#the horses’ barn names are their class names!

[ieo-pio]

Tf2 barn drama edition

[yuri-is-online]

Hi Yuri! Have you ever considered the idea of there being an alternate version of the twst boys in Yuu’s world? Since we have no clue if it’s just another planet or an entirely separate universe, it’s theoretically possible. Poor Yuu would think they are going crazy seeing a familiar face or hearing a familiar voice in another world. Perhaps it is even painful to the point Yuu tries to avoid interacting with the boy in question. - 🦐

(Also, I am well aware of how often I’ve been sharing these thoughts. If they’re annoying you or you don’t feel up to it, I don’t want you to feel pressured to respond or anything. I’m just spitballing and posting before I forget. 👉👈)

OH BOY DO I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS!!!!! (first and foremost being that you are very much not annoying <3)

An alt version of a twst boy in Yuu's world is just so yummy. There's so much angst potential depending on what the relationship is/was. Did their boy die in some horrible accident? Is he waiting for them, anxious and terrified about where Yuu went? Does this imply that twst also has a version of Yuu somewhere out there in the world? Questions questions. I did sort of write about this idea in the tags of this yan version of the soulbound au, wherein a cursed Yuu driven insane by their curse kills their soulmate before being isekaid to Twisted Wonderland and finding a different version of him, horrified with the realization that they could kill him again... but I want to cook up some dynamics for what the dorm leaders/overblot boys could be up to in Yuu's world first sooo...

I had a hard time thinking about Riddle until I remembered he's a horse girl and cast Yuu in the role of bad boy ranch hand whose dad's got a job at the barn so they're forced to help take care of the horses and warn all the would be YA protags about the "special horse" who doesn't take orders from just anyone. Not that Riddle is the protagonist... he's more the well established rich petty bitch who looks down on the new girls and especially on you because you're never taking care of his horse in accordance with all his stupid rules. And in stereotypical horse movie fashion Riddle has a massive not so secret crush on bad boy ranch hand Yuu who just doesn't get why he keeps trying to talk to them.

There isn't much royalty left in the world, but imagine Leona as the son of some rich business magnate whose older brother got the company and left him with "nothing." Maybe Yuu works at a liquor store part time and Leona comes in to pick stuff up every once in a while. You wouldn't call him a friend, but you guys shoot the shit enough that you have a general feel for each other to the point he joins you on your breaks to keep up the talk and play chess.

I love the idea of student president council Azul. He's made for that trope. Born for it, he'd be such a terror with Jade as his VP and Floyd as well. Floyd. I can't see him really being a part of the student council but I had this idea the other day based off this instagram post I saw about this mom who sews right? Her daughter was running for class president and she made these bracelets with little shrimp on them and attached them to cards that said "Keep it shrimple! Vote for (kid's name)!" And I was struck with this vision of Yuu doing that so like. Yuu running against Azul with that campaign slogan and he's tearing his hair out over it being so popular because people like memes (the original idea had Floyd running as Yuu's vp but they both dropped out at the last minute because neither him or Yuu wanted to do the actual work lol.) I also like student council president Azul and delinquent Yuu... but that's because of Tsuredure Children ha

Kalim and Jamil are hard... but I think the same set up of rich businessman's kid and his bodyguard in training still fits. How Yuu meets them is beyond me, but if you were friends with either of them could you imagine how painful seeing the same tragedy play out in this new world would be? Jamil doomed to always be a servant and Kalim doomed to be betrayed by his best friend... that would be so painful for someone who cared deeply about either of them I could see it motivating Yuu to try and resolve things for twst Jamil and Kalim that much harder.

Ok so hear me out... Vil still wants to be an actor in your world but he doesn't have the connections to his dad and is working as a pharm tech with Yuu at your local drugstore while going to school and hunting for gigs. He mentions being interested in cosmetics and magical pharmacology in game... and he also mentions knowing nothing about his mom so like. Your world Vil ended up with his mom instead of his dad and you get to see him on the cusp of his big break as one of his number one supporters from the very start, only to get isekaid to a world where you get to see what things could have looked like. It's strange how similar and yet not both versions of Vil are...

Idia is the guy who comes in to buy snacks at your convenience store during the night shift who you start talking to when you notice him buying a game time card for something you also play. You're stupid awkward around each other at first, but it's nice to finally have someone to talk about your niche interest with once you've passed each other's sniff tests. You don't actually know him know him though... so getting sent to another world where there's another version of him makes you worried the more you learn about his backstory that maybe you should have been there for your Idia more. Is he doing ok back home? Did he think of you as a friend? You hope he isn't blaming himself for any of this...

Malleus is an old money trust fund baby whose family was absolutely royalty at some point and is still overly attached to it. He likes old buildings, cemeteries, long walks in the fog, you know all those good goth things. He's tall and socially awkward and so grateful for you, his first and best friend who he met one moonlight night he swore was a dream in his favorite abandoned building who spoke at length with him about all sorts of things he liked. So you know. More or less the same. Just without the world ending powers... I think this is another one that would be quite sad. Which version of Malleus needs Yuu more? Which one is the real one? I'd hate the idea of him being destined to always be lonely and lose the ones he loves.

As for Yuu avoiding them... I could see that. It would feel weird seeing someone you love so much only for it not to be them at all. I know that the Lovebrush Chronicles kiiiiind of deals with this??? I wish I had the patience to play through it has an appealing glasses wearing ro but it's a mobile otome :/ but still. It's a concept I promise I am totally normal about.

[horseimagebarn]

horse image barn, I hope you've trotted into somewhere safe! and that august has been treating you well. This blog is truly a treasure to me

thank you tumblr user tsupertsundere i appreciate your well wishes i am now happily instated in a beautiful home with my beautiful girlfriend and our cat and have finished my summer class and yesterday actually i obtained a very very small dog named moses after the jerry reid song amos moses which is one of my favorite songs he is a time traveler and also a baby i actually have a blog for him believe it or not

i am so happy here and my happiness shall hopefully only improve my horse image descriptions i thank you deeply for your kindness in that you thought to ask after my wellbeing

[janeyseymour]

Idk if you’re taking requests but would love to read a melissa schemmenti/reader where reader is a horseback rider and takes melissa to the barn for the first time!! Melissa gets to meet reader’s horse, the barn owner and their riding trainer who are very protective of reader, as they met her as a kid and watched her grow up!

So full disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about horses, most of this was written drunk, and it is highly unedited due to my absolute exhaustion with taking over this first grade class... but I hope you enjoy!

Horsing Around

wc: ~3.6k

You’ve been trying to get Melissa to accompany you to the barn for months now, but your schedules never quite lined up or you had different plans together. But now, on this beautiful Saturday, you’ve convinced the redhead to join you in an excursion to the horse farm. You can tell she’s nervous, and you’re doing everything you can to calm her worries. 

“Babe, c’mon,” you chuckle. “It really isn’t that scary. It’s just a horse.”

“All I’m sayin’ is,” your girlfriend sighs. “When I get bucked off and break a hip, you’re the one who gets to take care of me.”

“You won’t,” you promise her, taking one of her hands in your own. “The horse I plan to put you on is one I’ve been riding for forever. Dolly is a good girl.”

“You named your horse Dolly?”

“After Dolly Parton,” you reveal with a grin. “The other horse I named there is Jolene.”

“Good lord,” she rolls her eyes lovingly at your antics. “I really am dating a dork.”

“And you love it! Now let’s go!”

You usher your girlfriend to your car excitedly. It’s been a bit since you’ve been back to the barn, and you know the owner is thrilled that you’re coming around. You told her you would be there at two, and it’s already 1:30.

When you pull in, you’re practically out of the car before you can even turn the vehicle off. Judy, the owner of the barn, is already sitting on her porch in a rocker waiting for your arrival.

“Judy!” you sprint up the steps and launch yourself into the older woman’s arms. You’ve missed her. You used to spend all of your time here before you were thrown into the real world and had to get a job.

“There’s my favorite girl,” she sighs and wraps you in her arms. You feel a maternal kiss being pressed to your cheek. “It’s been so long.”

“I stopped by a couple months ago!” you protest.

“To drop off some carrots for the animals,” she laughs as she pulls away.  “You didn’t even stick around for dinner.”

You stand back up straight to glance over at the car where Melissa is finishing up her coffee. You smile and blush. “Well, Judy… I did have dinner with my girlfriend that night.”

“Same girl you been seein’?” You nod. “You been seein’ her for a while. When do I get to meet this mystery girlfriend of yours?” the older woman raises a brow.

“Right now,” you say excitedly. You call over to the redhead. “Mel? C’mon, hun! I have someone I want you to meet!”

“I’m comin’!” she calls back. “Give me a few seconds to finish my coffee!”

You and the woman that you’ve known since you were young catch up for a bit before Melissa makes her way over.

“Judy, this is Melissa Schemmenti, my girlfriend,” you grin as you take her hand in your own.

“So you’re the reason I ain’t seen my little girl in so long,” Judy stares her down. You know she’s just playing, but you hope it doesn’t trigger Melissa’s fight or fight instinct.

“That’s me,” the redhead says with a smirk written on her face. “Nice t’meet ya Judy. I heard lots about you.” She sticks her hand out for the farm owner to shake.

Judy glances to you and gives a subtle head nod before taking Melissa’s hand in her own and shaking firmly.

“Aye, that’s a good handshake you got there,” the farm owner notes.

“It’s a power move,” Melissa shrugs. “Gotta show the idiot fathers that walk into my classroom who’s boss.”

“So you’re a teacher? That how you and Y/N met?”

“Judy!” you blush. “I already told you how we met!”

“It is,” Melissa doesn’t miss a beat. “Y/N came into the school bright and chipper, and while I normally can’t stand that kind of attitude, I had some soft spot for her… next thing you know, we’re dating.”

The older woman chuckles her deep laugh. “Just makin’ sure Y/N wasn’t lying. I remember her teenage years, you know.”

You turn a deeper shade of red. “Judy!”

“That’s all I’m sayin,” Judy shrugs and she stands from her chair. “C’mon, now. I’m sure Dolly and Jolene will be thrilled to see their favorite rider.”

You lead Melissa around the farm, providing a running record of everything you pass. Your girlfriend hands on to your every word, occasionally asking a question that you’re quick to answer. You know this place like the back of your hand. Judy watches the two of you with a twinkle in her eye. She’s been in your life since you were six, the first time your mother brought you down. She’s watched you grow and change, seen you through multiple boyfriends and girlfriends, and she has to admit that seeing you with Melissa is the happiest you’ve ever seemed. 

Every once in a while, she throws in some smart comment or little anecdote about your childhood. And every time, it’s met with a whined out, “Judy!” Both women just laugh at your antics. 

When you finally get into the horse barn, there stands Annette, the horse trainer that you haven’t seen in ages.

“Well golly,” she smiles broadly at the sight of you. “Judes, I know you said Y/N was dropping by, but this surely can’t be her.”

You drop Melissa’s hand in an instant to launch yourself at the woman you haven’t seen since before you went off to college. “Annette!”

“Hey, baby cakes,” she chuckles as she engulfs you in a hug. “Look at you, all grown up.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be here!”

“Well, Judes told me you were swingin’ by, and I had a free day,” the woman laughs with a sparkle in her eye. “I knew I couldn’t miss ya again. How you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been great!” you can’t contain the smile on your face. You tell her about college and how you’ve graduated, how you found a job teaching- to which she tells you how proud she is of you-, and then you tell her you have a girlfriend. “Annette, this is my girlfriend Melissa. Melissa is a second grade teacher at the school I work with. Mel, this is Annette. She taught me how to ride when I was a kid.”

