#Bat Cooking Boot Camp

[kittythelitter]

Batfam Cooking Boot Camp

Thinking about the Batfam and the concept of geniuses who are capable of hacking and fighting and swinging and general vigilante stuff, many of whom canonically or often in fandom "Can't Cook"

And it makes sense: many of them never had to and many of them never had a chance to learn. And people who are learning to cook make a lot of mess and a lot of mistakes and can waste food and cause danger and damage and there's no way Alfred wants that in His Kitchen unless someone really wants to learn and is going to put the time and effort into it.

But imagine for a moment. Alfred overhearing friends and partners of his charges joking about how they always have to get takeout or come to the manor when it's the bats' turn to cook.

Specifically I'm thinking about Kori asking Dick to take Mar'i to the Manor or invite Jason over with some frequency when she's going to be off world so that she (Mar'i) can have some home cooked food that's not pb&js, cereal, or burnt Mac and cheese.

And Alfred isn't oblivious to conversations happening; he knows that outside of the Manor where food is His Job and only Approved Cooks are allowed in the kitchen, there's conversations about division of chores/home labor and he's heard the term "weaponized incompetence" thrown around and he's like.

Maybe telling certain people they're terrible at cooking and Not Allowed to cook has left some of his charges lacking in essential life skills when they leave the nest. And like. He Knows about Dick's cereal obsession and he had thought of it as an issue of nutrition to be dealt with by Alfred when Dick came to the manor. But. It's an issue beyond that.

And it's not that he (or I) think any of the bats are weaponizing incompetence, or in any way deliberately shirking their responsibilities to their friends, roommates, teammates, partners, but there's a point at which telling people they should stay out of kitchens instead of figuring out How and Why they are burning water when they make an honest attempt is doing them a disservice.

But also. Learning to cook can be messy and destructive and dangerous and he Does Not want that in His Kitchen.

So he talks to Jason, who can cook well and Tim who can cook to survive and be a somewhat healthy vigilante, who are also people with connections and resources. And they put together a plan.

In a warehouse (maybe in Crime Alley or the Narrows where the leftovers and better food made can be given away) that has been refitted to have multiple cooking stations and whatever tools and machines and utensils they can imagine, Alfred and Jason put together a Cooking Boot Camp, using Tim as a guinea pig.

And because Tim genuinely would love to make a nice meal for his boyfriend, (Kon and/or Bernard, readers choice), and he's smart and would love to have this skill but never learned it -- because he was mainly teaching himself to cook well enough to survive and then Be Robin rather than cooking for enjoyment or to get better or to cook for other people, all this -- Tim learns really fast!

And he makes some mistakes and needs some accommodations to help him not forget stuff on the stove when he has a thought about a case. And he learns that the fact that he's only given himself food poisoning a few times is a miracle. But he also learns about flavor pairing and how to make things that taste good. He learns the vocab and individual skills he needs to better follow recipes and cooking videos. And he is Alfred's Kitchen Approved in just under 2 months.

He's making good food that people want to eat and he's enjoying it and proud of it and can make meals for his boyfriend(s).

So Alfred, Jason, and Tim get ready to put the rest of the Bats through the Bat Cooking Boot Camp. They don't need to be Good or even Alfred's Kitchen Approved. But they need to be able to cook for themselves and anyone they might live with/have over for dinner passably well.

Boot Camp attendance is mandatory under threat of being signed up for Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, and honestly Jason and Alfred are less intimidating than Ann Burrell and all of America.

I will probably have thoughts about every bat and how this goes for them including strengths weaknesses accommodations and how long they're willing to stay/how far in their training they'll go but it's well after 3am and I need to go to sleep. So for now I'm going to post without proofreading. Feel free to add your own thoughts

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Home

@iamwalkingdead1 @lanafofana @boufsy @aryancunin @lewdisescariot

@orangekittyenergy @netherese0rb @vespaer77 @theletteraesc @sorceresssundries I swear I tried to keep him in line. Oh well... enjoy. Gale x F!Tav, teeny bit of spice.

'So what's the wish he'll make it come true...' - Miracle Aligner, The Last Shadow Puppets

He was pacing, one hand raking through his hair, the other clamped between his teeth as he gnawed at his fingers anxiously. His gaze was fixed on his booted feet, brow furrowed. ‘Gale, things will be fine.’ Tav watched in amusement as he went back and forth until he finally stopped before her and looked up, meeting her gaze. Her stomach swooped just as it had all that time ago when she realised the man she���d rescued was handsome in exactly the way that made her knees go a little wobbly; he removed his hand from his mouth, straightened his spine a little and summoned a twinkle back to his eye. ‘Of course they will,’ he said lowly. ‘You’re only meeting my mother, after all.’ ‘Is she truly that formidable?’ Tav cocked her head, brows drawing together. ‘You act like she’ll eat me alive or something.’ ‘Don’t be silly,’ he said. ‘She’ll love you.’ ‘Then why are you so nervous?’ He blinked slowly, a habit he’d picked up from Tara no doubt. ‘Oh, nothing.’ With that, he finally swept up to the front door, rapping his knuckles smartly against it. Turning and grinning at her, he gestured Tav forward and grabbed her hand. Mere moments later, the door swung open of its own accord and Gale pulled them inside, kicking it shut. ‘You better not be abusing that door again, child!’ came a voice from the top of the stairs. ‘Oh of course not mother! Wouldn’t dream of it.’ Gale smirked impishly down at Tav, who felt a little like she oughtn’t be here. ‘Relax,’ he murmured, nudging her with his shoulder. After what felt like an eternity, a woman floated into view. She descended the spiral stairs gracefully, stopped and narrowed her eyes before pulling her son into a crushing hug. Far from flailing like Tav expected him to, he hugged her back just as fiercely and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Hi, Mum.’

‘It’s been too long, son,’ she murmured into his chest.

‘I know,’ he said, his voice catching a little. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘And who’s this?’ she said as they broke apart, eyeing Tav critically.

‘I’m Tav,’ she said quickly, holding out a hand for the older woman to shake. She didn’t know why she did it; nerves or a momentary lapse in social judgement perhaps, but she didn’t expect to be pulled into a hug too. ‘Good to meet you,’ she said shyly when she was let go.

‘Tav, this is my mother, Morena Dekarios. And she-‘

‘He doesn’t shut up about you, you know.’

‘Mother!’ Gale’s ears went pink. ‘That’s-‘

‘And you’ve been chewing your fingers again. I hope this girl has domesticated you somewhat.’ Tav blushed. ‘Come, I imagine you’re both starving. It’s such a long journey from Baldur’s Gate.’ Off she went, drawing them forward in her wake. Now that Tav was feeling a little less nervous, she noted the mosaicked floor in shades of pearl and pale blue with the occasional shock of gold, the fineries of the ebony staircase as it twisted upwards, the cascades of wisteria and devil’s ivy.

‘This place is beautiful,’ she whispered.

‘Hmm.’ Gale squeezed her hand. ‘Gods, I can’t wait to just be alone with you.’ He gave her a sly little smile and went on, the perfect picture of composure. Tav wondered if there was a bat trapped in her throat, fighting to get out.

‘Come in, make yourself at home,’ said Morena, pulling Tav from Gale’s grasp and fussing over her. ‘Good gods, you’re a rake girl. Don’t tell me he hasn’t been cooking for you.’

‘I assure you I have,’ said Gale, a tiny edge in his voice. ‘In fact I volunteered to be camp cook immediately. It’s not my fault she runs headlong into trouble without proper nourishment.’

Tav shot him a venomous look. Oh, I’ll get you back for that, she thought. ‘I had a lot on my mind,’ she said instead. ‘And, well… in it. I admit food was the last thing I was thinking of, I was a little preoccupied with saving the world.’

‘Well, now you can think about food,’ said Morena firmly. ‘I assume you’ll be staying for a while?’

‘Oh, a few weeks at least,’ said Gale breezily. ‘Don’t you worry. I’ll take over the cooking, I promise. It’s been such a long time we’ve been without the comforts of home.’ They sat down together, sharing plates of delicious roasted meats and fish, vegetables cooked to perfection, crusty bread and good olive oil.

‘Good,’ said Morena, satisfied. ‘Can’t have you gallivanting off on another adventure so soon leaving me to worry.’ She paused, sucked her bottom lip into her mouth in thought and then said, ‘and that bitch goddess, is she gone?’

Tav burst out laughing as Gale’s mouth fell open. It was a rare treat to see him so wrong-footed. ‘Well… yes, as it happens,’ he said, recovering. ‘I had no idea you thought of her like that.’

‘She took my son from me,’ Morena growled. Tav was suddenly struck by their similarity. ‘I tried, Gale. But she would not hear my prayers, would not take her claws from you. So what did it?’

‘The Crown of Karsus,’ he said, going on to explain everything. ‘And love, I suppose.’ He leaned over to kiss Tav sweetly on the cheek. ‘Tav gave me something to live for.’

Morena’s deep brown eyes flashed with hurt, but she cleared her throat and then it was gone again. ‘Good. Now, my darling boy, I have plenty to be going on with, why don’t you get settled? I have a meeting at the academy in a few, and then down to the Sea Ward to stop by the Temple of Beauty. You behave while I’m gone, you hear?’

‘Of course,’ said Gale lightly, surreptitiously running his knuckles up Tav’s spine. She suppressed a shiver. In moments the two of them were alone as Morena swept from her home, out into the vastness of the City of Splendours.

‘Well, she’s lovely,’ tried Tav. She stood up, gesturing to all the empty plates. ‘You wash I’ll dry?’ She wanted to be helpful, to pleasantly surprise her potential mother-in-law when she returned, but Gale’s smirk was nothing short of devilish as he reached out a hand and caught her by the waist.

‘I don’t think so,’ he said, pulling her into his lap and pressing his lips to her neck. ‘Will you not indulge my sweet tooth?’

‘Damn it, Gale-‘

‘Hmm?’  He hummed against her skin, sending delicious shivers through her. ‘Say the word and I’ll let you go. Promise.’

‘She said she hoped I’d domesticated you,’ she admonished. It was only half-hearted. She felt his teeth as he grinned against her skin. ‘Clearly I failed.’

‘You never even tried,’ he shot back, grasping the back of her neck, deft fingers kneading at her tense muscles. His other hand drifted to her hip. ‘Still haven’t heard a ‘no’, love.’

‘I certainly did.’ She pouted, squealing as he drew her lip into his mouth and bit gently. ‘Oi!’

‘Use your words.’

‘I don’t want you to stop,’ she said. ‘But I’m also getting you back for that comment earlier. What do you mean me going headlong into danger? What about you?’

‘I’ve made no secret of it,’ he said lightly. ‘How thrilling danger can be.’ He dug his fingers into her hip to pull her attention back as she rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said sharply. ‘You can’t pretend to be the goody two shoes, Tav. You’re not so boring as all that, even if you do pretend you’ve never sinned in your life.’

‘I do not,’ she said indignantly, flushing pink. ‘And you’d do well to remember that, Gale Dekarios.’

‘Gods,’ he rasped. ‘Say my name again.’

‘If I do, will you promise to behave? At least help me do the dishes, Gale.’

He shook his head and crushed their lips together. ‘Oh, come on,’ he purred. ‘Live a little. She won’t be back for a few hours yet…’

[candycandy00]

Could you right a zombie apocalypse au with dabi? I don’t have any idea about how it could go but always love the only one bed trope haha

The Trade Part 1 - A Dabi x Reader Zombie AU

Splitting this into parts because it was getting too long. Part one has no smut (but there will be plenty in part two, don’t worry!).

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Smut to follow in part two, strong language, violence, implied (failed) rape attempt, etc. 18+.

The first time you saw the mysterious black haired man in the woods, you were convinced he was one of them. After all, in the shadows of the trees his extensive, deep purple scarring had looked like wounds. He’d walked slowly, almost lumbering. It wasn’t until later that you realized his unusual gait was due to him dragging a large animal behind him. 

When he emerged from the forest and into the sunlight, with you watching silently from the tree line, you finally understood that this was no zombie. It was a scarred man who had just killed a deer for his supper. 

From there, you followed him to a clearing by the road, where a rusty white van was parked. You stayed hidden just inside the woods as you watched him set up camp around the van. He drove plastic gardening stakes into the ground all around him, then wrapped some sort of wire around them, marking a perimeter. He then methodically tied empty cans in sets of threes to the wire, every few feet. It seemed like a lot of work, but it would definitely alert him if a zombie wandered into his area. 

He didn’t seem to have any system in place to detect human interlopers though, as they could easily spot the cans and step over them. Either he was foolish enough to believe he was completely alone out here, or he was confident enough in his ability to defend himself that he wasn’t worried. You hoped it was the former. 

He started a small fire, then went to work skinning and cleaning the deer. You took note of the fact that he seemed to have plenty of supplies, including bottled water. You couldn’t help licking your dry lips. You’d been drinking water from a nearby river, but it was unfiltered, and sometimes made you sick. You drank as little of it as possible, so it kept you alive but you were persistently thirsty. 

When he began cooking the deer meat, you had a battle on your hands to keep your stomach from growling loudly enough to give away your presence. You reached into your tattered backpack and pulled out the last strip of rabbit jerky you had. A family you’d met over a week ago had given you some wrapped in paper, and you’d made it last as long as you could. Aside from a fish you’d managed to catch in the river and three potatoes you’d dug out of an abandoned garden, the jerky was all you’d eaten in ten days. 

The deer meat smelled delicious, but you didn’t dare approach. You had to observe this man for a while first. He’d pulled several things out of his van, so it clearly had lots of supplies inside. If you could learn his habits, maybe you could steal from him. You’d certainly done it before, to anyone who seemed to have more than they absolutely needed. 

Eventually you retreated further into the woods and climbed into a tree to sleep. It was the only way you could rest while knowing zombies roamed about. The next morning, the man with the van was gone, and you cursed yourself for sleeping so soundly. 

Two days later, you spotted the man coming out of a convenience store that had obviously been looted already. It was in a tiny, empty town, and you’d crept in to look for food. When you heard loud crashes and bangs coming from the store, you ducked into an alley across the street and watched. 

The glass door of the shop burst open as a zombie was seemingly thrown outside. As it tried to stand back up, the black haired man stepped out of the store, holding an aluminum baseball bat. He pressed his boot into the zombie’s chest to hold it down, then swung the bat, smashing the zombie’s head with one hit. 

Two more zombies followed him out of the store, and three others lumbered over from nearby streets, attracted to the commotion. You felt a sense of panic, even though you were hidden and far enough away that you could easily flee before any of them reached you. Zombies in general did not scare you. They were slow and dumb and easy to lure into traps. You’d killed plenty with your hunting knife. But in groups, they could be terrifying. Any more than three at a time sent you into flight mode. 

