#they’re so cute I love that you can let them roam the farm and you just hear soft clucking in the background

[cjsarchive]

First Date-Damien x Reader

I touched up my makeup in the bathroom mirror, preparing for my date with Damien. We weren’t going anywhere fancy, we were going to the zoo then the aquarium, but I still wanted to look as good as I could. It was our first date after all.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Damien asked as he walked in.

“Yeah, I was just touching up,” I told him. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You look very pretty,” He gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“So do you,” I teased, kissing him on the cheek in return making him blushed slightly. I giggled at the sight. I made sure I had everything I needed, and we made our way to the zoo.

We arrived at the zoo, got our maps, and headed in. Damien had a smile on his face just looking around and taking in the atmosphere. Luckily, it was quite early so it wasn’t very crowded. I smiled and grabbed his hand, bringing his attention to me, “You ready to see some animals?”

“Uh huh! Where do you wanna go first?”

“It’s your first time at the zoo, where do you wanna go first?” I read the map to him and told him what animals would be at each exhibit.

He thought for a moment, “I don’t mind what we see first. How about we just follow the path? Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, of course! Let’s go!”

We spent a few hours walking through the zoo checking out all the animals. Damien expressed so much amazement at all the animals. His excitement was so infectious and it made for a great trip. From the big cats, to the bears, to the birds, to the reptiles, every animal was a brilliant experience. As it was early, many of the animals were out and roaming, I made sure to get tons of pictures and videos. The standout animal was definitely the lions.

We walked up to the glass and looked around. “Over there,” I pointed to one lion resting in the shade while another lion was walking beside it.

Damien gasped and stared at them in awe, “Woah! They’re so majestic!” I couldn’t help but laugh. One of the lions started walking towards the glass.

“Hey, it’s coming towards us!” The lion walked right up to the glass and stared at us. It jumped up and started pawing at the glass. Damien laughed at it as the other people around us exclaimed in amazement. It stared right at Damien and he pressed his hand against the glass in admiration.

“It’s so cute!” He smiled at the lion before it began walking off and around the pen. Damien had a love for cats and it was always so wholesome to see. He’s amazing. I had so much love for him, I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his waist and lean it to kiss him on the cheek. He gasped and looked at me before settling into my arms. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle but warm kiss on the lips.

Afterwards, we went to get something to eat before going to the aquarium. “The lions were definitely my favorite! Did you see the way it looked at me?!” Damien rambled on excitedly, “Ooh! And the red pandas were adorable! The otters were definitely one of my favorites as well! No wait, I loved the farm! The sheep especially were very cute! This was so much fun, can we do this next year too?” I smiled at his rambling. He’s was so precious.

“Of course, we can do this every year if you’d like! I love seeing you so happy.” I grabbed his hands and kissed the back of both of them, making him blush and making me laugh.

The zoo was great, but you could argue the aquarium was just as if not even more spectacular. Walking around and seeing all of the colorful fish and playful sea creatures was a great sight. Damien got a kick out of seeing the river otters splash around. The aquarium wasn’t as large as the zoo, so we took a couple laps around the whole thing. We soon found ourselves standing in front of a huge screen of different species of fish. Being engulfed in the deep blue light as a big screen of sea animals swam past us was wonderful. Damien put his hands around my waist and pulled me into a hug. I stood in shock for a moment before hugging him back.

“Thank you so much for this day.” He said softly into my shoulder, “I love you. More than you know. You are the most wonderful person.”

I felt my face heat up and a blush creep onto my cheeks. Damien always knew how to enthral me, even without his incubus powers. I ran my fingers through his hair and he nuzzled into my touch. “No problem, Damien. I love you so much.” I pulled away then leaned in to give him a loving kiss. I poured all of my love and affection for him into the kiss.

We rested our foreheads together and just enjoyed each other’s holds as the fish swam past us in beautiful waves of color.

[capetowncapers]

Stardew updates? I have a chicken coop and a barn now. I’ve got my hens, Poppy and Coco, and my cows, Rosie and Marigold. I love them so much oh my goodness.

[queerofthedagger]

Morgwen, Merwaine, Gwapple, Gwaine/Percival, Merlin/Arthur/Gwen

Wow alright, thanks so much for the ask! ❤️ I’m going to put most of this under a cut so it doesn’t get too long,

Morgwen

when I started shipping it if I did:

I basically liked them from the start, but only got really invested in it when @atlantablack dragged me into the angst-potential of the ship without any mercy. ❤️

my thoughts:

Pre-season 3 they’re cute, but then this ship offers so much potential for angst and heartbreak, it’s fantastic. All that pain of betrayal and being torn between love and convictions/loyalty, and how you can mourn someone who’s still alive but... doesn’t exist anymore in the way you loved them.

what makes me happy about them:

On the first glance, they look like they both got their shit together, but actually they’re a chaotic duo that you really shouldn’t mess with.

what makes me sad about them:

How they ended; from a certain point onward, it’s nearly impossible to give them a happy ending. While I love that about the ship, they do both deserve to be happy so... yeah.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

When Gwen’s made out as a pushover who yields too easily to Morgana, or when Morgana’s actions are glossed over or excused too easily.

things I look for in fanfic:

All the conflict, all the angst. Either forgiveness that’s worked for, or none at all. To me, this is a lovers-to-enemies ship, and I want the whole mess that involves.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

I’m really fond of Gwen/Leon or Gwen/Gwaine, and I don’t really ship Morgana with anyone else tbh.

my happily ever after for them:

As you might’ve guessed by now, I’m not really into them for the happy endings, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be something along the lines of them sorting themselves out over season 3 or 4.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: 

Gwen’s the big spoon, a relict from the time she comforted Morgana through her nightmares.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Sparring! They’re both really good with a sword, and love training together.

Merwaine

when I started shipping it if I did:

I don’t really ship them much tbh. I can see them having a friends with benefits thing going on which Gwaine is more invested in than Merlin.

my thoughts:

I love them as a friendship, and I also think there were some unrequited feelings from Gwaine’s side, which is fun to explore.

what makes me happy about them:

They’re such a chaotic duo, and I love them getting up to all sorts of mischief.

what makes me sad about them:

I personally don’t think they would be happy with each other long-term, and if I stay with my own headcanons, it’s definitely sad that Gwaine was left pining after Merlin while Merlin probably remained oblivious to it. Of course, losing Gwaine still would’ve hit Merlin hard which is also just sad.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I don’t really read fic for them.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Merlin: Arthur, Leon, Mithian

Gwaine: Elyan, Gwen, Elena

my happily ever after for them:

Gwaine gets over his feelings and they stay good friends while being happy in their respective relationships.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

I think they would switch a lot.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Going out for drinks, then roaming the streets when nearly nobody else is out anymore and causing a lot of, mostly harmless, mischief.

Gwapple

when I started shipping it if I did:

Hahaha. I don’t, really, though it cracks me up.

my thoughts:

Every fandom needs a food-crack-ship, and we couldn’t ask for a better one.

what makes me happy about them:

Uuuh. Gwaine deserves good things, so why not apples?

what makes me sad about them:

No apple lasts long. Poor Gwaine.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

..... let’s see. When the apple doesn’t have solid characterization. 😔

things I look for in fanfic:

Gwaine getting all the love and appreciation he deserves 😂

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

No one. Gwapple or no one, of course.

my happily ever after for them:

Gwaine on an apple farm.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Oh my god. The apple is the big spoon, obviously. 😂

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Picnics. ✨

Gwaine/Percival

when I started shipping it if I did:

I’m not really invested in it either way, but mostly through fandom after I watched the show.

my thoughts:

It’s a fun ship, and they’re very cute!

what makes me happy about them:

I think they’d be good for each other and balance each other out very well.

what makes me sad about them:

Gwaine’s death-scene. God.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I... don’t really have an opinion either way. When it feels as if the ship is only there to pair them off somehow, I guess.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above; I don’t really search fic for them specifically, but if they’re there, I like to see that they’re together because they fit each other well.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

Gwaine: Elyan, Gwen, Elena

Percy: I’m kind of fond of Percival/Freya!

my happily ever after for them:

They live long happy lives. Yes, the bar is low.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: 

Mostly, Percy is the big spoon, but sometimes Gwaine wraps himself around him like an octopus and Percy actually loves it.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

This is really basic, but I think taking rides around Camelot and challenging each other in training.

Merlin/Arthur/Gwen

when I started shipping it if I did:

I’m not really invested in this either, but season 5 gave me some vibes and then I kind of absorbed it through fandom eventually. 

my thoughts:

I think they’re very cute and would have an interesting dynamic if done a certain way.

what makes me happy about them:

They all deserve good things, and I think they’d make each other incredibly happy.

what makes me sad about them:

The whole tragedy of how they ended; the idea of a poly-relationship where at least one part eventually dies is just... oof.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

If the relationship between the three isn’t balanced, or if it’s made out to be super-easy once they agreed to it. Relationships generally take work, and a poly-relationships specifically requires a lot of open, honest conversations and reflecting on yourself. I want to see the struggle with that.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Gwen: Morgana, Gwaine, Lancelot if it’s done a specific way

Arthur: Merlin

Merlin: Arthur, Leon, Mithian

my happily ever after for them:

Arthur survives Camlann, and they happily rule Camelot together for years to come.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Arthur is the smallest spoon, Merlin’s the middle-spoon, and Gwen’s the big spoon.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Anything that involves getting out of Camelot for a bit, picnics, enjoying the calm and peace of the forest. Also, they’re all addicted to cuddling and you can find them in a pile of limbs more often than not.

send me a ship or a character and I’ll tell you what I think!

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 74 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Previously: Galactica shut down for the holidays, and Bianca turned Courtney’s shitty day around.

This Chapter: Christmas Eve. Fame plays hostess for Juju and Detox’s family, Bianca and Courtney jet off to Puerto Rico, Violet spends the evening with Sutan, Raja and Raven, and Pearl thirsts for Dahlia.

***

“Patrick?” Fame called over her shoulder, a big porcelain vase on the table in front of her.

“Yes darling?” Patrick was sitting in an armchair, his finger holding his place in the crime novel he was reading, Charles curled up on the floor in front of the crackling fireplace.

“What do you think of this?” Fame took a step back, showing off the greenhouse bouquet she had arranged, their gardener bringing them in after his rounds, snow covering the ground outside. “I was hoping they could be the centerpiece for tonight?”

They were upstate, in what Karl had jokingly started to call The Farm one summer. In reality, it was a mansion with several acres of land, the incredible garden the reason for the nickname, though Karl had insisted it was because upstate New York was basically Hicksville.

Fame and Patrick had bought it forever ago, the property supposed to be a real estate investment, but when they had visited it to oversee the remodel during the fall of the year they got it, Fame had fallen in love instantly.

She adored The Farm, loved the open land, loved the space that reminded her of her childhood’s free roam, loved that Charles had all the space in the world, the property so big that no one ever bothered them while they were there.

“I think that’s lovely dear,” Patrick smiled, taking a sip of the spiced eggnog the chef had made. “Juju’s going to love that.”

“Good.” Fame smiled, a moment of happiness washing over her body. Juju and Detox were coming up for Christmas, bringing their children along, the bedrooms already prepared for them.

When Detox and Juju had accepted her invitation to join them upstate, Fame had been overjoyed, spending the holiday with her friends instead of family so much more enjoyable, and best of all, it required absolutely no flying.

Unlike the Manhattan townhouse, The Farm was decorated in a traditional Christmas red and green, a fresh cut actual pine tree set up in the parlor, copious amounts of gifts for Kelly and the twins already under the tree.

“I’ll go check up on the chef.” Fame put down her garden shears, quickly drying her hands on her tea towel, collecting the scraps for the compost out back. “Make sure they’re cooking the Brussels sprouts correctly.”

The night's dinner was a wild lemon and honey salmon, a spinach salad with goat cheese and beets, the dessert spiced tea-poached pears for the adults and a sundae bar for the kids.

“And the mac and cheese?” Patrick raised an eyebrow.

“Of course,” Fame smiled. “I specifically instructed the chef to go for the mega size Kraft. The little ones should know it’s Christmas too.”

In reality, Fame had requested a complete restock of what Patrick lovingly called the kids cupboard, a whole section dedicated to the Sanderson kids, Kelly always going straight there the second she stepped foot inside. Just because she was a teenager who rarely attended family events anymore didn’t mean that Fame would forget about her.

“The sleds are ready to go too.”

Fame had never wanted kids of her own, but she loved and adored her entire chosen family, especially the little ones. Spoiling them had been one of her favorite pastimes since they’d met, when Kelly was still a chubby little baby with a passion for sticking jewelry into her mouth.

Today, she’d planned a lovely afternoon of fun in the snow for when everyone arrived. Fame had even bought a new snow set, the pure white Prada demanding to go home with her, her new mittens lined with rabbit fur so she could truly get down and dirty while building the snowman she hoped they had time for.

It was one of the most liberating things about The Farm, the acres of land meaning that there was a sense of privacy she could never feel in the city.

“And did you go for the wood?”

“Of course I went for the wooden sleds,” Fame rolled her eyes, Patrick so often playing stupid on purpose just to rile her up. “The antique German design.” There was no way Fame was going for anything but the best, and Julia and Owen deserved the best sledding experience money could buy, gourmet marshmallows and Jacques Torres hot chocolate already in the kitchen ready to go.

“Mmh?” Patrick smirked, taking another sip of his egg nog, and Fame went over to kiss him, just to wipe it off his face.

***

“Kelly Sanderson! Don’t you forget your scarf!”

“Yes mom,” Kelly rolled her eyes, but snatched her scarf, putting it around her neck before walking towards the house with her gym bag over her shoulder, and Juju couldn’t help but smile.

They were emptying out the car, the drive upstate a complete pain since she had been nauseous the entire time, Detox driving while Kelly was in the front seat, so Juju had been alone in the back with the twins because someone had to keep an eye on them, and Kelly refused.

“Okay champ,” Detox looked at his son who was still in the car, Julia standing on the snow-covered ground in her Frozen jacket. “I’m going to unbuckle you, but that doesn’t mean that you can-“

“Bye dad!!”

“Fuck!”

Juju laughed as Owen ran as fast as he could towards the front door, his sister right behind him.

“We got them!”

Juju turned to see Patrick call from the door, a big smile on the man's face, Fame right behind him.

“Your death wish!” Detox yelled, and Juju smiled before digging back in, her husband quickly gathering enough suitcases to make his first trip up to the house, Juju taking a moment to enjoy the blessed silence of private property upstate.

She fished her phone out of her handbag, a sense of relief washing over her when she saw that Bianca had texted. They had only spoken once last week, when Juju called her to apologize for the dinner party pile-on, and Bianca said it was okay, but she also seemed a bit rushed and distracted. Juju was hoping that it was just work, that she wasn’t genuinely mad, but she couldn’t be sure, especially since she hadn’t responded to any messages the night before. Looking at the messages today, though, it really did seem like they were good.

JUJU: Hey there. Thinking of you, hope you’re good.

JUJU: To be clear, I was thinking of you because I got up to take a very large dump.

JUJU: :-D

JUJU: Hehe

JUJU: <3

JUJU: OK goodnight! xo

JUJU: Merry Christmas Eve, lady! I love you.

BIANCA: Love you too, kiddo. Sorry for being MIA last night.

BIANCA: I’m taking Courtney to PR for Christmas, we’re heading to JFK right now.

BIANCA: Tell the monsters that I owe them some presents when I get back.

JUJU: Oh wow!! Have fun!!!! (And trust me, they will collect on those presents, lol)

She sighed, slipping the phone back into her bag, thinking that perhaps she should keep Bianca’s vacation plans under wraps for now. She turned towards the house, watching Fame on her knee, unlacing Julia’s shoes. Yes, better not to be the messenger for this particular news.

***

“So...is it everything you imagined?” Bianca asked, a wry grin on her face. She’d been a bit shocked when Courtney revealed in the car that she’d never flown first class before. She thought that surely someone as cute and charming as her had been slipped a free upgrade or two by a flight attendant trying to hit on her.

“It’s perfect.” Courtney tilted her champagne glass towards Bianca for a toast, her eyes taking on that slightly glazed, naughty look as she sipped on her third glass.

“Perfect, huh?” Bianca asked, clinking her glass lightly. “Then I guess you don’t want another present…”

“Wait, no...I do!” Courtney exclaimed, suddenly looking so serious that Bianca couldn’t hold back her cackling laughter.

Drunk Courtney was turning into one of her favorite people, the comically exaggerated faces she made when her defenses were down too cute for words.

“Oh, well in that case…” She reached into her bag and pulled out a box wrapped in sparkling pink and gold.

“How did you fit that in there?” Courtney asked, letting Bianca take her glass so that she had both hands free for the large gift, examining it closely. “Are you Mary Poppins?”

“Yeah, that’s me. A g-rated singing nanny.”

“Hot,” Courtney giggled, and Bianca gave her a stern look. “What, I like sexy nannies. Maria Von Trapp...Fran Fine?!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Bianca shook her head, amused.

“Oh no, am I being naughty? Are you gonna spank me?” Courtney’s eyes glittered.

Well, this was an unexpected turn. Perhaps something to explore when they weren’t flying thirty thousand feet over an ocean, surrounded by people.

“Open your present.”

“Yes, ma’am…” Courtney said, making Bianca laugh again as she tore into the package, first pulling off the excessive ribbons and bows (Joslyn really shouldn’t be trusted with that kind of thing) and then the glittery paper. She lifted the lid on the box, revealing 5 brand-new designer bathing suits, all from this year’s hottest resort collections. Her eyes lit up. “Ooooh, wow! This is much better than the plan I had.”

“What was your plan?”

“I was just gonna go without a suit,” she said, shrugging a bit as she fluttered her lashes.

“Huh.” Bianca’s brow furrowed in mock disappointment, adding, “Yeah, no, I like your plan better, give these back.”

She reached over and attempted to swipe the box from Courtney’s hand, but Courtney clutched it greedily to her chest.

“No! They’re mine now!”

Bianca laughed, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek, just as Courtney grabbed her face and went right for her lips.

“Thank you, B. I love them. I love you.”

“I love you too, sunshine.” Bianca rested her forehead against Courtney’s with a happy sigh. “And I can’t wait to see you in them...or out of them.”

***

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m not helping?” Violet asked. She was sitting on a silver bar stool and feeling absolutely useless, her fingers drumming on the marble breakfast bar.

Raja and Raven’s apartment looked like something from a catalog, big art pieces hung everywhere, fresh flowers in vases even though it was December. Violet had spotted the heavy oak Raja preferred, and the green and gold she gravitated towards, but it was clear that Raven was the main decorator.

