#I didn’t say cats because big cats already exist

[ri-afan]

What would be the coolest animal to scale up or down to the size of a horse?

My god. It’s about 4 am and I honest-to-goodness-ly just almost said ‘horse’.

Coolest of real animals or any animals of all time and thought? Because my next thought was ‘dragon’ because I love Toothless. That’d be fun!

But THEN! 🤩

Hear me out:

Real animals… I might say a fox.

Partially influenced from a couple Pokémon but yeah.

[dokyccis]

jaemin watches you with love overflowing his big eyes, enjoying the adorable scene of you playing with his kitties in his bed.

you’re recording a cute video of luke climbing up on you, finding cute the way jaemin’s cats got used to you so quickly. you giggle as you observe the hairy and tiny kitten lay peacefully on top of you, almost closing his little eyes out of sleepiness.

as you let luke relax on your chest, you pat luna’s head when she approaches you to jump in your legs, making you laugh with the sudden attitude. “you’re unpredictable, huh?” you say, smiling to luna.

you had sparkles in your eyes as you played with the little kitties present in the room, loving the way they were treating you like you were another version of jaemin.

“oh, lucy!” you quickly take luke out of your chest and luna out of your legs, standing up from the bed to approach lucy on the desktop. “don’t bite the computer, baby! that’s expensive, your dad would be mad at you.” you explain as you take her in your hands, holding her like a real baby.

jaemin gets up from the armchair standing in the corner of his room, going straight up to you and lucy. “you were trying to bite my computer, miss lucy?” he asks, burying his face in her white fur to give her a sweet kiss.

you hand jaemin the kitty in your arms, watching him baby it like it was the most precious thing in the earth, because for him, his cats are the most adorable things to ever exist. but, obviously, after you.

jaemin places lucy in his bed along with her siblings, lucy and luke. he turns around to you again and grabs your waist, looking at you with so much passion.

“what’s wrong?” you ask, surrounding his neck with your arms.

“you’re always so careful and loving with my kids.” you laugh with the way he refers to the kitties.

“of course i am, those are my boyfriend’s precious kids, how can’t i be careful and loving?” you smile, mesmerizing jaemin for, maybe, the millionth time in the day.

he leans in and leaves a sweet kiss in your lips, you don’t hesitate to kiss him back. your hands go straight to his nape as you deepen the kiss in pure passion.

both of you didn’t have any second intentions, you were just enjoying the moment, the vibe and each other’s warmth.

you pull away of jaemin’s lips, smiling before feeling a fluffy aspect tickle in your ankle. you look down to see luke looking up at you with big black eyes, and you melt with the adorable figure.

“oh, come on! luke, the girlfriend is mine, not yours!” jaemin looks down to scold the kitty, who was already trying to climb up your leg to play with you.

you absolutely love spending time with jaemin, specially when his kitties are there too.

[starry-bi-sky]

What would a mother not do for her child What lengths would a mother not go There's a bond that exists between mother and child With no end to how strong it can grow It's a promise for life between mother and child It begins from the moment of birth.

================

She is six years old, and standing on the porch at her Auntie Alicia’s cabin. She is six years old, and holding an old rifle in her hands, standing at the railing and pointing the nozzle at a large target a couple feet away. There’s a pair of old ear muffs covering her ears. Behind her is her daddy and her sister, and Auntie Alicia. She can’t see them. 

Danielle Martha Fenton is six years old, and her momma has her arms wrapped warmly around her, keeping the gun steady for her. It’s heavy and the butt digs into her shoulder uncomfortably, and she feels nothing but determined. And nervous. 

Her momma was teaching her and Jazzy how to shoot, and they’re down in Arkansas to visit Auntie Alicia for her second “Divorce-iversary” as Auntie calls it. She keeps a hunting rifle in her gun safe for the rabbits that like to nibble on her garden. She mostly grows rhubarb, which goes untouched. But her carrots and greens and other veggies like to be tempting snacks for the game. 

Regardless, she is six years old and learning how to shoot. Her momma and her daddy (mostly her daddy) have been banned from every shooting range outside of Amity Park in a hundred mile radius. So Auntie is the best place to learn, or so momma says. 

