#which I split between 2 days for child and pet care reasons

[tacosaysroar]

Me: What fresh horrors await me today, I wonder.

Work: Oh my god, SO glad you asked . . .

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Genshin+Stardew Valley/xReader]

Part 1/3 Kaeya, Diluc

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE YIP YIP)

Coming soon...

Albedo and Childe

Zhongli and Xiao

(A/N): So the brainrot was real in this one. I planned to add Albedo for a Mondstadt edition but kinda went overboard so I gotta split this one into parts too. Wordcount_almost 2k spspspsp

______________________________________________________

Diluc

• Already has the whole year planned in his head. Literally if Diluc were to play this game, he'd have a booming farm within year ONE. Calm and collected through and through, though the new environment raises alot of questions, as long as you were still with him, Diluc ain't complaining

• The town welcomes you two with open arms. It was all thanks to the attire. Diluc wore his usual dark coat adorned with regal gold while you had a dress made of Liyue's finest silk, one that he bought for you. Needless to stay both of you reeked the aura of rich aristocrats (Mayor Lewis is pleased that greedy bastard)

• Once the farm was permitted to your owndership, Diluc began to think of ways to turn it into a vineyard. He was a businessman afterall. Although the staff back at the Dawn Winery were the ones who tended the field, Diluc still knew a few things about planting due to his childhood days Master Crepus would bring him out to their yard and demonstrated the process of gardening. He still remembers those days clearly, doing the very same this moment with you.

• Occasionally works at the Saloon bar. It was the perfect opportunity. As you took care of the farm side, Diluc continues to look for more ways to increase the income while gathering information from the folks around town. Gus LOVES to have him over, like he's just so efficient and reliable! They soon become good friends saying if Diluc were ever to own a wine stock, he would gladly buy from him.

• This is why Diluc would stay a little later due to just chatting with the people from the bar. One time you walked into the Saloon only to the front desk with Emily alone. Turns out the others were in the other room, too busy playing a game of pool. You decided to leave him be since it was rare to have Diluc so relaxed in leisure activities. Thus in the end, you spent your time chatting with Emily until a whole hour has passed before your lover notices and apologizes for losing track of time.

• Everything felt like a dream because it was his dream. To live a life undisturbed from chaos, his duties and the dangers that lurk in Teyvat, Diluc grew fond of the domesticity. There was nothing he loved more than to spend his hours by your side, day after day, returning home to your freshly handmade meals.

• Spring: Already up and early planting the parnersnips (I'm very soft for gardener Diluc you see). What do you expect from a workaholic? Even during his leisure time you would often find him near some plant as he does consider this hobby quite therapeutic. But when it rains, Diluc would be standing beside you with an arm around your shoulder, smiling contently as you lean into his touch. He gazes through the dripping window and silently admires the current progress you both made on the farm.

• Between the two annual spring festivities, I would say the flower dance. Diluc is a private man and would prefer to take things where no eyes were on sight. But with a little bit of nudging from Gus (your wingman), he gives in and leads you to the center stage. Elegant. Graceful. The way you two moved together became the talk of the event. Though, Diluc was already used to people staring by now, all he needed to do was to ignore them and keep his focus on you.

• Summer: No blankets in bed. Nope, its bloody hot in Pelican Town. He tends to stay indoors or anywhere with shade, in other words, his work hours in the Saloon increased.

• Diluc always has a nice cold drink prepared for you if by any chance you were to pay a visit after a whole day of labour. It's a habit he's made subconciously as if it would be a natural occurance for you to enter the door. His colleagues would ask him who did he make that drink for? Honestly so cute i cri

• Moments like these remind him of Mondstadt, where he quietly wipes the glasses while listening to you talk. Your voice is soothing. Sun rays peek from the side casting onto the umber tables, reflecting a rich golden light as the radio plays a soft song in the background. It's so peaceful, the town was small hence not many people visited the bar, Diluc came to appreciate this warm privacy (plus no Venti and Kaeya which is a huge pog realization).

• Autumn: Harvest time baby. The kegs are full and the sheds are full of kegs. This season was huge stonks and the house ended up getting an upgrade. Diluc is the type of man who wants to make sure that his spouse wouldn't have to work another day of her life. I reckon this is why he's so ambitious because he wants you to have the best and you deserve the best. (Husband material. Slap a ring on him ladies).

When there was no more work left to do, time would be spend peacefully exploring the woods. While you skipped a few steps ahead as the leaves crunched beneath your feets, Diluc follows slowly from behind. He sees your back but his eyes stares somewhere far beyond whats in front of him: His future. 

It was such a stark contrast to the one he envisioned before. One filled with uncertaintly, blocked by darkness with no silver lining in sight, endlessly wandering as he drags the claymore against the ground. There was never a day in which the Darknight hero wouldn't think of Mondstadt. Leaving the city in the incompetent hands of Ordo Favonious while Abyss Mages continue to lurk fuels him to find a way to return as soon as possible and yet...

"Higher big sis!" Jas tightens her hold on the ropes as you pushed the swing with all your might. She laughs, like a child, it was full of innocence and joy. Later Vincent came in and nugdes you, asking when his turn will come.

"You wanna go too? Alright alright don't worry," waiting for Jas to come down, you lift the boy up so that he was seated safely on the chair, "3..2..1 go!"

He wonders if he could just be a little selfish for once.

• Winter: Best man to have in this season. Every morning Diluc would find himself restricted in movements due to a pair of arms around his waist and legs entangled with yours. Turns out you've been doing it subconciously because he's just so warm (Diluc keeps it lowkey and pretends to sleep longer cuz of it)

~~xx~~

Kaeya

• Haha looks like the portal is gone, guess we'll be stuck forever :)). No kidding Kaeya would be so down to stay here for the rest of his life and the best part is to spend it with you. He doesn't show a shred of concern regarding Teyvat, not like he's easily shaken by events that are abnormal, but you can see that Kaeya is truly and genuinely happy. (You're stunned).

• Oho we also have this marvelous landscape just for the two of us? And a cozy little cabin to go along with it as well? This should be fun~ 

• Of course Kaeya would also know a few things about planting, just the basics since he did grow up with Diluc. When they were kids, Crepus would give each of them their own pots so they can grow their own plants. It eventually became a competitive thing where whoever's plant grows the fastest gets to eat the other person's dessert for a year (no one wins. They end up sabotaging each other which Diluc started first, thinking it'll be funny as a joke).

• You are, and will be going on dates with him. In fact, the amount of dates you two went on increased since then. The townspeople would call you two "lovebirds" since he's practically by your side 24/7. 

• I mean he doesn't have the responsibilities as a Cavalry Captain anymore so what else is there to do?

• Would attend all annual events no matter what season. 

• Evelyn constantly gushes how much of a wonderful pair you and Kaeya make and often is the one who provides Kaeya a fresh bouqet of flowers for him to use as a gift. George on the otherhand just rolled his eyes mumbling something along the lines of "youngsters these days" and "crazy hormones."

• Befriends Pam. Love for beer plus somewhat cynical attitude? They get along real swell! She starts sending some recipes into the mailbox of course saying if yall ever need a hand, let her know.

• Spring: I can see Kaeya be switching back and forth between caring for the farm or taking quests posted on Pierre's bulletin board. He likes to keep things interesting, learning the ways of the new world while also getting to know the people around town.

• Would NOT return Mayor Lewis' shorts in which he found in Marnie's room. It's such high quality blackmail material. Kaeya is currently plotting what is the best way to use it to his advantage.

• He didn't tell you of course.

• Summer: There are no blankets because he is your blanket. Since your cabin was small so was the bed. That's why he has to hold you so that no one falls off when rolling over. Either he hugs you with your nose close to his neck, or your back against his chest while spooning you or holding hands if sleeping on your sides became too much. Yall need a serious house upgrade.

• For some reason Kaeya becomes more energetic in the summer. He lets you rest in the shade while handling the farm work for the time being. If you guys got a pet it would be a cat. Hes the first one to refill their bowl every morning outside.

Another day passes as summer comes to an end, the town’s Mayor invited you and your lover to see the annual Dance Of the Moonlight Jellies. Kaeya being the opportunist was delighted to come along. Locking the door of your house, you follow him down the path and made your way to the beach.

Everyone from town was already gathered by the docks when the sun had disappeared down the horizon. You stood by his side in a space far from the others, watching  the candle boats set off to ride the waves, lighting up a small ray of light for creatures to find. 

“Wow,” your tone almost above a whisper, “If only our friends back home could see this too.”

“Perhaps,” he says. Kaeya slips his fingers into yours and you shot him a curious glance, “But let us enjoy this moment shall we? Just the two of us.”

And there they were. A sea of luminescence radiating colours of brilliant blue with hints of green like a city of laterns floating in a world below. Their image reflects in the star of Kaeya's eyes as he wonders, where would they go? Where would the light lead them? They were so free with nothing to worry, so serene just like the sea and unknowningly, he squeezes your hand. It was a sense for confirmation. One to remind him that this moment was indeed a reality he wishes to keep.

Autumn: Finally a house upgrade and a kitchen!! Because it was harvest season, you guys end up making a set of delicious meals with all the recipes the townspeople gave you. Kaeya can cook since he lived by himself back in Mondstadt. Most of the stuff he learned to make were food that can be accompanied by alcohol though...

• Ahah remember Mayor Lewis' lucky shorts? He found a use for them. It was displayed on the stands during the Stardew Valley Fair (Oh my how did this get here? Must be the wind). Ends up buying a Rarecrow for the farm when Lewis bribes him not to tell this to anyone.

Winter: This was mostly an indoor season for the both of you. With the existence of television, nights would be spent until morning while watching movies at the couch. A blanket drapes around your shoulders as extends to his.  Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate! 

[nikibogwater]

A Shot in the Dark: Chapter 2 (Author’s Commentary--pt 1)

Read the fic here

Author’s Commentary pt. 2

General Notes:

Yes, I actually had to split the commentary into two parts because there was just So. Much. Going on in this chapter. We shifted over to Douxie’s perspective as he and Nari spent a lovely day about NYC, were properly introduced to the antagonist, and ended on what is probably the cruelest cliffhanger I have ever left anyone on ever (I’m soooooorry...! 😅). I swear I tried to carve this down as much as I could, but even so, there was just way too much to talk about for one post. So in Pt 1 of the commentary, I’ll be talking about the Magical Siblings and their Therapy Cat, but Pt 2 is going to be all about Rivan, because I have a lot to say about this Classy Boi. 

One significant thing about this chapter is that it is my first time writing Douxie in Distress. There’s not really any moment in the show where Douxie is completely stripped of every last one of his defenses and put into a situation where he has no choice but to rely on others--which is fine! I love me one Badass Wizard Boi. But I did want to explore the concept because it opens up opportunities to expand on Douxie’s character. There is more to it than that, but I can’t say anything more until after Chapter 3 has been posted. 

All right, now let’s get into some Passage-Specific notes.

Passage-Specific Notes:

It was a bit like witnessing a long-lost family reunion from the outside, and Douxie felt a strange ache settle in his heart as he followed the tiny forest goddess, who danced from one place to another, wide eyes glowing like sunlit amber.

“...She should have this all the time,” he murmured to Archie, who, after having his own little roll in the grass, had returned to his perch on Douxie’s shoulder. “She shouldn’t be stuck in that prison cell of an apartment.”

This is probably one of my favorite instances of Douxie showing off his Big Brother Energy. He is naturally a very kind-hearted person who believes everyone deserves the freedom to live their best lives (See Ep. 4: “The Lady of the Lake”) but in this scene, he’s not wishing for Nari’s freedom and happiness because of some abstract sense of empathy--Douxie loves Nari, and seeing her happy makes him happy. But he is also bound to his duty as her protector, and that forces him to put aside both her desires and his own in order to keep her safe. He has to balance the line between Responsible Guardian and Loving Brother. I just really enjoyed taking this moment to explore the nature of their relationship, and the impact it has on Douxie, even if it is a somewhat bittersweet scene. 

“What do you suppose it would take for Americans to learn how to make a decent cup of tea?” Douxie grumbled, glaring at the disposable coffee cup in his hand as though it had personally offended him. “Seems like any hack street vendor with a pot and a filter can be taught to make a solid enough cup of coffee in this country, but ask them for a simple cup of water with a bag of leaves in it, and somehow no one knows how to do it properly.”

My new favorite game is “How Many Times in a Single Story Can I Not-So-Subtly Remind My Audience That Douxie is Very British?”  

“Sweet tea is an abomination and I only let you get one because we’re eating out. But never shall such a detestable liquid be found under my roof.” Nari pulled her cup closer to her in a mock show of defensiveness and giggled.

I really love it when the Magical Siblings get playful like this, especially given all the crap that they’ve seen/been through. Also I did some research on sweet tea just for this line--it is an American beverage, and is made by sweetening a dark tea--such as the kind Douxie always drinks. Hence the reason he views it as an abomination--how dare we filthy Americans tamper with the sacred British liquid (although to be fair, I think he’s playing up his “hatred” for it for the sake of humor. Douxie’s pretty chill about most things). 

“I...I think we should go home,” Nari squeaked. “He just....gives me a bad feeling.”

“Alright,” Douxie agreed, rising from his place and lifting Archie up onto his shoulder. He moved around the table and took Nari’s hand as she stood, squeezing it reassuringly when her other hand came up to anxiously grip his sleeve.

It was really important to me that Douxie not brush off Nari’s intensifying anxiety. Maybe she’s being a little unfair here (Rivan can’t help the fact that she can’t sense his life force/aura) but still, she feels unsettled, and Douxie responds to that by removing her from the situation, even though they still don’t have any proof that Rivan is actually following them. Douxie even begins to grow anxious about the situation himself, going so far as to double up on the concealing spell around Nari’s aura. It’s a small moment, but I like to think it displays the level of trust these two have developed over the last few months.

Even at his most desperate, Douxie wasn’t demanding. But he was begging with every ounce of his heart, calling on the bone-deep affection that had always bound these two together.

“...Yes, Hisirdoux,” Archie sighed, and Douxie’s heart ached with a rush of love and gratitude for his Familiar.

This scene was originally drafted as being on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum--Douxie was going to snap and give Archie a direct order--something he knew a Familiar can’t ignore, and it was going to be this gut-wrenching moment of Angst. But I realized very quickly that, after almost a thousand years of flawless teamwork and mutual support, these two are VERY unlikely to have a relationship fumble that intense. Also, it really would’ve just been pointless drama. So instead I leaned into the warmth and comfort of just how close and trusting Douxie and Archie are with one another, to the point that when Douxie begs Archie to do the one thing he doesn’t want to (leave Douxie), Archie acquiesces. 

“...N-no. Archie...!” Nari stammered, looking frantically between the two of them. “Douxie, please!”

“Everything’s going to be fine, sweetheart,” Douxie soothed, giving her a gentle nudge forward. “I’ll meet you both back at the apartment later.”

Douxie using “sweetheart” on Nari is actually very significant here. While Douxie is a Pro-Tier Sweet-Talker who absolutely uses pet names on both friend and foe alike, Nari is the one exception to that rule (this is actually the first time in the series that he’s used a pet name on her). Douxie respects Nari in a way that is unique to their relationship. She’s a much-loved part of his family, yes, but she is also eons old, and a demigoddess, and whether consciously or unconsciously, I think Douxie is aware of that for the most part. So the fact that he caves and accidentally calls her Sweetheart here indicates that in this moment, he’s not seeing her as Nari the Ancient Sorceress, but as Nari the Child, Nari the Little Sister--someone who he wants to shield from the harsh reality they’re facing. So he makes her a promise he knows he might not be able to keep. Because sometimes, grown-ups lie in order to protect the children in their care. It’s not right, but in the heat of the moment, it’s all he can think to do.

There was a click and a soft whirring sound, and suddenly the magic in Douxie’s hand was pulled out of his grasp, leaving his fingers cold and empty. The wizard cast a frantic look down at his right arm to see an iron band locked around it, the intricate engravings glowing the same color as his own magic.

Just a short fun fact: The Inhibitor Cuff was actually originally conceived for my 12th Century Siblings AU. 

“Spare me the pleasantries,” Douxie interrupted. “I’ll die before I’ll let the Order anywhere near her.”...

...Douxie stared back at Rivan defiantly, his jaw clenched shut, though behind his back, his hands were trembling with dread.

Writing Douxie in Distress like this was...tricky. I’ll talk more about this in pt. 2, but it was really hard to know when Douxie would drop his trademark sass and just be Dead Serious. His interactions with Morgana and the Arcane Order are mostly just him being a cocky little punk, but I also think that might have had something to do with the fact that he was never completely helpless in those situations. Apart from the few seconds he was held down by a corrupted Jim, Douxie always had at least some level of defense in those conflicts. But he has absolutely no power in this situation--his magic has been cancelled out, he’s tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse miles away from home with no way of contacting his friends for backup, and the only thing standing between the Arcane Order and Nari at this point is his refusal to talk. So he drops the sass and just gets Stubborn. He wants to make it abundantly clear that he knows what Rivan could do to him--and that he doesn’t give a damn. He’s not talking, no matter what.

...Ngl, that’s very sexy of him.

[multisfabulis]

Clairvoyant Rain

Word Count: 3038

TW: Implied self-harm, implied/referenced past child abuse

Can you believe it's been about a year since I last wrote these two? It's not that I don't have much to write about, I just haven't had the time to do so! Between working on Corona's Shadow, working on the backburner project you'll get to see after I post chapter 2 of "Love's Descent into Madness", and dealing with IRL stuff, RLD has kinda fallen to the wayside. I can't guarantee I'll work more on it but I'll try my best to!

By the way, the reason this fic exists is because I wanted to write soft Luce/Ravi and this song was my inspiration for it!

Read on AO3 | Read on DA | Support me on Ko-fi!

     Ravi tiredly opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. He hoped it would be morning so this wouldn’t happen but alas… It was still dark, the neon lights outside pouring in from the window. He could hear rain pattering on the glass as he looked at the digital clock for the time. In bright red numbers read 2:52 AM. Yep, way too early to be up and he fucking hated it.

     All waking up in the middle in the night ever did was ruin his good night’s sleep and make the alarm he set even more unbearable than it already was. If only he could go back to the days before Eli came and fucked everything up. That’d be really nice but because he’s wishing for it, he’ll never get those days back. He turned over onto his side and closed his eyes, wanting to drift back asleep.

     It was a moment later he heard a thunderous roar. His heart hammered against his chest as he shot up in bed. It took him some time to realize it wasn’t stuff being thrown around but something falling on piano keys from a great height. Luce knew better than to be loud when people were sleeping. Something must be happening if he was banging on the piano with no consideration for others.

     Tossing the covers aside, he hurried over to the door and opened it. He found himself face to face with a sleepy Amelia. She had a minor case of bedhead going on as dark pinkish eyes widened upon seeing him. No doubt on why she was up.

     “You heard that, too, right?” he asked quietly.

     Giving him a nod for her answer, he stepped in front and whispered, “All right, I’m gonna go see what’s going on. Stay behind me and don’t make a single peep.”

     They tiptoed down the hallway and he peeked around the corner. He saw Luce hunched over his piano, running his hands through his hair while muttering nonsense under his breath. He seemed to be frustrated, which was a rare state to see him in. His exclamation of “Damn it!” before slamming his hands down on the keys was further proof of it. Hearing the sudden discordant boom from up close startled Amelia as she nearly blew her cover with a stifled gasp.

     Turning around, he crouched down and put a finger to his lips, whispering, “Go back to bed, I’ll talk to Luce and everything will be fine, all right?”

     She nodded and walked back to her room. He watched her go inside and shut the door before deciding on his next course of action. He had an idea as to what was going on and he didn’t want her listening in on them. A girl her age shouldn’t be exposed to such dark things.

     He carefully made his way across the living room, being as quiet as the wind. He glanced over to where Luce’s knife was and grew worried when he saw it. It was laying on top of its sheath, meaning he took it out for a reason. He hoped it wasn’t the reason he was thinking of but he had his doubts. He sat beside the other man on the piano seat, concerned.