“Of course,” Raven smiled, flashing her teeth over her shoulder. She was standing at the counter, filling up the sink so she could rinse off their dishes.

“Let her have the fantasy,” Sutan grinned, putting the empty tray he was carrying down, Raja right behind him. “This is the one time of year Raven pretends she’s the perfect housewife,”

“Fuck off.” Raven flipped him off, “I’m always perfect.”

When Sutan had told Violet he usually spent Christmas Eve with his sister and Raven, Violet hadn't been surprised. What had surprised her was when Sutan told her that Raven insisted on cooking every year. It had been a simple meal, roasted chicken and potatoes with gravy, but it did really seem like Raven had made it herself, Raja in charge of buying the dessert.

It was the first time Violet had celebrated Christmas Eve with anyone since she was 17, and while it was very different from what she usually did, which was wine and a movie, it was nice.

“You are, Princess,” Raja smiled, pressing a quick kiss against her hair as she dropped their dishes. “Now, does anyone want another drink?”

“Me,” Raven grinned, and Violet had to fight not to show the surprise on her face when Raven just grabbed the dirty dishes. She had never thought Raven would be someone who did chores, who’d willingly get her hands dirty.

“I’m driving tomorrow, so no,” Sutan was leaning against the counter, a smile on his lips. He was wearing a blue turtleneck sweater, and Violet had to admit that he looked stupidly hot in it.

“Actually…” Sutan paused, narrowing his eyes. “Raven, what’s going on with your nose?”

“Her nose?” Raja tilted her head, looking at her fiancée. “What do you mean?”

“It looks different. There.” Sutan pointed with his pinky at the edge of her nose.

“She seems normal to me.”

“Can’t you see it? Here, I’ll adjust- Let me push her head back.“ Sutan was just about to reach for Raven’s chin, when he was cut off.

“Hey!” Raven pulled away, “Crazy agent, I’m in the room.” She raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp, “I’m trying a new makeup technique.” Raven pushed Susn’s hand away from her face. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not…”

“Good,” Raven rolled her eyes. “Now can we please get this done so we can watch a movie?”

“Sure.” Sutan rolled his eyes too, grabbing a dish towel before bumping his hip against Raven, making her yelp, laughter filling the room.

Violet let out a breath of relief she hadn’t even realized she had been holding, the knot in her stomach slowly releasing. She was probably overreacting, a childhood of tense Christmases just under her skin, but it had almost felt like Raven and Sutan were about to get in a fight.

Violet took her glass, a smile on her face as she took a sip of her wine, the uncomfortable feeling thankfully already fading.

***

Earlier, Courtney had enjoyed a healthy buzz from all the first class champagne, but then she fell asleep for half of the flight, and by the time they got to the resort, she felt refreshingly, deliciously sober, closing her eyes to feel the warm, fragrant ocean breeze blow in through the windows.

As Bianca directed the hotel staff with their suitcases, Courtney wandered over to the glass doors, eyes widening when she peered out at the terrace.

“B! Omigod, is this an infinity pool?” She threw open the doors and stepped outside, where a table was set up with a romantic, candlelit dinner. But even better, what was clearly a private infinity pool, which made her so excited she squealed with glee. “I’ve seen pictures of those but I never thought I’d see one in person!”

Bianca appeared in the doorway, a smirk on her face as she replied, “It’s not an infinity pool. It’s an infinity hot tub. The pool is down those steps.”

Courtney giggled, already slipping off her shoes to feel the heavenly warm water. She sat down at the edge of the hot tub, letting her legs dangle into the water while she gazed out at the gorgeous view, the gentle waves under a night sky sparkling with stars. When she mused last week about wanting to go to the beach, she certainly wasn’t imagining a private beach at this posh resort. But for once, everything in her life had worked out perfectly. All because of Bianca, who was now chatting with the hotel manager about their meal.

“Es esta la comida? Todo es vegano, verdad?”

“Si, of course. I hope everything is to your liking, Señora.”

“Es perfecto. Gracias.” She pressed some bills into his hand, adding, “Feliz Navidad!”

As soon as he left, Bianca turned back to Courtney, head tilting curiously when she took in her enraptured expression. “What?”

“I just think it’s sexy when you speak Spanish,” Courtney explained, biting her lip.

“Oh yeah? That’s what gets you going? My shitty high school Spanish?” Bianca asked, strolling towards her, dimples deep in her cheeks.

“Uh huh. I like the accent. Say more things…” Courtney leaned back, lashes fluttering, as Bianca laughed and pretended to think real hard.

“Hmm…” She settled in beside Courtney at the edge of the hot tub, slipping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Dónde está la biblioteca?”

“Ahh, yeah, that’s it,” Courtney growled, and Bianca laughed some more.

“Tu eres una gringa loca…”

“Uh huh…wait, what does that mean?”

“It means you’re a crazy white girl.”

“Oh. Yeah, fair.” Courtney cupped Bianca’s face in her hands, pulling her in for a kiss. Things were just starting to get a little heated when Courtney’s phone began to ring. She had a brief moment of panic before realizing that it was her personal phone, not her work phone. And since very few people made phone calls anymore, she was fairly certain that it would be her parents.

Coming out to her parents had been strange. She knew already, from how they reacted to Ben’s coming out when he was just 13, that they would be fine with her not being straight. But Ben hadn’t been dating someone nearly 20 years his senior.

So she was nervous, more than she’d have admitted, when she finally told them everything that was going on in her life--that she was dating, or rather in love with, a woman.

A woman who was, incidentally, a famous fashion magazine editor many years older than her.

Turned out, it was even more of an anticlimax than she anticipated, Mum giving her some bland platitudes about how love is love and Dad telling her to make sure she takes her vitamin D.

Which at first seemed like an innuendo, but actually was just him being his usual health-conscious self. Either way, they seemed both unsurprised and unbothered by the whole situation, which was a relief, she supposed. It was strangely reminiscent of when she was 16 and she’d announced that she wanted to graduate from high school early and go to America for University. Measured, unemotional support.

Courtney reached for her bag, pulling out the phone and answering, her family’s face popping up on the screen as she tried to figure out the time difference. It must already be Christmas morning in Brisbane.

“Hi, Mum! Happy Christmas!”

“Hello darling!” her mother cooed, elbowing Dad and Ben on either side of her, who she’d clearly forced into position, sitting on the sofa with the Christmas tree behind them, the picture of suburban bliss. “Happy Christmas!”

“Happy Christmas, love!” said Dad, pretending that he wasn’t thoroughly engrossed in whatever crime novel Courtney could see open on his lap.

Mum poked Ben again with her sharp elbow, and he scoffed.

“Yeah, yeah. Happy Christmas. How’s your rich girlfriend?” Ben asked.

“Great. How’s single life?” Courtney shot back, and Ben opened his mouth in mock offense.

“You fuckin’ cunt-”

“What was that, dickhead-”

“Kids!” Mum interrupted, putting on her best scolding voice as Courtney and Ben both broke out into giggles.

“She knows I’m kidding, Mum. Calm down.”

“I’m perfectly calm,” Mum said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just trying to have a pleasant conversation with my daughter, thanks very much.”

“Thanks Mum,” Courtney said, kicking her feet in the warm water. “It’s fine, though. It wouldn’t be Ben if he wasn’t giving me shit.”

“That’s called love, ya slag! Appreciate it!” Ben cut in, and Courtney blew him a kiss.

“Well darling, we just want you to know that we miss you terribly, but we’re so happy that you’re having a nice vacation. Right?”

“So happy,” Ben echoed, sticking out his tongue.

“And we’ve been talking about it, and-” she patted Dad on the thigh, then hit him harder when he didn’t say anything.

“Oh, yes. Ahem. We’ve been talking about planning a trip to New York next year,” Dad said. “How does that sound?”

“That sounds fantastic!” Courtney exclaimed. She hadn’t seen any of them since a quick trip to Australia last spring, before she moved to New York.

Bianca sat down beside her again, silently handing over a glass filled with ice and some kind of milky liquid along with a sexy wink, just out of camera range.

“Guys, check out the view!” While her family exclaimed over how beautiful it was, Courtney took a small sip of the drink, eyes widening with delight. “Omigod, this is like Bailey’s but better. Cheers!”

“Cheers,” Bianca murmured back.

“Hi, Bianca!” Mum called loudly. “Thank you for the wine!”

Apparently, Bianca had sent a whole case of high-end wine to her family home--and even signed both of their names on the card, although her family knew for damn sure that wasn’t something Courtney could afford.

“Um...hi. You’re welcome,” Bianca grinned, giving a quick, friendly wave and then leaning back out of frame, tilting her head towards the table with their food. Courtney nodded, reaching over to squeeze her thigh.

“Mum, thanks for calling. But we should go, we have dinner here and it’s getting cold.”

“Alright my love,” Mum said, smiling warmly. “Have a wonderful night. So long, Bianca!”

“Bye, Mrs. Jenek. Merry Christmas,” Bianca said, and Courtney giggled behind her hand.

“Mrs. Jenek…” she snickered, and Bianca grimaced, then put a hand on her hip.

“Well...shut up, I’m from the South. That’s just what we do.”

“You could at least say ‘doctor.’ She has a Ph.D.”

Bianca facepalmed, and Courtney laughed again, kissing her on the cheek. It was adorable how much she cared about making a good impression on Courtney’s family. “I’m just kidding, she doesn’t care about that stuff.”

“I care, though.”

“I know.” Courtney nuzzled into Bianca’s face. “And I love you for it.”

***

“Hey! I saw that!” Trixie gasped, pointing at Kim, who had just skipped a square on the Monopoly board.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kim smirked, leaving her car piece as she took another cookie.

They were all gathered around the coffee table, mugs of hot cocoa and Katya’s Christmas cookies on plates, a crackling fire playing on the TV, music playing from the speakers.

“You’re cheating,” Trixie looked around. “Say something!”

“I didn’t see anything, sugar butt,” Katya smiled, her knitting needles in hand. She was weirdly good at Monopoly, Katya dominating the majority of the board. When Trixie had asked her how, and what her strategy was, Katya had simply grinned and told him it was simply how it was done in Soviet Russia.

“Pearl, what about you?”

“What?” Pearl looked up from her phone. “Oh. Sorry. No.”

“Who are you texting?”

Pearl smiled. “No one.”

“Not again,” Trixie groaned, not even interested in whatever girl had managed to capture his best friend’s attention for more than two seconds. “Pearl please. It’s Christmas.”

“Relax Trix,” Pearl grinned, leaning over so she could press a kiss against his cheek. “You’re the only one for me.”

***

PEARL: Was just thinking about you...so I thought I’d say hey ;)

DAHLIA: Oh yeah?

PEARL: Uh huh

DAHLIA: What were you thinking about?

PEARL: Mostly I was hoping to be suffocated by your thighs real soon.

PEARL: Your thighs are the stuff of dreams

DAHLIA: Right now, my thighs are stuck to the plastic cover on my grandma’s couch...but thanks.

PEARL: Hot

DAHLIA: Lol

PEARL: Can I tempt you to sneak away at some point in the next few days? Without pissing off the fam, of course

DAHLIA: Possibly...I have like 40 cousins, so no one would even notice I’d gone

PEARL: Fan fucking tastic

PEARL: Hey guess what?

DAHLIA: You’re horny and wanna fuck?

PEARL: Yes

DAHLIA: Patience, darling

PEARL: But also...it’s midnight. Merry Christmas.

DAHLIA: Shit, I missed mass again!

DAHLIA: For the 7th year in a row!

PEARL: Hahaha

PEARL: Oh god. My roommates are singing happy birthday to Jesus.

PEARL: With a fucking cake and candles

DAHLIA: LOL, HBDJ

***

[roodllle]

Year in Review - Animal Crossing New Horizons

I started writing this review/criticism in May of 2020 but decided to update it as the year went along and post it on the anniversary of NH’s release. I would like to preface that this is mostly going to be full of questions of criticisms, I love this game. I have not been able to put it down since I got it on March 20th. My first AC game was NL and then I played HHD. I was ecstatic when they announced NH at E3 2019 and kept trying to find other games to fit in my AC shaped hole in my heart but I wasn’t able to fill it till this game came out. I feel like the pace of the game is great with how you build up to unlocking terraforming and 5 stars, and I feel like the updates are well timed especially with how crazy 2020 was for everybody. That being said there were some things that irked me. 

Some of the points I will bring up came from other people/commenters I have seen on here, Discord, Reddit, and Twitter that I also agree with. Some other points are from Youtubers such as ShayMay and ChuyPlays. And others are from me. 

With that out of the way, let’s get on with the review. Warning, I guess, don’t expect this to be an essay, this is just a patchwork quilt made up of thoughts.

Terraforming

I wish cliffs/tiers had a smaller level? Like how we’re able to make stepping stones for our rivers if we don’t want to put a bridge down/use our vaulting pole. I just wish there was a cliff alternative. 

Another cliff alternative would be if we could put bridges between cliffs. I think we’ve all been there where we see this picture 

          thought ‘we can do that!!” then realized it was photoshopped

When we go into terraforming, I wish a grid showed up on our island. It would make it much easier to avoid hitting the wrong square when I’m trying to change a river. 

Having us be able to “close” a waterfall from a lower level but not create a new on at the same spot. 

Also the fact we can add a 4th tier but can’t put anything on it is just strange to me. I know we have to have a limit to how high we can go, but at least let me put nature stuff, such as trees/flowers/bushes, on top of it instead of just a flat piece of land. 

Houses

Why no ceiling items? Find it odd they added a bunch of stuff in HHD and didn’t add that to the new mainline game

There’s no reason I can think of to why we can’t access our storage when we’re crafting inside our house. 

Buildings

Dodo Airlines

The Dodo Islands right now are very boring and barely use them. I have enough money and materials to not go farming and save up all my NMTs for when I go villager hunting, which has also become a rarity. I think it would be a good idea to make some islands seasoned themed. Have them be all rare, but have an island where it’s fall and has maple leaves falling, a cherry blossom one, one with snowflakes. I wouldn’t recommend they make Holiday themed ones, but having seasonal ones would be nice.

When I mess up a dodo code or accidentally hit ‘make a bridge’ instead of incline, etc. why do I have to restart the ENTIRE conversation instead of the characters just being “oh? did you mean “x” or “would you like to retype it?” like is it that hard??  

Resident Services

As much as I love Isabelle this game has made me very indifferent towards her. I think they gave her a role that didn’t need to exist. They could have either let us roam around without any warnings to who was roaming around our island, in the campsite, or any weather updates. Just have us rely on our villagers, the TV, and our eyeballs. OR they could have given us a social media like app and/or a weather app. Instead, they gave us Isabelle that only announces something once a month.

Nook’s Cranny

This might just be me but can they add a little DIY area in the store? Maybe just make to where you can only customize things?? This is more out of convenience than an actual problem  

Speaking of customization, since you can make medicine but also buy can we do the same for the custom kits and bait. Like make it where we can buy bait and also make our own custom kits? I just think it’s weird that they give us either/or for medicine but not for the other 2 that I honestly use way more than medicine.

Why do the Able Sisters get to have all of the colors of an item in their shop but Nook’s Cranny can’t? And why can’t we just be able to customize all items that have multiple looks/colors? Example, why can’t I just be able to change the wood type for the antique set instead of having to buy each one? I get that the furniture catalog is already small, but that’s not my fault. They’ve decided to not add past furniture sets into NH. 

Able Sisters

Let us multi select clothes instead of it just being how much we can wear. idc if it’ll just put those clothes in our personal storage and then we’ll have to run home and put it in that storage, I just hate having to walk back in and out every time I want a dress in multi colors. ALSO tell us if we already bought it, like a little storage icon or something

Why can’t we hang any article of clothing on the back wall, why do we have to either make it or have the OG qr designer come to our island? 

Why can’t we have the transparent option when designing clothes? I think it would make many designer’s lives easier instead of having to make 8 versions of the same outfit.

NPCs

I have played this game almost every day since it came out, minus 2 days. I have also been able to make friends on discord that help with trading/cataloging/etc. I have all of Saharah’s, Kicks’, Label’s, and Redd’s items. I have all of the fish/bug models I want and have no desire to “catch them all”. I haven’t talked to Wisp in months because I have most of the items and his idea of “expensive” is 10k bells. The only NPC I actively look forward to is Celeste because even though I now have all of her DIYs, she still gives out star fragments, regular large or horoscope, when I talk to her. 

What I’m wondering is if they’re planning on doing anything else with these characters. Before I speak further I’m going to weed out characters that I am actually fine with. CJ and Flick will always be there if I want a bug/fish model, I understand that Saharah/Kicks/Redd have a ton of stuff to get and w/o the help of my discord friends, I probably wouldn’t have gotten everything till late 2021. 

So that leaves Label and Wisp. I understand Wisp is there for beginners, but now that I’m at a point where I am a bell millionaire and have most of the Nook’s items cataloged, there is no reason for me to talk to him. I wish Nintendo had put in a system where depending on the person who Wisp is talking to, it determines how much money you have in your bank account/looks at your catalog, Wisp’s item’s worth goes up.

As for Label...I never saw her as viable. I also thought the tickets were dumb and you don’t even have to talk to her to have her items show up in the shop the next day. I think it would be great if when you bought all of her items, she decided to join the Able’s sisters in their shop like in NL and then have Gracie show up in her place for the weekly NPC. 

Where is Blanca? Or Brewster? Or Shrunk, Katrina, Gracie, or Kapp’n and his family? I understand we will probably never see characters like Harriet or Pete because they have been replaced by a new system, but what is the excuse for these other characters? I’m hoping they show up in year 2 of NH but...we’ll see.

Villagers

I think having your first villagers living in basic homes is a good idea but one that quickly gets annoying. I found Sherb while villager hunting for the 1st time and have had him ever since, but his house is stuck at basic lazy setup. Instead of me going back and forth on whether or not i should trust somebody enough to hold Sherb, get somebody else out, then get him to move back to my island, You can have it to where you let them leave, then just wait till he comes to the campsite to visit and reinvite him. You get his actual house and he still remembers you. This could also go for you accidentally letting somebody go or letting somebody go then regretting it. Also it’d be fun to see some old villagers again.

I was curious and looked back on past games to see how many new villagers were released each game and NH has been the least amount. NL released 112 new villagers in total while NH has released 8. I’m hoping they might release more down the line but, hella disappointing imo. Along with the Sanrio update and adding those characters to the game, I am more hopeful that they’ll be adding new characters!

