#Deer studies were bc there was one outside

[eggwishing]

misc

[teddursa]

where the sick ‘n twisted go.. .ᐟ — 🦇 ( 제이크)

PREC .ᐟ S : being dirt poor in a small village means not having the privilege to study where only the elite go, only when your mom married mr.park did the doors open for you.

𝓅 arings. vampire/cultist!jake x helpless!reader

⛪️ .ᐟ 𝓌 arnings — mention of god/religion. mention of sexual acts between step!siblings. noncon.fingering.oral sex. public sex (?). dirty dirty talk. pls lmk if i should add more !

☥🦇 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪ - authors note : hii! it’s hana ♡ this is my first fic & it’s based off of a dream i kept having & i was like this would be a bomb fic. i’m nervous abt sharing my writing since i mostly just read on here so pls be nice ㅠㅠ this will also be a multiple story series since IM NAWT done, my brain is full of things for this series. this is based in the salem witch trial era.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ FIC UNDER MORE ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

CHAPTER 1. JAKE SIM.

ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦇་༘࿐

you stepped into the school. your brown plaided skirt falling before your knees. your white button down was perfect with no wrinkles on it. the sweater you wore was new, a gift from mr.park. it had now been a month since your mother and mr.parked married making you one of the new members of the rich and powerful of salem. your black mary janes clicked softly on the tiles. the school was huge, so similar to a church.

sunghoon walked behind you, staring at your plush ass as you walked. the skirt being so tight and short on you was not something he expected. but it was the only size the school had left. he chuckled to himself as he looked at your legs, they looked so soft and delicate. rubbing against each other as you walked.

suddenly, a old lady appeared. “you must be y/n. i’m mrs.malen.” you stared with a soft smile, “yes madam. it’s so lovely to meet you” you were so soft spoken that she had to move closer to hear you. “well here’s your schedule and i’m sure sunghoon here can show you to your classes.“ as you turned to sunghoon, he had the same expression, he held out his hand as you handed him your schedule. “we have all the same classes. how annoying.” his voice was deep and cold. “follow me.”

when you walked into the classroom, there were 2 clerestory windows plastered on the wall. the desks were dark and almost looked like pews. as you sat down. you looked over at your seat mate, it was guy. he had blonde hair and the prettiest features. he was sleeping. but the way you admired him had awoken him. his eyes fluttered open, he took a glance at you, “what are you doing sitting here? are you new?” you nodded, he chuckled. “ohh , well i hope you enjoy being my seat mate bc i know i will.” your innocent voice spoke “what do you mean?”

“im jake.” “y/n” he only chuckled as the teacher finally started the lesson.

later on into the lesson, you felt the need to use the bathroom . you raised your hand and was granted permission to go, you slowly walked to the bathroom using the signs plastered to find your way into the bathroom. as you walked inside you felt like there was something following you. you turned around only to find jake. “what are you doing here? this is the girls bathroom!” you shrieked as he ran towards you. pushing you into one of the stalls. closing the door behind him. “god i knew as soon as i opened my eyes, i just had to get a taste of you.” you struggled against him as he ran his hands all over your body. “stop! t-this isn’t right, god would punish us both… s-stop jake!” he only chuckled, your devotion only made him harder. “god bless your innocent soul” he said as his hand snaked their way under your tight skirt.

his fingers rubbing your tight virgin pussy. you screamed for help but jake slapped you “shut the fuck up before i make this worse for you. no one’s gonna hear you baby deer.” he grabbed your face, shoving his tongue into your mouth. still rubbing your pussy from the outside of your panties. “god, i can’t wait to fuck you.” you shook your head violently, “p-please, i can’t..” he suddenly forced a finger inside. you screamed, the pain like nothing you’ve experienced before. he slapped you with all his force. “keep quiet you fucking slut. it’s like you want someone to walk in and see you get fucked like a whore” you cried as he started to finger you.

your nails digging into him as he fucked your tight pussy with his long slender fingers. “you seem so innocent, but no innocent girl would let me finger fuck them so well in the school bathroom.” you whined as the pain started to turn into pleasure. “fuck your dripping wet…” the squelching sound of your pussy sounded like a dream to jake. forcing him to only go faster. “f-fuck jake” you moaned out, his fingers fucking your pussy harder.

“ i knew you were a good little girl. come on let me make you feel good.” you whine and you lay your head on his shoulder. you arms gripping him so you won’t fall onto the cold tile floor. he kissed you on the neck as he pulled his hands away from your pussy. you whined. “no worries my baby deer i just want to feel your tight mouth.” suddenly he pushed you on the ground, making you fall into a corner, your hand gripping onto the toilet as he pulled out his cock, fucking his hand. you looked in shock as precum fell onto your skirt.

“fuck you look so beautiful. i can’t wait to fuck your innocent face.” he chuckled as you made a confused expression, pushing his cock into your mouth. “god bless this tight mouth.” your eyes teared up as he forced himself inside your mouth. “fucking whore, take it, take my cock...just like you were made for..." your small hands grabbing onto the toilet, your head banging against the tile wall. you looked up at jake. you tried to beg him to stop but his huge cock filling your mouth stopped you.

he groaned. “t-this is why no girls sit next to me, they all know what i do to innocent girls like you….i fuck them until their brain dead.” your eyes widened as you tried to push him off. your tiny hands grabbing onto his thighs in an attempt to push him off. he only laughed as his huge hands grabbed onto your hair pushing your nose closer to his v-line.

the choking sounds were becoming to much for jake as he felt himself get closer to his high. “g-god i don’t know how sunghoon hasn’t fucked you yet. w-when he told me about you, i thought his sick self would’ve been fucking you already—“ suddenly he stopped talking and he sped up. his cock hitting the back of your throat. your choking sounds were becoming more intense, as the spit started to flow down onto your school uniform. your tiny hands grabbing onto his thighs harder and harder as he finally reached his high cumming into your mouth with no shame.

his hand let go of your head, you started to choke on the cum. Jake leaned forward and took your chin in between 2 of his fingers. “swallow.” he whispered. you shook your head desperately. “i said swallow slut.” he said coldly as he forcefully shut your mouth. you swallowed his salty cum, how will god ever forgive you for the way you had sinned. jake’s cold voice talked again. “show me baby” you opened your mouth, hanging your tongue out. he chuckled. “good deer.” he got up slowly. taking in the way you looked.

you were sitting down on to the ground, in between the wall and the toilet. your hands grabbing onto the toilet. spit all over your face as your delicate features were covered by your runny makeup and spit. Jake buttoned up his pants, and fixed his shirt. you just sat there on the floor, crying suddenly what had happened hit you. “oh baby deer, don’t cry. you’ll see more of me later i promise… i still haven’t even fucked your tight virgin pussy..” he chuckled as he walked out of the stall.

leaving you crying on the floor, you heard the girls bathroom door open and shut. what a beautiful way of starting your first day of your dream school. how will god ever forgive you for the way you have sinned.

☥🦇 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪ - authors finishing note : i hope you guys enjoyed! i’m sorry for the bad grammar or writing. like i said it’s my first fic so pls be nice but feedback is always appreciated ♡

[deblklesb]

[Phantoms of Past — Abby x Reader]

[AFAB!reader, friends to lovers, Christmas themed, br!reader, angsty, MDNI]

a/n: well, is this late for Christmas? yes. but do i care? also yes bc i'm paranoid and have some need to make stuff on time, so imagine my despair when i couldn't finish this. but i ALSO know that I'm doing my best, and for that i have to pat my own back. anyway, this is for my brazilian besties out there!!!

cw: reader is brazilian, usage of phrases in pt-br with the translation after and between parenthesis, owen mentioned (this man is a cw by himself idc this is not a owen appreciated blog), mutual pinning, Abby understands portuguese and even talks some. let me know if i forgot something.

not proof read | word count: 3,274

reblogs are highly appreciated!!

While you drive through the recently cleaned streets of the neighborhood you grew up, thanking the heavens that it stopped snowing for now, the radio plays a seasonal song and your murmur along. The traffic on the main roads were chaotic, almost as congested as your uncle's arteries, but now the decorated rooftops and doorsteps replaced the headlights on your peripheral vision. In front of a house stood a snowman, or at least his body stripped of arms and face.

You park in front of a house with simple adornments and flashers around the main door, a LED deer standing next to it and a small table with fake cookies and milk on top. All the energy was so reminiscent of the years you'd spend a whole day decorating the house with your mom, mainly inside, just so your father and sister could take care of the outside. Now that you both were grown and away, the couple occupied itself with the house interior and resumed the exterior with a simple approach. It never failed to take a smile from you, though, especially seeing the way they would adhere to simple things just because it looked cute, even if it had nothing to do with their native traditions.

Coming from Brasil, for the first part of your life you had hot weather and sunny days on Christmas. Maybe a night of rain, but never snow. Fireworks and catholic mass were on the list, but your parents went just to go along with the rest of the family and friends. They weren't religious, so in the end Christmas was simply another holiday, but with presents and - as all the other holidays - a family gathering. The main difference now was that you were studying in another city, becoming one of the absent relatives; you know, the ones that mainly go home for the holidays and vacations. It wasn't bad, but they definitely missed you a lot and the feeling was mutual.

Using your key to get in, the sounds of Simone’s “Então É Natal” (“And So It Is Christmas”), a brazilian holiday song, hit you immediately. You chuckle, taking off your boots and coats. From the front corridor the ornamented tree is visible, carrying innumerous lights and details. There's probably not a single empty wall, the seasonal decoration filling every inch of your field of vision.

“There she is!” Your father shouts as you appear in the living room smiling. The man goes into your direction with open arms, holding you tight. You smell that same cologne he wears since you can remember anything, and along with the warmth of the house, it truly feels like home. Some of the tension from university and work just falls on the carpet, leaving your body to receive all the good things inside that place.

“Carlos, you'll smash our child and I cannot have another one”, your mom yells somewhere from the kitchen direction, making you laugh.

“I can get another one anywhere, Marília”, he finally lets go, an arm around your shoulders. “Won't be as nice as this one, though”

“Of course not, she's irreplaceable”, your cousin Felipe says, approaching. “Prima, você tem feito falta!” (“Cousin, you have been missed!”) He holds you sideways with an insane amount of exaggeration, taking an embarrassed chuckle from you. Felipe was a lawyer with a lot of charisma, but inside he was just your cousin that your mom liked a lot. You both used to play together growing up. “From some people, a little too much”, he whispers playfully before running away, not letting you scold him for bringing up something you were not prepared to deal with this earlier, especially when the person implied wasn't even around. Yet.

Your father doesn't seem to notice, now talking with your mom again.

“Hey, Alice”, you wave to Felipe’s wife sitting on the couch, drinking something on a Christmas themed mug.

“Hey, sweetie! How's uni?”

“Tiring”, you shrug. “How about the kids?”

Your name is once again shouted through the house, and as you turn around three kids are running into you. Camila, Jorge e Rayana hold your waist, almost making you fall with a laugh. Camila is the oldest, at five years old, but the others are at the age of three. They're simply the most precious people in that family.

“Meus pestinhas!” (“My little brats!”) You start messing their hairs and pinching their ears playfully.

“Eu perdi um dente, olha!” (“I lost a tooth, look!”) Camila smiles widely, showing the first little window on her mouth.

“Ela tá ficando banguela e feia” (“She's getting toothless and ugly”) Jorge points out, and by Camila's reaction this isn't a new saying.

“Well, that's too bad. Because you'll get toothless and ugly too, just wait a few years”, Rayana and Camila laugh as the boy pouts at your response, looking at their mom.

“Vamo, vamo, abram espaço. Preciso abraçar minha filha” (Come on, come on, clear the way. I need to hug my daughter) Your mom’s voice finally reached the living room before her arms were wrapped around your torso. It's warm and familiar, you've missed her so much.

“Oi, mãe” (“Hey, mom”)

“Você tá tão magrinha, filha. Aposto que não anda comendo direito na correria, né?” (“You're so skinny, child. I bet you haven't been eating well in all the rush, right?”) The caressing she does on your back is reassuring, and by that you can tell you're going back with bowls filled with food. “Sua irmã vai chegar só mais tarde, seu pai vai buscar ela na estação” (“Your sister will arrive just later, your father will pick her up on the station”)

“When will uncle Jerry get here? He said he would get me new crayons”, Rayana mumbles while playing with one of the numerous ornaments on the lit up tree.

You try not to react to what that phrase implies, going with your mom to the kitchen to busy your hands and your mind with something else. She would probably kick you out of there soon anyway, she never liked having other people in the kitchen with her unless very necessary. But the need to act normal, smile and not think about family friends coming over it's bigger than the prospect of being scolded out of a room.

While the conversation continues in the living room and the song plays to never leave an empty place in your audition, you hover around the place talking with your mom about the neighborhood news and her routines in the morning walks group. It's comforting to know about what's going on, even if it doesn't really affect your life.

You help her cut the bread to make rabanadas (french toasts), looking forward to finally eating them. It's one of your favorite things of this season, even though you could actually find it anywhere at any time of the year. But the memories of having a plate of those on the supper table, covered in sugar and cinnamon, it's one of your favorites. So you're dividing your attention between the chore of slicing the bread and listening to your mom speaking, when a name being yelled in the living room catches your ear and you almost cut the tip of your thumb.

It's Jorge’s voice. “Abby!”

It's a blessing your mom didn't notice it, but now you have a bigger motive to stay inside the kitchen and never leave it.

No matter how much your mother talked, or the music filled the air, or the people in the other room got into different conversations within the group; her voice seemed louder than any other thing to you. You would swear she was next to the table you had the cutting board on, chatting with the children and playing with them.

You could swear you could listen to her whispering to you about lonely nights and missing pieces of a puzzle.

“Tia!” (“Auntie!”)

Your mom stops speaking just to turn around and look into the tall woman's direction. “Abigail!” Her comforting, mothering arms hold the strong torso, and the blonde needs to be in a not very straight posture to fully embrace your mom. What could you say, hightness wasn't in your family's genes.

