#Brees ask box

[breeistired]

READATHON WHEN

IT SAYS WEDNESDAY 🙄🙄🙄

ILL SEE YOU TOMORROW THEN

[guaxinimraccoon]

How do yall feel about some gender bender?

I had a BLAST with this, it was sooooooooooo much fun to do, I'll definitely be drawing them girlies more

[countrymusiclover]

40 - Newest Dutton Baby

Country Rancher

This is the final chapter ❤️ thank you for reading

Tags @whateverthecostner @rosie-posie08 @kayceduttonn @kcloveswrestling @the-morning-star-falls @kaymudd @hcwthewestwaswcn

I gasped seeing water coming from between her legs since she was wearing just a dress and some socks after her shorts were tighter. “Oh my god. I think the babies coming.”

Kayce and I frantically turned our head towards one another sharing the same terrified look that we weren’t expecting this yet. Her due date wasn’t supposed to be until the rest of the family got back in town. “Call the helicopter!”

Kayce carried his first born daughter in his arms while we had someone else flying the helicopter for us. Carter had grabbed the baby bag. With the rest of our kids piling into the truck. “I’ll follow behind ya’ll. You stay with our baby girl.” Kayce told me when I climbed into the helicopter shutting the door behind me.

“Mommy, I’m scared.” Bree winced reaching for my hand when we rose off the ground flying as fast as we possibly could.

Grasping her hand in mine I sniffled through tears, remembering what it was like when I had her around my early 20’s. I still felt like I was a kid back then but nowhere near as young as she is. “I’m here, B. I’m always here. It’s you and me against the world.”

She sucked in a breath closing her eyes. And she remained that way for the rest of the flight. Finally we landed on the hospital building. Some medics rushed outside, rolling her into an elevator. I never let go of her hand even when her doctor came into the room. “Ms. Dutton, you are almost ready to push. But we will check up on you in a few hours.”

“Thanks doc.” I told her simply before she left the room leaving us alone.

Bree croaked through tears when she had some more contractions in her lower back. “Mommy, what if I can’t do this?”

“Don’t worry, baby girl.” Brushing hair out of her face I blinked through tears. “You are the strongest person I know. Heck when you were five years old you fell off my horse for the first time. But you wanted to get back on the second it happened.”

The door opened where I saw Carter and the others coming in. Kayce shut the door gently behind him. “How’s she doing? I called my dad and told him what’s going on. Unfortunately he can’t be home until the end of this month. So it will be a few weeks before he sees the new grandkid.”

“The doctor said she’s almost ready to deliver. But it would a few hours before she’s fully given the green light.” I shrugged my shoulders at my husband.

Carter went to her other bedside taking her other hand that I wasn’t holding. “Bree, I’m here. Uh…whatever you need from me.”

“Thanks Carter.” My daughter mumbles squeezing his hand.

Tate was helping Dallas and Elsa playing some games on the iPad we had got recently. Kayce walks over to me removing his hat where I got to my feet since he clearly needed to say something privately. “Little B, we’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Bree just nodded where we stepped out into the hallway shuttling the door behind us as we went. Wrapping my arms around myself I sighed heavily. “So what’s going on, Kayc?”

“I just needed a minute. Cause when I look at her right now I…it makes me think back to when I left you and how scared you probably were.” He ran a hand down his face.

Holding my hands I shake my head not being able to handle him crying right now. “Kayce, please don’t cry right now. Okay we’ve gone past this. Was it hard, yes. But you are here now. And I know you’re scared for our girl. But you aren’t alone. We’re in this together.”

“I just….feel like such an ass. For abandoning you for years because I chose Monica first over you. When it’s always been you who holds my heart and no one else will ever be that for me.” He sniffs through tears until I tug him against my chest. He buried his face into my neck where I ran my fingers through his hair.

“Kayce, I’ve forgiven you. Now we have to be there for Bree.” Breaking the hug we went back into the hospital room and just waited for about two more hours before the doctor came back in and said we had the green light.

Bree had asked that me and Kayce be in the room while she delivered even though we knew she loved Carter. So he stayed outside with Tate and the twins. “Alright Ms. Dutton. I need you to start pushing for me.” The doctor instructed her while she clasped our hands in hers.

She bared her teeth down while she began pushing as hard as she could until she threw her head back needing to rest. “I can’t do this, daddy…” She began panicking with her chest heaving up and down.

“Hey, hey, Little B. You are as strong as your mama. If she could get through this, so can you.” Kayce kisses her forehead holding back tears hating to see his daughter in pain and he could really do anything about this.

She gulped, gripping our hands tighter than she already had. She screamed while she was pushing with everything she had left in her. After a few more long pushes she threw her head back in relief hearing a baby’s cry filling the room. “Ohhh…” Leaning forward I kissed her forehead, smiling through tears.

The doctor handed the crying infant over to a nurse. She wrapped the baby in a soft blanket before he delivered the news. “Congratulations Ms. Dutton, you have a beautiful baby boy.”

“Have you all picked out a name yet?” The nurse asked Carter and her.

Carter chuckled nervously. “Uh no we haven’t.”

The nurse nodded gently, handing their baby boy over to them. “He’s perfect.” Bree began crying while she held her baby closer to her chest crying through happy tears.

Covering my mouth with my freehand Kayce moved around the bed. He wrapped his arms around me crying through tears. “Looks like we’re grandparents now huh Kayce. I…I can’t believe it. We’ve got a grandson.”

“Our little girl is just as strong as you are, darling.” He kisses my forehead watching the doctor and nurses leave the hospital room giving us time alone together.

Carter shifts his gaze down to the infant in his girl's arms. “He’s so tiny…”

“Can we meet the new baby now?” Dallas burst into the room.

Tate came in with Elsa dragging him behind her. “Are you going to name it after grandpa or daddy?”

“Kiddos enough with the questions. Alright your sister has been through a lot tonight. Let’s let her get some rest now.” Kayce looks down at the rest of our kids who were being impatient.

Tate dropped his smile. “Awe come on, dad.”

“Tate, don’t push it.” I warned him with a glare.

Bree cleared her throat causing all of us to turn our attention to the teenage couple. “Mommy, I think I might actually have a name for this little guy. Because I have been reading some letters from 1923. And I found a name I rather liked.”

“Honey , you don’t have to rush into this. It took me a while before I found the perfect name for you.” I reassured her by squeezing Kayce’s hand in mine.

Bree shook her head glancing over at Carter. “It’s okay, mom. The name I want is Spencer. Spencer Kayce Dutton.”

“Are you two going to get married at some point?” Kayce asked his daughter, blinking through tears while a grin was plastered on his face at hearing his name being the boy's middle name.

Carter rubbed the back of his neck avoiding his gaze before Bree sent him a grin. “Uh no sir. But I ain’t going anywhere, Mr. Dutton.” I laid my head on Kayce’s shoulder where he tugged me closer to his embrace, happy that we were all okay.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[drenosa]

I'm just curious, what's your favorite RWBY ship?

I don't really have a truly specific ship I'd shout for from the rooftops, but I do quite like the idea of Ruby/Weiss/Ilia or Chasing Rainbow Dust.

These three would be three little lesbians. Just a trio of goobers. They'd complement each other well in temperament and views on life and, most importantly, have each others' backs against any and all who'd dare become a problem for them.

I also quite like the idea of Jaune/Harriet or Energizer Bunny. If only Harriet could get a bit more character depth beyond the obedient soldier archetype. That and she's got that big booty tomboy-like aesthetic. That's always a plus.

[beaker1636]

I’m game, ask away

yellow emoji asks

😊 - what’re you excited for right now?

😎 - tag the coolest person you know

👑 - who’s your favorite disney character?

🐱 - do you have any pets?

🐯 - what’s your favorite animal?

🐤 - which animal do you identify most with and why?

🐥 - are you an early bird or a night owl?

🐝 - what’s the most adventurous thing you’ve eaten?

🌼 - what’s your favorite color?

🌻 - what’s your favorite flower?

⭐️ - do you consider yourself popular?

��� - do you prefer cloud gazing or stargazing?

☀️ - what’s your favorite season?

🍌 - what’s your sexuality?

🍋 - do you have an inspirational life motto?

🌽 - what country do you live in?

🎗 - what are you the most proud of?

🚕 - con you drive yet?

🚤 - do you get seasick?

⚱️ - what’s your most prized possession?

🔑 - what’s a secret you’ve never told anybody?

✏️ - what school subject were you/are you the best at?

💛 - do you have a crush right now?

⚠️ - what are pet peeves you have?

🔔 - what’s the last text you received?

🛎 - what’s the last text you sent?

🇳🇺 - what’s your ethnicity?

[despressoslatte]

not the zoey you wanted (three)

pairing: zach maclaren x female reader!

summary: you waited all weekend for your boyfriend, Zach, to call or text, anything, to explain why he had just went and ghosted you when you were supposed to go with him on a family ski trip to meet his parents, his sister Avery, and his cousin, Miles.

content warnings: angst; victims of catfishing; miscommunication trope

masterlist | < two

⟢a/n: if you want me to add you to the taglist for this fic, add yourself to this form: taglist

ᯓ⟢

When you get back to your on-campus apartment, you went straight into your room to take down the photos you had up of you and Zach, pulling a random old shipping box out from your recycled area to shove things into. 

The drive back to campus was pretty smooth. You blasted Gracie Abrams and Maisie Peters on repeat, and your mind went into autopilot. 

So, Zoey Miller was his girlfriend. That was pretty rich, considering you didn’t even realize when you stopped being his girlfriend. Didn’t even realize a guy as soft as Zach MacLaren had a mean bone in his body to be able to do something like this to you. You went to his house that morning half ready to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe something came up, maybe he lost his phone, maybe last minute his parents decided for it to be a family-only trip and took his phone from him in the name of “reconnecting with nature” and so he was never given the chance to inform you.

But then his mother said those words, she said that Zoey Miller was Zach’s girlfriend.

You had pulled most of his sweaters that you’d had from your closet, throwing them into the box, by the time there was obnoxiously loud knocking at your front door. You had no plans, no one who was supposed to be coming over, so you paused for a moment to see if maybe your roommate, Bree, was home or not. When you didn’t hear any movement from her side of the apartment and the knocking persisted, you let out a frustrated sigh, walking over to the peephole.

You rolled your eyes at the sight of him. What, he felt bad that he got caught and drove himself all the way back to school to finally have that talk with you in person. Between the few moments it took for you to open the door, your mind raced with all the different cliche breakup lines he could give you.

“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t feeling the spark between us anymore.”

“Let me explain…”

“I didn’t mean for this to be how you found out.”

“It’s not what it looks like.” Yeah, as if his mother confirming that Zoey Miller was Zach’s girlfriend wasn’t exactly what it looked like.