Danny thinks it's just an excuse to see her sister, not that she's complaining. She loves visiting Auntie.  

She’s already seen Jazzy do this, her momma told her before the muffs went on to shoot when ready. No use trying to fire when you’re not; you can’t afford to miss when shooting ghosts. 

Danny breathes out steady, just like momma taught her, and quells her trembling little fingers. She focuses down the barrel, and pulls the trigger. 

Immediately, the recoil throws her off, the side of the gun that her cheek was resting on knocks against her skin, harsh enough to bruise if it weren’t for her momma’s steady hands holding onto her. The bang of the gun startles her more than she thought it would, and her heart leaps up and runs a jackrabbit through her chest. 

The gun is carefully slipped out of her hands, and Danny lets it go easily, her cheek smarting in pain and her eyes wide and following up to momma. Momma turns the safety on, and with a gentle hand, pushes against her chest. Danny takes a few steps back, and slips the ear muffs off her head. 

Mommy is smiling big at her, something that Danny can’t help but replicate on her own face as her heart swells. “Did I get it, momma?” She asks, watching as she passes the gun off to Auntie Alicia, who steps over to take it.

“I’m going to go see, sweetie, but I think you did.” Momma coos, before planting both her hands on the porch railing and, in a single leap, vaults over the side and onto the grass. She’s dressed all comfortable for the summer heat, with her hair all tied back and in shorts and a tank top and nice boots. Danny’s ribs swell hopefully, and she stands on her tiptoes to watch her walk over.

“I’ll be hard-pressed to believe if you didn’t, Martha Mae,” Auntie tells her, grinning like a cat, “that was a damn good shot.” 

‘Martha Mae Knight’ was Danny’s granny’s name. Auntie Alicia calls her that because of her middle name — and because, by her words, she has her momma’s weird-shaped eyebrows and piercing blue eyes. The kind that could scare a hawk into singing like a robin. It was Danny’s favorite nickname ever.

Daddy laughs brightly, the sound painful on her ears but twice as nice, and despite the distance, Momma whirls her head around to shoot Auntie a glare; “Language, Alicia. Not around my girls.” She warns. Her accent always comes through when they’re around Auntie. It’s Danny’s favorite thing to listen to. 

“Do you think so, auntie?” Danny says, bright-eyed and ever-optimistic. Auntie Alicia nods fiercely as Momma finally reaches the target and searches for the bullet hole. Daddy then comes up behind her, still laughing, and claps a hand onto her shoulder so hard that it makes her knees hurt.

“Of course she did!” Dad boasts, as bright as the sun and twice as warm. He shakes Danny affectionately, wobbling her on her feet and pulling her straight into his side. She goes so willingly with a burble of giggles. “She’s got the eyes of a Fenton! And our family are darn good shots.”

Auntie eyes him up and down, her smile immediately fading off into a pressed line. “I’m sure you mean she’s got the eyes of a Knight. You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn at twenty paces, Jack Fenton.” 

Jazzy holds back giggles from where she’s standing by the door, her ear muffs in hand, and Danny watches her Daddy’s dark eyes immediately narrow. Just like Auntie’s, his smile tapers off into a frown. 

Before he can say anything, there’s a cheer from the yard, and they all turn to Momma clapping her hands in delight. 

Danny immediately pricks her ears up, and would’ve darn near rushed over to the railing if it weren’t for her Daddy’s hand on her shoulder. She yells instead, excitement thrumming like a hummingbird against her ribs, “Did I hit it, momma?!” 

Momma beams at her with all the pride in the world, “You sure did, Danny!” And she turns to press her finger against the target, right on the inside red ring of the battered old bag. “Right here, sweet girl!” 

There are cheers from all around, and Danny’s heart bursts inside her lungs with shiny, sunshine glee. She puffs her chest out big, and smiles so wide it hurts the cheek where the gun smacked her. Her Daddy shakes again, squeezing her tight against his side in a hug that Danny happily reciprocates. 

“What’d I tell you, Martha Mae?” Auntie tells with a big wink and a wide grin, the gun still gripped tight in her hands as Momma makes her way back over. “You got a Knight’s eye.” 

When Momma makes it back over the railing, she hugs Danny tight and praises her shot. Danny looks her in the eyes and chases the feeling, and asks to shoot again.