“One of these days you'll be able to carry me around, with how big and strong you're getting!” And they both laugh as if Abby didn't live at the end of the block and they saw each other constantly.

All the while, you're trying to avoid the upcoming, inevitable moment. Your eyes glue on the bread, but you're not really looking at it. They're talking but you can't decipher the words, just assimilate the sweet voice making your cells tremble in vibrations. Cutting another piece, and another, then another, then-

“Puta que pariu-” (“Motherfucker-”), a drop of blood falls onto the cutting board when you pull your hand away, thumb red and hurting.

“What happened?” Your mom asks, concern in her voice.

“I cut my finger”, the running water of the sink makes the wound sting when you put the finger under it, the blood keeps coming out.

“I can take care of that if you need to”, Abby says, making you look directly at her for the first time of the night.

And you have to give the lack of air to the pain. You have to, because otherwise you would be admitting that looking at her takes your breath away.

“Yeah, Abby is working as a nurse in a school now. I bet she's used to this type of thing”, Marília goes to the cutting board, taking the pieces you've cut already.

There's nowhere to run over this. What will you say, that you don't want her to take care of your wound? That you can't be next to her, orelse all the coherent thoughts in your mind will fade away, leaving room for her voice? That your fingers ache to touch her?

You look to your still bleeding finger under the open faucet, then to the tall, blonde woman again. And while your mother wasn't looking, you both had a silent conversation about something, everything. She could see the doubt in your eyes, but you could see the pleads in hers.

“Sure, I think it wouldn't be much…” You try to smile, finally turning the faucet off and grabbing a towel to wrapp around your finger.

You both go upstairs, she tells you how there was a first aid kit in the bathroom and your stomach jumps at the realization that she knew your house more than yourself probably. Looking forward at all times and trying not to pay too much attention to her careful hand touching your arm like she was guiding you around the place.

“Go to your room, I’ll take the kit”, and you don’t even look at her to see how she was looking at you. You don’t know how that hurt her, mainly because you’re trying to get out of this situation as fast as possible.

The room is just like you always leave it after the breaks, bed neatly covered and books on the shelves. Some stuffed animals that you couldn’t bear to donate were aligned on a shelf next to a poster of a band you liked, the black and red contrasting with the creamy colors of a small giraffe. You saw the table where once you were pressed against, the lamp giving a soft light on the room as you felt a pair of lips so close to yours after all those years of yearning and silent pining.

“Okay, let’s give this a look” she was back using that voice, the one for the workplace. Tender, but firm; like she was trying to be secure, but reassuring.

Abby pulled the chair next to the table so she could sit in front of you, her knees together between your separated legs as she carefully took your hand and unwrapped the towel. Crimson drops started to flow down your finger, and the blonde woman never took the blue eyes away from the cut.

The distance wasn’t enough. Her scent would haunt the bedroom all night, making you dream about her just like it happened before, during your late school years, when she came to spend the day and left you numb and daydreaming. Her touches were so gentle, featherlight.

“It wasn't that bad, we can handle it”, she muttered like she was talking to one of the students from the school she worked at. “So, how's college?”

“It's okay, I guess”, with eyes glued on your own hand, you tried not to notice her thighs too much. “I've been working my ass off to write a paper while keeping up with classes and the monitoring thing”

“You'll get this, I'm sure”, you looked up just in time to see a smirk on her lips, but then returned to look down again before being trapped on that hypnotizing expression. “After all, you've always been very good with your words”

“It was easier in school, though”

“It always is”, she cuts the bandage before wrapping your finger with it. “But that's the thing, right? We start to realize how school was maybe easier, but then again, would you rather be back?”

“Oh, fuck no”, you chuckle as she finishes the curative. “I wouldn't change this for that”

“Yeah”, you finally look up more confident, meeting her indescribable expression. “I would change some things, actually”

“Like what?” You're just keeping the conversation, just trying to let it flow well enough for it to be bearable. You surely weren't expecting the next phrase.

“I wouldn't have dated Owen”, she sighs.

Owen was Abby's boyfriend. They started dating in the last year of school, and looked very much in love, for your displeasing. He wasn't a bad guy per se, but the fact that you already had a crush on Abby made you think that your feelings towards him were totally based on jealousy. So every single thing you had to say about him would be shoved down your throat immediately, and you'd just smile and nod to your friend anytime she mentioned him. You told her he was nice - couldn't bring yourself to say more than that - and supported their relationship with the most painful role in that whole story: the best friend with an unrequited crush.

By fall you found out she and Owen had broken up. Right after…

“Why is that?” Her eyes wander from the quilt to your hands, then back to your face. They were so beautiful, you could spend the rest of the night admiring them. Or the way her hair would fall around her face with soft lines, how her freckles were so attractive to the touch, especially on her arms.

“Don't think I was really into him… At least not in the right way”, Abby was the one not looking at you now, almost more interested in putting the stuff back on the kit box. “I could've been honest with him… And with you”

“Abby-”

“That's fine…” She shrugged. “He was a little bit of a dumbass anyway”

Silence falls around you both, filling the room with an emptiness.

The image of them both in your living room, last Christmas, haunts your mind as soon as you remember how you knew nothing and was too caught up in your own thoughts at the time. The way she laughed at his jokes, making your stomach turn as you smiled politely. Or how you saw them kissing next to the coat holder by the front door, and all the food you ate wanted to come back in awful bitterness.

You never told anyone. Never said a word, as always, rather keeping the green feeling on the back of your mind in order to not do something stupid - like being rude or start crying.

But then, you came home for the summer break. You dad was making barbecues in the backyard, you mom decorated the house with all the stuff your cousin brought from Brasil on his last trip, and you'd listen to pagode in the living room while the kids were playing and running, waiting for the meat to be properly roasted so they could finally eat.

Internally, you were ready to deal with that same gut-rotting feeling all over again. The plan was to sustain the fake expression until the time allowed you to pull the tiredness card on everyone and go to your room to watch some old telenovela.

Abby showed up alone, greeting everyone as usual. And when she looked at you, you could swear that was something in her eyes that could make you shiver. How she took your figure in before hugging you, how she held you so tight and for a little bit longer. How she was always trying to be next to you. You couldn't decipher, though, and the whole day went by mixing the confusion of her being without Owen and not even mentioning his name, and the rush of being that close to her again.

That night, in your room, she kissed you. Right there, where you were sitting now, she held your face between your hands and your skin shivered, while her lips touched yours.

You waited for years. Kissing her was probably one of the only things you wanted to do every time she was around, flesh craving hers. And it finally happened… But she had a boyfriend.

So you never talked about it again. You went back to college and texted her less and less.

“Abby, Abby, Abby!” A childish voice came from the corridor, the door opened to show Rayana. “Come here, I need your help to defeat Jorge and papai” (dad)

“Okay, I'll be there in a second!” The blonde smiled before the girl ran back downstairs. “Well, it seems like a have a duty”

“Can't let her down, she'll never forgive you”, you both chuckled while she got out of the room, first to leave the kit back in the bathroom and then to go to the living room again.

Sighing, you laid back on the mattress. Just like that summer night, you were alone in your room trying to collect your feelings about an interaction with Abby. Heart beating fast and a familiar warmth on your chest, wanting to curse every single entity for putting you in this position.

You came down maybe 15 minutes later, mask back on to decorate your face with a smile. You saw the tall woman on the mat with the younger children on top of her, attacking her while laughs filled the place.

“Okay, okay, saiam de cima da Abigail” (“Get off of Abigail”) Your mom didn't have to say it twice before they were sitting next to her. “Abigail, I need a favor. Remember that bowl I lent to you last week?”

“Sure”, her arms seemed stronger now that she was supporting herself on the elbows. Why was she so gorgeous?

“I need you to get it for me, darling”

“Okay, I got it”, Abby got up and immediately went grabbing her coat again.

And you were about to go back to the kitchen to make yourself useful, but it couldn't be that easy.

“Filha, vai com ela. Está nevando bastante, não é bom dirigir sozinha nesse tempo” (“Daughter, go with her. It's snowing a lot, it isn't good to drive alone in the weather”)

“Oh, it's not necessary-” She really tried, but your mom wouldn't take a negative answer.

“I'm not asking, you won't go alone!”

You nod and start putting on heavy clothes. It was okay, all good. You both would get in the house, grab the bowl, and get back in no time. It would be fine.

[dividers by @cafekitsune]

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch S3 Ep2: Lost and Found

[Summary: John sees a familiar face, and Louis has a chat with Song's father. Someone from Markus's past makes a surprise visit.] @gr3y-plays-ttrpgs

This will be less formal today! Wanted to try out a more chill style again. Happy New Year btw!! <3

So, Last we left off: Shelby had gone missing.

John is trying So Hard to not panic because oh my god where's Shelby where did she go. He rolls well to Investigate, though he's visibly a bit more nervous than usual, and eventually finds a crowd! And screaming!!!

He pushes his way through and finds Shelby at the center- a crowd's gathered around her, taking pictures and selfies with her.

John is relieved- of course , everything's fine, she had just run into some fans of hers, he was overreacting- and then Shelby spots him and waves, and suddenly the crowd is looking at him!! He's a deer in the headlights as people recognize him; while he's never shown his face on camera, he's appeared in the background of Shelby's streams at times. Shelby eventually sees the attention is making him uncomfortable, so she gets the people to leave, pulls him aside, and- after they both go "hey where were you??"- she asks if he's okay, does he need some air?

John can tell that Shelby wants to stay, so he refuses the offer despite everything happening, and the two of them go to play blackjack.

But then, from the dealer's part of the table is a familiar voice: "John?" It's Clara. You know, the girl he's been avoiding for a whole month.

---

Meanwhile at the North Hotel, Song, her father, and Louis are continuing the tour. Song's father pays for lunch at one of the restaurants the hotels have; it's this New Orleans place, and it's kinda close to how Louis remembers food being back there.

Song's dad asks Louis how he likes Greenville, and our southern gentleman is all "well i was hoping it would a nice place to have an early retirement, but so far it's been... Well it's an interesting place with interesting people." He continues, and I'm counting this as another "this town is weird" rant. He says he works in personal security and finances when asked about his job, and Song's dad finds out Louis used to work for one of his branch companies.

The food arrives; they talk about Song's studies, her mom is mentioned (HELLO? IS SONG'S MOM DEAD??), and meanwhile Louis is trying so so hard to be chill and not freak out bc Man, his girlfriend's dad is really intimidating!!! Speaking of the man, he asks if they've got plans later and Song is all "yeah, cooking lessons"- which, btw: sometimes song and louis actually do cook, and sometimes they do... other stuff- howver her dad doesn't know this and is all "oh, nice! Anyway i should get going, work duties and all"

He pays for the lunch, gives Song some extra cash, and also finally introduces himself to Louis by name: Greyson. He goes to shake Louis' hand; it's a firm handshake, and Louis tries to match it. Greyson does that whole Scary Dad thing of "take care of my daughter now, ok?" and walks off.

Song tells Louis he did a great job talking to her dad! Meanwhile since Greyson left, Louis is able to show how nervous he was the whole time, holding his hurting hand like "aaa thanks darling :'-)"

Song asks Louis how he ended up here anyway- Louis said he had a lot of heat on him (his vampiric ex, a detective, etc), and when he found out he won a raffle he didn't even enter for a house, he took the chance and left. They have a whole conversation I unfortunately didn't catch, about fate and coincidences.

Song kisses Louis against the wall and heads into the casino to find Shelby and John. Louis is extremely flustered before he goes to follow.

Markus heads home to find a tourist couple waiting outside their house, asking if it's the bug museum that was listed on Google Maps, because they would like a tour! Markus is like "oh my god my house is a location on google maps now?? what the fuck???" but gives them the tour anyway.

They're very attentive, asking all sorts of questions- at first Markus is socially anxious about it, but eventually the joy of their special interest takes over, and they ramble about it ☆

But Markus only has enough social energy, and it turns out the tourists paid enough to come back The Next Day, and as they leave Markus leans against the wall, dreading more social interaction.

There's a knock on the door.

Markus goes to open it ("I swear if it's that rat-summoning creep again-") and upon seeing who it is they immediately slam it shut. After the shock wears off, they slowly open it again.

They ask their sister, Analetta, how she managed to find them.

She holds up her phone- Google maps. ("Do our parents know where I am?" "No, they don't.") She hugs them, crying, and while Markus hugs back they reassure her that everything is fine? There's no reason to cry?? ("I mean, I don't have a car but besides that everything's fine-")

Analette says Markus had just disappeared without telling anyone- Markus is like "Do you blame me?" They tell her they vanished because a way to leave home had suddenly appeared for them, and they didn't know if a chance like that would ever show up again; They didn't really have to take things or people with them.

Analetta tells them she managed to visit them by saying she's studying abroad ("oh thank god you didn't move here"), and Markus apologizes for slamming the door in her face. They ask if she'd like to meet their friends. Analetta's like "oh my god? you have friends??" and pokes fun at their sibling when they mention Shelby. Markus is all "No it's not like that, she's my friend," and the two argue over who's going to pay for the food they're going to get from the only DoorDash guy in town (who, btw, is also the only weed dealer in town- they get some of that too).

As they eat sushi Markus fills her in on everything, and while she knows about their bugs, they omit the rest of the supernatural stuff- they don't wanna drag her into all of this. Analetta says that life got harder back home when Markus left, and while she's trying to live the life her parents want her to live, it's killing her inside. She took an opportunity to leave, and wanted to visit Markus one last time. They say she can stay as long as she wants, and might take them up on it; She's actually supposed to be in Japan right now.

Markus sends a text to the group chat so the Main Cast can their sister.

In the hotel, Song and Louis finally get a text notif for the message, which reads: “PLEASE COME TO MY HOUSE ITS SUPER IMPORTANT PLEASE!!!!!”