And more and more, until you finally wrapped your hand around the doorknob, unlocking the top latch, and swinging it open to look at him. He towered over you, guilt etched into his face and a small cut on his lip where you could only imagine he had bit over and over as he contemplated how to let you down softly on his ride over.

You peered out into the hallway, half expecting Zoey Miller to be outside, looking at you with those same eyes of remorse, but you only saw Zach’s luggage by your door and redness under his blue eyes.

“What?” you asked, your voice coming out in a hushed, annoyed whisper, holding the door open just enough so that he can see you.

“Let me explain,” he pleaded, his voice raspy. So, we were going with the scripted breakup line number 2. 

He paused for a second, but when he saw that you weren’t going to step back to let him inside of your apartment, he locked eyes with you. One thing about Zach MacLaren? He was very good at making intense eye contact. He licked his lips and sighed, as if searching for what else to say with his excuse.

As you waited for his lips to continue moving, you thought of what he could say next.

“...it just sort of happened.”

“...I didn’t mean to fall for her.”

“...can we stay friends?”

But instead, what came out of his mouth was, “I got hit by a car.”

Your annoyed facial expressions dropped into a confused one, squinting at him in reaction to his words. Your chin moved closer to your neck as your head moved backwards in confusion. Your lips curled upwards, not in a smile, but in a bewildered grimace.

“I’m sorry, you got what by a what?” you asked, baffled.

He was staring back at you, so so so serious. He pulled a folded up paper out of his pocket, holding it out in your direction.

“My after visit summary from the emergency room on Friday,” he mumbled.

He got hit by a car on Friday? you thought to yourself, wondering how he was going to use his, “I got hit by a car” as reasoning for taking another girl as his girlfriend to a family ski trip that he had invited you on, first.

“Patient Zachary MacLaren is a 21 year old male who was brought in after a collision of a moving car with his bicycle occurred. At onset, he did lose consciousness for a few minutes, before regaining consciousness before the paramedics arrived. No sprains or broken limbs or joints have been sustained in the incident. Patient has some swelling to the left side of his skull. Tests and examinations are concurrent with a diagnosis of a concussion and anterograde amnesia.”

Anterograde amnesia, you learned that in one of her psychology courses last semester. Short term memory loss.

“Are you telling me you have amnesia?” you asked him, holding the paper up after you’re done reading it.

“Yes—No, had. I had amnesia,” he stuttered out while nodding his head.

“So you don’t have amnesia right now?” you asked to clarify.

He shook his head and rounded his lips in a pucker and put his hands behind his back, swaying a little. “No amnesia right now.”

You blink a few times, still lost on what and how this was connecting to him bringing a different girlfriend on his family ski trip.

“And did this amnesia make you lose your goddamn mind and bring some random girl with you to a ski trip?” you asked, trying to find the connection here.

Though, you do feel really bad he got hit by a freaking car, and then he got amnesia, that sucks. You wished you had been there to help him with that.

“No, no, see, what had happened,” he started to explain, putting his hands out to grab onto your upper arms and crouch a little down to your level so he could stare you in the eyes again. “I thought she was you.”

“Excuse me?” 

He licked his lips, turning his head to the side as if to say, “I know.” He sighed and continued with his story, “After I got hit with the car, she was there.”

“Zoey was there with you when you got hit by this car? Why was Zoey with you?” you questioned.

“She works at the bookstore.”

“The bookstore,” you repeat after him with a nod, trying to keep track of all the different ways this story was branching out. “The one with the book on Battletoads.”

“Well, no,” he shook his head. “I had to get her to order me a book on Battletoads for Idiots because they didn’t have any in stock.” Then, he shook his head again when he realized you two were getting off track. He let go over her, using his hands to motion around and talk. “Point is, I left my credit card.” He points to his side to emphasize leaving his credit card. “She came outside to give it to me, I turned around to look at her,” and he mimicked how he looked at her, peering over his shoulder. “And a car didn’t see me, I didn’t see the car,” he pointed to himself and then down, before making a hitting motion with his palm, “and bam! I go flying onto the pavement.”

You’re just nodding along with his entire story, waiting for him to finally give you that missing puzzle piece that could make it all make sense.

“And then when I woke up, she was there crouching in front of me. My brain was all mushy,” he made circular motions around his head. “And I knew her name was Zoey, and I somehow could remember that I called you Zoey a few times… and I… uh…” he looked more sheepish as he got to this part of the story. “In my moment of anterograde amnesia—that means short term memory loss by the way—”

“I know,” you said, and if this was any other time, you may have laughed at the way he over pronounced “anterograde amnesia” and looked so proud of himself for knowing the term, a small smile on his face.

“—I may have thought she was.. you,” he trailed off as he said this part, looking guilty. “I just… I don’t know how,” he put his hands up and them down in exasperation, practically breathing out his words. “I don’t know how I thought she was you, baby, I don’t. But then you came to my parents’ house, and I saw you drive away, and it all… I knew she wasn’t you.”

You just nod as you process the information. This sounded like some cheaply made romance plot, that one look at you and his amnesia would wear off. There was a lot of information processing that was happening at this point.

You were pulled from your thoughts at the sound of footsteps, seeing a group of girls walking through the hallway, some of your various neighbors. They looked over at you and Zach, and you knew how this looked. The serious look on your face, the luggage, the pleading one on his. They probably thought they were watching a breakup between a tutor girl and the college’s soccer star. 

You opened the door wider, not wanting anyone to somehow overhear the conversation. You stepped aside for him. “Come in.”

He smiled, hopeful, and rolled his luggage and walked himself into your apartment.

You two went straight for the kitchen, him just following you as you said nothing back to his explanation. You went straight to the coffee machine, and as you brewed yourself some espresso, Zach went to your fridge, pulling out the creamer he knew was yours and not your roommates, you know, since he didn’t have amnesia anymore.

You stood there in silence for a little while, leaning against the kitchen counter as you sipped your latte, having made one for him after yours.

“So… you thought she was me…” you finally talk, and he’s standing across from you with a guilty nod. “Do we really look alike?”

“No! No! You’re like… a superstar, and she’s… not you,” he said with a nervous laugh, unable to insult Zoey Miller just to bring you up.

And that was fine with you. You didn’t need or want him insulting her. Just wanted to know if you two looked similar enough that he could mix you guys up in an amnesia concussion haze.

“So it was just because her first name is also my middle name?” you questioned.

“I know, it sounds stupid, I don’t… I don’t really know how to explain it.”

You nodded your lips forming a line.

“So… she just… pretended to be me?” you questioned, thinking about how insane that sounded. “For what? Revenge for hitting her in the end with that soccer ball?”

He laughed at your questions, the way you sounded so irritated at not being able to understand Zoey Miller.

You continued with your little rant, “I mean, I heard that girl is anti-romantic, so what? Did she have some secret crush on you or something? Had to strike while I wasn’t around, and you didn’t know any better?”

“She had a crush on Miles, actually,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Kissed him in the pool while I was sleeping and everything.”

Your eyes widened, and you let out an unbelievable laugh.

“And Miles just… let her? Thinking she was you girlfriend? And wait, what about Emily?” you asked, putting the cup down on the counter. Loving Zach was knowing about all of the people he loved, too, which meant knowing his cousin Miles was dating a nice girl named Emily. “Sorry, but your cousin’s an asshole! Cheating on her with the girl he thought was cheating on you while she was pretending to be me!”

Your voice kept raising as you got riled up on his behalf, and he couldn’t help but let a small smile stay on his face because of it.

The more information you got, the more insane this whole story sounded. But he smiled at your reaction, the way your facial features were showing less and less that you were mad at him. He really hoped you weren’t mad at him.

“Apparently, they’re poly.”

“Doesn’t mean you are,” you retort back, walking to where he was to stand next to him.

You let out a deep exhale, leaning your head against his arm as you two stood against the kitchen island. 

“It felt wrong, the entire time,” he said softly, squatting down a little bit so he could lean his head on top of yours as well. “Like I knew deep down she didn’t really like me. Like she didn’t even know me, and that I didn’t really know her. She said she was a computer science major and that made no sense to me, since we met because you were my English tutor. She had all these hobbies I don’t remember you ever liking. Wouldn’t let me hold her hand, spent most of her time with Miles instead of me since they could go out on the slopes and I couldn’t because, ya know, mushy brains,” he sighed. “And then, she found out about Emily and got mad at him. Then, she finally spent the day with me.”

Despite being upset that some other girl went on the MacLaren ski trip instead of you, you couldn’t help but feel bad that Zach spent the entire weekend with an inkling feeling that his girlfriend—or who he thought was his girlfriend—didn’t even like him.

He keeps talking, just expressing how the weekend felt and how things had gone.

“And it was sad coming back, you know?” he sighed. “I mean, I spent all of yesterday thinking I was having so much fun re-getting to know her, feeling like we were finally having a connection, feeling really good about it… just for it all to be a lie.”

You frowned and took your head off of his arm, making him move straight as well.

“You felt like you and Zoey had a connection?” you asked softly.

His face contorted in concern at his misstep.

“Wha—No. No, baby, no,” he moved to turn in front of you, his arms going to hold yours. “It wasn’t real. It’s not real.”

“But a part of you really liked getting to spend time with her,” you point out softly, looking away. “So much so that it was disappointing when you came home and it was… me that’s your girlfriend, and not her.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Zach said softly, shaking his head, trying to lead down closer to you to get you to look at him. “I’m not disappointed that I came home and there was you.”

“But you were disappointed that your weekend with Zoey was built on a fake premise,” you said back. “And not entirely because she lied to you, but because you felt a connection to her.”

“No!”

“Zach.”

“Okay, fine, yes. I admit that I was… feeling something towards her on this trip, but baby, I thought she was my girlfriend.”

“So, you’d date her?” you hated yourself for somehow twisting it the way you were, but a part of you was just hurt that this happened, hurt to know he spent the weekend falling for someone else, regardless of why and how. “In a different world where I don’t exist to you, you’d fall for her. Because you did. This weekend.”

A permanent frown etched into his face at your words.

“But you do exist in this world,” he whispered, pleading. 

“Did you kiss her?”

It’s not fair, you know it’s not fair to be jealous or upset. Zoey practically catfished and scammed and lied and pretended to be someone she wasn’t. But she didn’t pretend to be you in the sense of your personality. Zach said it himself, she sounded so unlike you, with a different major, different personality, different hobbies. And despite that, he liked her. 

“I thought she was you,” he reiterated, saying “yes” to your question without the word itself.

“You thought she was your girlfriend, not that she was me,” you denied, shaking your head and moving from your spot trapped between Zach and the kitchen island. 

The pleading in his eyes could haunt you.