The man was surrounded by five zombies, but he didn’t seem worried or scared at all. In fact, he seemed… pissed off. 

He swung the bat with a fury that made you more nervous than the zombies did, splattering blood and brains all over the concrete beneath his feet. When only one was left, he hit it over and over, long after it had stopped moving and its head had been reduced to mush. 

“Motherfuckers!” he screamed. Then he panted as he regained his composure. He shoved the bat into a sling at his back and went back into the store. Later, he emerged carrying a crate full of stuff. You couldn’t see much of what he had, but you were pretty sure he had found some useful items left behind by looters. 

He climbed into his van and left. This time, you were not alarmed by losing sight of him. Clearly the two of you were traveling in the same direction, and even though he was traveling faster in his van, he was apparently making stops along the way, probably to hunt. You’d catch up to him again, you felt certain of it. 

You decided to venture into the store. It was very likely that he had cleared any zombies from the interior, and it had been several minutes since the fight outside and no other zombies had appeared. 

Inside, the shelves were almost completely bare, save for some trash and items deemed too useless to bother carrying around - toys, a pair of foam flip flops, a cane that looked too flimsy to be a proper mobility aid. You got down on the floor and looked under the shelves. A fellow survivor you met two months ago had told you about this trick. “People tend to be in a hurry when they’re gathering supplies,” he’d explained, “so they end up dropping stuff. Some of it ends up kicked under the shelves and the people who come in later don’t think to check there.”

Beneath the shelf to your right, you found a package of expired gummy bears. You ripped them open and shoved a handful in your mouth, savoring the juicy sweetness. They were the best gummy bears you’d ever eaten. When you had half the pack left, you rolled it down and pushed it into your backpack for later. 

Under the shelf to your left, you found a bottle of shampoo that was open and spilling out. You grabbed it and closed the lid. There was still over half a bottle left! You hadn’t shampooed your hair in over a month, so this would be a luxurious treat.

You found a few more items under the other shelves: a single battery that would fit your flashlight (you hoped it wasn’t drained), a small box of bandaids, and (most precious of all), an unopened bottle of sweet tea. 

These treasures safely tucked in your backpack, you left the store and headed in the same direction you’d seen the white van leave in.  As you passed by the alley you’d hidden in earlier, a pair of pale white hands suddenly reached out from it and grabbed your arm. You jerked free, repulsed by the feeling of cold, damp flesh on your skin. 

A single zombie shambled out of the alley, arms raised in front of it as it reached for you again, mouth biting the air in anticipation of tasting human meat. You backed away from it as you slid the hunting knife out of the holster on your thigh. In most cases, you chose not to fight or kill zombies. It was messy and, even in the best circumstances, risky. Plus it was a pain to sanitize your knife in a fire before using it to skin the small animals your sometimes caught. 

You looked back at the store. Should you lure it in there and shut the door? But that would leave a rather nasty surprise for the next person who came along and decided to check the store for supplies. You sighed and pulled your backpack off as you continued backing away, keeping a modest distance from the zombie. If there was a struggle, you didn’t want to risk your backpack being ripped or damaged. It was sturdy and easy to carry, and who knew when you’d come across another one? You dropped it on the ground and backed a few more feet away. 

Once you felt you were in a good position (plenty of open space in all directions so you could flee if necessary), you stopped and waited for the zombie to get closer. Once it was near enough to almost touch you with its outstretched arms, you quickly ducked around behind it and shoved your knife into its ear. The arms dropped, then the body collapsed onto the pavement. You retrieved the knife and breathed a sigh of relief as you wiped the blade off on the zombie’s shirt. 

Poor bastard. He died in the most hideous lime green T-shirt you’d ever seen. 

You picked up your backpack and left the small town, excited to drink some of your tea later in the evening. 

It took you four days to find the man with the van again, and it was totally by accident. You’d followed the nearby river to a waterfall. You’d grown up in this area, so you remembered there being a waterfall around here somewhere. Figuring it would be a great place to wash up and use that shampoo you found, you followed the sound of rushing water until you spotted it. 

The waterfall wasn’t huge, but it was high enough that falling from it would probably be dangerous. The water at the base of it, near where you stood, was only around four feet deep, as you recalled. You and your friends would occasionally go swimming there during particularly hot summers. You remembered picnics under the shade of the trees that lined the river, laughter as you took turns running into the falling water. The memories made you feel numb more than anything else. 

As you stood there beside a tree, you heard a loud splash. You ducked behind the tree by reflex, then peeked around it to see the man emerging from the water. Had he been under for the whole three or four minutes you’d been there? All your thoughts suddenly froze in your brain when you realized the man was completely naked. Apparently he also thought this was a good place to bathe. 

His body was marred by the same deep purple scarring that covered parts of his face and arms, like a patchwork. There was something oddly mesmerizing about those scars. He was lean, with just the right amount of muscle, and his black hair glistened in the sun as water dripped from the tips and ran down his torso. 

As he stepped out of the water, you couldn’t help stealing a glance at the rather impressive appendage between his legs. Even wet and cold, it looked pleasingly large. 

The man walked over to small brown bag and pulled out a towel. How had you missed that bag? Regardless, he toweled off and then spread the towel on the ground and sat down. He pulled a can of what looked like beer from the bag and cracked it open. Then he pulled out a tattered paperback book and leaned over on his side. 

Was he seriously just going to relax by the river… naked? That’s when you noticed the handle of some sort of weapon sticking out of the bag. He certainly wasn’t defenseless. You’d seen his incredible strength a few days before. 

With a start, you realized this was a great opportunity to check out his van. It had to be parked close by, and the man clearly planned to be there for a while. You took one more long look at his well toned body before tearing your eyes away and heading back into the woods. 

The trees were tall and their dark green foliage nearly blotted out the sunlight above you. But there was enough light to spot a white van amongst the browns and greens of the forest, so it didn’t take you long to find it. 

You approached carefully, remembering the man’s tendency to use traps and systems to alert him of danger. The leaves were moist and slippery under your feet, perfect for remaining silent as you stepped lightly around the van to reach the back. Then your heart dropped to your feet. 

The back doors of the van were covered in wire lined with metal cans. It would be physically impossible to open them without causing a huge racket. You checked the side doors, and they were locked tight. You had some experience breaking into vehicles, though you were definitely no expert. You peered in through the window, only to spot more wires and cans tied to the inside of each door. 

You sighed and walked away, heading back to the waterfall. When you reached the trees you’d hidden in before, the man was pulling on a faded black T-shirt over his ripped jeans.  He looked good in them. He gathered the rest of his belongings into the brown bag, zipped it up, and walked off in the direction of his van. He passed within twenty feet of you, but you were perfectly still behind a tree. 

You waited for a while after he left, to be sure he didn’t return for something he forgot, then you moved close to the water, slipped off your backpack and pulled out a few items. A change of clothes, a towel, and the shampoo you’d been saving. You stripped off your clothes, leaving only the thigh holster with your knife snapped inside. You washed the clothes you took off in the water then draped them over low branches in the nearby trees to dry. 

Finally, you stepped into the water and dipped your whole head in to get your hair wet. The water was cool, but not enough to be uncomfortable. It looked crystal clear and clean, and it soothed the various cuts and scrapes you’d incurred over the past several days. 

You squeezed out some shampoo before tossing the bottle onto the shore and lathering up your hair. It smelled heavenly! Like fresh flowers and honey. You rubbed the lather all over your body, figuring that if men had been using one product for their hair and bodies for years, so could you. 

Once you were covered in soap, you went over to the waterfall and stood under it, letting it rinse you clean. It felt so close to an actual shower, you nearly cried. 

You played around in the water for a little while, then stepped out and dried off before dressing in clean clothes. You relaxed by the water, just as the man had done, while waiting for your wet clothes to dry. The sun, reaching you now that you were out of the woods, felt warm on your skin. 

You left back through the woods, but just before you broke free of the tree line by the highway, you heard the distinctive sound of someone walking. Someone alive. Twigs snapped and leaves crunched, the noise so close that you whirled around to look for the source. 

Two men approached from the direction of down river. You could smell them from several yards away. Apparently being so close to the river had not inspired them to wash up, at all. They appeared to be in their mid thirties, both sporting unkempt beards and long, scraggly hair. Both carried backpacks, rifles on their backs, and numerous knives attached to their belts. 

These were exactly the sort of people you tried to avoid. In your time on your own, you only approached certain types: women, families, small mixed groups that seemed to get along with each other. You never approached single men, much less multiple men together with no woman in sight. 

Usually, you were extremely vigilant. You always spotted other people in plenty of time to hide or flee if they seemed like bad news. In the early weeks of the outbreak, when you’d first ventured out on your own, you’d met a younger girl who was exceptionally good at sneaking around and avoiding being caught by the living or the dead. You’d traveled with her for a while, learning her techniques as well as how to use a knife. Since then, you’d always managed to evade danger. But today you had dropped your guard. Perhaps the shower had been a little too relaxing. 

“Hey there,” one of the men said, throwing up his hand in a wave. 

You debated whether you should make a run for it or not. They had rifles, so they could probably shoot your legs out from under you if they wanted to. You stood completely still, watching them as they got closer. 

“You out here alone, girl?” 

“No,” you said, trying to keep your voice firm, “my friends are waiting for me just up the road.”

You hoped they would believe the lie, that they’d rather avoid getting into a fight with a group they knew nothing about. 

“That’s funny,” the other man said, “we walked along the road for a long time and we didn’t see anyone waiting for you. Are you sure they didn’t leave you behind?”

His tone made it clear that he didn’t believe you. Shit. How could you get out of this situation? You kept yourself steady and replied. “Really? Maybe they parked in the woods. They do that sometimes, for the shade.”

“Good idea,” the first man said. “These trees sure do block out the sun. They block out a lot of stuff.”

“Well,” you said casually as you turned toward the road, “I better head over there before they get worried and come looking for me.”

You made it a few steps away, walking at a leisurely pace to feign nonchalance, when you heard fast, heavy footsteps running toward you. Glancing back, you saw one of the men rapidly closing the distance, holding up the butt of his rifle like a club. 

You broke into a run then, but you didn’t make it far. The rifle struck your head, your vision blurred and darkened, and you felt yourself falling over. You were unconscious before you ever hit the ground. 

*****

When you woke up, you heard the sounds of a crackling fire before your eyes adjusted to the bright orange light against the murky darkness of the forest. 

You were lying on your side on the ground, close enough to the fire to feel its heat on your skin. Your hands were tied together in front of you with thick, coarse rope that rubbed your wrists in an unpleasant way. One of the men was sitting nearby, skinning a rabbit. The other, the one who had knocked you out, was standing on the other side of the fire, stoking it with a long stick. Your backpack was lying a few feet away from you. 

Afternoon had turned to dusk, still light enough to see without a fire or flashlight, but dark enough to make you wary. From your experience, fires in the woods at night were not the best idea. The glow sometimes attracted zombies, so only groups with enough people to keep watch normally lit them. You had stuck to small fires in the daytime, just lit long enough to cook some food or boil some water from the river. Zombies didn’t know to look for smoke.  

The two men didn’t seem to be conversing at all, so pretending to be asleep to listen to them was pointless. You pulled yourself to a sitting position, your knees pulled up in front of you. They hadn’t bothered to take your knife from the holster on your thigh. Had they simply not noticed it? Or did they think you were this little of a threat? 

The man standing at the fire noticed you were awake and flashed you a smile. It was a repulsive smile, accompanied by dark eyes moving over you hungrily. You could guess why they had taken you captive. You’d heard plenty of stories. You glared at him and steeled yourself for a fight. 

“We’ll have dinner first,” he said in his rough voice, gesturing toward his friend with the stick. “Then we’ll have dessert,” he added with a grin, pointing the stick at you. His friend chuckled. 

You suddenly felt like throwing up. These men were disgusting, with their leering stares and stinking bodies. The thought of one of them touching you for even a moment sent ripples of revulsion through your entire body. 

Shame it wasn’t the handsome black haired stranger with the scars. 

Wait… did you seriously just think that? Ugh. You’d been out here in the woods for far too long. 

You tried to stay calm as you assessed the situation. The good: you still had your knife, and your hands were tied in front of you instead of behind you. Cutting yourself free would be easy once you got away. You also knew these woods fairly well, and were accustomed to moving around in the dark. The bad: there were two of them, and they were clearly much stronger than you. They both had those rifles too. 

You glanced around, taking in the now blazing fire and the positions of the two men in relation to it. You almost smiled. This was nearly identical to a scenario Toga, the girl you’d traveled with, had told you about being in before she met you. And you remembered exactly how she’d said she escaped. 

You scooted over a bit, making a show of wincing and leaning as if your backside was sore. You needed to have both men on the other side of the fire from you. The one sitting on the ground cleaning the rabbit would be easy. The other was pacing back and forth, occasionally stirring the branches and logs in the fire. If you timed it just right…

There! As soon as the pacing man got close to the other one, and they were both across the fire from you, you suddenly kicked out both your legs, shoving your boots into the base of the fire. Sparks and embers flew everywhere, flames reached out like glowing hands and crawled along the ground, alighting leaves and twigs. The sitting man yelped and fell backwards, the other one cursed and backed away from the flames, but he was too slow. Fire danced up his pant leg as he screamed and tried to put it out by slapping at it with his hand. 

In the chaos you got to your feet, grabbed your backpack off the ground, and ran into the trees. You heard one of the men yelling for the other to go after you, then a screamed reply of “Fuck you, I’m on fire!”

Once you’d ran so far that you could no longer hear their shouts or see the glow from the fire, you huddled next to a tree and used your knife to cut the rope, freeing yourself. You holstered the knife and pulled your backpack onto your shoulders, then looked around for a hiding spot. The woods were getting darker by the minute, but that was an advantage for you, not them. 

Eventually you found a tree that was perfect, and you climbed it quietly and carefully. You tucked yourself against the trunk and nestled into the branch, an action deeply familiar to you by now. Around half an hour later, you heard one of the men run by your tree. By that time it was so dark that you would’ve been shocked if he’d spotted you. After that, you only heard the usual sounds of the forest as you drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning you didn’t climb down immediately. You used your high vantage point to look out over the area, scanning the woods for any sign of the two men. Would they give up on you, deeming you too much of a hassle to deal with? Or would last night’s events only make them pursue you more doggedly? You couldn’t be sure, but you also couldn’t spend the entire day up in the tree. After watching for a few more minutes and feeling certain the men were not close by, you climbed down to the ground. 