The horse trainer, unlike Judy, grabs Melissa and pulls her into a tight hug. “Nice to meet ya, hun.”

“Yeah,” your girlfriend pats her back awkwardly. “Nice to meet you too.”

“I was hoping Mel and I could ride Dolly and Jolene?” you ask hopefully, rocking back and forth on your feet.

“I’m sure they would be more than happy to get out and run around for a bit,” the trainer smiles. She turns to Melissa. “You ever seen your girl ride?” 

“Not yet,” your girlfriend says.

“She’s one hell of a rider,” Annette grins. “You’re in for a treat. Have you ever ridden?”

“Today will be the first,” the redhead says nervously, playing with one of her rings. 

“You’re in good hands with the two of us,” you promise your girlfriend. “And like I told you, Dolly is a sweet girl.”

“She’s one of the best we have,” Judy tells her. “I’ve watched Annette put the young ones on her, and she’s just perfect with them. A great starter horse.”

“C’mon babe!” you take Melissa’s hand in your own again and start dragging her into the barn.

The two older women hang back as you enter.

“So,” Judy and Annette drawl out at the same time. They chuckle.

“She seems happy with this one,” Judy notes softly.

“She does,” Annette agrees. “This one better not break our girl’s heart.”

“I don’t think she will,” the farm owner tells her friend. “Any time the girl comes around, she’s always talking about Melissa. I watched as Y/N was showing her around, and she was looking at her like our girl hung the damned stars. And if she does, well… woman’s got another thing coming for her.”

“You got that one right,” Annette chuckles as she nudges her boss with an elbow. “C’mon. I gotta get in there to make sure Melissa isn’t having a heart attack over the size of Dolly.”

When the two of them enter the barn, you’re with your girlfriend in Dolly’s stall, and Melissa looks terrified. You, on the other hand, are grinning as you pet your horse and feed her a few apples.

“Oi,” Annette quips. “Don’t overfeed her.”

“I’m just giving her a few treats!” you protest as you continue to stroke the animal. “My good girl,” you coo. “Mel, c’mon.”

“I think you got that one, hun,” she stands in the corner of the stall, glancing at the animal with fear. 

“Babe, I promise, she’s a sweetie!” you wave her over. “You just have to stand to the side of her so she can see you and get used to you.”

Your girlfriend looks at you nervously, but listens. You give her a gentle head nod and a look of comfort and love. Annette and Judy don’t miss that look. You turn your attention to the redhead and help her get more comfortable around the horse, and before you know it, she’s feeding her a carrot and praising her sweetly. It melts your heart. 

“Do you want to try brushing her? She loves being groomed,” you suggest. At her nod, you show her how to do it. “If I leave you with Judy and Annette for a few minutes so I can go tend to Jolene, will you be okay?”

Melissa nods at you nervously, and you give her a quick peck on the lips. You shoot the two that you’ve known for decades a look, as if to say ‘behave yourselves’, before heading to a different part of the barn.

The redhead continues to groom the horse in front of her, but she can quickly feel two pairs of eyes trained on her.

“Can I help the two of you?” your girlfriend asks lowly. She’s trying to stay on her best behavior for you- she knows how much you care for the two, and she oddly wants their approval.

Neither woman says anything, so Melissa keeps her eyes trained on the horse until the silence is broken. 

“What are your plans with our girl?” Annette asks lowly.

Melissa raises a brow as she slowly stops grooming Dolly. “What do you mean?”

“What are your intentions and all that shit?” she asks. 

“She’s my girlfriend, and I want to make her happy?” your girlfriend glances over.

“You know,” Judy cuts in quietly. “The two of us have quite a soft spot for Y/N. You hurt her, and we will find you.”

“I ain’t got no plans to hurt my girl,” Melissa states confidently. You start to round the corner to re-enter Dolly’s stall, but you’re quite interested to see what the redhead has to say. “I’m not some loser her age who is going to take advantage of her. I love that girl, and one of these days… I’m gonna marry her.”

“What makes you so confident?” the farm owner asks, and you know she’s much tougher to gain approval than Annette is. 

“The fact that we’ve talked about getting married and starting our lives together,” Melissa tells them. “The fact that I got a ring hidden in my classroom that I know she’ll love.”

“Is it-”

“It’s white gold,” the teacher cuts Judy off. “I know what my girl likes, and I fully intend on making her the happiest woman alive. I can’t wait to be able to call her Mrs. Schemmenti.”

“How do you know she isn’t going to keep her last name?”

“Because we’ve talked about how she can’t wait to get rid of her last name,” Melissa chuckles.

“She has always hated it,” Annette chimes in with a hearty chuckle. “It ain’t even that bad a last name.”

“She’s my girl,” your girlfriend says simply. “I’ll do everything I can to always keep that gorgeous smile of hers on her face. Even if most of it scares the living shit outta me.”

“Like?”

“Like… I’m terrified of horses,” Melissa tells them honestly. “But I’m here.”

“You are,” Annette smiles. “And Dolly seems to love you already.”

“I know she wants marriage, and I’ve already done the marriage and divorce,” she confides in them quietly. “I know she wants kids, and I’ve always been terrified of having kids. But I know they’ll turn out okay as long as Y/N is around. She’s a… that woman is something. She makes every day worth living, and she makes every day the brightest day I’ve ever had. She’s my girl- my everything.”

Melissa’s eyes sparkle with love, and her tone conveys just how much she cares about you and is willing to go the extra mile for you. You have to choke down a quiet sob at her words.

“Ain’t that sweet,” Annette coos.

“Sweet, and heartfelt,” Judy gives a nod of approval before turning serious again. “But I swear to God, you mess up… we’ll find you.”

“Trust me, I ain’t got no plans to fuck it up with this one,” Melissa tells them. “She’s it for me.”

Your second and third mother give simultaneous hums of approval, and you see it as your time to enter without them knowing you were listening.

“Baby!” you bounce over and kiss her cheek. “I got Jolene all ready to ride if you wanted to give it a go?”

Your girlfriend looks extremely nervous, but she nods. “If that’s what you want to do.”

Judy and Annette give each other nods of approval at knowing just how scared Melissa was to get on the horse, but she was going to do it for you.

“I promise, Dolly will be just fine for you,” you assure her. “And whenever you’ve had enough, I’ll take them both out to do some jumping and stuff with them.”

“I’ll grab Jo for you,” Annette volunteers herself. “Judes, you wanna come?”

The two exit a few seconds later, giving you optimal time with the redhead. 

“Let me just grab her saddle, you a helmet, and we should be set?” you suggest.

She smiles as her eyes linger on you. “Sounds like a plan, amore.”

You kiss her gently. “I know this is new and scary for you, but thank you for doing it for me.”

“Anything for my girl,” she mumbles against your lips. “Anything at all.”

“Let me get Dolly ready for you to ride, and then we can take her out, and I’ll show you everything you’ll need to know,” you tell her. 

It’s only a few minutes later that you reconvene with Judy and Annette, Dolly the horse following behind you as you lead her into the pen. 

“You ready, hun?” you ask Melissa gently. At her nod, you lead her over to the two that work on the farm. You help Melissa up onto the horse, and then you expertly mount Jolene. You teach her how to get the horse to walk, and when she seems comfortable with that, you ask her if she wants to try to get the horse to trot. She seems nervous, but with you by her side and Annette helping to handle the horse, she gives a nod.

Trotting is not much her speed, so Annette helps to slow the horse back down, and you grin at her.

“I’m proud of you for trying,” you tell your girlfriend sweetly. “Whenever you feel you’ve had enough, I can help you off of Jo, and then I’ll take them both out for just a bit to keep up with their training.”

After about ten more minutes of walking the horses, Melissa has felt that she’s had enough. You help her dismount. Her, Annette, and Judy exit the pen, and you’re left to do what you love.

You have to admit that you’re showing off a bit, and you know Melissa is eating it up. Her eyes don’t leave you the entire time that you ride both horses. You send her a wink whenever you pass her on either of the horses. 

Judy and Annette watch Melissa watch you. They can’t believe how much love can be conveyed in just one simple look.

Finally, you’re finished, and you take off your helmet with a smile and a toss of your hair.  You lead both horses over to where your group is standing, and you hand Dolly’s lead to Melissa.

“Walk with me to take them back to their stalls?” you ask as you extend your hand out. She takes it gently, and the two of you head back for the barn hand in hand. Annette and Judy follow behind, looking at the two of you fondly.

“Stay back on second,” the horse trainer says softly, and Judy stops in her tracks. Annette pulls out her phone and takes a few pictures of you and your girlfriend as you chat and lead the horses back to their stalls. After examining the pictures for a few seconds, she grins. “They are a cute couple.”

“I suppose,” Judy bites her lip. “But I’m serious. If Melissa hurts our girl-”

“I know, I know,” Annette rolls her eyes lightheartedly. “You’ll have your foot so far up her ass, she won’t be able to walk for weeks. But have a little faith in this one. That woman looks at Y/N like my Frankie used to look at me, and we were the happiest couple.”

“I thought I recognized that look,” Judy sighs softly. 

“So, give her a chance?”

“I am, I am,” the farm owner waves off. They follow the two of you into the barn.

After the horses are away, you take Melissa’s hand in your own and start to head out of the barn.

“Oi,” Judy calls to the two of you. “Are you at least gonna stay for dinner or what?”

Melissa squeezes your hand, silently saying that it’s entirely up to you. You nod with a smile. “If you’ll have us.”

“Good. I have enough food to feed a small village, and I need help cleaning out for the next season of planting,” the farm owner chuckles.

Dinner is nice. You get to hear about what Judy and Annette have been up to, they ask what you’ve been spending your time doing, and they get to know your girlfriend just a bit more. Melissa’s usually stoic and stony persona is set aside, and you know how much this is taking in her to answer every question they ask her with as little snark as possible. You’ll tell her how much you appreciate it later tonight… or rather, show her. 

Before you know it, you’re bidding goodbyes to your mentors. They each give Melissa a hug, which shocks you- Judy has never given your former partners a hug before. She usually just glares them down with a firm handshake. In that moment, you know your current girlfriend has Judy’s stamp of approval. 

You pull your keys out of your jacket pocket, and Melissa smiles gently at you- that soft, warm smile that made you fall for her in the first place.

“I can drive home if you want,” she offers quietly.

“You just want control of the music,” you tease her. 

“You can have control,” she chuckles. “I just thought I’d offer.”

“I won’t pass up on not having to drive home,” you giggle softly as you hand your keys over. “Thank you, love.”

She presses a delicate kiss to your temple as the two of you walk to the car. She holds the door open for you, as she always does, before closing it for you and climbing in. 

“You can play your music if you want,” you tell her.

“Play what you want, my love,” she smiles as she turns on your headlights. She starts to back out with a small wave and smile to Annette and Judy. By the time you’re pulling out of the farm, Sara Bareilles is playing softly through the stereo, and a warm hand has settled on your knee. 

“Thank you for showing me what you love,” she leans over and kisses your cheek, eyes never leaving the road. 

“Thank you for coming with me,” you say just as softly. “What did you think?”

“I’m not as terrified of horses as I used to be,” she tells you with a quiet laugh.

“Judy and Annette didn’t scare you off?” you tease before turning a bit serious. “They’ve scared off quite a few who they didn’t deem worthy of my time… Judy has never actually hugged any one of my past boyfriends or girlfriends.”

“I think I showed them how much I care for you, amore,” she states confidently. “And if Judy hasn’t ever given your past people hugs… I think I’m doing pretty damned good.”

“I love you,” you sigh softly as you lay a hand over hers and lay your head on her shoulder.

“I love you too,” she tells you gently. “But you already know that.”

