dinner but you didn't have any clean dishes to use. jake, on the hand, had just got home and decided to take a small nap before doing some cleaning around the house. he sets an alarm and it doesn't ring.

"baby i'm sorry, it was a mistake, i didn't mean to forget," he says as he tries to pull you in for a hug. you shake off his advances and you roll your eyes at him, "it wasn't that hard of a task to do but you still couldn't do it? i've been endlessly studying in the library for finals week because i'm not a genius like you and i don't understand the material ! i keep trying all these practice problems and i keep getting everything wrong and i just wanted one thing to be done. i'm starving all day and i wanted to come home and cook us dinner but none of the dishes are done and.."

your voice breaks with ease and jake's demeanor immediately softens. his tone is so soft that you would miss it, "baby..."

the emotions that you've been holding for however long comes breaking down as tears streamed down your face. jake feels like his heart is chipping away, "oh baby, come here." you take a step forward before jake fully wraps his arms around you, his cologne wafting into your senses. his arms rub soothing circles on your hip as he plants soft kisses into your hair. "hey it's okay, i got you, i got you."

your tears start to slow down as you slowly catch your breathe. jake slowly pulls you to sit on his lap while the sound of your breathing is only heard. jake whispers to you, "what happened baby? tell me."

you only let out a small exhale, "i've just been so stressed with finals and i just can't grasp the content and i feel so stupid. i just don't know how to get these formulas down and i didn't want to bother you because i know you were busy with your own finals. i just didn't want you to become annoyed at me or think i'm stupid."

jake reaches up his hand to cup your cheek and softly caress it with his thumb, "my sweet angel, i can't believe you've been holding all of this in. it's okay to not understand content after studying it, sometimes you just need a little more time for things to click. if it doesn't, you know i'm here to help you always."

he continues on, "you are not stupid because you don't understand something, okay? you are very smart and work very hard and you can never bother me. baby, i'm here to love you."

your eyes soften at his words and the only thing you can say in this moment is a 'thank you.' jake points to his watering eyes, "look baby! you even got me crying." you only softly laugh and give him a kiss which he gladly returns.

"let's order some takeout and we can work on some of your material tomorrow morning? how does that sound?" jake says and you nod. for the first time in weeks, you finally smile.

© belong to j4keluver. do not copy, translate, or repost.

[is-this-yuri]

have you been doomscrolling? feeling awful about it? do you feel out of control? does it seem your autonomy has been swallowed by the ever present beast that is the internet?

we live in the most overwhelmingly stimulating age of humanity ever seen, and it's only getting worse. our brains are sponges, soaking up whatever we smear them across, and it seems more and more difficult to find a clean surface to rest on. i'm no expert or professional, but ive been born and raised into the internet, and i'd like to hand out some wisdom regarding this.

the main issue: brain poison

since the brain absorbs whatever it's exposed to, media consumption is unsurprisingly going to effect it. the type of media, the amount of media, and the frequency of the media all play a factor.

it's not the internet itself that's bad here. it's the media on the internet, and the platforms designed to suck in our attention and keep it there until we're rotting inside our skulls.

we're never going to escape the internet. it's just a fact of life now, and a tool that can be used for wonderful things. so how do we learn to live with the internet and take advantage of its potential?

treat it like a dietary balance

staying aware of what goes in your brain is just as important as being aware of what you're eating. if you eat carelessly, don't listen to how your body feels after you eat certain things, and ignore any sickness that might result from rotten food, you're going to have a bad time and wreck your guts. the same goes for the brain.

you want to have a good mix of various types of media in the right amounts, or approximately so. if things are feeling bland, maybe diversify. if things are feeling stupid, try something more intellectual. if it's feeling too much, cut back on all of it

the following are three things you can do to maintain a sense of control and awareness over your media diet. this isnt a step by step and is in no particular order, theyre just ideas to carry forward in general any time it could be helpful.

1. digest

this is the process of thinking about and remembering what youve done throughout your time on the internet. it could apply to any period of time. so you might think, 'man, i've done nothing but watch tiktok all day.' or 'i've been scrolling twitter a lot more this past week.'

i feel like most people already do this to some extent, but it manifests as a fleeting sense of anxiety or shame that doesn't lead anywhere. analyze that feeling, and ask if it's really true or helpful.

ask if your media consumption is making you feel less focused, distracted, putting you into a brain fog, making you fall asleep when you don't want to, making you irritable and angry, drawing you into arguments, keeping you awake at night, or upsetting/disrupting you in any way.

digestion also means appreciating the good stuff and recognizing the good feelings you get too. so also ask if it's enriching you, helping you learn something new, giving you a new perspective, exposing you to something beautiful, passing the time, relaxing you, honing your focus, or generally lifting your mood.

2. cut

cut certain types of content from your life once you've decided they're not good for your media diet. block people. move on. tell youtube to stop reccomending that channel. block them. unfollow people. unfollow tags. block the tags. blacklist things. do it. forget the awful things that make your brain hurty. click the block button. uninstall the app. you know you want to

consider removing yourself entirely from websites that are designed to be attention predators. if you consistently feel like youre 'stuck' on a site and cant leave, it's probably best to just delete your account and get out of there. tiktok is NOTORIOUS for this.

i also tend to keep my following or subscribed count low. keeping the stream of content short forces me to find other things to do with my time. this goes hand in hand with things like turning off infinite scroll. it provides an 'end point' where the repetitive action of scrolling down stops bearing fruit, breaking the doomscrolling cycle. the internet is almost an infinite place, and its up to you to build walls around yourself so you arent lost in it forever.

its also important to get off the internet in general sometimes. i know this is obvious, but literally touch grass on occasion. doing anything with your physical body away from the screen will be more enriching than sitting there scrolling for hours. whether it's just a 5 minute walk around your house to stretch your legs or a 6 hour hike every weekend, part of cutting media will mean replacing it with real life. looking at some plants, doing a pushup, or working on a knitting project can be like rinsing your brain sponge under some cold, clean water.

3. curate

the flip side of cutting is curating. you'll want to be looking for media that makes you happy and feels productive or meaningful in some way. anything that not only doesnt make you feel like you wasted your time, but specifically makes you feel like you spent your time well, is a green flag.

keep in mind entertainment just for entertainment's sake is good for you too. you don't have to be watching university lectures and tutorials and stuff all day. finding high quality entertainment, such as personalities you enjoy, good production values, and inventive ideas can be really difficult. find the people who dont make you feel like a cocomelon baby and stick with them. from there you should be able to find similar content.

what's good for your soul is going to depend very much on you as an individual. this is also going to be an ongoing process as not only you but the internet both change and evolve. the important thing about this step is that you Make Decisions about what to consume. even bad decisions! it's all part of the process, and it's all about reclaiming your autonomy.

4. eat your junk food

this isn't a military drill or an exact science. i'm just a guy on tumblr with an intimate connection to his own brain and a LOT of time on the internet. that's my only credential. sometimes i want to turn that brain off and just mindlessly consume without putting any thought into what dirty dishwater is soaking into my sponge. sometimes adhd brain wants me to watch a shitty B movie in recap form so i dont have to commit to a full movie. sometimes i get stuck in the youtube shorts for like 3 hours.

that's fine. the most important part of any kind of self care is that a little bit is better than nothing. even just being aware that youre consuming something bad for you and knowing you arent ready to stop just yet is better than nothing.

thats it!!

now you should be prepared to take back some control over your media consumption. be gentle with yourself and take your time. eventually this stuff will become second nature, and you'll be effortlessly digesting, curating, and cutting media like it's just part of your personality. remember YOU have control over what the internet thinks you want to see. dont let it force feed you nasty slop anymore. let it be a reflection of your mind, not the other way around.

and good luck!

[some-pers0n]

Hi I made a crackfic for Arctic's death because I had a terrible, horrible idea inspired by that old fandom meme. I don't regret anything <3

"Aaannnddd...perfect!" Darkstalker stepped back. "All set and ready to go. Haha! Look at him! Clearsight, look, c'mon. Come see."

"Darkstalker, I don't think this is a good idea–"

"Shut up woman and come look," he bluntly said. "Come on, it's not like the camera's gonna bite you or anything. Neither is Arctic, but, eh, maybe that'll add to the drama. The kids love it when people get hurt, it's why they watch it."

He grabbed the camera again and pointed it at Clearsight. "It's rolling. Come on, babe, don't you wanna do it? For the bit? Ohhh it'll be such a funny thumbnail. Everyone's gonna click on it. Just stick your head near him."

"I'm not going to bite an innocent dragon..." Arctic muttered.

"HA! Oh but it's okay for you to do that to me. Not cool dad. Mid dad behaviour, tee-bee-haitch. To be honest. Tee-bee-haitch– you get it."

"Back in my day we just called somebody a 'loser' if they were a bad parent. Like, me? I'm a dead-beat dad."

"Yeah, that's true." Clearsight nodded.

"But I'm not...mid? What does that even mean?"