Having an “event” of sorts where you visit a villager’s house and they’re looking inside their closet. They look at you in surprise when you walk in and sheepishly explain that they were going through their clothes/items. They then decide to ask you for help since they can’t decide what to get rid of/what to keep and think you have a good eye for that sort of thing. Basically, a way to get rid of any clothes/items your villager somehow received bc I guess Isabelle scolding them isn’t enough.

A big problem I feel like everybody has is the villager dialogue. Yes they added sub personality types for each personality but they are not perfectly cut in half, ex. are the Sisterly types where there are 4 B types and 20 A types, like?? How I have “fixed” this problem is by having one of each personality type on my island so I always have different conversations with my villagers, but I understand not a lot of people do that. Some people just want normal/peppy types on their island bc they’re cute as hell, I get it. I know it would be...difficult to come up with unique dialogue for all 399 villagers, including Sanrio, but....you could at least for the “gimmicky” villagers. Some examples of these villagers are Ribbot and Sprocket, Lucky and Ankha, the super hero squad, and Kabuki. 

Quality Life stuff

Why cant we sit AND wish on stars? And I don’t mean the sit emote; why can’t I sit on a bench and wish on stars?

It sucks when I’m about to hit my rocks or just do a lot of dig work and then my shovel breaks in the middle of it. To show the tool is about to break, cracks should start to form on the handle and get deeper/longer as you keep using it, starting when you have 5 uses left. You can also add an auditory element by making the tool sound like its struggling when you are using it. Net/Shovel/Axe/Fishing Pole can have cracks show up on the handle, Slingshot can have crack show up at the bottom of the 2 spokes while having 1 at the top of the handle. And the watering can have cracks at the base of the can.

If our inventory is full when I dig up a flower, why can’t I replace it with another flower to bury? And if I can dig up an item at an diagonal item, I should be able to bury it again at the same angle.

Other

Having more...liveliness?? on the island, idk how else to say it. Example is whenever you travel by plane there's a chemtrail in the sky afterwards, maybe just seeing other planes go by throughout the day. Maybe you can get a hint Redd or Gulliver will be visiting you tomorrow if you see their boats beyond the horizon, Redd’s just crusin’ and the Gulls’ boats looking messed up. On a week where you don't have a new camper, maybe have an old villager visit. That leads me too

I wish villager’s doors could count as “exterior decorating” and we can just put any ornamental on there instead having to hope that your villager will put the wreath on their own door. 

Conclusion

If you read this whole thing holy shit, thanks!! Go treat yourself on my part lol If you disagreed with me or whatever feel free to chat with me about it! 

[huntsman-ash]

RWBY LiveThoughts: V8E7

Since I finally have time for it today, lets make sure Im all caught up for the hiatus. 

Before we get fully started, an idea; Its not a war crime if they’re Grimm. Then its just self defense. So break out the napalm, the cluster bombs, the chemical weapons, the fun stuff. Make em regret it, yeah?

And we start off...on a farm. Looks like my moms old farm in South Dakota. Even on Remnant, hay is best used in bales.

Waiiiit. Thats the place the Whale set down isnt it. I see a Sayber running. Ah, and the Atlas military! Surely, the vanguard of a massive force to hold the line! Also Im glad to see a close up of the helmet for once, I want to make my own. Also, the gloves, and the rifle itself. Not sure why it doesnt have a stock, seems kind of silly...

And airships too, so they got some fire support...whats that wall behind them though?

Also it TOOK US 8 FUCKING SEASONS to get a close up of these FUCKING Weapons. 8. FUCKING. SEASONS. Okay maybe more like 5 cause they didnt first appear till 3 or so but come on. Im so picking this shit apart later. 

Pfft, bros got some nerves going on. Come on man, its just some Grimm, you’ll be FINE.

Atlas field harvesters resemble Halo’s JOTUN Farming equipment. As wel as our own. No surprise there.

Alright, bunch of Saybers, not seeing much of a threat here.

Hey, Paladins! Damn, they...look way different than I remember them to be. 

I wont lie, I dont like the Paladin design. Way to much visual noise, I cant tell where anything IS. 

Also that is the most 2D grass I have sever seen in my fucking life. What the hell are they growing here...

Huh, the whale has two sets of teeth. Wait, its just there? And its wpewing out Grimm. So...why isnt the air force firing on it? 

Yeah its not moving, its just raising its head and slamming down and vomiting out more Grimm. Im not sure what the issue is here, just...seal the mouth. 

Oh, huh. Apathys. Let me guess, RTs gonna try and tell us depression is going to kill most of Atlas. Oh for fuck sake. IM NOT IMPRESSED RT. IM REALLY NOT. IM MORE FUCKING ANNOYED THAN ANYTHING

Okay so...I see what this is. Its farm land outside of atlas proper and there’s an additional wall behind them, plus the power lines I guess? Seems like a viable place to make a stand. 

...thats it. Please tell me this is just a single detachment of the Atlas military because there is less firepower here than a NATIONAL GUARD UNIT ASSIGNED TO ONE CITY

Im fairly certain there are more people assigned to ONE UNIT attached to JBLM then I amm seeing here. 

Not to mention this is an OPEN FIELD the Grimm have to run through. This is a literall fucking TURKEY SHOOT. Running across an open field anywhere is a ticket to DYING.

Just ask the poor fucks on D-day.

Also uh...why is everyone in line formation? What is this, fuckin’ 18009s combat Napoleon style?

And did the distance suddenly change, I feel like the whale suddenly got a hell of a lot closer.

Just...I dont get this. This makes no sense. Did Ironwood learn how to deploy forces from a fairy tale book? This is legitimately some fuckin Lord of the Rings shit here.

RIP that one specific trooper hit by that Behemoth though. Dont worry friend, the thing walked next to a Paladin. Its getting its eye blasted out

And cut back to Ironwood. Doing...fuck if I know what.

Staring angrily it seems.

“Dammit, my tactical deployment by line formation and parade ground tactics isnt holding back the Grimm, curses!”

Well MAYBE IF YOUD THOUGHT TO INVEST IN SOME FUCKING AIR SUPPORT...Seriously.

I know people have told me why this is. I understand myself why this is. But it really just...does...not...jibe with me. At all. 

Okay so more details; first, apparently Atlas has a subway. Makes sense, its a big island. Inter-system transits probably a given. Second; Was that Mantis Squad Omega? Some kind of unit maybe...interesting.

 Also I love how this guy just questions Ironwood. Like, bro, if the General says do it, do it.

Hold the fuck up, why is everyone outside? It looks like fuckin’ Cali during our lockdowns...what ever happened to martial law huh?

Also “underground subway stations”. Yes, thats...kind of what a subway IS. I guess maybe they have overhead ones like New York does. Mass transit be weird like that.

I mean HELL the signs on it are almost identical to the ones in NYC too! Even with the colored circles and train cnumbers. 

According to the sign here they’re at Pickens Square Station. 

Oh boy. Ironwood just fed these poor bastards into a meat grinder. Anyone here ever played the Metro game series, or read the books?

Remember the Dark Ones? The Nosallias? Yeah. Tight corridors and monsters only work out well for angry vodka fueled Russians.

Didnt see it very well but I THINK those Mantas had some kind of wing gun. Either thats new, a separate armament setting, or RT forgot what ind of weapons they gave their ships AGAIN.

Cant get the shields back up, yeah, no shit, they DETACHED ONE OF THE FUCKING PILOTS YOU IDIOTS.

Also hah, they arrested Yang, Ren and Jaune. Not surprised.

Beta squads apperently been hitting the whale. ‘Bombs, missiles, we cant make a dent, sir.” ...while Im not surprised by this, I also hear shades of the opening of Halo 2s level Metropolis. “Where’s the rest of your platoon?” “Wasted, sarge. Blew right through us. Rockets, fifty cals, didnt do nothing.”

Honestly they could have SHOWED THAT too. Them just saying it feels like a cop out to me. Take that as you will. But if you want us to see the things hard to kill, show it. 

Not that I figure Atlas’s rockets are much more than Dust in a propellent tank. Not exactly a Hellfire or TOW.

Nice to see proper military talk for...a moment anyway.

Or what I figure RT figures is proper.

Oh so now the whales moving. Okay...huh.

Jaunes commentary is the same as mine. Though I guess the size seems to shift depending.

Ohhh. Its MANTA. As in the gunships. Alright, sure that works. And this guys making a good call. If you cant hit the big one go after the smaller. Of which there seems to be a HELL of a lot. Actually holy fuck that Grimm spew is across like...ahlf the fucking island right now. Time to fuckin torch and burn people.

Ahhhhhh and they get to the proper idea.  If you cant punch it from the outside, hit it from the inside.

I knew a crew...three madmen, names of Keegan, Lahni and Mac. The Hivebusters. Something tells me a Venom bomb would do the trick...if it can rip apart Swarm creatures as big as a Snatcher or a Swarmak and reduce them to green slime, I think it’ll work on Grimm. 

Something tells me RT isnt gonna give em a bomb though. Too obvious.

NEVER MIND. “Science team is putting together a bomb.”

Also I LOVE how Winter’s pupils expand and retract in fear as she realizes what Ironwoods asking her to do.

Awww now shes getting the shakes too.

Salem directing this shit like shes some kind of orchestra leader. I mean it FITS but...I dunno.

Ah so the command deck is directly behind the whale’s glowing nose. Basically inside where the spermacetiy organ would be in a real sperm whale.

What the fuck is Emerald doing there?

Sneaking I guess. Huh. Why’s she sneaking around the whale. Also, huh. guess seeers can get fooled by Emeralds semblance.  Is HE STILL BEATING UP ON OSCAR? Jeez dude. Take a breather.

Honestly if this was TRUE I would be okay with it. Replace the Huntsman with, I dont know, a massively overequipped military for each Kingdom, let them run rampant...stomp the Grimm out or push them back to nonexistence...everyone lives happily ever after

Lets be real here, the idea of the academies? Really really fucking dumb. Its cute. Fairy tale like.

But if theres one thing this show has taught me its that fairy tales SUCK. Reality...tends to be worse.

Ah theres one of those torture hooks they mentioned a few episodes back. Nice of the whale to have a specific interrigation room.

And at last we get some information on how Salem works. Alright so...what happens if you seperate the parts then? Sink one in the ocean, launch one into space.

Sounds like Oz/Oscars telling the fans what we’ve been saying forever, Companion Book be damned; Salem wants to die.

These mind games bore me. Its cute, but I dont like it cause I cant follow that shit. Give me a straight up fight any day, fuck this sublty backroom fuckery

No lies from them both here honestly.

Medical supplies in Atlas seem almost the same as here on earth interestngly. Also, soup. Or...coffee, tea?

Blake with the obvious here. But I mean thats not really saying much cause...well. Not hard to outfight the Atlas military it seems like.  (Long suffering sigh)

Im gonna make a seperate post about my frustrations with that and leave it there. But dont expect me to stop fully complaining about it because everyones gotta have something to bitch about with this show, and I’ll be DAMNED if I start joining the BB whiners.

Good question, Ruby. Might be that YOUR NOT LIVING IN A FAIRY TALE

I’d like to see these people dying in Mantle. I refuse to believe that there isnt SOMEONE in the nation that once brought Remnant to its heel that wont stand and fight. Unless Im wrong about that too...

May backstory? May backstory. Yeah.  Not amazingly complicated but it works. Cant tell if shes Henry though...or was. 

Dramatic lightning flash

Cute you think that Ruby. Theres sides. Always are.

Further proof honestly.

Hazels look of though is amusing. Cant tell if he doesnt believe Oscar, or if his tiny peabrain is runing full bore to think this through.

Coordination between farm boy and professor.

Oh. OHHHH. Plants the seed of doubt in Hazels tiny mind, he uses the last question for himself, sees the truth... Clever, Oscar. Clever.

Hazel peabrain go THUNK

Ah so Mercs going off to Vacuo. Guess that means everyone else is going there next too. Eat that, random Discord person, I called it.

Course, CFVYs there so...maybe we get to see Yats beat up on him.

Oh hi Tyrian. Do you just...randomly roam the halls of the whale waiting to DRAMATICALLY REVEAL YOURSELF and give violent expositon? Im very much okay with that.

Also I love how he just...accepts this. Totally fucking bonkers, totally down with it. 

Oh shit, Tyrian and Mercury going to Vacuo? Damn thats gonna be INTERESTING. I guess Tyrian’ll fit in well enough honestly.

Flying Beringal literally out of the roof. 

I remember back when this season first started and I said those weird bone platforms looked like VTOL launch bays. Guess what? They are.

Merc and Em emotion blah blah DONT CAAARRREEE

Jaune thinking tactically for ONCE IN HIS FUCKING LIFE. An I mean military tactical of course.

Also I like how the Aces say they dont let emotions cloud their shit WHEN THEYVE BEEN DOING THAT THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME.

This ENTIRE PLANET is emotionally run. Thats why the Grimm are such an issue! Makes small note to make Remnant Adeptus Mechanicus cult

Seriously though...

I wont lie though, Hare isnt wrong. Wonder what happened to that Tortuga guy. Tyrian, is my guess. Love how Ren interrupts the moment they almost mention Clovers name.

Expendable, yes. Replacable, no. You should have a talk with squadron leader Grey from Star Wars Squadrons Ren

ANNNNDDD SEMBLANCE EVOLUTION. Or the edibles just kicked in.

This is cool and all but its really fucking dumb and hamfisted. Explain all you want. Mention emotions all you want.

The Aces are fucking huntsmen. HUNTSMEN. FUCKING. SUCK. They always have. Its a dumb idea. Yes, lets stop the hordes of monsters invading this world BY SENDING IN SINGLE OPERATIVES WITH FUCKING MELEE WEAPONS

I’ll make this clear to you, Ren, right here and now. If you faced a REAL elites, you wouldnt have stood a chance. Nor would RWBY. Their bodies would have been three-shot from 20 meters out with a breach and clear and stacked against the wall like cords of wood, one final shot to the dome to make dead sure they were down. None of this stupid flipping and acrobatic crap, none of this clashing weapons and Dust and semblances...no. 

You’d be dead before you knew they were there and they would move on. You’d just be another body to the pile, one more faceless corpse to add to their kill count. A meatgrinder in human form. 

Professionals. Dont. Lose. AND THE ACES ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS!

Because thats not what RWBYs about, never has been.  And that is what annoys me slightly. That and the fact I cant distangle what I know of other universes and our own from RWBY’s. Its hard to hold a universe on its own when everything they make points towards it being like ours, but they change it when they see fit. 

I feel like thats bad writing.

Hehehe. Winter touched Elms boob.

Glad to know that Winters got her priorities right. Course, that bomb probably aint gonna do shit cause its Dust based.

...again, hoping its a chemical weapon...

Wait, the Atlas forces from earlier are STILL FIGHTING? Damn, these Grimm must suck if they couldnt wipe them out in that little time...

Also I cant tell if its getting dark cause of the storm or if its the dawn of the next day.  Or did...they shift time around? I lost track. I SWORE the sun was setting the last time we saw everything.

Also return of the shitty 3D grass...

Marrows gonna defect.

Awww poor Winters got emotions. HEY MAYBE DONT SEND A MENSTRATING WOMAN OUT ON A FIELD OP, ATLAS!

So according to May there’s still front lines. Cool. 

AYYY ITS KLIEN! HES BACK

Oh, I guess hes a doctor too. Oh he MAD.

Ayyy Whitleys being USEFUL for fucking once in his shitty life.

Shes gonna hug him isnt she.

CALLED IT. For fuck sake...whatever. Cute. But whatever.

Oh annnnddd now Grimmquake?

No. It stopped...Bolide?

No. PENNY.

Annnnddd shes leaking coolant. And sparking. And dead.

RIP Penny.

The concept art of the beached whale looks so fucking silly. Seriously, just...detach the whole section there. Drop the fucking thing. 

Oh well.

And thats it for almost two months! Be prepared for me to BULLSHIT MY WAY THROUGH ALL OF IT and continue on with my military fanwank because THATS HOW IM SURVIVING 2020!

[everythingoesnk]

Once in Rockfield Farm (2/5)

summary; just roger being a cute little shit. hang on there because things will get spicy after this one i promise

word count; 5 365

warnings; none i believe?

part 1

********

After a hideous long day dealing with a professor about why he should consider giving extra credit in the assignment you presented, you came home feeling resentful.

The only goal up your mind now was to take a hot bath and shut out the world.

Exhausted, you yawned and headed to the dining room to greet the boys with Sherlock on your heels, finding extremely satisfying to hear the flames of the fireplace rustling.

The scene you encountered filled you with tenderness: Freddie, John and Roger were sitting on the carpet, playing Scrabble already in their pyjamas devouring a huge pizza with the fire glowing in their precious sleepy faces.

"If you're gonna cheat you can leave the way you came" Freddie noted, clearly irritated.

Roger clicked his tongue, bored. He knew from experience Freddie was a sore loser.

His eyes fell on you as soon as you showed up.

You smiled timidly and looked away when you saw him roaming your figure, baffled that you liked the attention. His lack of precariousness, too absorbed in your curves to even care if you caught him, made your stomach flutteri n a sweet way.

“Oh, darling, hi. I didn’t hear you come in” Freddie was gathering the tiles up to start a new game.

“Hello, (Y/N)” John smiled and stretched his legs.

“How was your day?” Roger questioned in a throaty voice, still recovering from how your entrance got him weak in the knees.

You placed a slice of the pizza on top of a napkin, watching with desire the cheese melting.

“Awful. Where’s Brian?”

“He’s asleep” John explained.

“It’s only nine p.m.” you replied, surprised that he went to bed so soon.

“We’ve had a tough day”

Ah, you didn’t need to hear more. The last few days for them in the studio had been nothing but intense and frustrating.

Freddie offered you to join the game, but you preferred to observe. Seeing them mess with each other was much more entertaining.

You laughed till your belly and cheeks hurt when Freddie threw a pack of cigarettes at Roger’s face, accusing him of cheating again. The other became defensive pointing out how many suspicious words Freddie tried to make them believe they existed. Poor John tried to get in between the discussion to hurry things up, but knowing very damn well they wouldn’t listen, he came to sit next to you on the sofa.

The look he was giving you was nothing but perturbing.

"When are you going to perform for us?" he asked, straight down to business.

You too, John?

Sherlock jumped and plopped down on his lap.

“Roger told us you have a wonderful voice. He said more things actually, but I don’t want to embarrass him”

Aggressively, your face turned a weird shade of pink. You hid it burying your head in your hands and peeked out at him through your fingers.