—

“So… we met Melissa,” Judy and Annette tell your mother over the phone.

“Oh? And what did you think?” your mom asks.

Both women that work on the farm glance at each other.

“She’ll do just fine,” Judy gives your mother a thumbs up.

“I agree,” your mom tells them. “Are we placing bets on when Melissa is going to propose?” 

The two women on the phone at the farm know your mother’s tricks though. 

“She already told you she got a ring, didn’t she?” Annette asks.

“Dammit.”

[lovinglonerhybrid]

(Throws head-cannons into the wild) Go! Go be free my little ideas!

Anyway have some random ideas!

When he was still in the pits of kaon megatron and Soundwave took a small up and coming gladiator under there wings. This gladiator was heatwave who was sold to the pits as a youngling. The elder gladiators protected him and helped him save up to escape the pits and join the rescue bots.

Ironhide,Kup,and hightide all have a group chat where they complain about the young bots. That is until Ironhide got the terroir twins sideswipe and sunstreaker and kup got hotrod. Then they started to boast about how good there little cadets are doing look hot rods an outlier. Hightide felt left out untill he got the rescue bots then he was all into boasting how he had the best cadets and there all so cute and feisty. Hotrod makes a chat for the cadets forced to put up with grumpy old men and adds the rescue bots.

There are more bots on earth than most people know. Ironhide the twins along with mirage and hound have been on earth since the late 1800s when they escaped from one of shockwaves labs. The experiment he was running turned them all into beastfomers. Ironhide is a horse and had adopted a cowboy who he saved the life of named Arthur Morgan (I need him to live I’m sorry). Sideswipe and sunstreaker are wolves and mirage is a barn owl. Hound is a hound dog. They all live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere and are unaware of the other bots on earth.

Kup hotrod and drift are all in Japan and are having a wonderful vacation. They end up partnering up with Mikos older sister. Who helps them find whirl. She and whirl get along a bit to well.

Woodrow burns knew about cybertronions long before he meet prime and the rescue bots. When he went to university for his archaeology degree he had some professors who had the whole class sign an nda agreement. Those professors where Skyfire,percepter,and brainstorm. When the whent on field trips the class would all ride in Skyfire and Woodrow is so pissed he can’t brag to Charlie that he knew the aliens first.

Anyway that’s all for now. Have fun and buy gold.

(Also comments and interactions are greatly appreciated I love all of you)

[mattybstqrn]

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 - 𝐀.𝐖

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐

Female Reader x Alex Walter

~Two Years ago.~

Y/n and Alex stood outside of Alex's house as they got their gear to go on a ride. The two friends hadn't hung out in a while, but that was only because there was a rumor going around that the two liked each other and they did but they didn't admit it to each other.

Y/n and Alex had been best friends since she moved there four years ago, she was scared and had no friends or siblings, and then she met Alex, he helped her find her classes, helped her with homework, and was very honest and nice and that was all she needed. One good friend, but then she met three more friends, Grace, Kiley, and Skylar, the five of them hung out all of the time Alex and Y/n especially, they were closer than all of them.

Then five years later she developed a crush on Alex and had been crushing on him for a year everyone knew but no one said anything about it, she didn't want Alex to know. She didn't want to be or feel rejected.

Alex however had developed a crush on her within a month of knowing her. He loved everything about her, her smile, her eyes, her lips, her hair, how shy she was when she first met him, how comfortable she was with him now, the way she laughed, or the way she got angry when she lost a video game, the way she always found a way to make a joke even at bad timing, she just loved to try and lighten the mood.

Once again all of their friends and some of Alex's brothers knew that he liked her and that she liked him, but no one had yet to say anything. As much as Alex wanted to tell Y/n he didn't think she felt the same, but did he know how wrong he was?

Y/n and Alex stood in Alex's barn as she helped him tack up the two horses. "Can you hold this?" Alex asked handing her the saddle blanket, "Yeah," Y/n softly replied taking it from his hands, after a few minutes they finished and started riding to their spot.

"You think you can beat me there?" Alex called out, "Uh yeah," Y/n replied with a 'duh' tone, Y/n whistled, and Emerald took off with Alex and his horse (I forgot his/her name) following behind them.

Emerald galloped on into the sunset with Y/n riding on her back, Y/n wasn't even paying attention to her surroundings, she was too busy staring at the sunset, and she was mesmerized by how beautiful the scenery was. So mesmerized she couldn't even hear Alex calling out for her.

"Y/n! Y/n?" Alex called out as she stared at the sunset, Y/n tugged on the reins telling Emerald to stop which she did causing Alex to get off of his horse and walk over to Y/n, "Y/n, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine," Y/n said not daring to look away from the view, "Do you need some help?" he asked, "Yeah," Y/n slowly nodded. Alex took Y/n's hands into his helping her off her horse and onto the ground, slightly stumbling off of her horse only to be caught by Alex, "Woah there," slowly bringing herself to her feet with the help of Alex.

"The sunset is beautiful," Y/n huffed out focusing all of her attention back on the sunset, "Yeah," Alex agreed looking over at the girl he had been crushing on for years, "Y/n?"

"Yeah?" she questioned looking over at her best friend whose face was centimeters away from hers, both Alex and Y/n breathed in slowly inching closer to one another, and Y/n made the first move hoping that this was clear enough to him that she liked him.

She slowly leaned in until her lips landed on his, Alex was taken aback, he didn't know what to do and neither did Y/n neither of them had even had their first kiss, so this was all new to them but they both knew that they didn't want to pull away.

Alex hesitantly kissed back, and they continued to kiss until they both breathlessly pulled away, "That was amazing," "I had no idea what I was doing," Alex and Y/n spoke simultaneously,

"Was it bad?" Y/n asked, "Did I do something wrong? Was it my breath or my-"

"The kiss was perfect," Alex spoke cutting you off, "Don't overthink it," he added, "Are you sure?" "I'm more than sure," he nodded chuckling softly, "Then do you think we could maybe try it again?" Y/n shyly asked, "I do," Alex chuckled with a nod.

The two stared at each other slowly closing the space between them, bringing their lips together with smiles, a few seconds into the kiss Y/n placed her hand on Alex's cheek as they continued kissing. Alex placed his hand on her waist slightly squeezing it the deeper the kiss got.

The two breathlessly pulled away looking deep into each other's eyes trying to catch their breath, "Alex?" "Yeah?"

"I like you... and in case it wasn't obvious which I'm sure it was, I like a lot more than just friends," Y/n breathed out waiting for his response "I like you too," he smiled.

Y/n looked at him, her smile getting bigger by the second until Alex pulled you back into the kiss which you immediately returned.

They spent the rest of the evening riding their horses as they watched the sunset and then later on went home thinking about the kisses, they shared non-stop.

Neither of them could get any sleep thinking about the events that happened earlier that day.

[celeluwhenfics]

Since we’re talking horse girl histories and you’ve already let slip the FASCINATING detail that you were once a horse-mounted sheep herder, would you also like to share more about your time as a horse girl? Inquiring minds would love to know whatever you feel like putting out there! ♥️

This is a long overdue reply! Thanks for the ask, and for your patience... Here we go, story time! Be ready for a long rant and too many horse pictures.

Basically, from age 8, I've been that girl completely obsessed with horses. After consistently nagging my parents, I got to get weekly riding lessons and sometimes a summer camp week. (Lucky kid, I know!)

One of my first lessons, wasn't this boy GORGEOUS?! His name was Monty. Not from Monty Python, but from Monty Roberts.

I got to the point where I could volunteer at the stable without being too much of a nuisance, and I participated in two very small jumping competitions. However at age 12 or 13 I decided to stop, being busy with a ridiculously demanding school. This is also when I started being much more serious about piano. (Which is another story entirely!)

Capturing the essence of being an 11yo horse girl in the year 2000. The tshirt says "Harry Pony"

Fast forward to when I was 22, I somehow got a little money of my own, and for some reason, my very first thought was, HORSES. So I got back into it, fell a couple times pretty hard, and became just as obsessed as I had ever been, if not more.

In parallel to doing my MA, I mucked for lessons, assisted a friend trainer, read lots, had a half-pension for a couple months, and sometimes assisted in "babysitting" entire barns for a couple days when the owners were on holiday. I did some jumping, but I was most interested in dressage. I never got to a super good level as a rider, but I really got a good variety of experiences.

I adored this guy I had in half-pension in 2013... He sent me flying through that fence a couple times, but he was the best. Sapporo ❤️

Then I was incredibly lucky that my MA advisor was a horse girl too, and she invited the whole class to retreat seminars on a farm which had about 80 Icelandic horses. My heart exploded for these little guys. I would visit that place (aka paradise) as often as I could. This blessed farm and the lovely family that owns it is the inspiration for the Aldburg paradise in which the pHORSEuasion flashbacks will happen...

I learned Icelandic, and I organized that the summer after I finished my MA (like literally 48 hours after defending), I flew to Iceland to soak in its unique horse culture.

First, I volunteered at the annual horse competition, Landsmót Hestamanna, and saw some of the THE most impressively gorgeous horses the country had to offer, in a surreal scenery, and under a sun that Would. Not. Set.

Then I went on a 1-month intensive language course in Reykjavík, slept little, did too much grammar, broke up with an annoying boyfriend, and tried speaking with locals. But after that the real thing started.

I moved to a sheep breeding farm in the North East (aka edge of the world, super isolated, big nearby metropolis is a 300 people village), that had been looking for an au-pair to help with farm work, guesthouse work, babysitting, and horse riding. I stayed there for only two months, but oh boyy. I don't even know where to start with sharing this experience.

But it will be for another post!

Btw my DMs are always open if anyone has horsey questions or would like some horsetopic-specific beta-ing when writing about Rohan, if you need help with some research of if you want to make sure that a riding scene is realistic! I'm not a horse professional but as you can guess I've been through some stuff... 😅

[amurih]

I know that Squak is going to be the “fun” Uncle for Peep but what if the others? I trying to imagine like Peep describing her mother’s “family” tree and it’s fucking wild man. Like she’s giving like a “ my family tree” presentation to her class:

After a long explanation as to what bad parts of birds Great-grandfather is made up of Peep is ready to share with the class her TOP 5 favorite family members on her Mother’s side.

First is what looks like a professional headshot of a dark skinned man’s with bird like features giving a seductive/suggestive look and an signature autograph of the pen named “Airry Pearry”.

“And here is Uncle Squak, he likes to party hard and write stories with me. Mommy says I can’t have the special drinks and Glad Stuff that she and uncle like to have until I get bigger, but they give me my favorite juice and candy so I can have fun too!”

Peep slides over to the next set of people on the board labeled Andhera and BINX. A picture of a handsome tall man with a small cloud over his head standing next to a shorter woman with a choppy bob and moth wings on her back. Both look like a deer in the headlights spooked from having their picture taken in grubby shirts, stretchy leggings, and mismatched socks.

“And here is Uncle Andhera and Aunt BINX; uncle is the prince of the Unseelie Court and can fold so many animal out of paper, and knows a lot about caves! Auntie has a HUGE collection of cool stuff that people forgot! Uncle also has a dog with a face of an old man named Grandpa Dog! It even speaks! Aunt BINX gives me hot chocolate when we go camping outside and always has a warm blanket for when it gets cold.”

They then slide their fingers to the last two names in front of the children. Both Huge and monstrous beings wearing really fancy clothing. One with the face of a canine, many teeth and sharp claws. The other the head of a green barn owl but the body of a bear wearing flowers on them.