[jals-stuff]

hello my love! If you don't mind I would like to request something for Orter. He and reader are still students in Easton and absolutely despise each other (something like academic rivals) and they ended up having to take care for a magical creature together for a class project during a few weeks! sorry if its a bit confusing, english is not my first language 🥹

good evening darling~

First of all, I would like to apologise because I originally wanted to make something short but it ended up being just a little longer than what I expected...

edit: part 2 ← right here

also i am receiving a lot of requests recently for some reason. thank you for your patience.

word count: 5.7k

warnings: f!reader, i hope you aren't scared of snakes (this one is cute tho), bit of swearing, not proofread

Taking care of it!

Group assignments are, and always have been the worst. The extroverts usually left you with the heaviest workload and you'd just end up doing everything by yourself while they took credit for it. However this time, the assignment wasn't like anything you would've expected.

The teacher was going to pick random students and put them into pairs, and each duo would be given a small wooden box with an egg inside of it.

“These boxes contain mandragora snake eggs. This species hatches into different colours depending on how you take care of them and help them grow.”

The teacher explained and brought two different creatures to her desk. The left one had beautiful and healthy dark green, glossy scales and stunning purple flower patterns with big eyes and seemed extremely docile; it was a rather medium-sized specimen and it looked kind of cute. 

But the other one was a completely different creature; an aggressive beast with long, hooked fangs, completely hollow eyes and its scales were an alarmingly fluorescent shade of green with almost no patterns at all. Its scales were in a pitiful state and seemed uncomfortably stony. It kept trying to bite the teacher.

“The left egg has been taken care of perfectly, and is now a healthy, beautiful mandragora snake. The right one however, has absorbed too many negative energies from the ones taking care of it, resulting in… this.”

And just as you started wondering how it was possible to mess a beast up that badly with only negative energy, the teacher called out your name.

“(L/N) (Y/N) and Orter Mádl, come and get your egg as well.”

That couldn't be good, this snake was probably never going to hatch at all. The two of you exchanged an uncomfortable yet similar side eye. Existing in the same classroom as him was already enough of a pain in the neck, and now you had to raise a magical creature together?

Oh boy.

…

You were both sitting in front of this egg now, in absolute silence as none of you knew what to say or do. You had never taken care of a mandragora snake— or any type of pet other than a cat in the past, and surely anyone could guess Orter was not the nurturing type.

“This snake is going to have horrible parents.” You thought out loud, and for the first time, you saw the cold, distant jerk nod. He crossed his arms and looked at it for a while without saying a single word. Just… what was he trying to achieve? Did he think he was going to turn into a mandragora snake expert just by looking at an egg?

The teacher cleared her throat to grab everyone’s attention again and pointed at the blackboard. 

“These creatures usually hatch after approximately one week, and they will gain their patterns after one more week, but an unhealthy egg will take longer than that. You must take good care of them until their colours are completely visible. Your schedules have been cleared accordingly so taking care of the little ones should not be an issue for the next month.”

Orter didn’t quite appreciate the idea of spending a month with the likes of you, nurturing and hatching a pet together as if you were some kind of happy little family. He raised his hand.

“Is joint custody allowed?”

“Absolutely not.” The teacher deadpanned at his question and you almost slammed your own face against the desk at how dumb of him that was. After a while, everyone left except the two of you, still staring at the egg.

“That was dumb of you. I’ll be the one to hatch it since you can’t bear to have responsibilities.” You gently pet the egg with one of your fingers. “Isn’t that right, Rivers?” That last part was mumbled as if you were talking to an actual baby, and Orter rolled his eyes.

“Dumb? Should I remind you that your last two brain cells are fighting for third spot?” He mocked, giving you a condescending side eye. “And why are you giving it a name already? It hasn’t even hatched yet.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes and look at him as if he had just asked the most obvious question in existence. He made no commentary about the way you looked at him. 

“Since you don't even care enough to give it a name, Rivers will stay in my room. I’ll take good care of it.” You shrugged and very carefully picked the box up, holding it against your chest like an actual child.

“Isn't it supposed to be a two person assignment? How am I supposed to participate if it stays in your room?” He sighed, visibly growing more and more annoyed at your behaviour.