“You didn’t think she was me personally. You just thought you were with her. And you liked being with her, for her personality and her hobbies and just her,” you said softly.

Every part of you was screaming at you to take your words back, to stop yourself from talking. You knew it was irrational to be upset at him for something he had no control over. He had amnesia for crying out loud. But there was no rationalizing this situation. 

There was no rulebook telling you how to react and respond to finding out some girl pretended to be your amnesia patient of a boyfriend’s girlfriend. There was no guide on how to take in and process him openly admitting that while she was so drastically different from you, he was starting to really like her.

“I’m sorry this happened, Zach,” you said softly, your bottom lip wobbling. “It’s not fair, and it really really sucks.”

He just stared at you, tears forming in his eyes as if he knew what you were about to say. His chin wobbled, and it pushed you over the edge, too. A string of tears fell from your own eyes.

“But I’m really hurt right now, and I don’t mean to be upset with you because I know… I know it’s not your fault. I know you didn’t mean for this to happen,” you admit, wiping your tears on the back of your wrists. 

He steps forward to try and comfort you. You step back.

“But I need time to…” you suck in a breathe and lick your lips as you try to figure out what it was that you needed from him. “I need time to process this all… process that you were starting to fall for someone else.”

“Baby…” he begged you not to do this with one single word.

“Please,” you pleaded back. “Just… please.”

And how could he deny you, the one he loved so much, the one thing you were asking of him right now?

“Okay,” he whispered and nodded, a singular tear falling down his face as he forced himself to listen to you. 

And that look on his face really felt like it could haunt you.

ᯓ⟢

four >

a/n: so i realized i have messed up the movie’s timeline, remembering that it started on valentine’s day, not december LOL, but soccer season for college is august-november for actual competitions and spring time for non-competition training and games… and I’m also from California so while I knew some schools have like “ski week” breaks in february (we always just called it president’s week break), it absolutely skipped my mind that that is a thing LOL. in this story it is a few weeks before holiday break lol.

taglist: @ursogorgeous13 @khiatonsx

[arc-misadventures]

In an effort to improve moral the council and Ironwood have agreed to Yang's plan and instigate the largest hide and seek game ever (TM) with a billion lien prize utilizing Penny as the seeker while the military holds a military "Exercise" outside the kingdom.

Nora wins

A few weeks later Jaune shows up and asks if the game is still going on.

The Hunt

Ironwood: Attention people of, Atlas, and Mantle! Today we will be conducting the worlds largest game of, Hide, and Go Seek!

Ironwood: Now I know many of you find this stupid, and silly. But, I am sure that for a prize of one billion Lien will change your minds! That's right people, the last person found, be they be male, or female, young, and old, human, and faunas alike will receive a prize of one billion Lien to do whatever they desire to do with it!

Ironwood: Now then, our seekers for this game will be, Atlas's proud Knights, and our loyal defender, Penny Polendina! Take it away, Ms. Polendina!

Penny: Thank you, General Ironwood! Salutations everyone! As the, General said, we will be hosting the worlds largest game of hide, and go seek with the grand prize for the last person found, winning one billion Lien! Now the rules are simple! Hide, and don't get caught! Of course we must advise you to hide in safe places, ant to not go anywhere that could get yourself hurt!

Penny: Now I have a complete data base of every individual who lives, in, Atlas, and Mantle. So I will be able to tell who has been found, and who is left to be found~! So don't worry, I won't leave a stone unturned in this great hunt!

Penny: And, with that, you all have five hours before the game begins! Starting... Now!

Penny: Good luck everyone, and let the games begin!

~~~ Penny: Aren't you going to hide, General?

Ironwood: Me? No, nonono, I am not interested in playing this game. Go right on ahead, Penny. Happy hunting.

Penny: I will go do that, Sir!

~~~

Penny: 1 hr 37 mins have elapsed since the start of the game: 1,721 players, and counting have been found.

Penny: ...

Penny: 1,722 players have been found; Hello friend, Blake!

Blake: What?! How did you find me so fast?!

Penny: Your hiding spot was not out of place, but empty boxes do not jiggle.

Blake: Shit! Knew I should have grab something to read that wasn't so spicy...

~~~

Penny: 2,520 players have been found, and 5% of, Atlas, and Mantle have been explored.

(Smash!)

Penny: 2,521 players have been found; Hello, Specials Ederne!

Elm: Hi, Penny... was it the fact I knock over the shelf that gave me away?

Penny: Negative. Your head is peeking over the top shelf.

Elm: Dammit! Curse my tall muscular build!

~~~

Penny: 3,791 players have been found, and 9.61% of Atlas, and Mantle have been searched.

(Creak)

Penny: Hmmm?

Penny looks up, and sees a bundle of read cloth hanging precariously from a chandler.

Penny: Hello, Ruby!

Ruby: H-Hi.. Penny...

Penny: How did you get up there, Ruby?

Ruby: My semblance.

Penny: Fascinating.

Penny: ...

Ruby: ...

Penny: Do you need help getting down?

Ruby: YES! Please help me I'm going to fall!

Penny: On it!

~~~

Penny: Hello, Friend Weiss!

Weiss: Oh? Hello, Penny. Would you care for a cup of tea?

Penny: No thank you.

Weiss: Tell me, how did you find me?

Penny: You mentioned where you were going to hide when this game was mentioned to, Yang; So, I just had to look. But, I must ask, how did you get a tea set all the way up here?

Weiss: Ahh well...

Weiss, and Penny look down to see the beautiful landscape of, Atlas, and Mantle.

Weiss: We, Schnee's have our ways~!

~~~

Penny: 5,782... Correction, 5,832 players have been found, 13.9% of, Atlas, and Mantle have been explored.

(Ca-thunk!)

Penny heard a sound emanate from within a broom closet.

Penny: Hmm? Investigating.

Penny walked to the closet, and opened the door, inside she found, Specialist Bree, and Ebi, within.

Penny: Salutations, Specialist Bree, Specialist Ebi! Only parents, and their young children are allowed to be together during the game of, Hide, and Go Seek. You two being together disqualifies both of you.

Clover: O-Oh does it? Shoot. I was running out of time to find a hiding spot, and I just jumped in here. And, well Harriet was already here, and the game started so... I just stayed here.

Harriet: I would have kicked him out, but it already started... So...

Penny: Understandable. Well, I will leave, and continue my search! But, before I go, Specialist Ebi?

Clover: Yes, Penny?

Penny: Your uniform seems to be undone, and there appears to be smudges on your face.

Clover: Oh did it, I hadn't notice.

Penny: Did something happen?

Clover: Ohh... Just got a little lucky. That's all.

Penny: I understood. Now then, the hunt continues!

Clover: Good luck, Penny!

Harriet: Bye.

Penny shuts the door, and the two stand there in silence for a moment before, Harriet slaps his chest.

Harriet: 'Got a little lucky?!' We finally have a chance to have some fun, and that's how you play it off?

Clover: Hey. I got to spend time with you, I can name a thousand reasons why that's considered lucky by anyone.

Harriet: Oh shut up, and kiss me.

Clover: Oh how lucky me~!

~~~

Penny: 7,127 players found, 27.3% of Atlas, and Mantle have been explored. Continuing the search. Hmm...?

Penny stops, as she sees a can on the side of the road being kicked to the side, and yet she saw no one was around to kick it.

Penny: Investigating... Heat Vision Activated.

Penny: Scanning...

Penny: Heat source detected, Knight's being issued to conduct search.

: Ahh! Whoa hey hey hey?!

Penny: Contestant found. Identify yourself.

: May. May Marigold...

Penny: Contestant, May Marigold has been disqualified from game for cheating.

May: What?! I'm disqualified for using my semblance?!

Penny: Negative: You are allowed to use your semblance if it allows you to stay hidden; But, you are disqualified for moving about, instead of staying hidden.

May: That's...!

May: That's fair...

Penny: Punishment has be administered. The hunt shall continue.

~~~

Winter: Oh, hello, Penny.

Penny: Salutations, Specialist Schnee!

Winter: I see you found everyone in my family. Please tell me my mother wasn't in the wine cellar...

Penny: She was not, she was in the kitchen making a cup of tea.

Winter: She was making a cup of tea? That sounds... okay...? I'll need to have a word with her... that's odd...

Penny: I was unable to find, Jacques Schnee. Do you perhaps have any ideas where I could find him?

Whitely: Father locked himself in the families panic room all by himself. He locked himself in there well before the competition started so no one else could get in.

Winter: Still as petty as ever... I'll show you to the panic room, I'm not interested in letting him win. This way, Penny.

Penny: Thank you~!

Winter: Here it is, just hack the door, and you should get in.

Penny: Hacking...

Whitely: Isn't this cheating? Telling your friend where, Father is?

Winter: She was going to check anyway. Might as well speed things along.

Penny: Vault open.

Winter: Alright, Father you have been found might as well...?! Whitely, stay back!

Whitely: Why? I need to...?!

Winter: I said, stay back!

Penny: Oh, this is unexpected...

Jacques Schnee, was lounging peacefully in his chair, his head staring at the ceiling, a cup of wine sat before him, his once proud white business suit, stained red with his blood.

Jacquess Schnee's throat had been slit.

Jacques Schnee, was dead.

~~~

Ironwood: You found his dead body in a panic room behind a locked vault door?

Winter: Indeed sir.

Ironwood: Suicide?

Winter: No idea, Sir. We will know more once the autopsy has been completed.

Ironwood: I guess someone thought that this game of hide, and go seek would be the opportune moment to commit a crime. But, within a locked safe? This makes no sense...

Winter: Records indicate that the door was only opened twice; When he went in, and when we went in to check on him.

Ironwood: Peculiar... Hmmm... Assemble whatever, Specialist's that have been found, and start investigating this at once. The fact that it was your father who was killed is one thing, but the fact that it happened behind a locked door is something else entirely.

Winter: At once, Sir!

Ironwood: They waited until the game began, and then killed him when no one was looking... This isn't good... Not good at all.

~~~

Penny: 9,723 player's, and 52.6% of Atlas, and Mantle have been searched.

Penny: Friend, Ren?

Ren: Oh, hello, Penny.

Penny: How did you get that tea set up in that tree? That is a potential fire hazard.

Ren: Don't worry, it's an electric heater, no open flame of any sort. Tell me, have you found, Nora yet?

Penny: Negative. Friend Nora has yet to be found. Do you have any idea where friend, Nora might be?

Ren: I don't know where exactly, Nora is. But, to give you a clue where she might be; Nora is probably in a place that doesn't seem physically possible to be in.

Penny: What? But, how is that possible?

Ren: It's, Nora.

Penny: I do not understand?

Ren: Neither do I.