"Mannn you so did not cook. 'Dead-beat'? Yeah, you're gonna be dead as hell once I'm done with ya. Like for real done. Dead. Deceased. Ain't coming back from that."

"God just kill me now," Arctic grumbled.

"In a minute! Me. I'm God. It's me. Get used to it :)"

"What was that sound you just made with your mouth--" Clearsight began but Darkstalker cut her off. He couldn't bother to hear such a whiny, woman voice. He needed to pay more attention to the crowd that gathered.

"Hey, hey! Guys! Check this out! I'm a livestreamer. I do all of these cool things on Twitch and YouTube. Follow me! My handle's Darksalter. Like Darkstalker, but salty, cause of all of the noobs I own on my daily League of Legends streams."

The surrounding NightWings just blinked at him.

"Ughhhh. How about you guys being recorded, huh? You get famous! Right here, right now, this is a big deal. No cap, this is serious. This is gonna be a livestream to end all livestreams. There's gonna be like at least ten dragons watching!!"

"OH MY GOD!?" One dragon shouted. "TEN??? I've never seen anybody have that many, hold on! We gotta watch this guy!"

Immediately, the entire population of the Night Kingdom arrived. Even the queen (a closeted Darksalter fan, who was wearing all of his merch) was waiting for him. They all cheered and clamoured for him.

"Settle, settle! I know you're all such adoring fans. Believe me, I would love me too. Already do! Such a great, handsome, all powerful animus." He flexed his muscles. "Plus, the ladies love me." He glanced back at Clearsight, who had the most aggressively unenthusiastic frown he ever seen.

"But, but, we gotta wait a minute. First, I gotta mew."

"What does that even mean?" Clearsight asked.

Darkstalker did not answer. He brought a talon up to his snout and then traced the outline of his perfectly gorgeous jawline. I mean just look at that thing. Downright beautiful. Like, come on now. Look him up right now. Yeah, yeah! The thang of all time! That sweet, succulent jaw. Bro's been mewing since the day he was hatched.

[A/N: it is a pretty cool jawline]

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, enough talk. You had your shot for the thumbnail, so now it's all about me." He looked at the camera and enchanted it to float. It hovered above, pointing at him. "Three, two, one..." He clapped. "And we're live!"

The crowd cheered and roared as he did so. No omegaluls. No minus ones. He was an unboxing andy just about ready to tear open into his best work yet.

"Hey what's going on Stalker Gang! How are the stalkers in chat going? Can we get the hype train going?" He gestured to the crowd, which yelled and screamed louder. "Yeah!! Let's go Stalker Gang!!"

"Darkstalker...this isn't you." Clearsight sobbed. "You don't do this. You aren't like this!"

"Baby, I'm an influencer. It's my duty as Twitch's No. 27 streamer of all time!"

Clearsight cried more but Darkstalker did not care. He turned back to the camera. "Ayyy guys!" He clasped his talons. "So, today is a very, very special day, because we have a guest! That's right, my terrible, very uncool, incredibly mid father! Look at him. Blue pilled in every sense of the word. Even his blood's blue, which y'all are gonna see real quick." He pushed the camera directly in his face.

"Hey, hey, everyone!" He gestured to Arctic. "Can I get a 'boo' from you all?"

With his command, the crowd began to jeer at Arctic. A wave of rotting tomatoes came hurling his way, splattering against his face.

"And, with that being said, this stream is sponsored by Glep. Get a Glep. Now. Or else. You don't wanna be there when Glep is upset. That's how the last moon was destroyed." He stared silently into the camera for a minute, as customary with the Glep sponsors.

"NOW!! Let's get this going!" He pointed at Arctic. "You. Unbox yourself."

"Wh–" Arctic didn't have a chance to finish before he clawed at his torso and gutted himself. The crowd kept cheering and applauding and tossing money at Darkstalker.

"Woah woah, pretty messy, huh guys?" He raised an eyebrow. "Totally unpoggers. L behaviour. Boo!!" But when he turned back, he noticed that everyone stopped cheering.

"Bro, dude," one dragon began, "poggers is so, like, old man. That's so cringe, skull emoji."

Then, they began to dissipate. Quickly as they arrived, they left. He was cringe now. So cringe.

"No, NO! Wait! Come back! I'm still relevant! I'm still hip with the kids! I– I..." But it was too late. He was cancelled for being cringe. Everyone was bored by him. He was out-of-touch. He was out of time. He was out of his head when they're not around.

Behind him, he heard his sister, Whiteout, crying. He turned back to see that her favourite stim toy, a rainbow coloured pop-it shaped like a crewmate from Amomg Us, was lying on the floor. Things must be serious.

"Sis, are you upset at me?..." he muttered.

"Yes! You just unboxed our dad! My trauma points are like so high right now. I can't even..." She wiped her tears and kept crying.

Darkstalker looked back at Arctic, who was dead. Very dead. He growled. "When I'm the alpha king of the world, everyone will be my fan. Everyone will follow me! Everyone will like and subscribe! You'll see, you'll all see!"

[deuteragonists-mismatched-socks]

Numb and Alright - Shane (Stardew Valley)

This is a mostly complete fic idea that I had after a little while of playing Stardew Valley that has been sitting in my drafts for a while. I suppose the best way to describe it would be a prequel.

Warnings: references to violence, references to death, funeral, references to sensory overload, references to alcoholism, alcohol

Word Count: 2.4k

Yoba, he had told them. He knew this place was no good for a kid, for a family. Sure, it was where they had grown up, but it didn't mean they should've stayed there. Not with her.

Jas hadn't stopped crying. He couldn't blame her—neither had he. Of all the people... of all the people walking down that street. They didn't have money, they didn't even have their own car... they didn't deserve... they didn't deserve living there in the first place, but for—

He slapped the steering wheel, swearing under his breath, and he saw Jas jump out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, pumpkin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He rested a shaking hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" She shook her head silently. "Yeah, me neither.

"Should we, uh, head home?"

Jas didn't say anything. "Yeah, okay."

They entered the darkened apartment, and Shane sighed. "I just realized, I don't... I don't have another room, or, or a bed."

"I could sleep on the couch?" Jas squeaked out her first words in the last six hours. 

"No, you're not sleeping on the couch," Shane said, offended. "You can—you alright if we share my bed? It's a queen, it's-it-it's probably best if you're not alone, right?"

Jas thought for a moment before nodding.

"Okay."

It was already 5 AM, and Shane didn't sleep, at all. He stayed put until the light streaming in through the window he had forgotten to draw the curtains over was undeniable. At some point through the night, Jas had rolled herself under his left arm, and he did his best to let her stay there. He waited until she rubbed an arm across her eyes to say anything.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, his voice gravelly. "How are you doing?"

She didn't answer for a moment, her eyes travelling back and forth across the ceiling. "Mom and Dad aren't... aren't coming to get me, are they?"

Shane breathed out through his nose, rubbing his forehead. "No, pumpkin, they're not. I'm so sorry." His left hand brushed her arm soothingly.

"Where did they go?" Jas asked. 

Shane sighed again. He knew that Jas was a smart kid—she wasn't asking where they were physically. She knew.

"I don't know, honey," he told her honestly. Yoba never really told anyone about an afterlife. Shane didn't really believe in him anymore, anyway. Not when they were so loyal.

"I hope they're safe," Jas said quietly, and Shane's heart broke. 

"They are, nothing can ever hurt them. They're just sleeping, huh?" He pulled her closer into his side, and she buried her face in his chest.

With every step, his stomach sunk further. He had to retch, he had to run, something. 

This apartment is why they're dead, his mind whispered. What would you have done if Jas was with them?

Joined them, probably.

He could hardly bear to look at the exterior of the building as he approached, willing the keys not to slip from his clammy hands.

Why couldn't you go pro? Why couldn't you stay? That money would've bought them a nice place on the other side of town, a car, a good school, a life.

Shane clamped his eyes shut for a moment before unlocking the door.

The stairs had never seemed so short—he was at their door before he even had a chance to prepare for it.

Why can't you do anything right?

"I've gotta get out of here," he muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair frantically. This was no place for a kid and a lost godfather. Especially when he could never walk down that street again. Especially when he couldn't even clean out their apartment. Yoba, what was he supposed to do with their things?

The funeral went as well as a funeral could. Shane forced himself to stay because Jas was sitting next to him, gripping his hand for dear life. Maybe he should have asked if she wanted to leave.

He wondered if everyone thought he was an ass for refusing to speak. It didn't matter.

The hardest part wasn't even seeing their ashes buried in her little family plot, next to her grandparents. It wasn't seeing his mom collapse to her knees in the wet grass. 

It was the get-together afterwards.

Shane's hair felt like it was taped to his head and he swore he could feel the stubble struggling out of his skin even though he had taken every pain to shave that morning. The band-aid next to his ear wasn't too noticeable. He didn't think it turned red, not after he just let it bleed into the sink for so long. His tie coiled around his neck like a python, crushing his windpipe.

