#1. Lark: pick them up

[sanpape]

I noticed that Matt and Beth tend to (whether willingly or accidentally) create really well earned happy endings for their characters whereas Freddie and Will are really good at ending their characters on bittersweet, or even just straight up tragic notes in a way that feels incredibly fitting. If I had to put it succinctly I guess it'd be:

Matt and Beth's PCs and kin: The narrative feels inevitable but is excapable. You're out and you can heal.

Will's PCs and kin: The narrative is escapable, but not without changing you on a fundimental level. The choices you've made while escaping the narrative haunt you for life.

Freddie's PCs and kin: The narrative feels inevitable and is escapable, but it would require an incredible amount of introspection that this character simply isn't capable of.

[charmed-quill]

All that Grows// J.F x Reader Ch. 1

Authors note at end.

Summary: You were just children when you planted the cherry pit behind the stables, a secret garden, a quiet promise, a someday vow spoken with muddy hands and hearts still learning what love meant.

Years passed. Seasons shifted. Letters slowed. And the tree, like everything else, kept growing.

Now the war is over, and Jamie has come home. Changed. Older. Carrying things he doesn’t say out loud. He asks you to walk with him again, like you used to.

But time has not been kind. The garden is not the same. And neither are you.

The cherry tree has finally bloomed.

But so much has happened in the years it took.

word count: 4.9k

Next

The day they planted the cherry tree, the rain came gently.

It wasn’t a storm—just a soft drizzle, the kind that slipped through the sky like mist and soaked your clothes before you even noticed. The hills were pale with fog, the ground rich and damp beneath their feet. Everything smelled like wet grass and the promise of something growing.

“Ye didnae bring the seeds, did ye?” Jamie asked, squinting at her like he already knew the answer. His hands were on his hips, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows like he thought it made him look older, and maybe, in some small way, it did.

“I did so!” Y/N huffed, lifting the hem of her skirt with dramatic flair to reveal a small cloth pouch sticking out the top of her right boot. “Ye didnae bring the spade, though.”

“I did bring the spade,” he said, brandishing it with a triumphant grin, like he was some warrior from one of the stories her mam used to tell by firelight. “And I told ye not tae keep the seeds in yer boot. That’s manky.”

She rolled her eyes and dropped into the grass with a little sigh. She yanked the pouch out and set it gently on the flat rock they always used as their table-slash-throne-slash-potion-station.

“They’re seeds,” she said, opening it like it held treasure. “They go in dirt anyway. What’s a bit o’ boot muck tae them?”

Jamie didn’t argue. He rarely did with her. Their bickering was more habit than anything — the rhythm of their days, like the wind in the grass or the chirp of the little larks that nested in the rafters of the barn. He grumbled under his breath just enough to make a point, then crouched beside the tree stump with the spade.

He started digging, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in that way he always did when he was concentrating hard, usually on something that wasn’t strictly supposed to be his problem. A bit of his hair had fallen across his forehead, and Y/N watched it sway each time he shoved the spade into the earth.

“This spot’s ours,” she murmured, flopping forward onto her stomach and propping her chin in her hands. “When the tree grows, folk’ll walk right past and never ken it was us who planted it.”

“Aye,” Jamie muttered through a grunt, stabbing the spade into a stubborn root. “Until it’s taller than the bloody stable.”

She giggled. “We’ll just tell ‘em it sprouted on its own. Like magic.”

Jamie paused. Looked at her. Then back down at the soil.

Y/N plucked a stray blade of grass and started shredding it between her fingers.

“I read in a book,” she said after a moment, “that if ye plant something and make a wish, it comes true when it blooms.”

“What sort o’ wish?” Jamie asked, glancing over at her again, his eyes squinting, not just from the sun, but because he was trying to read her, the way he always did when he wasn’t sure if she was being serious.

“I’m no tellin’.”

“Well then, I’m no makin’ one.”

She huffed. “Ye have tae! That’s how it works. We both planted it, so we both have tae wish.”

Jamie leaned back on his heels and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

“I dinna ken what I’d even wish for.”

“Close your eyes,” she said, rolling onto her back and shading her face from the sky. “Wish for whatever you want most. Even if it’s silly.”

He gave her a long look, then closed his eyes anyway.

The breeze picked up just slightly, not enough to rustle the trees, but enough to make the grass lean in like it was listening.

Y/N didn’t say anything, but she watched him. Watched the way his brow furrowed just a little, like whatever he was thinking about was big enough to feel in his chest.

Then he opened his eyes again.

“Alright,” he said, a bit too quickly.

She smiled. “Was it a good one?”

The soil was patted down now, neat and round, a soft little mound between them. It didn’t look like much. Just earth. But to Jamie and Y/N, it already meant something.

They stood in silence a moment, letting the wind settle around them. Her hair fluttered across her cheek, and Jamie’s knuckles were still stained with dirt.

“Alright,” he said at last, eyes fixed on the little patch of ground. “But if it does bloom—someday—I want ye tae promise me something.”

Y/N turned to him, curious. “What’s that?”

He sat back on his heels, picking at a bit of mud on his sleeve. His cheeks were already pink from the wind, but there was a different kind of warmth rising there now, one that crept all the way up to his ears.

“When we’re grown,” he said slowly, carefully, like he wasn’t sure the words would sound right out loud, “and the tree’s bloomin’… I’ll ask ye tae marry me.”

He glanced up, then added quickly, “And ye’ll say aye.”

Y/N blinked. Then snorted. “Ye’re a daftie.”

Jamie shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t matter. “Maybe. But promise anyway.”

“Ye don’t even ken what bein’ married means.”

“Neither do you.”

“I ken it means I’d have tae kiss ye,” she said, scrunching her nose at him with a grin that was far too mischievous.

Jamie’s whole face went red.

“Well, ye wouldna have tae, if ye didnae want—” he mumbled, tripping over the words.

Y/N burst out laughing, the sound bright and wild, echoing into the trees.

“Ach, mo leòmhann beag,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “Ye look like you’re gonna faint.”

“I am no!” he protested, though his voice cracked halfway through.

Still smiling, she held out her hand, pinky extended. “Alright. If it blooms, ye ask. And maybe I’ll say aye.”

Jamie stared at her finger like it was a snake. Then, after a beat, he linked his pinky with hers — small and sure, the way only a boy with mud on his knees and his heart in his mouth could.

His grin, when it came, was crooked and a bit wobbly, like he was trying not to seem too proud of himself, and failing entirely.

They stayed like that for a beat too long, pinkies still tangled, the tree stump beside them and the future tucked quiet between the leaves.

“D’ye think it’ll bloom?” she whispered.

Jamie looked down at the soil between them, then back up at her.

“Aye,” he said.

It had been nearly three weeks since they’d planted the seed, and Jamie was starting to doubt the thing would ever sprout.

“Ye dinna ken if it’s workin’ or no,” Y/N said, arms folded as she stared down at the patch of soil behind the stables. “Just ‘cause it’s no showin’ doesn’t mean it’s dead.”

Jamie crouched beside it, brow furrowed. The earth still looked exactly the same, maybe a little more packed down from all the times they’d checked it.

“Looks the same as the day we planted it.”

“Maybe it’s a secret kind o’ tree,” Y/N mused. “One that grows underground first. Like potatoes.”

“Cherry trees are no potatoes,” Jamie muttered.

“I ken that,” she sniffed. “But maybe it’s shy.”

Jamie crouched beside the small mound of earth, patting it down with the side of his hand like he was sealing something sacred into the ground. Y/N had flopped onto her back a few feet away, squinting at the clouds and humming to herself.

Then—

“Maybe it’s waitin’ ‘til ye stop hoverin’ like daft hens.”

The voice came from behind them — older, smug, and painfully familiar.

Jamie froze.

He turned slowly, already groaning. “Jenny…”

Standing a few steps away with her arms folded and one eyebrow raised in theatrical judgement stood Jenny Fraser, hair in two neat plaits and a dusting of flour still on her sleeves like she’d only just escaped the kitchen.

“I mean, honestly,” she said, stepping closer. “Out here every other day, starin’ at dirt like it’s gonna talk back. It’s embarrassin’, is what it is.”

Jamie’s ears turned pink. “We’re checkin’ on it. That’s all.”

Jenny crouched down beside the little patch of soil and squinted at it.

“Aye. The love tree,” she declared, loud enough to carry straight to the house if the wind wanted. “Mam said she caught ye singin’ to it.”

Jamie nearly choked. “I wasna singin’!”

“She said it sounded like Lassie Wi’ The Lint White Socks,” Jenny said, smug. “Ye were kneelin’ and everything. Like some lovesick bard wi’ a shovel.”

Y/N sat up with lightning speed and clapped both hands over her mouth to muffle the laugh that burst out. Her eyes sparkled with wicked glee.

Jamie looked positively betrayed.

“I was clearin’ my throat,” he hissed, mortified. “It was cold!”

“Uh-huh,” Jenny said, clearly enjoying herself far too much. “Cold air makes ye belt ballads, does it?”

Jamie opened his mouth to retort — then promptly shut it again as Jenny leaned down and gently patted the soil with her flour-dusted fingers.

“Grow fast, love tree,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper, loud enough to make Jamie wince. “So Jamie can marry Y/N and stop mopin’ about it.”

“Jenny!”

She stood with a grin and darted back a few steps as Jamie lunged for her, shovel in one hand, dignity in shreds.

She shrieked with delight and bolted toward the house, cackling all the way across the field like a witch who’d just won a bet with God.

Jamie let out a long, strangled noise and dropped back to the grass.

“She’s evil,” he muttered, tossing the spade aside with a dramatic flop.

Y/N flopped down beside him, still giggling into her sleeve.

“She’s no wrong, though,” she said between snorts.

Jamie covered his face with both hands. “If the tree dies of shame, it’s her fault.”

The field had gone quiet again, save for the distant sounds of Jenny’s laughter echoing from the back steps of the house. The wind moved gently through the grass, rustling like a lullaby.

Jamie lay flat on his back beside the freshly packed mound of earth, arms crossed behind his head, his cheeks still burning.

Y/N stretched out next to him, her braid trailing into the grass, eyes fixed on the open sky.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then—

“I was singin’,” Jamie muttered.

Y/N turned her head. “Aye, I figured.”