You headed to the river first to wash your face and fill your water bottle. You doubted you’d be able to start a fire today, for fear that the smoke would give away your location, so you couldn’t boil the water. You grimaced at the thought of drinking raw river water again, but you’d sip it if you absolutely had to. Having an upset stomach was better than being dead. There was maybe a mouthful of sweet tea left in the bottle you’d found in the store, but you wanted to save it for as long as you could. 

When ready, you made your way back through the woods and to the trees that lined the highway. You didn’t dare step out into the open. Too many dangerous folks traveling the roads. But you stayed close enough to be able to see the highway at all times. You rarely saw cars going by these days. The last one you’d seen, besides the white van, had been over a week ago. 

You walked through the edge of the forest, moving in the same direction you had been for a few weeks now. You didn’t have a particular destination in mind. You simply wanted to keep moving, keep away from people, stay near the river where you could always get water and sometimes even catch fish, stick to the woods where you could occasionally catch a squirrel or a rabbit. It wasn’t a great life, but it was all you had at the moment. 

You’d walked nearly the whole day when you saw a very welcome sight: the white van parked just inside the woods, several yards ahead. You were surprised that you’d caught up with him so quickly, especially after being slowed down by those two assholes last night. 

As usual, you approached it carefully. When you got close enough, you realized the back door was standing wide open. No wires or cans had been strung up. The driver’s side door was open as well. 

What the hell was going on? 

There was no way the man would leave his van like this. Even if he suddenly had to shit, he wouldn’t leave his stash of supplies completely unguarded. Had he been attacked? The image of the two men flashed in your mind. The black haired man was strong, but they had guns. They could have forced him out of the van. But in that case, where were they? 

You circled around the van from a distance, looking for signs or clues as to what had happened. You strained your ears to listen for footsteps, but you heard nothing. Could the man have been attacked by zombies? Maybe he stepped out to pee, was suddenly surrounded, and had to run deeper into the woods to get away. 

Mind racing with possible explanations, you decided to watch the van for a little while, in case someone came for it. After nearly an hour, the woods were getting dark again. If you were going to make a move, now was the time. You took a deep breath, then walked over to the back of the van. You peered inside, and to your hungry, desperate eyes, it looked like the holy grail. The entire back of the van was filled to the brim with supplies. 

You climbed up into it and looked around in wonder. There were cases full of canned goods, bottled water, snacks, and even a few packs of beer. There were boxes with things written on them like, “bandages,” “batteries,” and “soap”. Curiously, there were several boxes of black hair dye. It almost looked like the storeroom of some convenience store. 

All of this was too suspicious. You didn’t dare grab a lot of stuff. What if the man really did have to suddenly relieve himself? Or had to run from zombies but was circling back around to his van? You decided to be cautious and grab only a small number of items, things he probably wouldn’t even notice. Then you could watch the van from an afar and grab more stuff if he never came back. 

You opened your backpack and shoved in two bottles of water, a can of peaches, a can of pork and beans, a bag of potato chips, and two chocolate candy bars. The carbs would come in very handy. You’d had so little energy lately. Pleased with your choices, you zipped up your backpack and pulled it on, then turned to exit the van. 

You stopped dead in your tracks. Standing right outside the van, staring at you with one hand on his hip, was the black haired man.  He looked at you with a deadpan expression and said, “Looks like I caught myself a thief.”

[feralrabidcrow]

What do you think the mercs hobbies were, past and present?

Scout loves drawing, as inspired by Expiration Date. He's really good at it, like crazy good, but he usually uses his talents for chaos, such as drawing Spy having sexual congress with the Eiffel tower. He also collects baseball cards, and sings Tom Jones to himself when he's alone in his room, but everyone knows because of how loud he sings. He sings into his baseball bat like it's a microphone, most passionate ballad of 'Sex Bom' you will ever hear.

Soldier is devoted to creating an army of raccoons, no matter how much the raccoons bite and scratch him. If you can consider that a hobby. Can you count snapping Scout's puny neck as a hobby? Is violence in general a hobby? He takes great joy in trying to 'shape up' the other mercenaries, through wake up calls, making them eat nasty MREs, yelling at them to train harder, and running the base like it's boot camp. I don't think this man has picked up a relaxing pastime in his entire life.

Pyro loves collecting things, anything really. Stickers, candy, rubber ducks, if it fits in their pocket, they'll hoard it somewhere only to bestow it to someone randomly (at least it can seem random) as a gift. Obviously they have a hobby for starting fires, but their less destructive hobbies include tea parties, scrapbooking, cake decorating, and hanging out with Engie in the workshop just to pass time.

Demo loves gathering the mercs around and telling them ghost stories. If there's a thunderstorm, and the lights go out, he's grabbing the candles and the spookiest voice he can muster. While the man loves his scrumpy, in the past before he just stuck to the good ol reliable stuff, Demo dabbled in the art of mixology, crafting up the most bizarre yet delicious drinks you could think of, but they certainly could pack a punch! He hasn't entirely lost the skill, but most of the time he's too drunk to work a bar with the finesse he once could. There would be a lot of glass shattering.

Heavy is a big time reader. Whenever he has the time to spare, he's pulling out a thick book that no one can identify and digging in. However, he has a remarkable ability that I lack; the ability to remain aware of his surroundings while buried in a book. No matter how invested he is in the literature he's currently consuming, if you call for him he'll drop it and come help. He enjoys spending time with Medic's doves; after their beloved doctor, he's their second favourite person. He also enjoys cooking, something he learned from his mother a great many years ago.

Engineer obviously spends a lot of his free time in the workshop tinkering about, but he also loves to spend time just hanging out with the mercs, who he all considers friends, that Friendly Engie! Whether it's a barbecue, a game of poker, karaoke night, whatever shenanigans the mercs are doing to pass the time between matches, Engie is right there in the center of it, enjoying all the bonding time with his teammates that they can get. He's a major extrovert, and can get on well with just about anyone he meets!

Medic takes his job as a hobby, delighting in reaching into someone's chest cavity and playing God for a bit. He's very passionate about bird care, treating his flock of doves as if they were his children. He also loves music, and has a radio playing in the medbay whenever he can. Medic has a wonderful singing voice, but he rarely sings nowadays, though he used to in his younger years. He also is a surprisingly good dancer, but only Heavy knows about that one.

Sniper loves abandoning the base and going out into the middle of nowhere to just be one with nature and get some peace and quiet. He goes hunting, catches himself some game, cooks it over a fire, spends the night stargazing and listening to nocturnal animal calls. He's the most introverted of the group, and while he does sometimes sit in for poker and other team activities, he's happiest in the great outdoors by his lonesome.

Spy is a connoisseur in fine wines and other elegant alcoholic drinks, taking the time when he can to attend fine dining and wine tasting events. He plays piano, rather impressively well, among his wide set of talents, but unlike many talents that he picked up just for a job, he takes great joy in his musical skills. He also has a fondness for seducing your mother.

[destinygoldenstar]

☀️Tom Is The Impostor Among Us☀️ - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 1 Episode 3 “Mazed And Confused”

Sorry for the wait. I have wanted to get this out sooner. But I had work, + I caught a cold. It’s not fun. Still doing this though.

Let’s Jump Right In:

"Now go find Ellie"

And right off the bat, we get this person again.

Who are you?! Why do you appear so randomly?!

I don't think you have to watch for Grett controlling you Gabby, I think you have to watch for your twin here.

"I'm not in the best position, but at least I didn't get votes."

That's one way to look at it.

"I have an immunity totem, if you ever feel in danger, give me a signal in the challenge and I'll secretly pass it on to you."

No Gabby you can't just do that!

Grett's gonna boot you!

"Would you really do that for me? Why?"

"Well, you were the only person that was nice to me on that team."

Yeah she was. Ellie's cool.

Make it to the merge so you can be besties!

"It's a shame we couldn't agree on yesterday's elimination."

YEAH. THAT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT.

"Ladies, we did what we had to do! That punk had a few screws loose."

Nick...

Okay, in terms of my take for best girls: Grett, obviously, stan the bad bitch. Gabby's also warming up to me and I like her story of her being outcasted for her personality.

Best boys though is kinda up in the air. I'm leaning towards Nick and... I guess Jake. But DAMN did you frustrate me Nick!

But I'll forgive stupidity for one episode. It was a 'stupid for the sake of the plot' situation.

"The can't happen again. The alliance must stay strong and united."

Okay are they gonna work together now?

"Yesterday before the elimination, the alliance was talking and we couldn't come to a decision."

Oh so you DID talk. And you STILL didn't work together to protect your teammate!

SURE.

"For some bloody reason, Lill was defending Will and Ashley preferred to throw her vote on Alec. I obviously went Will. As much as I hate to admit it, Lill is being a bit annoying..."

Nick, you better take that back.

I mean, I get it, maybe he doesn't know how these sorts of things work with his homelife and all that, but he's gotta learn.

"I went fishing!"

"But Jake and Tom went fishing, they took all the fishing gear."

She fished with her mouth like a bear.

And I said this last time, there's other ways to fish besides rods. Buckets. Nets. You can make cages.

THOSE FISH DON'T LOOK SAFE TO EAT

Tom's like "That's funny, all my teammates suddenly died of poison. Oh well, guess I'm in the merge!"

I mean he's a sus ninja hiding shit, he could be a serial killer.

"We have to eat them before the challenge."

*Gets an Inside Out 2 Trailer Ad*

I don't like that context!! I'm gonna be honest!!

OH GOOD GOD WHY IS THE SKIN STILL ON IT AND NOT IN THE POT?!?!

Guys, I don't think you should eat Grandma's cooking if you value your lives.

Honestly, I forgot Miriam was here XD

"I wanted to ask you if you're okay. You've been kind of upset since we got here and-"

"Whatever happened to minding your own business?!"

Okay chill! He was trying to be nice to you!

Come on, he's been a very sweet guy so far and is giving you all a chance. What's there to snap about?

We'll see how well that statement ages. (Thanks for making me paranoid Caleb)

Plot twist: Jake and Tom are both secretly evil. Tom is a serial killer. Jake was a prominent bully back in high school.

"If it weren't for my retirement money, I wouldn't be here."

I'm not an elder. How ass is retirement funds?

"Do you think writing on your hand is a good substitute for a notebook?"

"I know Gabby said she was cool with me using my notebook, but I kinda lied to her so she wouldn't kill me, so I want to take that extra precaution. You know?"

"Today we will test your ability to face your worst fears!"

Oh it's Phobia Factor from Total Drama.

That was actually one of my favorite challenges from that show's season. This should be a fun episode.

And if you want to know what my phobia would be, it would be either walking around dead plants or riding a roller coaster. I HATE roller coasters.

"We've been doing a bit of research on each of you and I have to say we've found some interesting stuff."

So you doxxed.

Yes, what else would you like to confess to the police?

"And since we're here doxing, Grett has a body count, Gabby has a split personality, Tom wears makeup underneath his mask and he wears the mask to not be bullied about it... shall I continue?"

Course they use Queen Grett as the example... but she looks naked with the image cropped like that and I DON'T want that in my head!

(I know this is technically adult animation. I don't care. If I want porn I'll ask for it. And I'm not asking for it.)

Grett's scared of the dark! I knew it!

Queen may slay, but at the end of the day, she's got embarrassing stuff like this. We stan it.

And they use Dan as a bad example. Also slay.

I'm realizing I'm so MEAN to Dan. I'm always bullying him in these posts. And I have, literally, NO reason for it. Man didn't do shit!

And I am pissing off all Dan stans that see these posts.

"The first team to reach the other side gets immunity and a reward!"

We're not gonna hear what the reward is this time?

Oh we do see it. Okay.

"Waterproof Tent" I SURE HOPE IT DOESN'T RAIN NEXT EPISODE!!

Next Episode:

"I'm sure these scares are harmless"

"For your first challenge, you must watch EVERY Five Nights At Freddy's Installment!"

The subtitle XD

"Fear of Sharks; You must swim in a pond with a shark for five minutes!"

I would not do that. I ain't losing a limb!

*Ellie clicks the check*

*Spawns an ad on USAA*

OH NO! THEY LIED!!!

Ellie's real fear is her finances XD

"Fear of Cemeteries; You must go alone and spend ten minutes in the Tipiskaw cemetery!"

That's not too bad. I could do that.

The subtitle just says "What" during his dialogue, I'm dead XD

"Tipiskaw Cemetery? Thought this was the wilderness."

It's for the fish you killed. And whatever other wildlife you killed.

"Maybe it's a pet graveyard."

Gabby just said my thoughts. This is how many times now?!

Stop being so relatable, Gabby! It's scary!

You backed out?!

BOO. VOTE HIM OFF.

Okay THAT is far more terrifying! Come on!

"Don't look at him. Just close your eyes."

"It'll make your death far more peaceful, sweetie! I promise ya!"

"Sharks are harmless."

Alright I love ya again Nick.

There actually are some harmless sharks.

Just be thankful Chris McLean isn't hosting this.

"I feel bad for letting the team down..."

"I wish I could do it, but, it's just... hits too close to home."

OH... HONEY.

"I lost my grandfather when I was a kid and I always went with my mom to visit him and leave flowers. That place caused me a lot of anxiety. Now my grandmother's sick and I know it's only a matter of time before... you know..."

My gosh...

Alright. This guy is my best boy for this show.

He got me way too invested in his story.

"Fear of going bald; There is someone inside waiting to cut all your hair"

OH HI HEATHER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

That HAS to be a Total Drama Reference!

"Why? Hair grows back."

Fiore spitting facts XD

"Fear of being alone?"

Why does he sound confused with that? That's basic introverted life!

I could totally do that!

The subtitles again XD

"I thought I'd never have to see the inside of one of these again..."

GABBY. IS THERE SOMETHING TRAUMA BASED YOU WANT TO SHARE TO THE CLASS???

Cause that's concerning!

She's doing it. She came to SLAY.

Grett taught her well.

Hey Queens, you dropped this 👑

"All my life, I've worked with girls Fiore's age and I feel that something's not right with her..."

Lilly. I owe you one.

Props to Lilly to be the one smart one in this alliance.

"She looks like a little baby piglet."

THOSE ARE THE DEVIL'S EYES

Oh hey, she's not alone! She has... Blabby.

That's terrible.

"How dare they do this to you again?"

Yeah, Gabby is definitely traumatized.

"Yay! I made it!"

She's served her time in prison.

"Fear of confronting your past; YOU. MUST. BAKE. A. CHEESECAKE."

OOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOO THE HORROOOOORRR!!!!

I was always terrified of setting the kitchen on fire!