“Shut up”

John cackled.

“It’s rude only Rog got to listen to you. You’re not that good at hiding your favouritism, let me tell you” Freddie taunted.

“She’s awful at hiding her favouritism, but you two need to cut it off” Roger instructed, and sent a cocky grin your way.

“Yeah, leave me— what?” his eyes sparkled with playfulness. “I never said you were my favourite, don’t flatter yourself. And for the record, you were acting the same the other day”

He licked his lower lip, a not so innocent smile plastered on them.

“It didn’t take me more than two minutes to convince you”

“Oh, shoo” you laughed, covering your mouth. “He said I sounded like an angel, did he tell you guys this?” you asked, playfully peering at Roger from the corner of your eye to confirm if he was still looking at you.

He was. He couldn’t not to when you were around.

John wanted to say that he did, repeatedly, and that when he mentioned how enchanting your voice was, Roger himself sounded so proud and utterly devoted to it.

Freddie exchanged a look with his disco friend that spoke volumes. The latter had a small smile ghosting his lips as he watched the scene develop.

“What are you trying to imply? C’mon, I see how you look at me when we’re rehearsing” Roger provokingly pointed out, emphasizing his words with the most coquettish smile, messing with his hair.

His eyes felt so heavy on you, stare loaded with… something.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must be confused, I look at Brian” you assured, resting your chin on your palm, one big grin on your lips.

“Do you? Well, you leave no other option but to get rid of him. Where could I hide the body? I’m lucky you have plenty of land”

You giggled genuinely, and Roger felt the need to get up and kiss you.

“(Y/N)” John called.

You didn’t even realize he left your side until you saw him at the door.

“Someone’s asking for you” he stated, gesturing to the rotary phone in the entrance.

You stood up, and as you walked past him, a pouting Roger grabbed you by the ankle, earning a chuckle from you in return. He was upset you had to leave to answer the call. That little teasing game with you was making his day.

Boisterous chaos of voices erupted from the living room when you were gone, the boys annoying Roger with comments about his soft behaviour towards you.

Disappointment rushed over you when you heard who was on the other end of the line.

“Hi, dad”

“What kind of circus have you put up at home?” he asked in a rather unpleased tone.

You didn’t tell your parents about your decision to have a rockband move in. It had nothing to do with them anyway; it didn’t affect their day to day.

John probably had to properly introduce himself since he picked up, giving a little away about who he was and why he answered his daughter’s call. You were embarrassed about what your father could’ve said to him, knowing he could turn out to be very austere and unfriendly.

“It’s a long story, dad, but don’t worry. Everything’s fine, they’re not staying forever, y’know”

“How would I know?”

He had a point.

“We don’t want you near that kind of people, you listen?” he protested into the receiver.

You found it funny and exasperating at the same time that your father, being as clever as he was –you’d grown to know that being clever didn’t necessarily mean someone was intelligent—, heard the word "rocker" and instantly related it to a person with poor hygiene and an IQ below average. A beast whom you just aren’t able to have a normal conversation with because the only thing they know about is sex.

He probably assumed they lived half their life in prison as well, because why not.

“We’re coming over on Saturday” he continued.

“Okay”

“And they better be gone”

You had to control the urge to scream at him for being so stubborn.

“They’re staying as long as they need, period. My grades are as excellent as ever, by the way” you enunciated, hanging up on him in the middle of a word.

That hot bath was very much needed now.

//

Saturday came sooner than you thought.

And you were terrified.

Since it was pretty noticeable how stressed you were about the reunion with your parents, who were coming all the way from America, the boys volunteered to set the table and save you the work.

The temperature had dropped a little, but it wasn’t unpleasant either, so everyone voted democratically to eat outside next to the pool.

Brian and John were busy placing the cutlery, Freddie and Mary stayed in the kitchen keeping an eye on the chicken.

"I knew I’d meet them someday, but not so soon. I didn’t even ask you out yet" joked Roger, approaching you from behind.

He waited for a reaction to his attempt to make you laugh and hopefully go red like you always did when he made that type of comments.

A line appeared between his brows when you exhaled, your languid gaze stuck in a random spot in the distance, huddling to the door frame. Roger loomed closer to you, thoughtfully, as you two watched Sherlock chasing a rabbit from the front door.

“Are they that bad?”

“No, ‘f course not. They’re also vain, self-centred, insensitive, hostile,” you sighed in despair, “and horrible parents”

Roger opened his mouth but you weren’t done.

“Just let me do the talking. The less you interact with them, the better”

You closed the door with your foot, turned around and paced back and forth, biting your nails.

Roger couldn’t help but stare.

Despite how anxious you were and the permanent meditative expression in your face, he cocked his head as he stared at you with a teeny tiny grin on his lips.

How did you manage to look so truly gorgeous all the damn time? That question kept coming back to haunt him.

Roger got used to it, yet he didn’t found an answer. Perhaps you were just the prettiest and most stunning living creature he’d ever seen.

“Chill out, love”

You checked the clock hanging on the wall and spared Roger a glance.

He chuckled at you crossing your arms across your chest, finger tapping them nervously.

“When you meet them you’ll know what I mean”

“Everything’s ready” Brian announced, walking in. “I’ll check how’s the meal going, I don’t trust those two with anything”

John followed him, hands shoved in his pockets, and sent you the sweetest reassuring smile.

You were so glad and grateful that you had these people with you. Whenever you were alone with your parents you felt overwhelmingly depressed.

As you jerked your head in Roger’s direction for he hadn’t said a thing for a good minute, you saw him massaging his temple and eyeing you. Your heart began galloping like crazy. He looked fucking handsome like that.

Like if he were debating where to start devouring you.

“W-what?”

Roger walked up to you until he was just mere inches away.

“It’ll be alright, okay? We’re here”

A now familiar tingling feeling to your closeness invaded him when he slowly extended his hand to caress your cheek. You leaned into his touch, craving for him to don’t even considerate walking away now.

Tongue-tied, unable to produce a word, you were sure you were more than ready for him to do whatever he wanted to do with you at that very moment.

Roger rubbed his thumb against your skin, the only effective way he could think of to make you relax. What he didn’t know was that relaxing wasn’t in your dictionary at the moment, not when his docile fingertips were so incredibly soft, delicately and tenderly brushing your anxiety far away.

“How long’s it been since you last saw them?”

You sighed dramatically, disappointed when he dropped his hand to the side.

“One year, one and a half. I don’t remember”

Roger jabbed your side with his elbow.

“I don’t know if you know, but they have the most amazing daughter” he muttered, gaze fixed somewhere else, nodding to himself. “She’s about to graduate and has an enormous beautiful heart. And enough talent to end careers if she wanted to. Don’t tell her, but thank God she’s not releasing any records or we’d be screwed”

Every word he listed genuine, he expected more than anything to make you smile.

Hopeless to compliments as you were, you didn’t know what to respond. He was being so disgustingly sweet. It sent your heart rate beyond the damn Milky Way.

“‘Bottomless pit’, that’s what they said when she mentioned her intentions to become a musician”

Roger huffed.

“Fuck them, then” he spat without thinking,

Soon he regretted it, upsetting you being the last thing he wanted now, but he visibly relaxed when you snickered, making his stomach flip.

“Yeah, fuck ‘em”

Roger laughed and you laughed too.

He looked at you warmly.

“There you go. That’s what I was longing to hear, your cheeky and charming laugh”

It started to fade away moderately at his comment, and you furrowed an eyebrow.

“What?”

He grinned cheekily looking down at you.

“Nothing”

“My love, what are you doing?” Freddie asked Mary, who’d been peeking out the kitchen door for a while.

"Shh," she waved Freddie off, staring at you and Roger sharing a moment. She then returned to meet Brian, John and Freddie. "I didn't know Roger and (Y/N) were getting along this well”

A dark thought clouded her mind within milliseconds.

“You don’t look very pumped about it” Brian pointed out.

“We all know how he is”

“He won’t use her that way”

“How are you so sure?”

Brian raised an eyebrow when he found out he didn’t have a coherent answer for that. He just felt it in his guts that Roger wouldn’t treat you like one of his groupies.

“I just know”

“I second that” Freddie spoke, a little bit annoyed that Mary was so quick to jump to conclusions. “And honey, you were the first one to tell (Y/N) he’d bang her. I heard you two, you planted the seed”

“I never imagined she’d be into him, I thought she had a type. She prefers them a few years older… or used to” she added in a low voice.

“That’s just stupid, Mary” John interrupted.

The other two turned their heads and looked at him as if they were seeing John for the first time. Brian nodded; Freddie grinned.

“There’s no such thing as a ‘type’. When it comes to being attracted to another person you can never tell”

“I’m just surprised” she coughed, and grabbed a bowl to make a salad. “They do, then, like each other?”

“Roger’s into her, I think it’s obvious? I can’t read minds, so I’m-“

“Did he tell you?”

“-I’m not entirely sure about (Y/N). And no, he hasn’t. There’s really no need for him to verbalize it. One day I had to go get him because these two were arguing again,” he loitered around the door in case one of you would come, not wanting you to know they were talking about this, “and when I found him in the studio they were together”

“But that doesn’t mean anything“

“Mary, listen, if you’d seen what I saw, Roger’s face. I don’t know. I don’t know what they’d been talking about, but the way he was looking at her… I don’t know how to explain it”

“Try?” Mary glanced up at him.

He hesitated for a bit.

“Like if she were special”

Mary’s brows knitted.

The sound of the bell made your throat go dry.

You’d been listening patiently to Roger explaining that they were supposed to head to London for a meeting with Rheid the next day in the morning, hence why you didn’t hear them pull over.

“Please make sure everything’s good over there while I attend them”

Roger nodded and left, concerned on the inside when he noticed how the colour evacuated your face.

It felt like a kick in the stomach, the emptiness of where he stood seconds ago.

You needed him but you felt you couldn’t let him know, ‘cause it would be weird. Why would you need Roger for, exactly? To be by your side to welcome your parents? Stupid, right?

The relationship with them was… there wasn’t. One in which they fulfilled their function, better or worse? No. They never filled the mould.

With your father it was bad. With your mother, hard to explain.

But that didn’t mean you didn’t admire them as individuals for their accomplishments: your father was the owner of a law firm based in New York. Hadn’t lost a case in years, and that sure was the main reason behind the reputation of ‘untouchable’ he had. Your mother’d been a pilot for the USAF, but she was involved in an accident and in a wheelchair for life now, forcing her to retire earlier than suspected.

Awkwardly, you collected yourself, palms blooming with sweat as you twisted the handle.

Only your mother laid eyes on you when you starred their field of view.

“What were you up to? We’ve been waiting for a good five minutes”

Ignoring your father’s sharp comment, you tilted your body forwards for your mum to embrace you.

The thing about her was that deep down you were sure she was on your side about your inclinations concerning your future (she knew you inherited her father’s talent), but she wasn’t brave enough to let you know from her in case you’d use it in your favour against your father.

You wished the relationship with your future husband wasn’t based on the same pillars as their marriage.

“My sweet child”

Your father pushed her wheelchair inside and you hurried to close the door behind him.

"Father," you said politely, almost in a robotic manner, not really wanting to go through this.

And also because he didn't like hugs nor kisses on the cheek you kept the distance, conscious that that was what he expected from you.

“Make yourselves at home, I’ll get the others”

You turned around and quickly withdrew to the kitchen before they could say anything that challenged your nerves.

They looked at each other and you heard your mum whisper to him to “please behave”.

They seemed to loosen up a little when they recognized a familiar face, Mary’s, amongst the five people that followed you.

After introducing Queen, you offered everyone to take a seat at the table so you could start to serve lunch.

A sincere microscopic smile settled on your mother’s lips, but your father had his stern gaze upon Roger, who held his hand out to shake his.

“Hello, mister. It’s a pleasure”

With Roger’s hand still hanging in the air, your father looked at you stony eyed.

What was it about Roger that got him so creepy?

You took a fast glance at him to see what could possibly be your father’s source of irritation, and your eyes grew wider.

Father and Mother were wearing expensive, chic clothes, as per usual. Not a single wrinkle in his suit, her dress impeccable. Roger’s sense of style was everything, actually one of the many things that first attracted you to him. Regardless that, seeing him now made you close your eyes to internally pray for the ground to swallow you.

With a quick hand movement, you covertly gestured him to button up the blouse with floral motifs he was wearing, since he had his torso totally exposed.

A Mona Lisa expression was all he could pull off while working on getting it done.

At the head of the table sat your father, your mother next to him in the corner. Then Mary, Freddie and Brian, you in front of your mother, Roger on your left and John to conclude.

Uncorking the bottle of red wine, you listened as your mum and Mary established a pretty basic conversation to catch up. Luckily you had Mary to ease the mood.

You asked Freddie to help you with the starters and walked to the kitchen.

“They seem nice”

“Freddie I swear to God”

“We could always kick them out or have an orgy in front of them. Would that meet their standards of what rockstars do for a living?”

“There,” you handed him two plates, “do not drop ‘em, I plead you”

Freddie could finally settle down from going back and forth carrying things when you brought with you Roger’s and John’s food.

John muttered a ‘thank you’ and Roger scratched your back when you plopped onto the chair.

Maybe you were imagining things, but it sort of felt… different to a simply friendly rub.

You shook your head, shut up (Y/N).

“When’s the graduation ceremony?” wondered your dad before putting the first spoon of hummus in his mouth.

“The 19th”

“That’s around the corner, aren’t you excited?” your mum said.

“Very”

“I’ve already chosen my outfit. I won’t give any details away, though. Do you have yours?” Mary cheerfully interfered.

“Eh… no”

“Well, you should really go shopping with Mary. She has an eye for fashion” your mum remarked.

“Thank you. I’ve learned a lot from Freddie, I must say” she turned her head and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“M, make sure you bring the Nikon to take good photos. I don’t want them to miss a detail of such important day in my life” you sneered without mincing.

They wouldn’t make it to the ceremony and it made your blood boil that they were looking so forward to it. What for? They wouldn’t even be present to witness it themselves.

Mary’s smile turned into a grimace, and she suddenly found the bread positioned next to her fork the most interesting item her eyes ever registered.

"Shade's unnecessary, don't even begin," your dad said severely. "We won't be drinking fucking cocktails in Barbados; we've got responsibilities in the States"

“And I’m sure you tried by all efforts to make it possible” you took a sip of the wine, still not making any eye contact with them.

Instead, you looked at Mary. She was begging for you to take it easy; you knew her too well to be able to communicate without words.

“(Y/N)” your dad warned.

“No, it just shocks me that being the powerful businessman that you are you cannot pull strings out to be there”

Shit, you needed to stop. Your eyes started to water out of bitterness and that wasn’t fucking cool. You’d cried too much over the years because of them and were able to stop the tears from falling at this point, but it was infuriating.

A promise is a promise, and you promised yourself to not shed more tears when it came to them. They didn’t deserve it.

Towards the end of the meal things cooled down a bit thanks to Mary again, that kept everyone distracted talking about… you didn’t even know what the hell she was talking about, lost in your own world.

Your breaking point reached the verge when your dad came at Brian.

At motherfucking Brian. The sweetest human to walk the Earth.

“Apart from playing the guitar, is there anything else you can do? In case the band flops”

That was it. That was fucking it.

You slammed the table, palms settled down against it.

Roger wrapped his hand around your thigh below the table.

“What the heck? Who do you think you are? Do you really think you’re superior to them? To anyone sitting at this table?” you were all noisy breathing.

Shaking your head in disapproval, you were about to put him in his place, and neither your mother or Mary would make you back down.

Alongside a high chin and flaring nostrils, you dad’s eyes burned as he scrutinized you. The thing he hated the most was when someone embarrassed him in public –which didn’t happen often—, but he knew if he dared to speak now it’d only make things worse.

“Brian owns a PhD title in Astronomy, Freddie a diploma in Graphic Arts and Design, Rog a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and John a 1st Class Honours Degree in Electronics. Shut your ugly clown ass mouth for once”

“(Y/N), please…” your mum begged.

Your dad stood up, and you pulled yourself to your feet to not give him the satisfaction to appear bigger, which’d psychologically help his ego.

Roger rose from the chair and pressed his lips together at the wounded look in your face. He grabbed you by the waist instinctively and pulled you closer to him.

“Why don’t we go inside…” Mary recommended the rest in almost a whisper.

You screwed your eyes shut, and when you felt like opening them, thankfully it was only you and Roger.

"See what I've got to put up with? Fuckin' surreal. You may think I exaggerated but he's a crackhead and I wasn't going to let him say anything nasty about any of you. I'm only sorry for my mum, she doesn't deserve— I keep thinking about the what-ifs. What if they divorced. What if grandpa was still alive. Oh, Rog. You'd love him, he was a gift from heaven"

The world stopped together with your talking when you felt Roger’s arms enveloping you in a hug, drawing you into his chest.

“Shut up for a bit and breathe”

Roger’s scent induced you in a daze that wouldn’t allow you to collect your thoughts.

In hopes of helping, he stroked your hair and yet pulled you even closer to him, kissing the crown of your head.

What you didn’t know was that Roger was as stunned as you were, completely blown away by how gratifying it was to be attached to one another. You nuzzled your nose into the crook of his neck, closing your eyes. The ringlets in his hair tickling your forehead.

Seconds, a minute, half an hour, a day, centuries, you didn’t know how much time you spent like this, with him leisurely clutching at your body.

Slowly, you physically distanced yourself a little from the warmth that his body irradiated. Not too far away, though, still safe in his arms.

Locking eyes was probably the worst choice for your well being you could’ve had made: he’d been searching your face for a sign that you were less anxious, but once you looked up at him through your lashes, he was entirely yours.

Foreheads quite close but still at a reasonable extent, none of you looked away.

“Hey” Roger mumbled.

"Hi," you uttered, voice barely audible.

“You okay?”

“I’ve had better days” you laughed mirthlessly.

“How can I help?”

“You’re doing enough coping with me now”

His fingers slipped around your upper arms. Roger watched you, unsure about your very questionable answer.

You flashed a tired grin but he wasn’t buying any of it.

“Rog, I’m okay. It’s not the first time I quarrel with my dad, and it won’t be the last”

“Then why don’t you talk to him and lay cards on the table?”

“Do you really think I haven’t done that already? It’s like talking to a wall. And whenever I bring up the subject, he encourages me to stop with the bullshit because ‘it’s not funny anymore’”

Roger shook his head in disgust.

“Enrolling for university was my choice, anyway” you muttered.

