#☆ storytime with berry !

[majesticqueen91]

Lucy relaxing by the pools while Dean cooks lunch on the barbie, until....

Can someone tell me why the belly looks weird relaxing on the pool chairs?

Time to shine Lucy! IT'S GO TIME!

[ichigoporky]

the mystery of the missing breads 一 🍞 (5/6)

chapter 5: the mouse trap 一 🐭

ichi and her friends hid behind a bush. they waited for the mice to smell the stuffed donut they had prepared inside the box and come out.

soon, 2 or 3 mice left their little wooden house and headed for the treat in the yard.

after smelling and looking a bit around, two of them entered the box. ichi and her friends pulled the rope and the stick, and the box fell, trapping them.

"oh no, help!!!" their tiny cries were heard.

ichi and her friends quickly came closer. they made a small hole in the box and talked to the mice. they asked if they were the ones stealing mint's sweet bread.

"y-yes, it was us. we're so sorry! we were very hungry but didn't have money to buy miss mint's delicious bread. we're really sorry, miss mint!"

mint first looked sadly at them, then kindly.

"little mice, why didn't you say you were hungry? i need someone to help in the bakery, someone to sprinkle sugar on strawberry donuts and other sweets! we need someone with small hands for that job!"

"r-really?" the mice's eyes sparkled.

"yes! are you interested? promise not to take bread without permission. if you want, i can give you a loaf of bread every day for your friends!"

"that would be great, thank you so much, miss mint!" the mice jumped of joy.

after they were let out and went to the bakery for their first day of work, they kept apologizing to mint and her workers for the trouble.

[annaizscribbling]

Welcome, to Come Into the Water. A Big Bang horror fic written by yours truly in conjunction with above art by @onthevirgeofdestruction, and beta reading from @remy-the-lemon-berry

The water flows unceasingly.

For Virgil, Truth is hard to find. It is lost in the sea of lies and secrets that have corrupted everything and everyone, it seems. There is nowhere to hide. Nowhere is safe. How can he move forward without a guiding light? Who will save him?

Mercifully, the water flows unceasingly.

Come Into the Water.

Or, Virgil finds truth in the form of a cave hidden deep in the back of the Mindscape. It sings a song to him, a song he would very much like to join.

Come Into the Water.

BUCKLE UP! if you don't know me for horror you sure are gonna now! This was a delight to write and a delight to share. It is oozing with symbolism, from the wildly obscure to the excitingly common. I poured so many hours of strange research and devious laughter to this fic. It is meant to be enjoyed however you please, but know there is always more to find, hidden in the references. There is so much here, and I will be as active as ever in my comments.

Ch 1.

Ch 2.

Ch 3.

Ch 4.

Ch 5.

Ch 6.

Ch 7.

Ch 8.

Ch 9.

Ch 10.

Ch 11.

Ch 12.

@tss-storytime

[chaosintheavenue]

Mini storytime/PSA re: American candy incoming.

I'm going to be completely honest- I try almost any US candy I can get my grubby British hands on, but on the whole, I find US gummy/jelly candy to be vastly inferior to the British equivalents. To my tongue (your experience may vary wildly), it's nowhere near as sweet and has some unidentifiable samey undercurrent to the taste that I'm not a fan of across most flavours and brands.

Anyways, just to set up the fact that I'm not an enormous enjoyer of most American jelly sweets before I launch into...

Today I got the opportunity to try a Very Berry Nerds Rope for the first time. I like Nerds a lot and have been aware of the concept of these ropes with a gummy strip down the middle for a while. Also do not know of any direct equivalent in the UK, so suffice to say I've had my eye out for them!

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best American candy I have ever tasted in my life. Perfectly amplifies the Nerds experience, perfect ratio of Nerd covering to jelly inside. The jelly does not have that specific taste I mentioned. 10/10, highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried them.

[angeart]

Y'know I had just added the 🎀 because I was asking about the ribbon and I wanted you to know it was the same person on the follow up ask xD but I also went :o irl at being called ribbon anon!

I saw you had tagged the bonus rambles about the mimic's name! I have been dying to ask that too! but you also mentioned follow up rambles so I figured we'd learn it then?

Noooo what happened to Scar's vex wings?? D: Also how do Scar's vex wings work in general? are they out all the time like Grian's or can he magic them away??

-🎀

naah, you have to keep it now! you’re officially the ribbon anon! it’s yours! :3c accept your fate <3

as for the bit about the mimic’s name… i think i’ll make a separate post about that a little bit later (either later today or tomorrow). it’s not going to be a part of the Main Big Mimic Arc Rambles, because it’s something me and link figured out sort of on the side, later. but i’m happy to tell you about it, so keep an eye out for that one!

scar’s vex wings are magic, and he mostly has them hidden away. i asked link to tell us all more about how that works, so if you’re interested, go check it out on their blog! >> link to the post here << 

but yes yess let me tell you about what happened to scar's wings! and what better way to tell you than through an unnecessarily long storytime. tucking it under the cut <3

so. you know how i mentioned that they meet by hunters pouncing on grian, and grian getting hurt? mmh. we start with grian in pain, hungry and dehydrated to the point of lightheadedness, and exhausted from lack of sleep as well as a pretty significant bloodloss. basically, he’s out of commission, and it’s up to scar to take care of him and desperately try to keep him alive on zero supplies.

they make their way to a crevice in a ravine that leads into a cave. (in between this and that, there were tears and panic and desperation. and kisses. shh.)(and of course, the ribbon.) 

i think this cave is very fun, so i’ll yoink two snippets from the rp, one from scar’s pov (link) and one from grian’s (me), so you can get into this pretty atmosphere too <3 

-- SCAR POV snippet:

His best way of describing the place would be this nightmare server’s best attempt at a lush cave, Scar thinks somewhat bitterly.