Louis texts back like "Hey sorry we got this late, is it still possible to come over?"

“YES STILL AT HOUSE PLEASE HURRY”

Song and Louis are all "ok we should find shelby and john," and they bump into Sammy on the way over– he helps one of them up, since he accidentally knocked one of them onto the floor.

Meanwhile, John is in a social scenario hell- yes, Clara is here, being kinda cold and professional (and part of him wonders if she's making sure he keeps losing), but you wanna know who else is here? Harold, that little creep who was really rude to Shelby last season!! John hates this man- He manages to scare him off by Staring at him with his monster eyes.

At this point, Song and Louis show up like "hey, we got a text from Markus and they want us to come over, and we don't wanna disappoint them like last time." (John doesn't say anything about how he actually visited them last time they asked, so-)

(Shelby notices that hey, yeah, the cell service is shit here in this casino!)

Anyway, so John and Shelby get up to leave but Clara insists that John cash in his chips- as she's doing this for him, she discreetly hands him a small note. He catches the vibe he should look at it later, and leaves the Casino with the Main Cast. As they leave, everyone's phone clocks correct themselves to match the current time outside the casino- it's currently around 3pm. John trails behind the group as usual, and opens the note to read it.

"Meet me out front at 5:30 after my shift."

Notes/Commentary:

I forgot Shelby was lowkey a celebrity lmao

It's canon that every single photo of John is a little bit blurry! That's so funny <3

Hi. Something about John sacrificing small bits of comfort (ie not leaving the casino to chill out) bc he wants Shelby to be okay/not leave her.... he has issues

Hey Song. What's with your mom, did she leave? die? what's up??

The GM informed me later that casino workers are meant to be all formal and not show favoritism at their jobs, right, and Sir i think she was doing the Opposite of favoritism /lh

John being able to initimidate people is very cool, thank you GM

MARKUS LORE MARKUS LORE

I was? Not aware our guys had a group chat??

SAMMY?? SIR?? weren't u being kidnapped earlier whats going on /lh

My notes say "Song easily finds John bc he's tall as fuck"

The players are placing bets (/j) on if Clara is a secret monster hunter or not-

John is fully expecting to get yelled at by her btw :-(

I so badly want him to try and date her or somehting. please for the love of god can john actually kiss someone and be really nervous about it bc he's never done that before and wants to try it out, and maybe he'll have to roll for Hunger bc his teeth are So So close to human flesh and it'll just be Dramatic <3

[yb-cringe]

GO ON ABOUT THEIR BACKSTORIES PLZ

oh god this one got lost in the inbox- i THINK it was abt wra backstory so thats what yall r getting cause i like to chatter on

RIGHT so- some worldbuilding; Humans have only recently gained footing as a generally advanced species. elves gnomes etc were all there farr before humans bc they live so much longer. took humans a lot more time to figure shit out. one of the LEADERS of this new human colony thats making a foothold at worldwide discussions is Sausage’s home.

For funsies and theorywise i call this Mythguard in like. the idea that sausage’s singleplayer world (which was very mixed w elf and dwarf culture or was gonna be lmao) is his hometown.

Mythguard is chill, great export, but in order to be respected amongst other nations they had to gain a bit of power. Long story short; Mythguard king makes a deal with a blood god in exchange for the knowledge of a long lost practice: blood magic. in return they worship that guy Everywhere.

Things go well, blood magic is taboo but is still powerful enough to keep humans in awareness and then one day a mage goes corrupt, using the great staff of mythguard(land whatever) and blood magic to kill off swaths of other nations- basically too OP. The council of nations decided quickly that Nope. No. Humans can’t have that, its too dangerous.

There’s a really long period of blood magic being suppressed and then completely smothered out by anyone who wasnt royal family and even then its Very taboo once more, and in retaliation humans start a general Anti-Magic wave that convinces a lot of people in Mythguard (and a bit outside of it) which makes magic rare and not well studied.

ENTER gem and fwhip. theyre not nobles, they’re not royal, but god do they have a chip on their shoulders. specifically because gem has been spending her time trying to learn how to defend herself and her brother, and as a result of No Magic Teachings in human colonies, she Manifests deer traits as like. a consequence of misuse. Her and Fwhip get kicked out and the kids are runnin wild.

Enter Sausage! A nobleblood prince who’s been barred from learning magic for LIFE after he was caught practicing it and making secret shrines to the blood sheep (who’s apparently not that bad of a guy hes mostly just pissed humans arent holding up their end of the deal)

Annddd Collide! Fwhip and Gem stumble into Mythguard looking for easy cash to swindle ppl out of, they run into the wrong noble, and one way or another Gem is revealed to be magic and Sausage makes a quick choice not to turn them in. She teaches him a bit about magic, Fwhip helps him learn how to sneak better, and Sausage gives them a place to stay and an alibi.

All good things come to an end when Sausage’s family finds out he’s been harboring criminals and Sausage who’s hopelessly endeared by the twins and now realizes that magic is a neutral tool, not inherently evil, steps in to defend them. Family is fuckin Pissed and apparently he’s the least favorite kid anyway bc the slice towards the twins doesnt stop when Sausage runs in front of it to defend them.

the twins go on a rampage and knowing the three of them can’t stay on the continent being essentially War criminals now, book it to the nearest departing ship, hide as stowaways and wait desperately patiently for Sausage to heal and to end up where they end up.

It takes awhile and theres travelling in between but eventually they end up at Empires smp and Sausage starts Mythland as a Better mythguard, and the Grimlands are made as a brother country to Mythland- while the crystal cliffs are seperate they also are Mainly educational based and arent really. a government.

WOOH thats it! hope that helps :)))

[edwardelricsrightarm]

Riza Hawkeye as a child/young teen but she's just this Annie Oakley ass prodigal sharp shooter little shit who cuts her hair off with kitchen scissors and runs absolutely buckwild in the woods on her father's estate terrorizing small animals (humanely hunting I'm just being dramatic)

Roy boy is just this awkward nerdy little cornball who wants to get along, but they also kinda have that dynamic from the Swan Princess when Derek and Odette were kids ya feel me? Just watch the childhood montage from that movie you'll understand- ☠️

They have like nothing in common at the time (so they assume) and yet they end up thick as thieves cause Riza hasn't had many friends that she can see outside of her education and had an extremely isolated upbringing, so this goofy sweet baby faced dork just got her like that, even if he sometimes drives her nuts a little bit.

Riza would get upset fairly often bc her neglected social and emotional upbringing would get to her (bc realistically,,,,we know that was the case), and Roy got extremely good at knowing when she's upset and would often be the one to listen to her air her thoughts out (callback to the phone call scene after her encounter with pride, this lends background to how he knows her so well and reads her stress levels like a book even over the phone)

Mundane headcanons:

Roy would transmute little clay/dirt doves and targets for Riza bc he was worried about her shooting glass bottles and other assorted not necessarily safe objects.

Roy is trans, I can't untrans him that's just who he is to me. Riza is a self declared tomboy who I hc as nonbinary/demigirl. They're also bi4bi it's canon Arakawa told me.

Riza didn't really know good birthdays, and when Roy realized this it broke his heart bc Chris always tried to remember stuff like that for him and she's not even his own biological mother. So, he made an annual routine of gifting her something (often transmuted and unique).

Riza loved being out in nature back then and knew the wooded areas around the estate like the back of her own hand, when she and Roy had warmed up more to one another she made a routine of showing him all the neat little spots she'd found in the area for one reason or another, just for the sake of sharing that with someone. These remain some of their fondest memories.

Riza would be more likely to go out to shoot targets when she was angry or upset, if she was having a good day and had the time she would be more likely to go hunting because she enjoyed the hiking and tracking but couldn't focus on it when internally upset. Roy eventually figured this out as well.

Riza climbed so many trees, rocks, outcroppings, etc- and was always scraped up from something she probably shouldn't have climbed getting the better of her.

Riza used to have a nanny birddog named Otto, but he passed away before Roy came around, so making a new friend in him after that loss was a big comfort to her. She was hesitant to have other dogs until Hayate.

They're both autistic.

Relatedly, Riza would go nonverbal and lock herself in her room sometimes. Roy, concerned, would approach this by slipping little notes under the door offering company if needed, while not pushing her to talk.

Riza would sing/hum while doing chores or out and about exploring and on every occasion Roy overheard this he'd turn red from ear to ear- if she caught it and realized he'd heard she'd be twice as embarrassed.

Riza would take Roy foraging and showed him some useful/edible plants, and safe berries and mushrooms that she knew in the region. He was honestly always pretty impressed, especially considering some mushrooms that are safe have toxic siblings that look identical.

Both of them are varying levels of nerd. Riza is the type who's full of trivia, especially weird facts about her special interests (animal behavior, guns, bushcraft, navigation and tracking stuff, etc), Roy started out neutral to this but over time infosharing kinda became their love language, and he'd start to infodump right back. They'd spend hours like that some days.

Riza knows constellations really well for navigational reasons, and there were times that she showed Roy a way to get onto the roof from the attic and they'd stargaze. She would teach folk names of constellations, regional lore behind them, navigational uses for them etc; Roy would tell her basic facts about space and astronomy that come with understanding of alchemy.

Riza typically stuck to small prey (rabbits, fowl, easy to retrieve misc.), but Roy had an awakening when Riza first killed a whole ass deer (albeit a young one) and came back with it thrown over both shoulders with the determined energy of a small lionness.

Riza is REALLY good at cooking and baking because she had a bit too much free time to fuck around in the kitchen. She also learned how to cure and smoke meats bc of her hunting. It certainly helped them stay well fed.

Roy developed a habit of cooking for the household pretty regularly in a swapped routine with Riza after only a while of being around because he saw how much she had to be self sufficient in almost every way and honestly just wanted to relieve her of the constant responsibility and self parentification. He'd also help with chores constantly.

Roy had major internal conflict even early on because he respected his teacher greatly for his intelligence and brilliance, but also kned that Riza wasn't being raised well, and that no matter what he does, Berthold can only decline mentally. This is the root of his protective and caretaking behavior with her, ultimately.

Roy doodled and sketched a lot back in the day and had a little booklet that he guarded with his life bc it started out random assorted things, but eventually devolved into a book full of cute little doodles of mostly Riza jammed into the last half of the book (She can never know-). He still has it stored away.

Riza could easily pick him up even then, this never changed. She got to show this once when he sprained his ankle on a hike with her and she held half his weight as a crutch with no strain to herself. He never quite recovered from that (but boy did it make his crush worse).

Roy would notice rarely he'd have a shirt go missing and never could figure out why til he'd find Riza wearing an identical shirt. (She told herself it's just cause they're cozy of course- she just likes boys clothes too! They look nice under overalls and are comfortable to sleep in! nothing more /s) They never said a word about it even though it was right in front of them, they couldn't dare.

Roy had a bike, and she'd ride behind him down some of the rural roads and paths that could support it for fun sometimes.

During winter the home would get pretty chilly because of its size and not enough stoves/fireplaces to fully warm the declining estate, so when snowed in on miserably cold winter days they'd usually end up reclined in the study by the space heater or in the loungeroom by the fireplace reading separately, but still occasionally talking back and forth.

Riza stopped hunting post-Ishval. She couldn't bring herself to derive that same innocent pride and appreciation for the circle of life she once had, and felt she no longer deserved to have that respectful exchange with the cycle of life and death after what her skills had been used for. She never stops going to shooting ranges, but it's either for standard upkeep of practice or to vent.

[itsallyscorner]

so, I was watching the video that came out today and I was thinking about a age gap seb x reader around his friends like Jessica or maybe chace? And they're just hanging out and they both have this lovesick look on their faces and when she leaves the room for some reason they don't waste any time addressing how in love she is with him, and sebs glad bc they were kinda wary of her at first?

Hiyaaa babes! This is my first request so woohoo🥳 Since you mentioned the video, I literally thought of the pictures that were released while they were filming 355, and now I can’t get the image of Seb in Paris because holy shit he looked good. So I’m gonna be using Jessica❤️

- This came out so long, I’m a sucker for background info and can’t get past writing a story without one💀 Enjoy!💜

💌.

Lovesick

You and Sebastian were unexpected. Literally the chances of you guys getting together were so off and you guys were at different times of your lives. He was in his late 30s, already living most of his life as a successful actor. While you were in your early 20s still in college working on your doctoral degree to become a Pharmacist (It was the only major I could think of atm because it’s the one I’m planing on lol.) You guys met at the cafe near your campus. You always went there every morning and would spot him drinking his morning coffee with his nose stuck in a new script he was reading. You two would sneak glances at each other, admiring each other from afar. Until one day when the cafe was fairly packed and you needed a place to sit. You spotted his familiar face and asked him if you could sit in the seat across from him. Obviously he agreed and you guys talked, getting to know each other the whole time. When it was time for you to leave for classes, you guys exchanged numbers and kept in touch.

Which brings us to today. You and Sebastian have been going strong for about a year now and were approaching your second year together. Though you two are as happy as can be and are still in the honeymoon phase (even after a year), the first few months of the relationship were quite rough. There was an obvious age gap between you two, it didn’t bother you two as much, but the public didn’t react too nicely about it. Your parents weren’t too fond of the idea of you dating an older man, but after getting to know him they knew his intentions with you were well. Same goes for your friends and family. When it came to his fans and the media finding about your relationship, that’s when it went to shit.

The media made Sebastian look like some creep who was going through a midlife crisis for dating someone much younger than him. A few “fans” even claimed that he were a “groomer” after pictures of you and him heavily making out on the street were released. These issues caused some bumps in the road for your relationship, though after many arguments, you two realized that the only opinions that mattered were each other’s.

Now you two were staying at a hotel in Paris. Sebastian was currently working on a big project, “The 355”, something he was very excited about. This was one of the first projects that he was really involved in, from script to screen, he played a pretty big role in this project.