“They brainwashed you! Goddammit, if it wasn’t for them you’d be filling stadiums with a sea of people singing your lyrics back at you” he said, raising his voice.

Nibbling on your lower lip, you dragged your gaze back to him. Did he really mean that?

“Do you… you believe so?”

“If everything you’ve written is nearly as good as what you sang to me the other day… yes, I do. You’d be ruling the world”

“Overdoing it much, ay?” you gave him an affectionate nudge, unable to stop a large smile from appearing.

“Am I?”

“A bit”

He smirked and bit his inside cheek. You giggled watching him looking up to the clouds, pretending to think of an answer.

“I’m your number one fan, what can I say”

Looping your arm around his neck, you pulled him close to your side.

He stared meaningfully at you, watching you ran your thumb over his cheek in admiration.

At that very moment, if it weren’t for the fact that you were an insecure and doubtful human being, you’d have kissed him without a second thought. And if it weren’t for the fact that he knew you deserved better than him, he’d have crushed his mouth into yours and told you he was madly crazy about you from day one.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Rog. You’ve been nothing but supportive. It doesn’t go unnoticed” you revealed, tipping your eyes up to him.

His heart skipped a beat.

During the first weeks, he wasn’t certain about why his heart kept skipping any beats because of you. That answer he’d been searching was most likely unleashed by now.

Building the courage to suggest you to go to dinner someday, he got interrupted by Mary, who reemerged from the sliding glass door that connected the backyard to the living room.

She couldn’t manage to speak for a moment, somewhat surprised and unpleased at the sight of you and Roger so relatively close.

“Your parents are leaving”

You frowned, freeing Roger from your grasp, and then put on an “I-Don’t-Really-Care” mask on.

“Fine”

They were already at the door. You sighed.

Mother had an expression of concern, and Father didn’t even bother to cover his discomfort and willing to get the hell out of there.

The farewell with your dad was short and full of negative energy, so you were relieved when he hurried out to the car after saying that he wished you well, with the “until next time” plain line afterwards. Your mum took your hand in hers, blinking her tears back.

You whispered a low apology, but she shook her head.

Why everything had to be so difficult with them?

Tears threatening to escape your eyes at the sudden jolt of sorrowness, you wiped your nose with the back of your free hand, since the other one was still being held steady by your mother’s.

“Your boyfriend…”

“Roger?” you lifted your eyebrow, dazed. “You mean Roger? He’s not my boyfriend”

Her eyes crinkled. If he weren’t at least someone important to you beyond the friendzone, you wouldn’t have been so quick to know she was referring to him.

“How he rushed to protect you from your dad back there… I thought he was. My bad”

By the mischievous half smile she had, you could tell she was implying that whatever the situation was, it wasn’t as innocent as you thought.

“Okay…” you trailed off.

“I love you, baby. Take care of yourself, please”

//

A series of busy sounds awakened you.

Sullenly checking the clock on the nightstand, you swore to the angels you'd kill whoever was making so much noise so freaking early.

You snarled and covered yourself aggressively again.

Someone opened the door, and just enough to see, you stuck your head over the top of the sheet.

That person didn’t turn on the light so they wouldn’t blind you, but you immediately sat down and turned it on yourself with the switch next to the headboard, in which you subsequently supported yourself against.

When you realized it was Roger, still with a face of drowsiness and hair without combing, the upset he’d caused you decreased precipitously.

It was unfair. He was so cute it hurt.

"Rog?"

An annoying heat rose to your cheeks. You were sure your look wasn’t the most flattering.

"Sorry, sorry"

"What’s it?” you asked, worried.

"Nothing bad, sorry I woke you up like that. But I have an idea"

"An idea? At six in the morning? It better be bloody good"

He smiled, visibly thrilled, and sat at the foot of your bed.

"Remember what I told you yesterday?"

"No, I don’t. Don’t make me think now" you groaned, wishing you could go back to sleeping.

"We have a meeting in London, we’ll spend the whole day there. I want you to come with me. Us… us”

"Me?” you rubbed your eyes, tired and surreptitiously having to fight back yawn after yawn. “What for? I’d be completely out of place in a Queen meeting"

"You cannot attend it. Though I wouldn’t mind"

"So? I have finals, and—"

"Jesus, (Y/N). I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer"

"Why do you insist so much? I simply don’t understand what the purpose of me going is"

"Please, come"

The glint in his eyes was irresistible.

It’d been a while since you’d mentally agreed, but you were dying to know what he was up to. Apparently it was a surprise, and knowing Roger, he wouldn’t give anything away.

If you wanted to know, you’d just have to trust and follow him.

********

hope y’all liked it. a reblog would help me a lot <3

tagging: @sweetdaisys @multifics @incorrcctqueen @namelesslosers

[operationafoot-blog]

Ladies, gents, and folks of another persuasion, I went to my first fiber fest yesterday, and it was WONDERFUL! I have a happy post-yarn glow to me, I do believe.

It was a long drive away, but several of the people in my local knitting/crochet group carpooled. These are the sort of women that you're happy to be trapped in a car with. Let's just say they're an entertaining bunch. If you die in some fiery accident, you'll at least have had a fun journey there. The actual event was held at a lovely little winery/farm with beautiful chickens roaming free among the tents and wine tasting and delicious sangria and Bellini slushies and fresh eggs for sale and local singer-songwriters performing. The weather, unusually for Texas throughout most of the year, was perfect for an outdoors event, sunny and pleasantly windy and not too warm.

People were so friendly there, you guys. It's an amazing feeling to just be surrounded by other fiber artists. If you knit, crochet, spin, dye, weave, or even just want to, and you get an opportunity to go to a fiber fest? Please go! You will have so much fun! (I did get ignored at one booth, but oh well. Didn't buy anything from them~) I had a lot of fun just chatting with the vendors and talking about the things they make. And it was a little warm to have people wearing handknit sweaters, but a few people had shawls and short-sleeve shirts on, and you can just go up to them and talk about their lovely work! The sense of community is something everyone should get to have.

I told myself I was going to buy two skeins of sock yarn, and that was it. Well, I bought just two skeins of sock yarn... at the first booth. Having never had the opportunity to do this before, I went a little crazy. I actually only visited six booths, because it was a little overwhelming seeing so much cool stuff, and I'm kind of... an acquirer of stuff, finances be damned, so. But I will be better prepared next time!

Pictured is my lovely colorful haul.

I want to start off not with the yarn, but with the little bag of stitch markers! There were stitch marker swaps at this event, which I had no idea was A Thing, so I did not bring my paltry collection, and was sad. But a lady in my group makes these for fun, and told us to go through her box of treasures! It was really sweet and I ended up with some fun stuff gifted to me.

And now for the yarn. Moon Tower has top-notch names--shown are Goth Mermaid, second from the left, and Meme Queen, third. I wanted to be a millionaire and snap up every skein in that booth. Their colorways are stunning. The hyacinth skein of Crafting My Chaos is going to go with Meme Queen quite well, I think. And on the ends are two rainbow self-striping yarns (I couldn't choose and my mother kindly offered to get one), and the final skein is a rainbow variegated with grey.

I want to learn spinning this year, so I went for that lovely peachy-blush spinning fiber from the Woolen Hook. The lady who ran that booth, who was really nice, told me that BFL (blue-faced leicester) is a good fiber for beginners, so I'm excited to work with it!

And finally, my locks. My lovely rainbow locks. You can apparently use these for all sorts of crafts, but I got the first bag just because it was cute and must pet, and then a woman in my group suggested using them in a technique similar to thrumming for something like a hat or a bag, and oh my god yes I want a bag with rainbow curlies. So I went back for more. I just want to give a shoutout to Suzanne Collier and her nice partner because this made me the happiest of all. It's so soft and silky and curly, you don't understand, and the colors!

So that's the fiber fest. It was a fun outing for sure, and I would've been happy even walking away with just one or two skeins. Afterwards, we went out for German food and I had pork wiener schnitzel for the first time, which was delicious. Go to a fiber fest with friends and then get schnitzel, you guys. You won’t be disappointed.

Also I FORGOT TO MENTION! I hugged an alpaca!!!!!!!! They’re so soft. They’re so soft. Go hug an alpaca, too. Definitely not disappointed.

[dancingwithdylan21]

Something Sweet

Summary: Dylan surprises the reader during her favorite time of the year.

Pairing: Daddy!Dylan x Reader

Prompt: “Now you’re just talking crazy.”

~

“We have enough apples to feed a small army. My god.” You lean against your boyfriend’s silver Chevy pickup, chuckling as he loads the last bag into the bed of his truck.

“Between the two of us and each of our growing rascals, they’ll be gone in no time, baby.” Dylan hooks his muscular arm around your neck, then pulls you close to peck your temple.

You and Dylan are having a busy, fun filled day at Smolak Farms. His daughter Maddy and your son Brandon are both having a blast participating in all of the Fall activities that it has to offer. And to be honest so are you, this is hands down your favorite time of year and you can’t wait until it’s Halloween.

“It’s still a lot of apples…” You mutter under your breath, peeling off your jacket to welcome the chill that’s in the air.

“You’ll just have to cook that maple-baked apple chicken dish that I love so much. Preferably everyday...” Your boyfriend’s face beams at the delicious thought as he pats his stomach. 

“You better get your chicken obsession under control, Mr.” You warn poking his firm chest. Then with a cute twirl, you book it to a nearby pond where the kids are feeding a few friendly ducks.

“Now you’re just talking crazy.” The actor grumbles quietly, unable to hide his amused expression. He then makes a beeline to you, Maddy and Brandon.

“You guys tired yet?” Your boyfriend asks the kids with a playful smile. It quickly transforms into an exaggerated frown as they both shake their heads no.

You ignore Dylan’s pretend pout and speak up, “Ok so we picked apples, had cinnamon donuts and apple cider, went on a hayride….” You pause pretending to be stumped. “What are we missing?”

“We fed the ducks!” Maddy chimes in pointing to a few that are floating on the water.

“Can’t forget the ducks.” Dylan’s deep chuckle sends a tingle down your spine.

You mentally berate yourself for the dirty images that pop into your mind, this obviously isn’t the time or place for such naughty ideas. Even though you and Dylan have been together for about three years now, it can still be tough to control yourself sometimes. It seems that your boyfriend is having similar thoughts, you catch him admiring the way your sweater clings to your form and it causes his cheeks to burn.

“We still need pumpkins!” Brandon exclaims to Maddy, the two enthusiastic five year olds are now bouncing with excitement and it makes you giggle.

“Well then come on, guys. Let’s go!” Dylan hoists his daughter up onto his shoulders, his fast legs carrying him ahead of you and Brandon. “Don’t be slow pokes.” He teases back in your direction.

“Oh shush, O’Brien.” You stick your tongue out at him, noticing that Dylan and Maddy are now whispering to each other. “What are you two troublemakers hiding?”

“Nothing!” They answer in unison without turning around. Oh that’s not suspicious at all. You’re about to press them for details but get distracted by the pumpkin patch that comes into view.

“Um…where is everyone?”

“Who?” Your boyfriend quirks an eyebrow, letting his little ball of energy run off into the open space.

“The other people.” You gesture around. “They’re roaming all over the farm except for here.”

“Oh I reserved the pumpkin patch just for us. Apparently you can do that if you ask nicely.”  Your boyfriend smirks lacing his fingers with yours. “Being handsome also helps.”

You burst out laughing, “Well it’s a good thing you’re handsome, handsome.”

“Damn straight, sexy.” Dylan plants a sweet kiss on your lips before leading you in the direction of Maddy and Brandon.

“I found one, mom!” Your son bellows waving you over to an overly large pumpkin.

“Nice one, buddy.“ You crouch down to get a better look. “Isn’t it kinda big though?” Brandon vehemently shakes his head.

“Y/N! Come here!” Maddy calls out before beaming at her dad, she’s visibly thrilled with the pumpkin in front of her and you’re pretty curious as to why.

Once you and Brandon get closer, it becomes clear that Dylan is feeling a little antsy, “What do you think, beautiful?” He asks pointing to Maddy’s pumpkin.

"Good choice.” You bend down to examine it when something reflective catches your attention. “Oh my god.” Your eyes widen when you see a gorgeous, round cut engagement ring sitting on top of it.

Taking a deep breath, Dylan shyly gets down onto one knee and it renders you utterly speechless. You’ve dreamt of this amazing moment so many times and now that it’s here your mind has turned to complete mush. Thankfully, your boyfriend is a mess of nerves himself so he doesn’t seem to notice it.

“Y/N…I was instantly smitten when I first laid eyes on you, I was hopelessly in love the first time that I kissed you and I was officially screwed when I could look back at past regrets with a smile. Every bad choice, every disappointment and every heartbreak has been worth it because they all lead me straight to you. I love you and Brandon more than I could ever express, baby. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” You exclaim with tears in your eyes. The kids start cheering as you launch yourself into Dylan’s arms, practically knocking you both over. You’re relieved when he regains his balance in time, instead lifting you off of ground.

“We love you too, honey.” You whisper resting your forehead against his.

Masterlist

[kamino-ink]

Lacuna | Seo Changbin

✧  lacuna - a blank space; a missing part

✧ Genre: Fantasy!au, fluff, cutie changbinnie

✧ Summary: as a little girl, you absolutely adored horses - but one day, you’re thrown off of one in the middle of a race, leaving your legs crippled. when your parents finally muster up the courage to ask ylanta’s court wizard for help, you end up being stuck inside a palace with no one to talk to - except the cute stableboy that just won’t leave your side.

✧ Word Count: 2.3k

✧ PSA!! this installment is a bit more serious in a sense; while i’ll let you find out what I mean for yourself, please know that this piece can potentially hit home for many of us in the world in regards to loving yourself and finding happiness outside of whatever might be holding you down in life

✧ Other installments in the series: woojin, chan, jeongin, hyunjin, minho, jisung, felix, seungmin

                                         ✧

the country-side land known as grimsby had been the place you’d grown up in, and much like the other kids, you were raised around farms and livestock

rather than worrying about the length of your nails or the cleanliness of your dapper shoes, you strode over to your family’s farmhouse and helped pile bales of hay onto a makeshift wagon so your mother could tow the yellow bales to the livestock

you owned one pair of boots that looked normal and tattered, splashed with long-since dried mud and other substances found on the common farm

except, your family had been running the quaint farm for centuries; in fact, whenever they would go out riding through town, the harness and saddle of whatever horse they were using was always painted the two colors of your family emblem: a dainty green and pigmented gray

honestly you could have cared less about the family business, you simply cared for the horses

the pigs were damn cute, of course, but they never seemed to get along with you

and sure the sheep were soft as pillows, but they screamed at you whenever you walked past their pasture

meanwhile the grazing horses let you stroke their manes and clean their bodies, not once flinched or shying away from your demeanor, which is why you simply adored them

then came the month of ayrith, where the royal family and other special guests from all over the country would travel to grimsby to watch what was called the greatest sporting event in the entire country

from endurance runs to throwing barrels full of flour across the field, all of the events were entertaining and made for some friendly competition

the biggest event of them all, however, was the horse-race

one representative from each family in the town could participate in the race, although the scary part is that everyone in grimsby took this particular race very, very seriously

including your parents

both of your mothers (your father is a case we won’t speak of, the conniving twit-) were dead set on having you make your racing debut this year, as in two years time, ylanta would be hosting an even bigger racing competition with the bordering countries

so it was likely that whoever won this race would be chosen to represent the whole country in the next two years

which was nerve-wracking, to say the least

you had grown up around horses, obviously, and held a natural bond with the stunning creatures that you could’ve flaunted all day

except... you’d never properly rode on one

your mothers refused to listen to your concerns the day of the race, and the days before that, saying that you were such a natural that you would have no problems competing (which was by far the most idiotic thing you had ever heard, but you were younger, more easily influenced by the talk of your dear mothers, hence why you didn’t doubt them... sort of)

when it came time to mount your horse, who’s name was redwick, you just barely managed to pull your body up onto the saddle

maybe you would be fine after all

you knew there was no possible way you could win, having no racing experience beforehand; but you were eager to see other racers in action just feet away from you

you kept reassuring yourself of this as you were led to the starting line, redwick not making a noise of complaint the entire time

even as the whistle went off in the background you kept saying that everything would be alright - even as redwick started to trot at a faster pace than you expected

then he started to go too fast, and you were nearing a sharp turn

you tried to stop him, or at least make the horse slow down, to no avail

you just didn't know what to do

you were helpless

the second you hit the curve you were thrown off of his back, your hands slick with a nervous sweat so that you were unable to cling to the reigns

with a sickening thump you hit the ground, the lower part of your back completely and utterly numb at the harsh impact

you could still hear the faint screams of the concerned audience, the worried shouts of another racer who showed good sportsmanship in falling behind to help you up

you remembered everything

those retched nightmares haunted you each night after that, even as another three years passed by like a ticking timebomb

“now, sweetheart,” one of your mother’s began to speak quietly, causing you to glance over at her blankly, “once we arrive at the palace, we are going to go speak with the court wizard about your legs. you have already been given permission to roam around, just don’t try to sneak upstairs into their chambers, alright?”

“yeah, sure.” you brushed off her sickly sweet tone with a roll of your eyes, going back to staring outside the window of your carriage, watching as the people of the capital giggled and ran around without a care in the world

you missed that feeling of utter freedom, the feeling of being able to dip your toes into the sticky brown mud after a rainstorm, or the feeling of being able to pop the joints in your legs even after being scolded about it by your mothers

you would give anything to be able to walk again

within another few minutes the carriage has slowed down to a complete halt just inside the palace walls, having been taken over a bridge of sorts

the sliding door opened, revealing a boy who couldn’t be much older than yourself, one hand held nervously out to you while the other rested on the handle of what seemed to be a makeshift wheelchair

“miss y/n, correct?” he asks softly, his voice carrying a hint of natural roughness. after your nod of confirmation he gently helps you down from the carriage and into the wheelchair, which has a plush pillow meant for your own comfort

“alright babygirl, we’ll come find you after the meeting,” one of your mothers hums lovingly, leaning down to peck the top of your head while the other scrunches her nose and looks away from your pitiful form, stuck in the wheelchair, “be careful.” and with that, they’re gone, following a pair of guards clad in red armor into the castle

you tilt your head to look back at the boy who had assisted you into the wheelchair, “what’s your name, shorty?”