And he had to shake hands and smile grimly while everyone offered their sympathies. He couldn't have an episode like earlier when one of her friends had tried reminiscing with him and he had all but run away from her.

The fluorescent lights of the community center burned his eyes and rang in his ears as a short, older woman appeared in front of him.

"I am so sorry for your loss," The woman said, brown eyes dark and sincere in her round face.

Shane spent an uncomfortable few seconds scrutinizing her features before speaking. "I am so sorry, but... who are you?"

She tilted her head forward, smiling faintly. Her auburn braid dropped over her shoulder. "I'm your Aunt Marnie!"

"Right, of course," Shane answered, holding out his arms for a hug despite his extreme need to not be touched. "It's just been so long since I've seen you."

"Your eighth-grade gridball finals, actually," Marnie agreed.

Someone had been so thoughtful as to bring a case of Yuengling as their contribution to the potluck-style affair. Shane gazed at it for a long moment, wondering what would happen if he took one. Just forget about Dad. You're not him.

He grabbed one from the cooler, wiping the condensation off with the lining of his suit jacket.

You can't, some inner voice pleaded. You have to get out, you have to get away, you can't slip away like this.

He returned to his seat at the only table that wasn't full. At least some people knew when to leave well enough alone.

His fingernail caught the underside of the pull tab. He didn't pull it. He couldn't.

"You alright, kiddo?" A woman asked, pulling out the chair in front of him. The word kiddo made Shane's ear twitch. Marnie.

"That's the first time someone's asked me that," he said honestly, eyes fixed on the plastic tablecloth.

"I think they're maybe afraid of the answer," his aunt supplied helpfully, and Shane huffed through his nose. 

"Probably. You're not?"

"No," she shrugged, and Shane glanced up to see her eyes were still as warm as earlier—and completely honest. "What's on your mind?"

I miss them. I want to be with them, or them to be with me, I just don't want to be alone. If I could, I would've gone in their place. They'd be more okay than I am. But I think that makes me selfish, that I wouldn't only be doing it for them. I have no clue on earth or in hell how to care for this little kid but I want to do right by her and I don't know who to ask for help. I haven't been into work for the past three weeks and I'm probably going to get fired as soon as I step foot in the store again. And then where will I be? How am I going to pay for her clothes? Her school? Her toys and friends and outings?

"I just don't know where to go," Shane said instead. "I'm not exactly rich, especially now that I'm paying for two people, and I don't want to uproot Jas, but... I don't think either of us can stay here anymore. With the war, there's just nowhere to go." He fidgeted with the unopened can in his hand.

Marnie observed him, kneading her hands. "Well, you could come live with me. I live in Pelican Town, Stardew Valley. It's a nice little place, lots of little rivers and forests, right by the ocean. And Jas would probably love the ranch, maybe even helping out with the animals."

Shane's head shot up in disbelief. There were a million questions, but only one mattered at the moment. "Are you sure? Don't you... I mean, aren't there, um, other people in the house? Would they be okay with that?" Shane asked nervously.

"I always got along better with animals than people," Marnie chuckled shyly. "Cows and pigs don't mind so much if you're quiet."

Shane forced his best polite smile. God, even if her comment did amuse him, it was so hard to make his face comply.

"We're suffering from the recession, same as anyone, but we're still alive," she added, a bit more somberly. "It's a good place to get away to."

He nodded. "Thank you, Marnie. You have... you have no idea how much this means to me. To both of us. I'm going to see what Jas thinks on the way home. I'll call—oh. Can I have your phone number?"

Shane had many more professions of thanks in the short time before he and Jas slipped away to their—that word still felt strange, his house belonging to two people—apartment, before the sun could set.

The can of Yuengling stayed abandoned on the table.

Shane had suggested getting a cot or an air mattress, so that Jas could use his bed until they figured out if they were going to stay or move somewhere else. Jas had informed him quite certainly that that was unnecessary. So, the left side was Jas'. There was a painted seashell her mom had bought her from one of those artsy corner stores on the bedside table, full of beaded elastic bracelets her dad helped her make. She never wore them, but she often played with them absently before going to sleep. The shh-shh-click-click-click had become familiar, and almost helped Shane to fall asleep every night. Almost.

"What would you think of moving out of the city?" He asked her as he tucked her in, before moving to his side of the bed. "Out to the country, on a farm?"

Jas pretended for a little to not hear him, the bracelets click-clicking in the silence. "Would I have to go to a different school?"

"Yeah," Shane told her honestly. "And we'd have to pack up a lot of stuff," he sighed regretfully, reflecting on how difficult it was just to move her clothes from their apartment into his. "But I think it'd be nice, what about you?"

Jas took her time to respond. "What kind of animals would there be?"

"Well, it's my aunt Marnie's ranch, and she told me that she has chickens, and goats, and cows, even shaggy cows," Shane explained, and he almost smiled to himself. His speech patterns had started adjusting to speaking to a little kid, he guessed. "Does that sound like fun?"

"I like animals," she said quietly. "Do you?"

Shane smiled softly. "I don't know, I've never really been around them. Chickens sound pretty cool, though. Did you know they're descendants of dinosaurs?"

They talked about T-Rex and triceratops until Jas fell asleep.

There were no jobs in Pelican Town. Not that suited him, anyway. It was stupid, selfish, that in this terrible array, he still wanted to find something that wasn't a supermarket. With so much of his soul already crushed, he didn't want to just give the rest of it away to that faceless entity anymore.

But the farm was still under possession, or so he was told, working at Marnie's wasn't enough to pay the rent and buy food, not when business was so slow, Pierre couldn't afford help, Maru was already working the desk at Harvey's, Gus had Emily, Gunther never left the library, Robin and Demetrius were too smart to need help, George was too stubborn to accept any, and he didn't know a single damn thing about blacksmithing or fishing. So... JojaMart it was.

"Are we still gonna share?" Jas asked.

"I dunno, kiddo," Shane told her. "I think it would be nice if you had your own bed, don't you?"

Jas thought for a moment. "But what if... what if I have nightmares?"

"I'll be in the same house, kid," he comforted her, petting the top of her head. "You can just come get me, any hour of the night."

"How was your first day?" Marnie asked, her voice everbright. 

"Great," Shane said flatly, regretting the word as it left his mouth. The least this woman deserved for her kindness was respect, not sarcasm. He took his time hanging his jacket and hat on the hook by the door. "Not great," he said, more sincerely. "But it'll be better once I start getting paid, I guess."

"Why don't we go to the saloon? Get something fatty and filling and warm?" Marnie suggested, wringing her hands nervously. Shane understood why. Poor Marnie; he hadn't seen her in twenty years and this was how they reunited. "Penny will keep an eye on Jas until about nine."

"Sure."

"How about two of the daily specials? Shane, do you like spicy food?"

Shane cracked his first small grin of the day. "Yeah, love it, actually."

"Well then, two daily specials," Marnie said with a matching smile. And a lager, please."

Shane hesitated. He had seen what beer and whiskey did to people back home. Took them away from their families, wasted their money, killed them and killed others. 

But that was back home. Everything had been turned on its head already. Maybe in sleepy little Pelican Town, everything would be alright. He couldn't hit anyone if he didn't have a car. He couldn't... he wouldn't get out of line because he had Jas to look after, and Marnie to look after him.

And, oh, did he need to be numb, did he need to feel warm and alright.

"Make that two," he said, willing himself not to stumble all over the words.

"I'll get right on it," Gus said genially.

The cool liquid coated his veins in warmth, and for the first time in six weeks, Shane felt almost okay.

Almost.

[ask-the-royal-absol]

Linda@Flint: "You know you're actually right about this kid being funny." The dragoness chuckled as she points her thumb at Destino. "I hear he's gotten himself into shit a few times cause people take 'em the wrong way. But it sounds like you know a bit about this absol already. You probably know about this prophecy involving him too. But I'm gonna be honest..." She trailed off as she looked around the room, appreciating the size and décor. "I'm a bit more interested to hear about this kingdom you're running. How far would you say it reaches and how long have you been running it? If it's anything like this castle then I bet it's pretty impressive."

Flint: Them. You use them, don't you?

Destino: Sure do. Suits me better.

Flint: Thought so. So, you wanna know about the kingdom? Hey Magmar, could you get the maps please? It'd be easier to show off our kingdom with it.

Magmar: As you wish, your highness.

*With a bow, Magmar ran quickly off into one of the rooms located on the side. Flint continued from where he left off.*

Flint: I've been running this kingdom for a good 30 years now. Inherited it from my father. It was difficult to take his place, I'll admit that. He had a...notorious reputation. But hard work is enjoyable work and work I certainly have. This kingdom is now thriving better than it ever has done before. It has to be partially thanks to the Underdark for allowing us access to their ores. Without those, I imagine many Pokémon wouldn't evolve into their final forms or perhaps even know about them.

Destino: At least we get some appreciation.

Flint: Of course your kingdom does. Our success depends on your trade relations with us.