Penny: Oh... Okay...?

~~~

Penny: Remove yourself from the premises at once.

Oscar: What? H-How did you find me?

Penny: The Vault is routinely monitored. You were found instantly hours ago the moment you walked into the premises.

Oscar: What?! Then how come you didn't call me out sooner, I've been waiting here for hours!

Penny: It was not to be checked until 70% of Atlas's, and Mantle's total population, and 80% of it's territory had been searched.

Oscar: Aww man... I waisted my whole day here...

~~~

Yang: Sup, Penny~!

Penny: Friend, Yang... W-Why are you in my room...?

Yang: Cause of all the places I thought you would never look, I doubted you would look in your own room.

Penny: That is correct... 99.9%, 15,971 inhabitants of Atlas, and Mantle have been found. And, 100% of the grounds of Atlas, and Mantle have been checked. Your guess that this would be the last place I would have check is correct.

Yang: Does that mean I won?!

Penny: Negative. The last individual to be found is, Nora Valkyrie.

Yang: Damn! I was so close. Well, lets meet up in the, General's office to announce the winner.

Penny: Very well.

Yang: Oh, and, Penny?

Penny: Yes?

Yang: About this, Ruby Chibi-ish plushie you have here...

Penny: W-What plushie...? Hiccup!

Yang: Relax, I'm totally fine with you two being a thing. That's not what I wanted to ask you about at all.

Penny: Oh? Then what is it?

Yang: Where can I get one~?

~~~

Ironwood: So you found everyone, Penny?

Penny: I have found everyone, but one.

Ironwood: Then we have a winner then?

Penny: Yes, Sir. Nora Valkyrie is the winner.

Ironwood: Then we shall announce that the game is over so she can come out of wherever it is she is hiding.

Penny: Very well, Sir!

~~~

Yang: So, wait, he was found dead in a panic room?

Weiss: Yes, apparently that is where, Winter, and Penny found him.

Blake: I would say I'm sorry, Weiss.

Ruby: But...?

Blake: What? I said, I would say I'm sorry, but come on, it's Jacques Schnee!

Ruby: But, he's, Weiss's dad!

Weiss: Nonono... It's alright, in fact I believe that the moment it is made public there will be people celebrating in the streets.

Yang: Whoo! Block party!

Clover: So where did they find you two?

Marrow: I was hiding in a locker, but it turned out to be a rocket locker, and I got sent out into the wastelands by accident. So I spent my time out there waiting to be picked up.

Vine: I was hiding in the, Bullhead that was sent to pick him up.

Harriet: HA!

Clover: Tough break.

Qrow: The found me after they knocked over a wine barrel, and it smashed on the floor.

Yang: I thought you gave up drinking, Uncle Qrow? What were you doing in a wine barrel?!

Qrow: It was empty! And, I don't know, I just sorta... fell into it.

Oscar: Just your semblance playing up on you?

Qrow: Oh shut up.

Oscar: Sorry.

Ironwood: Ahh, I see everyone's here. Good, since you're all close friends with, Ms. Valkyrie, perhaps one of you could tell us where she could be?

Weiss: You still haven't found her?

Blake: Have you tried notifying her on her scroll?

Penny: We have, but we have received no response.

Ruby: Hmmm... Hey, are those coffee cups?

Blake: They have, Nora's name on them.

Ren: Oh... oh that's not good.

Ironwood: Why, what's wrong?

Ren: Nora is hyperactive as it is, when she has coffee she gets super charged. Which results in... incidents happening.

Ironwood: Incidents? What kind of incidents?

Yang: Yes.

Ironwood: Okay...?

Clover: Then how do we find her to let her know she won?

Nora: I WON?!

RW: AHHHH!

Elm: Oh gods!?

Yang: The hell?!

Blake: NYAAHHHH!!!

MV: AHHH!!

Ironwood: Wait... did she...?

Penny: Hi, Friend Nora!

Nora: Hi~!

Nora: So, did I win?!

Ironwood: Yes, Miss Valkyrie, you did win.

Nora: FUCK YEAH!

Ironwood: I must ask though, where were you?

Nora: I drank two espressos here, and phased between realities, until I was in the null zone, where I excited in a state of non-existence. There I stayed until I was summoned from the void, and brought back to the material realm.

RWBYRO: ...

Qrow: Uhhh...?

CHEVM: ...?

Penny: Really?

Ironwood: Huw... there's video of her standing here in this room, then she just disappears... What?

Ren: Best not to dwell on it, Sir. It's just better that way.

Ironwood: Very well? Haaa... Alright then, we shall now announce the winner.

Nora: Whoo!

RWBYRO: YAY!

Winter: Ahh... I see you found, Miss Valkyrie. Where was she?

Ironwood: She was here.

Winter: Here...? In this room?

Winter: ...

Winter: Where?

Clover: We'll explain later. I hope...

Winter: I see...? Well then, congratulations then, Miss Valkyrie. You won, Atlas's, and Mantles first game of Hide, and Go Seek.

Nora: Yes! I win, I win~! DadadaaaDA!

Winter: Once, again I offer you my congratulations. I think you, and your friends should get together to... Hold on... Two, four, six, seven... We're is, Jaune?

Nora: J-Jaune...?

Weiss: Jaune's not here...?

Ruby: What? D-Didn't we see him... somewhere?

Yang: He was in this?

Blake: D-Didn't he tell you where he was hiding?

Ren: I thought he told you...

Nora: OH NO! We did it again! We all forgot about, Jaune!

Marrow: Wait, didn't you say you have a registry of everyone in, Mantle, and Atlas. You used it for the game.

Clover: Didn't you find everyone?

Harriet: You said you searched all of Mantle, and Atlas, right?

Penny: Checking...

Penny: ...

Penny: File corruption detected... Correcting...

Penny: ...

Penny: Corruption fixed. One file of, Luna Jaune Arc has been found. 99.9% of all inhabitants of Atlas, and Mantle have been found.

Blake: Wait, his first name is, Luna?

Ruby: Did you guys know?

Nora: No?!

Winter: Oh gods... Penny, do you know where, Jaune is?

Penny: Yes! I can track where his location is with his scroll!

Winter: Good, where is he?

Penny: He is...? Odd... He is located around the park in downtown, Mantle?

Ironwood: How is that odd?

Penny: I check the park myself... Myself, and thirty Knights were in the area... a-a-and we d-d-didn't f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-find HIM?!

With that, Penny short circuited, and fell to her knees. Everyone began to freakout, Penny's mind rebooted, and she quickly shot up, and saluted everyone!

Ruby: P-Penny, are you okay?

Penny: I am combat ready! Why, did something happen?

Clover: You found out where, Jaune is, and you...

Penny: Really? He is the winner of the game; Where is he?

Clover: The park in downtown, Mantle.

Penny: Really? I checked there, and I didn't see him there at all! I wonder where he was hiding?

Clover: Uhhh...?

Ironwood: I think we need to have, Dr. Polendina run a diagnostics on, Penny after this.