     “Luce?” he called out quietly, searching for his eyes. “Is everything all right?”

     Ruby red eyes met his as he replied in a guilty voice, “Snowbird, I, I’m sorry if I woke you up, I just---��

     “No, it’s fine, I’m just--” he tentatively put a hand on his back in an attempt to comfort him-- “I’m just wondering if you’re okay.”

     “Well,” he began, letting out a scoff, “I thought that if I played music for a little bit, I would stop thinking about the bad memories that just popped up out of nowhere but because my hands are shaking so damn bad, I’m not hitting the right keys and that’s pissing me the fuck off.

     “If my hands could just stop shaking, I’d be able to play, because if I don’t play soon, I’m gonna do something I’ll end up regretting and I don’t wanna do that so…” he trailed off, his voice going from a fever pitch to sounding broken.

     He rubbed his hand over his back, hoping to soothe him. It was then he looked down and his worry deepened into alarm. Luce was vigorously scratching at his arm, which was a canvas full of faded scars over pale white skin. Oh, that was definitely not good.

     He couldn’t let his panic get the best of him. It’d only worsen Luce’s already bad state and it was the last thing the both of them needed. He had to stay calm and try to curb his urge to hurt himself. In a way, this was good, because it meant he hadn’t done it yet, if the lack of blood wasn’t an indicator. He could try and talk him out of it so, if it worked, it’d encourage him to resist the temptation in the future.

     Placing a hand atop his to stop his scratching, Ravi asked, “Why don’t we go back to my room and get your mind off this for a little bit, hmm? Would that be okay?”

     “Yeah, that…might be good,” Luce replied, his breathing shaky.

     He helped him up off the seat and led him through the hallway. He held on to his hand the whole time as a means of keeping him grounded. Even so, he kept a close eye on him to make sure Luce was still in the present. It was after he brought him inside his room he saw some improvement in his condition.

     A quiet calm had replaced whatever anger was left in him. His eyes were no longer glassy and his breathing had steadied some. He was still there, he could reach him and not be met with silence.

     Setting him down on the bed, Ravi knelt in front of him and asked, “Are you feeling better?”

     “A little bit,” he replied, letting out a sigh afterwards. “Snowbird, listen, I’m sorry for making you have to take care of me and---”

     “Hey, hey, hey, none of that, all right?” He reached up to cup his cheek. “You’re not a burden to me, Luce. I know this is a new thing for both of us but I’ll be there for you, okay? Whatever it is, I’ll be there so…remember that.”

     With the ghost of a smile, Luce took hold of his hand and kissed the back of his fingers. His lips curled into a small smile of his own at the display. At least it showed he meant what he said by feeling a bit better. He retracted his hand and stood up with a huff, sitting beside him on the bed.

     “So, do you wanna talk about it?” he asked, leaning forward to see his face.

     Watching the small trace of relief fade away, he quickly added, “It doesn’t have to be about that! It could be about anything you want! Anything that’ll get your mind off that…”

     A huge clap of thunder sounded off in that instant, rattling the whole apartment. The loud boom caused his heart to stop for a split second before resuming. He turned to face the window to see if the power had gone out from that. Nope, the stupid neon signs from across the street were still on so that’s that.

     “Jesus Christ, that was loud. You okay after hearing that, Lu---”

     He turned around to check on him and fell silent. Luce was leaning back on the bed, his eyes closed as if he were listening to the downpour outside. What really stunned him was the expression on his face. He looked…content, no signs of stress or detachment present. Just peace and serenity, things he never thought he’d ever see on him, at least not for a long time.

     “Luce?”

     As if he just remembered he wasn’t alone, Luce straightened up and said, “Sorry, I just got…entranced listening to the rain.”

     “You actually like this shitty weather?” he asked incredulously. No normal person would like this kind of weather. Then again, he’s forgetting that Luce isn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination.

     “I love it, it’s very special to me,” he replied. “Have I not told you this?”

     “No, and we’ve been going out for how long?”

     “Do you wanna know why, then? I think you’ll have somewhat of an idea when I tell you I began to love the rain on that night.”

     It took him longer than it should’ve to realize what he meant. The night he became truly free from his shackles, the night he… That already told him just a hint of the significance rain carried for Luce. He may not have understood why it was so special but it was cruel of him to mock that which he clearly loved so…

     “That night, after I did what I did,” Luce began, a tone of reminiscence held in his voice, “I went outside. I looked up and there were dark storm clouds coming in and before I knew it, it started pouring down rain. The moment I felt those raindrops hit me, I knew…I’d be okay.

     “I had been so numb, numb to everything that touched me. The beatings my father would give me, the kisses my mother would give me, I felt none of it for so long. That rain was the first thing I felt in such a long time and…I cried. I could finally feel something and I was happy, I was…alive. I think, in that moment, the rain washed away not only the blood but my ‘self’. That was when I became Luce.”

     “When you say that, do you mean you weren’t called Luce before?” Ravi asked, confused by his wording.

     “You really think my parents gave enough of a shit about me to give me a name?” he replied with a sardonic smile. “I was called either some of the worst things you’d ever say to a kid or fake pet names. I found the name Lucian when I was 11 or 12 but I only really embraced it when I was 15.

     “Anyway, ever since then, I’ve always taken rain as a sign of good luck.” He laid back on the bed, his arms folded under his head. “If it rains, that means something good will happen.”

     No wonder why Luce liked rain so much. It represented freedom, it made him feel alive when death wanted to take him, it gave him a life. It was hard to say whether it played a role in the two of them crossing paths but the universe was funny like that. Whatever it may be, Luce was here now and maybe it was fate that he woke up to help him through a bad time.

     “So what’s the best thing the rain’s ever brought you?” he asked, curious to know his answer.

     “Hmm…” Luce looked as if he was deep in thought before replying, “I’d say it was meeting you. It was raining the day we met.”

     Feeling heat rush to his cheeks, he attempted to deflect that by saying, “Maybe you should go up to the roof and soak in the rain for a little while because I highly doubt that I’m the best thing rain’s brought you.”

     Without missing a beat, he countered that with, “It was raining the day I realized I loved you, too.”

     “Oh, come on, that’s not even fucking fair!” he exclaimed, his whole face now warm to the touch. “What the hell do I say to argue against that?!”

     Luce’s laughter at his expense made him turn away from him. He really should’ve known better than to degrade himself around Luce. He refused to allow him to believe there was nothing good about him and it annoyed the fuck out of him. He knew it was because he loved him and wanted to prove him wrong but still. It was rather touching to know how far he’d go but he’d never admit that out loud.

     After catching his breath, Luce took hold of Ravi’s wrist and, in a tender voice, said, “I love you.”

     “...I love you too,” he answered back, defeated. Luce knew exactly what to say to put an end to his self-loathing. It was so rare of him to say “I love you” first so of course he’d say it. “Can I kiss you?”

     He sat up, leaned in close, and replied, “Yes.”

     Ravi closed his eyes and bridged the gap between them. Luce parted his lips just a fraction, kissing him back with chasteness. It was a simple kiss that only lasted a few seconds before they pulled away, Ravi exhaling out a breath. He quickly stood up as he shoved down the urge to go in for a second kiss.

     “All right, get the fuck off the bed, I gotta sleep,” he said, stretching his arms up above him. Then he remembered what happened earlier. “You gonna be okay?”

     “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he replied, standing up as well.

     “You sure? If you want, I can---”

     Luce cut him off with a kiss to the forehead. He pulled away with a fond smile on his face and whispered, “I’ll be okay. Go to bed, Snowbird.”

     Guess that was as good an answer as any. He reluctantly crawled under the covers and looked at the clock for the time. 3:43 AM in dull red numbers. God, did they really spend almost an hour just talking about the rain? There went his full night’s sleep but he’d learn to deal with it.

     His eyes wandered over to Luce. He wasn’t sure if it’d really be okay for him to sleep while he might still be in need of help. He seemed to be getting on now but it had only been an hour since everything and there was no telling of the future. In the end, he had to trust Luce to come to him if he needed him. Exhaustion swept over him like a wave and he struggled to stay awake.

     “Goodnight, Luce.”

     “Goodnight, Snowbird.”

     And he was out like a light.

     It was morning when he woke up next. He must’ve overslept because he could hear the sounds of rush hour outside his apartment. His alarm didn’t go off so it must’ve been switched off at some point last night. Good thing Luce did it on the weekend; otherwise, he’d be in a panic, trying to make up for lost time. He attempted to turn over but was stopped by an arm around his waist.

     It was then he found Luce curled up next to him, soundly asleep. He was taken aback by this display. Him being asleep was a rare enough sight on its own but him sleeping beside him on the bed was virtually unheard of. The only other time they were like this was the first night they slept together. He wasn’t able to do it before, due to the circumstances, but he could do it now.

     He brushed strands of hair away from Luce’s face, admiring his beauty. He looked so peaceful, so…vulnerable, an impossibility made real. It’s not like he hadn’t seen other sides of Luce. There was the crooked smile and glint in his eyes when he was playful and the furrowed brow and emotionless voice when he was serious. Yet the tranquil and unguarded Luce before him was like a secret he was finally let in on.

     Was his trust in him so deep, he felt like he could do this with him? It had to be if this was happening and Ravi was…happy. Knowing the kind of life Luce had before meeting him, before he knew what freedom was, he was so glad that Luce was letting himself be like this around him. He wondered if maybe, just maybe, he felt safe while in his presence. If so, then…

     He carded his fingers through dark locks, bringing him in close. He decided to bask in the morning sun with him in the little time he had before needing to get up. He softly kissed Luce’s temple and brought him even closer. Their faces were mere inches apart as he shut his eyes. The last thing he could’ve swore he saw was the corner of his mouth curve up into a small smile.

[narcissasdaffodil]

Thank you for the tag @kiki-the-creator @codename-mango and @voile-de-lune this gives me a perfect excuse to ramble and talk in depth again!

1. What do you prefer to be called name-wise?

Iris. Some people know my real life name too, so if you do, please don’t use it on here. I make a serious effort to separate my real life from online life.

2. When is your birthday?

22nd February

3. Where do you live?

Wales, UK. That’s how specific I’m willing to get.

4. Three things you are doing right now?

Listening to music, thinking in general, and considering writing/editing something.

5. Four fandoms that have peaked your interest?

LITG definitely, that’s by far my main one. This blog is a split between LITG and positivity. I’ll chuck Choices, The Haunting of Bly Manor/Haunting of Hill House and Taylor Swift in there too. This blog has way more than just those 4, but those are my main ones.

6. How has the pandemic been treating you?

Back at the start of the year, I was getting better mental health wise, and starting to become a proper adult in general. Then the pandemic hit, and my mental health fully stabilised and has mostly been stable. I’ve had a couple anxious spirals and anxiety attacks since then, but I’ll always have anxiety and depression, it’s all about how I manage my shit and not let it overwhelm me too much. And, ooh! I started my first year of uni in September, and uni in a pandemic is definitely a strange experience. Online lectures actually fit better with me, not having to struggle to hear is great.

7. A song you can’t stop listening to right now?

I’ll cheat, and go for two albums: Folklore and Evermore have definitely made my year! Those two have been on pretty frequent repeat, so yeah x

8. Recommend a movie.

Booksmart and Ladybird. I can’t remember watching anything in the past year, so here’s two recommendations from past years.

9. How old are you?

I’m 19, 20 in 2 months and a day! I don’t always keep a realistic count either, but oh well. It’ll be weird when I do hit my 20s for real though, it appears at the moment I’m likely to have a lockdown birthday.

10. School, university, occupation, other?

University and I’m mostly loving it! I love my course, and am so relieved that past me decided that English wasn’t my thing, or even half the weird stuff I got tempted to do. 4 years ago, I seriously wanted to be a child psychologist despite a dislike of children and sucking at Maths and needing a B to even take Psychology. I scraped a C, so Psychology was out, thank god.

11. Do you prefer hot or cold?

Cold by far. I hate hot weather and the summer with a passion. With cold weather, you can add more layers, hot weather you can’t do much, just get more and more uncomfortable!

12. Name one fact others might not know about you.

I want to be bilingual/trilingual in terms of long term life goals. I’m very slowly teaching myself French and Welsh. Both languages are on hold for a bit, but I plan to pick them back up.

13. Are you shy?

Yup. I plan words in my head when I do speak, usually the conversation has continued without me in groups, hell, even group chats that happens! For me to go unfiltered I have to be very comfortable with you, so if you’re starting to hear me talking about more weird stuff (I call it weird o’clock for a label) you know I’m very comfortable, especially so if my messages sound weird and I sound high. Which I’m not, just unfiltered.

14. Your pronouns?

She/her

15. Biggest pet peeves?

Slow walkers, noisy eaters, people who eat with their mouth open, people who move/take my stuff (like, I had it like that for a reason.), loud people, people being nuisances late at night, peer pressure/influencing people in general (I’m pretty damn stubborn, so if I don’t want to drink, there’s no way that you’ll influence me to), arguments, large groups, people who use me for a therapist, dogs (that’s more me not being comfortable with loud noise, things jumping up on me, being absolutely terrified of dogs/having a genuine trigger for them), people who mock strange/rare stuff about people (a serious amount of stuff about me is strange/weird. So you’ll need to find a different person if you want something not weird!), interrupters, being ignored deliberately, and I think that’s it! Phew, that’s a lot.

16. What is your favorite “dere” type?

I used to be into anime, but that was way too long ago, so I have no clue.

17. Rate your life from 1-10

Likely a 7/8. As my mental health is mostly stable, I can actually write and do creative stuff without letting other people tell me it sucks (well, if you hate my stuff so much, do you really need to tell me? Heck no, in my opinion anyway.) I don’t quit stuff just because I get negative feedback any more,

18. What’s your main blog?

I only have this one! My LITG/positivity/random crap one, which started as a mental health recovery/positivity and fandom blog, then gradually got more chaotic as my own creations appeared.

19. List your side blogs and what they’re used for.

I don’t use side blogs, mainly as when I used to have multiple accounts on other social media, I’d always end up sticking to one and neglecting the others. I don’t know how multiple blog people do it, seriously.

20. Is there something people need to know about you before becoming friends?

If your first interaction with me is via an ask box, it might change a little bit once we properly message. I ramble, and talk about a serious amount of strange crap just because it interests me and do spam a lot when I do create stuff, so if spamming makes you uncomfortable, you’ll have to give me a heads up. But also what you see is pretty much what you get, I’m straightforward in that if you’re an arse to me, or people I care about, I will cut people out pretty quickly. I have no patience for people who lash out at others and do set boundaries with people. On a slightly more positive note, a side effect of chatting to me a lot is that I do gush about people’s work a lot. If I love something someone creates, my motto is always telling them! I’m human sunshine for a reason, but even then I can’t always keep it up, so don’t expect me to be constantly happy!

Tagging: @ravenadottir @confused-lesbiam @ajs-wife @bubblybabynailpolish @lucas-koh just tagged the first set of names I could think of!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #294

“maybe it’s not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate”