"What's so painful about cheesecake?"

Colesterol.

"What the hell was that?"

*Gets a Grammarly Ad*

The ads I'm getting today are cracking me up XD

MONTAGE

SLAY GRETT. YOU DO IT!

*Nick's fear*

... I think I'm gonna get flagged for this one. So I'm not showing it.

Drew's is the most terrifying.

Fiore's phobic of moose?

Okay, no, Dan's dead.

Lilly is also dead.

"Fear of fires; You must wear a thermal suit and enter a small cabin that we have behind the door. Which will burn in flames for fifteen minutes."

At least she gets a suit, so it could be worse.

"We couldn't find much information on you"

He is SUS as I will get out!

"You must take off your mask!"

OVER A MASK?!

BOO. VOTE HIM OFF.

Goddammit Tom.

"I just can't reveal to everyone that I may or may not like wearing makeup, okay?! It's personal! You don't know what I've been through!"

This is a joke btw. I don't think it's actually that. It might just be some facial scar under there, or he has to hide it for his job.

"I haven't always been afraid of fires. Two years ago, a heat wave caused one near my family's farm. We lost part of the house, the animals, and the crops. We haven't been able to fully recover after that."

HONEY. OMG.

We ANOTHER character motive that's very sympathetic! LET'S GO WITH THE TRAUMA!!

Not Fiore ACTUALLY being scared for Ashley!

Also Alec looks bored with every situation.

"It's suspicious. Don't you think?"

SUS.

TOM IS THE IMPOSTOR AMONG US.

YES ASHLEY FOR THE WIN!!!!

Tom can't be going. He has too much story for them to boot him now. Right?

RIGHT?

"Numbers are key in this game and I'd rather be with him than against him."

Oh thank god, this team DOES have a brain. Unlike the Purple Team last episode.

"I'd rather vote for Grett."

"How about Gabby? Sometimes her attitude is somewhat erratic."

DON'T. YOU. DARE.

Grett has a brain. She knows what's going on.

"Maybe I could convince one of the guys to vote with us."

We love a smart queen.

TOM IS SUS

WHERE'D YOU GET THAT?!

He just threw the walkie talkie XD

"You caught me ordering KFC!"

"Someone here has been watching you."

"Two people actually. The first is me because I'm currently stalking you. The second is that fruity boy."

"Drew."

"Drew the third. He's fruity for you, AND he's stalking you."

OH THE NOTEBOOK.

I was thinking that would be leading to something!

"The boy doesn't trust you very much. You can read it yourself."

"I saw Tom vent in medbay. Vote him out."

"Guys it's Drew. Drew is the Impostor."

I can't show the images of the votes this time because of Tumblr image max.

We already know who's going, right? This is not a shocking elimination at all.

"The boys alliance will get me further in the game."

Dan really just said "I don't work with women."

NOW I have a reason to bully him.

"I may have messed with Drew's notes just a little."

What did you do exactly?

Also her handwriting's pretty.

This isn't a shocking elimination. We already know who's going.

'GABBY'

Yeah, yeah, we know.

'DREW'

It's gonna be 3 Gabby. 3 Drew.

'GABBY'

'DREW'

'GABBY'

'DREW'

And this is the part where Tom flips.

Yep. Bye bye.

He was fine. I just kept forgetting he was there.

Thought Dan was gonna be more mad about that. "ALRIGHT WHO'S THE FLIPPER?!?! SOMEONE HAS TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES!!"

"Drew was ejected"

Alright, that's the episode.

That was a good one. I'm actually enjoying this show quite a bit so far. A lot of people said I wouldn't like this show at all. So I am, so far, pleasantly surprised.

I think it's gonna be a bit before we get to eliminations of characters I actually really like.

I'm a bit more interested in Miriam now. I'm curious what her trauma with cheesecake is in particular. But I feel like it might be something worse than that.

My best girls are Grett and Gabby. Again, I don't stan characters as in "They did nothing wrong" I just plain like them as characters. I KNOW Grett is someone to not be liked. I'm NOT routing for her to win. I just think she serves her role with dignity and she's playing the game really well. I also want to learn more about her.

Gabby is really growing on me, and I'm interested in her isolated background and why she acts so erratically. She's also a really good balance between sympathetic and borderline annoying with her behavior.

The boys are kinda more iffy with me. Dan is Dan. Alec is... boring, as of right now. I like Tom, and I know he has story going on with him, but it's also kind of obvious what the twist with him is just from his design alone. That the point out multiple times.

So I guess my best boys are Nick and Jake as of right now. Jake especially, I'm actually really liking the story with him. I like how he's empathetic towards the elders because of his close relationships with his own grandparents who understood him (whatever that means), and how the death of one and critical state of another had an affect on him. I do think he and Ashley have the most sympathetic motives for being here, with Ashley helping her farm and Jake helping his grandma. He's also really sweet and caring so far, especially with Miriam this episode.

Nick, again, I like his story of him wanting to prove himself to his parents but being delusional on how to handle this circumstance he's in. He IS kind of fading to the background though, so hopefully that is fixed and he gets the character development set up for him.

Can't wait for you all to laugh maniacally at me hearing that cause you know of any derailment that happens later this season! Can't wait!

If you guys want me to continue these reactions, be sure to let me know.

[spicy0pumpkin]

Working on the tags on the posts I have already reblogged so I’ll make a pinned post of tags that have been used. While I edit this post frequently enjoy Felix cuddling with his little lambs🧡💛🧡💛🧡

•)🍁🎃🍁Still organizing this list last updated on 11/9/23🌲🏕🌲but a lot better over the months imao

•) Please use the search bar with these tags many fun discoveries to find 👻 🕷🪦🕷👻

🍂🍁🍂List of tags 🍂🍁🍂

autumn , fall , Halloween, , October , September , November , video , funny halloween, study , hay , hay rides , fallbr , all hallows eve , trick or treat , fallblr , corn maze ,broom , kitchen , coffin , haunted house , goosebumps

💀Spooky Guys💀

Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Ghost face ,

🌲🪵🦔Nature Tag🦔🪵🌲

nature, fall foliage, mountains or mountain , hiking, camping, crunchy leaves, tree , rainy fall day , cabin , mushroom

🕸✨🎃Pumpkins🎃✨🕸

pumpkins , pumpkin patch ,

jack-o-‘lantern ,

🌲🐻🪵Fall Blogs 🪵🐻🌲

Autumncozy , Spicy0pumpkin

🍁🧣Clothes Tag 🧣🍁

scarf, boots, plaid, sweater, beanies, sweater weather ,mittens, hoodies

🐈‍⬛The Creatures Tag🐈‍⬛

Owl, black cat, foxes , ghosts , skeletons , dog , bats , crows / crow ,

🕷🧡💛Art tags💛🧡🕷

artists on Tumblr , art , illustrations , artists on etsy , drawtober , halloween art , inktober , allofthedoodles

🍁Artist’s of tumblr tag🍁

Shughesillustrations

Debbie sketch, Heikala , pusheen

🍎Types of food tags🍎

cinnamon buns , cinnamon rolls

pecan pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie

apples, candy corn , pumpkin spice latte , pumpkin spice , coffee , cookies , cake , chai tea ,

apple cider , pumpkin bread

apple cider doughnuts , hot cocoa

cranberry , halloween cooking , chocolate , pierogi , vegan food , vegan recipe

The movie/ Tv tag📼👻✨

The nightmare before Christmas ,

Coraline , Corpse bride , Paranorman , Danny Phantom, horror movies , The Birds , Friday The 13th , Hocus Pocus

The Addams Family Tag

The Addams Family,

Gomez Addams, Morticia Addams

Wednesday Addams , Lurch

Pugsley Addams , Uncle Fester ,

Grandmama Addams , Mr It , Charles Addams , Cousin Itt

🍁The cozy tags 🌙

cozy , hygge , books , reading ,

warm and cozy , pillows , mug , bedroom

Around the world 🍁✈️🍁

Herbst , UK , paris , automne , höst , høst , otoño, Sweden , Norway, Europe , France , Canada

[saintship]

Hi! Small request for you to play with however you want! Possibly something funny😊

Halloween's approaching and Reader bought some small, subtle decoration to keep the vibe in her room/part of the room. Then bragging to everyone "yall knew about ghost hanging out in my room everyday? I shit you not"

Obviously the rumor reaches Ghost himself and he's curious to know what is it all about. It turns out reader bought a small paper ghost decoration. He's not amused

LMAO

Y’all don’t understand how accurate this is- here you go

Can be read as platonic or romantic

Ghost & Reader - Happy Halloween

Yes it’s a peanuts gif bc I love them

October was a welcome month on base; the summer heat finally beginning to ease up, and your uniform began to feel like clothes again rather than a sweaty, steel trap.

Plenty of people on base enjoyed decorating, especially the units that rarely left the site. A visit to the cafeteria, med bay, or armory offices would show lots of little signs of the upcoming holiday. Seeing this, you decided to take advantage of your grown-up money and buy a few small decorations for your room. No blinking lights or animatronics, just a few small, faux pumpkins, a black cat figurine, and of course, strings of paper decorations. Bats, more pumpkins, and right in the center, a small paper ghost. You hadn’t felt so light in a long time, kneeling on your bed to string up the decoration with a small smile gracing your features. It wasn’t much, but somehow it felt perfect.

The 141 was lucky so far; there had been no missions longer than a few days since August, and though no one would say it in fear of jinxing their luck, it was a quiet month so far.

You’d always loved the 141’s area of the base; even though Ghost and Price had their own offices and tended to bow their head during the day, you bumped into Gaz and Soap constantly. The two of them were gathered in your corner of the room, complaining that ‘They get lonely!’

“I wish they’d come out of their dens every once and a while.” Gaz grumbled, leaning back in his chair to look across the hall. Ghost and Price’s doors were shut, as always.

Soap hummed in agreement. “I swear I haven’t seen either of their faces in days. What if they’re dead?”

“Don’t say that..” You murmur, your mouth slightly full of the candy you couldn’t resist while in the Halloween section.

“I could see ‘death by work’ on either of their tombstones.” Gaz retorts.

“I’d wager ‘death by brooding’ for Ghost.” You say thoughtfully.

Soap huffs. “You’re onto something.”

“You know, he’s actually been a bit more social recently..” You say passingly, toying with a candy wrapper.

“Like.. he’s always hanging out in my room.”

“What?” Soap closed his laptop halfway, looking up.

“Yeah, we see each other all the time.”

“Surely not!” Gaz retorted.

You shrug, resisting a smile at the sight of your coworker’s faces.

“No, Ghost wakes up, works, and disappears again, somehow without being caught in the hallways once even though he’s the size of two Gaz’s.”

“That’s not accurate.” Gaz snips.

“It is.”

“It is not! I’m not that small!”

“You’re a wee bit small.”

“You were second to me in boot!”

“Oh, here he goes with the boot camp story-"

You let them bicker some more until the conversation shifted, content with keeping your amusement to yourself. What you didn’t expect was that they would pick it up again with half the base. Recruits, medics, even the damn cooks were gossiping about how you’d broken down the big bad Ghost’s frigid walls. And because nothing can escape someone like him, he found out.

The rain pattered gently outside as you tidy the desk in your room, fixing the black cat figure that had tipped over. Your door hung open slightly, and a gloved hand reached through the gap, grasping the door’s edge and easing through. Ghost was in an uncommon attire; his pants and boots the classic issued uniform, but his top being a dark sweater.

“Oi.” He crosses his arms, leaning on the inside of the doorframe.

“Hi.” You greeted simply, setting down the figure.

“I’ve heard some talk that half this base believes I’m hanging around you for 23 hours out of my day. Do you know anything about that, Sergeant?”

His steely eyes narrowed as he asked his question, shifting his weight on his feet. You realized how ridiculous it was, but chose not to care, as you gestured to the decoration above your bed; a small paper ghost.

It took a minute for him to process, but when he did, his suspicious was replaced by what you could only call disappointment.

“Are you serious?” He huffed.

“Yeah..”

You’re saw his jaw twitch through his balaclava and he set out toward the decoration.

“Hey!” You blocked his path. “I’m sorry the base is gullible, but paper Ghost stays.” You insisted, blocking him from touching the decoration.

“Oh, I can’t be bothered..” Ghost grumbled to himself before taking his leave, though not without a devastating eye roll.

You leaned out of your doorway, smiling despite his annoyance.

“Happy Halloween!”

[chaoticjoke]

𝑇𝑌𝑃𝐸𝑆 𝑂𝐹 𝑃𝐸𝑂𝑃𝐿𝐸     :𝐷𝑈𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑂𝑁𝑆 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐷𝑅𝐴𝐺𝑂𝑁𝑆 𝐶𝐿𝐴𝑆𝑆𝐸𝑆   .

𝐵𝐴𝑅𝐵𝐴𝑅𝐼𝐴𝑁   ⚔    toothy  grins,  stories  around  the  campfire,  clothes  covered  in  pet  hair,  hot  temper,  old  jeans,  heartbeat  in  head,  potatoes  and  steak,  beaded  jewellery,  bruises  like  galaxies,  mementos, backpack  stuffed  full,  craigslist  furniture, spontaneous  road  trips,  air  ripped  from  lungs.

𝐵𝐴𝑅𝐷     ⚔     homemade  bread, white  lies, easily  excited,  trying  on  hats,  band  geek,  pep  talks,  no impulse  control,  sunsets,  vintage  fashion, long  showers,  selfies,  following  dreams,  rosy cheeks,  song  mash-ups,  pink  lemonade  with  tequila, loves  easily,  animated  storyteller, full  of  comebacks.

𝐶𝐿𝐸𝑅𝐼𝐶    ⚔    list  of  wishes,  biting  their  tongue,  band-aids  and  neosporin,  shoulder  to  cry  on,  morning  sun,  necklaces, trial  and  error, homemade  quilts, formal  clothing, astrology  fan,  messages  in  bottles,  pleated  braids,  speaking  up  for  friends, feathers, motivational  quotes,  vivid  dreams.

𝐷𝑅𝑈𝐼𝐷      ⚔       bird BAT  watching, shy  kid,  wind  chimes, trying  to  whistle,  summer  camp, apple  orchards,  lost  in  their  head, glow-in-the-dark  stars  on  the  ceiling,  hoodies,  thrift shopping,  saving  worms  off  the  sidewalk,  pig  latin,  bare  feet, thunderstorms, numb  fingers, braided  hair,  naming potted  plants.