And a rather sad attempt at that.

There’s greenery, which is shocking enough given how almost everything they’ve seen has been dead or dying. It’s mostly moss, a few sparse patches of grass, and a leafy substance that sticks to the walls, littered with thorns. 

Vines stretch down from the ceiling, but they’re not bright and colorful like glow berry vines back home. They do glow, but it’s only a faint illumination, somehow still managing to be grey and drab. And it’s not the fruit that glows either, but rather the vine itself, almost pulsating. Almost breathing. 

It makes Scar uneasy, but not immediately threatened. And unfortunately that’ll have to do.

There is fruit on the vines, for what it’s worth, but they’re bruised and darkened. Questionable at best. Scar doesn’t like their chances.

What matters, however, is the water. 

There’s a small pond in the center of the cave with water pooling into it slowly from one of the walls. 

It’s not the cleanest source of water given the dirty moss and dying roots that crawl along the shore, spreading their way underwater in various places and tinting the surface green, but they’re hardly in a position to be picky. 

(It’s likely better than the river from before, surrounded in mud and grime and later death.)

Right now a place like this may as well be paradise.

“Home sweet home?” Scar offers jokingly, though timidness seeps into his tone. He really hopes it can be, at least long enough for them to get back on their feet.

-- GRIAN POV snippet:

It’s the rhythm trailing off and stopping, that finally forces Grian to crack his eyes open. He blinks, chasing the blur away, trying to take in their new surroundings: the moss coats walls and ground in stray patches, lending them some colour in a place that’s otherwise drab and grim; the pond in the center glitters faintly, murky water reflecting murky light; the growth clinging to the stone walls and hanging from the ceiling looks wholly unhealthy, slick and sick, mushy, rotting, held together only in places. The vines seem to be breathing, swaying the gentlest bit even though Grian can’t feel a breeze; a calm but wholly unsettling pulse of light fades and brightens in time with their miniscule motion, always veering on not-enough, casting them in various shades of dimness. 

Just like anything else here, this cave looks wretched and like nothing he is familiar with. 

And yet Scat tacks a joking phrase on it, like plonking down a cheesy mat that says Welcome in cursive, deliberately and triumphantly placed in front of a building that’s entirely falling apart. There’s no salvaging this, but Grian chuckles quietly anyway, and with a wry curl of his lips, he echoes back, words hollow and barely touched by misplaced amusement: “Home sweet home.”

And it just might be—or the closest thing they can achieve to it right now. It’s dark and damp and unpleasant, the air a bit stale and the walls oozing icy chill, but it’s shielded and hidden, quiet, sheltered from the wind and the rain, with a pooled source of water perfectly within reach. It’s more than they expected. More than they could’ve hoped for.

----

now that you can imagine the absolute beauty of this place, for no reason at all but to indulge me, we can continue!

scar carefully sets grian down by the wall to rest. grian lies down in the only way he knows to be safe: with his dishevelled wings tucked tightly against a wall, feathers as much out of sight as he can manage, despite the horrible discomfort of it. and scar leaves to try and gather some supplies, leaving behind a promise that he won’t stray too far, won’t get out of sight.

he manages to put together enough things to light a fire, while grian dozes off into an exhausted, shivery sleep. with the fire lit next to the avian, scar moves away again, even as fatigue drags at him and begs him to stay, to rest. because this is all on him now: he needs to provide, he needs to protect, he needs to make sure they stay alive. (and it terrifies him, because he doesn’t have the best track record of staying alive, back on hermitcraft—) and for that, they need more supplies.

so he ventures back into the cave, searching. pawing at the stone. digging. trying so, so very hard to get something out of it all. using his wings to aid his aching legs. they provide dim, pale blue  light, which also helps as he moves further and further away from the fire. 

he makes sure to constantly look back, anxiously checking the area surrounding the fire, making sure nothing’s approaching grian, who’s wounded and asleep and completely defenceless.

scar does not pay nearly as much attention to his own surroundings.

that’s when it happens.

the crackling of the fire almost completely swallows up the familiar warning hiss of a creeper.

scar whirls around, eyes wide, catching a sight of a creeper that’s all wrong—distorted and decaying, overgrown with vines and fungus, with haunting empty voids for eyes—before it sets off and explodes.

all scar can do is fling his wings forwards in a desperate attempt to shield himself with them.

this is what tears his wings to tatters. (you can see their state on some of link’s art - like the hhau scar design/reference sheet)

scar skids on the hard ground, thrown by the force of the explosion, wings wrapped around him protectively. immediately after the cave falls quiet and dark again, his wings fade, too, and— he’s disoriented and breathless and in pain, and the explosion woke grian up—an awakening pitch straight into confused, searing panic—and scar doesn’t really get much of a chance to process what’s happened and how much damage there is. in fact, he doesn’t check his wings for a very long time. (he knows they’re damaged.) (he doesn’t want to see—doesn’t want to feel it.)

so it’s a while before scar gets to understand just how damaged his wings are.

and it’s even longer before grian sees.

<3

[berriesnursery]

Cg! Grace and Cg! Johnnie hcs

Johnnie was nervous at first to introduce grace to his little

Grace turned out to LOVE the idea of taking care of a little

Everytime Johnnie comes over with his little grace and them always play with hir cats

Grace totally cuddles their little while Johnnie sings them to sleep

Big on storytimes with them both

They would take turns and make different vouces having so much fun

Grace got their little a lot of plushies and dolls!