Is your bed big enough for two people? Yes. What is your favorite board game? I like Battleship. Have you ever been hospitalized for more than 2 weeks? I think one stay at the psych hospital stretched over two weeks, maybe three. I don't remember. When was the last time you heard someone scream? Irl, probably at some point visiting my sister's family and my baby niece was upset. If you include via audio, a couple days ago when watching Egoraptor's Kingdom Hearts 2 stream. He's a Loud Boy. Who was the last person to call you baby? I have no clue. Why did you last go to the airport? I was going home from Sara's. Have you ever showered with another person? Not since I was a little kid with my sister. Is there something you are keeping a secret from your parents? I mean, nothing major. There are small things I don't tell them, though. Are you able to forget people easily? FUCK to the NO. What disgusts you about bathrooms? Sharing a toilet with literally anybody. Have you ever had gum stuck in your hair? I mean maybe at some point, but I don't think so. What was the shortest amount of time you’ve known someone before you’ve dated them? If you’ve never been in a relationship before, do you watch Scrubs? I knew Jason maybe two/three weeks before he asked me out. We clicked so damn fast. Don’t you hate it when people talk about their relationships constantly? It can become a bit much. I have (had?) a friend who did this profusely to the point it was pretty impossible to have an actual conversation, and then she fell off the face of the planet. Being in love is an absolutely amazing thing, but like... that's not all you can talk about. Do you enjoy old movies? Yeah, there are some great ones. Do your neighbors annoy you in any way? Someone a few houses down has a dog that NEVER shuts the fuck up. I don't know how it doesn't lose its voice. What was the last party you were invited to? A Halloween party hosted by my friend Summer a few years ago. It was a good time. Are you honestly happy with your life right now? N O P E Do you find it fun to pray for people? I don't pray, but even if I did, "fun" seems like the wrong word. Generally when you pray for someone, there's something negative going on in their life, so like... I think "fulfilling" is maybe a better word? Has your mom ever crocheted you a blanket? My mom has deadass been working on a massive blanket since she was in her 20s (maybe even a tad younger), and she's at the tail end of her 50s. She works on it less than once in a blue moon. She started with the intention of passing it onto her kids. Do you regret letting a certain guy slip away? Debatable. It's questionable if I ever would have gotten competent help without Jason leaving, and if I didn't, what if he finally had enough when we were already married with kids (that's what I wanted at the time, anyway)? That would have broken me even worse. What show did you want to be on as a kid? Whatever the Nickelodeon one was where you got slimed lol. Do you have regrets? Of course I do. Does anyone really know you? My mom and Sara, at least. What song do you want played at your wedding? It depends on my partner and songs we consider special. Are you a fan of Taylor Swift? No. I do, however, love me some "Love Story." And you are LYYYYYYINNNNNGGGG if "Picture To Burn" doesn't make you feel like a Bad Bitch. Would you ever dye your hair unicorn colors? I would DIIIIIEEEEE to do that in pastel tints. I wish my damn hair took color well... I have literally only had ONE very effective hair dyeing experience, when my friend spent hours turning it red. It stuck for MONTHS. List 3 of your pet peeves. 1.) Turning tragedy into a competition; 2.) making mental illnesses "trendy;" and 3.) elitists of pretty much anything. Do you type fast? Very. What do you like to put on your pancakes? Typically just maple syrup, but I'll put butter on them if given it at a restaurant. Have you ever accidentally drank spoiled milk? I've taken a sip and immediately realized and spat it out. Have you ever had your heart broken? More like shattered into incalcuable pieces. When you were 3, was your natural hair color the same as it is now? No, I was dirty blonde. Have you ever received a scary message from someone online? Yes, I'm pretty sure. What does your first name rhyme with? "Infamy" is close enough, ig, if we're excluding other names. Do you have freckles on your face? No. I did as a kid, though. Who is your favorite Lisa Frank character? Probably the angel kitty (I had a coloring book, even), but they're all SO pretty. I love Lisa Frank stuff. Does your family always have your back? My mom and dad do, at least. My older sister does, meanwhile it's hard to tell with my little sister. She's not very affectionate and expressive of love to the point I question a lot if she even likes me. What type of wedding do you want to have? Gothic! Are you more of a leader or a follower? A follower, within reason. I'm definitely not a blind one. Do you know anyone with a profession in law? Quite a few, actually. Have you ever Googled yourself? Yeah, at some point. Do you have a regular vacation spot, or do you always go somewhere new? We don't really go on vacations. It's not an expense Mom can really afford. Where were you working 10 years ago? Nowhere. ... 5 years ago? Still nowhere. ... 1 year ago? Nowhere. What's the shortest amount of time you've had between relationships? Like a day. I know it sounds bad, but I left Girt already knowing I loved Sara, and I didn't really have anything to heal from. As a child, what comfort foods did your parents make for you when you were sick with a cold or flu? We'd have Saltines, chicken noodle soup (which I never really liked), and ginger ale. What's your favorite art style? Probably hyperrealistic fantasy stuff. What time period is considered to be your country's 'golden age?' I don't know, I'm not a history buff. Have you ever done LSD? I've never done any drugs. Are any of your coworkers currently out on maternity/paternity leave? N/A What is your favorite parody movie? Maybe the Paranormal Activity one. I barely remember it, though. What kind of first impression do you hope others have of you? That I'm kind and friendly and really care about their feelings. Do you have a good sense of balance? NOOOOOOOOOO. I stray like a motherfucker when I walk. Have for many years. It's weird. What is your least favorite ice cream flavor? Strawberry, ugh. Does your car have heated seats? No. What's something that has been in your local news lately? I don't watch it. What's your favorite internet meme? Oh, I have no clue, I love memes lmao. What is the strangest pizza topping you've ever eaten? Nothing, really. I'm not very adventurous with pizza. Can you name any books or movies where all the main characters die? Not off the top of my head. Do you live alone? No, I live with my mother. What’s the grossest thing you’ve encountered in/at a fast food joint? *shrug* Do you swallow chewing gum? No. Do you ever get goosebumps while listening to songs? EXTREMELY easily. Like that is so, so regular, be it from the lyrics, the singer's voice, or just the music. Are there any amusement park rides you refuse to go on? Why? Most, really. I get dizzy way, way too easily and don't want to faint. What is the best roller coaster you’ve ever been on? I'm afraid of roller coasters, so I can't answer this. Never touched one. Don’t you think black jellybeans are icky? Ugh, YES. What was the last thing you measured with a ruler? I helped Mom use the long, flexible kind to measure the couch because she was gonna move some furniture around. What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen? Oh, I'm sure the mountains when driving to Tennessee. I was too young to remember it well, but I can never forget that I marveled over them. Would you rather have a Playstation or Xbox made console? I'm a Playstation gal. What if you were watching COPS and saw your significant other on there? I'm... not gonna lie, if it was Jason for doing something stupid and not, like, murderous, I'd probably cackle. Have you ever tried to write to any celebrities? No. When was the last time you blew bubbles? I ain't got a clue. Have you ever stumbled across a beehive? More like wasp nests. What food(s) make you cringe? Quite a lot, given my extreme selectiveness with textures. More than anything, probably egg yolk. Have you ever played an automated 20 Questions game and beat it? Ha, I actually had one of those! I have, but damn was that hard. Have you been to a restaurant where they cook the food in front of you? Yup, Ichiban. Pretty cool. Do you feel that presidential campaigns make people too competitive? I mean, no. People care about who is going to be the head of their country. Do you find Family Guy hilarious or offensive? Neither. Do you still write letters to people, even though there’s e-mail now? No. Have you ever had an accident involving a microwave? Ha, I'm a travesty of a cook, so yeah. I remember on one occasion I accidentally dialed in many minutes for popcorn and entirely forgot about it. Safe to say I didn't eat it. I've split hot dogs in there, and I'm certain there's more. Do you like the movie Forrest Gump? I adore that movie. One of the best films ever imo. Can you handle heat well? I honestly doubt you'll meet someone who handles it worse than me, especially physically. I have severe hyperhidrosis, so I will literally sweat like a pig in 70* weather. I absolutely cannot handle it. Do you smoke weed? What are your opinions on its legalization? No. Legalize it for at least medicinal purposes. Have you ever had a school shooting at your school? HA, I can promise you my high school must have at some point. Are you usually the first to do something, or are you more of a follower? I don't pay attention to this. What is your favorite way to eat a potato? Fries, yum. Are roses your favorite flower? No, but they're high on the list. Have you ever been to a horse race? No. I think they're abusive anyway. Do you like lobster? No. Have you ever swam in a lake? Yeah. There's one lake I swam in that was so clear you could see pretty far and just watch the fish and turtles. Have you ever convinced someone to show you their private parts? "Convinced"????? That's fucking coercion. I've seen people naked, but not by fucking pressure. What is the greatest treasure you have ever found? My older sister found a cracked amethyst geode once. Idk where it's at now, but I hope she (or we at the house, depending on where it is) finds it at some point, though. My niece has come to love smooth rocks and pebbles, and I think crystals would blow her away, never mind one that size. Do you eat beef? Regrettably. Are you good at card games? I mean, what's the game? I'm not exceptional at any I can think of. What is your favorite musical? I don't like musicals. Did you ever play the Oregon Trail game? Omg yes!!! I LOVED playing it as a kid, especially the 3rd one, I think? Do you watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia? No. Who is your favorite country singer? I actually do enjoy Tim McGraw pretty consistently, but I don't actually seek out his music. Do you know anyone who is Mormon? An old best friend was. Do you like grunge? Yeah. What’s your favorite kind of cheese? American. What’s the most historic thing that has happened in your lifetime? Most likely Covid. What’s your funniest story involving a car? It's not hilarious, but once we were behind someone whose license plate said "omw" lmao. What scientific discovery would change the course of humanity overnight if it was discovered? Well, a proven Covid vaccine. Do you think that humans will ever be able to live together in harmony? Nope. What’s the scariest non-horror movie? Idk. What’s the most amazing true story you’ve heard? I'm not sure. What’s the most awkward thing that happens to you on a regular basis? Having to explain my Mark tribute tattoo lmao. What was one of the most interesting concerts you’ve been to? I've only ever seen Alice Cooper, and while it was great, "interesting" seems like the wrong word. Where are you not welcome anymore? Probably Jason's house, at least not by him. Or Colleen's, probably. Idk how she feels about me by now. What’s the most recent show you’ve binge watched? Avatar: The Last Airbender w/ Sara. What’s a common experience for many people that you’ve never experienced? Paying bills. What’s the smartest thing you’ve seen an animal do? I kid you not, our first cat would look both ways twice before crossing the street across our house. (Please do not allow your cats outside.) She'd do it even more when bringing her kittens there too to hunt. Chance was truly incredible. I could really give a lot of examples of her intelligence. I also had another childhood cat (my favorite before Roman) who would respond to a certain clap pattern I'd do if Mom let me bring him inside. Wherever Charcoal was wandering, he'd come running. What’s the dumbest thing someone has argued with you about? Oh, I'm sure it was RP-related stuff as a kid. What’s the longest rabbit hole you’ve been down? I'unno. What’s the saddest scene in a movie or TV series? Possible spoiler warning for a super old movie??? Probably when the main character of Old Yeller had to put the dog down because of rabies. But I cry like a bitch easily, so maybe there's something that tears me up even more or just as badly. What odd smell do you really enjoy? None that are "odd," really. What’s the coolest animal you’ve seen in the wild? I've seen a mink once when fishing with Dad deep in the woods. What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a work of fiction? Oh, I don't know. I'd have to think for a while & I don't feel like it. What food do you crave most often? Probably ice cream. Who in your life has the best/worst luck? I don't know about best, but my mom absolutely has the worst luck. Which apocalyptic dystopia do you think is most likely? A meteor, maybe? If you had a HUD that showed three stats about any person you looked at, what three stats would you want it to show? I'd want to know if they were criminals or just dangerous. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen a kid do? Oh, my niece is so funny. One of the things that gave me the biggest laugh (and was most adorable) was this time I was taking family pictures for Ash at a local lake, and Aubree went running into the gazebo, span around totally like in a princess movie, and exclaimed, "It's enormous!" She is such a darling. If people could read your mind, what would they usually find? Just how bored I am, memories of Jason bc trauma, lamenting my disappointment in myself, "why is Mark so perfect," worrying about Sara, thinking of RP character developments... What celebrity would you like to meet? Mark. 100%. I would die to just thank him (if I could get words out, oof) and hug him and try not to soak his shirt in tears lmao. Do you need money to be happy? Don't bullshit me, you wouldn't be happy homeless because you can't afford a home. So to a degree, yes. What's a good idea you've had recently? Hm. What gift would you like to receive? At this current moment, Cloak's (Mark and Jacksepticeye's clothing brand) limited edition "life after death" design for a shirt. It is so fucking pretty, and I love the nature focus. What are you most excited about right now? Honestly? Getting my laptop back. I wanna play WoW lmao. What's your favorite song from a movie? Maybe uhhhhhh was "Supermassive Black Hole" actually written for Twilight? Where would you like to volunteer? I very, very badly want to volunteer to take pictures of animals up for adoption in shelters for like their social medias and stuff. I've asked like the two local places, but no bites yet. What's the last song you listened to? Metallica's cover of "Turn The Page." What's the last YouTube video you watched? I'm watching Gab Smolders play SOMA. Fantastic game.

[love-little-lotte]

My Ranking of Outlander Season 5 Episodes

Wow. This has been such a great season! It really felt fresh and well-made. It’s like we’re thrown back to earlier seasons, and I love it so much. The writing is a whole lot better; the direction is creative and new – but never to a point that it got dreary and boring; there is a significant amount of change that I really liked. Overall, a brilliant and amazing season. 

I’ve done something like this from the previous season (click here, if you’re interested), and now I guess I’m doing it again! It’s a lot harder, though, because I really liked most of the Season 5 episodes. I even wish it was longer! Twelve episodes seemed so short. I wish we could back to earlier episodes when we have more than fifteen episodes for one season.

So, to start off my Droughtlander (ugh, I cry thinking about Season 6 – it seems so far away), this is my ranking of Outlander Season 5 episodes! Before I begin, let me just say that this is my opinion, so please be polite. No need to tell me that you prefer this over that because obviously, this is my ranking. Also, just so you know, I haven’t read The Fiery Cross. I’ve only read Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and the first few chapter of Voyager. So, I may make mistakes about what happened in the books and such, since I only watch the TV show. 

#12: Episode 3 - Free Will

Technically not a bad episode, but this is the one that I least liked out of all. It was a bit draggy, but definitely not boring. Nothing is boring when Jamie and Claire faces danger together! 

So, in this episode, Josiah revealed that he has a twin named Keziah. They both escaped from the Beardsleys, who apparently abused the both of them. But without their right papers, the twins were not really free. So, of course, Jamie and Claire just had to save the day and take it upon themselves to go to the Beardsleys and pay for their indenture. Also, Jamie left Roger in charge while he’s gone. It’s funny to see Roger try to lead the men. It’s not his fault by all means – after all, this was not his time and he has zero knowledge how to lead these soldiers. 

At the Beardsleys, Jamie and Claire found out that Mr. Beardsley was incredibly injured and at the brink of death, while Mrs. Beardsley was pregnant and admitted that she’s slowly torturing her husband because he used to physically abuse her. Claire helped Mrs. Beardsley give birth, only to find out that the baby was dark-skinned, which meant it wasn’t Mr. Beardsley’s child. The next morning, the missus was out of the house (wow, that recovery!), leaving her newborn baby in Jamie and Claire’s care. Jamie then faced a tough decision to euthanize Mr. Beardsley, who wanted his pain to end. Something tells me that this is going to be an important thing in the future...

#11: Episode 5 - Perpetual Adoration 

Also not a bad episode, to be honest. In this episode, we get another flashback of Claire’s time in the 60s. This time, she’s seen treating a patient by the name of Graham Menzies. Sounds familiar? I’ve read that it’s a nod to Graham McTavish and Tobias Menzies – two of my favorite actors from the earlier seasons. Loved that reference to them; I also miss seeing them in this show! (But maybe Tobias as Frank because I could not, for the life of me, handle another Black Jack Randall shenanigan, even just in a flashback.) Well, this particular patient was actually Claire’s reason to finally go back to Scotland with Bree. It got a bit philosophical in the flashbacks, too! Also, Claire was able to make penicillin out of 18th century materials. Is there anything that this woman couldn’t do?

Jamie, on the other hand, was catching up with Lieutenant Knox, where the lieutenant told him that he’s going to pardon the Regulators, except Murtagh. This left Jamie no choice but to kill Knox – also because he has a list of Ardsmuir prisoners and as you all know, Jamie’s one of them. Pretty sad about Knox, though. He really trusted Jamie and he seemed like an okay guy. But he had to die! 

Bree and Roger also had some problems in this episode. Roger finally found out about what happened with Stephen Bonnet and Bree before they tried to blew up the jail cell the previous season. Roger obviously (but not understandably hmpf) got mad but eventually changed his mind when Claire reassured him that it’s going to be all right. I’m not a big fan of Roger (let’s just get that out of the way), and his reaction in this particular episode. For the sake of drama, I guess.

Also, a new pet is in town! Adso finally made his first appearance at the end of this episode. He’s such a cute wee thing.

#10: Episode 2 - Between Two Fires

One of my favorite things in Outlander is when Claire flaunts her medical knowledge to the 18th century people. I love seeing their expressions, especially when they try to mentally calculate if this woman is a genius or a witch. Sadly, in this episode, there’s one patient Claire couldn’t save because it was too late. This seemed to unravel something in her. It’s devastating to lose a patient, especially when he/she could still be saved. But, even though she’s an expert healer, some people wouldn’t listen to her because she’s not an actual physician. So, Claire decided to make up “Dr. Rawlings.”

Also, I love that Claire picked Marsali as an apprentice! I really loved her character even from Season 3, and I was hoping to get more scenes with her in Season 4. But it was only in this season that her character shined brightly. Marsali was weirded out at first, obviously, but with Claire’s guidance, she’s good to go.

All away from Fraser’s Ridge, Jamie and Lieutenant Knox are fighting off Regulators. While confronting three prisoners, Knox lost his temper and accidentally killed one. At nightfall, Jamie helped the other two to escape. I love Jamie whenever he’s trying to be a hero and all, but sometimes, it just worries too much that he’s always stepping it up. Well, he’s the King of Men, I guess.

The ending of this episode was horrifying and intense because we see Stephen Bonnet, fully alive and plotting evil. I hate him so much, but Ed Speelers is an amazing actor. 

#09: Episode 9 - Monsters and Heroes

Despite having this episode in the bottom part of the list, I just want to say that Sam Heughan was amazing in this episode. His acting was top-notch, and I find myself, once again, questioning the awards committee why they haven’t given him an award. Yes, give me more scenes of him writhing in pain!

This episode was highly intense, but it felt almost too draggy. Jamie and company were out hunting when they decided to split up. Jamie and Roger went together, and Jamie was bitten by a venomous snake. Roger tried to look for the others but to no avail. So they decided to camp for the night, in which Jamie told Roger that if he does not survive, it must be him who’s going to kill Stephen Bonnet for him.

Which absolutely no makes sense! Not the killing of Bonnet, but Jamie not surviving. He survived tons of other crap in his life, and I cannot believe he’s dying from a freaking snake. It just does not makes sense. Can you just imagine if he really died? Like a small snake ended Jamie Fraser’s life? It’s just heartbreaking.

The next day, Roger tried dragging Jamie with him while looking for the others. They were eventually found, and they brought him to Claire so she can fix him up. But not even Claire could even save him. The only thing she needs is her syringe, which was destroyed by friggin Lionel Brown (which, let me tell you, is the worst character to ever come out in this season). When Jamie found out his bite was way serious than he ever imagined, he told Claire to kill him instead of amputating his venom-filled leg, which broke Claire. Also, Caitriona Balfe’s acting during her conversation with Bree by the stairs was top-notch! 

Jamie almost gave up that night, but with some intense body touching, Claire was able to bring him back to life. It was a touching moment, for sure. Get it? Anyway, it was Young Ian who told him to get a grip of himself – it’s just a leg. His father lost a leg and Fergus lost a hand, but they’re still happy and alive.  Which I just want to applause to. 

And when all hope seemed lost, it was our little engineer Bree who saved the day! She was able to form a syringe of her own using the tooth of the snake which bit Jamie. Through this, Claire was able to save Jamie’s leg. Yay!

#08: Episode 10 - Mercy Shall Follow Me

I know I’ve said I haven’t read The Fiery Cross yet, but I have read in tons of posts that the killing of Stephen Bonnet was not part of the aforementioned book; he actually met his demise in the next book. But whatever the reasons why they sped up the process, I want to thank the producers and writers for putting it here in this season. The Bonnet storyline was kind of losing touch and was getting draggy. I’d rather have them focus on new things in the next season. 

Jamie, Roger, and Young Ian were putting their plot in motion to kill Bonnet through ambushing him when Bonnet himself failed to show up in the said ambush. That’s because he’s at the beach, following Claire and Bree as they were enjoying the ocean breeze. He eventually knocked Claire unconscious and kidnapped Bree.

Bree woke up to find herself in a dingy and shady place, but she was not kept as a prisoner – or so Bonnet tried to tell her. He told her he wanted to change and they even had this strange role play where they eat dinner and Bree told him the story of Moby Dick. We actually get to know Bonnet’s past in this episode. We learn that he’s deathly afraid of water, for one thing. 

It seemed to go all right for Bree until Bonnet told her to kiss him, and when she did, he got the sense that she was faking and lo and behold, he was right. This angered him and even started having sex with a prostitute in front of Bree, which was downright disgusting. Anyway, Ed Speelers is a terrific actor!

Jamie and Claire finally find out where Bonnet’s hiding Bree through that prostitute to whom Bonnet was having sex with. Bonnet, fed up with Bree’s ridiculous antics, decided to sell her to a man. But before anything could happen, Jamie, Claire, Roger, and Young Ian were able to save her. Bree was given the choice to end Bonnet’s life, but she decided to give him a fair trial by the government. Bonnet was sentenced to death by drowning, but before he could even die, Bree shot him through the head in a distance. Roger asked her if this was what she wanted or if was to make sure he’s really dead, but Bree was silent, which leaves us to decide what that meant. 

I’ve said this before: I wasn’t a fan of Sophie Skelton’s acting, but she definitely improved in this season! She was able to show some emotions and depth in her character. She was unable to convince me before, but she truly made an impact in this season. 

#07: Episode 4 - The Company We Keep 

Were you ready to see Jamie Fraser dancing in this episode? Because I sure as hell was not! It was such a delight to see him trotting about while he and Claire smile at each other. 

But before we got to that scene, we had to watch Roger painfully lead the men to Brownsville (which is totally an insane and ridiculous name for a village – I know this was in the 18th century, but I hope there were poop jokes about them). Not a minute they stepped foot in this place, everything’s gone to chaos. It turns out Isaiah Morton, one of the men, had some problems with one of the guys in Brownsville. Isaiah apparently “disgraced” Lionel Brown’s daughter, Alicia, by sleeping with her, and now she cannot marry this rich guy her father arranged for her. 

Jamie and Claire eventually caught up with them, and were able to free Isaiah by letting him escape and to never show his face there again. Claire finally found a new home for Mrs. Beardsley’s newborn baby in Brownsville, Jamie finally got the Brownsville men to join him in his militia to fight the Regulators, and everyone finally had a good time and partied all night long. 

One of my favorite moments in the season was in this episode wherein Jamie told Claire that she looked happy while taking care of the newborn baby. He told her that she looked great as a mother, and it saddened me that he never got to see her as one. Jamie told her if she’s sure to give the baby away because maybe it’s their last chance to raise a baby together. Claire was like, “No,” but she appreciated the thought of it. They’re too old to have a baby again, and she already liked their life together. Even so, that was such a sweet moment for the both of them!

Isaiah decided to return to whisk Alicia away, and then she revealed she’s pregnant with his child. While this all seemed great for them, Jamie and Roger were not happy with Isaiah’s return because it might stir up some trouble. But Isaiah was able to convince them that he truly loved Alicia and wouldn’t they do the same thing for their wives. And that’s how it’s done!

#06: Episode 8 - Famous Last Words

A very unique and creative episode. I think I haven’t seen an episode quite like this before, and it’s such a breath of fresh air. I like what the concept of showing the events like a silent film in comparison to what Roger’s facing. 

Richard Rankin was amazing in this episode. I think he really delivered well in showing Roger’s trauma and stress after his horrific ordeal. Roger is actually so beaten up in Outlander; it’s really devastating. Last season, he was taken by the Mohawks, and now this. And to think, he wasn’t a warrior or anything – he’s only an Oxford man. 

Three months after the Battle of Alamance, Roger was still quiet and could not utter a word. Bree was worried about him, and confided to Claire about her roommate’s boyfriend who was shell-shocked after the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Roger kept reliving his deathly experience in silence. Usually, I’m not a big fan of Roger (as I said earlier) but I feel bad for what his character has gone through. 

Also, Young Ian finally came back in this episode! As someone who haven’t read the books, this took me by surprise. I didn’t know he’s returning, but I am so happy that he is! I really love his character. He’s not the same Young Ian as we’ve seen before, though. He was much more mature and fiercer. There are secrets he’s keeping from his family, which we’ll probably find out more in the next season. 