He huffed. “Not like Jenny said. It wasn’t loud. Or... romantic. I was just hummin’.”

She smiled. “Still a song, mo leòmhann beag.”

Jamie groaned softly at the nickname but didn’t argue.

“I didn’t mean for anyone tae hear,” he said. “I thought I was alone. Just—doin’ it for the tree. For luck, maybe.”

Y/N tilted her head toward him, her cheek resting on her arm. “What was it?”

“What?”

“What song?”

He hesitated. “It was somethin’ Da used to sing. Nothin’ fancy. Just a few words... I canna even remember them all.”

“Try.”

Jamie glanced at her, then away, eyes tracking a bird overhead. He swallowed.

“Oh lassie, come walk wi’ me, where the rowans bend an’ grow... We’ll sit beneath the heather bloom, where none but us will know...”

He stopped, voice barely louder than the wind.

“That’s all I kent,” he said quickly. “Just that part.”

Y/N didn’t speak right away. Just looked at him, the way she always did when he was being quiet and brave at the same time.

“I like it,” she said at last. “Sounds like it was meant for our tree.”

Jamie’s mouth quirked up into the kind of smile that never reached both corners.

“I was hopin’ maybe it’d help it grow.”

Y/N reached over and, without saying anything, laced her pinky through his again — just for a moment.

“I think it will.”

It was raining again.

Not the kind of soft spring drizzle that had fallen the day they planted the tree — but cold, hard rain, the sort that soaked through your bones and made the sky feel heavy with things it didn’t know how to say.

Y/N stood just outside the door to the kitchen, fists clenched in the folds of her skirt. She hadn’t moved in nearly an hour.

Inside, everything had gone quiet.

Too quiet.

The kind of quiet that clung to your skin and whispered that something had ended.

Jamie’s mother had been labouring for two days. Everyone had known it was hard, that something wasn’t right, but no one said it aloud — not to the children. They just kept whispering to each other in corners, and Jenny had been sent to stay with the McTavishes overnight. Y/N had begged to stay. She hadn’t left since.

And now, the silence.

Footsteps finally came down the hall — slower than they should’ve been. Heavier.

Brian Fraser stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him with a gentleness that made Y/N’s heart stop.

He looked older. Ten years older. Like something had been carved out of him and wouldn’t be coming back.

Jamie followed behind him, barefoot, his shirt wrinkled, hair a mess. He looked like he didn’t know how to be in his own body anymore.

He saw Y/N, standing there like a ghost.

He didn’t say anything.

Just walked toward her, silent and red-eyed.

Y/N reached for his hand. He took it.

She didn’t ask. She already knew.

No one had come out smiling. No new cries had filled the house. Only the cold, and the silence, and the way Jamie looked like he’d fallen out of himself.

“Was it a boy?” she whispered.

Jamie nodded, once.

Her heart ached like something was splintering.

“I’m sorry,” she said, but the words felt too small.

They stood there for a long while, fingers tangled, until the rain softened to a mist and the lantern inside the house flickered low.

Eventually, she led him outside — not far, just to the side of the stables, where they used to play swords with sticks and laugh about things that didn’t matter.

He sat down in the mud like he didn’t care what touched him anymore. She sat with him.

The place where they had buried the seed only a few months ago was just a few paces away.

They didn’t look at it.

Neither of them had gone near it in days — maybe weeks. The magic of it felt too far away now. Too fragile. Like if they looked too hard, it might crumble with the rest of the world.

Jamie stared at the horizon. Not crying. Just quiet. And that scared her more.

“He had red hair,” Jamie said suddenly. “Da said so. Just like mine.”

Y/N swallowed. “He would’ve been wild, then. Like you.”

Jamie let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh.

“I was gonna teach him tae climb trees,” he said. “Mam said she’d skin me if I tried.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, only leaned her shoulder against his.

He didn’t move.

“Jenny’s comin’ back tomorrow,” he said, voice small. “She’ll cry. I’m no good at that part.”

“You don’t have to be,” Y/N said. “You just have to be there.”

“I don’t want tae be the man o’ the house,” he said. “I just want her back.”

Y/N blinked hard. Her eyes stung.

“I ken,” she whispered. “I ken, mo leòmhann beag.”

Jamie closed his eyes, and let his head rest lightly against hers.

The garden behind the stables hadn’t changed much.

The flat rock still marked their spot — their kingdom, their meeting ground, their not-so-secret secret place. It was flecked with lichen now, soft and green, and the paint Y/N had smeared across it when they were little had long since faded under years of sun and storms.

The grass had grown taller again. The fence leaned more each spring, its nails rusting gently like even it had grown tired of holding on.

They still came most weeks. Not always together. Not always with words. But one of them would mention “the patch” and the other would always nod.

Even if they never said why.

Y/N had stopped expecting anything a while ago.

It had been four years, after all. Four years since the day they’d dug that little hole, made that little wish, pinkies linked like it meant something forever. She was eleven now — long-legged, ink-stained, and too quick with her tongue. Her skirts were longer, and she’d started noticing the way her chest ached sometimes when people looked at her too long. Especially Jamie.

Jamie had turned twelve the week before. He carried himself differently now — chin up, back straight, like he was practising to be taller than he was. But he still tripped over his own boots, still got lost in thought and forgot half his lunch.

That afternoon was one of those spring days that made the world feel endless. The sun was soft. The sky wide. Nothing pressing, nothing loud. Just the wind and the quiet and the lazy hum of bees somewhere behind the barn.

They were sitting on the low stone wall when Jamie said, suddenly, “Do ye want tae go look?”

Y/N didn’t ask what he meant. She just stood.

They ducked behind the stables, slipping through the old gap in the fence like they had a hundred times before. Jamie went first, pushing through the tall grass, scattering dandelions with his boots. Y/N followed close behind, braid swinging against her back, a smudge of jam still drying on the sleeve of her tunic.

And then he stopped.

So sharply she nearly ran into him.

“Jamie—?”

“Look,” he breathed.

She stepped around him, expecting to see nothing. Just the same patch of stubborn earth, the same quiet disappointment.

But it was there.

A single sprout, bright as glass and twice as fragile, had broken through the soil. No taller than her thumb. Two tiny leaves stretched upward, trembling slightly in the breeze, like they weren’t quite sure if they were ready to meet the sun.

For a second, she couldn’t move.

Then she dropped to her knees, fingers pressed to the edge of the dirt.

“Is that—?”

“It is,” Jamie said, crouching beside her. “It’s ours.”

They stared at it.

No one said anything.

It was... small. So small. But alive. After four years of waiting. After all the forgetting and remembering and wondering if maybe they’d done it wrong.

Jamie reached out, slowly, and brushed a bit of grass aside from the base of the sprout. His fingers were more careful than they used to be, less wild, more steady. She noticed the way his voice had changed too. Lower. Softer around the edges.

“I didn’t think it’d ever come,” Y/N whispered.

Jamie didn’t reply right away. His eyes were fixed on the sprout like it might vanish if he looked away.

“I never stopped hopin’,” he said at last.

Something in Y/N’s chest shifted.

Jamie crouched beside the sprout, quiet for a moment. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled kerchief, the one Y/N had seen him use for wiping mud off his face, or tying up bits of food when he was trying to sneak extras out of the kitchen.

He didn’t say anything. Just knelt down and started gently brushing away the dried grass around the base of the sprout, like it was something delicate and important. Which, to them, it was.

Y/N watched him work, chest warm and strange.

“Should we name it?” she whispered, not sure why she was whispering.

Jamie looked over at her with one brow raised, then back down at the sprout.

“Aye,” he said. “But only once it’s a tree proper. No point namin’ it if it changes its mind.”

She smiled at that, a little crooked thing. “That sounds like somethin’ you’d do.”

Jamie huffed. “I dinna change my mind.”

“Ye used tae hate honey. Now ye drink it in yer tea.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

He gave her a look. She just grinned.

He sat back on his heels then, resting his elbows on his knees. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, and there was a smudge of dirt across one cheek he hadn’t noticed.

“It’s not much,” he said finally, nodding toward the sprout. “Just two wee leaves. Took it long enough.”

“It came when it was ready,” she said softly. “Just like ye said it would.”

Jamie turned his head, looked at her, properly this time. Not just a glance.

“You remember that?”

“O’ course I do,” she said, brushing her braid over one shoulder. “Ye said it’d grow one day. Even when I stopped believin’ it would.”

Jamie shrugged, trying to seem casual, but the tips of his ears turned pink.

She reached out then, slow and careful, and brushed her fingers across one of the tiny leaves. It trembled under her touch — like it was surprised to be real.

“I canna believe it,” she murmured, voice barely more than a breath.

Jamie didn’t speak.

He just shifted closer, leaned his shoulder gently against hers, not playful this time, not like when they were younger. It was quiet. Intentional. The kind of gesture that said I’m here without needing anything else.

Y/N didn’t move away.

She leaned back, just slightly, letting the weight of him settle beside her like it belonged there. Which it did.

“Ye always were the stubborn one,” she said after a while. “Even the tree listened tae you.”

Jamie let out a small laugh, the soft kind that stayed in his chest.

“Maybe it listens better when mo sheillean isn’t hoverin’ over it, askin’ if it’s had enough sun.”

She elbowed him gently. “If I’m a honeybee, that makes you the flower.”

“I’m a lion,” he said, half-serious.

“Fine. A lion-flower.”

“Ye’re daft.”

“And you love it.”

Jamie didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to.

They stayed like that, two kids with dirt on their knees and too much in their hearts, shoulder to shoulder beneath the wide spring sky. And between them, small and certain, the tree began to grow.

The breeze rustled around them. The birds in the trees kept singing. And between them, quiet and brave and growing, the little sprout reached for the light.

The cherry sprout had grown into a slender sapling.

Its trunk was still thin, a little crooked from the wind that swept down off the hills. Only a few branches reached up now, stretching toward the sky like arms not yet sure of their strength. No blossoms. No fruit. Just green leaves and a quiet persistence.

To anyone else, it was unremarkable.

To them, it was everything.

It was their secret. Their wish buried in the dirt. Their promise — still growing, still waiting, still theirs.

Jamie was leaving in the morning.

He was to be fostered by Dougal MacKenzie at Beannachd, just a few days' ride from Lallybroch — but it felt like a world away. The grown-ups called it a duty. An honour. A step toward manhood.