You were typing up a report for your class when Sebastian entered the hotel room. He was still in his set clothes, a light blue shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of Chelsea boots. He approached the bed where you were typing and pressed a kiss to your temple.

“Hey sweetheart, how’s school going?” He greeted you as he settled himself on the bed, laying on his side.

“Meh, it’s going...but I finished my report on time. Now I just need to proofread it.” You smiled as you finished typing the last sentence of your report. When Sebastian discovered he was going to film in Paris, he immediately told you, knowing you’ve been dreaming of visiting Paris. Luckily for the both of you, your school allowed you to do online learning (it probably doesn’t work like that but just go with it) and you were able to tag along with him.

“I’m sure it’s prefect, you’re a great writer.” He complimented, you hummed in response. Turning to him you run your hand through his short hair making him lean into your touch. You loved his fluffy hair but the short hair was starting to grow on you.

Sebastian turned his head and pressed a kiss into your palm, stormy eyes gazing up at you.

“How has your day been?” You asked.

“It was good. We got through a good amount of scenes without messing up, so I’d say it was a successful day.” He answered. You smiled at his enthusiasm. Sebastian’s face always lit up when he was talking about a project and it was one of the things you admired most about him, his passion for his work.

“So, you’ve been cooped up in this damn hotel all day. Why don’t you come to dinner with me and the cast tonight? You’ve been waiting to visit Paris all your life and you haven’t even been outside this hotel for days.” He suggested. It was true, you haven’t done much but do school work, order room service, and binge watch shows on Netflix.

“Are you sure they’d want me to come? I might be intruding.” Honestly you were nervous to meet the rest of the cast. You’ve met Jessica a few times but they were brief and she seemed like she didn’t like you. Though that could just be your thoughts making you paranoid, you were still nervous to meet the people Seb worked with. You didn’t want them to think you were using him for money or to travel around the world because you weren’t. You loved Sebastian for himself, not the money and the fame, you could care less about all that.

But they were still Sebastian’s friends and you wanted to have a good first impression on them. You didn’t want them to think you were just some immature college girl who needed money to pay off her college funds.

Noticing you were drifting off, Sebastian pressed another kiss into your palm and grasps it. “You wouldn’t be intruding, Jessica actually suggested you come along.” He mentioned.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive, baby. Come on, let’s put this stuff away and get ready. We’re having dinner at the Eiffel Tower.”

“I— the Eiffel Tower?”

•

To say you were intimidated and scared shitless was an understatement. Here you were in the Eiffel Tower having dinner with some of the most talented women in Hollywood. Like seriously Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, and Diane Kruger. Of course Seb and Édgar Ramírez where there as well. Then there was you, NYC local college student. You didn’t wanna say you felt out of place, but you did. These were successful people who probably starred in some of the movies you watched growing up. Now you’re literally in the Eiffel fucking Tower having dinner with them.

Dinner was going smoothly, everyone was talking about the set, shared some funny stories, and you were keeping to yourself simply eating your steak. That was until the attention was brought to you.

“So (y/n), Sebastian mentioned you were in college, what are you studying?” Jessica asked. Everyone turned to you and you swear you felt like a deer in headlights. Seb nudged your thigh with his, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Yes I am! I’m actually taking a PharmD program at St. John Fisher to become a Pharmacist.” you answered.

“For your masters?” She followed up curiously, slightly leaning forward to you.

“No, for my doctoral degree.” You corrected her proudly. You didn’t want to come off as an ass, but you were proud of your work and you worked your ass off for it.

Everyone at the table was taken back by your response. Except Sebastian, who had a just as proud smile on his face. They knew you were in college but not studying something as serious as Pharmacy.

“St.John Fisher College? I had a cousin that went there, it’s a great college.” Lupita was the first to break the silence.

“So are you working in the field yet? For some experience?” Penélope chimed in. Sebastian snorted, “Oh she has experience, trust me.”

You chuckled as you softly smacked Seb’s bicep, “Well currently, I’m interning as a Pharmacy Tech at a hospital pharmacy. They’re thinking about making me a permanent one until I graduate so fingers crossed!”

As you answered all their questions about your personal life and your major, Sebastian couldn’t help but just admire you. Just like how you admired the way he talked about his projects, he admired the way you got lost in rambling about your soon career. The way your eyes lit up, how your hands moved while you talked, and that hint of a smile on your face. He absolutely adored every single thing about you.

Dinner continued, the last question for you about why you chose to do college in New York, which segwayed into a conversation about— well New York. As the others talked about their love for the city, Sebastian wrapped his arm around your shoulders. Your back was now pressed to his chest, both of you not listening to the conversation. You pressed a kiss to his arm and looked back at him.

“Hey you.” You hummed at him rubbing your thumb along his arm.

“Hi.” He gazed down at you with that smile that made his eyes crinkle. The moment was interrupted by your phone ringing. Quickly glancing at the contact ID, it was the hospital pharmacy you interned for.

“You should take that.” Seb whispered into your ear.

“No, Seb that’s rude. We’re at dinner, I’m sure it can wait.”

“I have a good feeling about this call, draga mea.” He coaxed you. Having a feeling that he might be right you excuse yourself from the table. When you’re gone the table goes quiet.

“Sebastian, you’ve got one hell of a girlfriend.” Penélope stated as the rest of the table agreed.

“She’s so smart! What the hell, a doctoral degree? Kudos to her because the amount of motivation I would need to even try!” Jessica followed up with an amazed look on her face.

“I think you guys are forgetting to mention how whipped they both are for each other! Those two were in their own world over there!” Lupita pointed out. The whole table laughed as Sebastian was turning red. Of course he was whipped, he knew he was.

“I love her guys, she’s, she’s something else. The spunk she has, her intelligence, she’s-,” Sebastian began to list but was cut off by Édgar, “Out of your league?”

The whole table burst into laughter as they agreed with Édgar. You were also coming back to the table after your call. Sebastian spotted you, eyes connecting to yours immediately.

“Everything alright?”

“They gave me the permanent job!”

draga mea - my darling 

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues

oh, deer

word count: 2.8k

warnings: none for this chapter, vague foreshadowing

ship: dousy (daisy johnson x daniel sousa), background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

heyyyyy…. yes i posted it early on Ao3

howeverrr you guys are gonna like this chapter. i just feel it in my bones (bc its fluffy and the angst starts kicking in in the next one)

“You look like Rudolph, Daisy,” Elena greeted.

Daisy took a large swig of coffee, rolling her eyes but smirking. The pair were walking together to Elena’s first class after a tough early-morning spar.

“You’re the one who punched me where I already had a bruise,” Daisy shot back.

“Hey, I already told you I was aiming for the jaw. It’s not my fault you didn’t duck quick enough.”

They laughed as Elena swiped her key card to the comms building. Daisy held the door for Elena, shoving her lightly in the back as she passed.

“Hey!”

“Not my fault you can’t see backwards,” Daisy teased.

It was Elena’s turn to roll her eyes and laugh, slowing to a stop outside May’s lecture room.

“Right. Wish me luck, I heard May was giving a pop quiz today,” Elena grimaced.

“You don’t need any luck. I’ll see ya, Elena,” Daisy replied.

“Yeah, you will!” Elena said, backing into May’s large lecture room.

Daisy watched her wave and sit down with a group of third-years, her perfect french braids swishing behind her, before turning around. Daisy didn’t have a moment to think about where she was going before she ran into a solid wall.

Daisy looked up into a pair of dark chocolate eyes, crinkled at the edges with a small smile. The wall’s hair was ruffled, as if he had just gotten out of bed. He wore black SHIELD sweats and a white t-shirt. The wall was very attractive. She vaguely registered the smattering of books on the ground, her mind more focused on his hands on her shoulders.

“Daisy, are you okay?”

She must have been staring for too long. “Yeah, I’m good! Great! Sorry, Sousa,” she apologized, quickly bending over to pick up his books. She almost dropped them again when his hand brushed hers while she handed the thick textbooks back. She gave him a quick smile, taking a deep breath to compose herself, reciting her affirmations. I am Daisy Johnson. I am an Agent of SHIELD. I can move the Earth. I am powerful. I am in control of myself.

Daniel’s smile grew a bit when he heard Daisy laughing quietly to herself.

“I guess you could say I really swept you off your feet.”

Daniel chuckled at the quip, his hands still on her shoulders. “Yeah. Foot,” Daniel corrected. Daisy furrowed her brows, but ignored the strange comment.

“Right. Well, the bell—” Daisy was cut off by a long, high-pitched bell. She closed her eyes tight, the blaring alarm causing tiny vibrations to travel through her skull. When she opened them, Daniel was still standing in front of her, white tee and black sweats and messy morning hair encouraging just a bit more flirting before he had to leave.

“Wow, look at you. Late! I’m a bad influence on you, Danny.”

Daniel shrugged, glancing at his watch. “S’not the first time,” he murmured lowly, stepping away and giving her a last look before he disappeared into the classroom.

Daisy pretended not to notice her heart rate had risen from it’s usual sixty beats-per-minute to seventy-six beats-per-minute.

Daisy spent the rest of the day absentmindedly completing work in her classes. For some reason, flirting with Daniel felt… different than it had with her exes. Even her exes in SHIELD. Daniel was grounded. He had a calm presence. Being late didn’t phase him in the slightest; Daisy would have internally berated herself for the rest of the day.

She was finishing a short answer assignment from International Law and SHIELD Policy while stretching on the outdoor training grounds when she saw him again: still in sweats despite the heat. He was still walking with same, familiar limp. Then it clicked—’Foot’; the throwaway comment from earlier made much more sense now. He had a prosthetic. Before she could think anymore about that revelation, May called the Ops trainees to gather around her under a giant maple tree. Daisy was the last to get up, hanging towards the back as usual.

“Ops training, eh?”

Sousa turned to Daisy standing beside him, breaking his focus on May to turn to her. “Yeah. I used to be military, remember? 28th Infantry Recon Scout. I figure I’ve got to get at least near the level I used to be before I can go in the field.”

Daisy nodded, her hair caught in a slight breeze. “As long as you don’t steal my crown as the Queen of Spar, Master of Field Ops Physical Training.”

Daniel chuckled quietly, turning his attention back to May, who was explaining today’s exercises.

“Partners,” Daisy breathed. Daisy hated partners, unless it was May. She’d rather condition. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the other trainees, they were great people! But her nerves got the better of her and she ended up holding back, not helping herself or her partner. She knew how to control her powers, how to keep herself from using them while sparring. Whispers of doubt and guilt still invaded, fogging her mind like deadly mist.

You could kill them. It’s happened before…

She was taken back to the moment by Daniel tapping her shoulder. “Partners?”

Daisy reluctantly nodded and motioned to him to follow her over to a thick pad of grass next to a small willow tree.

“So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing? It’s Tuesday, which is usually a mix of breathing and nerve control and focusing on technique, rather than strength.”

Daniel glanced over at the other partners, who were all going through defensive and offensive stances slowly, like tai chi, he thought.

Daisy walked closer to where he had stopped beside the willow, pointing out a pair of partners moving almost in sync.

“They’re focusing on how their breathing can help their fighting. Mentally and physically. If you’re nervous, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and then your body gets sloppy. If you aren’t breathing, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and your body gets sloppy. Breath can make a punch more powerful and a kick more accurate, if you know how to use it. I’ll show you the moves.”

Defensive, offensive, block, strike, block, kick. Daisy continued in a cycle until Sousa could mirror her movements with little effort.

Daisy stopped him then. “Great! You’re a quick learner,” She winked, smiling wide.

Daniel smiled back, “So how do I do the breathing thing?”

Daisy pondered how to explain it for a second. “You have to flow, like water. You control your breathing, you have the power. But at the same time, you have to let the air flow naturally. The moves will align with your breath, don’t force it.”

Daniel nodded, and they were off. It took a minute to get into the groove, but once he did, it felt effortless. Every kick, block, inhale and turn, exhale and strike came naturally. It gave him the opportunity to study Daisy.

Usually, especially in the early mornings in the computer lab, Daisy looked tired. Her brows were drawn slightly, fingers fidgeting, knee bouncing. In the halls she walked briskly and adjusted her bag or checked her watch often, a small tic she didn’t seem to notice. Right now, though, breeze across her olive skin, Daisy looked cool as water.

She felt the earth beneath her. The trees and grass and flowers in the wind. She tuned in to the radio of her surroundings, letting her muscle memory guide her. The forest was really loud. The concrete buildings had a sort of buzz, too. They mixed in her bones like the sounds of a great symphony, low rumbles and high-pitched chittering and long, constant notes that provided a harmony to the undulating melody. The frequencies of each living and non-living thing in the area seemed to be flowing around her, steady.

Daniel softly stared at her as she moved through the flow with him. She was very good at this. He was having a bit of trouble, though he doubted he would be having this much trouble if it wasn't Daisy right in front of him. For an exercise designed to relax them, wasn’t it counterintuitive to partner with the girl that made his heart skip a beat when she smiled?

When May clapped her hands and signaled the end of the session, the tired, sweaty kids gathered around May’s oak tree. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, bringing a glow to each of their faces. Daisy looked radiant.

“Class is dismissed. Tomorrow, we’re conditioning,” May warned. In a quieter voice, May called, “Daisy, can you hang for a second?”

Daisy stepped away from her bag and towards May. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I have a question for you. Would you mind giving up your free period three times a week?”

Daisy’s eyebrows raised, no classes that she knew of only took place three times a week. “I want to say yes, but I’d also like to know why?”

“Fair. Top brass called. If you want to be a field agent with powers, you’ve got to practice fighting with them, get comfortable with them. I know everything that happened with Lincoln…” May paused, gauging Daisy’s reaction. When there wasn’t any, May continued. “Your powers didn’t make you an agent, I did.”

May paused, giving Daisy a chance to settle her thoughts before adding, “But I think this is important.”

Daisy slowly nodded. If this was important to May, then Daisy had no problems giving up her free period.