Grace tries to teach Johnnie how to cook for their little

Movie nights ft. Rapunzel, Nightmare before Christmas, frozen and edward scissorhands

Honestly just the sweetest cgs you could want

Lots of laughs and giggles

Authors note: Yay berry is active again, send requests bbys💗

[r-ayman]

Lay your head

In my lap

Peacefully,

I have storytimes

And berry tints

For forehead kisses.

-R.Ayman from Citrus&Serendipity©️2022

Find the full poem on Wattpad 👇

Follow me on Instagram for more poetry 🦋✨

[kiddiesides]

Here you go!

How did all the kiddies appear?

Patton was brought by a stork

Janus was in a basket at the doorstep

Roman and Remus were found in a cabbage

Logan was found in a berry bush in Thomas' backyard

Virgil just appeared in Thomas home one day

How old are the kids?

Patton-12

Janus-7

Roman and Remus-6

Logan-5

Virgil-3

Fun fact about the kids

Logan- loves bugs; favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate; has glow in the dark pjs

Virgil- Can talk but doesn't talk a lot, unless excited; likes to 👁👁 at people; has a favorite stuffed toy otter named Otter (Do Not Seperate Them); clingy; has difficulty sleeping; favorite ice cream flavor is cherry; likes sharing food

Roman- Will only take a bath if you can convince him he's playing pirates; likes playing tea parties and playing pretend; favorite ice cream flavors are typical kid flavors like cotton candy or bubblegum etc

Remus- Will only take a bath if you can convince him he's playing pirates; likes playing pirates in general; doesn't like playing alone; favorite ice cream flavors are typical kid flavors like cotton candy or bubblegum etc

Janus- scared of bugs;  has a patch of scales in the shape of a heart on his tummy; hates waking up; favorite ice cream flavor is pineapple

Patton- He and Janus have a bit of a childish rivalry; favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip.

Other characters:

Thomas is the kids dad

Nico is Thomas' boyfriend and is currently on dad probation

Remy and Emile are the kids babysitters

This is a sort of human adjacent AU

Sometimes weird things happen and people are used to it

All the kids appeared as babies.

The magic universe made Thomas' house expand a bit every time he got a new baby

They have a hairless cat, called nakey

The kids have some small magical things they can do. Patton can slightly influence the weather; the twins can make some small things appear (small things take an hour, the bigger the thing the longer it takes); Virgil's eyes reflect light

Thomas is pretty famous in this au. He's been in some movies and TV shows, and has won a few awards. Nico didn't know that Thomas was famous

Art tag is kiddie doodles

Fanart tag is thomas' fridge art

Fic tags is thomas' storytime

im just gonna pin this ask in the meantime hdhdh thank you so much!!

[sombersummerskies]

A Champion's Love: Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Storytime Word Count: 4397 CW: None