But to Y/N, it felt like a door quietly closing.

They sat beside the sapling, knees pressed together, backs against the old fence that framed their garden patch. The sun was sinking low, casting everything in amber. It was the kind of light that made the grass look like fire and the sky like it might melt into the hills.

It should’ve been beautiful.

Instead, it hurt.

“Ye’ll write, aye?” Y/N asked. Her voice was casual — too casual. She didn’t trust it if she let it shake.

Jamie was tugging at the edge of his sleeve, working a loose thread between his fingers.

He nodded, not looking up. “O’ course I’ll write. Every week.”

She raised an eyebrow, nudging him with her shoulder. “Ye’ll forget.”

“I won’t.”

“Ye will. Ye’ll be too busy ridin’ and shoutin’ orders and playin’ at bein’ Dougal’s golden boy. No time for letters to daft girls who talk to trees.”

Jamie’s head snapped up at that.

“You’re no daft,” he said, voice firm. Too firm.

Y/N blinked. She hadn’t expected him to sound like that. Like it mattered. Like she mattered.

Jamie looked away again, but not before she saw it the red creeping up the back of his neck, the way he swallowed like something was caught behind his ribs.

She turned her gaze back to the tree. The wind stirred its leaves, soft as breath.

“I wish ye weren’t goin’,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Jamie didn’t answer.

After a long minute, he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled something out, a small square of cloth, folded neatly. He held it out to her without speaking.

Y/N took it.

She unfolded it slowly. Inside was a ring, crooked and uneven, made from two strands of brass wire braided together. A tiny red bead sat at the top, polished until it gleamed in the fading light.

Her breath caught.

“Jamie…”

“It’s no much,” he said quickly. “I just — I wanted you tae have somethin’. So ye dinna forget me. And… so ye ken I’ll come back.”

She looked up at him, her fingers closing around the ring.

“Ye made this?”

He nodded. “Bent it wi’ a spoon. Took me ages.”

Y/N’s chest ached. She slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a little too big, but it fit well enough.

Jamie was watching her. That same nervous, lopsided look on his face, the one he wore when he was afraid and trying not to be.

“If the tree blooms,” he said, voice low, “I’ll come back. And I’ll ask.”

Y/N blinked. “Ask what?”

Jamie hesitated — then smiled, crooked and shy.

“You already ken.”

She did.

She really did.

Y/N turned toward him, suddenly aware of how close they were, how his knee brushed hers, how his hands looked too big now, and how he wasn’t quite a boy anymore.

She reached out and took his hand.

“I’ll be here,” she said. “Waitin’. Even if it takes years.”

There was something different about the way Jamie was sitting.

He wasn’t fidgeting the way he usually did,  no pulling at his sleeves, no kicking at the grass. Just stillness. Shoulders tense. Hands resting loose in his lap, like he was afraid he’d break something if he moved.

His eyes had gone soft.

Not dreamy, not dazed, just open. Raw in the way that only came when you were standing on the edge of something, and you knew the next step was the one you’d never undo.

Y/N watched him for a moment, her heart thudding loud in her ears.

And without thinking — without really deciding — she leaned forward and kissed him.

It wasn’t much. Barely a kiss at all. Just a brush of lips, warm and a little too quick, like the wind might blow it away if she hesitated too long.

She wasn’t sure if she’d done it right.

She didn’t care.

All she knew was that she had to do something before he disappeared into the morning.

When she pulled back, Jamie was staring at her like she’d just said something he’d been waiting to hear since the day they planted the seed.

“I’m sorry—” she began, voice small, uncertain.

But Jamie caught her wrist. Gently. Not to stop her,  just to hold on.

“Dinna be sorry.”

His voice trembled. Not from fear,  not really. Just from the weight of everything.

“I dinna ken how to say what I want tae,” he admitted, eyes flicking between hers and the space between them.

“You don’t have to,” she whispered. “I ken it too, mo leòmhann beag.”

The nickname slipped out without thinking, the old comfort of it blooming in her chest like a stubborn spring flower. He smiled then, barely, the corners of his mouth twitching like he didn’t know how to hold anything that big.

They sat like that a little longer — shoulder to shoulder, silence thick around them.

The sapling swayed gently in the breeze beside them. Taller now. Older. Like them.

“I’ll wait,” she said, not looking at him. “I mean it.”

Jamie was quiet. Then: “I’ll come back. I swear it, mo sheillean.”

She turned to him, and this time their hands found each other without needing to ask.

They didn’t say goodbye that night.

The next morning, Jamie left with the sun barely over the hills. The cart rattled down the lane, wheels creaking beneath the weight of saddle bags and letters and the kind of expectations boys weren’t meant to carry yet.

Y/N stood at the edge of the path.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t wave.

She just stood there with the ring cool on her finger, one hand curled into her skirts, the other brushing the edge of the fence where they’d once made a thousand promises with muddy hands and crooked smiles.

She didn’t need to say anything.

He looked back once.

That was enough.

She knew he’d come back.

She just didn’t know who they’d be when he did.

A/n: It’s me and the 6 other Jamie Fraser x reader writers against the world 😔✊ also this was supposed to be a one shot and I wrote 10k words instead 😭 I need to stop doing this I don’t have a single one shot on my page it’s all series bc I keep doing this

[shatterdome-underscore]

The Deck Picks episode of dndads and everything that happens after is Anthony Burch throwing a bowling ball at a bunch of dominos Matt Arnold accidentally set up

Like they wouldn't have needed the deck of many things if Darryl hadn't made that deal in episode one/Matt hadn't decided Grant lost his dog to get the Lance on their ""side""

The pyramid wouldn't have killed Cern's kids if Darryl hadn't thrown the bag of beans

Cern wouldn't have gone after the deck of many things if his kids survived

Cern wouldn't have went back for the deck and tricked them into pulling if Matt hadn't insisted they roll on the encounter table and then get a 1

Glenn's story would have gone differently if they'd been able to sneak into Meth Bay instead of him going right to trial if he hadn't got that one card

Lark wouldn't have released the Doodler if Henry hadn't pulled the rogue card

Scary would have her step father if Things Were Different. Normal's family wouldn't be broken the way it is. Link wouldn't disown his own father. Taylor would still have the exact same personality though

[llumimoon]

Introducing a very important side character and the big bad villain in the EAH au!!!!

Nicky being a bunny rabbit is ABSOLUTELY a running gag in the story btw Lark is fucking fuming and beefing with what appears to be just a normal ass bnuuy and its so funny. its SO funny.

Willy does play the role of the previous Evil Queen before Scary so here he is imprisoned his Magic (Doodler) Mirror that he will totaaaallly stay trapped in. mhm. definitely will not trick someone into breaking him out. (I am lying he definitely gets out)

A small section of the Nicky Bunny Rabbit Saga btw:

Also new Wonderlandian development lead to this

(AU by @rindomness, @kaseyskat, & I!)

Image description under the cut !!

[ID: Image 1: Ever After High AU Nicky Close posed with one hand up holding a pocket watch and the other hand hesitantly raised by his waist. He is labeled with the text ‘The White Rabbit’ and there is a word bubble that says ‘can transform into a bunny!’ And an arrow pointing to a white bunny in the bottom left of the image. The bunny has a pink bow and two piercing on an ear that match the piercings on Nicky’s bunny ears on his humanoid form. His humanoid form is wearing a light blue striped tailcoat with a white shirt underneath with the sleeves rolled up and a pink bow. He has large white gloves with pink toe beans on them and dirty white pants with various white belts and buckles and pink and blue knee patches and a pink sash belt with a bow on the left side. The pants are tucked into blue and pink buckled boots with white rabbit feet sticking out at the ends. He has three extra pocket watches on a belt loop and the pocket watch in his hand is open to show the time and a locket picture on the other side of Sparrow Oak dressed as Snow White.

Image 2: An ornate mirror is in the center of the image. The frame of the mirror is made up of intricate black swirls reflecting purple, blue, and red light from around it. The mirror has four eye shaped gems, the biggest one being a red eye at the top and the other gems being smaller and about the same size on the left, right, and bottom of the mirror. The gems are emitting a glow corresponding to their color. The glass of the mirror is shattered and is giving off a purple glow. Willy Stampler dressed as the Evil Queen is smirking and is trapped inside the mirror with his eyes glowing purple. The mirror is surrounded by purple particles and sparkles.

Image 3: A discord screenshot of messages in a server between ‘rin (doodler gender)’, ‘hero enthusiast (cal)’, ‘sparrow enjoyer’, and ‘hermie apologist (silver)’. Rin says ‘POTENTIALLY WEEKS!’ And ‘lark at some point going is this actually nicky. Is this actually nicky or am I legitimately just beefing with a real rabbit this wonderland kid picked up. did i fool myself’ then Cal and Nyx (who is ‘sparrow enjoyer’) both send keysmashes and Cal says ‘is this nicky or is this some random bunny who hates me specifically’ then Rin sends 'EXACTLY' and Silver sends ‘LMAO’ and Rin sends ‘did i piss off some other bunny-related person. what is this. what is happening. The exact opposite of nicky forgetting he could go rabbit mode when he first started keeping an eye on the kids for sparrow is him staying bunny mode MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH LONGER THAN IS NECESSARY OR REALLY USEFUL’

Image 4: A doodle of EAH AU Taylor ‘s head with bunny ears and an excited smile in red next to EAH AU Hermie’s head with a mischievous sharp teeth grin and cat ears in pink. The top of the image says ‘Update:’ while under the sketches Taylor is labeled ‘half white rabbit’ and Hermie is labeled ‘half cheshire cat’. /end ID]

[ratasum]

GW2 Fanfic: "Chaos Is A Ladder"

When she was the overseer of the Thaumanova facility, Khialli was on top of the world. Then, the unthinkable happened... and in the fallout, deemed too valuable to kill or demote, she found herself in an inconsequential lab stewing in a failure that wasn't even hers. Struggling to make the best of a difficult situation, she stumbles into a chance meeting in Soren Draa that may change the trajectories of both their lives forever. Available on Ao3!

Chapter 1 - Poison and Wine

She could still see the ruins.

That was the point, of course; the High Inquisitors had recognized her as too useful to kill or demote, after all, but an example had needed to be made. And that example had involved her standing quietly in her office, one that seemed to intentionally face Metrica Province, where shaky remains of a city hung suspended in the air, drooping from their former glory. The Rata Thauma ruins, destroyed by the fallout of Thaumanova’s unprecedented explosion.