𝐹𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇𝐸𝑅      ⚔     goose  bumps,  leather  jackets,  adventure,  chewing  nails, cares  deeply  but  can’t  show  it, bronze  locks,  no  sleep, taste  of  iron,  netflix  binges,  never  forgets, combat  boots,  stories  behind  scars, table  for  one,  official  soundtracks, sore  calves,  trusts  themselves  the  most.

𝑀𝑂𝑁𝐾    ⚔       always  trying  to  be  better,  wanderlust,  meditation,  sweat  pants, old   photographs,  yoga,  sleeping  in  hammocks, nostalgia,  minimalist  design, breath  of  fresh  air,  baby  animals,  volunteering,  perfectionist, doesn’t  care  about  fashion,  healthy  snacks,  noticing  the  little  things.

𝑃𝐴𝐿𝐴𝐷𝐼𝑁     ⚔      school  uniforms, thick  jackets,  sleeping  with  the  windows  open, logical  advice, scrapbooking,  compasses,  i  fight  for  my  friends, sculpture  gardens,  cold  morning  air,  big  soul,  likes  routine,  secret  romantic, last  to  get  jokes, sunflowers, practical  presents,  misty  weather.

𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅    ⚔      herbal  tea,  smell  of  rain,  blinking  away  tears,  camping  trips, collecting  bones,  swiss  army  knives, first  impressions, anxious  thoughts,  bobby  pins,  burnt  marshmallows,  too  competitive,  clothes  lines,   messenger  bags,  holding  grudges, gets  along  better  with  animals  than  people.

𝑅𝑂𝐺𝑈𝐸     ⚔      flirtatious  sarcasm, candid  photos,  lost  phone  chargers,  adrenaline  rush,  picking  dirt  out  from  beneath  their  nails,  social  chameleon,  clashing  clothes, self-deprecating  jokes,  claw  machines,  sits  in  chairs  wrong,  smudged  eyeliner, has  too  many  sunglasses, eats  nothing  or  everything.

𝑆𝑂𝑅𝐶𝐸𝑅𝐸𝑅      ⚔     infectious  laugh,  family  trees,  shivers  down  their  spine, lipstick  and  roses, mood  swings,  clumsy,  believing  in  destiny,  high  expectations,  sleeping  in  darkness,  collection  of  nail  polish, passionate,  good  grades  but  never  studies, poetry  books, blowing  kisses,  not  knowing  their  own  strength.

𝑊𝐴𝑅𝐿𝑂𝐶𝐾      ⚔     knowing  everyone’s  secrets, backpack  covered  in  pins,  envy, being  in  walmart  late  at  night,  earl  grey,  selective  memory,  conspiracy  theories  and  cryptids,  keysmashing, need  to  know  basis,  can’t  cook,  bags  under  eyes, experimental  art, flickering  bulbs,  black  clothing  all  year  long

𝑊𝐼𝑍𝐴𝑅𝐷   ⚔     piles  of  textbooks, cat  in  lap, keeping  a  diary,  indecision,  scented  candles,  studying  alone  in  a  café,  lingering  touches,  museum  dates,  unanswered  questions,  taking  on  too  much  responsibility,  collections,  chalk  dust,  comfy  robes, unnecessary  apologies,  coming  home  after  a  long  day.

tagged by: @freakarus (dUH :D) tagging: @sheldoney @godresembled @alootus @mad-hunts @vengnce @hexsreality @fxntasmagoria

[honorhearted]

🌸--but maybe reverse where he's giving her flowers? (Heaven knows he owes her some XD) ANoseforRotenApples/Mary W

Send me  “🌸“  for my muse’s reaction to yours giving them to give yours a V.alentine’s bouquet! / @anoseforrottenapples

Ben was nervous. While he could always prepare for tactical plans, raids, and even battle without so much as batting an eye, the present task he'd set before himself was nearly enough to upend him. Matters of the mind, he found, were relatively easy to endure -- it was matters of the heart that sent his nerves into a frenzy, tangling and twisting within him like a restless snake.

When he found Mary, she was tending to the preparations for a vegetable stew -- meat and vegetable, if they were lucky -- and something in him softened. Long ago, in between the hellishness of camp and Abraham's death, she had invited him into her kitchen and encouraged him to assist with prep work. And although he was a decent enough cook due to his upbringing, Ben had found himself doused in flour and needing her assistance. And that was the thing: he always needed Mary -- to guide him, to console him, to talk him down from the most dizzying of heights. But how could he ever possibly hope to convey that? To express to her just how much she'd aided him in this fight?

With a lump in his throat, Ben watched her while she worked. It was a miracle, he thought, how such frail shoulders could support the weight of the world so effortlessly. He admired her more than any woman he'd ever met... And perhaps that was what made her so wholly terrifying.

His boot stepped upon an errant twig then, and the sound drew Mary's attention. All at once, Ben's fond smile wiped clean and he stiffened, quickly whipping the bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers behind his back. He felt ridiculous -- God, he felt so stupid -- and panicking, he nearly about-faced and burst back through the tent flaps into the safety of the outdoors.

No, he denied himself. See this through...tell her how you feel.

"I, uh...f-flowers," he stammered.

Oh, yes, that was perfect. How good to know his schooling at Y.ale had yielded such fruitful rewards.

Flushing crimson, Ben fumbled with the bouquet and awkwardly held it aloft, almost as if it were a dangerous w.eapon. "I wanted...I-I saw these and thought..." Exhaling, he swallowed and felt the heat in his cheeks worsen. He had never done this before. Even amidst his boyish, juvenile flirtations in school, he had never gifted something to a woman, and as he managed to hold Mary's gaze, he knew she would surely find this simple and ridiculous. What could she possibly do with flowers? Could he not have found her something sensible?

Shoulders slouching with shame, Ben extended the bouquet and finally managed to whisper, "I just...I went for a walk early this morning, and saw these posies by the stream. It was a bit humbling to be reminded that there's still so much beauty in this world, even here amidst all the ugliness..." Shyly, his gaze flitted in between her face and the ground. "They reminded me of you."

[my-insanity-is-an-artform]

Anon who said poly wild and twilight is a genius

Guess who caught COVID and is now on Day 3/7 of Isolation! At least this'll give me a chance to clear out my inbox a bit lol. (I am alright though. Fortunately, it was just Bad Cold level of symptoms but be sure to look after yourselves guys!)

Wild was up a tree, peering through the treeline before sighing. Down below, there was a rustle of bushes. "Anything?" He called down.

From amongst the undergrowth, Wolfie emerged then reformed into Twilight in a flurry of shadowy magic.

"No. How in the name of Ordona did we get this lost?" Twilight growled to himself as he scuffed his boot.

Wild shimmied down the tree with ease. "I kind of expected this from me, but I kinda figured you'd know the way back." He patted himself off.

Twilight huffed again. "Must've gotten turned around when we were chasing that deer."

It'd been nearly a month since you had confessed your feelings towards both heroes and had gone on your first date. Things had been going smoothly since then as well. Kisses and hand holding and other ridiculously cheesy dating activities between the usual travelling had become commonplace between you and your partners.

There was one thing that had been bugging both Twilight and Wild. Neither of them had managed to gift you something that wasn't a necessity.

There simply hadn't been any time since your first date.

So when you'd mentioned missing a particular stew recipe, both of them had latched on to it. While Wild would be doing the majority of the cooking, Twilight was more than happy to help with the actual hunting and gathering part.

That morning, they had volunteered to go hunting for the day and agreed to meet the others back at the camp.

It was now mid-afternoon.

If the rest of the group ever found out that they had gotten lost, they'd never let Twilight hear the end of it. Nor give Wild any slack that his ability to get lost was contagious.

Just as Wild was about to scale another tree, there was more rustling from the undergrowth.

You emerged, ruffled, covered in leaves and almost on the business end of two swords. "Guys!" You beamed at them.

Wild swept you into his arms quickly while Twilight ran a critical eye over you, checking for injuries.

"What are you doing so far out here?"

"I came looking for you two! After you were gone all morning, Time let me come find you. He did say if none of us were back by Sundown, they'd all come looking for us and Warriors lent me the fire rod to set off as a signal." You pulled out of Wild's hug and ran your own eyes over them worriedly.

Both heroes paused.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Wild pondered as Twilight snorted.

"Because you would've started a forest fire." He ruffled his hair playfully.

Wild batted him away with a scowl even as you giggled.

"What kept you guys anyway?" You managed to intervene before it escalated into playful roughhousing.

There was a thoughtful pause before Twilight crossed his arms and smirked at you.

"A surprise."

Wild nodded quickly even as you looked between them.

"Okay..." YOu said slowly. You weren't sure how to feel about the secrecy but you did know that the smirks they were now wearing were very attractive.

Even as you were about to wipe them off.

"But, do you guys know which way is back to camp?"

(It was two very sheepish heroes that followed you back to camp. You were rewarded with kisses for your silence over their lost state and they were rewarded with extra kisses when they presented you with your favourite dish.

So in your mind, everyone won.)

[southernlynxx]

Autumn Night

Rating: Gen Status: Complete Fandom: RDR2 Characters: Arthur Morgan & John Marston Canon/AU: Pre-Canon

Summary: “What do you think’s going on?” John asks, kicking his feet idly as he follows Arthur’s attention to the town. John has yet to visit, so knows nothing of the decorations that line the streets; scarecrows pitched in patches of grass and pumpkins lining peoples’ porches with carved grins and grimaces. Little ghosts fashioned from old handkerchiefs hanging in shop windows and paper bats dangling from the ceiling by lengths of string.  “Harvest festival,” Arthur supplies, to which John hums. Warnings: N/A Notes: Written for @rdrevents Halloween Bingo!

The sun sets early now; in its absence comes a chill that whispers of winter months lurking just beyond the horizon. But it’s still early days yet, and the ambient heat of the fire beneath the stew pot easily chases away the nip of fall from Arthur’s skin as he pours a ladle of broth into his bowl.

“Ah, a second helping, Mr. Morgan?” Pearson asks from his table nearby, sounding pleased as he carves up a slab of meat to be smoked and salted for long-term storage.

“Nah, I’ve had my share, Mr. Pearson. Figured I oughta take some out to John; he’s probably gone through his rations for the night already,” he offers dryly.

Pearson laughs and nods in agreement. “Boy eats like a horse! Gotta wonder where it all goes.”

“Right through ‘im is my guess; it certainly don’t stick around,” Arthur scoffs. Even in his twenty-first year, John Marston is slimmer than a string-bean and lanky as a foal with only the broadness of his shoulders and the surly jut of his jaw to give him any credibility as an outlaw.

With a parting wave to the cook, Arthur makes his way through the camp; familiar even in its many iterations with every move and pitch. A new wagon now joins the caravan encircling the outer edges of the camp, procured to cart the belongings of their newer members that Pearson wasn't content to store in his chuckwagon any longer.

For Dutch, the acquisition is a sign of their growing strength and comfortable means of living in the face of their nomadic lifestyle, despite it being their crimes and his grand philosophies that propelled it. Or perhaps even in honour of it; proof that they didn’t need to bend to the laws forced upon them to thrive in a world trying to stifle their free-minded thoughts. Arthur is frankly just relieved not to have to listen to Ms Grimshaw and Mr. Pearson’s incessant bickering about the lack of space anymore, or the sound of Pearson cussing the air blue every morning when he inevitably tripped over a trunk or got caught in the canvas of a spare tent, even if the memories still tease the beginnings of a smile out of Arthur.

He steps beyond the outermost wagons, which hoard the light and warmth of the campfires within their walls of wood and canvas; deprived of that, his skin bristles with gooseflesh as he’s exposed to the sudden chill. While the brief thought to collect his jacket crosses his mind, his gait doesn’t falter, pushing him forward away from the remnants of light and into the surrounding trees.

---

They’d settled down not a week ago in an old woodland not a stone’s throw from the town of Weststead; a quaint little commune that looked like it had upped and migrated straight from Massecheusettes to nestle on the fringes of the American West. It’s a small but serviceable town, with pretty painted houses and shops lining a cobbled mainstreet, the outlying land utilised for farming and ranching. The people were unusually amenable to strangers, and Arthur would bet his hat that’d been what convinced Dutch and Hosea that this was the perfect place to pitch-up for winter. After all, what could be better than a town yet to be jaded to travellers by criminals and conmen?

What surprises Arthur is that winter still lies some weeks worth of travel away. While a blanket of fallen leaves crunched beneath his boots, the trees are still flush with red and gold foliage, their shades distinguishable even in the low evening light. They won’t be seeing snow until at least late November he reckons, but he certainly ain’t the type to complain about settling down in one place for a good few months, though he can’t guarantee that certain others wouldn’t find themselves quickly growing restless.

“How goes the watch, boy?” Arthur drawls, picking his way out the trees to an old forgotten wagon atop crippled wheels at the forest’s edge. A slim figure perched on the end of the wagon bed sits up sharply, but the nose of the rifle in hand remains pointing upwards.

“You checkin’ up on me?” John rebuffs him, sounding annoyed at the accusation manifested in his own head..

Arthur snorts. “Should I be?” he asks, “Or d’you just not want this food I brought you?”

“You bought food?” John’s tone shifts immediately, his gruff demeanour perking up at the prospect of dinner. He sets the rifle aside, brushing off the damp leaves from the wagon and patting the wood next to him in invitation for Arthur to sit. With a shake of his head, Arthur passes over the bowl and spoon he’d brought along and leans back against the wagon, John’s leg a faint warm pressure against his hip and thigh.

“You’d think you’d learn to bring enough food to see you through the night,” he remarks, to which John scoffs through a mouthful of stew, chewing obnoxiously on a particularly grisly bit of meat.

“Y’know Grimshaw only lets me take so much,” he mutters, “barely lasts me half the night.” “Y’ever think to not eat it all in the first few hours?” “Whats’it Hosea says? I’m a growing boy?” he grins, to which Arthur can’t help throwing back his head with a barking laugh.

“You’ve been a ‘growing boy’ for near on ten years now, y’greedy bastard.” He tilts his head to follow the already empty bowl that John sets down on the wagon - damn near licked clean - before looking out over the fields below.

There’s a perfect harvest moon hovering large and gold in the twilight sky, casting light over freshly cropped wheat fields dotted with haystacks and abandoned tools. The town of Weststead is a point of illumination in the pitch landscape, warm with the glow of fires and lanterns. Even distant as they are, he hears the ever so faint sound of commotion; the peals of shrill childish laughter the easiest to be heard, innocent and joyous.

“What do you think’s going on?” John asks, kicking his feet idly as he follows Arthur’s attention to the town. John has yet to visit, so knows nothing of the decorations that line the streets; scarecrows pitched in patches of grass and pumpkins lining peoples’ porches with carved grins and grimaces. Little ghosts fashioned from old handkerchiefs hanging in shop windows and paper bats dangling from the ceiling by lengths of string.