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

~~~ <> ~~~

The breeze is cool at the Rito Stable. After another two days of travel your trio had arrived in the Tabantha Region in the evening, just as the sun was beginning to set. You breathed in a deep sigh of fresh air. It smelled like grass and fruit. Persephone attempted to eat some berries off of a bush beside the building.

“I just fed you some apples, you act like you’re starving,” you chastise her, though it’s all in jest, “now c’mon, let’s get you to your stall.”

Ahead of the Stable is a series of suspended bridges connecting tall skinny islands. The main island at the center of the lake holds Rito Villager, the home of the Rito people. At the very top of the island sits the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, with its wings spread wide open.

You glance over and see Sidon standing there with his mouth agape. You laugh as you move to stand beside him. He’s gazing up at the village.

“Sooo,” you say with a smile, “what do you think?”

“It’s breathtaking,” he replies, a grin on his face, “I’ve read about Rito Village of course, we trade with them. But the documents are nothing compared to seeing it with my own eyes.”

You grasp his hand and chuckle, “you haven’t even been inside the village yet. C’mon, let’s go meet the elder.”

Once Zelda is done speaking with the stable hands you begin your walk across the bridges. Each of the small islands you walk across are lush, with quaint ponds and tall pine trees that tower above you. As you pass by Rito guards they nod their heads in respect. At the end of the final bridge is the entrance to the village. You smile at the goddess statue that’s been decorated in flowers, likely by the Rito children.

The path through the village winds around the rock pillar and upwards. As you walk up the stairs you pass the Swallow’s Roost which is the local inn, then The Slippery Falcon which is the general store, and finally the Brazen Beak which is the clothing store.

“Oh, we’ll need to get you clothing for cold weather,” you say to Sidon as you walk, “I have a feeling we’ll have to travel through the Hebra Region for the trials here.”

Beyond the local stores are the homes of the locals. A group of young children, each a different vibrant color, run past you down the stairs. They giggle and chirp and seem to be singing a tune. The same song is being played on an instrument.

You grin when you look up and see Kass playing his accordion near the fence. You give the blue Rito a wave, and he bows his head at you and the princess with a smile. You assume the little Ritos that ran past you were his children, if you remembered correctly he had five young girls.

In one of the homes you see Harth, a Rito with dark grey and black feathers. You’d met him when you’d initially shown up to reclaim Medoh. Harth had injured himself after being attacked by the Divine Beast’s defense mechanisms. You were glad to see him faring better nowadays.

Next you pass by Teba’s home. Within you see the white Rito himself talking to a Rito woman with lavender feathers. If you remember correctly, that's his wife, Saki. A much smaller white Rito runs around the home and flaps his feathers happily- that’s his son, Tulin.

You’ll say hello soon, but first you must greet the elder.

Kaneli lives in the topmost hut of the Rito Village. The elder Rito was large, his features resembling that of an owl. When he wasn’t overseeing the training of the Rito warriors he was training the children in song and monitoring their flight lessons. As you approached his home you were able to see that he was sitting in a rocking chair, relaxed.

Zelda entered the elder’s home first, bowing her head in respect. “Hello, Elder Kaneli, I hope you’re doing well today.”

The Rito perked up, giving a happy chortle as you all walked in. “Princess! We’ve been expecting your arrival, welcome to Rito Village.”

“Yes, I’d hoped that my letter was able to reach you safely,” she said with a smile, “has Teba been notified of our quest?”

“To train a new pilot? Yes, I spoke with Teba,” Kaneli replies with a nod, “he told me he would have to think about it.”

“I assumed as much,” Zelda says, a small frown on her lips, “regardless, thank you for hosting us for the time being. If we find a candidate for the Divine Beast I suspect that we will remain here for about a week's time.”

Kaneli gives a gentle smile as he leans back in his chair, “please! Take all the time you need. We are in no rush here. Though I must say, it is quite a surprise to see the Zora prince here. It’s very rare for your people to travel so far west. I’m sure your presence will cause some feathers to flap.”

You see a slight blush dust the prince’s face as the elder gives a hearty chortle.

As you exit the hut the sky is filled with hues of orange, pink, and purple. The sun was low on the horizon. Up in the air above you could see warriors returning, landing on various perches around the village.

“Shall we pay Teba a visit?” you ask the princess.

“Yes, I think so,” she replies, “then we can check in at the inn.”

Just as you step onto the walkway that leads to Teba’s home a flash of white fills your vision. You laugh as a bundle of feathers hops up in front of you, and find yourself hoisting Tulin up into your arms.

“_____!” the young Rito says happily, “you’re back!”

“Tulin,” you grin at him, “oi, kiddo, you’re getting heavy. Have you grown since the last time I saw you?”

It was unlikely, it had only been a few weeks since you’d seen the family, but you wanted to give a kid an ego boost. He had taken quite a liking to you after you’d reclaimed Medoh with his father. You knew he had an interest in fighting and becoming a warrior, just like his dad, but he was still a bit too young to begin his training.

His soft feathers tickle you as he replied, “I hope so! Mama says that vegetables make strong warriors grow, so I’ve been asking for some every night at dinner. Do you think it’s working?”

“I do think so,” you say, humoring him, “you’re definitelyyy like an inch or so taller. Or maybe it’s just these feathers sticking up on your head.”

The young Rito giggles as you walk him back into his home. Glancing over your shoulder you can see Sidon smiling at you with a fond look on his face.

“Tulin, I hope you’re not bothering the champion,” Saki says softly to her son.

“Oh, he’s not a bother,” you say as you set him down, “Teba, Saki, good to see you both.”

“And you as well,” a deeper voice says.

Teba is sitting in the back of his home, using a small knife to carve on a curved piece of wood. He set’s it aside, you assume he’s working on a new bow. His yellow eyes gaze upon your group as he stands.

“Princess, Hylian Champion,” he greets you, nodding his head, “and you are…?”

His attention is on Sidon.

“Oh, this is Prince Sidon of the Zora,” you interject, introducing him, “he’s going to be the new pilot for the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. He’s joining us to train the rest.”

“You’re a prince?” Tulin excitedly squawked, “that’s so cool! Are you going to be king someday? Do you have servants? Do you live in a castle?”

Sidon smiled good-naturedly at the young Rito, “I can tell you all about it after we speak with your father.”

Saki scooped up her son and you could hear the two of them making plans for dinner as they walked out of the home. You turn your attention back to Teba.

“I trust that Kaneli explained the circumstances to you,” Zelda said, holding the Sheikah Slate in her hands, “if not, we can give you any details you need.”

The Rito folds his wings behind his back and nods, “yes, he said something about trials. What exactly are these?”

Zelda explains, just as she had with Riju. There would be a pedestal that shows three different locations, and at each location was a trial for the future champion to undertake. Once a trial was completed a shrine would appear for an emblem to be collected. With all three emblems the Divine Beast would be approached, and the final trial would be faced. 