“And here is Uncle Hob and Auncle Rue. Uncle Hob is big and scary looking at first, but he is very soft and gentle and lets me ride his horse with him. I once saw him punch a tree in half while getting the fire wood on our camping trip with Aunt BINX and Uncle Andera. Auncle Rue is so pretty and always wears the nicest clothes. I like to dress up with them and have our tea parties! They used to plan and host BIG parties for everyone in all the realms of the fey wild.Mommy, and Uncle Squak, and Uncle Andhera, and Aunt BINX, and Uncle Hob met at one of their parties. They like to play matchmaker.”

[puddin-dear]

The Old Barn

The thoughts of a therian, by Tapioca

Every time I think back to my life as a barn cat, one singular memory plays in my head. I leap off the old fence, which I can never recall what exactly was the color of the thing. I bound into a grassy field, did it have hay or flowers? Only the old me knows. I pad into the even older barn, which I believe was a dull red. I can’t exactly make out what the entire scene looks like, but I can imagine what my past must’ve held.

I imagine theres a house next to the barn, where the old farmer must live in. Was it a guy? I think it was. I find myself calling him the old farmer, it seems the entire place was decades old.

I enter the barn, the interior’s layout I cannot fully recall. I wonder if there were other animals with me. Perhaps horses? Sheep? Goat? Cattle? Pigs? Chickens? Did my farmer grow crops or raise livestock? Only he and the old me know.

I wonder if there was a herding dog that worked alongside me, a coworker, a companion, a friend. If there was, I think they’d be a collie. A black border collie at that. I’m sure the herder would be the old farrmers best friend when off duty, sleeping in the mans old run down house while I settled on the hay of the barn.

I have no hard feelings for this theoretical dog, I prefer my hay bales over their dog bed. My freshly caught prey over their kibble.

I wonder what prey I caught, whatever I was put on this barn for. What population was I set to control? Mice? Of what kind? Rats? Squirrel? Chipmunks? Moles? What rodents plagued the old farms crops, or livestock?

I wonder what kind of bugs scattered across the barn walls and floors. Centipedes? Roaches? Beatles? Ladybugs? Moths? Flies? Were there spiderwebs in the corners? Did I swat at them as they tried to run by?

How many kits did I have? Did the old farmer let me keep them? Did he give them collars? Did he give them names? What was my name? I hope it wasn’t some glamorized spanish name like “Luna” or “Sol”.

Did my farmer speak english? Spanish? Japanese? French? What race was he? Was he a colored man? Or was he a white man?

Did this man have a wife? a partner? a husband? Did he have friends? Did I ever meet these possible companions of his?

I wonder if I had any companions, perhaps the barn was large enough to need two barn cats? I’d imagine there’d be an orange cat with a blue collar named something like “Sparky”. I’m sure this Sparky would be a hyper cat. We’d probably get along well.

Who even was the other cat involved with my kits? Not that it mattered, they’d never be allowed around my precious kittens anyways.

I wonder how my kits are now? They’re probably dead, I won't lie. I wonder if any of my kits had kittens? Did my bloodline continue? Is there a descendant of mine somewhere out there?

I wonder if this descendant of mine is also a barn cat? Or a street cat maybe? A softer house cat? Do they know how to hunt anymore? I hope this possible kin of mine still knows how to catch the swiftest of birds and the cleverest of mice.

I have so many questions one will never be able to answer for me. Questions only me, the old farmer, his dog, my kits and Sparky will ever know. Perhaps its better to keep it that way. To forever be left wondering on my life once was.

Even with that thought though, I still find myself longing to return to the old barn with the old fence. Wishing I can run up to the old farmer and rub my fur against his legs as he greets me with a warm smile and a gentle headrub.

I long to run alongside the herding dog as they work, hoping to cause a little bit of playful chaos.

I long to catch prey alongside Sparky, before taking the rest of the day to feed my kittens and teach them what I know.

Maybe spend some time with the livestock, just for a little bit.

But for now, i’ll rest in my human nest. I’ll eat my human food and attend my school classes. I’ll speak to my human friends and play my human video games.

I’ve accepted my humanity, i’ll admit. But that doesn’t change the ache in my heart as I long to touch the grass with my paws once more.

————

Thanks for reading, I wrote this earlier as I was thinking of my past as this barn cat, the same questions that constantly repeat in my mind and so on.

[eternalwritingstudent]

9 Lines, 9 People

I finished saddling the horse Terris had gotten for me to use, but movement caught my eye as I led my mount out. A large silvery grey drake cat strolled down the walkway between stalls, seeming to own the barn. It stepped into the stall with Emberlen who scratched its ears before it left again. When it approached the horse, it stood nearly to the horses elbow or breast. King Windser’s hunting dogs were out classed with this animal around. She’d be faster, fiercer, and she could fly. “You have a drake cat?” I blurted it out before I realized what I’d said. As I stepped further into the walkway, I held my hand out hoping to pet the scale and fur covered creature. “I’ve had her since I was little. Only gift my mother ever sent me. Her name is Lady Vicious.” “She does look vicious.” The cat sniffed my finger, then rubbed her head against my hand deciding to me pet her. It seemed vicious only applied to her prey, because the tail swishing and purring claimed she was quite happy.

I shall tag @pheita, @cwritesfiction @dahliaornelas, @heylook-anotherwritingblog @valyalyon @sarahlizziewrites @awordchemist, @at-thezenith, @words-after-midnight. As always no pressure, feel free to ignore. Anyone else who wants to join in feel free.

[kate-embershield]

✨Jorvik Riding Academy ✨

PT1

Firstly, i did not expect to get that much attention on my first Jorvik Academy post, so thank you all SO MUCH!!

Second, I want to go more in depth about the Academy. So, in no particular order, i'm going to be going over some of the things people in the reblogs said...

@bridge-to-jorvik Thank you!

And yes, the idea for the Academy is to combine a lot of the current mechanics into one big hub of sorts. More rescue foals, and hopefully with time, sso could introduce foals from different breeds, big shire foals the size of the player, knobby knee'd akhal-teke's, just plenty of new baby's with different builds.

Perhaps with its proximity to Jorvik city, new furniture stores could be opened up, with a wide array off different aesthetics and decor to choose from that players could customise their dorms/homes with.

@samanthawd i'm pretty sure if enough players pitched in a dollar, we could buy a small island.

The idea is definitely that the Academy is a place where even those who aren't students are welcome. In regards to daily's, most of the 'classroom' quests are just general horse facts, learning about Jorvik and its history, the myths and legends surrounding the magical horses. Just general information to make the world feel more full, and even then , there would be alternate daily's where you could 'teach' a class instead of learn.

@toruq i'm absolutely not freaking out because I LOVE your art!!!

I unfortunately haven't had the chance to play the other games, nor read much of the comics, but I was vaguely aware of Star Academy and Jorvik high, just not there names. The academy itself was based off the idea of Star Academy.

Now while I did call it an Academy, it's more of a prestigious title, it would very much be a uni/college of sorts. The idea is that its a higher education program that is open to equestrians globally, resulting in many different disciplines would be taught and practiced.

@froggistain Your reply is a little long to fit, so i've condensed it a bit.

Why not make it an updated Jorvik stables? Since Jorvik stables is already a place cemented in cannon, I didn't want to intrude too much on the existing lore of Jarlaheim and the stables, hence why I placed it in an unreleased area. I wholeheartedly agree that the area could be expanded on and utilised more, and an early concept of Jorvik Academy had it as such, but again, Jarlaheim and the stables are already so familiar to the playerbase.

Factions within the Academy, and respective tack sets. Yes, much like the wild horses, each discipline would have reputation and faction specific tack that would be obtainable through leveling up. The idea of certain sets contributing to certain skills is amazing!

Course building, difficulty and club riding. The idea of players being able to build different courses and tracks is amazing! And with how large the Academy is, even if a club is using one of the arenas, there would still be plenty of room for other players to move about around the grounds. And I love the idea of including a difficulty rating, the entire idea behind the Academy is to teach people the basics of horsemanship without the need to go to a barn or riding school.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented!! I love seeing people enjoy my silly little overzealous ideas!

I've also sketched up some more tack ideas. The first one is more specifically a Parade set, because I love the idea of, much like the Pride parade, once a week/month, students and teachers would ride around central Jorvik, maybe to a town in the planes, maybe to the city. There could be carriages, flags flown, just a big parade that players could ride in or watch.

Again, the classic viridian, but to show how the tacks could look in other colours, i've included pink and purple, with matching riders clothes.

Ive also designed a more regal/armoured set, originally this one was catered towards a magical horse, but i think it could be really fun to branch out with the tack designs in the game. We already have horned bridals, so this was ultimately an extension of those.

The viridian and Gold of the Academy, but with a bit of a vampire/Halloween vibe in the silver and red, and a more muted autumnal pallet in the green and bronze.

And...

✨ spooky horse time✨

I had a lot of fun designing this one, especially since its halloween , and with the new magic horses coming out, I love seeing SSE branch out with additional things on there models, such as the horns and antlers.

Kelpie here was incredibly fun to design, especially with all of the reeds and water-plants hanging from them, and I would love to see some of the unique horses get Quests or chance encounters, it would add so much more to there lore, and the entire lore of the island.

[dressagecow]

Disappeared again. It’s been a hard year and 24 hasn’t been kind. My mom died, suddenly. I had to move. Financial aid cut me off completely. I’ve barely done anything with Nav this year, so he’s been enjoying semi-retirement. My barn owner occasionally finds underhanded ways to comment on it. But he’s fine.

At the very least, I have less than three weeks left of school, ever. And then I graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I’ve been taking classes all through the summer to finish this and move on with my life.

One other good thing did happen: I was blessed with Nav’s past and background. Almost all of it!

Someone from my first barn messaged me one day to say that she kept seeing someone making posts in various groups on Facebook, looking for a specific horse. A horse that looked like mine. She sent me the post they’d been sharing, and I was ready to brush it off, but…it really did seem to be him. The post read that she was looking for a 19 year old quarter horse x hackney cross that she lost track of 10 years ago when she gave him away. I messaged the woman and sent her pictures of him to double check that yes, this is the horse she was looking for. And it was!

We went back and forth for a while, and she told me everything she knew about him. He was born in 2004 after a man bought his dam in foal at an auction, supposedly having been exposed to a hackney stallion wherever she came from. His dam was a “big stocky buckskin paint”, so we know where he got his color from. The auction where she was bought was also in an area that was tied to an indigenous population of Chippewa, so when he was born, the man’s children named him “Spirit of the Chippewa”. The woman I spoke with picked him up from the original owner in 2008, and she shortened his name to Chip. He was still a stallion, so she had him gelded and tried to get him started under saddle. She was just a green teenager at the time herself though, so it was kind of a rough start. She sort of just let him be for a while after that, and eventually gave him to a local man with a petting zoo in 2013. The man had a girlfriend who said she was would take him into the city for training, and that’s where she lost track of him.

She sent me the Facebook profile of the man who originally owned him, but he hasn’t been active for a while so I didn’t get a response when I reached out. I also did some digging and found the petting zoo man she referred to. He can’t remember having a Navaho, but he had some Spirits and some Chips. He mentioned that his girlfriend would’ve taken a horse like him into the city, put 30-60 days of riding on him, and then they would’ve resold him at an auction somewhere more down south in the state. He said he remembered faces better than names, but didn’t respond to texts with pictures of him. Nonetheless, I’m sure it was this guy; Nav was just passing through for them.