*Flint caught a glimpse of something emerging from Destino's fur. Something purple. It took him by surprise when this shape formed into that of a creature.*

*Hope stepped up beside her father, knowing he'd never actually seen a ghost type before.*

Hope: Yeah, that's Destino's best friend. Felix. He tagging along too. He's a ghost type.

Felix: And poison. Ghost and poison.

Destino: Felix, out.

Felix: Sorry pal.

*Felix carefully left Destino's fur, making sure to pat down any loose strands. He knew how much Destino liked to keep themselves well groomed and he didn't want to cause them anymore frustration. He levitated next to the Prime. The king tried to settle himself. It was hard to when a mysterious visitor decided to appear from the long mass of fur on Destino.*

Flint: Wow. A real ghost! An actual ghost! That's not something you see everyday! At least, not up here.

Felix: Ghost type. Not a ghost.

Flint: What's the difference?

Felix: Ya see, I ain't dead. Just have abilities that resemble those of spirits.

Flint: Fascinating! I'll have to pick at you for more information about that! Anyway, yes. We could very well mine elsewhere. That's true. However, I'd much rather have the miners know they're going to be able to mine some ore, even if it is a small quantity of it. If they went somewhere new because our trading system broke down somehow, it'd mean we wouldn't necessarily be certain a days worth of mining would harvest results. The guarantee for resources is more valuable and more cost effective for me and the mining companies I work closely with.

Destino: So, without access to our resources, you'd be screwed over? Ha, I knew our kingdom was valuable to the surface. Serves you lot right for locking us away.

Flint: This kingdom tried to fight for your freedom, kiddo. We just unfortunately failed.

Destino: Clearly you didn't fight hard enough then.

Flint: Type advantage is a powerful thing, Prime.

*With a stream of panting, Magmar appeared from behind the king, holding what looked to be a beautifully adorned tube.*

Flint: You did well! Don't you worry too much about it! Which one is this?

Magmar: Land map. I've got the city map rolled up in there too, incase you need it.

Flint: And that's why you're one of the best advisors I've ever had! Good lad! Let's crack this open!

*Flint took the tube with the tips of his claws, unscrewing the deep blue cap from it. With claws that big, there was a little struggle for those fine motor movements but Flint was able to eventually get it off. He gave one of the maps back to Magmar who delicately put it back in the engraved tube. Flint then unrolled the perfectly kept map. It was surprising how neat it looked. No tears, no wear marks, no ageing either. It looked almost brand new.*

Flint: Now this right here is the land you stand upon. We are right here.

*He pointed at the dot labeled 'Terrestria'.*

Flint: And the land all around it is the land I govern. You see those black lines? There the boundaries of my kingdom and will one day belong to Hope.

*Using his claws, he traced the upper right corner of the landmass marked on the map.*

Hope: One day. You've just gotta give me the title first.

Flint: Yeah. It'll come, don't you worry about that. Now, the most interesting part about this is the city is called Terrestria and the kingdom, so everything inside of this area, is also called that too. I'm honestly not sure of the reasoning for that, you'd have to ask a historian or something.

*Destino stared at the map, looking at all of the features it had to show. They saw the rocky structure their group appeared from. This kingdom was absolutely huge. Compared to the Underdark, this was massive. Ridiculously so. Imagine all of the resources this land had to offer. All the space that could be given to its citizens. Destino knew their parents obtained an ok amount of foods and other items from Terrestria though it was never enough to feed absolutely everyone. Considering the amount of trip their parents took, no wonder they decided to continue their trade relations with this kingdom. Destino felt as though their kingdom had been cheated out on more. If they had this much to offer, why wasn't the Underdark given more? There was a growing sense of anger inside of Destino. They had to keep it together.*

Flint: You'll also notice that it's the smallest kingdom compared to the others. There's debate on whether Mechania or Terrestria is bigger but Mechania does seem like the larger kingdom. Naaturo has the largest kingdom but that's because it does the majority of food production. Queen Pollen is incredibly good at keeping her food supply lines going for the rest of the kingdoms. Whimsain also has a substantial amount but they won all that during the Great Type War. Can't really shift the boundaries of our kingdom as we don't want another war going on but it'd be nice to get a little more land to work with. Hope that answers what you wanted to know.

Flint: That's right. It's not completely public knowledge so I'd keep it on the hush-hush when you're outside these castle walls.

Destino: Wait, nobody outside even knows about this?

Flint: Only certain Pokémon do. If we spread knowledge of this union around, it'll end up in the ears of the Whimsain lot and we'd be in a distortion of a lot of trouble. It'd mean we couldn't provide any of our end of the bargain to you.

Destino: My lips are sealed, Flinto. Dunno if I could trust any of these idiots with this information but you do you.

*Flint looked towards Gizmo and Mouse, determining whether they could be trusted with this. He was usually a pretty good judge of character and they didn't seem like the type to spread something like this around. Flint made a mental note to send a couple of spies to watch and observe them for any suspicious activity. With a sigh, he felt he could deal with the risk well enough.*

Flint: Our union was established around 400 years ago. King Alumin of Terrestria and King Estavior of the Underdark met when the Terrestrians were trying to find a new mining route and agreed on a collaboration between the two kingdoms would be beneficial between the both of them.

Flint: Estavior allowed Terrestrians access to their mines, which we found out later on was a guarantee to harvest ores for evolution stones. Alumin offered foods and other resources for this. Kind of him but it's really helped us out in the long run. We've been going strong since then. Ores are super useful for us as we've got the knowledge to turn them into evolution stones. The ores of these stones are incredibly dangerous when raw.

Destino: We had one of our citizens try to use one of the ores scattered around. She did not recover from the deformations caused. So much energy and power to be harnessed. Honestly, if I had an ounce of interest in the matter, I'd be curious as to how I could use that power for myself. A spotlight for my own. That could be good. Always showing the most important Pokémon in the room.

Hope: Of course you'd say that. Surely there could be other things that the energy produced could be used for rather than yourself?

Destino: And what would be the point of that? Honestly Hope, you're not thinking of the bigger picture here. A spotlight. For me. It's a fantastic idea.

Felix: Des, perhaps we should draw the focus back to the King? This is interestin' stuff.

Destino: And bring the conversation back to something dull? Come on Felix. You know it'd be far more interesting talking about how I would use these ores if I wanted to use them.

Flint: Point is, these ores are dangerous when not cut into shape and we're able to turn them into something useful for everyone. The trade union is something that benefits both sides, even with the danger of being discovered. Perhaps you should take more interest in your history, young Prime. If you don't learn about it, you may make mistakes which could lead to the downfall of your kingdom if you're not careful.

Destino: Me? Making mistakes? Ha, that's hilarious. I doubt it.

*The map of Arkaedia is now available.*

@askiceboundlopunny @masked-vee

(6/6 - No more questions for now.)

[yanderes-galore]

Could I request from your prompt list:

4.) "My heart belongs to you, I'll adore anything you do to it."

And/or

12.) "You were never meant to see that! Oh, what have I done...."

With Overwatch's Cole Cassidy. Preferably with a darling they've been living with in a surprisingly normal life with up until this point? He's managed to hide his yandere tendencies and live a totally normal life with them up until now?

Thank you,

~♠️

I can try, sure! Here's you catching Cole Cassidy red handed in some dark acts :) Wasn't entirely sure about plot so I hope this works-

Yandere! Cole Cassidy Prompts 4 + 12

"My heart belongs to you, I'll adore anything you do to it."

"You were never meant to see that! Oh, what have I done...."

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Violence, Manipulation, Jealousy, Murder mentioned, Coercion, General yandere themes, Secret picture taking, Possible OOC Cole, Consensual relationship turned forced.

Cole had been doing his best to hide his... behavior ever since he scored you as his. You were his little darling partner and he was determined to keep things that way. He told himself he'd behave once he got you as his.

Well... He lied to himself... and you.

Cole still seemed to keep his stalking habit. He still seemed to seethe with jealousy when some guy came up to you. With you being his... he thought he could stop.

Yet no matter how much he distracted himself with your sweet touch and smell, he still felt dangerous. When you weren't looking, he still beat up those too close to you. He still used his gun to get rid of the more troublesome issues and he did it all while lying to you.

Perhaps he could stop himself, maybe he really is just another monster. Yet he managed to tell himself that he could hide it and that everything would be okay. He convinced himself he can continue with this because you loved him now.

You haven't found out anything yet...

Until now.

"Shoot... Honey, please listen to me!" Cole panics when he sees your distraught face. In your hands are a select few items he was hoping to keep hidden. Photos of you... newspapers on crimes he's committed... the belongings of those who got in his way... trophies..

"What the hell is all of this!?" You yell, fear in your voice as you stare down at the mess of incriminating evidence. Cole watches as you drop the items on the floor before trying to approach. He couldn't keep it hidden forever, could he?

"You were never meant to see that! Oh, what have I done...."Cole mutters to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. You poor thing... you looked all scared of him and it was all his fault. He could've improved....