“Harvest festival,” Arthur supplies, to which John hums.

“Didn’t realise it was that late in the season…” He feels John’s eyes on him before the younger man opens his mouth. “Got any snacks?” Arthur snorts. “-for later, I mean!” John insists, “C’mon Arthur, I’ll be here hours, and you’ve always got somethin’ in that purse.” 

“Ain’t a purse,” Arthur shoots back, affronted, eyebrow twitching when he spots John’s shit-eating grin. “You got a funny way of gettin’ what you want, boy,” he mutters, but nonetheless dutifully fishes out a handful of candy from his bag and drops it into John’s lap.

“Holy shit,” John responds, rifling through the mixture of hard candies and chocolate drops, even a toffee or two. He shoots Arthur a smirk. “You been handin’ out sweets to the town kids? You mean ol’ outlaw!” He laughs, rough and gravelly, when Arthur shoulders him, head ducking down so his hat shields his eyes and his ruddy cheeks. “Don’t worry, Morgan, y’already bought my silence,” he teases, popping a toffee between his lips. “Well, make sure t’stay silent,” Arthur huffs, despite the smile traitorously twitching at the corners of his own mouth.

Their conversation lapses and Arthur opts to listen instead to the distant sounds of the town and the gentle fall breeze rasping through the wheat fields. The whisper of the leaves that drift down from the treetops and the creak of the old rotten wagon as John shifts and resettles. The rustle of foraging critters in the undergrowth, accompanied by the unfaltering chores of crickets hidden away in the weeds and thicket

The perfect fall night; set to welcome winter yet defy it all the samel with the warmth of the fires and tangible joy of the season’s end, shared in a long, companionable silence beneath the harvest moon.

[serenity-lattes]

Smoke

Pairing: Yelena Belova x Kate Bishop

Warnings: lots of dialogue, some language

Word Count: 1331

A/N: Yelena and Kate go camping! Crazy, right? Their relationship can either be read as platonic or romantic, YOU can decide. This can be a sequel to Lady in Red or read as a standalone. Personal request from @gloomystarry

“Kate Bishop, pack a bag. We are going on a trip.”

Famous last words, really. That was how Kate found herself trudging through the mud on a forest trail with Yelena and the dogs. For what? Camping of all things. She should have said no because she has never been camping in her life.

“Please tell me how I let you talk me into this again?” she grumbled, grimacing at the sight of her boots caked in mud, crushed leaves, and probably dead bugs.

“Because I bat my pretty eyelashes and promised to cook.” Yelena smirked, navigating Fanny down the trail to the spot she decided would be perfect for their little excursion. She had never been camping, either, but decided now that she was roommates with Kate, she would start making up for all the things she missed out on when she was a child.

“What?” Kate chuckled, lightly smacking Yelena on the arm with a stick she found on the walk, “Macaroni again?”

Yelena snatched the stick and threw it toward the trees, mildly regretting the decision when both dogs were pulling to go fetch it, “I don’t only feast on macaroni, you žópa.”

It didn’t take much longer for the little group to make their way to the small valley that Yelena picked. The weather wasn’t too hot, nor too cold, and more importantly, not muddy, pleasantly surprising Kate. She wasn’t going to give Yelena the joy of being right, not just yet. Maybe tomorrow. Instead, the two collectively dropped their bags and began their attempts in assembling the tent.

“Why are all the sticks linked together by a string?” Kate marveled, holding up the support pole while Yelena unfolded the tent.

“I forget you’re a big city girl, you don’t do things in nature,” Yelena teased, pointing at the loops for Kate to thread the pole through, “They hold the tent up, then fold up nice and small to save space.”

“Excuse me for choosing my bed over the grass,” Kate grumbled, following Yelena’s directions, silently thankful because she truly had no idea what she was doing.

After a significant amount of swearing and bickering, the two managed to get the tent set up. Now they had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. So many possibilities. Kate crossed hiking off that list, having her fill on the trek down to their spot, which Yelena wasn’t going to argue. It wasn’t entirely pleasant.

The two decided on swimming. There was a small lake and not another person in sight. Neither had thought to back a swimsuit, so they stripped down to their under garments. It wasn’t the first time the two had seen each other scantily clad, but Kate blushed profusely nonetheless before running into the water, shrieking as the cold water enveloped her skin. Yelena laughed and called the dogs over, joining Kate in the water. Lucky and Fanny were absolutely rambunctious, making big splashes, drenching their fur. Kate relaxed and floated on top of the water, closing her eyes, enjoying the quiet.

Unfortunately the quiet didn’t last long, as something swam along Kate’s leg, causing her to rush out of the water screaming about a snake. It was enough to rile the dogs up and Yelena huffed, managing to splash Kate with enough water to shut her up.

“Are you actually scared of tiny fish?” Yelena raised a brow, trudging out of the lake, squeezing the water out of her hair.

“I don’t know what it was!” Kate whined, pulling her clothes on as fast as possible, not wanting any more to do with slimy, scaley things living in the lake.

Upon returning to their camp site, Yelena started a fire (thanks to the bottle of lighter fluid she brought) so they could start to dry off, and she could heat up the food she had prepared before they left. She made piroshki, Russian meat buns; they’re hearty and would keep them warm and full.

After situating the little buns on the metal grate, Yelena plopped down, laying her head in Kate’s lap. Kate carded her fingers through her damp hair, smiling softly. It wasn’t often that Yelena had quiet moments like this. Since childhood, her life has been nothing but chaos.

“I’m going to braid your hair,” Kate said, untangling her blonde hair the best she could without an actual comb. She pulled a blade of grass out of her hair, chuckling quietly as she began separating her hair into a few sections, “Though it won’t look as pretty as the ones you do.”

Yelena merely hummed sleepily against Kate’s thigh, relaxing into the gentle touches, relishing in the attention. Kate has been a welcoming force in her life, no expectations, all fun, and absolutely comforting. She was able to enjoy life, not be a mindless servant.

She nearly fell asleep until one particular tug to her hair made her eyes snap open. Pain was a normal thing, but somehow Kate was making it feel like her hair was being ripped out by singular stands. Yelena squirmed slightly, thinking maybe it was just her position making it difficult for Kate and that was why she was pulling her hair so much.

“Stop moving,” Kate mumbled, focused on threading the blonde strands of Yelena’s hair into a braid.

“You’re pulling so hard, I think my hysterectomy hurt less than this,” Yelena grimaced, wishing Kate would hurry up.

The brunette rolled her eyes, not appreciating the dramatics. She weaved the pieces into each other, managing a five-strand braid for the first time in her life. Kate usually threw her own hair up into a ponytail or left it down, but Yelena had such pretty hair styles all the time, she wanted to try one out. Finishing up the hair style, she twisted the hair tie around the end, securing the braid.

“Done, now you can quit crying,” Kate hummed as she took a photo of the hair style before leaning over to show it to Yelena.

“I like he little braids you added into it,” Yelena noted with a small grin, handing Kate’s phone back to her, “thank you.”

They sat in silence for a bit, admiring the clear air, the peace and quiet, and a perfect view of the sunset. Everything that their little NYC apartment didn’t have. Kate laid back, head resting on her backpack, marveling at the colors in the sky. The bright blue from earlier was melting into a sea of swirling reds and yellows. It was something that would never be able to be properly captured in a photo.

“Thank you for planning this little getaway,” Kate murmured, lazily drawing shapes on Yelena’s arm.

“Ah, I knew you were having fun. Another one in the books for me,” she chuckled, turning enough to glance up at Kate with a smirk.

“Uh, Lena? Are those supposed to be smoking that much?” Kate nodded her head toward the food over the fire, stifling a laugh when Yelena yelped and ran over to quickly scoop it all into a bowl, “I think you burnt your dumplings.”

“No, no! Oh, not the piroshki,” Yelena pouted, knowing there was far too much charcoal on them for human consumption. She held the plate bowl out for the curious dogs, “Fanny? Lucky?” The dogs each took turns sniffing at the burnt food before walking away to lay down.

“Damn, you know it’s bad when not even they want it,” Kate laughed, ducking when Yelena had thrown one in her direction, “Lucky for you, I brought some prepackaged snacks because I didn’t think either of us could cook something.”

“The joke’s on you, I could have caught an animal and roasted it for us,” Yelena cringed and tossed the piroshkis somewhere in the tree line, walking over to snatch up one of the snacks Kate had brought, “Rabbit is quite good and squirrel is okay if there are no other options.”

“Too much, Lena. Too much.”

[feral--bog--witch]

I don't know if anyone of my mutuals are from Texas but here is a really good list of winter survival tips from a lady who lives where it gets to be -40C (up to -55C sometimes).

Layer your clothes.

Start with leggings or skin tight pants, then put sweats or another fuzzy type pant over top of that. Put on a tank top, then a t-shirt, then a sweater, then a coat. Same with socks. Layer your socks as well. HOWEVER do not put so much on that you start sweating. If you start sweating you MUST remove a layer to where you are warm but NOT hot. If you get cold while you are sweating, it negates all your layers and you WILL get cold faster.

For going outside without winter gear.

Do the layering and if you have wind pants or a wind jacket (waterproof outer shells can work too), put that over top of your clothes. Its not rated for cold weather but it will keep the wind from cutting through you which is a big thing that can affect your core body temperature. The wind will be freezing and it won't take you long to get freezing as well if it can cut through your clothes.

For your feet, water proof foot wear but NOT rubber boots. Those will make your feet freeze.

And for gloves, if you don't have any, you can make some quick ones out of socks but you MUST put them on BEFORE you go outside otherwise it negates the reason for them. They KEEP you warm, not MAKE you warm.

Also remember leggings can be doubled as a scarf and you can and will lose heat through your head so wrap it up or wear a hood.

What to do if you think you have frostbite.

You can tell if you are frost bitten due to the fact your skin will kind of go numb and you can no longer feel it. The worse it is, the more you can't feel. Now to warm that area back up once you are safe inside DO NOT USE HOT WATER! This is imperative. You WILL cause second or third degree burns because you can't tell how hot it is. Start with tepid water and rub the area vigorously while you run water over it or hold it under the water. Increase the temperature slowly over time. Another point. This WILL hurt. It will hurt A LOT but you need to keep going. It hurts because your nerves are thawing out and you are regaining circulation. This is normal and GOOD. If it hurts you know the area is slowly thawing out.

If you don't have access to water, rub the affected area a lot, massage it and work the skin and muscle. The friction will slowly thaw it out through heat and you will need to keep doing it to ensure it thaws out completely. Once again this will hurt but you need to push through it to ensure you retain functionality of that area be it your hands or feet or fingers or toes.

What do do to prep your house for freezing temps.

First thing you need to do, especially because in the south your houses are not built for freezing temps is to drip your taps. All the taps in your house should be dripping hot and cold water. This will prevent your pipes from freezing.

Also open your cupboards under your sink to help prevent the pipes from freezing. If you are concerned about it still freezing you can use cardboard to wrap them, it's not the greatest for insulation as it's not built specifically for it but it will work in a pinch to keep your pipes from freezing. You can also wrap some cotton batting around them BEFORE you do the cardboard to insulate even better.

Then we move onto draft proofing your home. If your house is drafty it will get cold VERY quickly, especially when you have freezing wind blowing. So for your windows, hang dark blankets up to cover the windows, this will help prevent drafts and the darker colour will absorb heat that will be help keep your house a touch warmer.

For your doors, roll up towels and put them at the bottom of your doors to help stop drafts from coming in or out. If you are leaking around the edges, if you have it, staple double over plastic to over hang the door to isolate the draft to the door itself. If you don't, hang a blanket to cover the door completely. This will block the draft and keep the cold from coming in and the heat from escaping.

What do do if your power goes out.

First thing you are going to do is bring everyone into a single room, if you can centralize the room to be in the middle of the house, that's even better as the cold will take much longer to reach it. As you do that, close all the door you can and then you are going to amp up your space to help retain heat. So you are going to cover the door with a blanket and you are going to bring as many blankets as possible into that space.

You are going to stay there with everyone and eat and sleep in this room TOGETHER. Your body heat will keep the room warm and if you insulate it properly it will retain that heat. If you notice a wall is super cold, hang a blanket up on it, if you notice a draft, stuff it with a towel or hang a blanket up on it.

You want the room to be as insulated as possible. And yes I include pets with this so bring in their food and water dish and if it's a cat bring in toys and their litter box.

For light, use flashlights or camping lights. If you have kerosene lamps use those, but generally use candles. Make sure they are high off the ground, not where they can tip over, and make sure they have a plate or a tray underneath then so that if they DO tip you won't catch anything on fire or get wax every where. Remember that crayons can be used as candles, and if you shove a candle in a can of Crisco that shit will burn for like six days straight. Also if you have an orange, cut it in half, take the pulp out, pour in a little cooking oil into the half a peel (make sure the flash point of the oil is high so it doesn't catch fire), and then stick a small candle in the middle, this will give you a large amount of burn time for a small candle.

For heat. There are several methods you can use to heat up a space, one is you take a tiny can, put a toll of toilet paper inside of it, then you dump isopropyl alcohol (min 70%) over the roll until it's soaked, and then light it on fire. This will provide both light and heat for several hours.

If you want to double that heat, take a terra cotta pot or a metal pot and have it slightly over top of the can. NOT covering the fire but resting slight over top of it so the rim of the terracotta pot or the metal pot it level with the edge of the candle. If you have several of those, you will heat the space rather quickly.

If you have a woodburning stove or a fireplace, then use that! Just make sure you have your chimney unobstructed donut draws properly and for all burning types of heat ALWAYS HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM. If you DON'T then make sure your space is ventilated.

Also never fall asleep while the fire is going. So candles, your little flame heaters, ect.

Keeping yourself warm at night.

The absolute BEST blankets to use to wrap up in are sleeping bags. Use them on-top of all your other blankets and they will keep your heat in so much better than anything else. They are specifically designed for colder weather and keeping you warm.

Keep your feet warm. The best and easiest solution to this is to make a 'bed rock'. Back in the old times people used to warm up rocks and stones and stick them at the end of their bed underneath their covers to keep them warm. We can mimic that by using hot packs, so those little plastic bean filled baggies that you warm up in the microwave. Pop those into the microwave for two minutes and stick them at your feet under your blankets and you will have warm feet for up to three or four hours.

If you don't have a heat pack, that's fine! You can make one with a sock, rice, and a hair elastic. Fill your sock with rice, tie it closed with the elastic and there you go! Homemade heat pack (I actually made one this winter when our power went off. It makes a WORLD of difference.)