So somewhere between 2013 and 2015 (when my first barn purchased him, and I subsequently purchased him from them), Nav was probably taken to auction, had his name changed, eventually ended up at a barn with a winery (unclear if they were the ones who got him from the auction), and then was sold to my barn and later, me. While I have the basic details for these two years, the full story and other possible hands that dealt with him aren’t very clear. Back in the day, I did reach out to this barn he was purchased from, and they recalled having him, recalled getting him from a “flipper” (fitting the description of mr. petting zoo), but didn’t have a clear timeline. The lady there was pregnant and quickly downsizing when they sold him, so details were blurry.

But aside from the fuzzy two years, that’s it. That’s his whole story. Now I know his true age and birth year, and I know what his breeding (probably) is. We were only off by a year, thinking he was 18, and we always knew his other half was probably something goofy given his conformation and movement, so it’s nice to have those pieces of the puzzle. If I ever hear from the original owner, I hope to get more information. Specifically, I’d like baby pictures and/or pictures of his dam, plus his birthday. I doubt he has any papers out there.

He’s had a minimum of six owners, and technically been auctioned twice. His name has been changed. But that’s all behind him now, he’s with me and that’s it for him.

The lad, for good measure.

[buckysqueen80]

Warnings: violence, fluff, angst, slow burn

Ex’s are Ex’s for a Reason

Bucky’s POV:

Ellie, Steve and I had been friends since we were in middle school together.

Steve and I lived next door to each other, so we grew up together from the time that we could walk and talk.

We met Ellie on the first day of third grade.

She had transferred to our school, and when we sat down in class, there was a knock on the classroom door, and in walked our principal with a shy Ellie trodding in behind them.

Keeping her eyes on the ground, she stood at the front of the class, while our teacher, Ms.Mabel,introduced her to the rest of the class.

She had the reddest hair that looked like molten lava, braided in the cutest pigtails, and green eyes that shone like emeralds.

When she was asked to say hi to the class, she lifted her head up, and you could see a patch of freckles that went from one cheek, crossing over the bridge of her nose to the other side of her cheek.

She had the softest voice imaginable, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her, even back then.

When we went out for recess after lunch, we found her sitting on a bench, keeping to herself.

As Steve and I walked up to her, we stopped a few feet away, so we didn’t intimidate her.

I cleared my throat, and she looked up at us, those eyes piercing into my soul.

“Um, Ellie?” I stammered, unsure what to do next.

I heard the feeblest whisper of a “Yeah?” come from her lips.

I was rooted into spot and my hand immediately went to the back of my neck to try and rub the nerves away.

Steve, seeing how shy I had gotten, walked closer to her, extending his hand for her to shake it.

“Hi Ellie! I’m Steve. Steve Rogers, and this is my best pal, Bucky Barnes! Nice to meet you!” he said.

When Steve had said my name, she let out a little giggle.

“Bucky? That’s a strange name.” she said, before looking down again, realizing that she said that out loud.

I couldn’t help but feel my face flush at her comment.

“My name is actually James, but people call me Bucky because my middle name is too hard for some to pronounce, and I don’t like going by my first name.” I muttered almost under my breath.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Bucky is a very unique, but strange name. I like it. It suits you!” she whispered.

“My name is Ellie Campbell. I just moved here from Galway.” she said, looking between the two of us.

“Where is Galway? I don’t remember seeing that on any map of the States?” Steve said.

Again, Ellie let out a giggle.

“That’s because it’s not in the States. It’s in Ireland.” she said, her chin sticking out in either pride or stubbornness. Which, I wasn’t sure.

Steve nodded towards the space on the bench on either side, to indicate if we could sit.

When she nodded, we each sat on either side of her.

“Well, Ellie from Galway, we would like to be the first to welcome you to Brooklyn.” Steve said.

“Would you like to be our friend?” I ask, secretly wishing she said yes.

As a radiant smile beamed on her face, she nodded, causing her pigtails to sway.

Standing up, we motioned for her to join us in the school yard.

From that point on, the three of us were inseparable.

****

9 years later:

“Buck!! Common!! We’re going to be late for our own graduation!!” Ellie called out to me.

I came flying down stairs, hopping down onto the landing with a thud.

“I’m coming, hold your horses, Spitfire!” I told her.

I called her Spitfire, because as Steve and I found out that first year, she had one hell of a temper.

I also had to admit, sometimes, I did things just to get her going because she was really feisty when she was mad.

That and I had the tendency of living recklessly.

“Took you long enough, Pal! I don’t know why you spend so much time on your hair?” Steve said, taking the moment to try and mess with my perfectly styled hair.

“You know I need to look good for the ladies as I walk across that stage right?” I said, sending Ellie a wink, that she just rolled her eyes at.

“I swear, James, one of these days, some girl is going to make you an honest man!” I heard my mom say from the kitchen door, arms folded, but looking at the three of us with pride.

She came over and pulled me in for a hug, kissing my forehead, which I tried to get out of, causing Steve and Ellie to go into a fit of giggles.

Frowning, I walked over to the mirror and made sure not a hair was out of place.

“Common now, you three. You will be late for your graduation if you don’t get moving. James, your father and I will be there in the audience. Good luck, you three! I’m so proud of you!!” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Thanks Ma! We will see you after the ceremony!” I said, as the three of us went out the front door.

After the ceremony, the graduating class were out on the football field posing for the class picture.

Steve was on Ellie’s right, and I was on her left.

Just before the picture was taken, I took hold of her hand and gave her a squeeze, as she turned her head, looking up at me, as she smiled, while I smiled down at her.

That’s how our class photo was taken.

Us smiling at each other.

****

4 years later:

After college, the three of us got a place in the city.

We had been living there for just about a year, which was when Ellie met Kyle.

At first Ellie spent all her free time with Kyle, whether it was them going out, or him being at the apartment.

I really didn’t care for him.

I barely knew him, but there was something about him that I couldn’t put my finger on.

Steve liked to bug me by saying it was because I was jealous.

That kept going on for months.

That was, until the day Ellie came home crying with a black eye and a busted lip.

As she walked into the apartment, she kept her head down and tried to scurry to her room.

She would have made it, had Steve not called out to her.

“Hey El! Where are you off to in a hurry? Don’t you say hi to us anymore?” He joked.

When she stopped suddenly in her tracks, I noticed her shoulders shaking.

I got up from the couch and walked over to her.

“Ellie?” I said, lightly touching her shoulder.

At the mere contact, she flinched, so I carefully walked around in front of her, crouching down to look at her face.

When she looked up at me, those usually beautiful sparkling green eyes were dull, swollen and one was starting a nice shiner.

I inhaled sharply, standing up straight and looked at Steve with panic on my face, then back to Ellie.

“Hey, Spitfire, it’s ok, you’re here with us. We won’t hurt you. What happened?” I ask, my voice trying to contain the rage I felt, that someone could do this to her.

I guided her back to the couch and she sat down, shivering.

I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over her shoulders, and that’s when she completely broke down.

I put my arm around her and held her close, letting her cry into my chest until the tears subsided.

Steve got her a glass of water, and placed it in front of her on the coffee table.

We didn’t push her to talk, but we patiently waited for her to be ready.

Letting out a deep sigh, she sat up straighter and grabbed the glass of water.

“You know Kyle and I have been dating for a while now, and tonight was our one year anniversary, and we were going out to celebrate.” she said, her voice thick from crying.

“Everything was going well. He took me out to a nice restaurant, and we were having a time, and the conversation was going great. He received a phone call, and stepped away to take it. When he came back to the table, his mood had changed. He seemed agitated. Then when the waiter came to take our plates and asked if we wanted anything else, he turned around and started yelling at the waiter. I put my hand on his arm, trying to get him to calm down, but he started yelling at me, telling me to mind my own business.” she continued.

“He grabbed my arm, and hauled me out of the restaurant after throwing down some bills onto the table. I pleaded with him to let me go, but he practically dragged me to the car. He opened the door and shoved me in, slamming it once I was inside. Once he got in the driver’s seat, he started beating on the steering wheel. When I told him he was scaring me, he turned to look at me, and there was nothing remotely resembling the man I had been dating for the past year.” she pressed on.

As she was telling the story, my blood was beginning to boil, not liking where this was going.

“When I asked him what was wrong, that’s when his temper fully snapped. He grabbed me by the hair, almost dragging me over the middle console. He had my face up to his, and when he spoke, his words were like venom and made me want to recoil. That’s when he told me that he had been seeing some girl on the side, and the call that he received was her telling him that she was pregnant. She had given him an ultimatum. He either stayed with me, and lose everything, or he could go to her, and they could be a family. That’s when I got mad.” she said, a slight ghost of a smile creeped over her face at the last part.

Clearly she must have had a few choice words for him.

Oh to have been a fly on that wall.

“When I told him that we were over, that I never wanted to see him again, that’s when he hit me.I was in shock at the first strike, and I thought he would have stopped, possibly realizing what he had done. But he didn’t. He hit me again, splitting my lip open. When I cried out, he used his fist to hit me, and put all his force into it.” she said, the tears starting to well up again.

When she started to tremble again, I ran my hands up and down her arms, being extra careful in case he left bruises on her arms.

“Do you want to press charges, El?” Steve asked, his voice soft, but his eyes cold.

She just shook her head, gnawing on her bottom lip, wincing when she remembered it was busted.

“I think I just want to take a hot shower, and go to bed. I’m sorry if I ruined your night.” she said, getting up, letting the blanket fall back on the couch, before walking towards her room.

She came back out and headed to the bathroom, closing the door.

I waited until I heard the shower start, before I turned to Steve, my blood boiling and my hands balled into fists.

“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch!” I said through gritted teeth.

“I know where your head is at Buck, but she doesn’t want to press charges.” Steve said, letting out a sigh, his hand instantly going to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck that!” I all but screamed. “He beat the shit out of her, and you want to just sit back and do nothing?!? I knew he was no good from the beginning!!!!” I growled.

“Trust me, I want this fucker to pay dearly for what he did to Ellie, but we need to respect her choice. She doesn’t need us making things harder for her then what they already are.” he reasoned.

I sat back against the couch, folding my arms across my chest as I watched the bathroom door.

I really hoped that she was going to be ok after this.

My heart hurt for her, knowing that someone could take a beautiful flower, and crush it in their hands.

Ellie finished showering and headed back to her room, calling out a good night to us.

When the door closed, I could hear her sorrowful cries and whimpering.

And it broke my heart.

********

Ellie’s POV:

As soon as I closed my bedroom door, I slid down it and let out a gut wrenching sob.

Everything had come crashing down in the blink of an eye, I didn’t understand what I did wrong.

I had done everything that was expected of me in my relationship and I thought Kyle and I were happy.

Clearly we weren’t. Well he wasn’t.

I was just blind sided.

After what seemed like forever, I got up off the floor and laid down on my bed, crashing into a dreamless slumber.

**

The next morning:

I woke up to a soft knocking on the door, and groaned when I tried to roll over and my whole body ached, bringing forth memories of what happened last night.

My head turned to face the door when the soft knocking happened again.

“Come in!” I called out.

The door opened, and both Bucky and Steve walked in.

Steve was holding a tray with some breakfast, and Bucky was holding three mugs of coffee.

When Steve put the tray down in front of me after I sat up, Bucky handed a mug of coffee to me, and one to Steve, and started to nurse his.

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked.

“Like I went five rounds with Mike Tyson.” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Steve chuckled, but Bucky’s face went stoney.

“You know, I really want to find this son of a bitch and kick the shit out of him, giving him a taste of his own putrid medicine!” Bucky mumbled.

“Buck, please don’t!” I pleaded.

With a sigh, his shoulders dropped.

“He hurt you Ellie. What would have happened if he didn’t stop? He could have really hurt you, or worse. You can’t expect us not to want him to pay for what he did, do you?” he said, his voice cracking with frustration, as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I know! I know.. I.. I just don’t want any more trouble, and I don’t want to put anyone out by this. So please, for me? Can you just let this go?” I asked, holding out my hand for him to take it.