“You can visit if you want, it's not like I do anything other than going to class. Neither do you, I’m assuming.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood up from his chair to follow you as you walked to your dorm room. “You’re really going to ignore what the teacher said about joint custody? The snake-”

“Rivers. Its name is Rivers, don't call it ‘the snake’, Orter.” You shot an angry glare at him and he had to physically hold himself back from punching a wall. 

“Rivers can't only stay with you.” He sighed as he finally used the name you had given it; a small victory but a victory nonetheless, even though he seemed a little angry at you for being so damn annoying.

“Neither can it keep moving between your room and mine, and I’m pretty sure that's what the teacher meant when she said no joint custody, besides...” You trailed off, looking down at the egg. “I doubt you're the nurturing type, I wouldn't even trust you with watering a plant.”

You giggled mockingly and he clicked his tongue in annoyance, but you were also right, as much as he hated to admit it. He muttered something and walked away in the opposite direction, leaving you alone with the mandragora snake egg in your hands. 

You were determined to hatch it, with or without this jerk. Carefully, you placed it upon a cushion on the unoccupied bed in your room that was supposed to belong to your roommate, but she hadn't showed up in literal months, so Rivers was now your priority.

You enveloped the egg in fluffy, soft cloth and looked at it for a bit. Sure, you were the nurturing type… in spirit. How were you supposed to take care of a magical beast you had never even seen before?

None of your books had ever mentioned anything about it and you weren't really studious either unless Orter was about to get better grades, in which case you absolutely had to surpass yourself and crush him completely.

A few hours had passed and you were almost falling asleep, studying how the egg was reacting to sounds and touch. You could feel something move underneath the shell but you couldn't exactly tell what was happening.

It seemed stable, at the very least, but focusing so much and taking notes was draining. However, a knock on your door took you out of your drowsiness. “Come in?”

As you wondered who it could be, you were surprised to see that dear Mr. Mádl had stopped sulking and actually showed up, much to your annoyance. He closed the door and stepped closer to the egg, not even paying attention to you at all, which irritated you slightly.

“What's all this?” You asked as you noticed him holding an uncomfortable amount of handwritten notes. He pushed his glasses back up and finally looked at you.

“I went to the library to research a bit on mandragora snakes.” He stated with his usual emotionless expression. “Unlike you, I can put in some effort.”

Oh, he was getting on your nerves so much after only two minutes spent in your room. It took all of your remaining energy not to kick him out immediately. But for Rivers’ sake, you decided to keep calm.

“Look. I get that you despise me, because in case it wasn't clear, I despise you too. But for the sake of this assignment, can we please quit being passive aggressive?” You sighed softly, trying to calm your bad mood down.

“I’m not the one to blame here.” He shrugged, crossing his arms as he gave you his signature condescending look. “You didn't even research anything about this species, you're not even doing anything right now, and I bet you've been doing nothing for the past hours as well.” 

You exhaled softly, feeling the small creature in the egg get a little agitated and trying to stay calm. “I took some notes on its reactions to sounds and such. I believe it can actually sense negative energy.” You handed him your notes and he raised an eyebrow. 

“Sounds like bullcrap. It didn't say any of this in the books I read.” 

You held your snarky remarks for yourself and shrugged your shoulders. “Maybe the authors didn't think it was necessary. But it's clearly reacting. It also reacted when I sang to it.”

He chuckled, his expression unchanged, and you just knew he was about to say something rude, so you decided to talk before he did. “Anyway, it's good that you did some research.”

Orter raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Surely there had to be something snarky at the end of this sentence and that wasn't all.

“Because..?”

“Because I couldn't have done it while checking its reactions, so it's good.”

The room grew silent quickly and the snake within the egg started to calm down a little. Though Orter didn't seem convinced at all, and still thought you were bullshitting him with this whole reaction thing.

“I still don't see it. Why would you sense reactions and not me? Are you just special that way?” He asked in a mocking tone, and you were getting more frustrated by the second. 

“Just touch the egg right now.”

He did. Even without touching it, you could feel the magical beast getting agitated, but it seemed like he didn't. Not one bit. 