“changbin - my name is changbin - and please don't call me that.” he pleads in an exasperated tone, making you snicker quietly in amusement

“so, changbinnie, where can a cripple girl get some food around here?” you ask him nonchalantly, expecting him to flinch at your self-deprecating joke, though he instead playfully rolled his eyes and set his hands firmly on the handles of your wheelchair and swiftly whisked you around towards the entrance of the castle

“where anyone else can find some decent food in this place, y/n - to the royal kitchen!” he let out a giggle as he started to push you inside, your lips parted in a shriek when he continues to pick up the pace and whisk you away into the wonderous castle

this keeps going for quite some time; changbin, who you learned was the resident stableboy, would recklessly whisk you away to different parts of the castle at any given time of the day - or night

of course, him being tasked as the one to help you around each day in the castle didn’t exactly help the situation either

not that you wanted it to be any different

because for once you weren’t being given pitiful looks or being treated like a porcelain doll; you were already cripple, anyway, so you personally didn't see the big deal in letting you have fun for once

and by fun, you meant changbin waking you up in the wee hours of the morning, wheelchair in tow as he helped you get dressed (which wasn’t even a big deal in itself, as you wore underwear that resembled shorts, so he couldn’t even try to see anything more than the already exposed skin)

he would take you anywhere and everywhere, even though you knew you could wheel yourself around

a couple of weeks had passed since you had arrived at the palace, but still there was no promising words coming from the court wizard named minho

he was a high elf skilled in magic of all areas imaginable, but he had never dealt with someone who had no further feeling in their legs

even he couldn't offer any surefire results

while you probably would’ve had a fit about it ages ago, you found that you could still be yourself and do the things you loved without the feeling in your legs

if you wanted to go to the market, changbin was there to push you along the sandstone paths through the bustling crowds, politely asking for someone who got too close to back away before they could accidently hurt you

or if you wanted to swim in the lake behind the palace, which was technically forbidden, changbin was right by your side, attaching a pair of floating devices he had minho conjure the night before onto your arms to make it easier for you to float

within a matter of a few weeks the self-titled ‘dark’ stableboy had become someone you depended on - someone you indefinitely needed by your side

whenever he would take you out to the palace garden, lunch in hand, he would make sure to place a red and white blanket on the ground and voluntarily help you sit up on the fluffy material, placing a pillow on the back of your wheelchair so you could lean against it properly

he would hand you a haphazard attempt of a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, blushing each time you playfully teased him on his poor skills in the kitchen

still you would eat anything he made for you for lunch, all because he made it

seo changbin, the stableboy who had been by your side the entire time

then came the day you had forgot about - hell you never expected it to even happen at this point

“y/n, come quick! minho finally found a cure for your legs!” your parents had cried out joyfully in the middle of your lunch with changbin, effectively plopping you back into your wheelchair and dragging you off to another part of the castle, even as you hissed in surprise and gestured for a stunned changbin to follow

but they had already pulled you into a strange room, shutting the door and preventing the stableboy from following you into the court wizard’s chambers

“alright miss y/n,” the high elf hummed, ignoring the excitement radiating from your mothers while they impatiently waited for him to do whatever he needed to do, “as a precaution, I am going to tell you everything about this spell and even where I got it from, as to make sure you are satisfied completely. understand?” you of course nod, your eyes not once leaving the elf as he adjusts the bowtie on his robe and continues to flip through a book on his desk, not once looking up at you or your parents

“so this particular spell actually came from a witch in arbington; I have an acquaintance down there who knows her... well enough,” he pauses, a small smirk twitching onto his thin lips, “anywho, she’s skilled in the art of healing magic - its something all magical beings can learn, but it is hard to master. she taught me the incantation and confirmed that she has used it before, so no need to worry. the one downside is that this spell can only heal one person every twelve months - its a reasonable cost for how powerful and draining it is, so be careful after this, okay? just, sit back and relax - you do want this, right?”

“of course she does-”

you quickly interrupt your mothers’ protests, nervously gripping onto the sides of your wheelchair. “I - I... no, I don’t want this.”

and you don’t, you realize, the stunned silence of your mothers and the intrigued wizard only further supporting your sudden decision

if he could only use it once per year, you didn't want to use it on yourself

you knew that there were other people who needed it more, who couldn’t feel happy with themselves being crippled

but you - you had found your happiness even without the use of your legs, with changbin

he had somehow taught you to love yourself no matter the circumstances, he showed you that the world could still be beautiful and loving

surely if you were happy, there was someone else out there who could benefit more from the powerful spell

it wasn’t a case of you settling for the fact that maybe someone out there in the world had it worse - it was you realizing that you did still love yourself, and that you deserved happiness in the form of whatever, or whoever, you wished it to be

and that person happened to be the short stableboy still waiting outside the wizard’s chambers

ignoring the baffled stutters of your parents, you swiveled yourself around and pushed the door open so you could find changbin - who had been pacing up and down the hall, nibbling on his fingernails nervously

when he saw you, he didn't ask why you weren’t up on your two feet; instead he leaned down and nearly crushed you with how strong his arms wrapped around you

“changbinnie~” you cooed beside his ear, gently pushing him away just enough so your temples were now pressed together, his eyes searching yours for any sign of regret for refusing the spell, “thank you.”

“w-why are you thanking me?”

“because you make me so fucking happy, shorty.” you laugh softly, quickly pecking his parted lips before he could protest, pulling back just as fast, your cheeks heating up to a degree you didn’t know was even possible

“thank y-you, y/n.”

“now why are you thanking me, binnie?”

“for kissing me.”

                                         ✧

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hello, this is the cute tax collector. Can we please have pictures of animals?

Sure can, friend! Let me show you around Elanor Farm.

So first up, here are the bunnies! They’re the easiest tophotograph, because they stay still. They are friendly and good bunnies, thoughthey are slightly in trouble at the minute because they dug a tunnel into anadjacent chicken pen so chickens could get into their already-massive pen. Thisis a problem, because chickens kill grass, but the rabbits obviously could dowith some. Silly bunnies.

I think the one on the right is Damon Salvatore. The one onthe left is similarly named except I can’t remember which TV show or character.Neither is prone to murder, though.

Next: the fish. It is Impossible to take a good photo offish on a phone because they move and also reflections are a problem, so youend up with photos of shiny blurs half-obscured by the spectral image of yourown hands holding a camera. But I managed to take this one of the corner of thetank at feeding time.

They’re fish. Not much to say about fish, since they’re justa screensaver that can die; but, given my history, the fact that this is Day 3and none have died yet is impressive and newsworthy.

So, the chickens! At the start of the week I thought thechickens were Very Impolite, but I’ve grown to love and understand them. Theyaren’t impolite, they’re just all Lawful Evil. They have a routine and as longas we all stick to it it’s fine. They otherwise take care of themselves, prettymuch – I top up the feeders and open their shed door in the morning, they spendthe day free-roaming the garden, they take themselves indoors at sunset, Iclose the Fox Door. It’s a working system.

There’s a main flock, a sub-flock, and a maternity ward.Here is the sub-flock as I came to fill up their bowl this morning:

This is the main flock, investigating the rhubarb thatthey all made a beeline for once out:

And this is the best shot I could get of Mama Hen and herhighly mobile idiot child:

Which brings us, finally, to the Six Cats! Let me show youaround the room. We will start with this factually perfect being of divinegrace:

So this flawless and beautiful creature that has literallynever done a single thing wrong in his entire lives is Mwddrwg. I realise thatthis is a hilariously ironic sentence if you are a Welsh-speaker; ‘mwddrwg’ isa northern dialect word meaning a scamp or a scoundrel. He is a being of uniqueexquisite feline perfection. Entire civilisations have risen on his worship; heis old now, but when he passes to Annwfn he shall be preserved in the stars foreternity. If I’m in the house, his greatest pleasure is to cwtch up next to me,far enough that I can do my thing, close enough that I can fuss him whenneeded. If he feels not enough fussing is happening, he will very gently andpolitely nudge my hand with his head. This led to me accidentally setting fireto Maven Black-Briar in a Skyrim run yesterday, but she’s a monster so he wasright to do it. If he sees me on my rounds while I’m outside, he will softlypad over to me and rub against my ankles. He is never demanding; always gentle,and loving, and so affectionate that he could take the hardest, coldest heartand keep it safe in his ancient, gentle paws.

This little bastard is Cadi:

Cadi is a kitten, found abandoned in Cadle Woods. She’s goodat looking innocent in this way but in reality she is an endless stomach onlegs. She’s a gannet; a glutton; a bottomless abyss for all the food she cansteal from the others and shovel down her gaping maw. She’s also desperate togo outside, so whenever I come back from the chickens I’m greeted by this:

She’s very affectionate, but it’s all an act to make hergive you food. She will literally just shove the bigger cats out of the way andsteal the food from their bowls if she can; gentle, loving Mwddrwg lets her,because he is a flawless and blameless creature of no faults. She does come forfuss and love a lot, but she’s easily distracted if no food is forthcoming, andoff she goes.

Next up: Mwydryn!

Mwydryn is very well-named because he is confused abouteverything all of the time. I have watched this cat walk into a table leg becausehe got distracted by something to his left and forgot to stop walking. He isthe full brother to Mwddrwg and the now-sadly-passed Math (who was, if you canpossibly imagine such a thing, the Best One Of All, even moreso than Mwddrwg;he was epochal), so he’s old now. He has become affectionate in his autumnyears; he’s still not a cat to while away hours on your lap, and he still likesto spend most of his time outdoors, but let’s put it this way: he was thehardest to photograph, because every time I put the camera near him heimmediately came to me for a fuss. This photo was taken the half-second beforehe turned and saw me, and came over.

He is lovely. Lovely Mwydryn.

Next up: Milicat! Mili was also a kitten rescued fromabandonment a few years back, like Cadi. Here’s the difference, though: Miliwas not a kitten rescued from abandonment. Mili was bought by my brother-in-lawand his girlfriend from Some Bloke Down Cardiff Market, but as they didn’t havea house or anything, they lied to my mother-in-law so that she’d pay all thebills. They then decided to breed from her, even though Mili is a moggy, andhas a very common coat pattern/colour, and had the sort of personality that youdon’t generally try to replicate, and also was at the time just… not built forkitten-bearing. Too scrawnily built.

Nevertheless. They had three kittens from her over twolitters. Let that sink in. Her first litter was a litter of one, so incapablewas she of carrying to term.

Anyway, the one advantage is that motherhood did change herfor the better in two ways: for one thing, she’s now filled out, and almostlooks like a proper cat size and shape. More importantly, though, she’s nolonger stand-offish and scared of everything. Don’t get me wrong, she’s stillnot, you know, Mwddrwg (who is?), but she’s closer to Mwydryn – she comes for afuss if you offer it. She won’t ask for it, though.

Next is Moses! Moses is from Mili’s second litter. He isdeeply stupid, and kind of Mili’s twin in terms of personality; he’ll come forsome brief fussing if you offer it, but won’t ask. He also doesn’t come formeat food with the others, and just subsists on the dry food. I don’t know whythis is. You’d think cats would prefer meat? But no. Even if you put a bowlunder his nose, he just stares at it blankly until Cadi steals it.

He, too, is not allowed outside, and so likes to lurk hopefullyaround the door.

And last up, we have Madog.

Now, Madog came along because of what happened to Mili’sother kittens. Maxi, the eldest, was a wonderful cat; he was no Mwddrwg (whois?), but damn if he wasn’t close. Affectionate and gentle and loving, butyounger, and so with a zest for life. Manray was the full brother of Moses; hewas like Moses and Mili.

One year – maybe last year? – Maxi got run over two weeksbefore my brother-in-law’s birthday. Two weeks after his birthday, Manray got runover. It was a truly shitty birthday for the poor sod.

So two things happened: one, the younger cats – and allsubsequent cats – are now not allowed out (they’re going to build a sort of cataviary outside the door for them). Two, my brother-in-law bought himself Madog.

Madog is very beautiful. He’s a Russian Blue crossed with aNorwegian Forest Cat (although he just looks like a Russian Blue), so unlikethe others he’s not a moggy. I thought this would mean he would be likeMwddrwg, but he’s not (who is?). Instead, literally every time I’ve ever goneover there he’s fled at the sight of me. He’s as skittish as a racehorse. I’vehad to adopt the habit of humming as I move around the house, so he knows whereI am and can leave without getting cornered; if I see him in a doorway, I gothe long way round so I don’t accidentally chase him. He is not a fan of me.

… or wasn’t until last night when this happened:

This is the only photo I managed to get, because so much ofthis half-hour of Madog Time was spent with him walking onto may lap, settlingon me from lap to chest, and physically rubbing his entire head against myface, cheeks, nose and glasses to try and bond us together. This is the mostdesperate affection I have ever received from a cat. He’d settle for about halfan hour, then he’d leave, then 20 minutes later he’d be back and would startagain. Sometimes he’d stop rubbing my face and try to curl up next to me, butthat space was obviously taken by Saint Mwddrwg, so he’d just curl up on top ofMwddrwg in a ball of two cats (because Mwddrwg obviously just took it, and evenlicked him once or twice.)

After about two hours he wandered off, but now he’s finewith me. Slightly skittish if I move too quickly or loudly, still, and he takeshimself off if he wants alone time. But he no longer flees at my very presence,and if I offer him a fuss, he takes it. So that’s how I charmed a cat.

And that is Elanor’s farm.

Bonus pictures:

[zydrateacademy]

Review - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I never cared much for Zelda. My gaming life began with the likes of Unreal and Quake, later exploring the more intriguing worlds of Morrowind and Final Fantasy X. I was late to the nostalgic craze of Mario, Metroid, Pokemon and the likes of Zelda itself, though my brother would always gush about them as the years went on, while I delved into the Elder Scrolls and Assassin’s Creed franchises as my typical “favorite games” listing. Yet on a fateful evening outing with the family, I found myself with a brief demo of Breath of the Wild. Having a controller in my hand for the first time in probably a decade, I fell in love with the brief ten minutes I had with Link and his new world. It became an immediate Christmas wish, which was immediately fulfilled by my family within weeks of this request. My family was very excited that I wanted to try a Zelda game at all. So let’s get to it.

Link immediately awakes as much of a blank slate as I am, with nothing but amnesia and a female voice (quickly revealed to be Zelda herself) to guide him. We’re given something called a Sheikah Slate which looks like the lore’s own version of a Switch or iPad, and it basically serves as the game’s major MacGuffin that powers most of your abilities, map systems, and everything else. Apparently it’s an important device, as every major character and city leader immediately recognize it. From what I can understand in context, the device was in the possession of a team of champions that apparently died a hundred years prior. They fought against “Calamity Ganon”, the game’s major antagonist. You’re shown the castle off in the distance, but in the beginning Link is stuck on a massive plateau, and you need a wind glider to make it off alive. The old man helping you trades one after you learn the game’s four basic abilities, and the whole plateau serves as the tutorial. We get a stasis ability (for locking objects in a time field, of which you can manipulate its momentum), two different bomb types (one that rolls and a square for better control depending on terrain), a cryogenic that allows you to create ice blocks over water (which I often use to cross rivers) and a magnet (which does exactly what you’d expect it to). Other than the open world Dark Souls-esque combat, they serve as the game’s primary mechanics and they’ll each be used to solve every puzzle and find every chest throughout the game.  Sadly the game neglects to teach you how to cook, and I had to resort to google for that. Seems like it’s an oversight, but it’s one of the more fun mechanics, throwing a bunch of your gatherings in a pot to eventually see what might happen. It encourages experimentation which I enjoy, but if all else fails, throwing five durians or bananas in a pot will go a long way in of itself. The world opens up very quickly, as is usually advertised and mentioned in reviews. You can, in theory, immediately haul towards Calamity Ganon itself if you’re sneaky enough. I’m sure some YouTubers have already cleared it (quick research tells me it can be done in around 40-50 minutes), but more casual players would likely be crushed instantly. Instead you’re given several tasks, such as taming four Divine Beasts, massive mechanical creatures that roam Hyrule. They’re currently controlled by Ganon but you can retake them and they’ll all help during the final fight.

Beyond that, the world is ours. I admit I was feeling a bit dry of this genre after having around a thousand hours on Skyrim and a few hundred on the various Fallout’s, it’s a literal breath of fresh air as I found myself with a very simple goal: nab all the towers. In typical fashion more expected from the likes of Ubisoft, there are several towers to climb that unlock the maps of entire regions. I don’t mind this so much as it helps me get the lay of the land as well as a clear goal on the outset. I’d be very lost without them.

I have never been used to Zelda’s style of gaming but I have taken full advantage of the tools the game has given me. Chief of which being the open world itself. A vast majority of my gameplay has mostly been collecting different armor sets so that I can better face a variety of situations and weather conditions, and there’s a ton of gameplay to be had with that goal alone. In the first town that you are directed towards, there was a fairly expensive (for a starting player) stealth suit. I farmed some enemies which helped a lot in learning how to use a controller again, and the stealth bonus helped me nab some DLC armor which I used for a majority of the early to mid game, dozens of hours due to their helpful bonuses. While looking to afford that initial outfit, I ended up running into a shrine or two, and found a little tree pixie (called Koroks), which help to expand my inventory. The simple goal turned into its own micro-adventure and that’s something I very much appreciate about this game, though that does have a problem attached to it, which I’ll mention later. If my readers know me, then you know I’m a stealth player. Hilariously there is a stealth mechanic on this game with a little noise meter next to the minimap but the game wasn’t really built for it. You can sneak in enemy camps while they sleep and steal their weapons but it’s not always an ideal tactic. There’s no clear indication of detection ranges so if you alert an enemy, all you’ll see is a question mark on their head and you have very little to do with that information. A bush does not conceal me, for example, for the simple fact that it’s not considered a ‘solid object’ by the game’s standards.

That does lead to another problem. The stealth mechanic is part of the alleged “play your way” that doesn’t always work. In terms of exploration, it might. There’s a lot you can do, like plugging balloons on bombs to make them float around, or throw metal weapons at enemies during a lightning storm. There’s so much to do with the world itself, but I found very little purpose in doing any of that except for water cooler conversations of “stuff I managed to do”. You CAN use a leaf weapon to blow the enemy off the cliff, but why bother if you can two-shot them or even use one of your infinite bombs to accomplish the same goal? So why would you want to waste to much time and potential health and food items finagling with the controls which you could just press Y a couple times and make the problem go away? Not that I mind the combat over much. It has the usual fare of dodge, parry, block, flurry and a variety of charge attacks that can be kind of fun to use. I like how enemies often have their own large variety of weapons and that will change how they fight. A lizard with a bow will very often try to keep at a range from me, doing a backflip which causes me to sprint to close the gap, only for them to do it again when I try to take a swing. The same enemy type with a spear however, can be quite aggressive poking me at a range, but staying at just the right distance to piss me off. It’s a lot of fun, though. I was rather afraid of puzzles upon my initial interest of this game, and has been a large part in keeping me away from the franchise. They tend to make me feel stupid if I take too long to solve them, but there is an extra level of “hurrah!” when I manage to figure out exactly what I need to do. There is another complaint attached to this however. As I completed a few dozen shrines (there’s something to the effect of 120 total) I noticed the rest usually require some gimmick to find or unlock. There’s one I’ve yet to discover because I need to be on a platform during a blood moon, the game’s respawn mechanic. The problem is, you can’t force those and they show up roughly every three hours of game time. So I imagine one of my last shrines will be me standing on that damn platform while I watch Youtube or play something else.