“Who will I train with?” she asked.

May smiled. “Meet Yo-Yo and I behind the garage at seven sharp tomorrow morning.΅

Daisy saluted playfully, wandering to her bag and walking in the direction the other students had gone. She could see them filtering into the cafeteria. A smoothie sounded nice…

The canteen was full of students grabbing plates of chicken and veggie tacos. Daisy was always happy during dinner on taco Tuesday. She grabbed her plate and a small green juice and searched for a familiar pair of heads, warm brown eyes and freckles sitting next to dirty blonde curls.

As she approached, two hands went up, waving. Weaving her way through students, she saw Fitz pat the seat beside him.

“Oi, Dais! I've got something to show you!”

Daisy sat down, her attention drawn to the tiny device on the table in front of her. It was small enough to fit in her hand, but surprisingly heavy for its size. Multiple coloured wires stuck out from various surfaces. Fitz was grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He pressed a button on a small remote that sat on the table. Daisy looked over at Jemma, puzzled. Was something supposed to be happening?

Daisy glanced down at her hand. There was nothing there but a constant weight.

“Fitz! You replicated cloaking!”

Jemma and Fitz immediately shushed her, looking around. “He wasn’t supposed to! It’s above his ‘level’. Professor Weaver practically forbid him.”

Daisy’s eyes widened. This was very Fitz. Tell him he can’t, and he will, just to prove it to himself. Holding it up to eye level and moving it around, Daisy marveled at the seamless invisibility. “What are you gonna do with it?”

Fitz shrugged. He began to explain a number of uses for the device, along with the technical modifications he’d have to make for them to work. She tuned out after Jemma exasperatedly told him they couldn’t train monkeys to be invisible recon scouts.

Her plan to learn something from Fitzsimmons banter was derailed when Daisy noticed a shadow at the corner of her eye. It slipped away as quickly as it came, around the corner of the cafeteria and out of sight.

Why was she getting déjà vu?

“Dais, you alright there?” Fitz asked quietly.

Daisy turned back to him, smiling. “Yeah, I thought I saw something. Probably just tired.”

The sandy blonde boy laughed, “S’only Tuesday, Dais. We’ve got a whole week ahead of us!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’ve got six tests this week!” Simmons countered.

Daisy’s mouth opened in surprise, quickly shut when Fitz made a comment about catching flies. “Wait, so you aren’t excited for the tests?”

Jemma shook her head miserably, her amber eyes rolling. “No. Usually I would be, it’s so odd! But I was studying the other night and reviewing old tests, and my chest felt so heavy and my head started spinning—”

Fitz stopped her by putting his hand over hers, gently reassuring her. Watching the two, Daisy thought her heart might burst, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest.

Jemma turned back to her, considerably less distressed.

“Do you want some help studying?” Daisy offered.

Jemma nodded. “Tonight, 8, the rooftop?”

The group nodded.

At eight o’clock, Daisy carefully climbed out her window and around the corner to the fire escape. The stairs whispered and creaked with the wind, but you would never know anyone was climbing the iron to the roof unless you ran directly into her.

She arrived at the last landing, one floor above her own, and crouched down. She jumped, using small quakes as a make-shift propulsor. Jemma turned her head towards the soft thump of Daisy landing on the roof.

The space was decorated with a jungle of potted plants and fairy lights strung around the ledge, mix-matched multicoloured and shades of white. They cast a warm glow across the spread of notes and textbooks neatly placed in front of Jemma. Daisy approached, pulling out her laptop and a pouch of pens, pencils, highlighters, and white-out.

“Ready for our study date?”

Jemma smiled. “Yes. Fitz should be here any minute.”

The two girls got comfortable, beginning to go over notes and chat idly. Daisy wrote down vocab and key ideas on note cards and organised them by subject. Jemma laughed loudly when Daisy expressed her confusion at the difference between the three biochemistries that she was taking. Suddenly, loud clanging was heard from the side of the building.

“Daisy! Jems!”

The two girls shared a glance at the panicked voice. Fitz.

They rushed over to where he would be coming onto the iron landing, grabbing his hand and helping him over the concrete barrier onto the roof.

Fitz supported himself on his knees, panting. “There's a guy down there. Creepy bastard.”

Jemma and Daisy shared another glance, this one full of concern and trepidation.

Fitz pointed to Daisy. “Askin’ about you, Dais. Your…” Fitz trailed off, drawing waves in the air with his hand.

Jemma rested a hand on Daisy’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Go check it out, we’ll be here when you get back.”

Daisy reluctantly jumped onto the metal landing below, resisting the urge to use her powers to cushion her landing. She quickly checked the perimeter of the dorm, then wandered closer to the forest that backed up to the dorms.

If only she had night vision as well as the power to create earthquakes.

A subtle movement caught her eye, a dark silhouette shifting in between the trees. A haze of clouds covered the moon, making the forest darker than usual. Daisy stepped forward slowly, her breath speeding up.

The air seemed electric, the few clouds in the sky bloodred with the remaining rays of sunset. The tall pines and thick oaks were silhouetted black against the sky, branches seeming to reach out to grab the twilight shadows. Daisy threw a quick glance over her shoulder, letting out a relieved exhale when she saw Fitz and Jemma watching over her from the roof.

A twig snapped right in front of Daisy, the treeline only twenty feet away. Daisy felt the echo bounce around the forest. She took a deep breath, steadying her hands and lungs. Something, someone, was right on the other side of those bushes…

“AAGH!”

A deer leapt out of the brush, landing right in front of her. Its large doe eyes stared at her, ears back. It was just a fawn.

Daisy slowly let out a sigh of relief, dropping her arms from where they had come up in front of her. She snorted.

“You’re just a baby. What are you doing in the bushes by yourself?”

Daisy tentatively reached out, the fawn showed no signs of moving. She opened her palm, letting the deer sniff before it bounded away across the field.

Daisy sighed. She felt something was off, like you would the moment before you were struck by lightning. Like any second, something else would pop out of the forest, this time a real threat…

Silence.

Stillness.

Daisy sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. I just need sleep. If the paranoia has set in, I definitely need sleep.

Daisy headed back to the dorms, the feeling of eyes on her following until she was safely on the roof with her friends.

The twinkling fairy lights lit the rest of their evening, shadows and deer forgotten in the warmth of laughs and starlight.

[theoriginalladya]

Kiss Prompts: By the campire/longing for Rhys/Kaidan

from this list

On AO3 here

Okay, here we go!  The first thing I’ve actually posted officially for Rhys Shepard and Kaidan.  Let’s do this!!!