Khialli hadn’t even been in the facility the day it went up. She’d had a meeting with another overseer at the Funhouse, but it was impossible to ignore the magnitude of what had happened even at that distance. Everyone had heard the explosion, heard screaming echoing through the valleys. Gone out of their homes and krewe spaces to see chunks of Rata Thauma falling from the sky.

The residents hadn’t known what hit them. It wasn’t as if the Thaumanova facility – hidden deep in the caves below Metrica – was known to most common asura. And their entire world had been shattered in an instant.

Seeing the powerful beam of magic shooting up into the sky spurred her to action faster than anything else could have, and she’d hurried back as fast as she could, only to spy a familiar face watching her from a nearby hill, smiling with her hands folded behind her back, rocking back on her heels as she glanced at the destruction and then back at her.

Ceara.

Oh, what a fool she’d been. That sylvari, they’d come to find out, had been the root cause of everything that had gone wrong that day. But with Ceara having fled and no respectable member of the Inquest wanting to admit that they’d allowed a sapient houseplant into their workspaces only to have her destroy decades of research and an entire city for nothing more than a lark? They’d needed a scapegoat to take the fall in the face of the immense loss of life.

Incompetence. Failure to control her krewe.

Her intelligence and capabilities as a magic researcher had been the only things keeping her from becoming an experiment herself.

And now Khialli stood, staring quietly at the swirling clouds above the ruins. A lot had happened since then- forces were moving against the Elder Dragons now, and she’d even heard Overseer Prikk had sent his son to become a “leader” of the movement in the wake of the death of Snaff’s apprentice’s failed pick.

Yet here she remained, forced to face her own failure day in and day out. She was not guilty of the destruction at Thaumanova, but allowing that maniac of a plant girl into her krewe was no one’s fault but her own.

Groaning, the young overseer pushed her hands back through her hair. She could have done anything she wanted, she knew that. She was a highly marked graduate of Voltaics herself, having gone to college in the very city destroyed by her own hubris. Her knowledge of how magic interacted with the world around it knew few equals. She had honestly appreciated Ceara’s presence for that reason- she had an innate knowledge of the magic that seemed to convene at the Thaumanova site, and she’d appreciated having a peer to talk to.

Even if she had betrayed her in the end.

Khialli frowned, dropping her hands to her sides before straightening. It was close enough to the anniversary of the disaster that it was rattling her head. She needed something to distract her. Projects were light today, so she told her assistant she needed to make a run to Rata Sum. It wasn’t technically a lie- she could’ve run this errand at any time. But going into the city meant she was a little further away from her mistakes, and it was easier to look away from the clouds that were a stark reminder of that day almost a year ago.

And besides, it meant she could take her time.

These days, she’d taken to dressing down and wearing a light cloak over her going-out gear. Best to avoid any questions, especially considering the Inquest’s activities were still under heavy scrutiny. It also reduced the risk of anyone recognizing her while she was out and about. That was the last thing she needed.

Clicking on the wrist circlet that contained the auto payment chip for using the waypoint system, she let out a breath and made for her first stop: Soren Draa.

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

Soren Draa was busier than most tallfolk outside asuran territory expected, but it was a comfort to Khialli. It was easier to blend in among the hustle and bustle of shopkeepers, food stall vendors, krewe recruiters, and students both from the nearby progeny school and from within Rata Sum. For at least a few moments, she could forget about the past and focus on the sights and smells around her. Fond memories of coming here with her college sweetheart, laughing and talking about their projects and what they planned to do when they graduated.

Those were much easier times. How much easier would it have been if she’d listened to her grandmother and come back to Rata Sum to apply for one of the magitech krewes? The Opticalium and Ulta Metamagicals were very highly regarded, and they had tried to recruit her as graduation approached.

But no. Pleekli and the sway of the Inquest’s unlimited resources – or so they told her – had lured her in. And now, here she was, perusing stalls as she let herself take her time. There wasn’t any rush; many of her projects still needed some time to “cook,” as it were. A few extra minutes spent meandering around Soren Draa, maybe having something indulgent for lunch and grabbing some coffee, wouldn’t hurt. No responsibilities, no one needing her immediate attention. She could let her mind drift.

And that was when she heard it.

“Khialli?! It is you!” It was a voice she hadn’t heard in years, and her head jerked up at the sound, green eyes wide as she stared at the asura that had stopped next to her. He was easily over a head taller than her, exceptionally tall for an asura, with brilliant violet eyes, tightly corded hair pulled back into a ponytail, and shoulders as broad as his grin. “Alchemy, I haven’t seen you since graduation! You haven’t changed a bit! How have you been?”

Khialli stared at him for a moment before straightening, holding her cloak a little tighter around herself as she smiled. The first genuine smile she felt she’d worn in ages. “Pyjax? By the pinion gears, it has been ages, hasn’t it? I’m doing as well as I could be, but you look like you’re doing pretty good for yourself.”

Pyjax just laughed, stepping forward to pull her into a bear hug that nearly knocked the wind out of her. If she hadn’t changed, he had by bounds. Or at the very least, he was a lot stronger than he used to be. “You have no idea! Are you in Soren Draa for long? I was on my lunch break and wanted to get out of the city. There’s a great little street vendor here that does the best grub and beetle skewers- I hear they import the grubs all the way from Ashford.”

“Oh, I-” Khialli staggered a bit as he released her, smoothing out her cloak. It would be nice to sit with him again, like they had back in college, but at the same time… “I don’t know. I have a lot of work I should be doing, and I’ve got errands to run…”

There was that brilliant grin again, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. “It’ll only be an hour. If you really gotta go, I won’t stop you, but I’d love to have a sit down with you and catch up. It’s been years since we last saw each other.”

Hesitating for a moment, Khialli glanced away before back up at him. She had wanted to waste a little bit of time today, and there was no harm in just taking an hour to grab something to eat and catch up. She could obfuscate any particularly intense questions, weave around them, avoid any deep, serious questions about where exactly her career was going these days.

Not much of anywhere, really, but that was beside the point.

Biting her lip, she finally sighed, offering a half smile. “Okay. Yeah, I think that should be fine. I was thinking of grabbing food anyway while I was out, so there’s no harm in doing that with you, right…?”

Immediately, Pyjax puffed up, grinning as he offered his arm to her. “Great! My treat. It’s payday and I’ve got gold to burn.”

“What? You don’t have to do that, Pyjax; I have my own gold.”

“I don’t have to, sure, but I want to.” He put his hand over hers once she took his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I mean, I know it’s been a while. But it’s the polite thing to do since you agreed to come to lunch with me.”

Khialli gave him a look, then sighed and shook her head. There was no use bickering with him over this, after all. May as well go along with it and then hurry to finish her errands while there was still daylight. Settling her shoulders, she set to walking along with him. No harm in taking a break. At this point, she certainly needed it.

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

If she was being honest, she’d forgotten how easy it was to lose herself in conversation with Pyjax. He laughed and joked, talking about his time with the Peacemakers. And while her answers were vague regarding her own projects, he at least didn’t pry too much. He just seemed happy to see her, pointing out things on the menu he enjoyed and thought she might too, grinning when at one point she reached over to flick one of his biceps.

“So what do they feed you in the Peacemakers, Py? You weren’t even half this size last time I saw you. I seem to remember you being a lot lankier.”

He laughed at that, rubbing the back of his head with a free hand. “Ah, yeah… after graduation I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with myself. Grams was encouraging me to try to get an internship at one of the colleges, but… I kind of wanted to do what she did. So I took some time to do a tour on a merchant ship that did a lot of travel between Rata Sum and Lion’s Arch. You build up a lot of muscle hauling sails and cargo day in and day out. And then… I applied for the Peacemakers.”

Khialli tipped her head, waggling her skewer at him. “I never pegged you for the type. I mean, I remember your grandma. Dyed in the wool Arcane Eye. So I can see her having a lot of impact on what you might want to do with your life.” Pausing to take a drink from her cup, she tipped her head towards him briefly. “How is Suulea, anyway?”

It was the first time the entire conversation that Pyjax’s expression fell, and he looked away for a moment before heaving a sigh. “Ah… she died. Or at least she was declared dead. She was investigating something regarding the Thaumanova disaster and went missing. After a few weeks of searching, they found some of her gear up north near the spider caves, all bloodied. Declared her dead after that.”

The fact that Khialli hadn’t immediately choked on her drink at the mention of Thaumanova was a miracle, but she did swallow hard to clear her mouth before speaking, putting down her cup to reach over and put a hand over his. “Oh Alchemy, I am so sorry Pyjax. I never would’ve asked if I’d known.”

“Nah, I figured. You never were the type to do that.” He offered a wan smile, shrugging faintly. “That’s why I’ve been working so hard lately. There had to be something she was looking into, and Rakt always came off as suspicious, before Tebb killed him.”

Furrowing her brow, Khialli leaned back slightly. “You’re climbing the ranks to try to uncover what she was looking into. But Pyjax… isn’t that dangerous? If someone found out…”

Pyjax shook his head. “I’m sure they could, but I’m being careful. I don’t plan to play my hand too soon, and you’re the only person who knows now outside of me. Best I can tell, though, is that she didn’t believe the overseer Councilor Yahk stated was “taken care of” was the one behind the explosion. Said it felt too convenient. And I believe her.”

It was a far more uncomfortable conversation than she’d expected. He had no idea, of course, that she was the overseer his grandmother was apparently investigating… and it seemed that perhaps she hadn’t figured out Khialli’s involvement when she disappeared, either. Or at least that’s what she hoped. Still, knowing he was investigating…

“What are you expecting to find, then? I mean… the reactor’s gone. So’s Rata Thauma.”

Again, he shrugged. “Dunno. But seeing as how the Pact’s being headed by some Inquest bruiser and the Inquest had heavy involvement in what happened, well. It could be connected. If nothing else, I’ll at least find out what happened to Grams.”

Khialli lifted her hand to tug lightly on a strand of pale hair, pursing her lips. “I see.” She leaned back slightly, then, looking over the young man sitting before her. He really had grown up a lot… and away. They were in completely different worlds now. Maybe it was best that they likely wouldn’t see each other again after this. “Well… be careful, okay? I’d hate to hear that you’d gotten killed or worse out there.”