If you are stuck outside in the freezing cold (and can't get into a shelter).

Layer your clothes and if you are still cold, crumple up newspaper and stick it between the layers. This will act as a insulator to keep your body heat in. You need to stay warm. It's easier to stay warm than it is to warm up.

Try and get access to a tent and a sleeping bag will increase your chances of staying warm. You need shelter and a tent with a sleeping bag is the best way to do that. If you have shelter you can survive but if it's snowing do NOT let snow accumulate on your tent. This can block air flow and can cause your tent to collapse.

Sleep on something that protects you from the ground. Even if you have to layer cardboard to keep the cold away from you, do so.

If you have no shelter, you can make one using cardboard boxes. Find a large box if you can, then a smaller one that fits inside of it but still fits you. Once you have them, find a place that is sheltered from the wind and then place your boxes so that the opening it towards the shelter and then shove crumpled newspaper in the space between the boxes to provide insulation and while it's not pretty, it will work in a pinch. If you want too insulate it more, put plastic over the boxes and then pile snow on the sides and a thin layer on the top. This will insulate your shelter as snow acts as a great insulator.

Buddy up. The more people you find the more heat you can generate. Never be alone out in the cold. It's easier to fall asleep when you shouldn't and you won't have someone else there who can help you if you need it. Have at least someone else with you if you can manage it.

Never go to sleep cold! If you are warm you can stay warm but you can't warm up if you are cold. Doing jumping jacks, rub your legs and arms, do whatever it takes to get warm before you go to sleep.

If it's super cold out, keep moving and find public spaces that are open to get out of the cold. Sometimes it is too cold for you to stop and sleep. You might want too but you can and will die if you do. The cold will kill you quickly and it is better to keep moving to keep yourself safe and awake. If you can find open public buildings, like 24 hour laundry mats or libraries or other buildings like that. Go in to get warm as best as you can and if you can sleep there, do so but you cannot sleep outside if it's too cold.

Stay safe.

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you. This cold snap is horrible for people who have never experienced it before so stay safe and stay warm. Im worried for you, I'm used to this, you aren't. I love you all and stay safe!

[random-imagines-blog]

This Could Be Anywhere in the World {Ygritte x Reader}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2068 Summary: Travels across the wildlands make you hungry ... and tired.

Your hold on Ygritte’s mittened hand was as tight as it could be with such thick fabric separating skin. But you knew that if actually had flesh touching flesh up here, beyond the wall, you might actually freeze together. And as much as you loved her and wanted to be around her for the rest of your life, being conjoined like that was not the ideal. “We should be making camp soon,” You said, noticing how it was starting to grow dark. The stars above were starting to make themselves known, twinkling in the sky. Living life as a nomad, home was wherever you decided to set up camp, and you were just about ready to head home now. “There’s a spot right over there, nice and sheltered, see?” You pointed towards a rock formation which looked to be natural rather than man-made. Ygritte nodded in agreement.

Ygritte worked on the tent while you worked on getting a fire going. You had a couple of hares that you had been hunting along the way that you were ready to put over the flames. Your stomach was growling intensely from all of the walking and the lack of nourishment. “I can hear that from all the way over here!”Ygritte called from where she was setting up the furs that would be your slelter for the night. They were just to keep away the cold winds. They did nothing against the temperature. But that’s what snuggling together for body heat was for. You laughed at her, picking up a small pile of snow, formed it into a ball and threw it at her. It caught her by surprise, hitting her square in the back. You were surprised she was even able to feel it given how thick her coat was. She let out a squeal, turning around to look at you with shock and dismay. “Did you just throw a snowball at me?” She asked.

“Maybe!” You grinned. “That’s what you get for making fun of my poor stomach. It just likes to sing sometimes. You should feel honored that it decided to do so in your presence!”

“You’re so weird,” Ygritte muttered, going back to work. And you went back to the fire, striking flint against rock over some wood that you had collected on the way, until a spark started to form. You blew on it gently, and it finally took to being flame, moving to the other branches and creating a fire. You stood up, ready to celebrate your victory by skinning those hares and getting the meat over the fire when something hit the back of your head. You gasped, and turned around to see Ygritte wiping snow off of her hands. She looked very satisfied with herself.

“Now what was that one for?” You asked, narrowing your eyes. She had the shelter set up now, though it waved a little in the wind. That was the best that one could do out here sometimes. She saw the look in your eye, the one that usually meant that she was going to be getting tackled into the snow.She hurried into the shelter, poking her head out from beneath the flaps, watching your every move. You got up slowly, letting the carcasses fall from your grip onto the ground. Then raced into the shelter to get at her.

The snow had been trampled so instead of being ankle high, it was under your boots. She laughed her snort-like laugh as you pushed her down, getting on top of her, grin overtaking your face. She batted at you with her arms, usually very strong, but no match for you, especially while they were shaking with her laughter. “Stop, gerrof mee-” She said, as you took a handful of snow and started to sprinkle it onto her face. “Nooooo!”

“You gonna say mercy?” You asked.

“You’re the one who started it!”

“You made fun of my stomach growling!”

“That ain’t my fault! It was asking for it!”  

“You’re asking for it!”

“Okay, okay, mercy, mercy!” Ygritte said, and you let the rest of the snow drop down beside her. Her nose was now a bright pink color from the cold, and it was rather becoming on her. Along with the red cheeks. Her hair was sticking to her wet forehead, and she pushed it out of the way using the back of her mitten. You chuckled and rolled off of her, and the both of you got back up onto your feet. You brushed snow off of her back where it had gathered between the bristly furs.

“Did  ya get the meat started yet?” She asked. “I’m starvin.”

“Well I would have if you weren’t so damn distracting!” You said, leaving the shelter to see that the fire had nearly gone out. A few more twigs and another strike of flint and you had it going again. You sat your butt down on the snowy ground, and started to tear the fur off of your prey, saving as much as you could so you could make a hat or something. Waste not want not.

There was a quiet save for the crackling of the fire whenever it reached a wet spot on the wood. It sent out little sparks, and quite a bit of smoke. That would keep animals away, but would alert any other people to your presence. There wasn’t much that you could do about that at the moment. You shoved the carcasses onto some of Ygritte’s arrows and held it over the flames, turning it slowly to let the meat cook evenly. Just because it wasn’t a feast didn’t mean it would be bad. “Could do with a little salt,” You said into the night. “It’s been forever since we’ve had anything good to season the meat with. Oh gods, and now I’m thinking about potatoes. Do you remember potatoes?” Your mouth was watering just thinking about it.

“Barely,” Ygritte said, sadly. “I remember carrots though. Everyone called me that for a while. Cause of the hair,” She went from sad to bitter. You tried not to laugh, you really did. But now you were just thinking about her having carrots instead of hair. The cold and the hunger were driving you crazy. That would be your excuse. She shoved at you and you nearly dropped the meat but managed to keep your hold on it.

“Watch it! This is all we’ve got, and it’s way too dark to go hunting again tonight,” You said. You pulled it off of the flame and took a look. Almost done. You put it back on just to make sure that it was all cooked down to the middle. Getting food poisoning and having it run out of both ends while on a skirmish like this was not fun at all. You gave her the first one though, handing her the arrow. “Go on, you deserve it for setting up the shelter.”

She took it without argument. She greedily bit into it, the small amount of juices running down her chin, only for her to remove one of her mittens, wipe it off, then lick it off of her fingers. It was always amusing watching her eat. It was like watching an animal finally take down it’s meal. You had to take your eyes off of her to skin the next hare, and roast it over the fire for yourself. The smell of yours combined with what Ygritte hadn’t chopped down yet made your stomach grow excited. You could have sworn it was doing flips in there, like the entertainers you heard about, doing fancy feasts and things.

When it was done, you finally ate. It wasn’t enough to fill you, but it was hard to feel full out here where food is scarce. It was just enough, though, for your stomach to feel calmer. For you to feel a bit warmer from the inside out. You laid back against the snow, looking upwards at what stars you could make out through the smoke. Ygritte laid back with you.

“Why do I always find myself on my back around yeh?” She asked, making you laugh and nudge her with your elbow.

“Cause you’re so annoyin, I always have to push you over.” You joked. “Though I guess you found yourself annoying enough this time, you went and did it all on your own.”

“Pushed yourself down first,” She pointed out, making you stop laughing. You sighed contently though, ready for a rest after all of the walking and the eating that you had just done. But you were just a bit too lazy to get yourself over to the shelter. The wind had died down somewhat so you were comfortable. “Do yeh think it will ever stop snowing?”

“Nah. You know how the Gods like to keep us miserable. All this free and wild land but can’t grow shit on it. Makin’ a home is almost impossible because the strong winds blow everything down. Can’t even have a family cause the elements take em from yeh”

Ygritte hummed by you. “It’s no’ so bad. It ain’t fancy dresses and eating at tables but we’re tougher than they could ever be.”

“Is it better to be tough than happy?” You asked. And then found yourself laughing again spite yourself. “I should get some sleep. I think too much when I’m tired.”

“Yeah, you get weird,” Ygritte said, sitting back up. She warmed her hands by the fire, which was starting to die out due to lack of attention. “Shelter’s all ready. We should move on early tomorrow.”

“Yeah, probably.” You said, getting up. You kicked a bit of snow over the fire to stop the smoke, stop any people from coming along, and went into the shelter. It was pitch back in there once you were surrounded by the furs. But it was warm. It was sheltered against any wind that might come, and bring torrents of snow with it. Always a risk this far north.

But you didn’t lay down right away. Just sat back against the rock. It was cool, but it was a nice sort of cool. It felt good against the back of your neck after you had removed your hood, scrunching it up so you could use it as a pillow after lying down. Ygritte sat beside you. You noticed that she had been staying particularly close lately, and it didn’t just feel like a safety in numbers thing. This girl had the habit of making your heart beat fast.

“What are you starin at me for?” She asked, accent thick but muffled by her scarf.

“You’ve still got snow on ye,” You said quickly, and patted the back of her jacket though there was nothing there. “How am I supposed to get some sleep if ye keep chatting my ear off?”

“How am I supposed to get some sleep if ye keep staring at me?” Ygritte retorted. She huffed, reached around you to put one hand on the side of your head, and made you lean down to be on her shoulder. The bristles of the fur smelt like smoke and snow, a comforting combination since those really were the only two smells up here in the north. Those and death. You nuzzled in to get some more warmth, making the redhead squirm a little. Her movements just made you all the more comfortable. “Now will ye close your damn eyes? We got an early morning.”

“Yeah, yeah,” You muttered, and allowed your heavy eyelids to close. You could feel her faintly moving with her breathing, her shoulders rising up and then down very slowly. Her breathing evened out. And then came the snores. The noise made you smile because it was such a Ygritte noise to make. Even in her sleep she was far from delicate and ladylike. And that’s what you loved about her.

You finally started to drift off, finding comfort and familiarity in the person beside you rather than your surroundings. As long as you were with her - this spot, the best one you could imagine - could be anywhere in the world.

[lorelylantana]

Spontaneous Chapter 1: Step One

Last fic post in 2020! It's been a wild ride y'all but here's one last beginning before the year ends.

Next

Ao3

Chapter rating: G Overall rating: T

What-

What in Hylia’s name did she just watch?

During her captivity, Zelda imagined several different scenarios for Link’s clash with Ganon. It gave her hope to think about standing before him as he smiled at her once again. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would take her into his arms, reunited at last before riding away to rebuild Hyrule. But never, in her wildest dreams, did she think of this situation.

There was the Hero of Hyrule, walking toward her in all his barely dressed glory, giving her the most roguish smile she’d ever seen on his face. A horse walked up to him, unsaddled and almost identical to Epona, his steed from a century ago. The mare nuzzled his shoulder, and he grimaced, looking down at the side of his ribs where one of the Blights must have nicked him. He moved to cover the gash with his own hand but she smacked it away.

“Now you stop that!” she scolded. His hands were covered in all manner of grease and dust and no doubt several other kinds of dirt you kept away from open wounds at all costs. She turned him around and batted his arm away so she could take a closer look at the cut, her hand coming to rest on his stomach as she did so, an inch above the waistband of his shorts. She felt more than heard him suck in a breath.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Did he have internal damage? His face was flushed and he shook his head. Did he have a fever? That’s a bad sign. She turned her attention back to his bleeding side to look for signs of infection. It didn’t look too bad, actually. Still, without Mipha’s Grace, may her soul rest, Zelda wasn’t comfortable leaving it alone. She grabbed his arm, which was noticeably thinner than it was 100 years ago, and dragged him towards the Sacred Ground Ruins, where the water thankfully still ran clear. It was a short trip, but she was still shaking with exertion but the time they reached what was left of the stone platform. The Epona horse followed without instruction, which implied some measure of domestication, but without any tack to speak of she couldn’t be sure.

She sat him down and began tearing at some of the cleaner sections of her dress. Link scratched the back of his neck.

“You don’t need to-”

“If I never wear this dress again it will be too soon,” she huffed,  sitting on the lip of the fountain. She dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out. She turned back to him and patted her lap, “Come here.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. She wasn’t amused by his hesitation, especially when the growing flush on his cheeks could be indicative of a fever.

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure. Now lay down so we can see to that cut.”

He waited a beat longer, as if waiting for her to withdraw her offer. Then he settled in her lap, letting out a soft sigh as he relaxed. He wasn’t shivering, so perhaps it wasn’t as severe as she feared. She pressed her hand onto his cheek, which was warm, but not alarmingly so. Perhaps it was a reaction to the warm summer’s day rather than illness. She hoped so. In a perfect world she would have a Hyrule herb poultice to spread around the cut, but for now they’d have to settle with a simple bandage.

“Tell me,” she prompted as she began rubbing the blood away, hoping to distract him from the pain a little, “What happened after you woke up?”

“Not much,” he admitted, “I woke up, followed the old man’s instructions, and then he gave me a paraglider, and then I flew to the castle. I made my way to the top, and then I was here.”

She paused, “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

She needed a moment to process the implications. “Exactly how much time has passed since you woke up?” Her perception of time was a bit skewed when she was imprisoned. For all she knew, he’d been running around Hyrule for months, but that didn’t explain his conspicuous lack of pants. He considered a moment before answering.

“A day. I think?” he looked sheepish when he clarified, “I may have spent more time necessary exploring the plateau.”

Zelda wasn’t about to complain about his response time when he single handedly beat down the apocalypse mere hours after his return to the living, so she focused on their next steps. She had him sit up while she tore off more of her dress to wrap around his torso. 