He walked over beside the bed, putting his mug on the nightstand and took my hand, giving it a squeeze before he pulled me carefully into a hug.

He kissed the top of my head, and I could feel him shaking with rage, but I felt him nod.

“Only because it's you Spitfire, only because it's you. But this goes against everything in me to protect those I care about. You know that right?” he asked me.

I closed my eyes and leaned into him, feeling safe.

“I know.” I replied.

“How about you eat up some, and Bucky and I will leave you to get dressed.” Steve said, giving Bucky a look.

Bucky let go of me, and stood up, before starting to follow Steve out the door.

He stopped and turned back around looking at me.

There was something in his eyes that made my heart skip a beat, and he looked like he wanted to say something more, but decided against it, and simply nodded, before turning back to walk out the room,closing the door behind him.

As I ate, I couldn’t help but think about the look I saw.

It was playing on my mind, and I wished I knew what it was.

I shrugged and proceeded to get dressed.

***

Bucky’s POV:

Steve and I waited for Ellie to come out of her room.

We had prepared the living room to do a movie marathon, hoping this would take her mind off of things.

I had gone out earlier this morning and got all her favorite snacks, as well as snacks for Steve and myself.

We had several movies queued up, starting with Ellie’s favorite.

Far and Away.

Whenever Ellie had a rough time, or was homesick, she would always put on that movie.

As she sat down on the couch between us, I put the blanket over her, and she turned to give me a sweet smile.

As the movie progressed, Ellie snuggled closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

By the time we had finished the second movie, she had fallen asleep on my shoulder.

My heart was beating faster.

I wished beyond everything that I was and ever would be, to take away her pain, just so I could see her smile again.

That was the first day out of many, it took for Ellie to heal.

Not just heal physically, but emotionally and mentally.

Eventually, she pulled through, and we never let her forget that we were there for her.

***

2 years later:

“Common Steve, you can’t really be serious? That movie was terrible. That’s two and a hours of my life I’ll never get back!” I said, bantering with Steve as we walked up the apartment building.

I was about to say something else, when the sound of yelling cut me off.

Steve and I both looked around, trying to find the source of it, but didn’t see anything outside.

Just as we were coming up the steps, we heard it again, but this time the voice was unmistakable.

It was Ellie.

We raced up the stairs, foregoing the elevator, and bolted up to our floor.

As we ran down the hall to our apartment door, we heard shouts and things breaking inside.

When I tried to open the door, I found that it was locked.

My blood ran cold.

Not waiting for either of us to find our keys, Steve broke down our door.

As we barged into our place, there was stuff all thrown onto the floor, things flipped over.

“Ellie?!” I called out, before Steve turned towards her room, his finger placed on his lip to keep me quiet.

As we continued down the hall to her room, we heard muffled cries and pleading coming through the door.

As he went to turn the door knob, we heard a yelp, followed by a loud cracking sound.

That was all we needed to hear before bursting through the door.

Once the door was out of the way, the sight I saw, both horrified me, but made my blood boil.

There was Kyle, pinning Ellie down on the bed, and her clothes were torn, and she was crying, as he held a hand over her mouth.

“What the FUCK do you think you are doing to her?” I roared, approaching the bed.

Kyle’s face went white when he saw us, and ashen when I started to stalk him like the pathetic prey that he was.

I didn’t realize it until I was told later, but from the moment I started walking towards him, I let off a low animalistic growl.

Before he could move, I had Kyle by his miserable throat.

I hauled him off the bed, while Steve ran to Ellie to grab a blanket and cover her up.

“You were only breathing on borrowed time. Because the last time you laid a finger on Ellie, I wanted nothing more than to rip off your dick and shove it down your throat while I strangled the fucking life out of you. But I didn’t, because Ellie asked me, rather asked US not to touch you. This time though.. Nahhhh… I have you now you mother fucker. This is the last time you’ll ever touch another living person, because this time, I’m going to make you wish I would kill you, and quickly.” I growled out at him, venom dripping off of every word.

Kyle’s eyes went huge as I lifted him off the floor by his throat.

“You are a piece of worthless shit, for hurting the woman I love. You had a treasure and you tossed her away as if she was nothing.” I continued, squeezing his throat more.

Having enough of his toxic presence, I threw him across the room and he skidded across the floor before crashing into the wall.

“Bucky, stay with her. I’ll deal with this piece of shit.” Steve said, knowing that I needed to be with her.

I sat down on the bed, and held her close.

I kissed the side of her head and whispered in her ear to try and calm her.

“Shhhhh Spitfire, it’ll be ok. I’ve got you now.” I whispered to her.

She flung her arms around my neck and held onto me as she sobbed.

I held her out at arms length to see the damage.

Her clothes were ripped well beyond repair, she had a gash on her cheek, her eye was red and swollen shut and her lip was split in two places.

I groaned as I held her close to me again, pulling her onto my lap, rocking her gently.

I heard the sirens in the distance, and knew Steve had called the cops.

It was probably for the better. I wasn’t ready to go to jail for murder and leave her behind.

I carried her out to the living room, as I knew the paramedics and the cops were going to want to look and talk to her.

I sat her on the couch, and stood back up.

I turned around to where Steve was holding a petrified Kyle.

I sauntered over to him, my eyes gone steely.

“I hope you rot in jail for eternity, you pathetic, worthless and volatile excuse of man.” I said, spitting each word out at him, turning around to go back to Ellie on the couch.

“Ellie…” he started, and in that instance, I lost the only sliver of control I had, and turned back around and clocked him good.

He slumped in Steve’s arms, who then just let him fall to the floor.

By that time, the cops had arrived at the apartment, to see an unconscious Kyle on the floor.

The cops looked from him to us, back to him, shaking their heads.

As the paramedics took care of her, the cops asked their questions.

Steve and I stood by her, while she told the whole story.

Listening to every detail of what happened made me see red.

Sensing how upset I was getting, Steve pulled me into the kitchen so that the paramedics could finish up with her.

He had not only beaten her, worse than the first time, but also tried to force himself on her.

At that moment, leaning against the counter, I couldn’t hold back any longer, and smashed the wood cutting board with my hand, as a cry of pure rage came out of me.

Sinking down to the floor I buried my face in my arms and started to cry.

After what seemed like forever, I felt soft warm hands on my arms.

As I looked up with red rimmed eyes and tears running down my face, I saw Ellie kneeling in front of me.

“Did you mean what you said to Kyle, Bucky?” she asked me.

My mind raced to figure out what to say, but I could only end up nodding.

Of course I love her. Else being in this situation, seeing her go through this again, wouldn’t be tearing me apart from the inside out.

She gently reached up and put her palm on my cheek and I turned into the warmth of it.

The contact from her calmed everything in me.

I was finally able to look up into her eyes, and saw those bright emerald green eyes shining back at me, despite all that she’d just been through.

“I love you too, Bucky. I have for a very long time. So when Kyle came over, trying to get me back, I knew I didn’t want to be with him. I knew then that I wanted to be with you, but I wasn’t sure how I would bring it up to you. I mean we’ve been friends since forever. He didn’t like that answer, and he did what he did.” she said, getting closer to me.

I could feel her breath on my arm as she leaned down to press a kiss to it, before looking back up at me.

“It tore me up seeing you with him, especially how happy you were with him in the beginning. But I didn’t want to cause you pain. I didn’t want to ruin your happiness.” I whispered.

She simply looked at me, fresh tears shining in her eyes.

She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to mine, inhaling sharply at first, but then deepened the kiss.

After pulling away, she looked at me.

“You know… exes are exes for a reason right? They give way to better things that come along, even if they were right under your nose the entire time.” she said, as a smile beamed across her face.

I cupped her cheek and pulled her back in for another kiss.

“I love you Ellie Campbell from Galway.” I murmured against her lips.

She smiled against mine, before finally pulling away.

“I love you too Bucky!” she said, sitting on my lap as we just sat there.

***

Ellie’s POV:

**Several months later:

“So what are we watching tonight?” Bucky asked, putting the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table, while Steve brought in the other snacks.

I gave a cheeky grin and held up the movie.

Far and Away.

Bucky chuckled, and pulled me to sit on his lap, wrapping the blanket around us as Steve took up the other end of the couch.

I turned to look at Bucky, and smiled.

He looked back at me with eyebrows arched upwards.

“What?” he asked.

“You make me feel safe. You always did, but it took what Kyle did to make us both see that there was more than what we wanted to admit.” I said.

“Yeah and it took you guys long enough to get there too!” Steve quipped up.

Bucky and I both tossed a handful of popcorn at Steve for his comment before we all erupted in laughter.

Yeah, I definitely felt safe, and could now focus on our future.

Exes are definitely exes for a reason.

[batsyforyou]

Of Elves and Men Part 1

Pairing: Beleg x reader 

Elvish Words: I mean Loth = flower as far as I’m aware but I don’t think there is anything else

Warnings: Brief mention of being buried alive, bugs crawling on reader, dark cave, betrayal, friends turned enemies, blood, the dead moving, one dead guy, implied beheading,  nightmares, hallucinations, sickness, character death, a slight mention of a baby at the end. If I missed anyone up here or in the tags please let me know. 

A/N: I should tell you that I don’t actually expect anyone to read all this but if you do, I love you dearly. This was heavily inspired by my mythology class. Also, this was originally called “Immortals” and I did change it. I’m sorry if there has been any confusion. I want to say that I had fun with this, but I didn’t. This story tried to kill me and frame me for murder at the same time. I felt so defeated over this fic I might actually have to take some time off tumblr to get some mental energy back. When I tell you I legit cried and went to sleep when this was done.

Warning I tried my hand at romance, but none of this came out the way I wanted. I don’t know if that means I wasted three months or what but yeah. Also, for the romance I did summarize some parts instead of writing all of it.

Thank you so much for the support @a-complation-upon-flowers and @asainbutnotjapense ! I’m so sorry for the wait.

Blackness. It is all you can see. 

Though the cool dampness of the hard dirt floor didn’t feel as uncomfortable as it once did. Maybe that was a good thing, a blessing in disguise. You had no idea how long you had been lying here, cold, stiff, and hungry. The only noise in this prison was the sound of water dripping. From the cavern's ceiling and down into the puddle below to join the rest. 

Drip. Drip drip. Drip. One-two-one, or maybe three. 

It was like the little droplets played in a marching band that never ended. 

You were not alone, what you could now tell as a man with a rotted face sat with you sharpening a knife and every once and a while he would mumble, “I told you not to follow me.” The sound grated on your ears.

In this place the mind talked, and it spoke loudly. After all, what else is there for it to do? Trapped in its cage made of flesh and stone, chained. It spoke of revenge, of hunger, of pain, of fear, and of anger—hurt. It ate itself up and left nothing. Leaving you to contemplate your betrayal and your inevitable demise.

Bugs and other things you couldn’t name, crawled, itched and tickled the bare skin of your arms. A thousand things with a thousand names moved across you. Like they and the dirt owned you. It was easy to imagine that this is what it was like to be buried. In tombs and in coffins with maggots eating at your flesh. Yes, you thought, this is what it is like to be buried alive.  

The story of how you found yourself in this predicament is a rather long one, but you felt that while you were here, you might as well recall the tale.

Everything is always innocent in the beginning. 

You remembered the days when you did not understand phrases like ‘orc-play’ or ‘orc-work.’ The sun was out on a nice summer’s evening, a warm breeze rattled the leaves and there was not a cloud in sight. Tilting your nose to the sky you breathed it all in. You and your friends Walter, his brother William, Rosetta, Terry, and Evelyn were all headed into town for a nice day out in the market. In the coming weeks the town was going to hold a celebration in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Stubble’s newest addition to their family and everyone was quite excited. 