Winter: I agree, but first we must find, Jaune.

~~~

Team RWBY, Nora, Oscar, Penny, and Winter head towards the downtown, Mantle park. They noticed the various people who lost the game going about their day. They had happy faces, and they they could over hear them chatting about how much fun they had playing a massive game of hide, and go seek.

But, as they moved past the various happy faces, they eventually found one that stood out all on his own. A dour, and quiet expression was present across his face as he sat alone, playing a game of chess all against himself.

Nora: Jaune!

Ruby: Jaune, you're here!

Weiss: What are you doing here?

Jaune: Yeah... I've been here all day. Didn't you...? No you didn't see my note since you're asking me, 'What am I doing here?'

Yang: So, you've been here all day?

Jaune: More, or less. I did leave for a bit to grab a drink, and a hotdog from a hotdog stand. Good hotdog...

Jaune gestured to a pile of trash next to him.

Blake: Oh, you spilt some ketchup on your hand.

Jaune: Oh, I did...

Jaune licked his thumb before rubbing the smear off his hand.

Jaune: So, what's up?

Penny: Congrats, Jaune! You won!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Won what?

Yang: The massive game of hide, and go seek... you won.

Jaune: Wait, we were doing that? I thought that was just a thing, Yang talked about.

Ruby: Yeah, d-didn't you know?

Jaune: Nope.

Ruby: Well we did...

Penny: And, you won!

Jaune: Yay.

Yang: Jaune, you won the one billion Lien prize!

Jaune: Again... yay.

Ruby: You don't care?

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Meh... maybe.

Nora: But, Jaune! Think of all the pancakes you can buy!

Jaune: Guys... I don't care. I'm just here playing chess.

Winter: By yourself?

Jaune: Well, people could have joined me, but they were all busy playing hide, and go seek, so...

Weiss: Okay...?

Ruby: So, uhhh... Should we go, and announce that, Jaune won?

Penny: General Ironwood plans to announce the winner tomorrow. So, we are fine.

Yang: In that case, where did you get that hotdog? Cause damn, am I hungry!

Jaune: It's somewhere on the other side of the park. It's easy enough to find.

Ruby: Awesome! Let's go guys!

Yang: Whoo! Hot dogs!

Oscar: I haven't had one in ages!

Nora: I'm gonna eat out their stall!

Weiss: I've never had a hotdog before.

Blake: I don't think I’ve ever had one either.

Ruby: What?! We must rectify that at once!

Swiftly the members of, Team RWBY, Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Penny swiftly left to enjoy hot dogs, leaving, Jaune all on his own once again. Or, so he thought.

Cause standing there, looking down on, Jaune from his seat was one, Winter Schnee.

Winter: Were you really all 'alone' today, were you?

Jaune said nothing, but his gaze darting to the side said everything.

Winter: May I... join you for a round, or two?

Jaune stares at, Winter for a moment, before resetting the chessboard, and turns it so that white is facing her.

Jaune: The first move is yours.

Winter smiled as she sat down, and made her first move.

[heliosthegriffin]

"So, who's the most dangerous member of team JNPR?" Yang asked the table unprompted, the rest of her team looking up from their food.

"Hmm, Pyrrha." Weiss said with little thought. "Perfect form, incredible strength and reflexes, she is definitely their ace in the hole."

"Really?" Yang held her stomach. "Nora's stronger, and her energy she brings to a fight is something else,"

Blake was silent in thought for a moment. "The question isn't who's strongest, or skilled, though. Pyrrha is their best fighter, but Nora is the physically strongest, but remember, the element of surprise and intelligence are just as deciding a factor in a fight. Ren's not as good a fighter, or as strong, but his mobility and aura control mixed with his ruthlessness, I think make him more dangerous."

"Elaborate." Weiss stated.

"Well, Nora is strong and energetic, but she's always going to come at you head on, so it's easy to counter her, if you don't fight her on her terms. Pyrrha better about that, but she's very civil, so she's not going to fight you outside of arena, unless you start it. Ren though? I can see him slitting someone's throat."

The rest of the table stared at her blankly.

"Nah, it's Jaune." Ruby said after a beat, drinking some milk.

"What?" Weiss said flatly. "You must be kidding. He's by far the least skilled, weakest, and most disgra-"

"Ok that's enough, princess." Yang cut her off. "But, she's got a point, Ruby."

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, that's true, but-" She took a drink of milk. "What's Jaune's fighting style?"

Weiss huffed. "Simple, it's nothing, he doesn't have one."

"Yeah, it's kind of random style."

Blake thought for a moment, seeing a flash of triumph in Ruby's eyes. "Oh, that's your point."

Ruby gave finger guns at the cat-girl. "Exactly! You asked who's the most dangerous! It's Jaune, because, how you going to fight someone who doesn't know what he's going to do next?"

"What?" Yang and Weiss asked simultaneously.

Blake nodded along. "She's got a point, how are you going to react to someone who doesn't know what even he's going to do next?"

"Plus, have you ever been hit by him?" Ruby added, with no one stepping up to the plate. "His skill and style might not be great, but his strength is incredible, and his durability, endurance, and staying power are unmatched if you ask me."

"She's right, you know." A new voice interjected, all of team RWBY turning to face the sudden newcomer.

"Ren? Since when did you get here?" Yang asked.

"Since the beginning," He said simply, sipping from a juice box. "But, it's definitely, Jaune." His eyes became distant and foggy. "Always has been."

"Uh, you ok, buddy?" Yang putting a hand on his shoulder.

Ren went back to normal. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the look of trauma on your face, just kind of,-"

"Don't ever get locked in a food-pantry with Jaune, there's no telling what he'll do, because even he doesn't know."

"How did that even occur?" Weiss asked. "Why were you two even-"

"Nora."

"Oh."

"Well, it's not like we ever have to worry about that."

====

"Jaune Arc, you're under arrest for suspicion of forgery to enter Beacon !" Harriet Bree stormed over to the blonde as he was stocking a shelf inside one of Beacons's storage closets. With a sound of confusion and a hand of tomato soup, he turned and let go, screaming.

Harriet, moving at full speed, had no chance to stop, as she knocked away the can of soup, only for another to fall at her feet, as Jaune dropped armfuls of soup to the ground. Harriet, going at full momentum, crushed the metal can underfoot, spraying it all over herself.

"Ah! Gross!" She wailed, still charging forward, only to step on another can and slip, flying up into the air and knock Jaune over. Jaune groaned as she knocked into him, recovering quick she mounted his chest, ready to knock him out.

Jaune reaching wildly, grabbed a shaker of pepper, slamming it into her face. Harriet felt her eyes water and nose sting, as she recoiled back, letting Jaune push her off of him, running for the door, Harriet behind him.

Flailing wildly, Jaune grabbed a broom, swinging it wildly around with knocking rows of preserved goods off the shelves and onto the floor, Harriet taking a wrong step trying to dodge the flailing, stepping into a puddle of oil from a broken bottle, sliding forward, right into Jaune's wild strikes.

Harriet felt her head ring and vision swim, then another swing connected, knocking her back and into a row of shelves. She went straight through it, and the shelves falling straight onto her with a groan, the sound of clanging metal and falling supplies consuming the room, as Jaune fled out the door, turning off the lights and locking the door behind him.

---

AN: Felt like writing some goofiness.

[lesmis-prompts]

information

Who runs this account?

I’m bree, aka, @drunken-devotion !! i use she/her pronouns and i really just want to do something fun for the fandom!

What is this about?

good question! this is a spin off version of “inktober” surrounded with les mis related prompts! the goal is to get creative during the month of october using these prompts! this can be picking one a day, mixing prompts (e.g. canon era and supernatural), however you want to interpret these prompts! everything is up to you!

you can centre each prompt around a specific character, ship, etc! it doesn’t need to focus on a specific version of les mis either <3

overall, there is absolutely NO set way to do this, full freedom to you and your interpretation! you are NOT required to do these everyday or in a specific way!

you can participate through art, cosplay, fics, whatever you want!!

the ONLY rule i have is to either tag this account (@lesmis-prompts) OR use the related tags! these are:

#Lesmisoctober24 OR #bricktober -> using either of these tags (or tagging me) allows me to be able to easily find your creations and reblog it here for everyone to look at!

Will I host this again?

if it’s well received, most definitely! if people decide they like having prompts for les mis, then i’ll do them every few months! if october goes well, i’ll hold a 12 day one leading up to christmas (but don’t worry, not all prompts will be christmas related! i want my prompts to be loose enough to allow creativity to holidays but give options even if you don’t celebrate!)

You can also send in prompt ideas in my ask box! I want to be able to create something where fans can go if they’re in need of a burst of inspiration ♥️

CURRENT PROMPT LIST - OCTOBER

hosting your own themed week? send me a dm and i’ll reblog it under #promoing so people can find it!

additionally, check out @lesmisfandomcalendar to easier find different les mis events that are happening!

insta host prompt explanation

any questions, suggestions, whatever, feel free to send me a dm on either of my accounts or into my ask box if you wish to be anonymous!

[https-hunter]

I am lucky enough that Cinemark approached my college’s animation department with the offer to attend an advanced screening of the first 35 minutes of Inside Out 2.

I loved it.

The original Inside Out came out when I was eleven and I’ve adored it since, so this was a really cool opportunity as a longtime fan and current animator.

So here’s a description of what goes on in the first half hour & some of my thoughts.

Massive spoilers for Inside Out 2 below the cut!!

The movie starts out with Riley’s hockey game. Each one of the five main emotions takes a turn at the wheel during the game. Joy get Riley excited, Anger gives her the aggression she needs on the ice, Fear reminds her to put her mouth guard in, Disgust makes it realize that it’s not hers, and Sadness takes over when Riley is given a penalty.

During her time in the penalty box, the emotions reflect on what Riley has been up to lately. She turned 13, got braces, started growing, and has two best friends she plays hockey with, Grace and Bree. We see the personality islands and it’s noted that Friendship Island is majorly overshadowing Family Island. We’re also introduced to Riley’s sense of self, which is made up of affirmations she has for herself after different memories are added to it (i.e.: “I’m a good friend” “I’m a good person, etc.). It is comprised of different strings that say the affirmation when they are strung. Joy also reveals a machine she has that sends memories to the back of the head, which I guess is like repressed memories.

When she gets out of the penalty box, Riley, Grace, and Bree score a winning goal and are approached by the local high school’s hockey coach. She invites the three of them to hockey camp that weekend, to which they all immediately accept.

The night before camp, the emotions are all in bed. I need to add that Joy & Sadness share a bunk, Anger is by himself as he punches the air, and Disgust & Fear bunk together. Sadness & Joy hear an odd sound and they find the puberty button going off, no matter what they do to stop it. A construction crew comes in & basically makes a mess of headquarters.

The next day, Riley wakes up and she isn’t ready for hockey camp. When her mom asks why she isn’t packed, Anger responds, but Riley overreacts even though he barely touched the console. Sadness and Disgust try it, but Riley’s just having mood swings now and they find the console to be way more sensitive than it used to be. They decide to leave it alone unless they absolutely have to use it.

Cut to the car ride to hockey camp. Riley is telling Grace & Bree how excited she is to play hockey together in high school. Disgust instantly flags a look Bree gave her and Bree’s own Disgust flags Riley’s look back. Grace blurts out that she and Bree are going to different high schools and Riley tries to hold it together until she’s out of the car. The emotions literally have to hold Sadness back 😭