It was actually Young Ian who made Roger speak up again (quite just like the way how he was the one who set Jamie straight when he was bitten by the snake). Ian was asked to help Roger check out some land, and the two of them bonded. Ian told him how lucky he was to have his wife and child with him, even though he was thoroughly beaten from the battle. Roger was alive with a family, and to Ian, that seemed to be everything. Roger, in return, also saved Ian from killing himself. I’d like to see more of this duo in the future, please.

#05: Episode 6 - Better To Marry Than Burn 

As soon as the trailer for Season 5 dropped, I’ve heard the words “stable sex” more than once in forums. I didn’t know what it was about – only that involves Jamie and Claire having sex in a stable (obviously). So you could imagine my enthusiasm when I finally see a stable in this episode!

Before that, though, there is a party because Jocasta getting married to some guy who’s not Murtagh. Which is a total loss because I shipped them so hard! We also got to see some flashbacks with Jocasta losing her daughter because of her husband’s cause in the fight against the English long ago. 

While mingling with some of the guests, Claire was approached by this ridiculous-looking man called Phillip Wylie, who’s beyond annoying. He flirted with her shamelessly, and she rejected his actions but was immediately interested when she realized he might be the key to capture Stephen Bonnet. But everything got out of hand when he suddenly tried to kiss her. Thankfully, Jamie arrived on time and was able to save her from this man.

But when Claire told him that he might be the answer to the Bonnet problem, Jamie decided to make a gamble with Wylie. Unfortunately, this involved Claire giving up Frank’s ring, which made her unbelievably mad. Later on, when Claire went back to the stables, Jamie drunkenly walked in. Claire’s still angry with him about the rings, but the anger doubled when she found out he was drunk. Jamie told her that he won the bet, and that they should celebrate. There were some fights, then Claire slapped him, and then they kissed and ta-da: stable sex! 

Unfortunately, I had high hopes with what the stable sex was going to be and that was not it. I was expecting steamier scenes, but okay, I’ll take this one. It was hilarious, still. 

Oh, I almost forgot. Back at Fraser’s Ridge, Bree and Roger fight some some sort of locusts evading the place, just like the ten plagues. But they were able to stop this through some smart science and shit. I couldn’t care less about their plot in this episode; all exciting things happen in River Run at the moment! 

But the most heartbreaking thing that ever happened in this episode was Jocasta and Murtagh. The night before the wedding, Murtagh sneaked in Jocasta’s room and begged her not to marry Innes. This broke Jocasta, but still, she couldn’t just run away with Murtagh. She chose a man with a cause before, and she lost her daughter. This woman couldn’t take any heartbreaks anymore, and Murtagh left, heartbroken. And as you know, that would be their last conversation...

#04: Episode 12 - Never My Love 

I thought we can go past one season without anyone getting raped, but here we are. I know this was included in the books, but there were so many changes from book to screen in this season – why couldn’t they changed this one? It was too heartbreaking and sad. I don’t know if it’s unnecessary, but I did read one article that said they could’ve just not included that part.

Anyway, this episode was absolutely harrowing and downright terrifying. This show does not shy away from brutal scenes like this, for sure. I am devastated for Claire because she obviously does not deserve that treatment! In her own words, she survived a World War and losing a child. She will not let this one destroy her. But, of course, Claire’s only human and she’s gone through deep trauma in this episode. It’s only fair for her to feel this way. 

Lionel Brown (honestly, I hate this guy more than anyone in this season and that includes Stephen Bonnet) kidnapped Claire out of her own home with the help of some other guys, beat her senseless, and even raped her. This really “shookt” me out of my core. It didn’t ruin me like that season finale in Season 1 (which still haunts me to this day) but I am still horrified. 

Also, this episode was really creative in showing Claire’s ordeal. It had dream sequences of Claire in 1960s with Jamie and their family celebrating Thanksgiving, with the exception of Bree, Roger, and Jemmy. It included a lot of Easter eggs, such as the vase from the pilot episode and the rabbit from Jamie’s dream in the Battle of Culloden (if I’m not mistaken...?) The production design was also very intricate. The attention to details is brilliant!

Jamie and his men were finally able to save Claire, but she felt ruined. They killed every men in the group, but it seemed like Lionel survived. They took him as a prisoner and brought him to Fraser’s Ridge. Claire was still mending her scars, but she found herself in her clinic with Lionel and Marsali. Yes, she took an oath to do no harm to other people, but do you really expect her to save him from his wounds after what he’s done to her? Hell no! It was too much for her to bear and so she left, crying. It was actually Marsali who ended Lionel’s life with her own hand. Ugh, I love Marsali this season! She was beyond amazing and I love how her character has grown. 

This was surely an intense episode, and I love the additional twists of the dream sequence. Caitriona Balfe blew me away in this episode; just give her the Golden Globe and Emmy, please. The final shot of Jamie and Claire is beautiful. One of the best season finales of the show. 

#03: Episode 1 - The Fiery Cross

Season 5 really started strong with this first episode. We had a wedding, dancing, sex, singing, burning crosses, kilts, babies! I love it so much!

Finally, Bree’s getting married to Roger, and her parents are here to see it! It’s a wonderful moment for everyone. I am in love with Bree’s dress and the pearls she’s wearing (which her mother wore in her honeymoon sex with her father, let me just add). The wedding was sweet and lighthearted. 

But, of course, this is Outlander and we’re not here to have a good time – there’s always something we’re fighting off. In the very first episode, Lord John Grey confided in Jamie that Stephen Bonnet might be alive, which Bree overheard. This was her wedding night, people, give her a rest! Of course, she was visibly shaken, but she kept the information to herself. Also, Tryon was pressuring Jamie to join forces with him and fight for The Crown. 

In addition, there were a love-making montage while the L-O-V-E song was being played in the background. Out of place, for sure, but sweet nonetheless. Murtagh and Jocasta managed to sneak in the woods and have some time for themselves. Jamie and Claire were in charge with Jemmy for the night, but that didn’t stop them from getting some action themselves. And, of course, the married couple Bree and Roger finally had a proper honeymoon. 

Remember when Tryon was pressuring Jamie to gather some men to fight for The Crown? Well, Jamie faced an impossible decision because obviously he does not want to hunt down his godfather Murtagh. But he can’t also betray Tryon because he doesn’t want to lose his land. And so, he finally gave in and lit the fiery cross, calling the men to fight with him. He included Roger, and even gave him the title of “Captain.” Weird flex, but okay. 

This was entirely a good start for a good season. I even watched it twice when it first came out because I was so excited!

#02: Episode 11 - Journeycake 

One of the best Outlander episodes, and this one totally made me cry. I hate goodbyes, but Outlander does it best. This episode was also written by the original author herself, Diana Gabaldon. My expectations were high, of course, and she definitely did not disappoint! 

Now that Stephen Bonnet is gone and that they have confirmed that Jemmy can travel through the stones, there’s no reason for Bree and Roger to stay any longer. Bree has already delivered the cryptic message to her parents that they will die in the fire. So, she and Roger decided to leave, especially that there’s a Revolutionary War coming on. 

Also, Young Ian finally knows about the truth about Claire, Bree, and Roger – they are time travelers from the future. About time, actually! He deserved to know the truth long time ago. But something’s weird: Ian actually wanted to go through the stones himself, too. I have no idea why, but it’s probably going to be about his time with the Mohawks (which I’m totally looking forward to know about in the next season). 

Also, there’s a hot sex scene with Claire and Jamie in this episode, which totally makes up for that awkward, rushed stable sex from the other episode. It involved Jamie going down on Claire while she’s sitting by the window pane. It’s daring and steamy! Trust Diana Gabaldon to perfect that scene. 

Before Bree and Roger leave, they said their goodbyes to everyone first. Marsali even admitted that she sees Bree as a sister, which breaks my heart, because they totally deserve more screen time together! Lizzie also tearfully said her goodbye to her mistress Bree, and it’s quite heartbreaking because all this time, she thought she’s coming along with them as well. Poor Lizzie. 

Claire also made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as her last meal for Bree and Roger. I don’t know how she was able to make peanut butter and jelly with 18th century resources, but I do know that it was painstakingly hard so kudos to Claire for her dedication in making the perfect PB&J sandwich! Jamie’s reaction was totally hilarious, too!

When Bree and Roger finally left (but for some reason, they couldn’t go through the stones – more explanation maybe in the next season), Claire and Jamie were finally left alone in Fraser’s Ridge. While Claire and Marsali were tending on a patient, Jamie and some of his men checked out some commotion. However, this was only a ploy for Lionel Brown and his men to kidnap Claire straight from her home. It’s terrifying, and I didn’t like what happened next.

#01: Episode 7 - The Ballad of Roger Mac

The major highlight of the season! I was ready to get hurt in this episode, but damn, nothing prepared me for what was about to happen. 

The whole episode reminded me of the Prestonpans episode from Season 2. Jamie was fighting with his men in the Battle of Alamance, while Claire was tending the patients. Ah, but before that, let’s celebrate Jamie Fraser’s fiftieth birthday! I don’t know how this guy is 50, but he is. He and Claire *cough* did some celebrating of their own before shit went down in the fight.

While all the others were preparing for the fight, Bree was staying with Aunt Jocasta when she finally realized that the fight was going to take place in Alamance Creek. This made her remember an importance piece of history. The militia will win, and the Regulators will lose. Of course, she took it upon herself to warn her parents. Thankfully, Bree has inherited her mother’s memory cells. 

Roger eventually volunteered to be the one to tell Murtagh and his men that they were doomed to fail, and Jamie let him. This was going on pretty smoothly, and Roger was able to tell Murtagh what he came for. Unfortunately, he ran into someone he knew (that woman he met in the ship from Season 4) and they were caught in a harmless innocent hug by the woman’s husband. The husband was none other than William Mackenzie, played by Graham McTavish! While it’s good to see him in the series again, I am pissed because they beat up Roger. 

Meanwhile, Jamie was forced to wear a redcoat uniform, which was just downright offensive. Jamie’s entire life was dedicated to fighting off redcoats, and now he’s one of them. It truly broke my heart to see him like that. You just know he’s struggling and trying to keep his senses. 

In the battle, Jamie was fighting with some Regulator when Murtagh himself showed up and saved him. There were some smiles; however, it was cut short when Murtagh was shot by one of Jamie’s militia men. Jamie tried to save him, and even dragged Murtagh back to Claire so she could save him, but it was all too late. And I am broken. I was crying when I was watching this episode, and it just broke me. Murtagh was one of my favorite characters, and I was so happy they brought him back last season. But now... I’m just broken. When the fight was over, Jamie took off the redcoat and just smashed it down in front of Tryon. This man was just fed up!

But while this was going on, Bree was worrying about Roger, as he still haven’t showed up after going to the Regulators. So, she, Claire, and Jamie tried looking for him. They finally came upon a tree with three men hanging on a tree with sacks over their heads; they were left to die. Jamie recognized Roger to be one of them because of the white handkerchief on his pocket that he had given to him earlier. 

This was really a good episode, and hats off to Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe’s acting. They were superb. Oh, as well as Duncan Lacroix, who I really admired as Murtagh! It’s so sad to see him leave the show!

***

Well, there you have it! My ranking of Season 5 episodes. I hope you had as much fun as I did with Outlander this season. It was incredibly fun, and a huge improvement from previous season. Tell me what you think!

[juleshq]

*  𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐨𝐬  here  and  do  i  have  the  tea  for  you  .  𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 is  back  in  bridgehampton  for  the  summer  ,  living  off  the 𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐎 family  𝟐.𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧  net  worth  .  must  be  nice  to  come  back  home  to  the  hamptons  ,  i  wonder  what  her  fellow  class  of  2017  grads  think  of  her  return  .  you  know  ,  she  was  known  around  town  as  the  𝐂𝐎𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 and  for  bhs  senior  superlatives  pronouns  was  crowned  as  𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐕𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐒 & 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 .  i  wonder  if  that  still  holds  true  today  ,  a  lot  can  change  when  you  go  off  to  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 and  study  𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘  .  either  way  ,  i  bet  she  is  still  very  𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 , 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐃 , 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐈𝐓𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄  . hopefully  this  time  next  year  the  plans  to  𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 come  true  .  in  the  meantime  ,  i  look  forward  to  seeing  her  blast  𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 (𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄) 𝖇𝖞 𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬  at  every  hamptons  function  .  it’s  going  to  be  a  wild  summer  home  ,  welcome  back  .

i  don’t  think  i’ve  EVER  been  this  excited  to  plot  and interact with a group of people ,  u  all  seem  like  such  beaut  ppl  &  i’m  in  love  already  but   i’m  a  little  . . .  intimidated  ADFJH .  anyways  ,  i’m  not  going  to  ramble  bc  i’m  ready  to  get  down  to  business  ,  i’m  sammie  &  i  go  by  she  /  her  pronouns  !  under  the  cut  is  a  long  bio  on  jules !  i  will  GLADLY  give  you  a  synopsis  on  this  chaotic  mess  pls  just  ask  ,  HERE  is  her  pinterest  board  please  ignore  the  sudden  amount  of  pins  of  just  her  , also  i’m  down  to  plot  here  or  on  discord  ,  my  discord  is  @ᵘ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵃ ᵈᵒˡˡᵃʳ ?#3246  

* / BASICS

full name: juliana kaia dicaprio

nicknames: jules , julie / juli 

age & dob: twenty-one , august 14th , 1998

place of birth: long island , new york .

sexuality: heterosexual ( that she knows off )

bender: cisfemale

* /  MORE BASIC INFO

languages: english, french, some spanish.

religion: catholic

education: high school , majoring in biology at stanford

occupation: unemployed

drinks, smokes, & drugs: all of the above

* / PERSONALITY

zodiac sign: leo

likes: dark chocolate , tea in the morning , white roses , instigating bad situations , wine , black coffee , the smell of freshly brewed coffee , talking with strangers , long travels , adventures , being called “ angel ” , popcorn , quick tex responders , products made with silk , athletes , crime shows / films , crowded rooms , glitter .

dislikes: fake designer bags , people who don’t know how to lie , f , people who wear pearls regularly , long text messages , voicemails , men who are cheap , people who chew with their mouth open , humming ,  thrift shops , water-poof mascara , the smell of grass , extensive planning , and arrogance & stupidity combined .

bad habits: breaking promises to herself & others , not thinking before doing , fixating with her hair when nervous .

secret talent: juggling

fears: aging terribly , being widowed , drowning , being buried alive .

positive traits: alluring , convincing , affectionate , ambitious / devoted , systematic .

negative traits: manipulative , conniving , deceitful , dishonest , subjective .

* / APPEARANCE

tattoos: dagger on right index finger , “ devil ” on left index finger .

piercings: three in each ear , cartilage .

* / FAMILY INFO.

parent names: claire boucher & david dicaprio .

parent relationship: divorced .

sibling names: annalise , ashton , keller , & wade .

sibling relationship: step siblings & half .

children: none .

pets: 2 family dogs on her moms side.

* / BIOGRAPHY

i’m sorry it got long

             𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄𝐑’s entire childhood was spent in the spotlight -- her father was a huge rockstar in the 70's & 80's, and her mother a model . Claire spent her childhood between Florida , California , and New York , attending red carpets , premieres , etc. Claire attended Stanford to obtain a bachelor in science but was in and out of modeling in her teens and early twenties .

            𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐎  lived an affluent life more under the radar . His grandfather is CEO of JD banking , one of the four largest banks in the world . He attended Princeton as the rest of his family did . He got involved in the company business at a very young age as did his brothers , but went on to become the new CEO after his fathers unfortunate passing in 2002 .

            𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 was and will forever be her parents pride & joy . her parents were high school sweethearts & got married young -- at a twenty-two / twenty-three . they had been trying for two years to start their own family but jules’ mother struggled . thanksgiving in the hamptons , a dicaprio family tradition the day is engraved in her mothers memory , in 1997 , they announced to their family that after years of trying , they were pregnant .

            𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 grew up completely pampered ; bi-weekly trips to the nail salon with her mother and annual father-daughter trips . her mother was her best friend until she began morphing jules into what she thought was perfect . making sure she spoke at least one other language , was active in school , extracurriculars , how she presented herself . her mother cared about image due to her own childhood of growing up in the spotlight . besides the near brainwash to fit her mother’s image of perfect , everything was ideal &  ‘ normal ’ up until the summer before her freshman year of high school . her mother discovered the affair her father had been having for months with a woman he did business with . he claimed it was due to the fact that jules’ mother had returned to some normalcy and wanted to work again , modeling and doing some traveling , therefore he ‘ just missed her around ’ . jules was aware of everything going on  , heard the countless nights they spent arguing in the opposite wing of the house , she picked up on her father being late to family dinner because “ he had work to do ” . her parents tried their best to keep her in the dark for the sake of her sanity , innocence , and view on her father . jules went along with it all , the daddy’s girl in her was in denial for all of the months leading up to their divorce . at the end , her mother got full custody of her .

             𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄 came two “ yes ” parents . everything became a competition between the two , trying to one up the other ; who took jules on the better summer vacation , had the most over the top christmas morning , etc . it  was insanely manipulative & jules there wasn’t a time period where jules felt more alone ; not having a sibling to relate to , she was embarassed to tell her peers the real reason why her parents split , it was so cliché . both parents didn’t take too long to remarry , her father found another stay-at-home wife and her mother lucked out with a lawyer ten years older than she . her step-father had two daughtes & son with whom jules hated in the beginning – it  was a lot to take in and she was used to being the only child . her father went on to have a child with his new wife two years after their marriage . it was all an immense amount of change within seven years .

              𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 for jules had been constantly changing since the news of her father’s affair , she’d spend her summers & holiday’s going back & forth between each parents in the hamptons until her father moved to calabasas to be closer to his wife’s family as soon as the baby was born . jules had always been a wild , reckless child at heart and the divorce between her parents only allowed her to push her limits even more . the two-three years her parents spent processing their divorce were her golden years -- she could not get in trouble with her parents and they never got upset with her . she took advantage of it all and abused drinking , hanging out with boys , you name it . she loved the attention she received from any male figure -- it made up for the lack of attention she was getting from her father once he got the boot .

              𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄 was where jules found her safe space ; she could be her wild self , far away from home and only a five hour drive from her father that she still rarely sees . she joined a sorority , joined the exec board , was forced to join french club by her mother , all while maintaining a 4.08 gpa .

           *  ` 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 jules has always been a wild child . she’s always had a desire for attention , all eyes & attention on her , though the B I R T H of her uncontrollable desire for attention from males stemmed after her parents divorce . the lack of attention from her father allowed her to realize her dad wasn’t the only one who could spoil her & every man was basically the same . she’s not super close with either of her dads at the moment and sees her father about three times a year , two of which are holidays & every now and then the spontaneous visit from him in cali .  

          𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 is a h u g e  cry baby in the sense that she hates not getting what she wants . its not on purpose most of the time , it’s the way she was raised and the nature of her parents . she’s never had to ask for anything twice & hates doing so . though she’s a huge cry baby , she will try her best to mask her actual tears . she does a good job of seeming innocent , she’s that one friend that is super sus & lies a lot & keeps secrets but somehow is so good at convincing people other wise ? she’s a huge flirt , even when she’s not doing it on purpose , it’s sort of a weird practice or habit she’s grown into ? she feels empowered in the weirdest way of owning men and being able to form their opinion of her for them , this stems from her newly founded daddy issues  it’s more so due to the fact that her relationship with her father began to diminish once he moved out . she is & has been on her “ fuck love ” rampage .

       𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 do whatever she wants and will hide her bad intentions . she lives for chaos , loves enjoys pushing limits & boundaries . she loves a game of cat & mouse / teasing just knowing she has someone in her grip is what helps her sleep at night . she is a bit crazy . . .  the type to watch someone’s snap score go up . def that type to block and unblock someone 238473 timES . she has an underlying need of approval from others and she almost needs to be liked by everyone she meets .

     𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 she wants to model & be a playboy bunny BUT her dad would literally disown her if she didn’t follow her family legacy and attend stanford or yale to use her brains for good . she’s in school to be a pediatrician because at the end of the day she loves children and always wanted to seek a job in the healthcare field . she has plans to attend yale’s medical school after her senior year is complete at stanford .

i really based her off of american beauty & angela in the movie ( if you’ve seen it omg ily ) g

[theangrypokemaniac]

I'll state from the beginning that the images below display the sort of sweet synchronicity to which only love can give life:

MaAndPaShipping is the best ship, and here are five reasons why:

1. It Made James

Like the boy do yer? Ever felt the slightest tingle of warmth at the mention of his name?

Well get down on yer knees and give thanks to his mother and father for gifting him to the world!

Where would we be without their remarkable commitment? Could James have grown into the dandified dream boat of your desires if deprived of the safety provided by his parents?

Had they not brought him up, he'd be dead, The Dog of Flanders fantasy made reality. If miraculously he survived, foraging in the wild is not conducive to a foppish personality.

Is that to yer fancy? No? Then let's have a little respect. The luxury Ma and Pa gave enabled his macaroni tendencies to reach such heights.

Their love created him! How can it not be celebrated?

You lot would ship Jessie's parents but you can't, because she has no dad, and I don't suppose you'll ever assent to his obvious identity of Windy Miller, although 'Jessie Miller' has a wonderful ring to it, so what can be done?

Should a Pa Jess be conjured for the purpose, he still buggered off, didn't he? Where's the allure in a faithless git?

I can't comprehend the obsession with Ma Jess. As soon as here she's stiff, and what is there to remember but coercing her daughter into eating snow?

Hey, I named her. What more do you want from me?

I'd rather have the living, visible ancestors, if you don't mind.

Yeah, says the history fanatic.

Why not make the most of the chances offered, and follow a devoted couple whose love made a difference to your existence?

2. Canon!

There are many ships which I find repulsive for involving depravity, or absurd as the subjects haven't met, or don't inhabit the same fictional universe.

Video et taceo: I see and I say nothing.

Neither does anyone. Forcing decent folk in to incest, bestiality etc. is quite alright.

Perverted ideas are left alone, but woe betide a Rocketshipper, because that's offensive.

It may be the only original ship left standing, with proper evidence and sanctioned by Nintendo, but no, it's fair game for undermining. People pick at your arguments, quibble constantly and NEED to register their objections NOW. You MUST be made aware of opposition. You're not to be permitted your views the way those with twisted tastes are indulged.

Why, out of tens of thousands of combinations, does making Jessie and James an item provoke hostility?

The strength of negativity actually serves as validation, for why be so concerned if it's an impossible relationship?

However sick they are, I'm not anti any ship. I can't muster sufficient interest to do it, and if I scroll on, I forget. I certainly don't attack those responsible.

Anti-Shipping is inherently nihilistic for promoting loneliness. They aren't against Rocketshipping through wanting Jessie and James to be with someone else, as an alternative is not readily available, so the outcome of it is neither finding a companion.

MaAndPaShipping attracts no sourpuss silliness, for 'tis canon beyond question. There's nothing about being 'just friends' when married with a son.

How's the state of your O.T.P.? Not looking too clever I expect, and what's your contribution: wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying?

Cast it off! None of that longing is necessary in these quarters, as MaAndPaShipping is a fait accompli.

Hallelujah! Wallow in that Love!

Don't you yearn for at least one ship that all of us accept by default, to the extent these aristocrats are spoken of as a single unit?

Across the internet, Ma and Pa are bracketed as 'James's parents', never 'he' and 'she', always 'they', barely counting as distinct characters. That's how undeniable the love is between them. Sheer indifference has awarded it a blessing from everyone.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Of course, now I've drawn attention to it the moaning will start, but we all know a spoilsport when we see one.

If they had any legitimate complaints they ought to have mentioned 'em before this piece highlighted the marriage!

Except it won't have occurred to 'em previously, proving the eternal, indissoluble quality of MaAndPaShipping.

You get good value with this one.

Find a post referring to Ma and Pa as individuals and I'll have written it, for that's what you call ironic.

3. It's a Fine Rocketshipping Proxy

I was at primary school when Pokémon hit the West like the bright, bearded meteor it is, atomizing all competition for a child's attention.

I have shipped Jessie and James before I knew anyone else did it, unaware shipping was even a thing.

There are other pairs where I think: 'That seems to fit', but it's incomparable to what I feel for them.

It is part of me. I bleed it.

I have shipped it longer than most Tumblerries have dwelt upon the earth.

I used to believe, what with the hints and manga finale, that this resolution was  inevitable, and all I had to do was wait.

Well I've been patient for two decades now, thus when I look at the modern incarnation, and realise it's no nearer to that goal, and instead is further away, waiting starts to wear a bit thin.

I resent the lack of appreciation shown to the fans by the cretins in charge, how any meagre shippy inclusion is done not with an interest in deepening bonds, but with the blatant cynicism of moulding us into performing monkeys dancing to their manipulative tune.

I dislike being treated like a sea lion, expected to clap me flippers at the wave of a fish, or as a panting dog begging at top table, where, because they're desperate to maintain the status quo, every scrap flung down from above now comes with an Anti-Ship kick in the teeth, just to be sure nothing progresses. Not whilst the franchise can still be milked for all it's worth.

I have lost faith Rocketshipping will happen. What passes for Pokémon today carries not the remotest indication of any intention on the so-called writers' part to finish it that way.

Even if it did, it's not my Team Rocket, it's those skeletal, gargoyle bastardisations. My Jessie and James never got the reward they deserved.

I'm somewhat in the market for a replacement. Beneath this loathsome carapace of acid and ice beats the tender heart of a true romantic, and it must have an outlet!

Shipping Ma and Pa provides a certain spurious relief, because it's as close as you can get to Jessie and James without it being them, both biologically as his parents, but they're so similar to the duo it counts as proof in itself.

Holy Matrimony! is prime Rocketshipping territory, not merely the balloon lift, but many slight additions are as important, like the haircuts matching.

Ma and Pa are therefore Jessie and James in the past, present and future:

The past for representing Jess 'n' Jamie gone Victorian, and we've all wondered how that'd turn out.

The present as it's there right now, absent of suffering the shameless whims of morons to get what you want. 'Tis yours to savour.

The future as a glimpse of Jessie and James once married with children, and they agree:

That's how they play it given the opportunity!

What, James in blue, for his and Pa's hair, and Jessie wearing purple, like Ma's, with a red shawl for her own, and Ma Jess's orange earrings to copy the beads?

• Money!

• Bun!

• 'Tache!

• Classy pad!

• Fancy gear!

• Pampered pet!

• Identical cups of Earl Grey!

4. Original Blend

Ma and Pa have only got two fans! We care more than the entire fandom has in twenty years!

Rocketshipping art is ten a penny, so why not display a pioneering spirit, sharpen up those pencils and be inspired?

Let your mind expand and marvel at the possibilities of these unchartered territories, and I'll reblog it if it's nice.

Pay attention to the condition of it being nice. I'm not putting up with any old toss.

Real Ma and Pa is what I want too, not those Sinnoh coffin-dodgers.

It's never been done! Every drawing breaks new ground!

I don't like fan fiction, but I wouldn't say 'no' to that either. Recall the 'nice' stipulation again.

Come on, be the first amongst your friends and get ship shape!

5. It Gives Us All Hope

Suppose your favourite amour one day became canon: you imagine that's the end of the matter?

Well it ain't.

Between Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Gary and Tracey, there are three-and-a-half out of fourteen parents (Flint doesn't count as a complete man) and one out of twenty-eight grandparents, and that's not enough!

If the series drew to a close with your beloved couple apparently walking into the happily-ever-after, there's no guarantee it'll endure. In fact, the odds are they'll split up within a few years and leave another generation to fend for themselves or starve.

That's right, so don't presume the final episode is all you need to worry about. Can you rest easy knowing it'll go pear-shaped once the camera stops rolling?

It's futile soothing one's worries with:

Oh, but they know what it's like to be alone. They'd never inflict such stress on their children.

Oh really?

Look at that poor showing of grandparents. Either Pokémon has a system reminiscent of the sci-fi film Logan's Run, where everyone over thirty is vapourized, or these disappearing maters and paters were themselves victims of abandonment.

I bet when they settled down, they thought it'd be different for their kids, they'd make sure of it, but no, off they went down that same route of feckless self-indulgence, and that's being kind assuming they intended not to repeat history.

Depressing eh? What's the good in any of us surrendering to romance, real or otherwise, if love is but a mayfly of emotion, and all dreams are doomed to die?

Then Ma and Pa arrive, and suddenly the storm clouds part for a ray of heavenly light.

It's not only that they made the effort in what was probably an arranged marriage and have stayed together from youth, it's that they've stayed together when no one else has, which augments its value.

When separation is commonplace, sticking it out becomes rarer and rarer as any belief in the sanctity of wedlock erodes with every failure.

If they didn't bother, why should I? What's the use when it won't work?

Once that idea enters your head, it's over, and your gloom-laden attitude fulfils itself.

Society is collapsing about Ma and Pa's ears, but they persevere nevertheless, refusing to buckle under the turgid malaise engulfing the arrogant and weak.

It's bloody beautiful, man!

You may suggest an environment of supreme wealth erases normality, and to their class and time period divorce is still taboo, so they don't really have much of choice but to remain wedded.

Ah, but it's not as if they simply tolerate one another for appearances, or carried on for the sake of their son (which is more than anyone else did besides), not when he walked out on them.

They've been married longer than James has lived, so at least eighteen years (don't all squeal at once), and they're still blissfully contented!

They hold hands!

They use terms of endearment like 'dear' and 'my precious'!

They were made for one another!

They work as a team!

They want the same thing for James!

It could bring a stone angel to tears it's so beautiful!

See what success can be achieved when you try? When you endeavour to love the one you're with and make yourself worth loving in return?

Better that than chucking 'em at the first sign of trouble.

Ma and Pa is such an irrevocable union even the despair of losing their only child failed to tear 'em asunder, and that'd defeat many, but not this husband and wife.

Be grateful, for it means all is not in vain.

It doesn't have to be misery and pain: love can last despite the pressure of a wretched, hollow culture bent on self-destruction. Your ship might just succeed too.

God bless 'em for keeping the magic alive!

...

Why do I have the presentiment that I'm going to regret encouraging support?

[simonxriley]

Another long one dksf, im sorry!!! but i just really love your ships!!! For the ship numbers can i get Tachanka 1 - 45....?

Good thing I knew exactly which ship lol because you forgot to put Skylar. The OTP of all otps, I love them! Thank you ^^ and since I can ramble on about them it’ll be under the cut. 

1: - How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?

They, for the most part fall asleep in each other’s arms and tend to wake up they same way unless they drifted a part through the night. Tachanka is the first one up by like 15 minutes because he loves to cook breakfast for them and make Skylar some tea. Skylar will wash her face right after waking up and then go downstairs to help with breakfast. Now if the kids are in the picture than Skylar is the one getting them up. 

2: - How’s their team work? Do they share well?

Their team work is very good. They make sure they communicate with what needs to be done and if something comes up, like a mission or one of them falls ill, they’ll ask if they can do what the other was supposed to do. And they’ll always split up what the kids needs evenly if they can’t do it together. As for sharing, yeah they do share well. Unless Skylar is pregnant than that chocolate is hers. 

3: - Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?

Very much so. Tachanka will never hide their relationship, even if it may seem ‘wrong’ to other people. And Skylar’s the same way. They both enjoy some PDA, and aren’t afraid to kiss or hug in public. They’re the couple that are so in love with each other it embarrasses the kids. 

4: - First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?

Their first impression of each other was too fast paced for Skylar to even get an impression of him besides he’s cute and seems nice. She was meeting so many people at the time it was kinda hard for her to stop and talk with anyone who wasn’t Thatcher or her CTU. However Tachanka had plenty of time to watch her from a distance. He thought she was gorgeous upon first glance and loved how her eyes crinkled at the sides when she smiled and thought she was kind and seemed like a hell of a soldier. 

Was it love at first sight? More so for Tachanka. As soon as he saw her, that was it, arrow through the heart. Skylar was still very much guarded because of her past at the time of joining Rainbow, so as much as she does love him now, it wouldn’t have been love at first sight for her. 

5: - Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes?

Tachanka calls Skylar - Sky, kotyonok (kitten), and sometimes lapochka (sweetie pie) and lyubov moya (my love)

Skylar call Tachanka - Alex, Moi Sladkiy (my sweetness) and sometimes kotik (pussycat)

6: - Any tasks that are always left to one person?

For the most part they both do the tasks around the house. Both will do laundry, both will cook and clean the dishes, and both will do maintenance around the home. But if it’s out of Skylar’s arm reach, than it goes to Tachanka. If Skylar is pregnant, than Tachanka will do everything, and will yell at her if she tries to help. 

7: - What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?

What I said up above about Tachanka taking over everything when Skylar is pregnant, that’s the one thing that annoys her about him. She gets its, he doesn’t want her stressing over stuff because she is the one carrying their children. But somethings she can still easily do, like the dishes or folding laundry. And he won’t let her do that. But she wouldn’t change it because she thinks it’s cute that he’s so overprotective of her and their unborn child(ren). 

That Skylar wouldn’t let him spoil her. This was more so in the beginning of their relationship, she didn’t like him spending rages amount of money on her or paying for her things when she could easily do so with her own money. After a while she kinda gave in and let him start spoiling her a bit more, but not with extravagant gifts. Once they were married than he could go all out. 

8: - What do they like best about their partner?

Skylar loves his compassion. To go through the horrible abuse she did by her ex, to have someone who truly loves her and cares about her well-being is a miracle. She always knows she’ll be treated with respect and honestly and that’s the most she could ask for. 

Tachanka loves Skylar’s strength. She’s been through so much in such a short amount of time. From being horribly abused to losing her whole squad. She could have turned out a lot differently, but she made sure she didn’t. She;s still kind and loving and compassionate and funny, even when the world tried to make her cold and harsh. He will always admire her strength. 

9: - Do they discuss big issues? Religion? Marriage? Children? Death?

Absolutely and they have. Marriage and children were the big ones they’ve really disgust about, because it could happen especially kids since Skylar already had one unplanned pregnancy (ended in a miscarriage) and it’s best if they both know where they stood on such things. Death has been talked about a little bit, might go into that discussion more as Jade Helm progresses and they haven’t talked about religion yet. 

10: - Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?

For the most part Tachanka drives unless he’s on a mission. Both of them cook and do the handiwork. Their bills are on auto pay so they don’t really have to deal with that. And Tachanka handles the public, sometimes Skyar, but mostly him. 

11: - Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?

Yes! They go all out for both because that’s how it was in Skylar’s home and they took that tradition to their own. Halloween and Christmas are Skylar’s favorite holidays, she’ll start decorating way before the month even started. As much as they enjoyed it being just them during the holidays, it got a lot better once the kids came along and to see their joy during the holiday season was the best thing. Anniversaries are a little more low-key, with it being just them at a restaurant. 

12: - Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?

There is a wedding (spoiler, you’ll see it at the end of Jade Helm), it’s a medium size one in London filled with family and friends, lots of laughter and dancing. Tachanka and Skylar both write their own vows and it’s a beautiful thing to see. The proposal however I cannot tell you because you’ll see it happen in Jade Helm and I’m still trying to figure out which option I should use. And their is a small honeymoon. 

13: - What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?

They switch things up, if something new pops up that they think they’ll like they’ll do it. 

14: - Anything they both dread?

Traveling with their eight (8) kids. Trying to get all eight out the door in time to get to the airport can be a hassle. 

15: - How adventurous are they?

They’re very adventurous, more so after the kids come into the picture. They’ll do pretty much anything that looks fun. 

16: - Do they keep secrets? Lie? Cheat?

Nope, they’re very opened with each other. And they would never lie or cheat on one another because they’re just not like that and Tachanka would never seep so low as to do something like that to her after knowing about her past. 

17: - What would make them break up? Would it be permanent?

Death. Nothing could break these two up, nothing. They would go to counseling if they needed too. I would say cheating and losing the ‘spark’, but they would never cheat on each other and if the spark did go, it would be ignited again in a matter of days. Death would be the only true reason they would ‘break up’. 

18: - What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?

Their dates are pretty simplistic, dinner at a restaurant or go see a movie. Depending on the whether they might do something summer-esque or winter-esque to change things up. They got together 12-15-17 and were married on -02-14-19 so nearly 14 months. And nope. 

19: - What do they fight about? What are their arguments like? How do they make up?

They usually fight over Skylar’s stubbornness, especially if she’s pregnant. Tachanka will want her to relax and not overdo it and she’s like ‘nah I’m fine I can to xyz’ and they’re usually easy thing too like folding laundry or doing some dishes. And she knows her body well enough to not overdo it. They never escalate to yelling though and make up pretty fast. Tachanka will just apologize with some flowers and say he was only adamant because he cares. 

20: - What does their home look like? Their room?

Their home is modern because Skylar likes the more modern homes, but it’s not too big. And it’s a mix of American and Russian culture. Their room is big enough to have a king size bed in it, a large dresser they both share (for the most part Tachanka’s clothes are in there and Skylar’s socks and underwear and stuff she can’t hang in the closet), a nightstand on each side with a lamp and a walk-in closet with an on suite. Decor wise, they have a few paintings, one done by Glaz, one of London and one of Saint Petersburg. This is a little while later, but above their bed is a family picture, Tachanka and Skylar with their eight kids. 

21: - Do they share any interests or hobbies?

They actually didn’t, but they were open to try what the other likes to do. And as their relationship progressed they found things they like to do together, like go camping. That they can thank Kapkan for. And they do go on camping trips with him from time to time, along with Glaz and Fuze, 

22: - Does their work ever interfere with the relationship?

No it doesn’t. They’re both military and both understand that sometimes you have to be apart, even if it kills you. They know they love each other and nothing will ever come between that. 

23: - How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?

I’m gonna go with comfort. Whenever one of them is feeling down, they take each other in their arms and just hold one another. To let the other cry or ramble about what is making them feel that way. 

24: - Any doubts about the relationship?

In the beginning there were, mainly on Skylar’s part. She didn’t really think she was capable of being loved, the abuse she endured broke her down completely and it took her a while to realize she deserved to be loved and she wasn’t this unlovable person she thought she was.  

25: - How much time do they spend together? Do they share their feelings, or hold things in?

Almost all of their time is spent together. They live together, they work together, the only time they don’t see each other is when one of them is on a mission or they’re training with their CTUs. 

26: - How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?

Their close friends were okay with it and were happy they found each other. Skylar’s family was completely okay with it, both of her parents’ loved that she finally found someone who treats her right. Tachanka’s sister was a little hesitant because of how much younger she was, but that soon changed the more she got to know her and figured out why her brother fell for her. The only friend that had an issue with it in the beginning was Thermite and Frost. 

27: - Do they have kids? Grow old together? Split up?

They do, they have eight (8) kids all together. Grace, twins Marianna and Konstantin, Grayson, Lubov, Apollo, and twins Lizaveta and Vera. And they do grow old together for the most part, Skylar’s 26 years younger than he is, so he unfortunately dies way before her. But they do live a happy and healthy life. 

28: - What are their vacations like?

Between completely calm and hectic. If they’re not going anywhere their vacations are pretty laid back. They’ll catch up on shows or movies they’ve missed because of work or do some stuff around the city. If the decided to take a vacation elsewhere, whether it be Bangor, Saint Petersburg or somewhere else and if kids are involved than it’s hectic as hell. But a good hectic that they wouldn’t change for the world. 

29: - How do the handle disasters or emergencies? Minor injuries? Sickness?

For the most part calmly, they’ve been in the military long enough to know if you freak out, things can happen. 

30: - Could they manage a long distance relationship?

I think they could. It would definitely be hard, but I think they could. 

31: - Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?

The don’t finish each other’s sentences or really picked up any habits besides calling each other by pet names. They do know if the other is hiding something. Skylar is awful about it, she makes it so obvious. Tachanka however is a little harder to read, it’s usually when he keeps his phone very close to him. That usually means he’s planning something and can’t have her know what it is. 