To get into town from your house you had to walk past the cherry trees owned by Mr. Fiddle, the town's physician. Up past the apple trees of farmer Robert. Past the wheat fields of the Lady Grey. By the fields that housed the cows and past the barns that held the goats and chickens. On this path you could find the stables and fencing where the horses roamed. And finally, the guard house of Sir Martin and into the front gates. 

But you had barely passed by the wheat fields with your friends pushing each other and laughing merrily when you saw an old man sitting on the roadside. When you got closer you could see the man was old and dirty, clothed in rags and a torn cloak drawn tightly over his shoulders, as if he was freezing under the hot sun. Your friends ignore him and trot right on by laughing and giggling like he wasn’t even there. 

You stopped and considered him, knowing you’d never forgive yourself if you'd left him there. If you’d walked past him and left him ignored. You knew that pain all too well. Instead, you crouched down in front of him and asked if you could take him to your home to help him and he agreed. 

A way down the path your friends notice your absence and they look behind them and scuff. Watching you help the man to his feet. “Leave him be Y/n!” They called. 

“What business could you have with a man like him?” They laughed, Walter patting Terry on the back as he smiled. You ignored them at first but said, “My friends! I see your hearts are empty this evening. I will meet you tomorrow for lunch at the Inn.” You left your friends unsatisfied and grumbling as you led the man to your home. Though they did agree to meet you for lunch. 

Upon arrival you prepared a nice warm bath for him and helped the man into it. Scrubbing his back and washing his dark gray hair and pouring a cup of water over his head. It looked overgrown and his bushy beard was long. You asked if he’d like it trimmed but the old man did not reply. In fact, he did not say much during his time with you. He only kept his head low and bowed to his chest. 

You thought it’d be a nice thing to do. A decent thing. So, once you’d scrubbed him clean of dirt and grime you pulled him to his feet, toweled him down, gave him a nice robe and sat him in one of your kitchen chairs. You took a comb and a pair of scissors to untangle his glossy locks and cut him a new look.  

You combed and snipped and brushed and clipped again and again until you could see some resemblance of his face. He was handsome for his age, and you thought that he must have been breathtaking in his youth. Surely, he’d been a heart breaker in his day. When you’d shaped his beard to his face you grabbed some soap and applied it to his neck. Taking your only razor you shaved his neck clean and when you finally finished, you brushed his freshly cut bangs to the side, and you smiled at the sight of brown eyes. 

Deciding that the man needed some food to fill his belly and medicine for the night, you got up and went to the kitchen, working to prepare a hot home cooked meal for him. “Who are you?” You asked. No reply came, only the sound of his strained breathing answered you. 

You felt frustrated at first. After everything you’ve done for him, he would not give you his name? Quickly, you chastised yourself. This stranger was exhausted, sick and hungry. You knew you would be if you were in his place. After all, you did find him on the roadside. Give him time, you thought, he’ll come around. 

You didn’t have much in your pantry, but you cooked him mashed potatoes, some leftover meat, a bread roll and what fresh vegetables you had. While you were cooking you opened your cupboard and stared up at the only medicine you had. Medicine in this part of the land was hard to come by and very expensive. 

Most people couldn’t afford good quality medicine, nor did they have the skills to know what herbs helped and what didn’t. You were no exception. What herbs you grew were for cooking and tea. So, when a merchant came into town hungry and recently robbed of his belongings by bandits and thieves. You got him to trade you for the sole surviving item—elvish medicine. 

To even fulfill a mere fraction of the price you had to house him for a two week stay in your home, three hot meals a day, fresh clothes for each day, six of your best hens and a rooster, supplies for the road, your donkey, and what coin you could spare him. The whole thing nearly bled you dry.

Typically, only rich nobles could afford it. But when you confronted the man, he said he was going to trade it in exchange for gold so he could buy what he needed. Not only for what he needed during his stay in town but also his supplies for his trip. In the end the man had pity on you and accepted what you were willing to give him once you shared about your father…

You looked behind you at your guest. His head was bowed, hair dangling in his face, the robe pulled tight around his shoulders, and was shaking with fever. You looked back to the medicine and felt a shadow pass over you. Slowly, you wrapped your hand around the tonic and placed it beside his plate. 

When the food was finished you quietly placed the steaming plate in front of him with butter and jam for his bread and a warm cup of tea. “Eat up.” You say. “Once you’ve eaten, I’ll give you some medicine and then you can rest.” 

The man didn’t seem to notice at first, but after a moment, he picked up the fork and knife and began to eat. You sat at the table beside him thumbing the elven medicine. To pass the time you told him about your day and the upcoming events for the town hoping that he’d find it within himself to speak. 

Once he had finished and downed the medicine you supplied him, you helped him up your stairs and placed him in your bed to sleep. You went to leave, intending on talking to the seamstress about fresh clothes for him. It’d be expensive and there was a possibility you could not afford it, but you hoped the investment would be worth it. However, the man stopped you with a gentle grasp on your hand. 

“Thank you.” He said. You smiled, shocked and surprised to hear him speak, but pleased to hear it. “I was happy too.” You say. 

The old man looked at you, scrutinizing your face before nodding to himself, having decided something. “Listen stranger, I will not last till morning, this I feel deep within my bones. For your kindness and generosity, I will give you my land, my house, my animals, my fields, and I will order my servants to serve you as they served me. They will tend to you loyally, as if you were my blood. I will claim you as my heir and everything I have will be yours.” He coughed, lurching up from the bed in a fit. You were speechless, but quickly reached out to steady him, soothing him with sweet words as you did. You couldn’t believe what the man had said. What could this man possibly offer you? Was he not homeless? Without belongings? How could he claim to give you such grand things? You thought for sure he had lost his mind to old age. 

When his coughing had ceased, he gripped your shoulder and said, “Fetch me a paper and quill, and bring me Sir Thomas, my counselor, as witness. The man tends to set up his work at the law house. Tell him that Lord Arthur calls for him, and that it is urgent. Do this, and I’ll fulfill my promise.” 

Flabbergasted, your jaw fell to the floor. You didn’t know what to do, what to think! But your body moved on its own accord, and you rushed off to fetch Arthur what he asked for. 

You sprinted down your stairs throwing open the door to what used to be your father’s study. Running to the desk you grabbed a fist full of the cleanest papers you could find, and swiped the quill and ink, stumbling over your father’s chair in your haste. Quickly, you delivered what you had to your room, placing them on the bedside table. Before you turned, practically throwing yourself down the stairs with the unusual haste that consumed your being. You did this despite your misgivings and beliefs about the man’s sanity. Still, something in you told you to hurry, so you slung your warmest coat over your shoulders and grabbed your hat, clumsily falling out your front door. 

You raced to town as fast as your legs could carry you and ran past the front gates. 

“Excuse me! Coming through!” You shouted. Darting between men and women, evading rolling carts, ducking beneath overhanging signs, clipping shoulders and occasionally slamming into someone’s side. The people shouted at you, shaking their fists in the air and scolding you harshly as you ran through town. But you ignore them, dashing up the steps of the Law House and slamming open the door. “Excuse me!” You cried. A man startled up from his desk with a shout saying, “What? What is it?!” 

The man was tall and dressed in ivory robes. He had long strands of waved hair like gold, a trimmed beard around his face and his eyes were a sharp green. 

“I’m looking for Sir Thomas, a man that knows the law and counsels’ others, are you him?” 

“I am.”

“Then come quick!” You cried. “Lord Arthur calls you to my house and claims that he won’t survive the night.” 

The man moved at once, shoving all necessary papers and documentation into a brown bag and dashed for the entrance. Seeing him move, you turned on your heel and ran back to your house with shaky legs and empty lungs. Thomas followed you, overtaking your steps when he saw your house. “Where is he?” He asked.

“Up the stairs and in my bedroom!” 

Thomas flew past you; up the dirt path of your home and you watched him fling open your door and charge in. You tried to keep up, but your body was tired, and you slowed your pace to a walk, gasping for breath. When you made it to your door you leaned against the frame sweating and holding a hand to your chest as you wheezed. Goodness, I need to run more. 

Once you were sure your heart would not burst, you shut the door behind you and climbed up your stairs, following the soft voices that drifted down from your room. 

You couldn’t believe what was happening. Your day seemed so normal and sunny; how could it have turned so quickly? Though, you supposed it was for the best, whether the man could fulfill his claims or not the thought of him dead on the side of the road filled you with great sadness. You couldn't imagine what it’d be like to be sick and hungry, dying while uncaring people walked past you. Alone. Too tired to even ask for help. You shuttered and hugged yourself at the thought. You look into your room, but stay back in the hall for privacy's sake, your door open. Dying alone had to be the worst fate you could think of. 

It was well after dark when Thomas bowed his head, grabbing the sheets and slowly dragging them up over Arthur. Your heart sank, such a shame, you thought. It appeared that Arthur's assumption had been correct; he did not make it through the night. 

Thomas stood there a moment holding the bag close to his chest with his hand over the deceased. You wondered briefly if Thomas knew the dead well. He seemed so struck over Arthur’s passing and you didn’t know what to do. You stood there in an empty hall, watching as a man grieved instead of offering your condolences. At the very least, you could offer him tea. With that in mind, you quietly left making your way back down to the kitchen and putting some water over the fire to boil. 

Everything had happened so fast, and it left you confused and tired. Your mind felt as numb as your legs. You took a seat at the table listening to the fire crackle and pop and the cricket’s chirp. You rested your head in your hands unsure of what to do. The man, who you knew now as Arthur, was dead. Most importantly he lay dead upstairs. 

There was a dead man lying in your bed. 

You dragged your eyes around the dark room and furnishings. Did a person burn their bed and bedding when someone died? Certainly, they didn’t just wash and keep it for use. You scrunched up your nose at the thought, something in you churning at the idea of keeping the items in your house let alone putting them to use again. I wonder if I should ask the Lady Grey, you thought, her son is well versed in death. Afterall, he helps bury the coffins he creates. Maybe he’ll know how to dispose of unsavory items. 

And what about all those claims Arthur made? Should I ask Thomas about it? You yawned. Leaning back and listening to the wooden chair creak as you rubbed your eyes, exhausted. Would it even be right to accept those things if they were true? Did he not have any close relatives to take his land? And if he did have such grand things why then, did I find him on the roadside in rags? 

All this you pondered, your mind ran through and questioned every detail you could remember but you could not come up with a suitable answer or theory to solve the mystery of how this problem, and Arthur, had come to you. After a while you settled for hoping that Thomas could provide you with all the answers you wanted but you doubted it. 

The sound of water sizzling against coals caught your attention and you leapt up, quickly pulling the pot away from the flames and laying it to cool on the counter, leaving the tea too steep. You turned your attention back to your table where you still had messy dishes from when Arthur ate his last meal and you felt sorrow creep into your bones. You wish you had given him better food for a last supper. Alas, what was done was done. 

Sighing, you gathered up the dirty dishes and brought them to your sink to clean and swept up the hair off your floor. After all, it’d keep you busy while you waited, and it needed to be done anyway. You scraped whatever food remained off the plate and rinsed out the cup. The sound of running water worked to keep the silence at bay. Till you heard your stairs groan and your heart jumped into your throat with nerves, abruptly, you dropped the dishes to soak, shutting off the water. You barely got your hands dry before Thomas trudged in looking as exhausted as you felt. His eyes were rimmed red, his lips pinched, and he clutched his bag close to his chest with white fingers. 