This is where the new emotions show up. We meet Anxiety (I tried to stay normal over hearing Maya Hawke), Envy (she’s voiced by Ayo Edebiri !!), Embarrassment, and Ennui (Joy nicknames him “wee-wee”). We also later meet Nostalgia, a sweet old lady emotion, but Anxiety tells her she’s ten years too early. Anxiety explains her role in things and there’s a joke about how Fear thinks he’s going to get along really well with her. The new emotions all take the wheel, especially when Riley is trying to introduce herself to Val, a cool hockey player at the high school she’ll be attending. Anxiety, out of fear for Riley’s social future, has Riley follow Val and she meets some other hockey players. They all think she’s from Michigan and not Minnesota, but she just rolls with it.

When the girls are all ready for practice in the locker room, Riley & her friends act really immature while the coach is trying to talk. Joy tries to make things better, but Riley laughs at a joke one of her friends made at the wrong time. Coach makes everyone skate lines (I think?) as punishment.

Riley overhears some of the high school players talking about her and how immature she is. When Val is alone, Anxiety makes a plan and Riley approaches her and apologizes for getting everyone punished. Val tells her that it’s okay and that the coach being hard on her means that she’s under her radar, and that it’s a good thing.

Val tells her that they might be on the same team when they split into groups. This causes a divide between Joy and Anxiety. Joy thinks that Riley should stay with her current friends, while Anxiety thinks she should stick with Val. Riley does end up choosing Val’s team and we get a confused look from Grace and Bree.

In Riley’s head, Anxiety carries out phase two of her plan. She tells the older emotions that they’re not needed anymore and literally bottles them up. They’re sent to the Vault, which is a, well, vault that holds Riley’s deepest secrets.

In here we meet Bloofy, a Dora the Explorer/Mickey Mouse Clubhouse-style cartoon character whose secret is that Riley still enjoys the show. We also meet Lance, a video game character Riley has a crush on, whose only defense move is rolling into a ball and moving forward. There’s also Riley’s deepest secret, but he doesn’t really talk. I just have to nerd out over the different animation styles here. Lance, while being 3D, is so pixelated and made to look like an anime-style video game character. Bloofy is fully 2D animated. You had all these animation students in the audience LOVING this scene.

Riley’s deepest secret breaks the jar the emotions are bottled up in. Bloofy uses what is clearly supposed to be the Mystery Mousekatool from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and they’re given three tool options: a tomato, something else I don’t remember, and dynamite. They use the dynamite and blow the door open. I need you guys to know that Lance cannot leave at first because he keeps walking into the wall. And then he just Riley’s secret decides to stay. The cops/guards in Riley’s mind catch them at first, but for reasons that I can’t really remember, they all end up incapacitated (handcuffs on their feet, slipped on coffee, etc.).

The emotions begin their journey to get back to headquarters and take Riley back from Anxiety’s plan.

I think the new emotions will be really good for Riley. I was not expecting Anxiety to become an antagonist, though! I love the new ways they’ve explained different parts of the mind, like the sense of self and repressed memories. The visuals are, of course, gorgeous and the story captures the sheer horror that is being 13.

I really love it so far. I’m beyond thrilled that I had this opportunity, and now I have an Inside Out 2 tote bag. I can’t wait to see the rest of it in June.

[breeistired]

Drop some things in my ask box for make Bree famous 2024

ALSO, ILL LOVE YOU IF YOU PUT BOOK RECS <3

I’ll even try to record myself reading the book recommendations.

[ros64]

Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Chapter 66

“None shall sleep.” It was a piece—a melody, as Brianna had called it—from an opera he knew; she had performed in a university production of it, dressed in Chinese clothing. Ian smiled, imagining his tall cousin, towering over so many men, gliding across a stage with silk garments swishing around her; he would have loved to see her. He had begun thinking of her the moment he opened the small deerskin pouch containing his face pigments. Bree was a painter, and a talented one at that. She ground her own pigments, had made him the red ochre, as well as the black and white from charcoal and dried clay. She had even crafted a deep green from crushed malachite and a bright yellow from the bile of a buffalo she’d killed with her mother. No one else had colors so vivid, and for a moment, he wished Turtle Eater and others from his Mohawk tribe were there to admire them.

The camp noises in the distance reminded him of the cicadas’ song by riverside trees: a buzz too loud to think, yet fading once you adjusted to it. None shall sleep… Women and children might sleep… but certainly not the whores. Not tonight. That thought brought a twitch he quickly dismissed. He thought of Rachel, and dismissed her, too, though reluctantly.

He opened the willow-bark box where he kept the deer fat and smeared it on his face, chest, and shoulders, slowly, focusing. Normally, during this ritual, he would call upon the spirits of the earth and then his saints, Michael and Brigid. But tonight, neither was present; Brianna lingered in his mind instead, though her image was beginning to fade. Most of all, he felt his father’s presence, which unsettled him. It didn’t seem respectful to dismiss his father. He stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes instead, trying to discern whether Papa had something to tell him.

“I hope you haven’t come to speak to me about my death, aye?” he said aloud. “Because I don’t intend to die—not before I’ve lain with Rachel, at least.”

“Well, a noble goal, to be sure.”

The dry voice belonged to Uncle Jamie. Ian’s eyes shot open. His uncle stood amid the branches of a willow drooping into the water, wearing nothing but his shirt.

“Out of uniform, eh, Uncle?” Ian said, though his heart jumped like a startled deer mouse. “General Washington won’t be pleased.”

Washington was meticulous about his men’s uniforms. Officers were to be properly dressed at all times; he said the Continentals would never be taken as a proper army if they appeared on the battlefield like a disordered mob with weapons.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Ian,” Jamie said, stepping out from the willow. The moon was nearly set; he looked like a specter, bare-legged with his shirt billowing. “But who were you talking to?”

“Oh. To Papa. He was… here, in my mind, aye? I mean, I think of him often, but it’s rare to feel him with me. So, I wondered if he’d come to tell me I’m going to die today.”

Jamie nodded; the idea didn’t seem to disturb him.

“I doubt it,” he said. “You’re painting your face with war colors, aye? You’re preparing.”

“Aye, I was about to. Want some, too?”

He said it half-jokingly, but Jamie took it as humor.

“I would, Ian. But I think General Washington would have me strung up by my thumbs and flogged if I showed up to the lines with my face painted like a Mohawk.”

Ian let out a small amused sound and dipped two fingers into the red ochre, smearing it across his chest.

“And what are you doing here in just a shirt?”

“I was washing,” Jamie replied, though his tone suggested there was more to the story. “And… speaking with my dead.”

“Anyone in particular?”

“My uncle Dougal and Murtagh, my godfather. They’re the two I’d most want beside me in battle.” He shifted slightly, uneasy. “If I can, I take a moment to be alone before a battle. To wash, you know… and to pray. And… to ask them to stand with me.”

Ian found this interesting; he hadn’t known either man, both having died at Culloden, though he’d heard many stories about them.

“Two fine warriors,” he said. “Did you ask my father to join you, too? Maybe that’s why he’s here.”

Jamie turned sharply to his nephew, surprised. Then he relaxed, shaking his head.

“I’ve never had to ask Ian Mòr,” he said quietly. “He was… always with me.” He made a brief gesture toward the darkness on his right.

Ian felt his eyes sting and a lump rise in his throat. But it was dark; it didn’t matter. He cleared his throat and handed Jamie one of his pigment dishes.

“Give me a hand, Uncle Jamie?”

“Oh? Aye, of course. How do you want the marks?”

“Red on the forehead… but I can do that myself. Black from the dots to the chin.” He traced a finger along the line of dotted tattoos curving beneath his cheekbones. “Black is for strength, aye? It says you’re a warrior. And yellow means you’re not afraid to die.”

“Oh, aye. Want the yellow today?”

“No.” His tone revealed a faint smile, and Jamie laughed.

Jamie spread some color with a brush made from a rabbit’s paw, then smoothed it evenly with his thumb. Ian closed his eyes, feeling a new strength surge under that touch.

“You usually do this yourself, Ian? Seems hard without a mirror.”

“Mostly. Or we do it in a group, and a brother from the tribe paints you. If it’s something significant—like a large raid or a war—it’s the medicine man who paints us while singing.”

“Tell me you don’t want me to sing, Ian,” Jamie muttered. “I mean, I could try, but…”

“I’ll manage without, thanks.”

Black for the lower face, red for the forehead, and a stripe of malachite green across the tattoo line from ear to ear, over the nose. Ian studied the pigment dishes and quickly spotted the white, which he pointed to.

“Maybe you could draw a small arrow for me, Uncle? On the forehead.” He traced a finger across his brow to show where.

“Aye.”

Jamie bent over the dishes, hand poised. “But didn’t you tell me once that white is for peace?”

“Aye; if you’re going to confer or negotiate, you use plenty of white. But it’s also for mourning: so, you’d probably use it for vengeance, too.”

At those words, Jamie raised his head and looked at him intently.

“The arrow’s not for revenge,” Ian explained. “It’s for Flying Arrow. The dead man whose place I took when I was adopted.”

He tried to keep his tone casual but felt Jamie tense and look down. Neither would ever forget the day of the separation, when Ian had gone to the Kahnyen’kehaka, and they had thought it was forever.

Now Jamie bent and placed a hand on Ian’s arm.

“That day, Uncle Jamie, you told me: ‘Cuimhnich.’ And I have. Remember.”

“I have, too, Ian,” Jamie said softly, drawing the arrow on his forehead like a priest making the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday. “We all have. It’s right.”

Ian cautiously touched the green stripe to ensure it was dry enough.

“Aye, I think it’s fine. You know Bree made these pigments for me? I was thinking of her, but then I thought maybe I shouldn’t bring her into this.”

He felt Jamie’s breath on his skin as his uncle huffed and leaned against the willow.

“A man always brings his women into battle, Ian Òg. They’re the root of your strength.”

“Oh, aye?” It made sense, and Ian felt relieved. Yet… “I was thinking it might not be right to think of Rachel in a place like this. Considering she’s a Quaker.”

Jamie dipped his middle finger into deer fat, then into the white clay powder, and delicately painted a large, deep “V” near the crest of Ian’s right shoulder. Even in the dark, it stood out vividly.

“A white dove,” Jamie said, nodding. He seemed satisfied. “This will be Rachel, for you.”

He wiped his fingers on a rock, then stood and stretched his muscles. Ian saw him turn eastward. It was still night, but the air had changed in the brief time they’d sat together. Uncle Jamie’s tall figure stood out sharply against the sky, where before it had seemed part of the darkness.

“An hour, no more,” Jamie said. “Eat something first, aye?”

With that, he turned back to the stream, and to his interrupted prayers.