That got him to smile again at last, and he turned his head back to her, flashing that brilliant lopsided grin. “Thanks, Kiki. I mean it. It’s been a rough several months, but… you know, I think running into you is proof that it might finally be turning a corner.” Lifting a hand to flag down a server, he tipped his head towards her, one ear cocked upwards. “I should get back to work before they send a search party. Maybe we can do this again sometime?”

“Oh… I don’t know.” Khialli picked at one of her claws briefly. “I’ve got a lot of work backed up.” A lie. “It was really nice to see you, though. Honest.”

His smile faltered briefly, but it seemed more out of disappointment than anything. But he didn’t push back, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “Well. If that workload eases up any, you know where to find me. I’m based right here in Rata Sum, so just ask around down by the Peacemaker offices. Someone’ll know where I am and be able to point you in the right direction.”

When Khialli smiled this time, it was genuine, and she squeezed his hand right back. “I’ll keep that in mind. It was good to see you again, Pyjax.”

“You too, Khialli. I hope it’s not the last time.”

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

Khialli had hoped to be somewhat calmer by the time she got back to her office in the early afternoon, but her heart was racing as the door slid closed behind her. She’d given her subordinates their orders, gone over everything, and somehow managed to keep a straight face through it all. It wasn’t until after the door was shut that she hurried over to the bed set up in the corner, picking up the pillow to shove her face into it and let out a tight scream, muffled by the soft fabric.

It had, at first, been so nice to see Pyjax. He’d come a long way from where he’d been before; she’d always wondered what he was going to wind up doing out there in the big wide world. He was smart enough, but not nearly as academically inclined as she had been. That he’d made Peacemaker wasn’t a huge surprise, considering he – like her – had been raised by his grandmother, the once head of the Arcane Eye. But to know that she’d died, and not just in the line of duty but while investigating the very place that had gotten her shoved into this Alchemy-forsaken pit of a laboratory in the middle of the wilderness?

Sure, it was likely a coincidence that he was looking into the Thaumanova disaster. Yahk had kept her name out of proceedings since Director Miyya had decreed she was being moved instead of demoted, killed, or worse. There wasn’t any chance of him finding out that she was the overseer that had been made a scapegoat in that whole mess… right?

Groaning, she tossed the pillow onto her bed and began to pace, one arm wrapped around her waist as she bit down on the thumb claw of the opposite hand. No, the risk was still there. She’d have to think of a way out of this. As nice as it had been to see him again, there was no way he’d be in any way all right with her involvement in the Inquest. She’d deflected him before by saying she was working on something of a highly sensitive nature that she couldn’t risk getting out to the public, but if he kept digging, she’d be in big trouble.

“Memo! Memo, where are you?” Turning around, she squinted, watching as the little golem activated from the corner of the room, hurrying over to her after she called. “Memo, I need you to send a message. Please make a request of Director Miyya for a transfer to the lab complex in Blazeridge Steppes. And… uh. She’ll want a reason… so let’s… let’s tell her that I’ve developed an allergy to a specific type of cave fungus that grows in the hylek grounds near the facility. It’s only found here in Brisban, so I’ll need to request a transfer effective immediately.”

The little golem beeped, floating over to settle into its terminal. “Affirmative-Overseer-Khialli. Sending-message-now.”

Starting to pace again, Khialli tried to settle her racing mind. If she could get moved somewhere far from the Maguuma region, she could avoid running into Pyjax again. She could just… run a facility out there, still decently out of the way of the rest of the Inquest. Sure, it wasn’t looking at the ruins of Rata Thauma day in and day out, but surely being so far away from the jungle could be some kind of penance, couldn’t it?

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she let out a sigh, frowning. In another world, another time, she would’ve gladly taken the time to rekindle that friendship. Pyjax had clearly done well for himself, and it wasn’t like she didn’t miss him. They’d gotten on so well in college, and he had really believed in where she could go in life.

And where had she gone? The Inquest. In a crummy little lab in the jungle looking out at a failure that wasn’t even hers.

Closing her eyes, she went to lay back, only to have Memo beep across the room. “Yes, Memo…?”

“I-apologize-Overseer-Khialli. Incoming-message-from-Asuran-Resource-Director-Miyya. Would-you-like-to-play-this-now?”

That was fast. Unpleasantly fast. Grimacing, Khialli pushed herself to sit up again. “...play the message, Memo.”

A beep, click, and whir later, the voice of the infamous head of the Inquest Ethics Committee could be heard through the device. “Hello, Khialli dear!” There it was. That sharp, condescending tone that dripped with poisoned honey. “I am so glad to hear from you. I was so concerned to hear your message, and so, I had one of my assistants do me the favor of pulling up the results of your recent physical. Would you imagine my surprise to find your only listed allergies were to omnomberries and coconut! You must’ve simply had a bad batch. At any rate, your transfer request is declined. Do remember to keep morale up, Overseer. You have an image to keep up if you’re to ever return to a… respectable position.”

Memo beeped as the message ended, and again, Khialli groaned. She had a feeling that was going to be her answer, but she hadn’t expected it to be so fast. But beggars certainly couldn’t be choosers. She’d have to hope that Pyjax just… didn’t trip over the information somehow. Her name had been hidden to keep her out of the public eye. Avoid assassination attempts from survivors of the destruction of Rata Thauma or their families.

Maybe Pyjax would just… focus on the alternatives instead of the identity of that overseer hidden away in the wilderness. Assume they had been killed for their transgressions.

Not that she wanted that to be the case, of course. She did miss Pyjax. And maybe he, and Suulea, had been right. Maybe she should have taken that open position on Opticalium instead of giving in to the dazzle and flair of the Inquest.

Not a choice now, of course. She’d made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.

Dragging herself to her feet, she gave Memo the order to shut down and headed back down into the lab. She could, if nothing else, get a little bit of work done. Take her mind off the day.

It wasn’t like she would see him again anyway.

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

Back in Rata Sum, a young Peacemaker sat in his office, going over documents from a recent case. He had some other things he wanted to look into later, but for now he had to clean up all the details on his project before he could get to more sensitive topics.

Still, Pyjax was in good spirits. He hadn’t expected to run into Khialli while out grabbing lunch- he hadn’t actually seen her since they graduated. And she looked good! Bright eyed, and whatever secretive project she was working on, it must’ve commanded a lot of attention to keep her away for so long. He wished they could’ve talked longer, but he knew that could change. Nothing saying they wouldn’t run into one another again.

On the other hand… he had noticed how her expression changed when he mentioned his grandmother’s disappearance. Sure, it could’ve just been shock. They’d grown up close, both of them raised by their grandmothers, and Khialli knew Suulea almost as well as her own grandmother. At the same time, that wasn’t an expression of simple shock. It was like something he’d said struck a cord with her, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

Tapping his stylus against his nose, he gazed up towards the ceiling. He’d always been genuinely good at reading people, even in college. And while he wasn’t the smartest graduate (he ceded that to Khialli when she graduated genius first grade and top of her rank), he was clever and street smart. An expression like that didn’t necessarily mean someone knew something, but it certainly raised some flags.

Quirking his lips, he leaned back in his chair, closing out the program he’d been working in to reach for a file he’d hidden in a drawer. His higher ups didn’t necessarily like him “digging into old news,” but so long as he got his work done, no one really gave him too much grief.

Flipping through the information he’d received, he tried to focus. See if there was something, anything, he might’ve missed in his previous attempts to figure this out. Lists of names, the symbols partially obscured… and mentions of a lab in Brisban, different from that damn Thaumacore facility where the Inquest continued their work on the material from that Alchemy-forsaken lab.

Hadn’t Khialli mentioned she was in Soren Draa from work in Brisban?

It wasn’t a lot to go on. The wilds were vast, and there were a lot of labs dotting the landscape, some more publicized than others. Maybe she was working with Ulta Metamagicals on their new gate tech research, something they were incredibly hush-hush about, and that would make the whole thing just another coincidence.

Tipping his head back to gaze at the ceiling for a moment, he hummed thoughtfully before getting to his feet, putting the files and the datapad back into the drawer. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d poke around, see if he could dig up where she was working these days. He was with the Peacemakers, so it wasn’t like there would be a conflict of interest if she knew where she was working. Whether it would be a good idea or not did float past in his mind- there was a risk, of course, that she could think he was stalking her.

That did give him pause. He’d only just reconnected with her. He didn’t want to do something that would make her uncomfortable. Even in college, she’d been a very private person. He’d respected that immensely then, and still did even now, years from their time together as awkward teenagers.

In the end, Pyjax sighed, putting his hands on his hips. No, he’d have to just have to keep investigating as it was. He wasn’t going to force himself into Khialli’s life like that.

Letting his hands dropped, he turned and headed to clock out and start on the long walk back to his apartment. Nice as it was to think about what could’ve been, they both had their own lives to focus on. And just like it would be unfair of anyone else to pry into his life, it would be equally unfair to Khialli to pressure himself into hers.

He’d just have to hope that someday, their paths would cross again.

[stackofturtles]

Improving the State Birds, continued

IThe first thread I made got way too long so I'm splitting it up, here is the link for the first thread containing parts 1-5:

Thread 1, Parts 1-5

Part 6

Wyoming

Current State Bird: Western Meadowlark

Rating: why did you throw away such and easy win?!

New State Bird: Greater Sage Grouse

Ok Wyoming, I don’t know much about you or your range of bird species, but I do know you have the Greater Sage Grouse. For what reason would you not pick this guy? JUST. LOOK. AT. HIM. Why pick a bird 6 other states did when you could have the majestic creature! It has the kind of personality and unique qualities I would expect from a state known for its natural beauty. You have more of these hansom birds than any other state, why would you not claim them as your symbol?!

Colorado

Current State Bird: Lark Bunting

Rating: nobody cares

New State Bird: Mountain Bluebird  

One western state needs the Mountain Bluebird and two have claimed it, but surprisingly not Colorado. How did the Lark Bunting, an obscure prairie bird, become the bird for a state known for its mountains? It beat out the Mountain Bluebird for state bird due to the lark bunting evangelism of the then (1931) president of the Colorado Audubon Society, Roy Langdon, who thought the eastern plains region of Colorado should be represented. No one in Colorado seemed to care about the Lark Bunting before Roy and, as far as I can tell, no one does now, the state seems apathetic towards its state bird. Roy, I say this as a fellow birder, it's just too much of a “birder’s bird” to for the general public to care about. I’m sure if they had gone with Mountain Bluebird Coloradans would have embraced it. It is a mountain state, that is how it is known, and it should get the Mountain Bluebird.