He really should've burned those items while he still could.

"You are not the man I've met and fell in love with!" You cry, tears streaming down your face as you back away. Cole notices you back off and steps closer. There's no way he's losing you now.

"Oh baby... Of course I'm the man you fell in love with!" Cole comforts, stepping closer like approaching a scared animal. "My heart belongs to you, I'll adore anything you do to it."

"Get away from me!" You growl, Cole's gaze darkening in response.

"Afraid I can't do that, Darlin'." Cole sighs before cornering you against a wall. You squeal a bit as he pulls you against his chest.

"You have no idea how hard I had to work to get you..." Cole whispers in your ear. "However, now you're mine. You'll ALWAYS be mine... I just wish you didn't have to learn the truth."

Cole chuckles when he sees you struggle. It's a shame, really. You two could've been perfect together. Now he has to work even harder to keep you to himself.

"Now... you and I are going to pretend this never happened, alright?" Cole continues, gaze never leaving yours as he stares you down. "I'll burn those items you dropped and we can be happy, okay?"

You want to refuse... yet you force yourself to nod when Cole frowns in anger.

"Good..." Cole praises, kissing your forehead softly.

"I knew you'd come around for me, Darlin'."

[buckyandgeraltsupremacy]

Not Alone Part 2 (Joel Miller x Fem!Reader)

joel miller x fem!reader

when you find yourself completely alone, you might just have to look up to realize you aren't.

warnings: mentioned death of family members; injuries; joel being mean (soft); probably typos lol

author: sj

masterlist

part one / part three

another part in the works :)

---

After your painful wonderful shower for the first time in forever, you found new clothes on the bed and went down to the kitchen to try to find something to eat. And as Maria promised, there was some food that looked like it would last you the day sitting on the counter. Your self control was ripped from you and you ended up eating the whole thing sitting on the floor.

Once the last bite of food was gone, it was then realized how utterly alone you were. You tried to take a deep breath, but couldn't seem to get your lungs to be able to work. You let yourself think about your brother for the first time. Luke wasn't supposed to go like that. Your baby brother. The only one you had left. You weren't a spring chicken any more, but you still felt like he was still a kid. You were five years older than him and he was your best friend. Not once, did you ever think he would leave your side. Much less, get bit. It all happened so fast. And all you could think about was having to shoot him with your last two bullets.

The tears streamed down your face and you got up and stumbled through the back door to get outside. The walls were closing in and you needed to get out. Ironic that the past few weeks, all you wanted was real shelter, and now that you had it, you couldn't stand it. You burst out of the back door and quickly stumble down the steps to the grass. The sobs racking your body as you mourn your life long best friend.

You don't know how long you laid there. All you know is that when the sun went down, your cheeks were dry and tight with the dried tears. You couldn't move but as you watched the sunset and the stars start to shine, you felt your lungs start to rise up and down again. You would be okay. You would have to be. You'd have to pull your weight. Even if it meant with a broken arm. It was okay that you were all alone. Others had done it, and if it was Luke, you would've wanted him to go on. He deserved to live a normal life and you would live it for him if you had to.

You sighed and rolled to your side to get up, freezing when you saw the little girl from next door sitting in a chair at the back of her house yards away from you. You mustered a smile, cheeks heating with the thought of her witnessing your grief. You waved and she waved you over. You swallowed your pride and slowly walked towards her and sat in the chair that she pointed to. What you didn't see was the man in the kitchen a few feet from the open back door that was one hundred percent eavesdropping.

"I don't think I've ever seen so many tears from one person." She said quietly, obviously trying to lighten the awkwardness.

"Well. I've been holding it in for a while, guess it was bound to come out at some point." You shrugged with one shoulder.

"What really happened to your arm?"

"Um... My brother broke it. He got infected and... yeah, just got broken in the struggle." You said, voice scratchy from your crying.

"Oh shit. Sorry. Thats... tough." Ellie said, earnestly trying to give you comfort. You nodded, grateful for her comfort, but not wanting to say it was okay, because truthfully, it wasn't.

"Ellie. Come eat." Joel yelled as he stuck his head out the back door. You jumped at the loud voice, his eyes latching onto the jumpy form.

"You can eat with us. Right Joel?" Ellie looked to Joel and she asked again, more forcefully this time. "Right Joel?"

"Yes." He said, softer, tone still hard as a rock.

"He's not as much of an asshole as he sounds. He just genuinely has an assholey voice." You smiled at her side comment to you and looked to Joel.

"If you're sure. I've already ran out of food. I won't each much I promise. Ate plenty for lunch, for the first time in... a long time." You said to him, getting up out of your chair and following Ellie into the kitchen.

Dinner went quietly, mostly filled with the sounds of silverware and Ellie asking you if you knew any puns. You quickly went home after dinner and Joel went to bed thinking about how your sobs sounded as you laid in the grass.

---

The next morning, Joel went to the stables to see if there was anything he could do around the barn. He wasn't scheduled for patrol until the next day, but needed something to do. He didn't like being home alone when Ellie was off at school learning god knows what. He knew he had to stay busy to keep his thoughts from spiraling.

As he walked into the stables and passed some of the stalls, he heard soft grunting. He slowed to a stop and peeked into the open stall the someone seemed to be in. Only to find you shoveling or attempting to shovel horse shit into a wheelbarrow. He watched as you tried to pick up the shovel that was loaded with one arm as you guided to help yourself pick it up with the arm that was not supposed to be in use. You grunted and then huffed out a frustrated sigh when it tipped and you dumped it, missing the wheelbarrow. The wheel barrowthat you wouldn't be able to carry with one arm. He wasn't quite sure why but it made him angry.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He asked sharply. He watched you jump and then sigh a small smile gracing your face as a greeting.

"Shoveling horse poop." You replied with a tired smile, immediately going back to trying to pick up the pile that you dumped.

"No shit sherlock." No pun intended. My god he was becoming Ellie. "I mean, why the hell are you shoveling with a broken arm? You're going to hurt yourself more." He said, walking in the stall and grabbing the shovel from your hands quickly.

"I'm trying to pull my weight. There weren't any shifts left any where and I have to get food some how. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of starving." You said, the smile leaving your face, and being replaced by a frown, looking at the shovel in his hands. He sighed and brushed a hand down his face in what seemed like frustration.

"Look. I'll finish up for you and then we can go to the hall and grab you some breakfast, yeah? If Ellie hears that I didn't feed ya, she'll feed me my hands for dinner. And don't worry about this shit until you're better. You're not gonna get better if you don't rest it." He demanded, not looking at your face as he finished shoveling the horse feces in the stall. Your wrist giving a nice dull throb that sent you grabbing your sling from your bag and putting it back on.

You watched as he lifted up the wheelbarrow and drove it past you towards the pile, muttering to himself about how you 'couldn't even fucking lift it if ya tried'.

The next thing you knew, you were sitting in the hall with a meal in front of you, eating like you were starved. Cause you basically were. After this mornings out burst, he hadn't said much to you and had just watched you with his brown eyes studying you, creases deep on his face.

"Don't worry about meals until your wrist heals up. You come to us for it, yeah? Ellie likes you and she doesn't get many older women in her life." You nodded, a smile returning to your face. Joel's chest did that weird cracking and blew out a breath. He didn't think he had any room left in there and he had a bad feeling you were going to squeeze in any how.

[newtabfics]

first kiss for redeemed ganny and y/n? TT_TT

So I've thought about this one for a bit and it kinda goes in line with the 'confession' part as in it's set sometime after that. like they understand their feelings but haven't made the final leap yet.

Y/N sighed as she stared at the journal before ultimately closing it. Rubbing her face, she tried to clear her head of the memories of the Depths.

"She is mine."

She shook her head, face flushing at the memory of his words. The way he stared down the Yiga before looking at her, as though trying to dissuade any fear she'd had.

"Which one of you was it?"

His anger when he truly saw the bruise on her jaw from where she'd been hit.

"I'm glad to have you back alive," his sigh whispered in the back of her mind as she stood.

"I need air," She muttered, stepping outside her home. Kakariko village was busy as always, with researchers running about and older folks working on their crops.

Grandma Mellie's head perked up as she walked past, smiling at the woman and waving. Behind her, she could see Ganondorf helping with the garden, tending to it under the old woman's instruction.

Her gaze fixed on him long enough to make him feel watched as he looked up and smiled, nodding to her.

Y/N's face went red as she waved before continuing on.

The Gerudo frowned, watching her. "You love her," Mellie chuckled, startling him. "Interesting. The Demon King and the Sheikah. Never would've thought I'd see that."

"It will never happen," He said firmly.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm not at liberty to experience such things," he said simply. 

Mellie hummed as she studied him. He had refocused on his task, clearly not willing to accept the idea of it. "I think you're full of it, Ganondorf.'

He blinked at that, looking at the old woman as she studied her plum trees. "Love is a strange thing. It doesn't allow you to choose your liberties. Your heart knows best."