All was still as you looked at each other, both of you at a loss for what to do next and the silence grew thick. 

“I—my apologies,” he cleared his throat and bowed his head low to his chest. “I did not mean to interrupt.” 

You smiled, his voice was deep and charming, effortlessly adding to the choir of crickets outside. 

“It is alright, I have just finished.” You gestured to your now clean table, “Please sit. I’ll get us some tea.” He nodded grateful for the distraction and sat heavily in his chair. 

From your cupboards you grabbed the best mugs you had and poured the drinks. Carefully you set the steaming beverage in front of him trying not to splash any out the sides. 

“Here, it is still hot so be careful.” 

“Thank you.” 

You gingerly took the seat closest to him as he had chosen to sit at the head of the table. And you didn’t want to risk offending him by moving too far away. Out of nervousness you licked your lips and skipped your eyes from him, “Well, Sir, I do not have much experience with matters such as this, so I’ll let you lead, when ready, of course. But know I have many questions for you.” 

Thomas sighed, dropping his bag to the floor and leaning back replacing the hold he had on his bag with the mug. “Yes, I know you do.” 

He stared into his drink for a time turning things over in his head and you let him do so in silence. Confident that once he had thought things over, he would have a quick and concise explanation. Though it seems you were out of luck. 

He took a sip from his drink and locked his gaze on you, but you squirm underneath his eye and could not meet his gaze instead you watched the fire lick the brick walls of its home. “I have decided that I will explain what I can in the morning but for now I insist that you come with me to town.” 

“What?!” 

Your head snapped around and you felt your neck pop, but Thomas looked resigned. “Yes, I believe that with all that has happened today it would be better if we continued in the morning.” 

“But-but I.” All you could do was stare dumbfounded. “I have so many questions!” You shove yourself to your feet, “And I cannot leave for town at this hour! I will stay on the couch tonight, if need be, but I will not go into town! Not at this hour.” 

You glared at your guest, unable to believe the absurdity of the situation. Awake all night with a dead man lying in your bed and he wouldn’t even answer you! He wouldn’t even consider sharing some of what he knows?! This was outrageous! Absurd!  

Thomas leaned into the table with passion in his eyes and desperation dripping from his lips. “My friend!” He exclaimed. “I do not ever plan on withholding information from you! Nor do I intend to. But I, well—” he gestured towards himself with a wave of his hand— “I cannot, do not, have it in me to continue with this tonight.” 

You paused your anger dwindling as you observed the man at your table. Indeed, he did look wary, and his shoulders slouched like he carried a great burden on his back and all at once you remembered this man mourning at Arthur’s bedside and shame flooded your heart. Here you were berating a grieving heart that could go no further than it had. Your mother would have skinned your hide. 

“My apologies, friend.” You placed a firm hand on his shoulder in comfort, “I forgot myself.”  

The corner of his mouth quirked, “No, I’m afraid you hadn't. I too would demand an explanation as to why I had a dead man in my house. In fact, you have been quite hospitable to me. The only thing you have forgotten to give me is your name.” 

You flushed red, “Ah, sorry, I am called Y/n.” 

At that Thomas grinned and raised his mug to you. “It is a pleasure Y/n.” 

“Yes, indeed it has been for you as well.” 

He ran a hand through his locks of gold and sighed, “And if it helps to convince you to come into town with me. I’ll tell you everything first thing in the morning and whether you like what I have to say or not I’ll buy new furniture and bedding for your room.”

Drawing your bottom lip between your teeth, you felt your reluctance break away. You could not afford to buy a new set of furnishing, nor could you imagine laying in that bed knowing that the dead had slept there also. But you couldn’t really afford a night at the Inn either… 

You shook your head, “I would agree to this, but I cannot pay for a night at the Inn anymore, the master there has raised the price too high.” 

Thomas shook his head and waved your words aside, “Nonsense! If that's what's stopping you, then I will pay for your room tonight.” 

“Oh, but I could not ask-” 

“But you aren’t! I am offering you my favor, after all, you are the one who has done so much already! Saving a man, you did not know from dying on the side of a dirt road? That is a good deed to be repaid.” 

Still, you hesitated, “Are you sure? I do not want to intrude.” 

Thomas grasped your hand with an endearing look in his eyes, “My dear, if it was such a trouble for me, I would not have offered.” 

“Well.” A small smile graced your lips, and you raised your free hand in defeat, “Alright, consider me convinced! I will go with you.” 

He clapped his hands together. “Excellent!” He pulled himself to his feet and motioned towards the door with a bow, hair falling from his shoulders. “After you.” Startled from his fine gesture and a little numb in the mind. You took one last look at your table, staring at the mugs still full of tea. I’ll clean those when I come back in the morning. Quickly you stamped out the fire and then without any further delay, you headed towards town with Thomas as your escort.

Part 2

Masterlist

[battlewear]

SOME  MIGHT  HATE  AND  THEY  WAIT  ON  YOUR  FALL  (  OH  ) . THEY  DON'T  KNOW  THERE'S  A  GRACE  FOR  IT  ALL  (  OH  ) . MY  FLAWS  DON'T  MAKE  ME BEAUTIFUL  AND  REAL ,  ALL  YOU  FAKE  CANNOT  COMPARE . OH  ,  YOU'RE  PERFECTLY  A  MASTERPIECE AND  ALL  OF  ME,  EVEN  MY  SCARS . . . EVEN  MY  SCARS  ,  YEAH .

LIO KANROJI ; A  TALE  OF  :  TOMIOKA GIYU  (  KIMETSU NO YAIBA  )  ;  LEVI ACKERMAN  (  SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN  )  ;  HIEI  (  YU YU HAKUSHO  )  ;  ABYSS WATCHERS  (  DARK SOULS 3  )  ;  BYAKUYA KUCHIKI  (  BLEACH  )  .

mackenyu  &  gender non - conforming  &  he + they     |     lio kanroji, the squad 2 vice captain bonded with amaris for the past twelve years. they’re twenty - seven, quite a contrast to the one hundred thirty - seven of their long horn black blade-tail. they’re known to be quite disciplined and diplomatic, but on a bad day they can be kind of aloof and strict. if separated from their dragon, lio relies on a crossbow to protect them.     |     you may have been born small, but you will die a colossus ; feet together and hand angled into a perfect salute, flying among the skies breathes life into a body that was once a shell, but you find true purpose when you join the ranks. living to serve, there’s no greater honor ; you’re the first to rise, first to the training grounds, first to finish your meal and first to leave the barracks. why is everything a race to you? why do you run like you’re running out of time? ; you’re hard on your squad, flipping them during training and bruising them with snaps from your wooden sword. you scowl at the moans for mercy and command them to stand. they need to be ready for all that approaches, they need to live and breathe and prosper once the dust has settled. otherwise, to walk through a battlefield soaked in the blood of your comrades is to admit that you will never escape the legacy of failure that you were born into.

GENERAL .

FULL NAME : kanroji , lio .

REASON FOR NAME : his mother named him lio , saying that his cries mirrored that of a lion . it is quite ironic now , given how selective he is with his words .

NICKNAME : none .

REASON FOR NICKNAME : n / a .

AGE : tewnty - seven .

GENDER : gender non - conforming .

PLACE OF BIRTH : he was born in eonach to a lower - class farming couple and raised on their small farmland .

BIRTHDAY : august 11th .

CURRENTLY LIVING IN : he currently lives in lyria , having been a resident since he relocated at age fifteen .

SPECIES / RACE : human / dragon rider .

ETHNICITY : of japanese descent .

OCCUPATION : squad 2 vice captain .

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : pansexual .

BACKGROUND

& you are named after a lion for your loud cries , vocal when you cry out with emotion but otherwise muted . instead , you observe the world around you as your reality drowns you in mundane . being of use has always filled your heart with a feeling of accomplishment . you silently pray every night before you rest in the small room that you share with your grandmother : please , god , let me be something every minute of every hour of my life . to say that your life has a humble beginning would be overly modest . your father tends to the dying crops that he inherited from his father ⸻ the same crops that you will inherit from him . your mother tends to the two horses you house in the barn , too malnourished to sell or work , but she cannot bear to let them go . your grandmother , with hands worn from a lifetime of spinning silk , makes blankets at a snails pace , too slow to turn a prophet . money isn't important to you , not even when you are taunted for the various stitches that mend the holes in your clothes , but to submit to the idea of a life of this , it would be to live as a soulless shell . you want to touch the sky , the feel the clouds that you sleep upon in your dreams . you want more .

& when you speak up of your dreams , it is loud , a lion's cry . you leave with an address of a mentor scribbled on crumbled paper , a basket of pastries that your father spent a dinner's worth of gold pieces on and your grandmother's blanket draped over your shoulders . you can always come back , you mother expresses , eyes glossed with tears ⸻ she's wrong . to come back to this life would be to admit defeat , but you nod to soothe her heart and leave to find the hidden city .

& under your mentorship in lyria , you work harder than you ever have in your young life , aspiring to become a rider at the next opportunity . when no dragon selects you at your first ceremony , it's almost enough to break your spirit . you toss and turn in bed that night under your grandmother's blanket , the idea of going back home to a legacy of just scraping by plaguing you like a nightmare . you wake up determined , the first one in and the last one out with the need to prove yourself lighting a fire under you .

& amaris stuns you with her beauty as she bows her head to you , so much so that she has to nudge you with her tail to encourage you to grace her back . you'll never forget the first time you took to the sky with the dragon that had chosen you . the air that fills your lungs fills your shell with a long lost soul as well .

& you continue to practice discipline when you join squad two , working yourself to nothing to set an example . becoming vice captain is your crowning achievement ; it adorns your family name in prestige , from misfortunate farmers to a commander of the skies . you send for your family the moment you are able , moving them to lyria to bask in the life success has blessed you with . you are tough on your squad and secretive of how , after a long day , you return home to cater to your family , for the day never ends for you until you've fallen asleep at the dinner table , your grandma draping her newest creation over you as you finally sleep .

[ill-either-live-or-die-alone]

Requests for names: Genderless med (antiviral/other medicine) compound, griffin and other mythical animals

we were a tad bit confused with your ask so we're sorry if we did it wrong!/gen/nbr

Names

Naltrexone[Medical Compound][Neutral]-a medication/compound of a medication 

Fentanyl[Drug][Neutral]-the name of a very[dangerous] drug that is sometime used as a painkiller 

Acarbose[Medical compound/medicine][Neutral]-the name of a medication/medical compound that helps with type 2 diabetes

Selenium[Chemical][Neutral]-The first half of the name of Selenium disulfide

Asio[Latin?][Neutral]-the name of a genus of typical owls

Ave[Latin?][Neutral]-the name of the class birds are under

Tyto[Latin?][Neutral]-the name of a genus of barn owls

Adar Lwch Gwin[long name whoops][Welsh][Neutral]-Giant birds that understand the human language[mythos]

Alphyn[Heraldic][Neutral]-Lion-like creature, sometimes with dragon or goat forelegs [mythos]

Campe/Kampe[Greek][Neutral]-Dragon-human-scorpion hybrid[mythos]

Chimera[Greek][Neutral]-Lion-goat-snake hybrid[mythos]

Tangie[Scottish][Neutral]-Shapeshifting water spirit[mythos]

Lælaps[Greek][Neutral]-Enchanted dog that always caught his prey[mythos]

Karura[Japanese][Neutral]-Eagle-human hybrid[mythos]

Kelpie[Irish;Scottish][Neutral]-Malevolent water horse/shapeshifter

Sirin[Greek;Russian][Femme]-a bird with a [beautiful]woman's face, lure men to their deaths 

reqs open

requested by anon