California

Current State Bird: California Quail

Rating: this is correct, I will take no further questions

New State Bird: California Quail

Picking a bird for CA is no mean feat, the state is huge with so many different environments and different species in each of them. What could represent all of the Golden State? I have heard suggestions for the California Condor (respectfully no) or the California Scrub Jay (better but still lacking something). But CA already has the perfect bird! Just look at the California Quail! Look at his silly little tassel! I’ve seen these guys running around CA and they are a delight! I think they have the power to really bring people together with their goofy little selves. You had a hard task CA but you nailed it.

North Carolina

Current State Bird: Northern Cardinal

Rating: all cardinals will receive an automatic F

New State Bird: Carolina Chickadee (or as we should refer to it as, the tom-tit)

Even though I knew I’d probably end up picking the Carolina Chickadee for NC I resisted it for a while, we already have 2 chickadees on the list and the Carolina Chickadee looks almost identical to the black-capped chickadee which is Maine's bird. Also for most song birds a geographic name usually means nothing, this bird is everywhere in the southeast, not just the Carolinas. But then I learned the history of the state bird and I’ve been swayed. The Carolina Chickadee was the original pick for state bird in 1933 but that decision was repealed a week later when the legislature learned a common name for the chickadee at the time was the tom-tit, they thought it was very undignified and didn’t want to be branded as the tom-tit state. I love this. I love the tom-tit. NC the tom-tit is your symbol, you are the tom-tit state, that’s what you get for spurning the chickadee, accept your fate.

[slimethehacker]

Can I get a Hermitcraft Grian? Level 1 pls & ty

[LVL 1 GL1TCH F0UND] grian.nm = hermitcraft.src

> name

grian, aero, wren, lark, jay, finch, kiwi, rain, noah

> pronouns

he / squawk / feather / wing / they / talon / peck

> gender

birdboy, parrotgender, fluffypigeonic

> sexuality

gay, monogamous, mates for life, overall his romantic life is deeply mirrored with that of bird/parrot mating styles

> age

25

> species

avian {specifically a parrot}

> roles

prankster, architect, birdxenorole

> source

hermitcraft

> faceclaim

> misc info

{included cuz.. idea dump} squawk tends to mimic and/or mock the people around him, and he is very prone to picking up phrases from people he actually enjoys being around. i imagine that wing's room would include an improv'd nest of whatever materials are available in said headspace {the only other person permitted into this nest would be his mate}. while many are caught off guard by his cute bird-like experior, he is a menace {take that as you will}. he uses feathers wings to make building easier for them, however squawk is prone to forgetting about projects and leaving buildings half built. talon will "peck" {bite} anybody other than his mate that attempts to touch and/or preen his feathers for him.

w3 h0p3 y0u 3nj0y h1m !! {tr. we hope you enjoy him !!}

[dujour13]

Six-Song Soundtrack

tagged by @dragonologist-phd and @miseryscrowned, thank you!! 💕 I always love musical ones for my little bard

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following:

An event that defines your character's past

How your character sees themselves

How others view them

Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic)

A major fight scene

End credits song

For Siavash:

An event that defines your character's past

Long Nights – Eddie Vedder

2. How your character sees themselves

Leaving - Jonathan Hultén

3. How others view them

Sunshine Superman - Donovan

4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic)

Between the Bars – Elliott Smith

5. A major fight scene

Butterflies and Hurricanes - Muse

6. End credits song

Don’t Look Back - Boston

Rambles under the cut -

1. Long Nights – Eddie Vedder

I'll take this soul That's inside me now Like a brand new friend I'll forever know

I've got this life And the will to show I will always be Better than before

Long nights allow Me to feel I'm falling I am falling The lights go out

Let me feel I'm falling I am falling safely to The ground

It’s always funny to me how average and untouched by trauma my little pwotr guy is. The only event that defines his past as the Fifth Crusade begins is having been left by his partner, Kristov, after a 6-year relationship that he had convinced himself was fine. Not to say that’s not a lot of heartache, but relatively speaking I guess.

This song is about how, in his hurt and loneliness, he picks up the pieces and tries to do better, and that defines how he approaches Woljif and eventually lives up to his trust. And I like this song because Sia’s an unplugged kinda bard.

(Oh and the first four lines could refer to a certain soul he’s stuck with and eventually reconciles/fuses with in the Abyss.)

2. Leaving – Jonathan Hultén

In quiet suspension, I’m spending my days Like a bird in a cage waiting to break out Sometimes I’ve tasted freedom, like it is, like it sounds And in those special moments I find all that I want Can you feel it? I feel it Hum, as it flies round and round And makes me leave the ground

As an unplugged kinda bard, Sia’s playlist is full of gentle guitar songs and soulful tenors. Sappy’s the whole point.

As he sees himself, he’s the Lark; he feels the wind and sings as he takes wing, but also skips out on people he loves. His heartbreak lies in that tension.

3. Sunshine Superman – Donovan

Sunshine came softly through my a-window today Could've tripped out easy a-but I've a-changed my ways It'll take time, I know it but in a while You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style 'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine

I'll tell you right now Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find Everybody's hustlin' just to have a little scene When I say we'll be cool I think that you know what I mean We stood on a beach at sunset, do you remember when? I know a beach where, baby, a-it never ends When you've made your mind up forever to be mine

Totally Sia’s brand of azata. This song expresses his enthusiasm and unusually un-flaky determination to see the crusade through to its end, something uncharacteristic for Sia, who tends to dip out when things get difficult. And if he’s sticking with it he’ll steer the crusade his own direction. Do it in style. “The beach where it never ends” – obviously Elysium – his guiding vision.

This is how others see him, because it’s what he projects: always optimistic, full of hope and inspiration. He doesn’t let the loneliness and doubt show.

4. Between the Bars – Elliott Smith

Drink up baby, look at the stars I'll kiss you again, between the bars Where I'm seeing you there with your hands in the air Waiting to finally be caught Drink up one more time, and I'll make you mine Keep you apart, deep in my heart

I know I’ve mentioned this one before but it’s THE Lark and the Crow song. Kissing between the bars of the jail… and the poem.

5. Butterflies and Hurricanes – Muse

Chaos theory. For me this is the azata Fleshmarket song, especially with that speech from Early Sunset afterwards about how this mortal-imbued-with-mythic-power’s little butterfly wings stir up storms across the planes and disrupt the machinery of millennia. So silly and dramatic and inspirational, it’s Sia’s ass-kicking for goodness azata theme song.

Don’t Look Back – Boston

Don't look back, ooh, a new day is breakin' It's been too long since I felt this way I don't mind, ooh, where I get taken The road is callin', today is the day

I can see, it took so long just to realize I'm much too strong not to compromise Now I see what I am is holding me down I'll turn it around Oh, yes, I will

I finally see the dawn arrivin' I see beyond the road I'm drivin'

It's a bright horizon, ooh, and I'm awaken I see myself in a brand new way The sun is shinin', ooh, the clouds are breakin' 'Cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play

Ultimate dad rock outro. Right now I’m regretting West Wind (like seriously this close to deleting it), but there are a couple story beats I’m still happy with, and this song embodies those. Both Sia and Woljif leaving their past behind and looking ahead.

Tagging no pressure: @arendaes, @the-raging-tempest, @jean-dieu, @yunessa, @fantastic-mr-corvid but anyone else who wants to, please take a free tag!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Review:

A Vampire in an arranged marriage with the ruthless Werewolf Alpha...nothing could possibly go wrong right? Misery Lark is the daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman and has been an outcast her entire life, shunned by her own kind, hated by humans and werewolves, her only true friend is her childhood companion/sister, Serena who has mysteriously disappeared leaving behind a cryptic journal with only one phrase in it as a clue : L.E. Moreland. When her father request she enter into an arranged marriage with the newly appointed Alpha of the Werewolves she wants to say no... except when she learns its none other than Lowe Moreland, she knows she has to say yes. He is the only clue to what could have happened to Serena and Misery will do anything to find her sister. Yet this marriage is meant to ensure a peace treaty between the vampyres and the werewolves, essentially forcing Misery into being a hostage living in Lowe's home for a year. Misery knows Lowe has a mate despite agreeing to marry her, yet the closer the grow the more confusing their feelings become. It doesn't help that their marriage has it's own politics to deal with, from werewolves and vampires wanting to assassinate either one of them and Lowe being hot and cold with his feelings. Misery just wants to find her sister, yet the longer she stays with Lowe the more she finds herself opening her heart to the very wolf she never expected to fall for... but can she be with him when he has a mate... or is he keeping another secret from her? This was a really fun vampire/werewolf and fated mates romance. I loved Misery, she's fun and cute, I love how caring she is and how she's willing to give everyone a chance, despite being hurt by so many people in her life. Lowe is a great love interest and I wanted to shake him at times and tell him " JUST TELL HER " but overall I could see what his mentality was and how he cared for her so much that he wanted to put her needs and feelings above his. They really had a sweet romance. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE, I AM LOOKING AT YOU KOEN AND SERENA. The book was a bit slow to get into and the romance itself was really slow burn ( not picking up at all until the 50% mark) but once it gets going, it gets going and I loved it. I really enjoyed the world that Ali created and am excited to see where she goes next with these werewolves and vampyres! if you enjoy paranormal romances with fun protagonists and swoony love interests, definitely give this a go, this was such a fun read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[eiese]

Hello Flea,

All of your fellow Larks have abilities that could be of use to you in your mission, but if you have to order them from most to least useful to you, how would you rank them?  (If possible, explain the reasoning for your ranking) 

Sincerely,  a calculating fan. 

:D I have fans? - Well disregarding all the suspicions I’d normally have about you in any other setting, I’ve actually thought about this a lot so Let me tell you all about !!

MY TOTALLY AWESOME RANKING OF THE LARKS AND THEIR ABILITIES AND HOW USEFUL THEY ARE TO ME AND THE MISSION SPECIFICALLY (IN MY OPINION !!)