«Nessun dorma.» Era un brano – un’aria, così l’aveva chiamata Brianna – di un’opera che conosceva; vi aveva recitato in una rappresentazione universitaria, vestita in abiti cinesi. Ian sorrise, pensando a sua cugina, che superava in altezza tanti uomini, mentre si muoveva su un palcoscenico, facendo frusciare gli indumenti di seta intorno a lei; avrebbe tanto voluto vederla. Aveva cominciato a pensare a lei nell’istante in cui aveva aperto la piccola sacca di pelle di daino in cui teneva i colori per il viso. Era una pittrice, Bree, ed era molto brava. Macinava da sola i pigmenti, e gli aveva fatto l’ocra rossa, e anche il nero e il bianco con il carbone di legna e l’argilla essiccata; e gli aveva preparato anche un bel verde cupo con della malachite tritata, e un giallo brillante con la bile del bisonte che aveva ucciso con sua madre; nessun altro aveva dei colori così intensi, e per un attimo desiderò che Mangia Tartarughe e qualcun altro della sua tribù Mohawk fossero lì con lui per ammirarli. Il rumore dell’accampamento in lontananza gli ricordò il canto delle cicale tra gli alberi vicino a un fiume; un brusio troppo alto, che non ti lasciava pensare, che però svaniva non appena ti ci abituavi. Nessun dorma... Donne e bambini potevano dormire... ma di sicuro le sgualdrine no. Non quella notte. A quel pensiero avvertì uno spasmo, che però liquidò subito. Pensò a Rachel, e liquidò anche lei, anche se controvoglia. Aprì la cassetta di corteccia di salice, in cui teneva il grasso di daino, e si unse faccia, torace e spalle, lentamente, concentrandosi. Normalmente si sarebbe rivolto agli spiriti della terra, durante quell’operazione, e poi ai suoi santi, Michele e Brigida. Ma non stava vedendo né l’uno né l’altra; Brianna era ancora con lui, anche se la sua immagine cominciava a sbiadire, ma stava avvertendo soprattutto la presenza di suo padre, e questo fatto lo sconcertò. Non gli parve rispettoso liquidare il genitore. Smise di fare quello che stava facendo e chiuse gli occhi, invece: voleva capire se Papà avesse qualcosa da dirgli. «Spero tu non sia venuto per parlarmi della mia morte, aye?» disse ad alta voce. «Perché non intendo farlo, non prima di aver giaciuto con Rachel, almeno.» «Be’, un obiettivo nobile, non c’è che dire.» La voce asciutta apparteneva a Zio Jamie; Ian aprì gli occhi di scatto. Suo zio era in mezzo alle fronde di un salice lungo la riva, che scendevano in acqua, con indosso soltanto la camicia. «Senza uniforme, eh, Zio?» disse il giovane, anche se il cuore gli era balzato nel petto come un topo cervo. «Il Generale Washington non ne sarà felice.» Washington era molto pignolo riguardo al fatto che i suoi uomini avessero sempre l’uniforme in ordine. Gli ufficiali dovevano essere vestiti a dovere in ogni situazione; diceva che i Continentali non sarebbero mai stati considerati un vero esercito, se si fossero presentati sul campo di battaglia come una folla disordinata che aveva imbracciato le armi. «Mi dispiace interromperti, Ian», disse Zio Jamie, uscendo dal salice. La luna era quasi tramontata; sembrava uno spettro, con le gambe nude e la camicia fluttuante. «Ma con chi stavi parlando?» «Oh. Con Papà. Lui era... qui, nella mia mente, aye? Voglio dire, penso spesso a lui, ma non mi capita spesso di sentirlo con me. Così mi sono chiesto se fosse venuto a dirmi che morirò oggi.» Jamie annuì, apparentemente quell’idea non sembrò turbarlo. «Ne dubito», disse. «Ti stai dipingendo il viso con i colori di guerra, aye? Ti stai preparando.» «Aye, stavo per farlo. Ne vuoi anche tu?» Lo disse a metà tra il serio e il faceto, ma Jamie lo prese come uno scherzo. «Li metterei, Ian. Ma credo che il Generale Washington mi farebbe appendere per i pollici e fustigare, se dovessi presentarmi con i miei uomini schierati e il viso dipinto come un Mohawk.» Ian emise un piccolo verso divertito, e intinse due dita nel piatto con l’ocra rossa, che poi si strofinò sul petto. «E tu che cosa ci fai qui in camicia?» «Mi stavo lavando», rispose Jamie, ma il suo tono lasciò intendere che non stava dicendo tutta la verità.

«E... stavo parlando con i miei morti.» «Con qualcuno in particolare?» «Mio zio Dougal, e Murtagh, il mio padrino. Sono le due persone che più di tutte vorrei accanto, in battaglia.» Fece un piccolo movimento, inquieto. «Se posso, cerco di ricavarmi un momento in cui rimanere solo, prima di una battaglia. Per lavarmi, sai... e per pregare. E... per chiedere loro di starmi accanto.» Ian lo trovò interessante; non aveva conosciuto nessuno dei due; erano morti entrambi a Culloden, ma aveva sentito tante storie su entrambi. «Due bravi combattenti», disse. «L’hai chiesto anche a mio padre? Di venire con te, intendo. Forse è per questo che è qui.» Jamie si voltò di scatto verso il nipote, sorpreso. Poi si rilassò, e scosse la testa. «Non ho mai dovuto chiederlo a Ian Mòr», disse, sommessamente. «Lui era... sempre con me.» Fece un breve gesto verso l’oscurità, alla sua destra. Ian sentì bruciare gli occhi, un nodo in gola. Ma era buio; non aveva importanza. Si schiarì la gola e gli porse uno dei suoi piattini. «Mi dai una mano, Zio Jamie?» «Oh? Aye, certo. Come li vuoi i segni?» «Rosso sulla fronte... ma posso pensarci io. Nero dai puntini fino al mento.» Si passò un dito sulla linea di puntini tatuati che descriveva una curva sotto gli zigomi. «Il nero sta per la forza, aye? Dice che sei un guerriero. E il giallo significa che non hai paura di morire.» «Oh, aye. Vuoi il giallo, oggi?» «No.» Lasciò trasparire un sorriso, dal suo tono, e Jamie rise. Jamie gli spalmò un po’ di colore con il pennello ricavato da una zampa di coniglio, e poi lo stese uniformemente con il pollice. Ian chiuse gli occhi, e sotto quel tocco si sentì invaso da una nuova forza. «Di solito lo fai da solo, Ian? Sembra difficile, senza uno specchio.» «Quasi sempre. Oppure lo facciamo in gruppo, ed è un fratello della tribù a dipingerti. Se si tratta di una cosa importante – di una scorreria in massa, ad esempio, o di una guerra contro qualcuno – allora è l’uomo di medicina a dipingerci, mentre canta.» «Dimmi che non vuoi che mi metta a cantare, Ian», mormorò Zio Jamie. «Voglio dire, potrei provarci ma...» «Farò senza, grazie.» Nero per la parte inferiore del viso, rosso sulla fronte, e una striscia di verde malachite lungo la linea dei tatuaggi, da un orecchio all’altro, attraverso il naso. Ian guardò i piattini con i pigmenti; non ebbe problemi a individuare il bianco, che indicò. «Magari potresti disegnarmi una piccola freccia, Zio? Sulla fronte.» Si passò un dito da sinistra a destra, per mostrargli dove farla. «Aye.» La testa di Jamie era china sopra i piattini, la mano sospesa. «Ma una volta non mi hai detto che il bianco è per la pace?» «Aye; se devi andare a conferire o a trattare, usi bianco in abbondanza. Ma serve anche per i lutti: quindi, probabilmente lo useresti anche per vendicare qualcuno.» A quelle parole, Jamie alzò la testa e lo guardò fisso. «La freccia non è per vendetta», spiegò Ian. «È per Freccia Volante. L’uomo morto di cui presi il posto, quando fui adottato.» Si sforzò di usare un tono disinvolto, ma sentì lo zio farsi teso e abbassare lo sguardo. Nessuno dei due avrebbe mai dimenticato il giorno della separazione, quando lui era andato dai Kahnyen’kehaka, e avevano creduto che sarebbe stato per sempre. Adesso si chinò e gli mise una mano sul braccio. «Quel giorno, Zio Jamie, tu mi dicesti: ‘Cuimhnich’. E io l’ho fatto. Ricorda.» «L’ho fatto anch’io, Ian», disse Jamie, piano, disegnandogli la freccia sulla fronte, come un sacerdote che, il Mercoledì delle Ceneri, gli faceva il segno della croce. «L’abbiamo fatto tutti. Va bene così?» Ian toccò con cautela la striscia verde, per essere sicuro che fosse abbastanza asciutta. «Aye, penso di sì. Sai che è stata Brianna a prepararmi i colori? Stavo pensando a lei, ma poi ho pensato che forse non dovrei portarla con me, in questa situazione.» Sentì il respiro dello zio sulla sua pelle, quando questi sbuffò e si appoggiò al salice con la schiena. «Un uomo porta sempre le sue donne in battaglia, Ian Òg. Sono la radice della tua forza.» «Oh, aye?»

Era una cosa sensata, e per lui fu un sollievo. Eppure... «Stavo pensando che forse non sarebbe giusto pensare a Rachel in un posto del genere. Considerato che è quacchera.» Jamie intinse il dito medio nel grasso di cervo, e poi lo immerse delicatamente nella polvere d’argilla bianca, con cui disegnò una grossa e profonda «V» vicino alla cresta della spalla destra di Ian. Anche al buio appariva vivida. «Una colomba bianca», disse, annuendo. Sembrava compiaciuto. «Questa sarà Rachel, per te.» Si pulì le dita su una roccia, poi si alzò e allungò i muscoli. Ian lo vide voltarsi e guardare verso est. Era ancora notte, ma l’aria era cambiata nei pochi minuti in cui erano rimasti seduti. La sagoma alta di Zio Jamie si stagliava netta sullo sfondo del cielo, mentre poco prima era sembrata parte della notte. «Un’ora, non di più», disse Jamie. «Prima mangia qualcosa, aye?» Con ciò, si voltò e tornò al torrente, e alle sue preghiere interrotte.

[countrymusiclover]

35 - Letter Storm

Part 36

Country Rancher

Tags @whateverthecostner @rosie-posie08 @kaycejdutton @kayceduttonn @kcloveswrestling @the-morning-star-falls @kaymudd @hcwthewestwaswcn

Thunder roared outside the large windows of the Dutton house. Kayce and I had called in today and asked the assistant to call us if it was an emergency. I had started working at the Livestock Office again since the Sheriff and I no longer have issues. Rummaging around in the bag that Bree had found the other day with letters from Spencer and Cara Dutton. Picking up the pile of papers I headed into the living room seeing my husband sitting on the couch. "Where are the kids at, Kayc?"

"Tate is playing with the twins inside the barn. And I think Carter and Bree are upstairs thinking of baby names. Oh and don't tell her but I took one of the security cameras from work and hid it in her room." He sends me a smirk while I round the couch plopping down beside him.

Raising a brow at his words there were some times that he went overboard. This was one of those moments. "Kayce, don't you think that is a little much. I mean she's already pregnant."

"Doesn't mean they can't still sleep together again, darling. What are those letters you have?" He draped his arm behind me scooting closer seeing the envelopes in my lap.

Unfolding one of the letters I had pulled out I lay my head on his chest with him moving his arm to wrap around my waist. "Bree found them one morning. I haven’t read any of them so I just thought it would be interesting too. They seem to be dated from your ancestors named Spencer and Cara Dutton.”

"Well go ahead and read one then." He told me simply looking up at the window seeing that the rain was starting to pick up and hit the glass softly.

Shifting so I was snuggled up against his warm embrace I cleared my throat attempting to read the old handwriting. "Alex, I am not good at writing. I am just a man of action who doesn't waste moments in life. When I met you I was struggling with what happened during the war. I didn't really care what happened when I was hunting animals. You have made my life better since then so I decided to write this letter to you. For when we are reunited at my family's ranch. I will find a way back to you, Spencer."

"I think I remember dad mentioning that there was a hunter in our family. What do the other ones say, Y/n?" He asked me to move some of them around and hand me another one. He honestly enjoyed it when I would read to him like he was still a child. I figured it had something to do with losing his mother at such a young age.

I did wish some days that I could get to know my mother in law. Be able to tell her how much I loved and adored her youngest son. That she could see her beautiful grandchildren the way John does. Evelyn Dutton was missed by everyone in this household. "Um let's see. Oh here's one that's written from Alex I think…Dear Spencer, I am burning to be with you again. I managed to get off the ship we were on and am now hoping to find passage to Montana. My love for you only grows during the time we are apart. Until we reunite, my love.”

“Awe this is so sweet. I can’t believe that they were separated.” My husband responded back, lifting up and meeting my gaze. We heard footsteps coming from down the stairs where we both turned our heads seeing our daughter and Carter.

Bree had her bag in her hands, sending me a look. “Hey mom. Dad, could we go get something to eat in town. I am craving ice cream and we are out?”

Kayce and I turned our heads back at each other both sharing the same look. The rain had stopped for a little bit and it wasn’t supposed to storm any worse until later tonight. “I guess so but just remember that you need to be back before the storm comes. I don’t want any of my children outside tonight.”

“We will be. Thanks uh…Mrs. Dutton.” Carter tipped his hat, taking my daughter’s hand in his, leading her out the front door towards the truck since he was old enough to drive now.

It was an hour after they left that the thunder and lightning had begun picking up. Kayce had gone to bring the other kids inside the house and close up the barn. Closing the fridge I had put some microwaved pizza on some plates giving them to the kids to eat. Kayce and I had crawled into bed where he opened one of the drawers of the nightstand beside the bed. He pulled out a notepad showing it to me. “I went and snooped in our daughter's room and I found this. I think that’s why she was keeping the letters.”