"My heart wanted to kill everyone in sight," Ganondorf grumbled, earning a soft whack to the back of his head. "Hey!"

"And yet. Somehow, despite this quote-unquote, magic amnesia, you found yourself desiring the woman who has done nothing but treat you as an equal. I think it's safe to say the intentions are pure."

He weighed her words and nodded. "Even so…" he hesitated to say this before sighing. "Even if I were to pursue her, I am unsure of how. It's been well over a hundred thousand years. If I ever pursued anyone, I doubt I could now."

"Based on what?"

"How would I court her properly?" He asked, looking at her. At her wheezing laugh, he sighed in defeat, looking away.

"Apologies. It's just, that you really must be lost in your own head if you ever thought Y/N cared for formality. She only became friends with the princess because of her personality." Mellie sighed out the last of her laugh as she studied the garden. "I think you've done enough today. Whether or not you decide to pursue her makes no difference to me, but don't hurt her. She's a strange girl but a good one. You'd make a cute couple."

Ganondorf's cheeks warmed as he nodded, getting up and looking around. Mellie nodded to the stream, letting him clean his hands in the water before leaving.

He aimed for the leader's home as he always did to report in when Y/N wasn't in charge of him. He saw her up by the device dispenser and gulped thickly, watching her.

They hadn't spoken much, if at all, since they left the Depths. Her usual bubbly attitude seemed exhausted by everything. He couldn't fault her for it though, as three days between his arrival and her vanishing would likely exhaust anyone.

He shook the thoughts of her being taken from his head. Likely, if he dwelled on it, he might act irrationally.

Paya greeted him as he entered, listening to his report of the day. "Alright. You're dismissed," she said simply, surprising him. At his hesitance, she looked at him and sighed. "Go find Y/N. If anything, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

Y/N studied the dispenser, dropping a Construct horn in to earn a balloon. She blushed as she remembered the way Ganondorf held her and shook her head.

"Quit," She sighed, putting away the strange device as she walked towards the chasm nearby. She only wanted to observe the area around her and take a moment of peace. She hadn't expected as she stared down into the deep darkness to have a hand pull her quickly away. 

Turning, she saw Ganondorf's worried expression. "Oh, hey."

"Why were you standing so close?" He scolded. "What if you'd fallen?" At her shrug, he sighed. His hand was still on her shoulder, as though letting her go might cause her to tumble down. "Are you…alright?"

"Yeah, why?" She asked as her heart hammered again. She blushed and looked away, staring pointedly at the edge.

After a beat of silence, Ganondorf finally said, "I worry about you. You're practically a magnet for danger because of your innate curiosity."

"Not my fault everything interesting is a danger to me," she said, smiling softly. She flinched when a loud crack of thunder above them made them stop and look up seconds before the downpour began. "Wha–Woo!" She squeaked when he hurried her under the scaffolding for shelter. "Thanks."

"I don't want you sick again," He hummed, looking toward the village. He thought of what would be the best route to get her home quickly before hearing her soft sigh. Looking over, she sat on the ground, lounging as the storm rumbled. Amending, he sat beside her. "Y/N…I…"

Y/N studied him for a moment before moving closer to him. "I think I might love you," She finally said, making him flinch. "And, we don't have to do anything about it unless you want to. I just…think you're interesting."

Ganondorf smirked at that. "And a danger to you," He added before frowning. "Which is why…I hesitate. Should my memory return…and my power, I don't know what I'll do. If I'll hurt you. If I'll save you."

"You mean if your old self will just kill me."

"Stop saying every dark thought outloud," He snorted.

"Well, why wouldn't I? It's the truth, and what you were thinking. You're scared that…your past will kill me. I get it," She admitted. Biting her lip, she adjusted and cupped his face, making him look at her. "What if I said I don't care? That, I'm willing to take the risk?"

Ganondorf gulped as the tiny Hylian stilled. She was letting him choose. He reached up and cradled her hand.

It was at this moment that Farosh dipped its head down, studying them. Y/N was unaware of it as Ganondorf leaned closer. The dragon seemed to purr in approval before pulling away.

It was all he needed. Thinking back on it, it truly felt like a blessing from the dragon of courage as his lips touched hers.

The rain clouded their moment from the world and allowed them the moment to simply be.

[roo-bastmoon]

LOCK IT DOWN, Y'ALL

Puppykitties, I do not mean this harshly, but distractions, drama, and sabotage happen with every comeback and never more so than with Jimin.

We are in the fight of our lives for placement on the charts and awards on music programs. We need fewer filtered streams and much higher sales.

WE HAVE MONEY TO SPEND FOR JIMIN AND VERY FEW TO STEP UP AND MAKE AN ACCOUNT TO BUY:

We absolutely cannot focus on trash talk and ship discourse right now.

Yes, I know today there was a lot of excitement. Joon, Yoongi, Tae, JK, and others (many others in the industry) went to Harry Styles' concert today and it very much appears that Jimin and J-Hope did not. How do I know? Because there's photos of the Tannies on their personal time all over my timeline when there should be screenshots of streaming and voting.

It's disappointing because Jungkook just got done saying he was human too and asking us not to stalk him during his private time. I know some folks feel like if you're out in public, you are "fair game." But that's my point: they aren't game, they aren't prey--they are people and they deserve to be able to hang out with their friends and not have it scrutinized and weaponized. So just know it's always best to let THEM be the ones to share such info, like Joon and Tae did on their insta.

You best believe, the more we pressure them like this, the less we'll get of them.

The last time we saw Jikook together off-schedule, just the two of them alone, they got in a car to leave from the airport in April of 2022. A few days later, the gossip rags sabotaged Jimin's first OST With You with a bullshit scandal about missing insurance premium payments and his apartment "seizure" (on paper).

And ever since that day, we have not seen Jikook hang out in any personal capacity, unless you count the arcade in DC with Hobi and Her. Not once have we seen them alone. POINTEDLY.

There's been blurry CCTV photos of two people in a mini mart and whispers from K forums of folks seeing them around the neighborhood, but nothing concrete; they don't even mention each other in TMIs any more.

We KNOW they have hung out, as per inferences from their family, tattoo artist, and boxing coach, but no solid evidence from the primary source, even when directly asked. Again, POINTEDLY.

And yet when they are together for a work thing or online, they get along like a house on fire. They slap butts and tap hands and do cute things for each other's birthdays and get into giggle fits and compliment each other and flirt like crazy on WeVerse. Jungkook has issued several emphatic invitations for Jimin to come to him and told us to look forward to his teaser at midnight.

But they aren't sharing their relationship with us like they used to, so we honestly do not know if they hang out in person much these days.

P.O.I.N.T.E.D.L.Y.

Not because there's any indication of bad blood or a whiff of a breakup. Our little perfectionist is booked and busy, and our golden maknae was taking time to recharge.

You need to remember that since solo era was mentioned, Jimin has been writing, composing, and recording his own songs.

He's traveled abroad multiple times--Chicago, LA, NYC, Paris--to name a few.

He's hosted people who have traveled to Korea to work with him.

The producers admonished him for not taking breaks to eat or shower and in fact sleeping in the studio for many nights.

He's had to rehearse for music shows, concerts, his collab, and his own music videos.

He's been training so hard on new choreo that he was in too much pain to join Jin for his birthday and you KNOW how our boy feels about his members' birthdays.

He's filmed RUN content and commercials and a documentary and all sorts of stuff for his own album.

He's had work as brand ambassador for Dior and Tiffany's beyond just Fashion Week, which was huge.

I've lost count of the number of high-end photoshoots he's done for Vogue, W, Elle, and I don't know what all else.

The man JUST got off a plane the day before from traveling half-way around the world to interview with and perform for Fallon for TWO NIGHTS.

If I were him, I wouldn't dash over to a packed concert less than 24 hours later, either. Doesn't mean I don't love my members, or my partner, or Styles. It means I'm TIRED and I'm protecting my health and energy.

Especially considering there are appearances on television coming up and god knows what else to promote FACE.

AND FACE IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON.

I love you all, but I swear to God, if you give your time and energy to the assholes on the timeline attacking Jikook, you are robbing Jimin of the time and energy you should be giving to voting, streaming, buying, and hyping FACE. Which is what they want. They want to siphon that energy from you. Please don't be stupid.

We are grasping for every INCH of space on the charts up against absolute giants this and next week. It would be different if all of ARMY got behind Jimin 24/7 but you know how many little 7s actually behave when push comes to shove. To say nothing of the antis, mantis, multis, and cult working against him with purpose.

Please don't let this kind of crap sabotage Jimin's hard work. Celebrate the fact that some BTS members got to hang out at a concert, and honor the fact that some BTS members had other things to do.

PLEASE snap out of it and stick to our goals. We can debate Jikook all day long after FACE is safely to bed. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS.

We are in lockdown.

SO LOCK THAT SHIT DOWN.