1. Ange - probably the most guessable ranking on here !! Ange’s great for so many reasons. Stealth is a super useful tool for gathering information stuff. Anything that avoids a direct confrontation is good! (I’m really bad at fighting head on!) But Angelica is surprisingly Really good in a fight against things she can actually hit anyway. Her being a thief, hasn’t come in handy just yet but.. I have high hopes! she *was* specifically scouted out to steal the crown for the mission. Moreover I guess, her contract of loyalty makes her an incredibly valuable ally… the contract by itself makes her be the most valuable piece on the board in all honestly ! And speaking of the mission, since I’m pretty sure Ange’s contract explicitly puts her in the service of the August Lord’s Champion and not me specifically, even if I were to die Augustian could just make a ne-

2. Elle - Elle’s a sworn ally against the Queen of Winter now. She’s helping. She’s helping so much already,, easy pick for number 2. Elle’s also is the best one of us in an actual fight and she’s team leader !! (And the matriarch) so convincing her of a plan of action generally makes the rest of the group go along with it too. Especially good for reigning in Pearl at times. Smart, not too ruled by their emotions, so they can generally be expected to be on the same page on a lot of things. Really the only other sane member on the team besides yours truly. They are teaching me how to use martial weapons !! That’s very nice of her !! Also persisting new equipment between missions is super useful for building more assets for the Actual Mission. I’m sure the *maybe* getting manipulated by Ioun thing is not a problem maybe. Even if it is I’m certain it’s not too late to intervene.

3. Caly - haven’t looked into Calypso that much yet. On the Surface she seems like a very typical academy student. (Her father being a warlock is…intriguing)(if he was the tabaxi who was able to enter the tower before us…he could potentially be another force acting against the Snow Witch) Having another caster in the party is pretty cool though. Personal preference but the school of enchantment is pretty interesting, and I guess it’s pretty useful that Calypso can be there to pick up my slack with enchantments. And she’s proving to be pretty useful in keeping up Ange’s morale ! Doesn’t seem to like *me* that much though whichuhh y’know,, whatever.

Pearl - apologies if this goes against the spirit of the question but I’m not dragging that kid into this ! Refusing to think of the 15 year old in terms of usefulness to the gruesome murder plot !!

…..alright fine her connections to royalty could someday be useful to gain favor with Them but that’s about it !!

✌🏻

Sincerely,

Nobody.

[plantyberry]

Planti's OKS musings: Imposter MC

So, I feel a bit weird doing that, but I have to start from somewhere, so here we go! Please take note that the data in this post comes from the game and code from the Public beta build (currently up to Chapter 2-2)

Welcome to Planti's OKS musings! yaaaaaaaay

For now I will focus on the MC's Imposter Secret, seeing as this will be the one thing to bite them in the butt later on if not handled correctly (looking at you here, Liar/Serial killer), this time featuring my observations on the Imposter, my personal favorite due to it being the most 'normal' one of the bunch as well as the potential hilarity of there being two imposters in this van if you add in the saboteur.

Chapter 1, Secret Pick:

Right off the bat, the Imposter Secret possesses some slight flavor text for the Amnesiac and Accident MCs due to their especially nonexistent/painful pasts and memories that they wish to escape. Picking the Imposter Secret gives +5 to the 'social' score, which is fitting seeing as, according to the narration, it was pulled off using exclusively the MC's social abilities and maintained that way.

Breaking down the choices and what they apparently give (since I remember the writer mentionning that they were lying somewhere, no doubt in part to obscure who the other Imposter here is) Here is what we have!

As far as I can tell, only the first two waves of questions have a mechanical impact.

Impactful choice 1:

-I don't even know what I'd been thinking : Bold -2 -I immediately knew exactly what I had to do : Bold +2 -I never intended this. It just sort of... happened : Bold -2, Sweet +2 -It was only meant for a short term lark in the beginning : N/A

Impactful choice 2:

-It's not as if I'm hurting anyone : Optimist +1, Sweet +1, Bold -1 -It's not as if it's possible to steal from the dead : Sass -1, Sweet -1, Bold -1 -It's not as if [The Original] ghost's haunting the world because of this : Optimist -1, Sass +1, Bold -1 -No excuses here. In the end, I wanted to be [Them] and so I became [Them] : Optimist -2, Sweet -2, Bold +5

Additionally, and rather tellingly at that, There are two further direct background interactions with this secret. If one picked the Amnesia Childhood and/or the News Reporter Job, both Lorelei and Gwyneth gain +1/+2 on their sus score.

Now, let us look at that particular data point from another angle: This doesn't trigger if the MC has an abused, abandoned, or accident (now that I think about it, all the childhoods come with an 'a', funny coincidence) childhood and/or stays clear of working as a reporter as an imposter.

This is relevant because of several things:

First, in the Amnesiac background, it is mentionned that there was a national/international media campaign when Amnesiac MC was first found and some more perceptive characters may very well suspect something. However, I find it odd that Cassandra, the literal police detective, isn't the one gaining the sus score here, meaning that even though this point could be a weighting factor, it isnt the determinant one.

Second, the fact that this only triggers in the Amnesiac MC's path as far as childhood goes means the forgotten past of the MC themselves is going to be a 'tell' of their Imposter secret for Lorelei and Gwyneth. Seeing as a bit of code diving gives us that delightful tidbit (set ensorceled true) when we look at the amnesia childhood is also quite interesting, considering Lorelei and Gwyneth aren't, in fact, supposed to be the most magic-sensitive characters.

Gwyneth I can handwave by saying that she's extremely social-specced and could detect that something's off where Cassandra couldn't, but Lorelei doesn't have this excuse, and her behavior of her being extremely prepared/already on the run (apparently there's a 'reason' she'll be one of the later catches?) on top of the very specific requirements for the sus triggers mean that she is the likelier one of the two to have actually known MC in the past.

Chapter 1-5-2:

Most of the flavor text involving the Imposter secret revolves around them taking advantage of situations or doesn't bear any mechanical effects that I can anticipate, except maybe this one:

-For the Smoking-addicted MC who went back to their apartment, it is revealed that the possess another, premium, lighter with what seems to be (unless I'm misreading the narration here) their 'Original' name written on it, the one they had every since they woke up in the desert with amnesia, which is likely to have some rather interesting in light of the Gwyneth/Lorelei possible situation going on.

Chapter 1-6:

Merlin, if they are who they say they are, almost certainly knows the character uses a fake name if a non-mute Imposter MC introduces themselves, though it seems his sus counter only rises when MC deliberately gives them a pseudonym instead. Seeing as they only seem to care about past names and Arthur, they are unlikely to cause trouble unless more people raise up objections (Looking at Gwyneth and lorelei here)

Chapter 2-2:

Imposter secret comes back to bite you in the butt! This time with those two options during the talk about your addiction:

-"Well actually..." I launch into a long retelling of my life story : Adrian Sus +1 If Amnesiac, Imposter and Merlin doesn't know who your past self is: Merlin Sus +1 If Abandoned, Imposter and Merlin doesn't know who your past self is: Merlin Sus +1

-I hand over a thick printed booklet of my life story that I carry around for times just like this. Adrian Sus +1

The reasons for this are fairly obvious, Adrian almost certainly looked into the MC's past, and the discrepancies are beginning to pop up. Beign an imposter is a secret that only really holds as long as people don't know enough about MC to be able to call them out on their lie. The more info MC gives, the weaker their secrecy becomes, as Adrian oh-so-suspiciously put it 'keep it simple' (so says the one most likely to be a fellow imposter secret holder). As for Merlin, the Amnesia incident reeks of magic interference, and the Abandoned one is also pretty suspicious, but seeing as those only trigger suspicion when MC is an Imposter mean that Merlin possesses some level of awareness of the nature of MC's lie.

It's the little things, but considering Book 1 lasts, what, two weeks? Those little things may very well begin to pile up.

The last thing is the TV incident in the shop if MC decides to go there early. If they are an imposter, the TV will show the 'real' owner of the name MC has lived with, which is pretty damning insofar that this means the demons are aware of MC's secret and in turn, so would the Saboteur, which is something they will definitely use against them.

Final thoughts:

As far as secrets go, by itself Imposter seems fairly benign. It looks pretty easy to at least mitigate the negative side effects by revealing your Camelot identity to Merlin and Arthur and having a good relationship with Adrian, and just not being a complete jerk as well as keeping the work on that high social, since this is likely to be the relevant stat checked when the secret is out.

A big thanks to @oneknightstand-if for creating this Interactive fiction that I can theorize my little heart out over. I can't wait to be completely wrong about all of it when more stuff comes out in the public beta!

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

3rd POV-Peeta Masterlist (3)

Part 1 / Part 2 /

Created: February 18th, 2024

Last Checked:--

Coming Alive-albinokittens300 (ao3) Summary: A moment between Katniss and Peeta after she makes the choice to go hunting again. Or, Peeta's PoV as Katniss slowly begins to live again.

Pure (Or, The Five Times Peeta Wasn't)-aimmyarrowshigh (ao3) Summary: “I know I’m not – ” Madge mumbled, white and pink against his dark bedclothes. “No,” Peeta said softly. He bent his head to kiss her. “I like it.” It. You. Not her. This. Real.

Second Chances-annieoakley1 (ao3) Summary: Dr. Peeta Mellark dreamed of one day running into his high school girlfriend and maybe paving the road to reconciliation with the one who got away. But he never imagined it happening like this. Everlark, modern day AU. Oneshot.

Soothe me-angylinni (ao3) Summary: Peeta is working on a commission and is having trouble getting started. She takes it upon herself to make him relax.

Study Date-everlarktoast (ao3) Summary: Katniss and Peeta are keeping their relationship hidden from their conservative parents, but what happens when Mr. Everdeen finds them kissing during an innocent study date? A fluffy, cute, funny and a lil bit sexy ever lark drabble

The Wager-mrspeetamellark (ao3) Summary: This drabble was written based on an Ask on tumblr from mega-aulover: “Can you write something based on Johanna and Peeta's coworkers picking Katniss out of a crowd and telling Peeta he could never pick her up using a cheesy line? Peeta using a cheesy line on Katniss? Not knowing they're together.”