There’s also a few puzzles that demand use of the motion controls, which can be incredibly fickle and frustrating. Some are better than others but I found it to be more annoying than anything and I hope they minimize that mechanic in the future. I’ve still had to resort to video guides. The Divine Beasts act as the game’s “major” dungeons preceding a boss fight, and to get to the boss, their entire body acts as a mobile puzzle. One of them has three cylinders in its midsection that can turn four times and there was far too much going on for my brain to handle. I managed to do the flying beast and water elephant on my own (with some pointers from my brother but not to a full on guide’s extent) but some of their innards are just a bit too complex to me. The other complaint that I alluded to earlier, is world density. Yes, there’s a lot of nooks and crannies that will often hide a shrine, treasure, and a variety of weapons and upgrades. It can be profitable at times to simply pick a direction and start running, but this only works to a point. Between my position and my current goal (a tower, an armor piece, a town) there might be a single shrine, maybe two, on my way to find. There was however, a lot of pointless running. I heard a Let’s Player mention that they suspected the world was built first and was just filled it in with things later. Frankly, it shows. Yes it’s cute to find a stump or pile of leaves just slightly out of place, hiding a Korok creature but once you get back to running there’s a lot of open plains, fields, and vertical mountains to climb with very little to do in between and nothing to show for it except a padded hour count.  There was some controversy over the durability of weapons. I barely had much of a problem with it. Jim Sterling infamously bashed it which earned a fair amount of ire (which is not foreign to him) and even tried to negate the common compliment of “It forces you to adjust your strategy!” Still, I’m inclined to agree with that defense. Relying on a single type of weapon could make the combat stale pretty quickly, but there’s still some high level weapons I wish stuck around for longer. I did manage to acquire the Master Sword which is a permanent weapon that can run out of ‘energy’ and gives itself a ten minute cooldown but that’s very much a late-game item to acquire. Before that you’re basically stuck with a horde of guardian axes and knight’s claymores. I have run into the odd situation of having two or three weapons left but I discovered that shrines respawn during blood moons, so I simply found myself in those “Major Test of Strength” shrines which give you a single enemy with predictable attack pattern, serving as a miniature boss fight to help you get used to the combat mechanics. They drop two or three fairly decent weapons and a lot can be done with them. It’s just another thing to do in a fairly enjoyable game.

I also wanted to compliment the game’s way of leveling itself up. It’s essentially tied to story progress and Divine Beast slaying. Each mob has a few different variations, color coded for your convenience. Usually starting brown and going up to blue, then black and others. Each harder than the last, usually just wielding more powerful weapons and having a fair amount of hitpoints. Since a lot of my gameplay was exploring, getting towers and collecting armor, the game never advanced too quickly for me. I’d have a few scattered harrowing fights but the game did a good job of making sure I could take my time with it. The early game throws a few blue Moblins at you which are fully capable of one-shotting your measly four hearts, but I feel that was a sort of observation test for a player to absorb. It forces you to think about what your facing, change weapons and strategy. In practice, it just made me terrified of the color blue for a while. The game only starts throwing the tougher enemies at you once you defeat the bosses accompanying the four Divine Beasts. As the game’s major dungeons, completing them is often a test of everything you’ve learned and is as good a marker as any for “this player is ready for tougher enemies”. I am very pleased with this kind of development, as my first ten hours was spent killing jello blobs and bats for their parts so I could sell them and afford more arrows. The game never really went “Okay, time for the tough stuff” when I’m still using a wooden goblin spear. I don’t expect I would get much out of the game’s Master Mode, serving as a sort of New Game Plus except without anything you’ve earned, and is basically just a Hard Mode. The DLC has plenty more to offer which I will explore eventually but it sounds difficult, and I’ve never been any kind of Hard Mode player. Still, I was afraid of this game and I’ve been doing just fine in it so the DLC may not be as intimidating as I think. In conclusion, I’m having a lot of fun in it. It may not have lasting replayability (though I can think of a few ‘corrections’ to my early game to help things along) and after so long, I find there’s very little to actually find as I climb snowy mountains and angrily wait for a thunderstorm to pass. I’m far from done with it though, not while I still have goals in mind. I do have my sights on beating this one, and for a newer-aged millennial gamer, finding a Zelda game that I actually enjoy is an accomplishment on their part. I understand BOTW is a major genre shift for the franchise, and I hope they continue the trend if they want me as a returning customer. Until then, this game is very, very good.

[maggicktouched]

Now my dash is fucked up. Fuck me.

But ok, real quick (and I promise writing is coming today) I need to complain about tiktok bc I’m an old person and I don’t have a FB so all my complaining happens here.

Ya know those tumblr posts that go around every year reminding people that bunnies, ducklings, and chicks are live sentient beings and not toys to be bought and discarded at Easter? Well let me expand on that a little.

Stop. Buying. Single. Chickens.

It’s WRONG.

And I don’t even understand why people do it. Currently I have sixteen chickens and I got out of keeping them when I moved, but I had them for several years before that. Do you know how much I pay in feed per month? About 20 dollars. It can be about five bucks higher or lower depending on where I buy from, but in general I go through about a bag of feed a month in the seasons where foliage grow fast (which is most of them in Alabama lol).

It can’t be a money issue. Chickens are cheap pets to keep. And honestly I could stretch that feed budget by a lot if I wasn’t too lazy to ferment feed or make a fodder system. They don’t have any real vet bills. Sadly with chickens you either don’t know there is a problem until it’s too late (because they hide things very well) or you can google their issue and there are TONS of people online willing to give you their knowledge for free. And besides bedding for their coop and food, you aren’t really buying them a lot of stuff.

So why is it that I get on tiktok and see people with a single bantam rooster as a pet? And they think it’s so cute he follows them everywhere and wants to be around them.

It isn’t cute. You’ve taken a deeply social animal that relies on numbers for safety and forced it to see you as a member of the flock. When you end up going to work or out on the town or anywhere that your bird can’t go, it’s going to be unhappy and anxious. 

Roosters are---when bred and raised properly---very wonderful pets. I get why people would want one. They are beautiful and funny and outgoing, but most of the traits that make them appealing to you are traits either bred or evolved into the animal to help their flock. Roosters make funny noises to alert their flock or gather up their hens. The best roosters won’t take treats, because they will instantly see its something good and give it to a hen. Good roosters do a little mating dance to entice the hen, which I’ve seen them do to people and they just laugh because they don’t know what the animal is doing. Their entire lives revolve around keeping their flock protected, together, and healthy. 

Hens are a bit less considerate seeing as their instincts tell them they need to get whatever they can and as much as they can so that they can lay eggs. But they still require that social connection---that safety in numbers. 

I’m far from the gatekeeper of poultry though. I’d love for most people to raise their own birds. More chickens in homes means less need for factory farms that treat their animals abysmally. I don’t want people to not want chickens. They’re fun and easy to keep, and with patience they can be very friendly. 

Just... don’t get them alone. You can buy two roosters if there are no hens around. You can buy two hens and they can live very happy lives without a rooster. One extra bird is not going to heavily impact the amount of time or money you spend on them. Do you know how many birds I prepped for when I thought about getting chickens? Seven. And I more than doubled that number at very little expense and labor on my part. I get that maybe you don’t want an entire flock of birds in your house, but I’d argue that chickens aren’t really made for houses either. They like to forage and roam. Most strictly indoor animals struggle with stress from boredom and chickens are no different. 

So get chickens. But before you do, get a little coop, and do some research on the living beings you’re bringing into your life. You can still let them inside or hand raise them so they’d rather be in your lap than anywhere else. Chickens will normally accept people as flockmates really easily, you don’t have to force them by taking away all their other options. 

Don’t be shitty. Do right by the creatures you bring into your home. By owning a pet you force them to rely on you, which means it is your responsibility to provide the best possible care to those animals. 

[izuku-memedoriya]

Title: Save Gas, Ride a Chocobo Rating: T+ Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14023002 WARNINGS: Blood/Violence (Not much though, I wanted to keep it light hearted for the most part) Summary: Prompto has inherited the chocobo farm from his “uncle” Wiz, and wants to show his friends the amazing life of taking care of the greatest yellow animal to have blessed the planet. However, he is surprised when his boyfriend shows up alone, wanting to spend some quality time with him. Notes: This is just straight up fluff and cute chocobos, I have no excuse. Prompto deserves to be happy. Ignorance is bliss. I'm not sure where I was going with this but here u go. My friend @littlechinaaru helped me come up with the idea for the fic, since I was a lil’ stuck, so here’s a bit of a gift to them too. This is also for @promptis-fanweek‘s white day event. I decided to go for the free day.

“Whew.” wiping beads of sweat from his forehead with his wrist, Prompto stood up straight, exhaling a heavy breath as he clapped the excess dirt from his hands. “Well, what do you think, Evie?” He turned to the chocobo standing next to him, her eyes focused and head tilted at the display before her, before she let out a satisfied squak.

“Hey, you can’t even read!” His hands were on the animal, fluffing out the feathers on her cheeks. “Pretender!” He teased, knowing full well that his chocobo hardly understood him.

He stood back again, bright blue eyes gleaming as he read the sign, “SAVE GAS, RIDE A CHOCOBO, PROMPTO’S CHOCOBO RENTALS.”

The farm had the signature scent of chocobos to it, the grass tall and green at every corner, swept gently by the breeze that ran through. The large birds ran freely through the fields, experiencing the open world of the ranch.

“I can’t believe this. I own the farm, and you’re actually my chocobo now! Aren’t you so excited!” He exclaimed, turning to Evie again. She picked up on his excitement and jumped up and down on her two feet, crying out with joy.

Upon realizing she was only innocently reflecting his excitement, his face fell, dirty hand now on his forehead. “You really need to stop doing that, Prompto. It must look sooo weird.” He sucked in a breath as he began to pace. “I think I need another human around, you know, like one of the guys, or the most beautiful man ever, my boyfriend.” He let out a dreamy sigh, leaning against Evie, his head resting on her back, as if to humor the bird. “I can’t just talk to chocobos for the rest of my life.” He raised a hand to his chin. “Or can I.”

As he contemplated the idea of living as wild as a chocobo, he heard the wheels of an all too familiar vehicle park at the front of the farm.

Prompto hopped onto Evie, and the chocobo glided over the ground with ease before skidding to a halt a few feet from the vehicle. He hopped off of her and made a jog to the Regalia, where Noctis had emerged from the driver’s side of the car.

“There he is! None other than the most awesome boyfriend ever!” Prompto raised a hand enthusiastically, and Noct met him halfway, high fiving him, before pulling him into a hug. “Hey, where are the others?” He asked, noticing that Gladio and Ignis were nowhere to be seen.

“Uh, well,” Noctis scrunched his nose slightly in thought as he searched for what to say, and Prompto recognized the all too familiar habit of his, only finding it more and more adorable each time he did it. “I thought we could- have some quality time. Just the two of us, and I wanna see what you’ve got here.”

Prompto planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You wanna beat everyone else to the excitement, huh? See the ever-amazing Prompto farm of chocobos.”

“Y-yeah, right,” he stuttered somewhat, surprised by the kiss, but smiled with a flush nonetheless, the affectionate gesture welcomed, “that too.” Noctis returned the loving gesture with a peck to Prompto’s lips before sliding out of his hold and approaching the chocobo. “Hey. it’s Evie. I finally get to meet the chocobo you take so many pictures of.” He raised a hand, gently stroking the side of her face. Evie responded by leaning into his touch, chirping softly.

“Yeah, you bet! She hasn’t left my side since I took over. Wait, Noct, don’t do that, she doesn’t like-!” he started, but it was too late, Noct had already made the move, his arms wrapping around the chocobo in a hug. Evie squawked in surprise and jerked upwards, causing Noctis to lose his grip and slip in some mud, hitting the ground face first in a squishy thud. “Hugs.” He finished.

Prompto laughed after he hit the ground, before he said, “I know you want to love them, but I don’t think they like the concept of hugs much. You’ll be lucky if one of them even likes it.” He quickly jogged over to Noctis’ side before extending a hand to help him up. “Hey, Noct, you okay though?” Noctis looked up to Prompto’s hand, covered in grime and dirt from working outside all day. “Come on, you’re just as dirty as me now, ‘sides, you had no problem high-fiving and hugging me earlier.” Prompto smirked, a chime in his voice, knowing that he totally won the silent argument Noctis had with him.

“Right, guess you’ve got me there.” He raised a hand and accepted Prompto’s help up, much to the farmer’s amusement.

“Noct, you’re totally caked in mud!” It was hard for Prompto to contain his laughter, and he could tell by his boyfriend’s mud-covered face that he just knew he was trying to hold back from bursting into giggles.

“Hey, you’re just about as dirty as I am.” Suddenly, he smirked, and extended his arms.

Prompto immediately understood his plans, and took a step back, raising his hands. “No, have mercy on me, I beg you, I have a family to feed!”

Prompto felt the mud squish up against him, while his boyfriend all too blissfully smothered him in affection, body pressed up against his own, and face nuzzled into the crook of his neck, eliciting a strange noise from the back of Prompto’s throat, freckles ever prominent as a blush dusted his cheeks. He could practically feel the mud soak into his own clothing.

“Bluegh, Noct, not cool!” He laughed nonetheless, finding the situation all too humorous. He went to peck him on the cheek, but hesitated, as he could not find a single part of his face free from the mud that clung to him. “You really need a bath.”

“So do you.”

“Touche.”

“Well, then, guess we’re just gonna have to have a shower together.”

“Wait, was that your plan all along?!” Prompto questioned, and a smirk was only sent his way as he approached the house on the farm.

“Maybe so. Besides, it’ll save on your water.”

It did not take them long to shower, and once the two were cleaned up, Prompto had lent Noctis a pair of his casual clothes, along with a pair of overalls. Said blond came walking out from the washroom in his own pair, gathering his hair into his classical signature look. Noctis shook his hair out with a towel before placing it down next to him once satisfied.

“So, you ready to get dirty again and tackle a day of chocobo-ing with me?” Prompto asked.

“You bet.” He smiled.

“Great, first thing’s first, we should feed the guys! I bet they’re getting real hungry about now.”

As the duo prepared various greens for the chocobos to snack on, they filled a couple of large baskets, one carried by each person as they finished, the two approaching the middle of the field where the birds freely roamed.

Pulling out the chocobo whistle, Prompto handed the small silver object over to Noctis. “Would you like to do the honor of calling the big fellas over?”

“I’d love to.” Noctis took the whistle in hand, raised it to his lips, and blew into it, the whistle working its magic as it sang throughout the farm, calling the chocobos over to them. “Alright, it’s dinner time!” He looked to Prompto, a warm smile on his face, and the blond returned a bright grin at full force.

They could hear the scattered footsteps of chocobos dashing in their direction, excited to dive their beaks into lunch. One was getting a little too excited, and nearly dove into the basket head first. “Whoa, hey, you’ve gotta share with the others, buddy.” Noct stated, putting himself between the food and the chocobo, said animal headbutting into his chest instead of a face full of food. The animal whined in complaint, but Noctis leaned back, lifting some of the greens from the basket and holding it out. The chocobo’s eyes lit up, and it dove into the food, nearly biting his hand in the process. “Hey, that’s not food, that’s my hand!” He called out, but found the bird’s enthusiasm for the food endearing.

Prompto laughed, camera suddenly out in the open as he took a picture of Noctis feeding the chocobo. “Oh yeah, that’s Spark. He really likes food. He holds the record for fastest eater too.” He raised a handful of food to another chocobo that came to him. “This here is Fry. She likes to lay in the sun, oh, and that one over there is Edward! He’s adventurous.”

Noctis looked down, only for his eyes to meet about five chocobo chicks running excitedly around Prompto’s feet, nuzzling up to him and chirping happily. “Whoa, where’d those chicks come from?”

“These little guys are the chicks of some of the chocobos around here. They seem to love me. Whenever they see me around they just follow me everywhere.”

“Think it has something to do with your hair?”

Prompto’s lips formed into a pout as he looked at Noctis, running a hand over his hair. “It doesn’t look like a chocobo butt, I swear!”

A soft chuckle escaped Noctis as his boyfriend was quick to defend himself. “Hey, you’re the one that said butt this time.”

The pout was ever strong on Prompto’s lips. “You win this time, Noct.”

Noctis smiled to him, and as they dished out and shared food amongst each chocobo, chicks in tow, Prompto excitedly told him about each one, and something about their personality. Every single chocobo had a unique trait of their own, and Prompto remembered them all.

“So, how’d you even know about this place, let alone become the owner?” Noctis inquired as he handed some greens to another hungry chocobo.

The answer came hesitantly. “Cor used to take me out here all the time whenever I was feeling really down. It got kinda rough sometimes, and he knew how much I liked chocobos. Wiz would always show me around, and teach me how to take care of them. He said that the chocobos always liked seeing me around, that my presence would cheer them right up. I’m not sure how much I believed him, but he seemed so set on it, that he wanted me to inherit the farm.” Prompto hesitated further, before giving a weak shrug. “I thought of them as my uncles. Most of the time, it felt like they were more my family than the people who are supposed to be my parents.”

“I,” Noctis took a few moments to gather his words, “did not know that about you. You know, I’d love to hear more about this place, and even more about you.” He shot Prompto an assuring smile.

“There’s not much to hear.”

“Sure there is.”

“Weeell,” Prompto dragged on, taking a few moments to think, “maybe so, but stories are for another time. Feeding chocobos is more important.”

“Whatever you say, Prompto.”

There was a lingering silence, Prompto allowing Noctis some time to himself and think on his own. However, he had not stayed silent for long.

“What fine birbs.” Prompto suddenly stated as they nearly finished feeding the crowd of hungry chocobos, a grin on his face.

“What?”

“You know, birb. A well-rounded chocobo.”