Love, Roo

[hebuiltfive]

Irretrievable

Last night, I couldn't get this out of my head. So I wrote it. Thought I'd give Virgil a whirl this time and give Scooter a little break from emotional pain.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess which song inspired this one. It's not entirely subtle from the start.

Edit to add the AO3 link.

------------------------------------

"You're losing me, Vee."

That gut-wrenching pain that only came when hearts shattered into a million pieces tore through Virgil's entire being. This wasn't supposed to be how the night ended, it wasn't supposed to be how their story ended. He hated how he couldn't control it, how he had allowed it all to simmer under the surface and break apart this way.

"I don't understand..."

"I know you don't."

"Come on, Harper, let's just talk about this!" He would beg, he would plead, because he couldn't let it go. He couldn't let him go. The ache, the loss, the pain would tear him apart bit by bit. Virgil could already feel himself breaking.

Harper stood firm, retreating a few steps when Virgil tried to close the distance, trying to make it right. "I can't."

"Please don't just walk away. Whatever it is, I can fix it. We can fix it. You've just got to talk to me."

"Talking is all I ever try to do!" Harper snapped. The salty stream of tears continued to run but it was clear he'd turned his own heartbreak into rage. Maybe it would make it easier for him to deal with. Maybe it was truly how he felt.

Either way, Virgil felt baffled by it. Never had he seen Harper so enraged, and to think that it was his fault... if his heart hadn't already been shattered, it would have in that second.

"I always tried to talk." Harper continued, seemingly not caring for how Virgil would take his words. Apparently he was done trying to tip-toe around the subject. "You never listened. You were always busy."

That wasn't... entirely true, surely? Virgil would have defended that he was a brilliant listener. He was certainly the best out of his family, and he had worn that honour with pride. For Harper to claim he hadn't been listening to them.

"Do you know when we last had an actual proper conversation, Vee?"

The question very quickly had him stumped. Virgil attempted to answer but had to close his mouth quickly to avoid looking like a fish out of water — something he very much felt in this given situation — because the answer evaded him.

"Two weeks ago." Harper put him out of his misery with a scoff. "You don't even remember!"

"Hey, I've had a lot on my plate!" He didn't snap — Virgil never snapped — but he was beginning to get irrate. Harper accusing him of things Virgil would very much disagree with? It was ludicrous and borderline over-dramatic.

"With International Rescue? Yeah, I know."

Virgil bit back a retort as he watched Harper roll his eyes. That single action seemed hurt him more than any of his other accusations had thus far.

"When we first started seeing each other, you said you were fine with International Rescue."

"That was before I saw the truth!"

Virgil blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Harper, as though he was stating the obvious and Virgil was too dumb to catch onto his meaning, sighed. "You promised it wouldn't get in the eay. You promised you'd have time for me, for us. You lied."

"I didn't lie!"

"You lied, Virgil! Or, at the very least, you didn't keep those promises."

Harper was back to the heartbreaking crying now, the rage passing over like a dark storm cloud that was now content it had flooded a region.

"I didn't... It's not... International Rescue is important, you know that. It's important to my family, to the world, to me."

"You pushed me down the list." Harper accused sharply.

"There's never been any list! You're acting as though I've been cheating on you!"

"I guess it kind of feels that way."

"For fuck's sake, Harper, it's my job!"

"Well, maybe I don't think you should do that job anymore!"

The truth leaked out in Harper's yell, his arms perching on his hips. Virgil saw the pain in his partner's eyes, saw the raw, honest hurt that had clearly been pushed below the surface more than once to avoid such a confrontation.

Noticing it helped to dull the betrayal Virgil felt in his soul, but only by a fraction.

Harper didn't relent. "You'd cancel on me, go out on those ridiculous, death-defying missions and I wouldn't know if you'd ever be coming home. You'd say we'd rearrange our dinner, but I never knew if you'd ever make it back."

He took a deep breath, continuing in a whisper that was broken up by uneven sobbing. "You're killing me, Virgil. You're killing me and the worst part is you don't see that."

Harper had been wrong earlier. Virgil wasn't losing him. Harper was already lost, because Virgil didn't know how to fix it.

He wasn't going to give up International Rescue. He loved the job almost as much as he loved to paint. It was his last connection with his late-father and was a pillar of his family.

Above all else, he saved lives and gave hope to people when every other resort failed.

No, he wouldn't give any of that up.

Virgil knew that Harper already understood that. The conversation would have taken a different turn had his boyfriend thought their relationship was at all salvagable.

"I love you." Virgil said, knowing it would be for the last time. He'd spoken those three words to Harper on so many occasions over the last twenty months. Never had they stung so badly.

He hadn't expected Harper to respond in kind, but the lack of hearing the words "I love you too, Vee" had Virgil's heart disintergrating.

There was no love left.

Harper had left that night with all his items stuffed into a suitcase and a dufflebag. They hadn't exchanged anymore words. Virgil watched as Harper exited the penthouse suite for the last time, not even looking back to offer him one last glimpse of those hazel eyes that would now haunt him for the rest of his life.

Alone again.

Without love again.

Virgil didn't sleep that night, too caught up in his mind. How had he not seen the signs? How had he not caught this before it had become too late? Was he truly so absorbed in his work to have so blindly stumbled down this path instead of his happily ever after?

He had seen the same story play out time and time again with Scott. Virgil had promised himself he wouldn't end up like his older brother. Then again, according to Harper, he wasn't the best with promises so why was he surprised he wasn't able to keep this one?

Virgil eyed his communicator. He was too emotionally exhausted to work out the time zones but if he called Tracy Island, one of his brothers was sure to pick up. He allowed the call to ring for what seemed like an age, and was about to hang up when John appeared as a floating image in front of him.

"Thought you were supposed to be grabbing steak at that new restaurant?" He asked by way of greeting.

"Harper... he left."

John's face fell. "Did he have a call-out?"

Virgil shook his head, hanging it lowly to hide the new stream of tears from view.

It didn't matter. John clocked on fairly quickly. "Virgil, I'm so sorry."

Comforting words were said, reassurances and love expressed, but Virgil still felt that gaping hole inside him. Harper had gone and he had taken what felt like Virgil's very soul with him.

"Do you ever question the point of what we do?" He eventually asked John once he was tired of hearing his brother's attempts of cheering him up.

"Not really. Our work is important."

"What's the point in saving the world if we have no-one to come home to?"

John didn't have an answer to that. He could have been a wise-ass and noted how they still had each other, but he didn't. Virgil appreciated that.

The question haunted him for weeks, just as the memory of Harper failed to leave him. Over and over again, he'd ask himself what the point was. Over and over again, he'd force himself to ignore the ache in his chest when he couldn't find an answer.

He felt like he was dying. In killing Harper's love, Virgil was certain he'd killed part of himself. The days grew longer and more wearisome, but he kept pushing.

One day, the pain would heal. One day, he'd find someone who understood the workload. One day, his heart would beat again for someone new.

He just had to keep holding out until that day came, no matter how long it took.

[avalonicons]

Trust

Jonathan Byers x GN!Reader

Requested?: YES - Jonathan Byers with prompts 2 and 5 from prompt list 2 please - @cyllwswrld

TW: Possible mentions of depression

Word Count: 784

You genuinely believed this day couldn't get any worse. Everything was going wrong, from your boss yelling at you to spilling hot coffee all over yourself, and there was only one place you could think of going. No matter how hard you resisted, you just had to see him. As you pulled to a stop in front of his house, you took a deep breath before turning off the car and stepping out. As you approach the front door, you clasp your hands together, anxiety running through your body, not knowing what he will say when he sees you. 

Raising your fist, you knock as silently as possible, hoping he will be awake and hear it. You knock once more before deciding to give up and go home. As you turn away, you hear the door unlatch behind you, causing you to turn around and thankfully see him in the doorway and not his mother or brother. "Hey, Jonathan," You say, giving him a small smile. 

Jonathan releases a sigh. "You showed up at my door, of all places," He says quietly, adjusting his grip on the door. "Trust me, it wasn't my first choice either," you say, wrapping your arms around yourself even though he was the only thought on your mind. "Can I come in?" You ask him, barely making eye contact. "Sure." He says, opening the door wide enough for you to walk through.

Stepping into the house, so many memories of your time here flood your mind. Of Christmas, helping decorate the tree, and Halloween taking pictures of Will in his costumes. That was before things went downhill. When everything went down at Starcourt Mall, something broke in you. You started distancing yourself from everyone, ruining your relationship with Jonathan in a screaming match, leaving you both in tears and walking home in the rain. 

You waited to the side while Jonathan closed and locked and latched the door before he turned and led you to his room. Walking into his room was the worst thing you could've done. The floodgates finally broke, and the tears started streaming down your face, causing you to quickly put your hands over your eyes. As he's closing the door, he hears you sniffle and promptly walks to be in front of you. Pulling your hands down from your face, he examines your red eyes he hadn't seen before. "What's wrong?" He says in a soft tone and leads you to sit down on his bed. 