Teba’s beak turns downward into a frown at the final part, “a battle? With the Windblight?”

The princess nods, “yes, it would seem so. Prince Sidon and Chief Riju both had to do the same.”

“I see. _____, you’ve fought that blight before, what can you tell me about it?”

You hum, folding your arms, “it was keen to attacks with range. One of its arms was a giant cannon and I wouldn’t recommend getting very close to it. Your best friend would be a good bow, which I know you would have no trouble with. I remember after dealing a good amount of damage to it, it spawned in these annoying drones that would hone in on you. You’d have to do a lot of dodging and flying to avoid being hit.”

“The unfortunate part, however,” Sidon interjects, “is that you will only have the gear and weapons that the previous champion did in their fight with the blight.”

“Meaning whatever Revali had with him,” you specify.

You see one of Teba’s eyes twitch and you wince as you prepare yourself for what’s to come. “You mean to say that you want to send me into the battle that killed one of our greatest warriors?” Teba asks, his voice stern.

“I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t think you were capable,” you replied, “I’ve seen your skill, I see how you fight, I know that of anyone here it is you who are most qualified.”

“And what happens if the mission fails,” the Rito retorts, “you want me to risk leaving my family without their provider and protector? Not a chance.”

Zelda attempts to speak up, “we have been quite successful thus far. The Hylian Champion possesses a healing ability, and as soon as you are out of battle she would be able to restore you to full health.”

Teba shakes his head sternly, “I will not risk it. I already did you a favor, champion, when I took you up to the Divine Beast. I was badly hurt in the process. Find someone else to be your pilot.”

Before any of you can speak up he walks out of the house and flies away. You sigh, putting your hands on your hips.

“Give him time,” Sidon says with hope in his voice, “perhaps next time we speak to him we can persuade him.”

“Hopefully,” you murmur.

…

Near the entrance of Rito Village is an open pavilion. Currently you’re sitting on the wooden floor with a bowl of food in your lap. Salmon Meunière, courtesy of Saki. You were happily digging in as Sidon entertained an audience. Not only was Tulin here to listen to him, but many of the other Rito children as well.

He was retelling the story of the time he slew the giant Octorok in Hateno Bay. The young Rito were all enthralled, on edge with every twist and turn of the prince’s story. Just when he arrives at the part of the tale where the beast swallows him, the children all gasp in horror.

“What happened next?” one of Kass’ children asked.

“Did you die?” another asked dramatically.

One of her sisters rolled her eyes, “of course he didn’t die! He’s sitting right here, dummy.”

“Don’t call me dummy, feathers-for-brains!”

“Oi, oi,” you gently call out from behind the prince, “there’s no need for name calling. Be nice to each other.”

Sidon chuckles, “yes, please listen to the Hylian Champion. If you will all settle down, I shall continue my tale.”

The children shuffle and wiggle in their seats, excitements emanating off of them.

The prince continued his story, “as I was saying, that dastardly Octorok had swallowed me whole. It was a catastrophe, how in Hylia’s name could I lead my men to victory from inside a monster’s stomach? Well, I shall tell you how. I took my faithful Zora Spear, and then I-”

“And then he pierced the flesh of the Octorok and SLICED the beast open from the inside!” you interrupt him, jumping up and making a big show of it for the kids.

The children all giggle and squeal at the big reveal. Sidon gives you a teasing pout, but you can tell he’s not actually upset with you.

“How dare you spoil my favorite part of the story?” he asks with a laugh.

“It’s my favorite part of the story too,” you reply, dramatically splaying a hand over your chest, “would you truly deny me the honor of telling the story of one of your greatest accomplishments?”

He shakes his head at you, giving you a sly look before turning to look back at the young Rito, “children, I require your assistance. The Hylian Champion ruined my chance to tell you my story. Please, help me think of a suitable punishment.”

“Punishment?” you repeat, the children all laughing at your bickering.

“No dessert!” one of the kids shouts, “for a week!”

You gasp, “no, that would be so cruel!”

“Grounded for a day!” another kid offers, “no flying!”

You laugh as you raise your arms up, “I’m already grounded, kiddos, no wings.”

In front of you is Tulin, and on his face is a particularly mischievous expression.

The little white Rito pipes up, “I have an idea.”

“And what’s that, Tulin?” Sidon asks.

“You should… tickle her!” the young Rito laughs, flapping his wings.

Your smile drops as you slowly turn to look at the prince. A wicked grin spreads on his lips.

‘Oh, shit.’

You attempt to make a run for it, but he’s faster. You feel his arms wrap around your waist and you squeak as you’re pulled back into his lap. “Sidon, don’t you dare-” you start, but there’s no stopping what’s begun.

You shriek with laughter as soon as his hands find your sides, and all the children laugh along at his relentless tickling. Your face feels red as you attempt to fend for yourself, weakly trying to push his hands away. “Alright- alright!” you say through your giggles, “I’m sorry!”

As soon as your sorry is uttered the prince stops. He winks at you as he smiles, “apology accepted, little Hylian.”

Your chest heaves as you pull yourself out of his lap. “Terrible, absolutely awful,” you shoot back at him sarcastically, sticking out your tongue, “how could you do something so dreadful to me.”

You catch his gaze. Despite all the humor and laughter, his eyes are soft as they look at you. You can’t stop the smile that spreads on your face.

“Are you two married?”

You visibly jump at the sound of the question. When you look at the group of children they all giggle.

“N-no,” you stammer, “we’re not. What makes you say that?”

One of Kass’ daughters, you believe her name is Kheel, speaks up, “you two look at each other like my mommy and daddy look at each other.”

You feel flustered and blush is undoubtedly on your face. “Alright, kiddos, I think storytime is over now,” you say, trying to ignore how hot your face feels.

You’re greeted by a chorus of ‘awh’s from the children. 

“Oh, don’t give me that,” you reply, “it’s well past dinner time, your parents probably all want you home. Go on now.”

Despite their disappointment, the kids all file out. Some of them walk, some of them fly up to the higher parts of the village. The final Rito left with you and the prince is Tulin.

He looks up at you with a smile.

“Yes, Tulin?” you ask him, kneeling down to get to his height, “y’know your dad won’t be happy if you stay up so late.”

“I know,” he chirps, “but I just wanted to say…” He trails off shyly, before puffing out his chest and nodding his head, “when I grow up, I’m going to be a big, strong warrior! Just like you, and Prince Sidon, and my dad!”

You grin and pat his head, “yes you will, Tulin. You’re gonna be the best Rito warrior there is. Now c’mon, get to bed.”

The little Rito giggles, wiggling his tail feathers before spreading his wings and flying upwards.

Once all the children are out of ear shot you turn back to the prince and let out a deep sigh. “Oh… kids. So curious, so many questions,” you say with a tired smile.

“Indeed,” Sidon chuckles, “I must say, though, that you are quite good with children.”

“Yeah, well so are you,” you reply with a little laugh.

You peer over the fence, curiously looking down at the large lake beneath you. You quirk a brow before turning back to the prince, “how would you feel about sneaking down to the water?”