32: - Do they ever get into trouble? Is it serious, or are they just mischievous?

No they don’t. The only time they got into ‘trouble’ was when they decided to make out in the hallway on base and Thatcher turned the corner. He ‘yelled’ at them to get a room. 

33: - What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?

Tachanka will do it any chance he gets. For the most part he gets her flowers and her favorite candies, for more important occasions he’ll go all out. Clothes, jewelry, a new game she wanted, or a book. He has a lot of choice to get her.  

Skylar will sometimes gift him a new Degytyarov for a special occasion or something she drew. Tachanka isn’t a materialistic sort of man so buying presents for him is kinda hard. But he will always cherish those handmade ones. 

34: - Do they have any pets?

They do, they have two (2) cats, one’s a Russian blue, the other is a calico and a dog (pitbull). All unnamed right now. 

35: - Do they bring out the best in each other, or the worst? Do they have a fatal flaw?

They bring out the best in each other, or at least try too. They’re always there for one another, pushing them to do good. Their fatal flaw would be their over-protectiveness.

36: - What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?

Their greatest strength is their selflessness. They always put the other and the kids before themselves. Their weakness would be their over-protectiveness, especially with the kids. It’s not bad, like they aren’t sheltering them or anything but because Skylar was abused she’s terrified of it happening to her own daughter’s. So when they get old enough she does put them in martial arts and is very adamant on them staying in it. Though Kapkan does take the liberty of teaching them a few things too and she’s beyond grateful for that. Tachanka is very adamant on teaching his sons how to respect woman and that they don’t owe them anything. And there will be consequences if they don’t abide by those rules. 

37: - How much would they be willing to sacrifice for the other? Any lines they refuse to cross?

They would sacrifice their lives for one another. That’s how much they love each other. 

38: - What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?

They’re pretty vanilla, sometimes they might spice things up other than that their sex life is pretty vanilla. Skylar does love some dirty talk, especially in Russian and oral. And Tachanka likes oral and the way she teases him. Since Skylar was abused in every which way by her ex, they won’t do anything that could cause her harm, so no spanking or bdsm, stuff like that. 

39: - Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?

They kinda both did. Tachanka kissed Skylar first. Tachanka knew the moment he laid eyes on her and it took Skylar a little bit. After they got together and she saw how much he truly cared for her, then she accepted those feelings. 

40: - Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?

Their wedding day and the birth of their children will forever be a special memory. Yelagin Island in Saint Petersburg is one of their favorite places to go. It holds the most memories for them.  

41: - Are they party-goers? What are they like when they’re drunk? Does it happen often?

Not that much. If there’s a party on base than they’ll go, but they usually drink with friends every now and then. Skylar is one of those silly drunks and Tachanka doesn’t get too drunk, when he does he’s kinda his normal self just a bit more louder and will confess his love for Skylar to the world. No it doesn’t happen often because Skylar got embarrassed enough by him. 

42: - Do they let each other get away with things that would normally bother them?

Yeah, for the most part. Like the little things, Tachanka not putting the toilet seat down afterwards or him sending her cat memes. 

43: - Do they talk often? What about?

They talk everyday about legit everything that comes up. 

44: - Are the comfortable with each other? Anything they have to have their privacy for?

Very comfortable with each other. So much so they know almost everything about them. Showering, especially for Skylar who has to do more. She will tell Tachanka if it’s alright for him to join her. 

45: - Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?

Their main goal is to have a healthy and happy marriage and be good parents to their kids. The only heartbreak Tachanka had was when they ended up running into Skylar’s abusive ex and to see the fear on her face and how she gripped him so hard she broke skin through his Gorka broke his heart. Skylar’s heartbreak was when he passed away. They both knew it was coming, she was even preparing herself for it, but when it finally happened it still broke her. The only regret they both had was that they didn’t meet sooner. 

[imagine-loki]

Echoes of Love

TITLE: Echoes of Love

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 3

AUTHOR: fierysafrina

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you’re a Midgardian and already have a child. At the end of The Avengers, where Thor brought Loki back to Asgard, your son managed to sneak between the two brothers and went along. You panicked when you saw the scene unfold in front of your eyes, but Tony and Natasha assured you he’ll be fine and that Thor will bring him back. In the meantime, your son caught Loki’s heart with his big eyes and gentle heart, in a way reminding him of when he was a child.

RATING: Genre

NOTES/WARNINGS: Hi, I know it’s been long since last update and yes I still live asdfghjkl I had a bit (of a rather long) writer’s block and I hope it’s over by now, but aaah I finally ended 3rd chapter! I hope you’ll like it!

You can also find this fanfiction on my AO3 account: Echoes of Love I also hope the links to 1st and 2nd chapter work.

CH 1 | CH 2

-:-

Loki was quietly sitting on bed, reading a book that Frigga sent to him. Hearing ruckus and someone running up and down the hallway of the prison, he tore his gaze from the book. There were guards rushing and looking all around. Loki raised an eyebrow as he closed the book and stood up, walking towards the invisible wall. He looked from one way to another, wondering what is going on and before he turned and walked back to the bed, he froze seeing pair of bluish green eyes staring right in front of him.

Narrowing his eyebrows, he stared at the boy in slight confusion. He parted his lips, but Mike snapped his head to the side, huffing when one of the guards spotted him. With amusement on his face, Loki watched the boy run down the hallway, guards running after him.

“Loki,”

The young prince heard his mother’s voice from behind. Turning around he saw her standing just in front of him. “What is he doing here?” He asked, looking at the boy continued to run, passing Loki’s cell.

Frigga looked at the young boy and let out a sigh. “He wanted to see you.”

“Again?” Loki raised an eyebrow.

“Again,” The queen nodded, small smile visible on her lips. “He managed to slip from the guards and maiden that looked after him in front of his chamber. He ‘may’ have asked me for a tip or two.” The corners of her lips turned up in a bigger smile. “But I’m sure he’d love to hear more from you.” She looked back at her son, whose eyebrows were narrowed. “Do you not want to?” she asked, worry seen in her eyes. “The boy wants to talk with you.”

Loki remained silent as he watched the boy run past his cell over and over again. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and looked at Frigga, who could already guess his next words. “Fine, but I doubt Odin will be fond of this idea. He’s a mortal.” The last sentence was stated as an obvious thing, yet Frigga’s smile didn’t fade away.

“A mortal indeed,” the queen nodded and walked over to the invisible wall, seeing Mike run down the hallway with guards behind. “But he’s a mortal, who sees something inside you and wants to talk with you. Why not giving him a chance?” She turned to Loki one last time. “And don’t you worry about Odin. Leave him to me.”

There was another sigh that Loki couldn’t suppress and the moment he nodded, giving in, his mother disappeared. The next thing he knew was that he stood there alone with Mike on the other side of his cell, watching him with his bright eyes. They stared at each other in silence, neither speaking a word as guards stood behind the boy.

Mike pursued lips into thin line, glaring at the guard who held for his arm. “I want to stay here!” He called, his lips forming into a pout that made Loki smile.

“You are ordered to stay in your chamber, sir.” One of the guards spoke.

Mike frowned. “I’m not a sir.” He mumbled and looked at Loki, his eyes reaching for his help.

“The Queen told me that this young man will be visiting me.” The young prince spoke.

The guards looked between each other. It was quite obvious they didn’t hear anything about it. “But the Allfather–”

“I know.” Loki interrupted him. “He said I am to be in this cell without any contact, yet my mother still visits me.” Letting out a sigh, he heard the doors of the prison open. A maiden, who had troubled expression, walked inside with a guard behind.

“Her Majesty gave orders to stop pursuing the young man and focus on your duties.” The guard spoke. “He has been given another guardian for his time that he wants to spend with prince Loki.” He looked at Loki before turning to the boy, whose expression brightened like an early morning sun. “He’ll be visiting him as he wishes. I and Agatha are the ones responsible for his time here.” he added.

The two guards looked at each other before one of them reluctantly let go of Mike’s arm. The boy ran to Agatha’s side, who held his hand and smiled at him softly.

“As her Majesty wishes.” The two bowed and walked away, leaving the four alone.

Loki narrowed his eyebrows. “You’re a horrible liar, Makan, but you’re getting there.”

The corners of Makan’s lips turned in a smile. “Not everything is a lie.” He replied and looked at Mike, who watched him. “Her Majesty didn’t entirely give orders to stop pursuing him, but she did say that he’s allowed to visit you,” he looked back at Loki, “as he wishes. Preferably during the day.”

Mike smiled widely and he looked at Agatha, who gave a nod. Turning to Loki, he let go of Agatha’s hand and ran to the invisible wall, jumping up and down on his small feet. Loki chuckled and shook with head. He held his hands together and tilted head to the side. “Hi, my name is Mike.”

Loki stared at the boy with neutral expression, but the small smile betrayed him. “I’m Loki.“

-:-

Frigga stood not too far from the two, watching them closely. She saw Mike’s expression brightening as Loki talked to him. She wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about until Loki brought out a small, dark green snake that made the boy’s eyes wide. He jumped in alarm, fear visible in his eyes and Loki laughed.

"Don’t fear,” He spoke in soft voice that made Frigga remember of all those times when he was still so innocent. Just like the boy. “Come closer…” he murmured and waved him closer. Mike looked at Agatha and Makan who stood not too far from them. Neither said or hinted anything, less alone worry and it eased him. Taking in a shaky breath, Mike stepped closer to Loki.

For some reason, and his utter surprise, his fear turned into curiosity. “Is it real?” Mike asked quietly and looked at Loki, feeling nervous as a shiver ran down his spine.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Loki answered with question and reached out his hand, where snake was comfortably lying on.

Mike quietly stared at the small animal that was quietly staring back at him. He could see the split tongue and a shiver ran down his spine before he took a step back. He stopped when he spotted the snake trying to hide itself, a wave of sadness washing him over. His fast change of emotions was visible in his eyes and it made Loki slightly amused. Mike approached both Loki and the snake, Makan narrowing his eyebrows, watching Loki’s movements even closer. Agatha unconsciously bit her lower lip, worry now visible in her eyes. Loki could immediately feel their composures change, tension filling the dungeon while Mike reached out his hand. Loki knelt down and with both hands held the snake that moved.

A quiet gasp left Mike’s lips when he touched the snake. “It’s cold…” he murmured and looked at Loki, who chuckled. “Why’s that?” he asked, head tilted to the side.

“He can’t regulate his body temperature by generating his own body heat. Snakes achieve the desired body temperature by basking in the sun and cooling off in the shade or underground.” He shortly explained and watched the snake make its way over to Mike’s hand, making him startle when he felt coldness once again. Loki’s lips turned in a small, sad smile. “A snake has specialised nerve endings all over its body to detect small changes in temperature. Sometimes they’re attracted to the heat, sometimes to the coldness.” He added and straightened up before he looked at Makan and Agatha.

Agatha let out a sigh, she didn’t know she held, while Makan’s expression softened. Everyone’s attention was on Mike, who was now playing with the snake. It was quite obvious that he didn’t quite understand what Loki said and he was quickly interrupted when the said snake moved.

“That tickles!” He laughed and yelped when the snake went around his neck, appearing on the other shoulder. “Can I keep it?” he turned to Agatha, whose eyes widened. “Can I? Can I?” He was almost jumping up and down on his place. “I’ll take care of it! I promise I will!” his eyes were growing bigger and neither Agatha or Makan knew what to do.

“I-I…” Agatha began and glanced at Loki, who watched in amusement rather than helping out. She could see the way Mike was excited about it. “I doubt His, or Her, Majesty would like to see a snake …” She said slowly and smiled sadly when Mike’s expression turned sadder, his head lowered. Agatha could swear to any Norse god there ever is that she even heard him sniffle and god forbid if anyone ever finds out that children are her weakness. “But I’m sure Her Majesty wouldn’t mind.”

Like he just received another pet to look after, Mike’s whole expression brightened up. He ran to Agatha and hugged her tightly around her legs. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Agatha looked at Makan, who was awkwardly smiling, which only told her she was on her own. Letting out a silent sigh, she smiled and caressed Mike’s hair. “You can stay for a while more, but then it’s dinner.”

“Aaaw~” Mike pouted, but nodded as he pulled away. He walked back to Loki’s side with snake tight on his small arm. “What’s his name?” he asked the young prince, who widened his eyes.

Loki opened his mouth to answer that the snake was nothing but an illusion, but closed it, knowing better than to crush the boy’s wish of looking after it. “Why don’t you name him?” he asked instead, the corners of his lips betraying him.

Mike hummed and narrowed his eyebrows, thinking hard. Loki could see the exact moment in his expression when he found the name. “What about Fluffy?” he looked at the prince, who suddenly looked as expressionless as ever.

Loki stared at the boy in silence. He could hear Makan snickering and see with the corner of his eyes Agatha covering her mouth as she coughed—more like laughed—, but that wasn’t the case right now. No. At the moment Loki wondered if everything was alright with the boy. A snake, named Fluffy? Who was he kidding? Him? The God of Mischief? Does he even who he is? Less alone where?

“I don’t see why not.”

Loki almost rolled with his eyes at what he heard himself say. Is that really the best I could come up with? But Mike is just a child. He could hear his mother speak and he almost groaned if it weren’t for the excited squeal that suddenly left Mike’s mouth. Brilliant, what has he gotten into.

He could see the snake already liked him a lot. “Little traitor…” he murmured under his breath. Wanting to dismiss the boy, he turned around, ready to walk towards the chair that stood not too far away, but a smile, on the boy’s face, prevented him from turning away. There was something about him that made him curious for the boy just a bit more.

Frigga stood not too far away, her presence hidden, but Loki knew she was there. There was a content smile on her face as she watched the scene in front of her. Despite being it just an illusion, Frigga knew Loki wouldn’t make the snake disappear when it was quite obvious how much the boy loved it. Even if it wasn’t seen, Frigga could see Loki enjoyed Mike’s presence. And to her, that was all that mattered in that moment. 

[thetravelerwrites]

Declan (Part 2) Lemon

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Female Reader x Male Bat Monster Additional Tags: Bat Monster, Monster Lover, Sex, Oral Sex, Mild Language Words: 4183

The Traveler's Masterlist 

(Declan’s Kin Character Reference Guide)

The year was just at the line of middle spring, which was the perfect time to start planting. Declan took you to the edge of a different, far away town, where you purchased as many seeds and saplings you felt comfortable enough to carry, plus some small comfort items you didn’t take from your old cottage.

Arriving back at the cave, you began to clear some of the land surrounding it and showed Declan how to hand-till the earth. Declan’s fingers were long and held up his wings, and he was unable to grab or do much of anything with them besides fly and create shelter. Luckily, his long, lower limbs seemed to possess articulated feet with two thumbs. He did most things with these appendages, including feed himself.

It took a few days of hard work, but a good chunk of land was now separated out into neat rows. Declan also took the axe and cleared some of the branches from the canopy so that sunlight and rain could reach the crops.

Once that was done, you instructed him to start laying the trees six feet apart while you started planting the rows. Each row was a different crop; carrots, turnips, beans, etc.

You planted nectar flower bushes and berry bushes along the border of the giant hollow log for Declan, as well as some different types of melon and a tomatoes, which was one of the few savory things he could eat. It was shaping up to be a decent sized garden that could feed the both of you with plenty left over, provided you kept it up well.

As you finished planting your seeds, you went to help Declan place the last few trees down. When you finished, you looked over your work with a satisfied sigh.

“This is going to be great,” You said.

“Yes,” He agreed, smiling. “I may not even need to hibernate this year.”

“You hibernate?”

“Only when food is scarce, during winter. I’d starve otherwise.”

“Well, we won’t let that happen,” You said, patting his arm. “Unfortunately, these trees won’t bear fruit for at least five years. We’ll have to look after them closely until then.”

He blinked, looking at you with one of the strange expressions he got sometimes when you said nice things to him.

“What?” You asked him.

“Do you plan to still be here in five years?”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” He said, shaking his head fervently.

“Then I plan to be here,” You said, grinning at him.

The sweetest, softest smile spread across his features slowly, lighting up his eyes and making his ears twitch. You giggled and rubbed them, making him chirp in delight.

Declan was a wonderful friend and a good listener. You spent your days tending the garden together, talking about everything and nothing. He told you about his life, which had been a struggle from the start, and he asked about yours. He even help you hunt; he would scale the trees and look out for game and making his soft chittering noise so as not to spook them. He may not have eaten meat, but he didn’t begrudge you for doing it.

He had seen to your every comfort, even going so far as to carve a bathtub out of a huge fallen tree so that you didn’t have to bathe in the cold river. He was more than happy to haul the water up for you and give you your privacy, sitting outside the cave every time you took a bath.

The summer passed in bliss, and harvest time came. Declan helped you pull up the crops and took you to the far away village for jars and canning supplies so you could store for the cold months, trading some of your produce in exchange. Declan seemed excited to stay awake with you for the winter, telling you he hadn’t seen snow since he was a very small child. You smiled at his enthusiasm, looking forward to it yourself, even if it was just to see his reaction.

You spent the next few days making and saving, though you had to keep him from eating his weight everyday or you’d have nothing for winter.

“Sorry,” He’d say. “Force of habit. I’m usually bulking up around this time, preparing to hibernate. My body’s is still in self-preservation mode.” And then he’d steal a handful of berries and run off laughing.

You had to admit, you’d come to care deeply for Declan. You though he might care for you, too, but he had been a perfect gentleman in the months you had stayed with him, never touching you unless you touched him first, always sleeping away from you on the ground.

Mid-autumn, the temperature began to drop significantly at night, and you wondered if Declan was cold. He had given you every soft, warm thing in his cave to sleep with, so he had nothing to warm himself, caring only for your comfort. He assured you his fur would protect him, but you still worried.

Once particularly cold night, you got up to throw a log on the dwindling fire and raked the coals back to life, and saw him shivering in the renewed firelight. You frowned, going over to wake him.

“Declan,” You said softly, waking him by shaking his shuddering shoulder gently. “Declan, wake up.”

His head popped up, the fur on the left side ruffled a bit from sleep. “What is it? Are you all right?”

“Yes, but you’re freezing,” You said, taking one of his chilled arms and rubbing it to get some heat back into it. “Come to the nest and sleep next to me. It’ll be much warmer.”

He sat up, looking from the nest back to you. “Are… are you sure?”

“Yes, come on,” You said, pulling him to his feet. “What’s the point of staying awake to see the snow if you freeze to death first?”

He followed you to the nest and you motioned for him to step in first. The blankets were still warm for where you had slept, and he moaned loudly. You stepped in after him, careful not to step on his wings, and lay down next to him, putting your hands in the velvety fur of his chest.

Slowly, as if testing his boundaries, he wrapped his arms and leathery wings around you, pulling the blankets over both of you. You sighed and snuggled in.

“See?” You asked, muffled by his chest. “Isn’t this warmer?”

“Immeasurably,” He replied softly, his muzzle buried in your hair. He was asleep in seconds.

Autumn turned to winter, and you spent more time in the cave with Declan. The trees and bushes shivered in the cold, but no snow had fallen yet, there was just a lot of wind and freezing rain.

Declan continued to sleep in the nest with you, both of you sharing heat with each other, and he was never once inappropriate with you, though sometimes you kind of wished he was. Still, perhaps there was a good reason for why he didn’t try to engage with you and you were hesitant to push him. He had been through a lot, after all.

One morning, though, you woke up to the sound of Declan panting and grunting in your ear. Your back was against his front, and he was curled up around you. You suddenly noticed you felt movement; his hips bouncing against your clothed bottom over and over at a quick pace. You felt something nudging your thigh from behind. You turned your head and looked at his face, eyes closed, features relaxed, and you realized he was still sleeping.

A startled smile split your face and you wondered how long he was going to go on like this. After a minute, though, you called out.

“Declan. Declan, wake up.”

“Hmm?” He said, not quite waking. The motion of his hip continued.

“Declan, you’re dreaming,” You said, patting his cheek. “Wake up.”