Turkey Shoot-alliswell21 (tumblr) Summary: Peeta has secretly been getting hunting lessons from Gale, so he can surprise Katniss with a non-store-bought turkey for Thanksgiving

Underneath-LemonLuvGirl (ao3) Summary: This one shot was written in response to a tumblr everlark prompt: during the victory tour katniss’s skirt gets caught on something at one of the events and rips off entirely. [her underwear or lack thereof, other details and most importantly peeta’s reaction and if they have sex all up to you]

What You Wish For-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: College is your chance to reinvent yourself, to take chances and to try new things. But eventually, you always have to go home.

Witch-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Evil sometimes comes in a righteous forms but it can't hide from a witch's wrath. An Everlark story inspired by the Salem Witch trials.

[magicalyaku]

Why is it October already and why am I still talking about books I read in April?! I'm like half a year behind in time than the rest of the universe. So let's make this quick, eh? The theme of this part is Gay Adult Fiction series, my comfort food. uAu

The Prince's Assassin series (Ariana Nash): I picked this up on a whim, at the end of April when I was in a slump, and then I read all 3 books and the novella in about a week. It's good! In the beginning, it has quite a few parallels to Captive Prince but I didn't mind and it quickly becomes its own story. There's magic and elves (who are very different from what you usually imagine as 'elves') and some dark themes. I liked reading it a lot and I enjoyed Nico as a character. That he actually walked away from Vasili when it got too much. And that just when I thought "how often will you repeat this?" they worked it out. :D

The Paladin's Shadow & The Sword-Witch's Heart (Radiance 2+3) (Tavia Lark): The easy-going ones, here they are! Not much different to say from the other books I read by this author. Enjoyable adventure, romance that works, good world-building. For the third book, I was very apprehensive to read about the second protagonist because I didn't like him when he appeared in the second book. But suprisingly, he got better and I ended up liking book 3 a lot more than book 2. The series got new covers recently btw. These look a lot better than the old ones. :'D

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen & The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books 1+2) (KJ Charles): Omg, so much fun. I loved reading the first book, so 4 days waiting for the second volume to be delivered was testing my patience really hard. yAy It's fun and at times suprisingly dark (as in people die) and I really like the portrayal of the marsh, as a place, as a home. That was the one piece I missed a little in the second book, but otherwise I liked that one just as much. Can't go wrong with KJ Charles. :)

Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland): As it turns out, we started with the darkest and end with the funniest book. :'D This one is not exactly a series, but set in the same world and slightly connected to the events of the author's previous novel A Taste of Gold and Iron. This one took me by surprise. It's hugely different than its predecessor but so much fun! It's a comedy, really, and a smart one at that, despite it consisting 70% of dirty jokes. (There are no explicit scenes, though!) I enjoyed reading every second of it. It's just great. Good characters, smart writing and dialogue, adventure, absurdity. Highly recommended.

There's still 4 more books on my list but I just decided that I don't to need to talk about them much, so have one (or three) sentence(s) for each and then be done with it:

Snow Boys (Simon Doyle): Cute, contemporary story with coming out drama and family drama. Why does it change covers so often?

A Spark of Magic (Tari Riley): Self-published fantasy story with a budding romance between a teen witch and an accidental merboy, first book of a series, was pretty okay. The only thing that irked me was how they were constantly grabbing things (instead of taking them or picking them up or fetching them ...). :'D

Only Mostly Devastated prequel novella (Sophie Gonzales): Of course, I've already forgotten everything about the main story except the main points and that I enjoyed it, yet it was easy enough to get into the prequel.

The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa): I didn't like it, because it's not about the cat but the usual Japanese teenage manga protagonist, but because it's a novel instead of a manga suddenly it's great and serious? My ass. It makes some good points about our modern reading habits but is very simplified, and if you let me talk any further, I will only rage about every single point that annoyed me, so I stop. :)

[myriadbookreviews]

Book review #1, Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

Sharp teeth was a book I happened upon by chance. It has been years since I’ve read a physical book and recently I picked up a library card so it was the first thing I grabbed. I read the back synopsis and thought "cool a werewolf book" so checked it out and finished it recently.

When first opening the book i was surprised and intrigued, lo and behold the entire novel is written in poetry style of free verse. surprisingly, this style works very well for the story and it can be summed up in four words…… sex, drugs, murder and dogs. They are described as an ancient race of lycanthropes who can shift at will, thing is not all of them are wolves. one of the main characters lark, is a big black dog I'm assuming akin to a german shepherd type so they switch between calling them, dogs, wolves and even coyotes.

Honestly, if you're into mafia type stories, gang/packs are fighting over modern day l.a. (with mentions of mexico in there) within these verses is a interesting story and by far my favorite was Anthony the dog catcher. if you can get past the poetry type writing its definitely an entertaining and dark ride that i enjoyed. it has a wide variety of characters from one pack to another, to even a cop and an innocent dog owner bonnie. i got the ending i wanted and feel thoroughly satisfied. i give it a 8/10 if I'm being honest. its the best book i could've started with in my journey of returning to physical media.

[bugcartoons]

HEADCANNON FOR DNDADS SEASON 1!!!!!

(I will draw these eventually, but art college is just kicking my butt really hard rn, like my classes are fucking me up fr fr)

The longer the Oak boys are in the forgotten realms the pointer their ears get cause they are half elf and it starts to come through the more they learn about magic

Mercedes is also from the forgotten realms. It was an arranged marriage that Barry Oak still somehow managed to force but jokes on him, they are literally perfect together

Lark gets his spells from his dad and Sparrow gets his spells from his mom. Its like a genetic thing for what spell types you are inherently best at

Samantha and Mercades are like besties, both boho vibes with their arsthetics. Henry also (platonically) loves Samantha because Henry is a crystal girly at heart because of his wife but he wont admit it

The children all start the series in the same fit, aka their soccer uniform, but as soon as they get sold off they get different fits that match with where they end up in the world

Morgan is RIPPED. Like, biker girl, all leather, spikes, big red hair.

Glenn gets in a lot of fights at his mall gigs but Morgan would end them

Samantha will happily pick up Ron and he LOVES it. It makes him feel cared for and loved

Lark and Sparrow teach spanish to the other kids so they can yell cuss words on the field when there was a bad move or a bs ref call and not get in as much trouble

The kids are all actually really good friends but Grant and Terry Jr are def the closest

Everyone knew Grant liked boys years before Grant knew

Carol is such a business woman it isnt even funny. Slick back platnum pony, the blazers and pencil skirts with the office heals and a pair of really hot glasses??? Yeah 100%. She also had bright red lipstick and the sharpest eyeliner with those laminated eyebrows AND she also has pointy acrylics that are done every other week. She ALWAYS looks perfect and genuienly commands so much respect in the office she works in

Carol is a huge stickler for no shoes in the house BUT you also have to wear house slippers if you walk anywhere inside

Carol would be vegan if Darryl wasnt the main person that cooked meals but she loves him and knows he loves his smoker and grill so she happily goes along with it cause she likes seeing her husband happy

I know there are so many Carol ones rn but one more, she never cheated on Darryl. It was so heavily implied that she did with Darnel(?) but she never went through with it because she realized she loved her husband more then she thought right as she was about to cheat

Every now and again Grant will leave his videogames to help Darryl cook dinner. It is such a special thing to Darryl and those moments are usually when they both open up to each other

Terry Jr does a lot of different styles with his hair. Grant has asked about it before since he has curly hair and Terry Jr tried to teach him how to take care of twists, cornrows, dreads or literally just whatever style he has in the moment but since Grant doesnt have the same type of hair he just ends up getting confused

Grant tries really really hard to learn tho because he can see that Terry really trusts him with it and he wants to make his friend proud/happy cause it would make him feel proud/happy too

Funny enough Samantha also tries to teach Ron how to do her hair (Terry Jr learned that letting someone else do your hair is a sign of trust from his mom). Ron actually is a quick learner and eventually it just becomes their daily routien where he helps her with her hair

Darryl has curly hair

This might just be an opinion but Glenn is the most caring dad of the group by a lot

Rom cried when he found out he was gonna have a grandaughter

Glenn happily chills with Jodie in hell when Nick is with his mom

Glenn and Jodie dont really hate each other anymore. They pretend to hate each other a lot but are perfectly fine hanging out together considering how much they do it

One more lol, Glenn and Jodie are so dramatic for no reason. Literal theater kids without being theater kids

[mariusrenathyrs-crashout]

For the ask game any character of your choice to 1, 2, 5, and 26

Hi anon :) Thanks for the freedom. I'm gonna pick Sparrow Oak from Dndads, my og baby girl who's a father.

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I love him, I love him so dearly. He's so underdog coded, he's the neglected son, he saw visions of an Eldritch God who's haunted his family for generations, he as a child tried to kill his grandfather whom he thought killed his twin, he chose at one point in his life to try and choose kindness and compassion towards others and in turn was dragged along while his brother was cursed with immense hatred and who unleashed the God Sparrow saw in his dreams. He thought choosing kindness meant choosing to let others walk all over him including people he cares deeply for, he is in the messiest marriage ever, he is actively traumatized and has depression and many mental instabilities he tries keeping on lock so he can support his brother, he sees so much of himself in his son it's hard for him to relate or want to be near him, he's a fucking disaster of a person. And most of the time, nobody cares. He's my underdog character for sure.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Sparrow Oak still regards himself as half of a whole being, he still regards himself as "the same man twice," in relation to his twin. Sparrow is so complimentary to Lark and yet so different, they both carry guilt and shame and self hatred but in different ways and while Lark expresses his actively, Sparrow tries to bottle his up which is the same tactic his grandfather whom he hates and traumatized him and his father who is ashamed of Sparrow both use. He's actively like the two people he hates and loves the most.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

Listen, call me Lark Oak the way I am an apologist for Sparrow's rights and his wrongs; but my FAVE messy thing that Sparrow Oak has ever done is after inviting his twin brother to live in his home and caretaker for him, he finds out later on his beloved twin brother and his fiance turned wife had an affair literally the night of his wedding. And instead of confronting his beloved brother and his wife, he instead decided to keep his mouth shut and continue letting his brother live in his house, even though he and Lark aren't quite sure if Sparrow's kids are biologically his or Lark's. LIKE THAT SHIT IS SO MESSY, YOUR SELF ESTEEM IS IN SHAMBLES BABY GIRL.

My other runner up is him telling Nick he refuses to kneel to him even with a blade to his throat.