…

The breeze was gentle but cool. In the sky above the moon was full and the stars twinkled. There were no clouds. The rippling of the water at the lake’s edge was smooth. You looked at your reflection as you walked along the rocks.

At the base of one of the many islands in Lake Totori you and Sidon had found an outcrop of rock that could be sat on. The water was far deeper than you had imagined, but the prince seemed to be enjoying himself as he floated at the edge of the lake. You were enjoying the peace and quiet. Away from prying eyes and ears.

Marriage.

The word had been stuck in your head ever since one of the Rito children had brought it up. It felt so ridiculous to you. Sidon and yourself, married? Perish the thought. It felt impossible. Yet at the same time something inside of you ached when you thought of it. There was a tugging at your heart. A feeling of warmth would blossom in your chest if you allowed yourself to think of it, if you allowed yourself to run wild with these daydreams and fantasies.

You didn’t allow yourself to daydream much. It was a waste of time in your occupation.

“Are you alright, darling?”

Sidon placed his arms on the rock and gazed up at you with curious eyes. Oh, how you could get lost in those gorgeous golden irises he had.

“It’s nothing,” you murmur, sitting down in front of him, “just thinking.”

“About?” he inquires, pushing himself up to lean closer to you.

You fluster and avert your gaze, “it’s nothing, really, it’s silly.”

One of his hands finds its way beneath your chin. He’s smooth from the water. You allow his fingers to gently guide you back to looking at him.

“Do you remember what I said when we met near the desert?” he asks, his fingers gently caressing your cheek, “whatever is important to you is also important to me. Nothing is too ‘silly’.”

You smile shyly, turning to press your lips into his palm. “I was just… thinking about what one of the kids said. About us. Being… married.”

Out of the corner of your eye you see a smile spread on his face. “And what is it that you think? About us being married?” he replies with encouragement.

You feel yourself falter before you answer, “well… when I think of us being married, I… I don’t imagine us as royalty. I don’t see myself as a guard, or you as a prince. I don’t imagine you as a king, or myself as a queen. I imagine something… a lot more quaint. And peaceful. Where we could have a little house, by a river or a lake. We could own some land where we could have pets or livestock. I don’t know how we’d make our money or- or if we’d have kids, but- um…”

You trail off, feeling your voice begin to quiver. You clear your throat before continuing, “it, uh… it’s a lot less responsibility than what we both currently have… but, the life that I imagine is an impossible one.”

“Why is it impossible, little one?” the prince asks, gently cupping your cheek.

You laugh without meaning to, a short and sarcastic ‘ha’. You face him and place your hand atop the one that holds your face. You pull his hand away from you and stare at it. Your fingers trace over the details of his palm, the lines of his skin and the edges of his scales. Wordlessly you lace your fingers with his own.

“Because,” you continue, looking up at him, “by birth we are bound to our roles. You are the next in line to the Zora throne. I am the princess’ knight and the chosen swordbearer. This cannot be changed.”

“But it doesn’t make marriage impossible,” he replies, “we can still have a future together… I would like to have a future together.”

“It doesn’t make marriage impossible, no,” you say, a small frown on your lips, “it just makes the marriage I dream of impossible… but the life of my dreams is something I accepted would be impossible a long, long time ago.”

Sidon pulls his hand away, only to place his arms on either side of you. He leans in closer, his eyes full of concern as he looks at you. “I… I cannot guarantee you the life of your dreams, because you are correct when you say that I am duty-bound by birth to take the throne. But I can guarantee you that I will do everything in my power, for the rest of my days, to give you the best life possible.”

You blush as you look back at him.

He murmurs your name and says, “if I could, I would give you the entire world. You deserve nothing less.”

You feel tears beginning to pool at the corners of your eyes, but they’re not tears of sadness. You grin as you jump forward, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss to his lips. The prince laughs into the kiss, wrapping an arm around your torso to keep yourself steady (and avoid falling into the water).

You can’t help yourself as you pepper multiple kisses across his face, giggling as you peck his cheeks and the crest atop his head and, of course, his lips repeatedly.

Breathlessly you smile as you lean your forehead against him. “You make me the happiest person in all the land…” you murmur quietly.

You feel him press a kiss to your cheek, “I could say the exact same about you, little Hylian.”

…

The next morning you found yourself happily snoozing away at the inn. You’d paid extra for a bed that was stuffed with genuine Rito feathers. The innkeeper described it as the ‘softest bed’, claiming that ‘you’d never be able to sleep in a stable bed again’ and that you’d wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized. 

Perhaps it was simply the marketing gimmick, but when you woke up you concluded that she was right. You groaned happily, stretched beneath your cozy blankets. As you slowly opened your eyes you could see the sun shining over the horizon.

In the bed beside you Zelda mumbled in her sleep, still not quite awake. On your other side the prince was likewise still snoozing.

You chuckled, rubbing your eyes as you pulled the covers off and swung your legs off of the side. You’d let them get a few extra minutes of sleep as you got ready for the day. You hummed absentmindedly as you pulled your boots on. As you strapped the sheath of the Master Sword around your torso, you were thinking.

‘I’ll have to think of a way to rectify the situation with Teba. Of all the Rito, he is the most qualified. Harth is a good soldier too, but I can’t envision him as the Rito Champion. It needs to be Teba. Maybe I could talk to him in private, I could tell him about what being champion was like before the calamity. Maybe I could-’

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by an excited yell.

“_____!”

When you look up you see Tulin in the doorway to the inn. He quickly runs up to you.

“Shhh,” you say, holding a finger to your lips, “people are still sleeping.”

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbles shyly.

You shake your head at him but smile nonetheless, “what is it, kiddo?”

“My dad says he wants to speak to you,” he chirps, bouncing on his feet and clearly full of energy.

You glance at Sidon and Zelda. Leaving for just a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.

“Alright then, lead the way, Tulin,” you grin at him.

The young Rito is more than happy to lead you up the stairs, excitedly flapping his wings as he bounds up the wooden steps. It’s still early in the morning, most of the Rito are either within their homes or just now waking up and beginning their days. Once you arrive at Teba’s home, you smile politely at him and his wife.

The white Rito is sitting once more, still carving that piece of wood. Today it is looking much more bow-like. All it needs now is a bowstring.

Tulin giggles as he runs past your legs. The little Rito plops down on the ground beside his dad.

“You wanted to see me, Teba?” you say, putting your hands on your hips.

He sets the bow and carving knife down, folding his wings in his lap as he looks up at you. “I’ll do it,” he says plainly.

“... pardon?” you reply, confused.

“I’ll do the trials.”