This one is set in Wyoming (where Rhys lives with his grandparents) post-BAaT just as he’s starting to get himself back on track with school.  Rhys is 19, Kaidan is 20.

~~~

“So, this is the Wild West, huh?”

Rhys snorts softly and feeds a log to the campfire. When he retakes his seat a moment later, Kaidan hands him a bottle of beer.  They clink them together quietly in a wordless toast.  Only then does Rhys takes a long pull.  “As wild as Wyoming can get these days, I suppose.”  

The fire flickers as a stiff breeze blows through. Rhys tilts his head to the sky, inhaling deeply.  The chill in the air hints at a threat of a storm, but they have the small cabin to retreat to if it comes to that.  For now, conditions are safe enough they can sit outside and enjoy the mostly clear skies and breathtaking view of the stars above.  Using the log behind him as a back rest, he settles down and chuckles softly. “Surely you have views like this back home?”

Sitting to Rhys’ right and using the log as his perch, Kaidan rests his arms across his legs as he hunches forward and nods.  “We do.  Dad and I used to go camping sometimes when I was younger.  Cat Peak, Gold Peak.”  His voice is low, thoughtful, but there is a hint of a smile on his lips as he stares into the fire.  “Seems like a lifetime ago.”

A lifetime.  Rhys cannot hide the ripple of a shiver that chases down his spine.  Before BAaT.  A lifetime and a half ago.  A question tumbles around inside his head, but for now he keeps it to himself.  They are friends, good friends even; without Kaidan, Rhys might not have made it out of Jump Zero alive, and vice versa.  But that said, there are some lines he refuses to cross no matter how close they were, or are.  How long has it been?  Two years since we last talked or saw one another?  A lot has changed since then.  

So, instead he falls back upon a topic that arose during their initial meeting nearly five years ago.  “Canada, huh?  Ever find any dinosaurs up there?”

Silence returns briefly until it is broken by a bark of laughter.  “I swear, you have dinosaurs on the brain!  Do you ever study anything else?”

Affecting a look of disappointment and hurt, though he feels anything but, Rhys half-turns toward him to protest.  “Hey, now!  It’s a fair question.  I mean, I found one around here when I was a kid.  Why not you?  You live in an area that is well known for them!”

“Actually, I don’t,” Kaidan replies around a laugh. “Most have been found in Alberta, not BC.  East of us, next province over.”

Rhys scowls.  “You just didn’t look hard enough or in the right places!”

“I didn’t look for them at all,” Kaidan reiterates around another soft snort.  “That’s your thing, not mine.”

“What was your thing then?”

“Hockey.”

Rolling his eyes heavenward, Rhys collapses back against the log.  “Of course, it was.”  

Kaidan uses his knee to nudge into Rhys’ shoulder a moment later, still laughing.  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“A typical Canadian thing,” Rhys corrects.

“I’m sorry?”

“As is that!”  Rhys downs the rest of his bottle and sets it aside before jumping to his feet.  

Kaidan’s laughter is not so silent nor subtle as he drinks.  “And you aren’t stereotypical?” he challenges, then points at Rhys with the neck of his beer bottle.  “Your cowboy hat is at the top of the list.  So’s your coat.”

Brushing his hands over the lined denim jacket, Rhys’ scowl darkens.  “This coat is really warm, perfect for the conditions out here.  And this hat,” he lifts it into his hand and runs the fingers of his other hand around the edge of the brim, “was a gift.  I like this hat, thank you very much.”  He tries to take a step forward, but the world starts to spin around him and he throws both hands out to regain his balance, nearly losing the hat into the fire.  

Kaidan snickers.  “What about those boots?”

Lips pursing into a thin line, Rhys focuses on the tips of his well-worn cowboy boots.  “Comfortable.  Don’t you dare make fun of my boots!”  He reaches over and slams his hat down on top of Kaidan’s head as an afterthought.

“Hey!”

Kaidan’s protest triggers a giggle from Rhys who pulls up his omni-tool in a quick motion.  “Look at me!”  His friend obliges without hesitation, allowing Rhys to snap a picture of him in the hat.  

Apparently, it is the wrong action to take?  Kaidan lunges toward him and the omni-tool, but the hat falls down over his eyes and he stumbles before makes it.  For just a moment, time slows around them.  Rhys’ lungs seize up as the predicament becomes clear, and he reacts out of instinct, tossing out a protective field of energy that wraps around his companion to not only stops his momentum, but hold him in place until Rhys grasps him by the arm and tugs him away from the edge of the fire.

What he does not expect as they end up eye to eye, nose to nose, is the immediate rush of heat to his cheeks or the flutter of butterflies inside his chest.  Swallowing past a sudden tightness in his throat, he reaches up to flick the underside of the brim of his hat with his fingers just enough so Kaidan’s whiskey-colored gaze meets his.  His breath catches in his chest and he freezes like a deer caught in crosshairs of a rifle.

But where Rhys expects to find the situation become one of embarrassment or awkwardness, he instead is met by something completely unexpected.  He swears the look meeting his is the same one from BAaT in those last days before everything fell apart around them; the one that left Rhys’ tongue tied at the most inconvenient and embarrassing moments …  

From one moment to the next, the distance between them – or what little remains of it – closes.  Kaidan slides a hand around the back of Rhys’ head, fingers combing through his hair yet carefully avoiding his amp port.  At the same time, Rhys grasps Kaidan by his hips, slipping his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.  His gaze drops to Kaidan’s lips as he notices the scars at the corner twitch slightly. Warm breath fans across his face and somewhere around them, a soft moan echoes.  Who it comes from, he has no idea.

“Kaid –?”

The first touch of their lips is brief, hesitant, as if testing the water before diving into a pool.  But what starts as a gentle, slow, and searching shifts to something far more scorching and desperate in the beat of a heart.  Jolts of electricity sizzle through him, leaving no limbs, no nerves untouched.  The kiss lasts only for a moment, but when Kaidan pulls away and touches their foreheads together, Rhys is left gasping loudly for breath.  

“Rhys …”

Opening his eyes, Rhys shakes his head just enough to cut him off.  “Don’t,” he pleads.

Kaidan appears rattled.  “Look, I’m sor-.”

Hands still in Kaidan’s pockets, Rhys tugs his hips as close as he can, swallows tightly, then murmurs, “Do it again …”

[tsubaki3192]

250+ Followers HC! Artist!MC Draws a Portrait of Nobunaga, Ieyasu, Kenshin, Mitsuhide

Requested by: @puffpuff300​

Note: Thank you so much! Haha this sounds like so much fun… So here we go!

Haha… Not all of these are portraits or are they drawn, but…

Edit: I’m so sorry it took so long! But now I think I’m back in business! 

Please let me know if you’d like to be (un)tagged!

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

Nobunaga:

Honestly? You just loved the way the paint seems to splatter itself on the page.

No, before I properly begin, you don’t necessarily do traditional painting. You like the abstract ones. Like Piccasso… but not quite his style xD

Piccasso’s style… Would confused the shit out of NObunaga if you drew him in that style- I swear if you don’t paint him like that at least once, I’ll smack you xD

Anyway, your paints are precious to you. You know that Nobunaga might be able to get some oil paints for you, but acrylic paint has always seemed to be better for you. That, and you’ve gotten used to it.

On the night you arrive at Honnoji, you’re carrying your art satchel, filled with paint, a couple of canvases, and your beloved brushes. You were in Japan to paint some of the blooming cherry blossoms and scenery at the time.

Dragged into this mess of a Princess and chatelaine duties made you miss painting so badly. Even picking up a calligraphy brush reminded you of the calligraphy-brush style paintings you had been studying before you had arrived.

So you grab the a4-sized canvas and wander the hallways for days, as you search for the best thing to draw. Honestly? You’ve had to white the canvas multiple times simply because nothing seemed right.

That sakura tree in the corner of the castle gardens? Nope.

The bustling streets of Azuchi town in the middle of the day? Hm...

The Ghost of Mitsuhide, smirking wildly as he wanders down the hallways? Not that either.

Not even the pretty Mitsunari seemed to capture your attention for long.

Ironically though, you didn’t even think of paining the lord of the castle at first, perhaps because his ego didn’t need to be brushed up further? 

At the end of the day, you’ve decided to retire to your room, having wasted the whole day wandering the town and castle, listlessly, tirelessly and unsuccessfully seeking the perfect scene to paint.

Weirdly enough, just after dinner, you somehow end up outside the tenshu, peering through the gap the raven-haired lord left in the doorway.

What a sight, though, to see Nobunaga hard at work, that frown finally focused on something other than yourself. You’re suddenly filled with inspiration, and you set down opposite the gap, sketching the outline of exactly what you’re seeing: the gap between the doorway, and Nobunaga seated at his desk.

You know he can see you: You’ve spotted that all-knowing smirk of his. But he doesn’t speak or move until you begin to leave, having finally marked out the correct colours in pencil. 

“Fireball, you may enter the room if you wish-?”

Unsurprisingly, you had jolted at the sound of his voice and bolted from the opening of his door, leaving a baffled Nobunaga staring at your empty postion.

2 days later, you leave the completed painting on his desk, covered by a square of leftover fabric you had used to make the kimono you wore that day. 

He unveils it curiously, only because you didn’t leave a note of any kind. 

Honestly? He just kinda stares at it- curiously- since the painting seemed even more realistic than the ones circling at that time.

And he just laughs, leaving it hanging against the wall beside the Kimono you had made for him.

Mitsuhide:

Okay… So catching this one somewhere paintable is simply impossible. Believe yourself- You’ve tried.

In fact the only reason why you’re trying to paint Mitsuhide is: 1. You don’t have a camera, and 2, He’s just so ethereally beautiful and 3. He’s never lingered in somewhere pretty or ‘nice’ enough for a sufficient amount of time to even sketch him.

As for Mitsuhide, he, without a doubt, is teasing you. He’s seen the paint tubes you brought with you on that night you had first arrived in the Sengoku Era, and he’s seen that sketchbook- or rather paint-book- of yours, filled with random practice paintings of flowers you’ve spotted in the Azuchi gardens-

or Kyubei, which you had admittedly sketched multiple times. Why were both Lord and Vassal so pretty?

and has figured out their uses after stealing a blank page from your book and a couple of paint tubes. 

You’ve found that same torn page tucked within the pile of paperwork when he requested your assistance once.

It was kinda cute too: fingerprints and finger painting galore xD

You’ve also spotted paint residues of blue beneath his fingernails, much to your amusement.

Anyway… So you’ve been trying to paint an image of Mitsuhide with a parasol beneath a willow tree for awhile now… And it’s to the point where you’re tempted to just use your imagination bc he’s simply not letting you.

But you just snap at him, one day, after having had a VERY bad day. And he just… relents, standing statue-still despite you still grumbling beneath your breath with every glance towards him.

You stuff Kyubae into the image too bc he deserves to be immortalised in a painting with his lord….

It takes a week, on top of all your other duties, to complete the painting, and if that’s not the best painting you’ve ever painted, you’d be lying to yourself.

Honestly, even though he’s curious and teasing about it, Mitsuhide only finds out once you’ve completed the painting. Yes, he could’ve seen the painting at any time, but a part of him wanted to keep that as a reward for all his hard work.

He makes that adorable blushy pout when he later realises he simply could’ve asked you to see the painting: Kyubei’s seen it before he has.

You leave the painting on his desk under all the paperwork there is, knowing full well that his curiousity would get the better of him and he’d stop working-

It works, but only at the expense of your blush from his tease when he finds you in the kitchen with Masamune, rewarding yourself with Mochi.

He’s secretly proud of it, and it’s the only one he’ll willingly hang in his room.

Ieyasu:

Ehhhh…. This one’s kinda easy, okay?

So you’ve always wanted to paint Ieyasu with Wasabi. It’s been on your agenda ever since you first caught him playing with the baby deer 3 nights after your arrival in Sengoku Japan.

The only thing is, you’ll have to resort to using Traditional watercolour techniques, since you: 1. Had no paints on you, and 2, canvases didn’t exist back then. You could try to make one, but you swore it wouldn’t turn out as good as the store-bought ones.

So you do paint it. From your memory, and from whatever scenery you could draw from the Azuchi garden.

It’s pretty funny, actually: You know most of the Azuchi warlords are aware of what you’re up to. And by that, you mean all but Ieyasu, who claimed he couldn’t care less, and Mitsunari, that oblivious genius.

Nobunaga and Mitsuhide knows because they’ve been watching you, and Masamune and Ranmaru only knows because Hideyoshi found out.

Long story short, you’ve been neglecting yourself: forgetting meals and overall becoming a Mitsunari 2.0…. Hence the whole “Hideyoshi” thing.

Honestly, it’s a surprise the receiver of the painting doesn’t know. Usually Ieyasu would be the type to scold you with harsh words before you even get to painting him.

But not this time.

Actually, you’re certain he’s been avoiding you. For what reason? Who knows. But painting from memory was always a good mental exercise….

Ieyasu does find out eventually, but that’s simply because you purposely drag him out to the garden where you’ve hung the painted scene on a branch to allow it to dry.

He just sort of stands there surprised, before averting his gaze.

“This is what you’ve been doing the entire time?”

You don’t blame him for the blunt question since you rushed off to the location at any given time to continue the painting, pretty much neglecting anything but your sleep, chores and-

Honestly, being that tsundere-contrarian he is, he flicks you on the forehead while muttering a quiet “It’s good” with averted eyes.

You honestly should never have grinned that widely at his words, bc now he’s walking off while  blushing… and taking the painting with him :3

Kenshin:

You know better than to go behind Kenshin’s back. And by that, you mean “Oh-god-he’s-etherally-beautiful-but-also-a-yandere-so-I-must-gain-permission-to-paint-him-otherwise-he-might-kill-me-help”.

But honestly, it takes you awhile, simply because you’re not sure how to approach him- He’s always given you that sensation of “don’t-touch-me” xD

If it weren’t for Sasuke, who you had known for years, given you went to the same university and assisted him with some artist renditions of the night sky, you honestly would never have had the courage.

The question comes off as awkward. Very much so, since you had been, well, stalking him for days on end before he calls you out and you reply to him, nervously stuttering in response.

Kenshin doesn’t disagree with your request, however, choosing to just call for you whenever he suddenly feels bored.

It’s honestly chaotic and stressful, since he keeps changing position every few minutes…. ^-^’’

In the end you enlist  the help of Shingen, who was only willing to pose for you so he could stare at your expression~ xD

The rest of the time you spend painting is holed up in your room, which, by the way, confuses Kenshin since usually artists would force him to sit agonising hours of stillness just to capture his appearance.

So he goes looking for you.

It’s at a pretty ironic time too, considering you were just adding the finishing touches to the painting. Just some background colouring and details….

But Kenshin’s hovering over your shoulder and-

He compliments you with some VERY sugary words, while you’re wrapped up in his arms. Honestly it puts Shingen’s flirting to shame xD 

You’re warm, but to be fair you’ve left him pretty much unattended for the past week thanks to your want to paint.

Just cross your fingers he never asks you how exactly you managed to accurately paint the position he, in the painting, sat in.

Shingen would most certainly die from spending hours with Kenshin’s princess and love of his life-

Tagging: @tsukiiiyo​​ @unstoppablelinda​ @zavannahmj​ @nad-zeta​ @thesirenwashere​ @ikemenoliver​​ @jiyuu-chan​ @nuttytani​ <3

[thegrapeandthefig]

Tree cult and sacred groves in Ancient Greece (Part 2)

This is a follow up to this post, where I introduced the concept of sacred groves and made a quick review of our sources. This part will be mainly focusing on the material brought to us by Pausanias in his Description of Greece, written in the 2nd century AD.

The functions of sacred groves Darice Birge defines the sacred grove as  “a stand of trees in a religious context, with or without associated structures such as altars or temples.” Such groves “are differentiated from their surrounding territories by visible boundaries and / or special regulations.” Those regulations intertwine with the functions that are associated to the sacred in Ancient Greek thought. 

One of the most important of them is the function of asylum. As such, the grove is a safe and unrestricted access to whoever or whatever is fleeing danger. That is, if a wild deer was chased by a hunter but entered the grove, it could not be slain as long as it stayed there. Domestic animals could not be pastured or stabled in a grove. The function of asylum is another of those things that the grove shares with temples, thus affirming the weight of its holiness. The groves who are directly linked to sanctuaries and temples further confirm the idea: the grove of Megalopolis was located within a great sanctuary, the sacred wood at Trikolonoi was so large that it surrounded a sanctuary of Poseidon and the grove of Aphrodite at Patrai directly gave on the sanctuary of the goddess.

Other regulations existed: sometimes a gendered rule could apply, mainly during fesivals. For example, only women were allowed in the grove of Demeter at Megalopolis and Hera at Aigion, and only men could enter the grove of Ares in Geronthrai. Other times, the restriction could be in favor of initiates or priests. This is the case of the grove to Artemis in Pellene, where only priests would be allowed. Like the temple, the grove held this function of seperation between the mundane and the divine. It was supposed to be protected from the outside world and inviolable. 

As we've shown in the previous half of this post, the grove held several functions linked to its religious one, by the organization of games for example. Groves were of course places where rituals were held, where feasting, sacrifice, dance and music would be at the heart of activities. Pausanias tells us of the traditional dance done by young girls in the grove of Artemis Karyatis for the goddess. Many rituals actually took place at night, which asked for the grove to be well tended to avoid accidental fires. Yet, aside from the traditional religious uses, some groves held a more general function of recreation akin to how we consider parks. As such, Pausanias describes how the grove of Patrai is "a delightful place for idling in the summer" or how the some of the trunks of the plane trees of the grove of Patrai were so big that "parties were given inside the trunks and as many as feel like it sleep there afterwards".