“There's nothing. You're full of crap, (Y/N). Just say you haven't done anything the whole time, I won't be surprised.” He mocked, but you decided not to bite back. You knew what you had felt earlier and you wouldn't take his criticism for that.

“Whatever you say, Orter. But you'll have to stop acting like that because whether you want to believe me or not, it is reacting.” You sighed softly, wanting to change topics. “So anyway, was there any advice on how to help it hatch correctly?”

He flipped through his notes with his eyebrows raised in contempt, as if you just couldn't do that without him (you couldn't, let's be realistic here) and he stopped on one of the pages.

“They need company, warmth and lightning. I suppose even you can provide that, correct?” He looked up from his notes and you didn't have to look back at him, you knew exactly what kind of expression he had right now. 

“I suppose I could.” You sigh softly, already fed up with his behaviour, and you felt the snake get agitated again. As if instinctively, you ran your hand against the shell. “It really doesn't like negative energy…” You muttered, not really towards anyone.

“I really think you're making things up here, otherwise it would've been mentioned in those books.” Orter said, putting his notes back against the bed where the egg was resting. You shrugged again, looking at it pensively, and for once, the snarky sandman didn't say anything.

“It's late… I’ll sleep for now.” You rub your face with your hands and sigh softly once more, then stand up and make your way to your bed. He, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be moving an inch. It's almost like he's trying to catch up with the egg for some reason… 

“You could directly tell me to leave, you know?” He adjusts his neck tie as he stands up and turns towards you. You wanted to shoo him, send him flying or something, but you needed this mandragora snake to be healthy and you couldn't afford to do such a thing.

“I’m… tired, is all. Really tired. I wasn't kicking you out.” You muttered, sitting on your bed and looking up at him. Even when he isn't insulting you, he still finds ways to be insufferable.

“..right. I will be here tomorrow morning to ensure you won't be doing anything… dumb with this egg.” He cleared his throat and left without another word. What kind of jerk was he anyway? He'd been especially awful today and you had no idea why. 

Maybe tomorrow is going to be better?

You spent most of the night tossing and turning, occasionally glancing at the egg, and it felt like the beast inside of it was mimicking you. Since sleep was evading you, you made your way to the other bed and sat next to the egg, looking at it in exhaustion.

“What's going on in there..?”

As if it was going to reply, yeah. You rubbed your hands against your face and sighed, lazily grabbing Orter’s notes on mandragora snakes and flipping the pages until you found the hatching section.

As insufferable as he was, his notes were flawless and easy to understand. What a pleasant handwriting… you shook your head and kept reading through it until sunrise.

He kept his word and showed up early with a bag full of… something ? He sat on the extra bed close to the egg, and pulled some more cloth out of the bag, as well as cotton and other fluffy materials he placed around it.

“I went and got some more.. warmth for it, since you couldn't do it correctly on your own.” He scoffed, and you just chuckled, not even looking back at it.

“Ahah, thank you, that's really helpful.” You were way too tired to bite back and honestly, he was putting in effort when all you were doing was go with the flow and panic when something happens.

The sn- Rivers seemed pretty stable at the moment, which was surprising considering how agitated it gets whenever… oh.

“I think it likes you,” you looked at Orter, a little amused. “It's been agitated all night and now that you're here, it's just… calm.”

He pushes his glasses back with a neutral expression and looks at it for a bit. “Perhaps it likes me better.”

You groaned slightly at the idea. Even though Orter was the one bringing supplies for it, you were obviously the one caring for it! Making sure it's stable and safe! You stood up and stretched your arms.

“Maybe… since it likes you so much, I’m going to go and get coffee or something, I’m exhausted.” And as soon as you took a step out the door, he called for you.

“Wait, (Y/N), something is wrong, come back.”

You raised an eyebrow and when you stepped back in, you could feel the beast’s agitation, like it was panicking or something. You just sat back and touched it.

“What's happening?”

Nothing. Well, nothing anymore. It just calmed down immediately and went back to being stable. You looked at Orter in confusion and he returned that same look. What was going on with this beast?

“It’s merely a hypothesis, but…” Orter trailed off as he stepped outside of the room and… the beast was still pretty much stable. Sure, it was moving around a little but nothing too critical. 