~~~ <> ~~~

Previous Chapter

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[majesticqueen91]

Lucy & Dean are attracted to the fire place (always catching them there) Lucy made herself some coffee before making yummy chocolate ice cream ^_^ Dean made them some scrambled eggs whilst she sat along aside him chatting about all the emotions pregnancy has made her feel

[welivefast-dieyoung]

Saw a storytime about how this girl met Robert and after they spoke he took a berry off her plate like?? Sharing food? Taking food, straight off my plate??? Okay so we're besties now then? That's what I'll be telling everyone. Sir you can't just come, and take food off my plate, and expect me to still call this a random interaction with a well known stranger, nuh uh that's not how this works pookie you hear me? We're best friends now 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[unown-sanctuary]

[ROLLING FOOTAGE: Symbol Specialty Shelter presentation at the Exposition Universelle de Kalos!]

[A piano sits centrestage, and once the crowd quiets down, 28 Unown fly into view, bow, and take position at the keys.]

[The Unown bow again, and join a large group of them that swirls on stage, ready to translate Galarian into Kalosian, as well as another set for Galarian subtitles

Professor Paige Polyxeni Papyrus, a woman in her mid twenties with grey hair, lots of scars, and a missing arm, walks on stage. She is soon followed by Zemenes Papyrus, who appears to be a young girl with blonde hair and a Zorua tail. The professor begins to speak, the Unown above translating and interpreting.]

"Terrific tidings, trainers and travelers! I am Professor Paige Polyxeni Papyrus, here with my assistant and effectively daughter, Zemenes. We study the unknowns of Unown at the Symbol Specialty Shelter in Sinnoh, which also functions as an rehabilitation and resettlement program for a lot of our residents!"

[The crowd cheers as several Unown fly past the stands, throwing confetti with their psychic abilities.]

"Now, I'm not exactly meant to be a showwoman, so I'll let the starring species set the stage for spectacle!

"As you have already seen, Unown are highly intelligent pokemon, and quite talented! We try to provide as much enrichment to our residents as possible, be it music, storytime, writing, art, and much more! Today, rather than present our research, in the spirit of the fair we are taking an arts approach! Worry not, avid academics, I am still going to cover some biology, but I'm much more of a behavioural researcher anyway, and it's not often our residents get this much opportunity to show off! Now, I would like to introduce our sanctuary's book club!

[The presentation continues for a while, with various activities done on stage by residents while the professor describes how they're being done and why. The camera cuts out part way through a small demonstration of the gardening club sprouting an oran berry tree in a matter of seconds thanks to spelling 'GROW', as the battery wasn't charged enough.]

[jacksdinonuggets]

Maya-centric Fic

For my friend, @moonhowler Summary: After a couple of weeks since maya showed up, Vaggie and Charlie scheduled some regression time every evening for her to avoid Involuntarily regressing. Although she's not very happy about it at first, the more she slips, the more happier and carefree she becomes.

I DO NOT OWN THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER, MAYA. For more information about her, visit @moonhowler 's blog

Read this before reading this fic

Maya was not looking forward to this evening. Charlie and Vaggie had set up a couple of hours for her to regress later that day and she was not happy about it. Ever since she had her two metldowns that caused her to involuntarily regress, she hated people even mentioning age regression. But Charlie and Vaggie said it would help her not help bad meltdowns and cause her to involuntarily regress. So Maya sulked in her room, pouting. 

“Knock, knock!” Charlie announced, knocking on her door and walking into her room. She hated it when she did that. Vaggie came following behind her.

“It’s your regression time,” Charlie said. Maya crossed her arms and faced away from the couple.

“Don’t give me that. It’s gonna be good for you,” Charlie promised, sitting at the foot of her bed. Vaggie stood in the doorway, not knowing what to do.

“I don’t wanna,” Maya mumbled.

“I know, sweetie, but it’ll help you,” Charlie put a hand on her knee.

“You know it’s not healthy to repress too,” Vaggie chimed in.

“Fine…” she grumbled, moving to get out of bed to follow them to her nursery. Since there were only about 4 littles, each one of them had their own nursery. 

Charlie set up some coloring books on the floor and turned on her mini tv. She picked one of her favorite shows from when she last regressed and helped Maya onto the floor. Charlie didn’t want to help her get changed into her onesie and diaper yet, knowing she may be upset if she was put in them while feeling a bit big.