His eyes opened, and the motion ceased. Suddenly, as if realizing what he was doing, he jumped up and pressed himself flat against the wall, his wings covering his body.

“I’m so sorry!” He cried. “I--I didn’t mean… I’m so ashamed… forgive me…”

“It’s all right, Declan,” You said.

“Oh, gods,” He moaned, covering his face. “You must think I’m disgusting…”

“No, really, it’s all right,” You said, taking hold of his arms and pulling them down so you could look at his face. “Really. This happens to humans all the time. Men and women and everyone in-between.”

“It does?” He asked, and you nodded. “It’s never happened to me. I don’t know what to do to make it go away.”

You swallowed thickly, took a breath, and said, “I could… help… if you like.”

He didn’t answer, just stared at you and panted, his eyes wide.

“But if you don’t want to, it’s all right, I just--”

“Yes!” He said loudly, before modulating his tone and breathing, “Please.”

You pulled down his wings and looked at his body. At the apex of his legs, there was a large, bright pink organ sticking straight up out of a sheath. Warmth pooled at your midsection, and you flicked your eyes back up to his.

“Lie down,” You said.

He complied, laying in the nest propped up against several pillows so that he could watch what you were doing. You went to kneel between his legs, shucking off your nightgown and underwear as you do so. The chill made your nipples harden instantly.

He stared at your body reverently, his panting becoming frantic.

“Calm down,” You said softly, petting the fur on his stomach. His breathing slowed by a mere fraction. You reached up and took his face in your hands, kissing his muzzle. “Calm down, Declan. You’re too worked up.”

“I’m sorry,” He said, pulling your naked body close, nosing your neck and inhaling. “I’ve never done this.”

“It’s all right,” You said softly. “Kiss me.”

He does, the kiss sweet and gentle, the wings on his arms fluttering softly around you. You can feel him twitching underneath you, but his breathing calms and you pull back. He moans in dismay.

“Don’t worry,” You said, running your nails over the fur of his inner thigh. “You’re going to feel great in a few minutes.”

“What do--ohh!” He groaned long and loud as you let your fingers wrap around the head, slowly working your way down to the base. The panted started again and he spasmed underneath you. You pumped him slowly at first, letting him get used to the feeling, before lowering down and swirling your tongue in circles on the head.

His upper torso lurched forward with a gasp, his thumbs tangling in your hair, careful not to be too rough or stab you with his claws.

If this was indeed his first time, you knew he wouldn’t last long. It took some time to develop self-control in this situation, but you didn’t mind. You were just happy this was finally happening.

You had been right. It had only taken two pumps down the shaft into your mouth before he released down your throat, grunting loudly as each spasm shook his body, legs trembling.

Finally, when he was spent, he collapsed backwards onto the blankets, breathing heavily. You gently moved his wing out of the way and lay down next to him, waiting for him to settle.

When he did, he turned on his side to stare at you in awe.

“That was incredible,” He breathed onto your skin, nuzzling your breast with his muzzle, sniffing. “Thank you. Is is supposed to happen so quickly?”

“For men, it can sometimes, especially if they’re inexperienced and over stimulated,” You said, chuckling. “We can work on it.”

“We can?” He asked brightly, his ears perking up.

You couldn’t help but laugh at his eagerness. “Of course we can, love.”

His smile slipped and he stared at you with his mouth open in shock.

“Say that again,” He said in a whisper.

“Which part?”

“The last part.”

“What, love?”

He nodded, taking in long, slow breaths. “Did you mean that?”

Realizing what he was trying to ask, if in a roundabout way, you rolled your eyes, smiling at him tenderly. “Yes, Declan. I love you.”

He fell upon you with a pleased chirruping noise, kissing your face and neck and chest and any inch of your skin he could reach.

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “I’m so happy! I love you, too! I love you so much!”

You laughed as his fur tickled your skin.

He stopped and looked at you with endearing earnest. “I want… to… I don’t know… what can I…?”

You understood. “Let me lay on my back, all right?”

He obliges, moving so that you can take the position he had before. He mirrored what you had done, kneeling between your upraised legs. You opened them wide, moving your feet on either side of his hips. He stared at the space there in something like surprise.

“What is it?” You asked, slightly concerned.

“It…” He started, grasping for words. “It looks like a flower… like an orchid…”

You covered your mouth and laughed a little self-consciously. Reaching down with your hand, you touch the sensitive bundle of nerves under it’s hood.

“Remember how I used my tongue?”

He looks up at you and nods.

“Do that here. Like this.” You circle and stroke it, demonstrating for him.

He didn’t hesitate, bending down and flattening his belly against the nest, holding your hips with his long digits. His long tongue flickered out and he touched it to the heat between your legs with a soft moan. Your breathing caught in your throat and he looked up at you, questioning.

“It’s good,” you gasped. “Keep it up.”

He smiled with his tongue still pressed against you and continued to swirl it around the bud. You touched your breasts and kneaded the nipples hard like dough, moaning softly at first.

You told him exactly what you needed to get to your peak, and he followed you every instruction with great fervor. He was very receptive to direction. He touched what you asked him to touch, he sucked when you asked him to suck. When you begged him to go faster, he was only happy to comply. He watched your face closely the entire time, gauging your reactions and your twitching body.

It wasn’t long before you were a shaking, screaming mess. You showed him your entrance and asked him to press his tongue into that sensitive hollow. He did so immediately, moaning loudly, the vibrations of which pushed you closer to your edge.

You reached down with your hand as he did this and massaged the nub. He watched you do this, all the while his tongue was buried inside you, contracting and slurping at you. At some point, he gently nudged your hand out of the way and took over, observing you writhe and cry out under his touch. You used both hands to hold his head, locking him in place. He didn’t complain.

As your cries intensified, he withdrew his tongue and placed his mouth over the nerve cluster, sucking hard.

You crashed into into your peak with a loud scream, thrashing and twitching in his grasp, feeling a gush of fluid come out of you that he pulled back to observe with obvious interest, still touching the nerve bundle gingerly. When you finally came down, laying limp and sweating on the nest, he chuckled a breathy laugh.

“That was beautiful to watch,” He said, pulling himself up along your body, kissing as he went. He met your lips, and the kiss was no longer gentle. It was hungry, desperate. He kissed you so hard that you both had to stop to catch your breath, lest you smother each other.

You peeked down and realized he was hard again. You reached for it and touched it. He gasped and shuddered. You slid down and tilted your hips upward, leading him forward against your entrance.

The look on his face was wild and tense, his eyes questioned you. You raised up to kiss his lips, and nod. At your urging, he begins to press into you with a long groan of pleasure. You moan against him as he slides into you slowly, carefully, inch by inch. You loved the feeling of heat insides you, a degree different than your own, the delicious pressure opening you up wide. Your fingers tangled in the soft fur of his neck, his forehead pressed against yours until he had seated himself completely inside you and growing still, panting.

“Give yourself time,” You purred to him as he began to buck against you erratically. He stilled, his muscles quivering and ticking uncontrollably. He was gasping, struggling to maintain control. Inside, he pulsed and jumped in wondrous ways, and as much as you needed him to move, you also wanted him to enjoy the experience and not rush.

After a few minutes of stillness, during which time his muscles stopped jumping, you urged him to move slowly. He obeyed, pulling himself back until he was almost out and then thrusting back in again slowly.

“You all right?” You gasped as the sensations blotted out your brain.

He nodded. “Yes,” He said, opening his eyes to gazed down into yours. “Are you? Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t. It feels so good.” You clenched your inner muscles around his shaft as proof.

He huffed and picked up speed, still relatively slow but a little more intense. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. He thrust deeper, hitting that amazing sweet spot deep inside, and you moaned into his mouth. His movements were erratic again, but this time he stopped on his own and got his bearings back before he could lose himself.

“Good,” You said encouragingly.

He smiled down at you. “I’m a fast learner.”

You grinned wickedly back. “I can tell.”

He was, indeed. Now that he had a rudimentary understanding, he began to experiment a little, trying strokes and positions that you might like, pleasuring you beyond rational thought. You were so caught up in the sensations that you lost all sense of time. It felt like he had been pounding away at you for days, and you loved every second of it. Whenever he would get too close to his peak, he would pull out and suckle at you, licking and nipping until you were unable to speak, and then plunge back in.

Finally, once he sensed you were rapidly losing your ability to move, he gripped your hips tightly and thrust so hard and so fast that you literally couldn’t feel anything else. It didn’t take long for him to reach his limit, and he released again with a loud shout. You felt the hot, wet fluid shoot into you at speed.

You had orgasmed so many times that day that you could barely feel them anymore, but the feeling of him hunched over you, shaking and snarling, as he emptied everything he had into you was a whole other thing. It set off bells in your head and make your vision go black for a moment. You would have cried out from the heat, but you had lost your voice a while ago.

He collapsed onto you with an exhausted grunt and you felt him exit your body and grow limp on your stomach, slowly sliding back into the sheath. You both lay motionless for a long, long time, unable to muster the strength to disentangle yourselves from each other.

After what seems like a year, he finally lifts his head and stares at you blearily.

“I made a mess,” He said.

You huffed a laugh through your nose. “Yeah.”

“Do you enjoy that?”

You nodded sleepily but enthusiastically. “Very much so. But I don’t think I’ll be able to move for a week.”

He laughed gently and tried to stand. It took a couple of attempts, and when he managed to find his feet, he staggered a bit. There was pearly white fluid clinging to the fur of his stomach and down his legs. You snickered a little.

“I’m going to go get some bathwater,” He said, stumbling to pick up the pails and yoke.

“But it’s freezing outside,” You protest. “Take the cloak and scarf I made you.”

He smiles at you brightly, putting both on. Shouldering the yoke, he stepped into the darkening world outside. Gods, you had been at it all day long. No wonder you were exhausted.

You moved the blanket that had been under you, now messy and sticky, and used a clean bit to wipe yourself then set it aside to wash it. You tried your best to stand up, but gave up after the fifth attempt.

Declan returned promptly, setting down the full pails and the yoke, bouncing excitedly. He handed you a dress and your cloak.

“Come and see! Come and see!” He said energetically, running to you, and back to the entrance, and then back to you.

“What’s going on?” You said, chuckling at him.

“Just come! Hurry!”

You made another attempt to stand, and immediately fell, your legs little more than wet noodles. He laughed boyishly and helped you to your feet, pulling the dress over your head and the cloak around you shoulders. He pulled you insistently toward the doorway.

“Let me put on my boots!” You protested, giggling and stepping into them. He took your hand and led you outside. You gasped.

The ground was glistening, and all around you, fluffy white snow was falling gently. It landed in your hair and on Declan’s soft shoulders, speckled against the dark fur. It danced in the air like a ballet, all delicate and dreamlike. Like you were in a different world. A better one.

You looked at Declan and he’s smiling so hard that he’s liable to crack his face.

“It’s amazing!” He breathed. Opening his arms wide as if to catch as many of snowflakes he could. He laughed openly, happily, warmly. Like a person unburdened by heartache, free of any hardship. You loved seeing him like this.

“You look happy, sweetheart,” You told him, and he swung around to snatch you up into his arms.

“I am,” He whispered into your hair. “I’m happier than I have ever been in all my life. This has been the best day and it’s all thanks to you. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

You pulled back to look at him, smiling sweetly. “It’s just the first of many, my love, and there is so much more to come.”

He kissed you with a fierceness he hadn’t yet displayed, and it left you breathless. “I can’t wait.” He said against your lips, and the kiss resumed with vigor.

It seemed like the two of you wouldn’t have any trouble staying warm this winter.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[orthographewrites]

pls do john and nate for your awesome platonic ship meme u_u

THE PLATONIC SHIP MEME: (aka the best new thing!)

Which one is the responsible one and which is known to be reckless? How do they deal with situations the reckless get caught up in?

Oh man, I mean… they’re both kind of wild??? Like to do dumb things and get yelled at by their partners how lovely. But in the context between the two of them, I do believe Nate is one step above John in terms of being responsible as he owns the ability to think before he acts omg. Nate has never given John an earful though, as they sort of tend to flip the situation on its head and instead it becomes a long running joke. 

Any personal memes or jokes in between them?

Plenty! Most of it would be gamer related, stuff they come up with at 2 a.m whilst co-oping some random stuff they found on steam or on PlayStation network. They’re the type of guys who make their avatars ridiculous and probs have staple names they often go with. It wouldn’t even surprise me if those names are each other’s caller IDs. Then there’s the case of their brotp name ahem. I can’t fully remember what they were talking about at the time, but it’s a forever running joke. 

@rookiedreams 

Is any of them prone to throw around compliments like a breeze? How does the other react?

Oh, yes indeed! I would even say both are? Nate, being a teacher, has that coming naturally and John is overall the type who just wants to spread some joy and watch his friends be happy. (They get hella sappy whilst drunk okay and can spend a good half hour just telling each other they’re beautiful and loved.)

Who likes hugs and connection the most?

Once again: both. They’re bros. Real bros hug!

How about endearing or ridiculous nicknames? Is there a story behind them?

I mean, besides what’s up there I could also kind of see them call each other Alpha and Beta for some reason? Just these random code names they made up during another late night session. Sometimes they like to pretend they’re communicating over a walkie-talkie and thus refer to these nicknames. 

Do they trust each other with deep secrets and thoughts?

I would say they do? They at least have it in them to sit down and talk about things, even if John’s attention span isn’t the overall greatest. They mean a lot to one another and that’s the tea for today. 

Do they share a deep secret together?

However, I don’t think they’re sitting on something no one else wouldn’t already be aware of. The worst secret is probably John’s… backstory and you know… his old ways of wrecking lives but haha I feel like that secret belongs to Erin and Kenna. He’s moved on. 

Who would win in a roast? How about a prank war?

Ohhh I think John could come on top during a prank war, due to his head being in constant move and having the speed to excecute the idea – mostly. He’s a creative fella and, not to lie, a little machevious when times call for it. Nate seem more able to roast people and would have more jabs against John lbr. 

How do they show each other support? (Heartbreaks, loss, dreams, achievements, etc.)

The bros are with each other through thick and thin! I mean, even if Nate betrayed John by moving to another country and dumped him for another, he will forever push Nate in his needs and wants – with Nate being much the same. John probably even wish he could have done more after Nate’s break-up with Eileen but recognizes that sometimes all you need is a change of pace. Whatever makes the other happy is the key! They know what to do during most situations. 

What would a typical hangout look like? Do they share some common activities?

Their typical hangouts are the chill kind, very much a basic bro one where they kind of just meet up somewhere and do whatever the hell they feel like. They’ll go bar jumping or spend a whole day camping inside, playing some new release they’ve anticipated for months now! They won’t be seen for at least 24 hours. 

If they do not already live together, what would their lives as roommates look like? Do they split chores or is one more prone to take control whilst the other slack around?

They do not live together but John might as well pack his bags and move to Canada as well, like Nate will just come home one day and find John raiding his fridge or having a bath. It’s inescapable! But omggg neither is really messy, however John’s ADHD makes it hard for him to prioritize tasks so Nate would definitely have to push him on to have him remember the basics of surviving – sometimes to even turn off his games and go have something to eat. They would split their chores, or try to at least, but work do keep them busy and their place could end up rather messy for a month or so with just the general cleaning to make sure they don’t trip over their mail. They would throw the dopest of parties thoooo! 

Would they ever adopt a pet together? If yes, what kind?

Why can I see them finding some hurt animal along the road one day and decide it’s their baby now and very much treat it as such while they nurse it beack to health?? Don’t know what it would be, we can headcanon that together. 

If either suddenly found themselves caring for a child but lacked the support to properly aid for them, how would the other react, or chose to deal with the situation?

Much like the finding a wounded animal and dubbing it their child, I feel they’d end up in a similar situation here as well? They’d take turns with babysitting, slowly train the child to co-op with them, take them out on activities or even pick up from daycare etc. People would mistake them for a rainbow family, even if they’re just two bros caring for a little one. It’d be a sadface moment when the one with the kid ends up finding a partner (as they don’t have one yet in this scenario) as they’d become the proper parent instead but I also think they’d still be equally as involved and ready to jump the boat if needed! 

What’s a memory they both hold dear?

I’m just gonna say it: these two visits comic con every damn year and it’s one of few events they plan for a year in advance (so basically on their way home from comic con) and their first ever visit is one of their most treasured ones. It consisted of a road trip to San Diego with plenty of stops along the way, making sure they got the best out of it. Sadly, they didn’t cosplay, as they were more about experiencing the magic first time around, but has since done some ‘couple’ cosplays from various games. Meeting new people who are nothing but massive nerds, watching other cosplays, buying merch... yeah not much can beat the feeling of that. (John has even had some run in from people who watch the shows he co-writes for these days and some that have read his one and only published book. They all end up hanging out for a while and it’s always a blast.) 

[yakumtsaki]

Ok I knew I hadn’t posted Unions in forever but good lord. The screenshots after, not before, AFTER this.. are the previews for this. Like we’re literally talking ancient history here. Let’s dive right in and see if we can wrap this up sometime during a human’s natural lifespan. SO when we left off we were desperately trying to make friends for Wyatt’s final promotion, ‘desperately’ being the operative word. We’ve done some pathetic shit in our time but shittalking each other to Apartment Life nobodies is honestly peak gutter, so you know. our natural environment. Spoiler alert, the kids are teens now and Wyatt has still not gotten promoted! Truly the Picasso of incompetence.

Good ol’ uncle Gunther is also here for some reason which I’m guessing is ‘came over uninvited’ but at least someone is paying attention to Shajar for once. Beggars can’t be choosers and Gunther as a father figure is the equivalent of someone leaving a button and good vibes in your cup. 

-So you see Shajar, life is nothing but a slow march towards our certain doom so who cares if your parents hate you?? My parents hated me till adulthood and I turned out amazing as you can surely tell by my stripes/plaid/indoor sunglasses combo!

-Think long and hard before procreating, brother, because there’s no guarantee you’ll even like your kids. Looking at you, Shajar.

-Um can I go now?

-Don’t know why you’re here in the first place and not in the crypt where we’ve set up your bed and everything! Kids these days.

Oh right, Brit Brit is also here so I guess I did invite these douchebags over. Way to go @ me.

-BRITTANY HOW COULD YOU TEAR THE MORAL FABRIC OF OUR WIFE-SWAPPING-BASED LIFE PARTNERSHIP LIKE THIS???? JUST STEAL ONE OF THEIR PETS LIKE AN UPSTANDING CITIZEN 

DON’T YOU DARE BRIT-

Ugh nevermind, it’s Sophie aka Brittany in cat form. Take her!

And take Shajar too while you’re at it cause absolutely not @ Victoria dying but the gnome drama living on. ENOUGH. This almost makes me appreciate Cyneswith’s ridiculous 10 nice points for a split second..

..but then I turn around and see this. GOOD GRIEF. How did Jojo and Wyatt produce vegan Tinkerbell here not even god knows.

This alliance of obnoxiousness is but the first in what is gonna become a running theme of every annoying flop in this neighborhood looooooving Maxx. Can’t keep kindred spirits apart for long! Honestly this legacy is turning me from pet maniac to Captain Ahab, like on one hand you have fucking Maxx who hasn’t done anything yet but just you wait till he grows up- 

-and on the other you have FUCKING VICTOR’S GHOST TRYING TO KILL US EVERY NIGHT. Apparently Victor + being a dick = a love not even death can tear asunder. Seriously tg kids can’t die cause these overactive freaks are up all night till the sun, are up all night to get some (entertainment), are up all night for good fun, are up all night to get lucky murdered.

This happens about 3000 times per night, I’m not even taking pics of it anymore, but it’s worth pointing out that everyone in this house, both alive/dead and human/non has a raging hate boner for Shajar in particular. It’s uncanny and depressing..

..and speaking of depressing, UGH. My poor, poor Shajar. I actually attempted to intervene and have them interact being the moron that I am:

JOJO WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM 

.....................................WHERE IS VICTOR’S GHOST WHEN I NEED IT

Yea sure, waste your niceness reserves on fucking Goro here instead, who isn’t even the cat heir and is about to go live on the farm (not a euphemism, Daniel and Melody’s literal farm). This Jojo fuckery is seriously starting to bum me out on top of pissing me off, let me find something cute to look at to raise my spirits..