The tree composition of groves Thankfully Pausanias has recorded the tree composition of some of the groves he mentions. From his observations, we can see that some groves were composed of only one type of tree, while others could be composed of many, or only fruit trees. For example, the grove of Apollo in Kyrtones was a fruit tree only one. I've briefly mentionned in the last previous part that the composition of the groves tend to challenge our common mythological associations, and this is further confirmed when taking a close look: the grove of Demeter on Mount Elaion, her woods of the Korythians and the grove in Messenia that was used for the Eleusinian mysteries were all of oak trees. The grove of Apollo in Klaros was composed of ash tree. Pausanias mentions cases where the tree composition is either diverse or of a mix of two species, like cypress and pine together. Overall, Pausanias' collection indicates that the majority of sacred groves consisted of a dominant species of evergreen trees (cypress, pine, evergreen oak) or of deciduous species like oak, plane or ash. Later writers do not echo Homer’s references to sacred groves of poplar trees.

As for the traditional, mythological associations that we are used to using today, it is tempting to imagine that the grove to Apollo in Delphi and Corinth had at least a laurel tree, or that the grove to Athena had an olive tree etc... While this might be true to some extent, it is yet to be proven. The archaeological interest for groves is a fairly new one but the research also has its limitations: those trees and plants are today found all over Greece and can be observed at such locations, but it doesn't give us much indication as the actual composition of the groves and as of when on the timeline of their existence. Landscapes change over time, and that was already the case for the Ancients: when Strabo (64 BC–23 AD) went to the temple of Poseidon at Onchestos, he had Homer's description of it in mind and was decieved by the almost barren state of the grove at the time he went. Yet, almost two centuries later, Pausanias visited the same grove and described it as a beautiful landscape, and jumped on the conclusion that these were the same trees Homer had described.

Sacred trees Pausanias gives us interesting exemples of cases where an individual tree would be considered sacred. Some olive trees in the Athenian countryside would have this status, and the olives from those trees would be the ones used for the oil that would be gifted for the Panatheniac festival. Harming those trees in any way was punishable by death. 

He also describes a prophecy telling Artemis would show an expelled people where to settle. A hare appears to them upon making landfall, they decide to follow the hare until it disappears under a myrtle tree. Because of this event, it is decided that the city should be built on this location. Pausanias indicates that the myrtle tree is still venerated in honor of Artemis Soter (Savior). 

Alternatively, some trees could be considered sacred due to their association with a temple, sanctuary or altar. Such a tree was found in Tegea, where an oak was growing next to the sanctuary of Pan. In Arkadia, it was a cedar in which someone had placed a figure of Artemis that became linked to her. Trees considered unusual or exceptionally old would also acquire a status of sacredness, which was the case of the venerable chaste tree of Hera in Samos, considered the oldest of its time and a willow also sacred to her. 

And last, but not least, there is the sacred oak of Zeus in Dodona, which is attested by Herodotus as the oldest Greek oracular temple. Priests and priestesses are told to have interpreted the rustling of the leaves of this oak as a divination method. More importantly, the oak's sacredness predates the construction of the temple. The priests would camp within the grove before anything was built there, which was probably done not before the 4th century BC. As Walter Burkert put it: “The tree is more important than the stone in marking the sanctuary”.

Pausanias tells us that, when a sacred tree died, the remains would be carefully conserved in a temple or a sanctuary. This was the case of a plane tree thought to be the one mentionned by Homer in the Iliad, which was kept in the temple of Artemis at Aulis. Another, which was thought to be the arbutus tree under which Hermes was raised, was kept in the Champion's Sanctuary of Tanagra.

Here’s the 3000 year old olive tree of Vouves (Crete) as a reward for reading that wall of text  long post. 

Sources

Pausanias, Description of Greece (read here). 

Bowe P., The sacred groves of ancient Greece, in: Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes, 2009

Barnett, R., Sacred groves: sacrifice and the order of nature in ancient greek landscapes. in: Landscape Journal, 26(2), 2007 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #467

“oh, mary, mary, ain’t this fun?  /  mary, mary, i’ve got a gun”

If the last person you kissed asked you to marry them, what would you do? Pray to god it wasn't in public and tell him it's waaaay too soon for that one. Does your favorite uncle have any children? Yeah, a son and daughter. Name all the members (first, middle and last names) from your favorite band. Ha, it's funny how once upon a time, I could do this. All I've got now is John Michael Osbourne. Have you ever heard a young child swear? Maybe? Have you ever seen someone get a piercing/tattoo?: Yes to both. Has a taste of something ever made you smile? Boy meet me at The Cheesecake Factory and see what my face does lmaooo As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a paleontologist sooo badly. I wanted to discover new dinosaurs, put a shitload of work into unearthing fossils and being so proud to see the final results... Even now as an adult, if I could handle the heat, traveling, and hardcore school, I'd still love to do that. Would you cuss the person you hate the most out to their face? No. My hatred for her is unjustified and I'd rather just not say anything to her. Have you ever spent more than two weeks in a wheelchair? No. Where do you see your closest friend in ten years? As one of the strongest people around. I imagine her with a job in medical coding, while also pursuing the hobbies of ball python breeding and writing. I'm sure she'll have loads of pets to love, too! Do you like Florence + The Machine? I've never listened to them. Did you watch the presidential debates? No. Do you ever watch Dr. Phil? No. Are you typically unattracted to people outside of your race? No; I can be attracted to any race. Have you ever ridden any animal other than a horse? No. Do you brush your hair when it’s wet? Yes. Do you eat the crusts of your bread? Yeah, I always have. Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah! At my childhood home, there was a tobacco field directly across the street, and when they weren't in season so the field was flat, Dad would help us with getting kites set up and in the air. Those are good memories. How are you for money? I don't make any money. Mom is struggling. Do you think you are more intelligent than the average person? Ha, no. Do you ever think about why we are here? Does it matter? We're here, so make the most of it. Do you like cherries? I fucking hate cherries. Name a celebrity that you admire that nobody would expect you to: Jeffree Star, probs. Can you use a yoyo? Not well, but yeah. Do you think Jenna Marbles’ videos are funny? I've actually never watched her. Do you like folk music? NOOOOOOOOO Ever had a crush on somebody of the same sex? Yes. Do you know any lesbians? Yep. Favourite member of your favourite band: I'm unfamiliar with all but Ozzy himself. And Ozzy is rad. Who’s your favourite female rapper? I don't have one. When you were younger, were you ever in a relationship with someone you now realize was way too old for you? No. Have you ever had a seizure? No. I sometimes have very, very quick spasms when I'm falling asleep that feel like what I assume a seizure would, but they barely last a second. They seriously jerk me awake, though, and are very startling. What’s the oldest man-made object you own? I dunno. Is there anything you feel like you need a break from? Not really, no. What do you hate to hear people joke about? I will actually and remorselessly deck you in the jaw if you make a joke about rape. There are other things that are absolutely forbidden joking matters for me, too. What’s the largest animal you’ve seen in the wild? Hmmm... Nothing that big, really. Maybe a whitetail deer buck? Do any of your friends or family members have strange occupations? Not to my knowledge. Have you ever been in weather so severe that you feared for your safety? Oh yeah. We've had some savage thunderstorms. What political issues are the most important to you personally? LGBTQ+ rights and just equality in general, the pro-choice movement, environmental conservation, gun control, the abolishment of poverty and homelessness... There is honestly a lot. I could keep going. Do you know anyone who doesn’t know how to cook even just simple recipes? ... Me. :x Especially now that I'm in a relationship, I really want to make a greater effort to learn. I want to prove to him I give a damn about the success of our relationship and that I'm capable of being an adult that can take part in general adult responsibilities. ^What’s stopping them from learning this basic life skill? Laziness. Forgetfulness. The fear of getting burned. What small thing makes you automatically distrust someone? I can pick up on sketchy body language from a mile away. I'm too paranoid not to. Of all the states/provinces in your country, which one is your favorite? At least from photographs I've seen, Utah appears BEAUTIFUL. That whole region of the U.S. in general. Are there any obscure foods you’ve eaten that most people have never tried? That's very unlikely. I'm far from explorative with food. When you travel to other countries, do you always try the local cuisine? I've never been outside the U.S. I would probably do that, though. I'd really want to experience the culture as thoroughly as I could. What did you do for your 19th birthday? Hell if I remember. What’s the kindest thing a total stranger has done for you? I remember as a young kid, my parents, two sisters, and I were getting food at McDonald's, and whoever was in front of us paid for our meals. Such a sweet gesture for a larger family. Have you ever used a meal kit delivery service? No, but there actually is one that I can't recall the name of that I'd like to try when I cook myself, especially getting started learning, but yeah, subscription fees. You see a lot of YouTubers get sponsored by them, if that rings a bell. Do you have any psychological issues rooted in events from your childhood? Possibly my fear of men, with my dad having been an alcoholic that had a 50/50 chance of being very angry when drunk. How organized are the files on your computer? Pretty organized, I'd say. I put stuff into folders. Would you date someone with braces? Yes? Do you ever rehearse conversations before you have them? Only always. Do you get angry at yourself or at others more often? Myself, for sure. When taking a cab, do you talk to the driver? I've never even taken a cab. Who or what greets you at the door every time you come home? Nobody, really. My cat is occasionally in the living room to see who's home, but not always because he's a lazy cat, ha ha. Do you ever chat about your favourite video games with your friends? Not really, no. I wish. Have you ever supported anyone’s Kickstarter? If so, what was it? No, bc I'm poor. Are you currently studying a language? If so, which one? No. Ever had a friend online for a long time without seeing a photo of them? Yeah. Do you carry pepper spray? No, but I want some 'cuz I'm paranoid as hell. Are you waiting on anything right now? No. Have you ever been described as shy? Is it true? Oh, always. It's absolutely true. Name something you’re a complete sucker for? Baby animals, to name one thing. Do you remember when you first went on the internet? Nope. What is one way someone could completely put you off on a first date? Arrogance/over-confidence. What about a way someone could make you like them more on a first date? Make me genuinely laugh a lot, to name one way. Are you in love right now? Not yet. I love him with our decade of history, but I need more experience as a couple before I've got the confidence to say that. Do you wanna get married anytime soon? It wouldn't be smart to. I want to be in a strong relationship for quite a few years before I want that. Have you ever kissed someone in a band? No. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear? No but oh my fucking god I wish!!!!!! Did your mom or dad ever put soap in your mouth? No, but Mom would threaten to. What was the last fruit you ate? Well, I had strawberry yogurt earlier today. Who was the last person to make you laugh? Girt. He is very, very good at that. Have you ever dated someone with more piercings than you? No. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Hell yeah man. Is there one night of your life you wish had never happened? I wish it hadn't happened the way it did. Do you have a close relationship with your sibling(s)? No. What was the last thing that you shared? Some watermelon Sour Patch Kids with my mom. Do you think people talk behind your back? You couldn't get me to believe my mom doesn't at least sometimes to my sisters even if you tried your absolute damnedest. In real life do you laugh like ‘haha,’ 'hehe’ or something else? It depends on what I'm laughing at/at what intensity. Do you have any unusual skills? Nah. Who’s your favourite person? I don't have a sole favorite person. I love many people in different ways for varying reasons. Are there any chores you actually enjoy doing? No. When did you last have an "Oh, I get it now!" moment? Watching Attack on Titan yesterday w/ Girt. Have your parents ever suspected something untrue about you? My mom HAD to have suspected I was doing something FAR worse than innocent meerkat RP to have borderline fucking traumatized me invading my privacy and forcing shit out of me regarding what I was always doing on the computer so secretively. Like I get it, she was a concerned mother, but I was a fucking WRECK because I found it so embarrassing. It was insulting that she didn't trust her well-behaved daughter. What do you think about video games? They're great for both the creators and consumers. They're wonderful expressions of creativity, and so much fun to experience as a player, delving into a new world and getting engrossed in the story. I could go onnnn and onnnnn about what video games mean to me. I've gone my whole life as a loyal gamer. Are there any forms of Art you personally find pointless? I really, really don't get a lot of abstract art that's worth fucking thousands, BUT, I absolutely disagree that they are without purpose. The artist created what they did for SOME reason. As a distraction, a method of expressing emotion, to convey an idea... Are you tired right now? I have been SO ridiculously tired today. Like it's unreal. I've taken I wanna say three naps and I'm still sleepy. What’s something you do a lot? Drink something. I'm not talking about alcohol; just in general, I ALWAYS need some kind of drink by me, and I go through drinks pretty quickly. Are you currently on any other websites? Yeah, I'm watching YouTube. Are you good at using Photoshop? I'm decent, I guess. Have you ever been told you naturally tilt your head a certain way? Yes, actually, at least by my mom, and she's right. My head tends to tilt VERY slightly to the right, and I can tell by how easy it is to bend my head that way as opposed to left. I'll feel a biiiit more strain.

[thermie]

h h hewwo owoo 22 / 23 / 29 / 31 / 34 / 50 / 58 / 61 / 88 in any order, and u can also just. pick only those that u want :3

hhhh-ewwwo? I did say I wanted to chat and I desperately do not want to do work or studies so buckle in for a long post (derogatory). 22. role model? Oh man, I don’t think I have any, like, specific ones for entire things, though I do fall in my hero-worship phaes and then fall out of them like everyone else. I think that taking an entire person and being like I wanna be like them is... not for me though. But I do look up to some people for specific things - I look up to, weirdly enough, Abigail Phylosohpytube who I didn’t watch before her coming out for her graceful coming out video though she admits that the experience wasn’t obviously as smooth. I look up to lots and lots of people for their ability to create and their art (not gonna tag my fav artists bc am tiny and do not want people to look at me, but i do be reblogging). I look up to people like ConcernedApe Stardewvalley and Supergiantgames Hades for their ability to put so much soul in their work, smth I aspire to do. I look up to @not-poignant for, among other things, their idk how to say it best, wisdom in understanding and communicating with others and with myself? I’ve learned a lot by just sort of being in their periphery and seeing how they articulate their thoughts and choose to be kind and witness other’s pain. Hell, I look up to twitch streamers and youtubers sometimes (the recent nice trait I’d like to have if I ever went into bigger content production is how ibxtoycat deals with parasocial relationship realities). 23. strange habits? Hm. I don’t think drinking tea whenever I need a pick-me-up is strange, that’s just probably forcefully assigning a British nationality to me. I think my insistence on misspelling words in a way I think is lowkey funny might be one, I say thamks bc it feels softer, or thank bc it’s funny, I say sleeb, I say finkers or tryink or otherwise replace g with k for lulz. I also don’t know if it counts as a habit but I have a small leather band around my wrist that’s been there for a year soon. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I probs have like, stranger habits but I can’t recall rn. 29. best way to bond with you? Hmm. Well, if you show initiative and are explicit about wanting to spend time with me, that’s already a big chance of me spending time with you. And then if our interests match and I don’t think that you’re like, young in a way that automatically puts me in a position where I don’t feel comfortable really being myself around you bc in my head I have to look out for you (it has happened with two of my friends, sigh), and we regularly spend time together, voila, friend acquired. It simultaneously doesn’t take much and takes a bit to be my friend and bond with me - it’s easy af to become a casual friend cuz I’m always open to new people, but there has to be a level of trust to become like, a close friend. Respecting my boundaries, talking shit with me, being explicitly committal about wanting to bond with me are big steps that way. 31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Uh, I don’t do neither, but a current fave that is reasonably badass is my black tshirt with like, a ritual circle and a deer skull. V edgy, 10/10. I also used to have like a real edgy tshirt with a jester and some dice that said the game of life, but I threw it out bc dysphoria. or maybe I put it at the back of my closet along with one other shirt In Case I Get Top Surgery so I can wear them then. 34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? Many, such is the nature of advertising, alas. I have managed to avoid most of it tbh though, so the only place I am forced to sit through ads so they stick is my scrabble capitalist nightmare app where I play and always beat haha my coursemate. And they have adds for those shitty apps where you have to solve a puzzle that ends up failing in the add and like, drenching a man in green goo. I find those kinda fascinating tbh. Who plays these games? Who plays these shitty shitty games whose ad has to be “prove your IQ“ to make you want to prove yourself to play them? Oh and also, the insidious nature of ads in media I consume - the mcelroys have gotten me informed about many many things bc they do it in a funny way. Have you heard about squarespace? What about meundies? I also literally installed honey yesterday that I knew abt bc of the relentless adds and I wanted to save, uh, 2.50 from my minecraft server purchase (and then spent some time googling how they make money before giving up. just say u sell my data, that’s easier than not knowing what part of this makes you money). I was tired and in a weird mood, ok. 50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? It’s always the stupidest jokes, what matters more is laughing together with someone and getting caught in a laughing loop. I still remember laughing with my siblings until our stomachs really really hurt bc I think one of us said a rug was vomit-colored and it was funny in the moment. How many times have I laughed like that with you too, vit. I know that Laura’s one is nostrilatu, right? :D :D It’s just something that catches you off guard, I think.