“She was thinking of baby names. Jewels, Gordon, Harrison, Spencer and Olivia.” I read off the names on the list seeing the lights of the house flickering on and then remained off longer where when they came back on we heard multiple sets of feet on the wooden floor.

The bedroom door got kicked open suddenly where we lifted up noticing that Elsa and Dallas were huddled together. “Mommy, can we sleep with you?” She asked, squeezing her teddy bear to her chest.

“Of course, sweetie.” I patted the bedside where she ran forward climbing up and getting in between her daddy and I.

Kayce turned his focus back to his younger son seeing that he was standing in the doorway. “You want up here too, bud. You’re mother and I don’t mind.” The lights went off again where he made a noise at us.

He still remained standing there glancing out into the hallway until I heard Tate’s voice. “Dad, he’s acting like me…I thought I was too old too - ah!” He jumped now standing behind his younger brother, sending us a concerned look.

“Come on Tate. Age don’t matter right now.” Tossing the covers aside I picked up my little boy in my arms waiting for Kayce’s other child to climb in our bed. The power completely went out where the twins latched onto us in fear.

Tate layed his head on my stomach hearing the front door get slammed open telling us that his sister was home. I didn’t feel like getting out of the bed so I just texted her that I was happy she was safe. “At least they got home safe. Now our kids are here.” Kayce draped his arm over my shoulder kissing my forehead.

Shutting my eyes I was about asleep until my phone went off on the nightstand. I scooted myself out of the bed doing my best to not wake up the kids since it was hard enough getting them to sleep when there was a heavy storm. Stepping into the hallway I didn’t check the caller ID. “Hello who is this exactly?”

“Y/n, this is Jamie. There’s some interesting information I discovered recently. And I don’t think you want your children to learn what their grandpa really does on that ranch.” He responded through the phone making me glance over my shoulder seeing that Kayce was still fast asleep.

Pressing the phone back to my ear I whispered. “What do you want from me, Jamie. And under no circumstances will you come after my children.”

“I want John to pay. What I want from you is help me become Governor or I will pull up your records with the sheriff and bring all that past drama back into your life.” The former Dutton threatened where I hung up the phone running my fingers through my hair heading back to bed. Jamie had no right to do any kind of threat against me.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Hehe. more!

What's your favorite video game? What about show? And movie? And on each, what makes it your favorite?

What are some blogs you'd suggest to people that are kinda like yours?

When did you get into The Elder Scrolls? What about Magic the Gathering?

How often do you typically practice magic?

Optional additional question because it is a bit loaded and not everyone wants to answer something like this: What's your most hated discourse in the pagan/witchy community? It can be valid or kinda just ridiculous, your choice.

You are feeding me and I love that.

What's your favorite video game? What about show? And movie? And on each, what makes it your favorite?

O...only one? I like a lot of video games...but honestly I can't get over how fucking funny the Monster Hunter series is. Like yeah, random person, go fight some fucking monsters. Take up to two cats with you. Here's a giant sword or a gun. Godspeed.

As for show and movie, uh...I don't...watch a lot of things, admittedly. I prefer to just turn on YouTube videos in the background instead of a show or movie. But if I had to pick, I'd pick Robin Hood: Men in Tights for movie and Legends of Chima for show. If you've seen the fights I've been picking on my main blog, I hope they've been entertaining.

What are some blogs you'd suggest to people that are kinda like yours?

*cackles* Time to summon the friends and the people I follow.

@windvexer - Out here doing the most when it comes to musing on ways to take things from witchcraft 102 to witchcraft 207. A bunch of their posts about divination have taught me more about how to read tarot better.

@stormwaterwitch - Hey kids, do you like seeing someone else's fully-developed elemental system? Do you like deities? Do you like books? My dear friend does it all!

@lazywitchling - DIY galore. As someone who enjoys putting things together, I also enjoy seeing her stuff too!

@sewceress - *grabs you* If you have ever thought too long about astrology, planetary magic, and stuff like that, you will enjoy this blog. That's a threat.

@aesethewitch - If you think it's neat how I can drag people for filth with a single card, you will enjoy Aese doing the same thing on their blog. This is also a threat.

@the-weaving-cryptid - If you enjoy region-specific magic and are interested in Appalachia, give Runa a look!

@strixhaven-study-hall - My dear friend Faust who is on that MTG pop culture shit with me. I need to bother him more, actually. And so should all of you.

@fernthewhimsical - Like with the note on Runa, Fern is big into regional stuff - specifically, Dutch paganism. Fae has all kind of cool posts and shit, I've greatly enjoyed chatting with them.

@creature-wizard - Do you like when I drop twenty-seven source links in one posts? Would you like better critical thinking skills about the bullshit that appears in online religious and occult and witchy spaces? Check out this blog. Particularly their stuff on the New Age to Alt-Right pipeline.

@crimsonsongbird - A fellow follower of Greek deities with some of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching devotionals I've ever read. She's also designed spells based on my OCs in the past!!! They're very neat (both Crimson and the spells).

@will-o-the-witch - Another wonderful reader and a Jewitch. Incredibly easy to chat with through the ask box!

@stagkingswife - Another fun blog to follow if you're interested in folklore or seeing someone who's really comfortable in her path! I enjoy learning about their unrecorded pantheon (which is different from a constructed pantheon, I must stress).

@breelandwalker - The author of what is hands-down my favorite book on witchcraft ever, Grovedaughter Witchery. If you enjoy actual history, debunking misinformation, and beginner-friendly posts (they have a whole advice page for beginners!), then Bree is a good blog to follow.

I think I'm running out of the ability to tag blogs, so I'll pause here. But I follow or am mutuals with all kinds of really cool folks here on Tumblr!

When did you get into The Elder Scrolls? What about Magic the Gathering?

I started playing Oblivion on my biological father's PS3 before Skyrim came out when I was a youngin (I'm gonna say around the age of 9?) and just kind of. Kept with it.

Meanwhile, I finally got into MTG in 2016, when the Shadows Over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon sets came out. My first ever deck was the Blue-Red precon, Dangerous Knowledge. And I hated it. This was before I figured out how to make Blue work for me. The first deck I ever built was a Red-Green Wolf and Werewolf deck, and I still have it to this day - it's my most powerful deck besides maybe my monoBlack Rat deck.

How often do you typically practice magic?

It depends. When I'm in my fallow period, it's literally nothing. Once I'm out, it could be anywhere between "for my entire waking day" to "like, five minutes" to "I have not done anything magical in two weeks". I am inconsistent as fuuuuuck!

Optional additional question because it is a bit loaded and not everyone wants to answer something like this: What's your most hated discourse in the pagan/witchy community? It can be valid or kinda just ridiculous, your choice.

I am biased on account of being a pop culture practitioner, but the "is pop culture magic/paganism valid or not" question that keeps rolling back around every now and again is stupid. We're all magical practitioners and/or religious folks. We are at equal levels of verification, which is "basically none to someone skeptical enough".

There are actual, genuinely good concerns that can be talked about in pop culture magic/paganism, but everyone keeps focusing on "it's faker than our shit lmaooo" instead of discussing things like copyright or capitalism. And even when people bring that up, it's almost always as an addendum to people saying that our shit isn't valid because it comes from a piece of media instead of cultural stories or history. It's like "damn, you're already biased, so I'm not going to listen to your points because you stink", you know?

Anyway, thank you for sending all of these in!

~Jasper

[coinandcandle]

Hello, I'm the anon who asked about reading recs! I did respond back right away, but since you just asked for asks, I get the feeling Tumblr ate my ass 😄. In case it did, here it is again:

I'm trying to get my footing into witchcraft in general. I'd really like to start practicing, especially anything nature related, but I truly know nothing more than what you'd get scrolling through the tumblr tag. So I'm supposed I'm looking for a good starting place to learn my history around the practice (I know "the practice" is an incredibly broad way to describe it. But I don't know enough to be specific. I suppose anything that could give me a foundation to build from?) and something(s) that could help me dip my toes in for the first time. I've been watching everyone else swim in the pool for years, but I've never even touched the waters.

To simply put it, I'm trying to figure out the very beginning steps of witchery. I know I described everything broad and vague, but I don't really know enough to be more specific 😅

(if Tumblr didn't eat my ask and you haven't responded to my ask for any other reasons, no worries! I'm certainly in no rush)

Omg hello! No tumblr didn't eat you but I was waiting on some responses from friends who I asked for reading recs and my draft box DID eat your ask lol. Thank you for following up with my ADHD-addled ass!! <3

The good news is to start you just kinda jump in. I'm not saying throw yourself into the deep in but you can get your feet wet pretty easily.

Unfortunately during my beginner years most of the published books available were heavily soaked in Wiccan ideology which is absolutely not my vibe and not something I think people should start out with since there's a twisted history to it that you have to unwind but I see why people are attracted to it--it's structured in a way that solitary practice isn't.

I found my start online, honestly, then followed my gut to see where it took me next. All that said;

Here are some recs from me and my buddies:

Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer (History)

Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby (History)

Popular Magic by Owen Davies (History)

Grimoires: A history of magic books by Owen Davies (History)

Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager (History)

The Crooked Path by Kelden (Traditional Witchcraft)

13 pathways by Daniel Schulke (Occult Herbalism)

A Deed Without a Name by Lee Morgan (Witchcraft)

Of Witchcraft and Whimsy by Rose Orriculum (Witchcraft)

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran (Witchcraft)

Queering Your Craft by Cassandra Snow* (Witchcraft + queer)

Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine* (Chaos magic)

Outside the Charmed Circle by Misha Magdalene* (Witchcraft)

Sacred Gender by Ariana Serpentine (Witchcraft + queer)

Kitchen Table Magic by Melissa Cynova* (Witchcraft)

*Queering Your Craft and Kitchen Table Magic are that they both feel more basic, Condensed Chaos is more of a "102" type book for chaos magic specifically, and Outside the Charmed Circle is strongly Wiccan in influence but brings up some very interesting topics and ideas. (Note from Jasper)

Make sure to keep an open mind and take no one's word as law when it comes to witchcraft and magic. Take in the information and come up with your own conclusions based on your experiences! :>

Thanks to @windvexer , @stagkingswife, @jasper-pagan-witch, and @rose-colored-tarot for help with the recommendations!

Feel free to comment or reblog with your own suggestions!

[mcybree]

Hello Bree,

Flower Husbands are not toxic. If a boy hits someone, it's because he likes them.

Hope this helps.

this ask has been sitting in my box for a week and I keep thinking about it. does anyone else know what to do with this