Finally, after a few episodes, the girl began to regress. Charlie and Vaggie could tell she was starting to feel little just by the fact that she didn’t have a grumpy, pouty face on. Since Charlie was the only one who knew how to change someone into a diaper, she decided it would be the perfect time to change her. Boy was she wrong.

“Don’t wanna!” Maya yelled at Charlie, who was trying to get her to lay down.

“Why not, sweetheart?” Charlie tried to keep her patience up.

“Is dumb nd stupid,” She responded.

“They help Blake, right?” Vaggie asked. The couple knew the two got along and were basically friends from one of their first scheduled regression time.

“Y-yeah…” Maya looked away.

“Then they aren’t stupid,” Vaggie assured.

“Still dun wanna wear,” Maya pouted.

“How about this; if you let me get you changed, then i’ll give you a piece of candy,” Charlie negotiated. The thought of candy motivated Maya.

“Fine,” She laid down and let Charlie put her padding and onesie on.

“There we go~ all done!” she announced

Vaggie got a piece of her favorite candy and gave it to her. Then, Charlie put on some nice instrumental nursery rhymes and took out Maya’s favorite plushie, berry, which was a replica of her old childhood stuffed bunny. She got so happy when she took it out and her tail wagged with excitement. 

“Here you go, baby!” Charlie handed her the plush. Maya hugged Berry tightly, slipping further into little space. 

Maya sat in between Charlie and Vaggie as storytime started. They took out a couple of books and started to read her some. She would point to the cute pictures and babble some incoherent words. When they got through all the books, Maya pouted, wanting another story. So Vaggie got up to find some more picture books from the other nursery rooms. When she returned, Maya was cuddling Charlie, her eyelids drooping slightly. Vaggie sat down next to them and began to read through the pile of new books.

Soon enough, Maya was half-asleep. Charlie lifted her up and set her down into her crib and tucked her in. Charlie and Vaggie were happy that Maya was able to regress. They were so worried about her and wanted to help her. Luckily, Maya would soon start to love regressing and would no longer have a hard time with intense emotions.

[zootplayz]

Rollin on a River

The very day we started I discovered Dahlia had to age up. I had no idea her birthday was already upon us.

This led Zoot to take a more proactive approach to Dahlias love life. Instead of waiting for that boyfriend want it was thrust upon her.

It's for the best sweetie you guys are destined to be you'll see. I didn't want to rush anything else and planned on letting them lead the way from here on out on their slow and steady course. Dahlias tied up at home most of the time with Sergio's twins that I never properly introduced last time. Gwendolyn and Thomas.

I don't usually take a lot of toddler pictures but there's just something about berries.

Gwendolyn is the more tame of the two, her brother Tommy tends to throw tantrums pretty regularly and for no discernable reason. Like I didn't know a perfectly happy toddler with no negative moodlets could act like this.

As twins go they're very close which is always a plus meaning mom doesn't have to constantly entertain them.

Though with her family aspiration, she does love to read to them and they seem to really enjoy storytime.

When not on baby patrol Dahlia makes sure to get some painting done in her brand-new green house!

Because yes she has finally saved up enough to start renovating the old family trailer.

And I just had to have an all-window room full of plants and painting stuff for our gal. Turns out we renovated just in time for a visit from the new neighbors, Duchess Savii and the excess townies.

Surprisingly for such a sensitive kid Thomas really took a shine to Kylo.

Now remember how I said I was going for slow with Dahlia and Joaquin's future? Well, risky had other ideas.

So that settled it, Jo has got to move in, a pregnant Dahlia is going to need all the help she can get.

With Jo came another dog, sadly I cannot remember his name right now but he gets along really well with Dahlias Misty which is fantastic.

Jo was as helpful as I was hoping, helping out with Dahlia's twins.

And with a kid this troublesome an extra pair of hands is just what the family needed.

With two young kids, two dogs a pregnant lady, and cop hours the two don't get a whole heck of a lot of time together. But one Sunday Joaquin insisted they hire a babysitter and spend some quality time together so he could ask her something special.

And with Dahlia heavy with their child, Jo took it upon himself to help the babies come birthday time

Just when the house was free of babies it was off to the hospital for more.

I love this picture because he looks so panicked and annoyed that she's stopping like let's go! Unfortunately risky hates me and it was another set of twins. But at least the first set can help out now and walk the dogs at least.

They're both very social, good kids though so I'm hopeful the future will be easy.

Part 02 Part 04 Read the full article

[tss-storytime]

TSS Storytime Big Bang Beta Reader Sign-ups as of 4/27

And here are the wonderful folks who've signed up as beta readers for the event! The writers literally couldn't do it without you, so thank you!!

Sign-ups are still open to join this small but mighty army of spelling and grammar red-pen wielders, cheerleaders, plot developers, rubber ducks, and amazing people!

Drumroll, please… (tagged names below the cut)

@remy-the-lemon-berry, @ivaryn0, @threecrowsinatrenchcoat, @wh3nturtlesfly, @nandysparadox, @groovyghostie, @meadowofbluebells, @novainthevoid, @mythicalsmore, @fascinationsublime, @infinitesimal-dna, @dragonsaphirareads, @logically-prone, @anxious-mess19, @scaredghcst

Artist, Writer, and dual Artist/Writer signups linked below:

And, if you've made it this far, here's the sign up form for Artists and Writers (open until 11:59 PM PDT/UTC-7 on April 30th.)

[trashy-roadkill]

Another one! I love the comfy vibe it's bringing

Boo berry does have trouble sleeping sometimes.. nothing a small book of fairy tales cant fix!

Day-10: Storytime