58. four talents you’re proud of having? Oh shid. Hm. 1) My ability to analyze data and understand the basic building blocks of something. Makes me cool at studying and sexy at explaining things to my course-mates. 2) Not a talent more like a skill that I’ve worked hard on through therapy - but my inner positive voice/healthy parent is very strong and automatic (something I was sure would never happen). A good example is me going out for a walk, my phone dying so I can’t listen to music, when I went in my head “well I can always make music in my head. do-do-do *drum sound*“ and I could feel the wave of self-reprimand cresting but before I could actually hear any negative comments the positive voice said with a light of a thousand suns NO THAT IS ACTUALLY CUTE AND SEXY and just haaaaaaah. 3) I sing good. Need to sing more. 4) I think I’m good at making conversation. Even with people I don’t necessarily like or want to talk to. More of a skill again but whatever. 61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? Do not come to me and ask for favorites, witch. Uh, I have some quotes in my notes app, like 7 from Pia’s writing :D. But imma go with “It’s a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world“ by Mary Oliver. It counts, ok. Or, wait, something I will for real one day either crosstitch of commission shitpostcalligrapher: “t’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. “What are we holding onto Sam?” “There’s good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.“” 88. your greatest wish? Hrm. Right now? To have like a couple days with no responsibilities and without the outside world bearing on me as heavily, to be tiny tiny tiny so I’m invisible and can drink tiny tea on a tiny leaf. Uh, in general? My recently formulated wish or a goal is stability/peace. Then everything else becomes ok because you can bounce back to stable ground between feeling shit or everything happening so much. And I’ve sort of reached that. Also like, half a million euros would be nice too so I can get a house and a car and go on a few trips abroad. :D // there’s two ask memes in my blog recently, go wild

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Hello! How was your experience at BCIT and TRU? I’m thinking about taking engineering programs at bcit in the future. Thank you!

BCIT was intense. Very long days (I was taking 5-6 courses and almost every course had a lab), but I learned a lot. A lot of days I had classes from 9:30 AM to almost 6 PM with maybe 1 break inbetween.

About 50% of the class was women and I think I was one of only 3 white guys in the entire 30+ program. Because of this class sizes were pretty small (15-30 for most classes). My program was intense in that there were no electives, and everyone took the same courses at the same time. This I found made it easier to get to know students as they would be the same in every class for 2 years. For diversity there was a large proportion of Asian students, and two black students. When the program split into the specialization of either Analytical Science or Chemical Engineering, I was a minority again as 90% of those in my program were women. In the other program, the reverse was true. I think there were only a few women and the rest men. Outside of my program I thought the students and faculty was pretty diverse. I remember a fair mixture of racialized and women professors. The professors were mostly good. BCIT put a big focus on hands on experience and lots of focus on labs vs theory. We also got several field trips to a number of local Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science related facilities.

I worked one summer as a research assistant on campus and really enjoyed it.

I liked BCIT. They had some good study areas, including an all night computer lab and study area. I have some social anxiety so I wasn’t that active in clubs or activities, but I actually made a few friends while I was there. The Campus isn’t that exciting. Very block like buildings, but it is located near a gorgeous park (Deer Lake Park), though.

I seem to recall that my tuition was less than $2000/term.

Thompson Rivers University has a really beautiful campus. Gorgeous view of the mountains and a very walkable area. Good professors. Lots of white people but also a greater diversity of racial diversity on campus vs BCIT. There’s a relatively large amount of black, middle eastern and Indigenous students. Lots of International students from what I can tell. At least in my Chemistry program, the faculty was pretty white. I seem to recall three poc professors, and the rest were white. About half of my professors were women, though. My chemistry program was less diverse than at BCIT, but there were definitely more than a few racialized students in every class.

For a number of years I’ve participated in their work study program, where they hire you at minimum wage at a job in your school’s department for experience while taking classes. In my case I helped out with lab safety in 1st and 2nd year labs. Compared to BCIT, TRU seemed to have a lot more of on campus activities and things to do. For studying there are several libraries, and one building is open 24 hours. There’s a gym, swimming centre, and lots of student clubs. From what I can tell TRU has a pretty decent Science faculty.

Outside of 1st year courses, classes are small. Most 3rd and 4th year classes have less than 15 people. 1st year classes might have 30-40 students or so because everyone has to take them. Some of my 3rd/4th year classes have had less than 10 students. TRU seemed to have a greater diversity of class times. At BCIT. I almost never had classes past 4 or 5 PM, but there are late night classes for a fair number of labs and courses at TRU (i.e. 7-9 PM).

My tuition has ranged from about $1500 to $2600 per term for a 4-5 course semester. Compared to other post secondary institutions in BC, TRU seems to have a really low tuition and a low international student tuition too.

Thompson Rivers University is somewhat well known for having a relatively large selection of online and distance courses.

There are a number of Indigenous specific programs and resources, and campus resources, something I don’t seem to remember seeing at BCIT. TRU has a relatively high population of Indigenous students. According to their website TRU has over 2000 Indigenous students from 16 different first nations which is about 10% of the total student population.

TRU’s website said last year that 16% of students on Campus are International Students. Of those the majority are from China and India, but a number of African countries and other South Asian/Middle East countries are also in the top 10.

Thompson Rivers University is a smaller school than BCIT as far as the student body goes (28,000 vs 48,000) I believe.

If you have any more specific questions, I’ll do my best to answer.

[fbwzoo]

hell yeah. what exactly does the fisheries & wildlife degree cover/do? pros and cons of it? i think i might end up in wildlife rehab/education bc i loveee it but who knows

So the overall degree is Fisheries & Wildlife, and then at my school there are six concentrations that you could specialize in (I think there were only 4 when I was at school though?). I had to look them up to remember any besides mine, lmao. There’s conservation biology, wildlife biology & management (mine), fisheries bio & mgmt, water sciences, fish & wildlife disease ecology & mgmt, and preveterinary.

Conservation biology would lead you towards protecting endangered habitats and species, and finding ways to mitigate the various things that threaten them. You could work with endangered plants, endangered animals, one habitat type specifically & all of the life that it includes, etc. You can also do work towards mitigating climate change and how it impacts threatened & endangered animals and ways to help.

Wildlife bio & mgmt is more specifically research surrounding managing existing populations & habitats. This can be aimed at endangered groups as well, but isn’t specifically aimed at that as much. This was my major and was more about being out in the field, doing various research projects and gathering data to learn more about how to manage habitats & wildlife population. Though you can also get a desk job that does a lot of the data consolidation and management, but that also tends to be part of the outdoors-y research jobs as well (something that a lot of my classmates were dismayed to learn). Covers a lot of similar jobs as above, but primarily research-related things, less about legislation. What frustrated me about my concentration was that in MI, this kind of thing was mostly about managing wildlife populations for hunting - ground fowl, waterfowl, and deer more than anything. I’m not sure if conservation biology was a concentration when I was at my school or not - it sounds way more up my alley, tbh. 

Fisheries bio & mgmt is much the same as wildlife, but obviously aimed at fisheries. You’re doing research and data collection in lakes, ponds, streams, etc. and gathering data about fish populations in order to determine what species need assistance or re-stocking & what needs management measures to bring numbers down so they’re not impacting the rest as much, etc. Invasive species are also a big thing here, particularly in the Great Lakes region - Asian carp, zebra & quagga mussels, lamprey, etc. 

Water sciences is...well, what it sounds like! How water bodies work, how they’re connected via water cycle, how many other factors impact those water bodies, what threats there are to them, how we can mitigate those threats, etc. How to manage wildlife & plants & outside factors to maintain healthy water bodies. I think this one is new since I left school as well.

F&W disease ecology is going to be specifically studying impacts of diseases on wildlife populations, how they work, how they spread through a population, signs to look for, how to help avoid disease outbreaks, the impacts of wildlife diseases on humans, and so on. A big thing for this concentration when I was in school was studying chronic wasting disease in deer, since it was such a big threat to deer populations & the hunting industry in Michigan. I would guess this concentration would have less focus in the field and more focus in labs, working with samples and such.

Pre-veterinary is basically pre-vet preparation, along with some disease ecology classes & learning about wildlife disease specifically. This would be if you want to become a wildlife vet specifically and obviously is going to lead in to the whole big thing of veterinary school, so it’s just a lead-in to that.

So yeah, lots that you can do! Field jobs where you’re out in the weather and gathering data and slogging through the brush and mud and water and all - these jobs don’t exactly pay well, but if you’re looking for a job where you can just be outside all the time, have at! Generally people are looking to move on to a master’s, which will get you better positions & more pay. You could do educational work & public outreach, and you can work in human/wildlife conflict & find ways to help fix or reduce these issues (I found this rather fascinating in my classes). You could help work on legislation towards protecting endangered habitats/life, and more. You have choices between working for governmental agencies (federal, state, local) or working with nonprofits. You could also work overseas, if that appeals to you!

Pros - wildlife! Helping wildlife and learning about them and their habitats and how things all connect and work together! Teaching other people about these really cool things and why we care about them and what we can do to help! Doing science! Being outside! 

Cons - As mentioned, general wildlife/fisheries biologist jobs don’t pay great. You’re outside regardless of the weather, in all kinds of terrain, and it’s hard work. Often the jobs are seasonal, so you have to keep moving around and looking for new jobs, it can be hard to find a stable position to work in long-term. The job ends when the research project does. Depending on what you go into, you can hopefully avoid discouragement from looking at careers that aren’t really what you love - I was not at all enthusiastic about the sheer presence of the hunting culture in Michigan and how much of the wildlife management was geared towards it. 

Wildlife education jobs don’t often pay that much either, but depending on where you look, you might be able to find a more stable job than the biologist ones. You could also get a job as a public outreach/educational person with a stable nonprofit or something like that, which would be nice, but you’d likely have to work your way up to that. This is very much a field where the opening jobs are a lot of grunt work and volunteering and low pay, but the further you get in schooling and the more experience you get, the better off you’ll be in terms of job prospects and pay.

Sorry this was a HUGE answer, but hopefully helpful. Honestly, my issues with the field were primarily related to Michigan and I don’t think I would have had so many problems in a different concentration or in a program in a different college/state that might be more geared towards conservation or education than general population management!

[loregoddess]

*claps hands together* So I FINALLY finished Golden Wildfire, and uh...

okay the last battle was fun to play, I will give it that but a few other collected thoughts below the cut with spoilers...

thoughts aside though, I've already started Scarlet Blaze which I assume I will enjoy more simply bc I am going in with zero (0) expectations outside of "this will be a clown parade". For SB I'm not here for the writing, I'm here for how badly the writers can continue to mess up everything centered around the Empire, and so far I'm not disappointed (I do like Monica a lot though, she's actually pretty okay)

so anyhow, GW thoughts...

I think, what bothered me the most about GW was just, the general pacing. There was a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of "we have this great plan, but oh no, something happened and now we have to backtrack". Like, it doesn't let Claude's character shine at all--he's written in other routes to be this very smart, always-has-a-plan leader who inspires complete confidence in those he leads, and we simply do not get to see that in GW bc he spends almost the entire arc reacting to sudden "plot twist" developments instead of like, being one step ahead and always having a plan to back up the idea that he inspires confidence despite being kinda secretive and stuff. Like, the Almyran invasion arc did hardly anything for the overall story, and didn't even do too much for Claude's character that some different plot decisions couldn't have provided, and the Agartharan "stirring up trouble in Ordelia" didn't...work either for me, like it does nothing for the GW cast and it does nothing for the Agarthan cast. Actually, the Agarthans were so minimal to this story that Shez's personal arc really suffered a lot too.

Generally most of the character technically feel in-character to me, but the narrative made it feel like the writers had no idea what to do with them. Unlike the Lions' cast, we don't get a lot of extra insight or development of the Deer cast, in fact we get less than what Houses gave us in some regards. Marianne never gets to address whatever the fresh hell is going on w/ her ancestor being a Demonic Beast, Lysithia is suddenly a crest scholar? despite never touching crest studies in Houses outside of her paired ending w/ Hanneman where she becomes his pupil and then outshines him after his death? Ignatz's characterization felt like it was trapped between his self-confidence issues and his "actually I do want to be an artist" issues, which is a shame bc it ignores the confidence he gains post-skip in Houses and doesn't try to segue into it either. Lorenz isn't poorly written, but compared to how Felix was handled, feels like his characterization suffered for his role as Claude's lancer. Hilda's just sorta there, and while the insight we get into her dynamic w/ Holst is neat, it doesn't...add much to her--and he family's issues w/ Almyra don't get touched on the way AG Ingrid is forced to face her issues w/ Dusur and realize she's in the wrong (which stems a lot from the fact that despite Cyril being very important to VW, he's been entirely ignored in basically every route in Hopes so far). We don't get much extra insight into Leonie, but having her actually be able to hang out w/ Jeralt somehow toned down how obsessed she had seemed in Houses, so overall she's fine actually. I feel like Raphael got the best out of the cast, since we actually get to see more of his personality past "hrrgh, muscles!" which was nice bc he's a genuinely cool dude.

I think, more than the weird plot choices, more than the wonky pacing, what irks me the most is that Rhea would have ABSOLUTLY sent aid during the Great Bridge of Myrddin battle. Like, is this not the same woman who saw Lonato form the weakest most pathetic little army to march on the Central Churn in Houses and immediately sent out her knights and students to stop him? Why is she so unwilling to take any action until the final battle? Rhea should have sent Claude reinforcements w/out his asking, simply bc Edelgard had declared war on the Central Church and aiding the Alliance benefits Rhea more than sitting back like she does in Hopes. It would have changed the entire direction of GW, possibly making it more like or too similar to VW in Houses (if the writers had Rhea and Claude actually talk to each other and come to realize some things), but at least it would have made sense. I know the reason is "the writers wrote every single character associated w/ the C. Church way out of character" but it still bugs me.

I suppose, at the very least, Rhea's characterization as an antagonist was, for me, more interesting and believable in GW than it was in CF, but again she gets so little screentime that it doesn't amount to much. Also Edelgard's characterization was better in this route than in AG, so there's...that I guess.

Damn, GW really was just a mess for me though. I didn't hate it, but considering that VW had good writing (and how well AG was handled for the most part), I certainly came in expecting better and dug my own grave as a result.