No.

No.

NO.

Disturbing stuff.

Seems about right.

Old habits die hard.

No.

Ugh.

Ugh.

UGH.

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE

FINALLY. THANK YOU CATS. Now let’s get back to this nightmare..

..and I mean nightmare in the technical sense of something not real occurring when you’re asleep, because Wyatt maxing a skill is truly the stuff of Taylor Swift-Wildest Dreams.mp3. It’s official, the only thing standing between us and Wyatt’s LTW is social ineptitude. But what if we revolutionize the friend game by approaching someone who can’t leave..

..because she’s contractually obligated to be here?? Go for it Wyatt!

-So Kaylýnn, you have the français maid thing going, I’m French and in need of a hag, c’est match made in les paradis!

-Yea sorry, Henry III, but it’s my professional policy to not fraternize with married clients I have no chance of fucking. 

-But..but you’re just a face template fiasco!

-..I have some bad news for you.

Kaylynn left Wyatt dick in hand and went to pet the cats, so I guess the day has arrived for me to go from being the leading Langerak hater of this community to being the leading stan-

-and apparently the leading Jitmakusol stan as well, which as we all know is a large and very competitive group. DOWN WITH JOJO

Well at least you still have this invaluable stamp of approval! All I see in this pic is 3 bags of trash.

Look at this trove, treasures untold, how many assholes can one photo hold? The reason there’s more awful people in our house than usual is the “exciting” occasion of the Shajar/Wulf double birthday and honestly even by our standards this party was especially terrible. Like it makes the one where Komei and Marissa happened look like Project X.

When this is the situation 10 seconds in you know you’re in for a good time. I don’t think a single positive interaction took place this entire party and I’ve subconsciously (?) forgotten every birthday since. What a loss!

Wulf is up first, and of course since this is Wyatt’s literal one and only parenting-related job, it took 3 cakes to happen and no one is paying attention by the time it does.

Wyatt makes one last-ditch effort to kill his child via decapitation and obviously he thinks it worked thus the wide smile. But Wulf is named after the spawn of Satan, head spinning comes with the territory-

-as do incredible looks. Gunther hair + tuxedo, and you think your little yellow blazer is subversive?? Step it up.

-If the sunglasses weren’t blocking the power of my stare this child would be dead by my sheer resentment.

Happy birthday, Wulf! 2/2 surviving murder attempts.

Wulf gets this Don Corleone makeover because a) he also survived murder attempts b) wedding tuxedo c) trying to avoid a Gunther mental breakdown. He looks exactly like Wyatt, like I don’t think there’s a drop of Jojo in there..

..BUT MAN IS THE PERSONALITY PURE UNION. Another nice little addition to our ever expanding freakshow.

Shajar time and no one is paying attention now either but there’s no cake malfunction, they just don’t care! And why should they? What is she, their child?

Wyatt can’t even be bothered to stay standing for literally 10 more seconds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a parent do that before but you can always count on Wyatt for this sort of innovation. 

And this is what Shajar grows up to: Wyatt half-asleep, Daniel waiting to beat him up and the rest reacting to Wulf having shit himself. I don’t think any further comment is needed. 

Now, having lived through the experience that was Daniel and having marveled at Shajar’s seemingly genetic unlikability, I’m sure we can all tell which is the one aspiration she should under no circumstances roll because it’s going to make nails on a chalkboard seem like a fun musical break.. Yes, this is not a drill..

..we have another trainwreck firstborn who can’t get their own family not to hate them roll popularity. AND DANIEL WAS NICE. Shajar is bringing 1 nice point to the table so all I can say at this point is fml. 

And of course because the above wasn’t bad enough on its own and we always need the overkill, gaze upon whatever the fuck this is-

-YE MIGHTY AND DESPAIR. GOOD GOD SHAJAR 

LOL. Well with the custom sky this is an Under The Dome situation so technically you’re not wrong but still. fucking popularity? Leave the sky alone and aim for ‘slightly above ground’. Even that is pushing it.

Good, finally we return to reality and face the facts. Couldn’t agree more! 

[chimpukampu]

Chat Blanc, Chapter 3

AO3 | Fanfiction | Wattpad

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3

Marinette didn't know why Chat Blanc wasn't fond of Adrien.

She first thought it was the blond thing since he showed a similar animosity towards Chloe, though milder in a sense that her cat was dangerously growling at the mayor's daughter whenever he sees her. But when she found out that Rose could pet him just fine, she realized that it wasn't the case.

She also realized that Chat Blanc didn't like Adrien's face either.

There was a time wherein one of the model's posters fell off due to loose tacks, the feline immediately shredded it mercilessly with his sharp claws - and probably peed on it if she arrived late.

Not to mention his persistent scratches on the roll-up schedule, he would bump her desk's foot with an aim to crash Adrien's framed picture on the floor. So far he only broke two.

"Well, I guess we know how to potty train Chat Blanc." Tikki taunted. "By making an Adrien-themed litter box!"

Her charger looked at her like she just told her to kill herself.

Later on that day, Marinette realized that using a Chat Noir-themed litter box was effective as well.

(When she told her partner about it, he only gave two thumbs-up as a seal of approval. Weird Kitty.)

Which led her back to the initial assumption that Chat Blanc didn't like blonds.

"Well, Chat Noir is a cat. And cats hate to share affections."

"But Chat Noir is a human in a cat suit." the pig-tailed girl reasoned. "And Adrien is a human in perfection."

"Maybe Chat Blanc sensed them as his potential rival?"

She snorted indignantly. "Oh puh-lease. For Adrien, yes. But Chat Noir?"

The red kwami only pursed a grin.

.

.

.

.

"Hey, LB?"

"Hmm?" the spotted heroine glanced at her partner after she unclasped her yo-yo. "What is it, Chaton?"

"Is it true that pets can sense their Master's emotion? Like, if their Master didn't like something or someone perhaps, they would react indifferently, right?"

"I believe so, yes. I mean, my pet hates cucumber as much as I hate them on my salad."

"I see." Chat Noir sighed with deflated faux ears.

"Are you alright, Kitty?" she asked. "You're not so energetic tonight."

Her partner shook his head, and even though he flashed her a smile, his emerald eyes weren't.

"I'm fine, My Lady," he answered, unable to hide his crestfallen expression. "It's just...it's something related to my civilian life. Nothing to worry about."

As much as Ladybug hate not knowing it, but they have rules to uphold. "If you say so, Kitty."

"Why don't we split our way - you on the right while I'll handle the left?"

"Sounds good to me."

Before she could cast her yo-yo and jump to the next building, she swore she heard him muttered 'She still hates me.'

Their patrol ended without him telling her what was it all about.

.

.

.

.

"Hi, Marinette."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the pig-tailed girl shrieked and about to grab the hand on her shoulder when she realized a familiar face. "A - A - A - A - Adrien?!"

He winced at her reaction. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I - I - I - It's okay! No worries!" she squeaked, flailing her arms in the air. "Ju - ju - ju - ju - jumpy I am! I mean, I am jumpy! Jumpy 'coz I'm clumsy! Clumsy and jumpy!"

If she didn't avert her eyes out of nervousness, she might've seen the dismay on his green orbs.

"I see." he chuckled then rubbed his nape. "I was wondering if...if..."

Several thoughts entered her mind. Is he going to ask me for a date? Or maybe he doesn't want to befriend me anymore? Or probably something related to class? Oh my God, do we have an assignment?! Wait, he's not a type of person who misses something like that. Oh shit, what if we really have an assignment and he wants to ask if I have one? But I don't remember if we have an assignment today! My God, what if we have a test?! What if he's going to ask me -

"Marinette?"

"Yes!" she yelped as she straightened her back.

"I was asking about Chat Blanc. Is he available today?"

Her shoulders obscurely dropped.

Of course, it's not about me.

"Of course!" she chirped with a cracked smile. "Want to grab a lunch with me today?

"I'd love to."

If she didn't cast her eyes to the ground, she might've seen the happiness that marred on his face.

That wasn't the last time Adrien approached her for lunch.

He asked her similarly the next day, and the day that followed until it became a routine for them to hang out together with Chat Blanc.

At first, he would bring a mouse toy, then a ball of yarn the next day. Several cat toys were being brought to lure Chat Blanc's out from his personal space, but all the efforts were futile.

Even a large pouch of catnip.

But Adrien was an optimistic guy, and it was something that Marinette couldn't help but admired.

.

.

.

.

"I think one of my friends is a bit obsessed with my cat."

Ladybug didn't know whether to laugh or feel offended the way Chat Noir jaw slacked comically with saucer-like eyes in slits.

"Of course it's not you, silly." she scoffed. "I'm referring to my civilian's self-cat. Don't worry, you're still my biggest dark secret."

Her partner flashed his toothy grin. "Oh, so your friend likes this second Copycat?"

The heroine frowned. She corrected him numerous times about his monikers towards her pet, but at the same time, she couldn't tell him that she named her cat Chat Blanc because, reasons.

"I don't know what's wrong with him – my cat, I mean. And my friend was doing everything to win his favor. Like today, I caught him reading piles of books about cats in the library. Then another friend of ours told me that he had binge-watching several cat videos online even before I got a pet."

"Maybe he's just a cat-lover?" he offered.

"To the point that he starts talking with cat puns?"

She was tempted to haul her yo-yo and threw it straight in his face.

"Be careful with that friend of yours, My Lady," he smirked devilishly. "He might be a potential rival to win your cat's affection."

It peeved her more when his Cheshire grin grew.

"You never know, we could be best of friends!"

That night she began to ponder about Adrien's possible reaction if he learned that she was Ladybug and that she has another Chat.

Maybe Adrien and Chat Noir will be ended up together.

.

.

.

.

It was a typical sight in Francoise Dupont's entrance gate to witness a depressing moment between a certain white feline and a famous model every after school.

"Poor sunshine child. He's been so patient with him all this time." Alya commented as they watched how Chat Blanc gave an annoying hiss when Adrien approached his post again. "And I can tell that he's at his wit's end."

"Chat has never been like that to anyone." Marinette sighed when the blond offered her pet a cube of Camembert.

"Maybe Chat's a possessive type?"

The pig-tailed girl elbowed her best friend. Hard.

"This is not the first time my bro got shunned by someone upon meeting him for the first time," Nino muttered when the cat pawed the cheese. "Like Master, like Pet, I guess?"

"I am holding a bottle of orange juice here, Nino. Don't make me waste this drink by pouring it to your head, and I'm going to make sure your precious cap will not be spared."

The DJ took a few steps away from the girl.

The brunette snorted while the two winced when Chat Blanc flung the Camembert unceremoniously to the ground, much to the blond's horror.

"Who in the right's mind will feed a cat with a cheese?" Alya shook her head casually. "Okay, let's go to that pitiful being and - "

Everyone was taken aback when Adrien suddenly erupted with a scream. "YOUR CAT-TITUDE IS SO CLAW-FUL IT'S NOT A-MEW-SING ANY-MEOW!"

While Marinette sputtered and choked her drink, their two bespectacled friends guffawed.

And to add a salt to the injury, the cat responded by lifting his leg to lick his balls.

"That's it. Chat Blanc doesn't hate my bro." Nino bit his fist to contain his laughs. "Chat Blanc loathes my bro."

[dfroza]

Love is eternal life.

and in Light our hearts belong to our heavenly Father, forever.

this is the most beautiful thought you can think, being illuminated by the Spirit in clear view of the Son.

and what we’re truly longing for in this world, is Heaven. because it is our True Home and it is pure Love. but we’re also here for a reason, for a time, which includes not only sharing this truth but conserving it as well.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 13th chapter of the Letter of First Corinthians where Paul writes about Love:

If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.

And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing.

And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value.

Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.

Love never stops loving. It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten. Our present knowledge and our prophecies are but partial, but when love’s perfection arrives, the partial will fade away. When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child. But the day came when I matured, and I set aside my childish ways.

For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood. Until then, there are three things that remain: faith, hope, and love—yet love surpasses them all. So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.

The Letter of 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 48th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that points to the significance of adhering to truth:

“Listen carefully, O Jacob’s tribes,

you who are called by the name Israel

and come from the lineage of Judah,

who solemnly swear in the name of Yahweh

and claim to worship the God of Israel.

But there is no truth or righteousness in your confession!

Indeed, you name yourselves after the holy city

and say that you depend upon Israel’s God.

Yahweh, the Commander of Angel Armies, is his name.

“Long ago I prophesied things that would happen.

I issued decrees and made them known.

Then suddenly, I acted and made them happen.

I knew you were stubborn.

Your neck is like a rod of iron,

and you’re as hard-hearted as brass!

Long ago I told you these things.

Long before they happened

I proclaimed them

so you would never be able to say,

‘My idols did this;

my wood and metal idols decreed it!’

You have heard what I foretold and have seen it all unfold,

so admit that it happened and I was right!

From now on I will tell you about new things never seen before,

hidden things, well-guarded secrets you know nothing about.

They are created now, brand new today, not long ago!

You’ve never heard of them before now,

so you cannot say, ‘Oh, I already knew about that.’

You have never heard nor understood;

your ear had not been opened beforehand.

Though I knew that you would fight against me

as a rebel from birth,

yet, for the sake of my great name and for my glory,

I held back my anger and was patient with you

so I did not whittle you down to nothing.

See, I have purified you in the furnace of adversity,

but not like silver—I have refined you in the fire.

For my own sake alone I will do it,

so my name will not be dishonored.

I will not yield my glory to another.

“Listen to me, O Jacob,

Israel, whom I have called:

I am the One and Only,

the First and the Last.

With my mighty hand I laid the foundation of the earth;

with the span of my right hand I spread out the cosmos.

And when I speak to them, they both stand at attention.

Now, all of you gather around and listen.

Which of the gods has foretold these things?

I, Yahweh, love this man,

and he will carry out my purpose against Babylon.

He will be my “arm of might” against the Babylonians!

I am the one; yes, I am the one

who called him by name before he was born.

I have led him forward on a prosperous, successful path.

“Draw near to me and listen:

From the beginning, I have not spoken in secret.

From the beginning of time, I was there.”

And now Lord Yahweh has sent me, empowered by his Spirit!

This is what Yahweh, your Kinsman-Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:

“I am Yahweh, your God.

I am the One who teaches you how to succeed

and who leads you step by step in the way you should go.

If only you had listened to my commands,

then peace would have flowed like a river for you

and success would wash over you like waves of the sea.

Your children would have multiplied

to become like the sand of the seashore

and your descendants like grains of sand.

There would be no end of them,

and I would not cut them off.”

Go! Leave Babylon!

Flee from Chaldea!

Announce it with joyous singing!

Let everyone know!

Proclaim it to the ends of the earth!

Say it loud and clear:

“Yahweh has rescued his servant Jacob!”

The people weren’t thirsty

when he led them through barren, desolate deserts,

for he broke open the rock for water to flow for them.

The rock was split open, and rivers gushed out!

“There is never peace,” Yahweh says, “for the wicked.”

The Book (Scroll) of Isaiah, Chapter 48 (The Passion Translation)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, july 26 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about not giving in to fear:

Most of us understand that loving God is our essential obligation, the end or "goal" of all the other commandments, the very reason why God has spoken and why we exist. Yeshua plainly taught that this was the point of "the Torah and the prophets," the rest being commentary (Matt. 7:12, Matt. 22:36-40). However, while love is our greatest duty - the yoke of heaven - you might be surprised to learn that the most frequent commandment is simply al-tirah, "Be not afraid." Over and over again in the Scriptures we hear the LORD saying to those who trust in Him, al tira, "be not afraid" (Isa. 41:10).

This is a word for the exiles of every age: Be not afraid - al-tirah – not of man, nor of war, nor of tribulation, nor even of death itself (Rom. 8:35-39). If God be for us, who can be against us? Indeed, Yeshua came to die to destroy the power of death "and to release all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Heb. 2:14-15). The resurrection of the Messiah is the focal point of history - not the "dust of death." Death does not have the final word. Indeed, because Yeshua is alive, we also shall live (John 14:19). Because of Yeshua's victory, we can now live without fear: al-tirah, "Be not afraid, it is I." "There is no fear in God’s perfect love," as the Apostle John wrote (1 John 4:18). If we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), then we find courage because of the heart He imparts to us... God will uphold you – even in the trials of your faith.

Of course this doesn't mean that we should pretend that evil doesn't exist or that there's no real danger in this world. No, the Scriptures are clear that there are spiritual enemies in the world and we are engaged in a genuine spiritual war (1 Pet. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:10-18). Indeed every day the media attempts to frighten us by broadcasting lies and fearmongering propaganda. We must fight these messages of fear by remembering the truth and promises of God; we must never fear mere men but rather the LORD our God, who is our Maker, our King, and our Redeemer. We must train our minds to see beyond mere appearances, to ignore the messages of this dark world, and to look for God’s Presence in everything.

We must trust in the LORD and His care for our lives, which always comes “as we hope” in Him... May it please God to impart to each of us the courage that comes from Heaven itself. May He help us not to live in fear, but rather to walk in faith, full of confidence. So remember: al-tirah, "be not afraid!" Let us be strong and be strengthened in Yeshua our King!

Shabbat Shalom, chaverim, and thank you for praying for me this week; it truly helped me... [Hebrew for Christians]

7.23.21 • Facebook

and another about choosing our treasure:

Your faith must mean something to you if it is to mean anything to God, for “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). There must be agreement between your heart and what is real. The LORD must be your “ultimate concern,” the passion of your heart, your desperate treasure, or he will be as nothing to you (Matt. 13:12; Luke 8:18). God’s Name is Savior, Healer, Redeemer - the One who is everlastingly interested in your life (Heb. 4:13). As the late Abraham Heschel once remarked, "God is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance." Likewise King David said, echat sha'alti me'et Adonai, otah avakesh: "One thing I ask of the Lord; that is what I will seek" (Psalm 27:4). David asked for one thing – not many things. He did not come with a litany of requests. He was not double minded. He had focus. As Kierkegaard said, "purity of the heart is to will one thing." David sought the best he could find. He wanted the "pearl of great price."

The most important thing in life is to decide what is the most important thing in life - and then to act accordingly. Time is short for all of us, and it is more vital than ever to find healing for our woundedness. We have to quit pretending to be what we aren't and learn to be honest and vulnerable. Spirituality without honesty and humility is a sham. If you don't know how to begin, then begin there - by knowing your confusion, your need for the miracle of God's help and direction... For instance, if you don't know how to really love, then confess your heart's condition and pray for the miracle you need. It is a great mercy to be broken, in desperate need of heart, afflicted, tested, and in mourning. As it is written, "God has compassion for the lowly and broken, and saves the souls of the powerless" (Psalm 72:13).

When God said, "Let there be light, and there was light" (Gen. 1:3), He seemed to put on light as a robe of the Divine Majesty and Kingship: He wrapped Himself with radiance as a tallit gadol... Da lifnei mi attah omed (דַּע לִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה עוֹמֵד) – "Know before whom you stand." The whole earth is lit up with God's glory, and every bush of the field is aflame before us -- if we have eyes to see (Isa. 6:3). May it please the LORD to open our spiritual eyes so that we can behold more of His glory and majesty in this hour... Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

7.26.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

July 26, 2021

His Precious Blood

“But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them….Then Samuel took a stone...and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:10-12)

The Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant, given to Israel by God. In a battle to take it back, the Lord miraculously intervened, routed the Philistines, and retrieved the Ark. Samuel, the spiritual leader of Israel, ordered the people to erect a lasting “stone of remembrance” called Ebenezer to commemorate God’s deliverance of them from their enemies, a scene reflected in the hymn “Come Thou Fount.”

Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I come;

And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.

The great “Hall of Fame” of faith in Hebrews 11 extols many biblical heroes for their great works of faith and then mentions those who would overcome after Bible times, persevering through deadly trials. Some survived, some were killed, some wandered to find their dwelling place, but all needed rescue through the shed blood of God’s own Son. For you “know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold….but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19), “which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:6). Please come quickly, Thou Fount. JDM