You place your hands in your lap, staring at them, not daring to look him in the eyes. "You have to tell me what's wrong," He says, grabbing one of your hands and causing you to pull it out of his grip. "No, I don't! I don't take orders from anyone anymore," You say, raising your voice slightly, still aware of his sleeping family in the house. "Please (Y/N), I just want to help you," He says, grabbing your hand with one of his and using the other to lift your chin so you would look at him. 

Finally, you manage to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jonathan." You say with more tears rolling down your face. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through these last few months. I love you so much, and everything that happened at Starcourt messed me up so badly, and I was so afraid of hurting you, so I thought the best thing was for me to make you hate me." You say, staring deep into his eyes.

A deep frown forms on his face as he takes in your words, "Nothing, and I repeat, Nothing could make me hate you. You are the only person in the world I fully trust.. I could and never will hate you," She says, bringing both of his hands up to cup your cheeks. You genuinely don't think you have felt more in love with him than at this moment. 

Placing your hands over his, you feel more at home than in the past months. "I love you so much, Jonathan. I don't think I could ever truly show you how much I care about you." You say, leaning forward and pressing your forehead against his. He lifts his head, gently kissing your lips, which you return lovingly. "Trust me. I know." He says with a slight smile before pulling you into a hug and wrapping his arms around you tightly as you do the same. "Let's go to bed, okay," He says softly in your ear, which you nod to as you pull away from him, ready to spend the night in the arms of the man you love more than anything.

[canidkid]

Summer Harvest Season

Been a while since I've posted writing! Classic little domestic peace agere oneshots,, my passion :3

Regressor!Johnny Abbot & CG!Meadow (oc)

🐴🍒🐕🍃🌾☀️

Read the full thing under the cut!

! Contains some very very minor cussing !

It was finally cherry season. The time of year both Johnny and Meadow looked most forward to. They prepared as well as they possibly could. Cleaning jam jars and pie pans, giving the kitchen an all new shine. Meadow had been writing down the progress of fruiting trees in the area for years, so she was dead set on the perfect time and place.

Johnny had asked early on if it were alright if he regressed at any point. He knew cherry picking was a lot more work than people liked to crack it up to be. And he didn't want to make it any more bothersome with his childish tendencies. Meadow seemed to take this as a personal challenge.

"Alright, Johnny- boy! Sun's almost up to the Horizon, so we gotta hurry!" She pats her wicker basket, stuffed with countless other fabric bags. He peeks up at her from the ground, where he's currently struggling to tie his shoes. Meadow smiles softly. It makes Johnny shrink into himself slightly. "I'm sorry. I won't be much help like this all-all- ugh.." Johnny keeps his Gaze intently focused on the tips of his shoes.

Meadow kneels down next to him, wordlessly finishing his clumsy attempt at putting on his outdoor shoes. "You'll be a great help. I know someone who picks the best ever cherries for pies. And I believe I remember, he also taught me the jam recipe we're still using!" She turns her face toward him with a genuine smile, hesitantly returned by the other.

It was a rather hot day, summer seemed to have come in hard and fast. Everybody was grateful for the shade the forestry provided. Sterling plodded dutifully behind Meadow as she led the way through the twisty-turny foot paths. Johnny was still quite spooked by the whole horse thing - but Meadow had insisted the bonding would do them some good! Even if Meadow would be the one holding a lead rope the whole time. This horse-human triad was, as always, flanked by two of the woman's dogs. Stella trotted upfront, beside her master. Her fluffy, dual toned coat bouncing along with every happy step. Her brother Monty darted between his duties like a tricolor lightning flash. Check on Meadow, check on Sterling, check on Meadow's other weird pet, repeat.

Their trip to the fruiting trees wasn't a long one. It hardly took them far from the cottage. Past a lake and through a dense path of ferns, finally to the large clearing.

The field in which they stood was divided by a flowing stream of water. A very welcome sight to everyone involved. Meadow had expected Johnny to go down younger - but not at this speed! She caught a glimpse of the boy practically vibrating up on the draft horse's back. He captured her gaze, his smile brightening as he stuck one arm out to her. "Down Doe, down!" Meadow laughed, hauling her little boy back to solid ground. She barely got a second to look at him, before he immediately turned his attention to Sterling. He leaned in to him, whispering in the animal's ear as he patted his neck.

"You're a good horsie. Good horsie, Sterling! If Doe says you can't have cherries I'll get you some…but you can't tell her! But you have to be eeeeeeextra nice on the way back also!"

Meadow almost couldn't hold her laughter. They'd just gotten here, and he was already conspiring with her animals!! At least Stella and Monty were immune. They knew damn well they could get their own cherries. Both dogs had shot off to the stream almost immediately on arrival. Chasing each other through the grass and using the water as an out, or splashing one another with it - their high-pitched yips and barks disturbing the surrounding serenity as they played.

Meadow set her big basket on the ground. Clapping her hands to call everybody to attention. "Alright, kids, time to get some work done!" She picked a cloth bag from the selection she'd brought. "Anything you can reach, put it in the bag! But - and this is important - check any fruit for worm holes or signs of rot! We don't want that yucky stuff in our food." Johnny eagerly reached for his own bag, trundling behind Meadow like an excited puppy.

The heat was easy to forget when you were having fun. Not long after they'd begun to pluck their share of cherries, Johnny and Meadow had decided it would be much more fun to climb the trees instead of simply trying to reach lower branches. The dogs would not have let this slide, were it not for the fact they were unable to do anything but watch disapprovingly from the ground. Sterling had elected himself to be an active part of this endeavor, always positioning himself so his big head was between the branches. Johnny kept his earlier promise, slipping the old horse a sweet summer treat every once in a while.

I never continued with this fic thingie - maybe I will in the future! But I hope you enjoy how far I did get for now ! ! <3

[sparatus]

Slides "shaking hands" and "dust motes" across your table for the micro stories, please 👀?

oho i can do rude things with these thank you :3

micro story prompts

15. trembling hands and 32. dust motes - Tibero Quentius, Nautilea Victrilianus (Bad End)

Everything had fallen apart.

Nautilea had never liked it when her Tippi was upset. There was something wrong about it, a great big man who was always so calm and patient while she raged and shrieked her pain to the stars suddenly breaking down into deep, painful sobs. He wasn't supposed to be the emotional one. She was wild, and he wasn't, and he balanced her fits of emotion with quietly holding her until she was done.

And then the Destiny Ascension was left to die, and Ierian Sparatus burned.

Nautilea watched from the door, blocking the door firmly so nobody but her could see the new councilor cry over a picture of a dead man. Tippi's hands shook as he took down his picture frames, his little knickknacks, all the things that had made the chief ambassador's office his over the years he'd so comfortably been Ierian's right hand, and packed them delicately into a box for their move into the big office right around the corner. He'd been putting this off for weeks already. He'd already taken down Ierian's things out of the big office, given them back to Teia so she'd have more of her husband to remember him by, but he'd been clinging to his own office like a lifeline. If he moved his own stuff over, it made it real, and if it was real, then their friend was dead.

The bone carving Ierian had cut prayers to old gods Tippi didn't know the names of into trembled enough in his hand Nautilea could see it from the door. Her heart twisted. "Tippi, are you sure you want to do this yourself? You could ask Auggie, I'm sure he wouldn't mind..."

He swallowed audibly. "No." Dust motes swirled through the sunlight streaming through the blinds. "No, I... I have to do it, it has to be me."

"Tippi..." She took a few steps into the office, letting the door slide shut behind her. "Tippi, I hate seeing you like this."

"I'll be okay, Nauti. It... it has to get done, I've been putting it off too long." If he noticed her approaching, he didn't acknowledge. Widow's light seemed to be mocking them, bright and cheerful like a lazy summer afternoon instead of one of the worst things they'd ever had to do. The sun was shining, children were playing in the parks down below, and they were packing up so Tibero could take the office his best friend used to hold. "I can't keep pretending forever."

Nautilea hesitated, then finished crossing the room and placed a gentle hand on his arm. His eyes were wet, and his mandibles quivered. "Tibero," she said, voice soft, and when he didn't respond she stepped up close enough to lean against his side. "You're grieving. We're all grieving. Let me... Let me take care of you."

Tippi snuffled, a deep, chest-shaking noise that rattled Nautilea's bones. "You're in charge of the Citadel fleets, Nauti, you have enough on your plate."

Nautilea puffed. "That's my job, though, innit? As your wife." She slid her hand around to grip his other shoulder, wrapping him in a side-hug, and leaned her head against his. "Drake tends the nest, hen protects the brood and the den. You just focus on doing your job, and I'll take care of everything else." She tipped her head to press a kiss to his mandible. "Just let me take care of you, Tippi. Let me protect you, so you don't have to feel this way ever again."

Tippi took a deep breath and set the bone talisman in the box. "You can't protect me from everything, Nauti."

"No." Nautilea pushed her head against his again, and this time he leaned back, and she let her subvocals carry all the grief and pain she didn't know how to express otherwise. "But I can damn well try."