Her first thought was that he needed to get dressed, but he made it this far without clothes, so he’d probably survive a bit longer. Infection or no, she wanted to get the cut taken care of as soon as possible, and without any degree of medical equipment, their best option was a hot spring. There was one inside the castle, but with monsters still lurking with the walls it was hardly an ideal, despite its proximity.

Zelda looked to the sky, it was still late morning, so there was enough time to ride to lakes at the foot of Death Mountain and have an hour or two to soak before the sun went down. 

“Alright,” she said, standing to stretch. He followed her to where the Epona horse stood. “A hot spring would do us both a world of good, and the closest one is to the northeast. Is that agreeable to you?”

He shrugged, content to follow Zelda’s plan. He helped her mount before settling behind her, and though she couldn’t be certain, she would have sworn she could see a solitary spirit wave them goodbye as they passed. It looked like her father.

 The guardians were still walking about, lit up a bright orange. Even if her mind knew they posed no threat now that they were freed from Ganon’s control, she couldn’t help how her heart sped at the sight of them. Link must have noticed, because he insisted they urge the Epona horse into a canter, despite Zelda’s reservations. It seemed that his skills as a rider weren’t lost to time, which was a relief. The roads were empty, even when they left Hyrule field, but Zelda was too exhausted mentally to ponder it for too long. They passed Foothill Stable as the sun began to set.

As they came up on the turquoise water, she swung a leg over the Epona horse’s neck, a move made possible by her freshly shortened dress, and slid down. Zelda untied the bandage  around his waist and dipped her feet in the water. She put her hair in a ponytail while he sank into the spring with a moan. Link had offered his hair tie, but Zelda wasn’t going to take an accessory from a man wearing only his undershorts, so she declined, opting instead to tie it with a spare scrap of dress. She absentmindedly brushed his hair back before taking stock of the meager inventory.

It wasn’t as sparse as she’d assumed. There were a few odds and ends, bundles of wood and various herbs and mushrooms. She also came across a few gems and a handful of rupees, which she set aside. She tried to make the best camp she could, listening to Link paddle around idly. She built a fire and arranged the mushrooms and found a stick to skewer them with. Once she returned she found Link by the fire, slicing a trout into chunks to cook. If he’s quick enough to catch a fish with his bare hands, then his skill hadn’t depleted, only his strength.

Yet still strong enough to best Calamity.

They ate in relative silence, until Zelda finally scrapped up enough courage to ask the devastating question she already knew the answer to.

“What do you remember?” she asked. He shifted next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers.

“Nothing.”

She nodded, taking a bite before speaking again. She didn’t have the strength to face reality as a whole. Not yet, so instead she addressed the small pieces she could handle.

“Can I have these?” she asked, pointing to the gems. He nodded, tossing his empty skewer into the fire before going to sit in the water again. Zelda took the gems and walked back to the stable.

She made it as far as the sign marking Death Mountain's ascent before she had to stop and rest, huffing as she sat down on the warm rock. She tried to adjust her sandals, only to have them come apart in her hands, so she just tossed them aside. If Link could fight six different abominations in quick succession barefoot, surely she could walk to a stable. 

But as she stood up on shaking legs she felt a gentle bump against her back. The Epona horse had come for her, and Zelda was not proud enough to refuse her assistance, using the rock as an impromptu mounting block. 

“You’re a brave one, girlie,” Ozunda said, walking up to the counter, “walking about after the day went red like that. Everyone’s been buckled down since.”

“The disturbance has since passed,” she replied. She didn’t tell them the Calamity was no more because she didn’t think she could handle a celebration surrounded by her kingdom’s ruin. Instead she walked to the merchant sitting on the floor, placing the gems on his makeshift table.

“How much can you give me for these?”

He ended up giving her 210 rupees for the stones, which she in turn used to purchase a set of Hylian trousers and a sturdy tunic. He even threw in a hair comb he had in stock, though she suspected he pitied Zelda for her tragically bare feet and disheveled hair.

Zelda walked out of the tent to where the Epona horse waited patiently. She looked around for a rock to help mount, but a stable hand came to help her up. Zelda focused on thanking the young woman instead of how frail she must look to warrant unrequested assistance.

“You want to register that horse, miss?” Ozunda called as she turned to go, “It gets you a stable issue saddle and bridle, just twenty rupees.”

“It’s not my horse,” Zelda answered, “We’ll come by later.”

She returned to their campsite with the bundle of clothes to find Link already stretched out, fast asleep. She tucked the clothes under his head and set the boots to the side and placed her fingertips across his chest lightly, only removing them when he felt him take a breath. She ran the comb carefully through her hair. Letting it down from it’s braid for the first time in one hundred years. Then she ducked behind the rocks to give her some measure of privacy while she stripped off the dress. After several careful tears Zelda was able to separate that dreadful outer layer from the rest of the gown. She set them aside while she finally stepped into the water, letting it melt away some of the physical strains weighing on her.

And then Zelda was alone with her thoughts, without an activity to occupy her thoughts. Zelda was left to grieve.

She hated herself for it, but she felt a flood of relief overpower that grief. Granted, she’d had a century to come to terms with devastation of Calamity, but it felt wrong to rest when the Champions, her dearest friends, were tethered to this world, not allowed to pass on. They would have to visit each Divine Beasts and release them of their duty. 

And then what?

Things didn’t go at all as she’d expected them to. She wasn’t so foolish as to believe everything would go according to plan, but she never would have thought Link would charge the castle before he had a chance to remember himself. A trip to Kakariko was in order. Impa would be able to tell them where to go from there. Perhaps Purah lived still, and she could share some of her findings with Zelda.

For the time being, she had to help Link get back to what he was. She knew it wasn’t fair to put her beloved Champion through all this to begin with, much less without so much as a memory to guide him. He might not want to travel with Zelda, perhaps only freeing her out of a lingering sense of duty before exploring the wilds at his leisure. She owed that to him, if that was his desire. She could make her own way once they reached Kakariko. At the very least, she was obligated to point him in the right direction.

Before all else, though, she must rest. Her eyes were closing of her own accord, and her mind grew hazy.

She pulled herself out of the water, using the torn cloth to wipe herself down before slipping back into the revised dress, now coming to a stop right above her knees. Zelda sat down beside the long dead fire. She leaned against the warm red stone, Link’s sleeping figure the last thing she saw before falling asleep.

[seasonsofeverlark]

Pumpkin Duck

Author: @mega-aulover​

Prompt: How about Katniss taking Peeta to the forest during the fall for the first time to see all of the fall colors. [submitted by anonymous]

Rating: K

Author’s note: Special thanks to @jroseley​ for beta-ing. :)

____________ 

“You smell like a snickerdoodle Sweetheart?”

Katniss slammed the door of Haymitch’s man cave and sat down. She narrowed her eyes at her mentor. She was beginning to hate anything fall flavored related, including cinnamon.  Most of all she grew a distinct dislike of pumpkin.

“Peeta’s still baking up a storm.”

“He claims he’s experimenting with recipes for the bakery,” she huffed. “But the thing is he’s making stuff that isn’t sold at the bakery.”

Haymitch handed her a beer. “So what has the boy done that has you spittin nails?”

She twisted the bottle cap angrily. “This morning he said he was going to create a pumpkin flavored  macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese shouldn’t be pumpkin flavored. For that matter pumpkins don’t have a flavor like tomatoes, apples, or broccoli.”

Haymitch lifted an eyebrow. “Broccoli?”

“Yes broccoli,” Katniss said, putting the bottle down.

“Sweetheart, have you seen my house, I have orange coming out of my ears. I found Effie changing out my tidy-whities for oranges ones with squirrels sitting on piles of leaves. It’s not even fall yet.” 

Katniss hung her head. “Why don’t we make a run for it?”

Haymitch chuckled, “Effie’s got a tracker in me she’ll find me.”

Katniss laughed. Effie always seemed to show up wherever Haymitch hid.

“Fall’s like a week away Haymitch but he’s been driving me bananas.” Peeta yesterday dragged out his wok to make fried rice with pumpkins. She shuttered.  “How do you do it?”

“We find them appealing, they put up with our crap.” 

Katniss grimaced.

“No you don’t have the right to make that face. You and I both know Effie puts up with my geese and the boy puts up with muddy footprints all over the floor. Besides we are nuts about them.”

Her shoulders drooped, she did love Peeta. “He is cute when he wakes up in the morning  with his wavy hair all askew.”  

Haymitch grinned, he handed her half of his ham and cheese sandwich.

Having the normal food calmed her down.  “He says he wants to be ready for fall.”

“Why don’t you do something for him?”

“Like what?”

“You like the woods right?”

Katniss frowned she wasn’t following. “Yeah.”

“His favorite time of year is the fall, and next week the fall starts.” 

“Oh take him to the woods so he can see the real deal.” She had taken Peeta to the lake during the summer but never when the leaves were changing. Finishing up the sandwich she bounded out of the door. “Thanks Haymitch.”

“Don’t mention it,” Haymitch muttered. 

Katniss walked by Effie who today was dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit with a hat that looked like a pile of leaves. She shook her head but managed a smile at her former escort. “Hi Effie.”

“Oh, hello Katniss, is Haymitch still cooped up in there?”

“Sure is, the game’s nearly finished,” Katniss paused and then turned to her former Escort. Haymitch needed a break and she needed help. “Effie how quickly do you think I can get camping equipment?”

“Why?” Effie turned around. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well Haymitch gave me a great idea. I know how much Peeta loves the fall, so I thought I would take him camping up in the mountains. The leaves change colors in the mountains quicker because it’s cooler.”

“OH,” Effie gasped. Her lashes with miniature fall leaves batted quickly as her eyes became brighter. “What a darling idea? What exactly do you need?”

“Well,” Katniss said, linking her arm with Effie. “First off I need camping clothing, and I need a large enough tent.”

“Ooohhh, I know some people who can help.”

Katniss grinned. “I also need this to be a surprise. You know I cannot lie to Peeta.” Now if she could only survive the couple of days of pumpkin wreaking havoc in her life.

“That is the utter truth.” Effie said. 

The next day when Peeta returned to the bakery Katniss and Effie got to work. Katniss  had to make sure the path was still there. Around here the leaves were still green, but high up in the mountains the air was colder and the leaves changed color quicker.

Her father had taken her there once. She was a small child but she’d been past the trail a dozen times when she hunted in the woods with Gale but she’d never explored. After the war when Peeta came back she took a walk. She discovered the trail and everyday she cleared it little by little until she made it to the peak of the mountain. It took three days and Peeta was scared out of his mind when she came back. He kissed her hard, yelled at her, and kissed her again. Her toes curled in her old boots at the memory of that passionate kiss.

“Look Effie,” Katniss shouted excited to find the trail. When she found the trail she was overjoyed. 

“Oh dear this will not do,” Effie tsked. “We need someone to make a clear path, Peeta will not be able to get through there easily. I know who to call.” 

Katniss wasn’t sure about the gleam in Effie’s eyes. But true enough within a day Effie had Thom and a crew working around the clock to clear a path up to the mountain that would be even enough for Peeta to make his way up the mountain. 

A few days later she was in the mudroom looking bewildered at all of the packages Effe had brought over. There were boxes dozens of them of every size and shape. Katniss wasn’t sure how she was going to keep this from Peeta. He knew she was frugal and she just didn’t buy anything. 

“Katniss,” Peeta said, popping his head in her mudroom.

Katniss looked up, surprised that Peeta had come home early.

“What is all of this?”

“Nothing,” Katniss said, hiding the orange plaid shirt behind her back. Horrified she watched Peeta pick up a box.  

“Looks like Effie is trying to hide purchases from Haymitch.”

Katniss glanced down at the nearest box and indeed Effie’s name was on the shipping label of the boxes. “Erm…yeah,” Katniss nodded, she fought to keep her embarrassment from showing up on her face. “What are you doing home so early?”

“Well I wanted to make some ravioli, for dinner.”

Katniss eyes lit up at the thought of the fluffy pasta filled with oozing cheese or ground meat.”

“Yeah I got an idea for pumpkin flavored raviolis. I got the ingredients at the grocers,” he began walking away. “..they had these beautiful pumpkins.”

Her smile turned into a frown. “Great more freaking pumpkins,” she muttered under her breath.

The day before the great adventure Katniss sat outside with Haymitch.

“Effie is…” Katniss said to Haymitch a few days before.

“Determined?”

“Like a general in the rebellion,” Katniss said leaning up against the porch watching Peeta and Effie talk about the upcoming fall festival.

“You all set for tomorrow?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said about Effie?”

“I’m not talking about the trek, I’m talking about the…”

Katniss looked away…she looked at her beer. She drank it savoring the brew. “Yeah.”

“You, ready for this?” Haymitch leveled a look at her.

Katniss glanced toward Peeta, “I love him, even with his pumpkin obsession.”

“Good, that’s all that matters.”  

The next morning all went awry. A huge storm pulled into the  mountains and a deluge flooded the roads. They were stuck inside. Katniss sat by the window looking at the rain fall. 

“Katniss what's wrong?”

Katniss turned around biting her bottom lip. She wanted to cry but instead she squared her shoulders. “Today is the first day of fall but.”

“Yeah I know it’s the autumnal equinox.”

Jutting her chin out with determination she said, “We’re making fall.” 

“What?”

Determined, she went to his art supplies and said, “We’re making the fall indoors.”

“Kat?” 

“Get your paint box Peeta,” Katniss said, marching upstairs to an empty room. They were going to have to do this backwards. 

Peeta had his paints. “Okay are you going to tell me what this is about?”

“We’re going to make a mural Peeta. Big beautiful trees, one for each season.”

“Okay,” he looked around.

The words tumbled out of her lips,  “I had this entire weekend planned we were going to go up into the mountains.  We were going to eat fresh game and wonder at the colors of the fall. Then I was going to give you this.” Katniss took a small envelope and pressed it into his hands. 

Peeta frowned. He opened the envelope and took out the card. She watched his lips move as he read what she’d written. Katniss delighted in watching the way Peeta’s eyes lit up bigger than the bonfire she planned cooking their meals on. “You wanna try?”

Katniss nodded. 

“Real or not real, you wanna try to have a baby with me?”

“Real,” she whispered.

“Real,” Peeta uttered. Tears fell down his face.

“Yes,” Katniss pointed toward the room. “Wouldn’t this room make an amazing nursery?”

Peeta grasped her by the middle and swung her around. Katniss laughed. He put her down and then said, as he gathered his painting gear.  “I’m going to make us something special,  butternut squash soup, oh and some pumpkin bread…to go with pumpkin spiced duck.” 

Katniss scowled; she loved Peeta but she still hated the pumpkin.