Noctis snorted, hardly able to contain a laugh. “Right. What good birbs.” He agreed.

“By the way, we’ve got one more guy to feed, and then we’re all done.

“Who’s left?”

“Oh, you’ll see. I think you’ll like him.”

Prompto lifted the basket, some spare greens remaining in the bottom for this special chocobo. He soon stopped near a tree, and gestured to the chocobo that lay comfortably asleep beneath it.

“And this chocobo here, Noct, he doesn’t have a name yet, but you can use him whenever you come visit. I think it’s a perfect match. He’s a rare breed with black feathers, like your hair, plus, you both love to sleep. He almost always misses the whistle because he’s asleep. You two have a lot in common!”

“Ha, very funny, Prom.” Noctis’ eyes were on the chocobo, the large bird sleeping soundly under the shade of the tree, calm huffs escaping as he took each slow breath in his sleep, undisturbed by their conversation. “I’m sure a name will come in time.”

“So, whaddya say? Wanna take him for a ride? He needs the exercise.”

Noctis looked to him, surprise showing under his cool exterior. “Sure. That sounds fun.”

“Alright!” Prompto fist pumped the air. “This is gonna be so fun! Wait right here, I’ll grab a saddle for him and go get Evie!”

It had not taken long for Prompto to gather everything, strapping the saddle onto Noct’s now personal chocobo assistant, having to rouse the bird from his comfortable nap. Even so, it was somewhat humorous that he still did not wake when Prompto put the saddle on him. It was until he was offered food when he roused from his sleep.

Noctis fed the anonymous chocobo while Prompto remained at Evie’s side, gently stroking her as he patiently waited for the two to finish up.

“Alright, ready to go.” Noctis clapped his hands together, hands dirty and damp from greens and chocobo spit.

“Need help on?” Prompto chimed in.

“I think I’m good.” Noctis held onto the chocobo, and carefully pulled himself up onto him. By the time he looked to Prompto, the eccentric farm owner had already climbed onto Evie.

“Alright, time to explore outside the farm!” Prompto took off ahead, looking back to Noctis and waving as he passed him. “See you later, slowpoke!”

“Hey, no fair!” Noctis cried from behind before his chocobo dashed after Prompto.

Bright amber feathers brushed ebony, the two chocobos standing side by side, nearly pressed up against each other, halted for a break after so much running. Prompto and Noctis leaned towards each other, their gaze unquestionable, soft, and desiring. Noctis was the first to move, pulling him in for a tender kiss, with Prompto eagerly accepting it, both ignoring the fact that they could have fallen off of their chocobos. They remained there, the world occupied by them alone, bodies and lips moving perfectly in sync, hands on each other, all while keeping balance on their feathery friends.

It was the sudden screech in the distance that split the space between the two, pulling apart to look around frantically.

Prompto was the first to react. “Huh- that sounded like a chocobo! It must be in trouble! Noct, hurry!”

Suddenly, he was far ahead of Noctis, dashing through the trees at an unspeakable speed. Leaving him in the dust, with a kiss lingering on his lips, he was determined to catch up. If there was a chocobo in danger, Prompto would need all the help he can get.

His chocobo cried out, as though responding to the distressed cry, picking up speed as he barreled through the underbrush, jumping over fallen trees and splitting twigs at each frantic step.

Surrounding an injured wild chocobo stood five Voretooth, gathering around and preparing to take the bird’s life. Prompto jumped off of Evie without hesitation, leaping into action, pistol materializing in his hand, aiming a shot at the one nearest to the chocobo. The bullet darted through the air, the voretooth shrieking in response and stumbling back as it was hit, drawing the attention of three others. Evie was quick to jump in, sprinting in and snapping her beak at one of them, clawing and scraping at it with her large feet.

Once Noctis caught up, he threw his blade, warp striking next to Prompto and off of his chocobo, his ebony-feathered friend diving in to help Evie.

As they were distracted, swords and claws clashing, bullets flying through the air, Prompto noticed one of the voretooth stalking up to the injured chocobo.

"No!" Prompto shouted, throwing himself in front of the chocobo, shielding it from the blow. Instead of the tender flesh of the chocobo's neck, the voretooth's teeth met bare skin, cutting into Prompto's arm. He choked back a cry of pain, clenching his teeth at the feeling of his skin being cut open. "Prompto!" Noctis cried out in alarm, immediately warping to the voretooth on top of him, driving his blade through its head. The animal’s jaw slacked, releasing Prompto before it slid to the ground with a dull thud. “Prompto-” he started, and Prompto could feel his eyes glued to the sticky red liquid that flowed down his arm, dark scarlet clumps forming on pale, spotted skin before it dripped. The blond was entirely ignoring the open wound, and hovering over the chocobo instead, concerned far more about the animal than his own well-being. “You’re hurt.”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing, Noct.” Prompto’s uninjured arm swept over the hurt chocobo comfortingly, observing the injuries. There were a few scratches here and there, but the leg appeared to be broken, bleeding from bite marks, incapacitating the bird from any means of escape. “We’re here to help. You’ll be fine in no time, trust me.” His voice was soft and assuring before he pulled out a potion, breaking the object over the animal’s leg. The blue liquid soaked into the injury, effectively healing it enough for the chocobo to move her leg. She stood up slowly, albeit awkwardly, treading carefully on one foot.

Evie and the other chocobo had managed to successfully chase off the remaining Voretooth while Prompto took care of the injured chocobo.

She trudged over to some rocks, calling out in search of something. Moments later, out popped three tiny heads from within the rocks before scuttling out, chirping excitedly at the sight of their mother, cuddling up against her legs. She lowered her neck, gently nuzzling her beak against the chicks.

“Wow. She’s-” Prompto paused, struck by awe- “she’s a mother.”

“She must’ve been trying to protect them all by herself. That’s really something.”

The mother called to her children as she walked away, the tiny chocobo chicks in tow as she left.

Prompto smiled brightly as he watched them leave, feeling happy to have helped the family. Standing up properly, stumbling somewhat as he made it back to Evie, he climbed up on her and turned to Noctis. “Guess we should get going.”

“We should worry about you first.”

Prompto smiled again, lips forced at the edges. “I’m sorry, I kinda used my last potion on her. It’s not that bad though, we can worry about it later.”

Noctis sighed in defeat before pulling himself up onto his own chocobo. “As soon as we get back, we’re dealing with it.”

“Okay, fine, honey.” Prompto smoothed out his voice, drawling out the ‘honey’ part, trying to keep things light hearted, and prevent Noctis from worrying about him too much.

The trip back had been short, and Noctis had ushered Prompto to the washroom with urgency. Although he was good at hiding things, he could tell that he knew the wound was bothering him.

Noctis worked carefully, brushing a warm, damp cloth over Prompto’s injury. Dry, flaked blood caked over fragile skin being lapped away, along with the discomfort of it sticking to his skin. Prompto let out a heavy sigh, relaxing under the touch, the warm cloth and gentle touches from Noctis, working wonders to his comfort.

“You’re lucky it didn’t bite really deep, or break anything. Don’t want you bleeding to death. Society can’t afford to lose one of the most beautiful men alive.” Prompto’s injury may not have been deep, but the angled teeth of the Voretooth had done a number on his skin, leaving jagged cuts and scrapes on his arm.

Prompto’s cheeks flooded red, teeth pinching at his lower lip.

Noctis only smiled to him innocently, but Prompto knew he was smirking up a storm underneath it all. His hands shifted through the first aid kit, applying disinfectant to the injury before pulling out some bandages. His fingers pressed lightly over Prompto’s skin as he wound them around his arm.

“Not bad for a prince, huh?” Noctis stated as he finished bandaging him. “If it causes any more problems, you should get some help.”

“You’re a real hero, and don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on it. It was totally worth it anyways. To see the mother reunited with her chicks.” Prompto grinned. “May his highness’ boyfriend bestow a kiss upon him?”

“It’s the only payment he’ll accept.”

Prompto gently tugged Noctis’ shirt, drawing the other closer to him, hands slowly moving to cup his cheeks. He pressed a slow and tender kiss to his lips, drawing out the moment between them. He soon began peppering his face in kisses, however, showering him with affection.

“Whoa, Prompto!” Noctis laughed light heartedly, arms winding around his affectionate assailant. He hardly gave him the chance to kiss him back.

The shower of kisses mixed with cheerful laughter eventually stopped, and the two now stood, foreheads pressed against each other, noses lightly brushing, breaths mingling in the now comforting silence. Prompto’s arms lazily rested around Noctis’ shoulders.

“Really though, thanks, Noct, you really are the greatest boyfriend a guy could ever ask for.” He smiled warmly to Noctis, feeling nothing but pure bliss as he saw his cheeks tint pink, the warm color contrasting with his dark hair.

“Just be careful, Prompto. You always seem to put others before yourself. Just remember to take care of yourself too. And honestly, I feel lucky to have met you. It’s not often I come across someone that treats me, well, you know, like a normal person.”

“You’ve got feelings just like everybody else, Noct.” He simply stated, knowing that Noctis had mixed feelings about his lineage and what fate will become of him. He never really liked being a prince. “How about we take our minds off of things, and go check up on the chocobos before we head to bed?” The sun was beginning to set outside, it was hard to believe that the day was almost over. He had so much fun with Noctis, that he hardly realized that the time flew by.

He hummed contently. “My favorite word. Bed.”

Taking Noct’s hand, Prompto lead him back outside towards the chocobos’ field.

As they checked up on each chocobo, Prompto counted each of them. “Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. There, that’s all the adults accounted for! Now the little guys.”

“Counting all these chocobos are making me tired.” Noctis commented.

“We’re almost there, I just like to do a headcount before bed, helps me sleep better knowing they’re all safe.” Prompto looked down to his feet, knowing that the chicks were swarming him as they usually did, and counted the five little feathered heads, smiling in accomplishment. “Alright, looks like that’s about it.”

Finding a nearby tree, Prompto walked over, and leaned back against it. He casually slid down until he sat on the ground. “I think I’m pretty beat, and I’ve gotta keep up with this for years.” He complained, before smiling up to Noctis. “Good thing I like keeping chocobos happy.” He held out a hand, offering him to sit with him.

“I think you’re doing a great job. Looks like you’re already getting the hang of everything.” He took Prompto’s offer and sat down between his legs, leaning back against him. “And all the chocobos here? They really do seem to love you. I think Wiz is right.” As if on queue, the herd of baby chocobos came running in tow, finally catching up to the couple. They scurried and jumped on Noctis, causing the prince to grunt as one landed on his stomach and cuddled up to him. The others snuggled up around them, resting at their legs and sides, anywhere where they could get warm and sleep.

Prompto’s fingers delicately began to run through ebony hair, a soft sigh escaping his lover as he shifted closer to him, resting his head comfortably on his chest. His hand searched for Prompto’s through closed, tired eyes, humming in dissatisfaction until he found it, taking it in his own and lacing their fingers together.

“M’comfy.” Noctis mumbled.

“I don’t blame you, it’s been a long day. I feel like I could just fall asleep now.” He paused for a few moments, noticing how Noctis’ chest slowly rose and fell, unmoving as he practically lay on top of him. “Noct?” He looked so comfortable, peaceful, even, that Prompto could not bare to disrupt him from his sleep, and so, he accepted his fate, being crushed under his lover and a flock of tiny chocobos. “Man, you fall asleep fast.” He muttered in complaint.

Prompto raised the camera in his hand, and took a quick selfie with himself, Noctis, and the tiny chocobo chicks, all while thinking that this will be perfect for his blog.

After what felt like minutes of stroking hair and feathers, he found himself looking up to the night’s sky.

Each star sparkled, dotting the darkness with light, the moon shining down over the farm, and casting a soft glow over the surroundings. Prompto stared up at the sky, eyes shining as the stars did. He could stay in this moment forever, beside Noctis, with the baby chocobos cuddled on top of them, and remain content for years to come. His thoughts drifted to the future, their wedding on the farm, chocobos dressed up in tuxes, the friends he considered family with them. A small ceremony under the setting sky. Even further in the future, when he was older, sitting on the deck with Noctis after he attended his kingly duties, hands laced together as they leaned on each other. There was no more loneliness, he had his own family.

He looked down to Noct sleeping soundly in his arms, his one hand rest lazily on a baby chocobo snuggled up to him, the other still holding Prompto’s hand. The chicks surrounded them, cuddling up to them for warmth, sleeping ever contentedly at their sides.

For once, the future looked bright.

[dancingalone21]

Something Sweet

Summary: Jensen proposes to the reader during her favorite time of the year.

Pairing: Jensen x Reader

Halloween Request: @smoothdogsgirl, @yuki101shonada

~

“We have enough apples to feed a small army. My god.” You lean against your boyfriend’s silver Chevy pickup, chuckling as he loads the last bag into the bed of his truck.

“Between the two of us and each of our growing rascals, they’ll be gone in no time, baby.” Jensen hooks his muscular arm around your neck, then pulls you close to peck your temple.

You and Jensen are having a busy, fun filled day at Barton Hill Farm in Austin. His daughter JJ and your son Brandon are both having a blast participating in all of the Fall activities that it has to offer. And to be honest so are you, this is hands down your favorite time of year and you can’t wait until it’s Halloween.

“It’s still a lot of apples…” You mutter under your breath, peeling off your jacket to welcome the chill that’s in the air.

“You’ll just have to bake lots and lots of apple pies.” Your boyfriend’s face beams at the delicious thought as he pats his stomach.

“Careful now, sweetheart. Your Dean is showing.” You warn poking him in the chest. Then with a cute twirl, you book it to a nearby pond where the kids are feeding some ducks.

“Jensen likes pie too ya know.” The actor grumbles quietly, unable to hide his amused expression. He then makes a beeline to you, JJ and Brandon.

“You guys tired yet?” Your boyfriend asks the kids with a playful smile. It quickly transforms into an exaggerated frown as they both shake their heads no.

You ignore Jensen’s pretend pout and speak up, “Ok so we picked apples, had cinnamon donuts and apple cider, went on a hayride….” You pause pretending to be stumped. “What are we missing?”

“We fed the ducks!” JJ chimes in pointing to a few that are floating on the water.

“Can’t forget the ducks.” Jensen’s deep chuckle sends a tingle down your spine.

You mentally berate yourself for the dirty images that pop into your mind, this obviously isn’t the time or place for such naughty ideas. Even though you and Jensen have been together for about two years now, it can still be tough to control yourself sometimes. It seems that your boyfriend is having similar thoughts, you catch him admiring the way your sweater clings to your form and it causes his cheeks to burn.

“We still need pumpkins!” Brandon exclaims to JJ, the two enthusiastic four year olds are now bouncing with excitement and it makes you giggle.

“Well then come on, y’all. Let’s go!” Jensen hoists his daughter up onto his shoulders, his long legs carrying him ahead of you and Brandon. “Don’t be slow pokes.” He teases back in your direction.

“Oh shush, Ackles.” You stick your tongue out at him, noticing that Jensen and JJ are now whispering to each other. “What are you two troublemakers hiding?”

“Nothing!” They answer in unison without turning around. Oh that’s not suspicious at all. You’re about to press them for details but get distracted by the pumpkin patch that comes into view.

“Um…where is everyone?”

“Who?” Your boyfriend quirks an eyebrow, letting his little ball of energy run off into the open space.

“The other people.” You gesture around. “They’re roaming all over the farm except for here.”

“Oh I rented it for some privacy. Apparently you can do that if you ask nicely.”  Your boyfriend smirks lacing his fingers with yours. “Being handsome also helps.” 

You burst out laughing, “Well it’s a good thing you’re handsome, handsome.” 

“Damn straight, sexy.” Jensen plants a sweet kiss on your lips before leading you in the direction of JJ and Brandon.

“I found one, mom!” Your son bellows waving you over to an overly large pumpkin.

“Nice one, buddy." You crouch down to get a better look. “Isn’t it kinda big though?” Brandon vehemently shakes his head.

“Y/N! Come here!” JJ calls out before beaming at her dad, she’s visibly thrilled with the pumpkin in front of her and you're pretty curious as to why.

Once you and Brandon get closer, it becomes clear that Jensen is feeling a little antsy, “What do you think, babe?” He asks you pointing to JJ’s pumpkin.

"Good choice.” You bend down to examine it when something reflective catches your eye. “Oh my god.” Your eyes widen when you see that a gorgeous, round cut engagement ring is sitting on top.

Taking a deep breath, Jensen shyly gets down onto one knee and it renders you utterly speechless. You’ve dreamt of this amazing moment so many times and now that it’s here your mind has turned to complete mush. Thankfully, your boyfriend is a mess of nerves himself so he doesn’t seem to notice it.

“Y/N...I was instantly smitten when I first laid eyes on you, I was hopelessly in love the first time that I kissed you and I was officially screwed when I could look back at past regrets with a smile. Every bad choice, every disappointment and every heartbreak has been worth it because they all lead me straight to you. I love you and Brandon more than I could ever express, baby. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” You exclaim with tears in your eyes. The kids start cheering as you launch yourself into Jensen’s arms, practically knocking you both over. You’re relieved when he regains his balance in time, instead lifting you off of ground.

“We love you too, honey.” You whisper resting your forehead against his.

Halloween Fics

Masterlist

[monsterkissed]

thanks for your commentary on that cat post ;u; i live in a house surrounded by farm and my mom would put our cats outside because "they dont leave the porch" (untrue) and "them being here will keep the mice away" (also untrue). 9 of our cats died. actually i think since i moved away the number's risen to 10. the only cats that have survived are the one i got to take with me when i moved and the one who really didnt leave the porch, but she still got attacked by wild dogs so tbh she's just lucky

yeah honestly it’s just sad? like you wouldn’t let your pet bird or hamster or whatever roam around without any pen or supervision and expect things to be fine so idk how we as a society decided that it’s perfectly fine to do it to cats despite all the evidence of the harm it does them and their environment

honestly i think people who “like” animals and think that’s as good as knowing anything about them do a thousand times more damage than people who just don’t like them. someone who doesn’t like cats or dogs or reptiles or w/e isn’t gonna buy one without doing any research and then throw a fit when you tell them they’re killing it. i’ll take “ew dogs are so gross and thick wastes of space don’t even touch me” over “nooo he loves being hugged he’s wriggling bc he likes it aww look i can make him smile how cute what do you mean telltale signs of discomfort and distress?”

and yeah you hear constantly “oh you don’t understand this is how my family has done it for years and they’re fine!” like lmao no you just come from a long line of wilfully ignorant people and maybe that’s why you think the average age of the domestic cat is four years