“I think it likes me more.” You muttered, and heard him chuckle dryly and walk away. Did you upset him? That wasn't your intention at all, for once. Laying down and facing the beast, you wondered what was up with it. Why would anyone get such an assignment anyway? It was so much work!

The door opened again around twenty minutes later when Orter came back with a small bag. More supplies? Again? 

He reached for the inside and then handed you a cardboard cup. “Umm.. what's that?” You asked in a confused tone and he raised an eyebrow at you like you were the stupidest, silliest little thing he'd ever met.

“What do you think it is? It's coffee, you idiot.” Oh. Oh. Ohh. You grabbed the cup and looked up at him, a bit puzzled. This man really was unpredictable.

“You… got me coffee? But… why ?”

“You said you were exhausted, and apparently you can't leave Rivers for too long, so…” He crossed his arms, and you suddenly felt really weird. Was he being nice to you? It was so odd. Right now, you didn't want to rip his head off or throw him out the window.

“That's… thank you.” 

You couldn't say anything else, looking at him with the most disoriented look he'd ever seen before; there was no malice and no anger or frustration in your eyes, just… questions. 

“Don't get me wrong,” he sighed softly, “I’m only doing this because I don't want anything weird to happen to it.” He specified, looking straight at you. Could he just not ruin a moment like this?

“It wasn't completely stable when you were gone.” You said, looking at the egg and taking a sip of your coffee. “It's only stable when both of us are here.” You muttered while adding this to your notes, and he made no commentary. 

“It gets really agitated at night, even when I’m here.” 

Orter cups his chin with his fingers and looks at the egg pensively. “Then I suppose you weren't lying when you said you could… feel it.” He reluctantly admits. “Should I keep it at night and see how it goes?”

You know for sure it's going to be a problem if you try to move the egg, so what to do..?

“I think so… but we can't possibly move it so, I would suggest…” You trailed off, visibly looking for something to say afterwards as you really didn't have a clue what to do, but Orter finished your sentence.

“...for me to sleep in this bed, is that your idea? Really?”

You blinked once. Then twice. Was that your idea? Not really, but after thinking for a while, you would've eventually brought this possibility up.

“Yes, I mean- no. Or, ahh… I guess..? I don't know. I didn't really…”

He sighed loudly and looked down at you with something of a mocking glare, and it suddenly felt really embarrassing. What was embarrassing? The idea of having him sleep in the same room as you, or the fact that he was being so condescending about it and had you stuttering?

“So, you just gave me every possible answer in one sentence…” He mused and crouched to take a closer look at Rivers. “Well, I suppose I can do that. But don't expect me to be nice to you.”

“You don't have to tell me, you ass.” You muttered and his eyes narrowed as he turned towards you. 

“It's merely in case you forgot, since your brain looks a little… dysfunctional.” He taunted.

“Oh, you're taking care of my memory now? That's awfully nice of you, Orter.”

“Don't get too used to it, (Y/N).”

You chuckled as an answer and sighed softly, looking at the egg. “Can you hear that, Rivers? The audacity of that man.” You muttered, making sure he could hear you, and he gently pushed you aside to look at the egg.

“Don't listen to her, Rivers. Even you know I’m right.”

Did he just.. talk directly to it for the first time? And to say such a thing, too? You couldn't hold it in anymore and just burst out laughing, pointing your finger towards him, uncontrollably wheezing and giggling.

He looked very startled at first but then a little embarrassed. He slapped your hand away, pretending to be angry but he was just really flustered and had a very faint blush on his face. “Shut up… Hey, hey! Shut it now… Jeez.”

But you weren't exactly laughing at him. It was just very cute that he suddenly decided that it was fine to talk to this egg as long as it was to discredit you, and honestly, how could you not laugh?

Everytime he slapped your hand away, your finger came back to point at him, as if you were accusing him of something. It was really hard to stop laughing and it took you a good while to calm down, only to be greeted by Orter’s pouty expression, something you never thought you'd see.

“Ahh, I’m sorry Orter, I wasn't making fun of you. It was just really cute.” You said before realising what it implied, and it was your turn to be embarrassed. “I mean- cute as in, you know, you're talking to it now… and it's… you know.”

OHHH MY GOD STOP TALKING, SHUT UP! You internally yelled at yourself, and the way he sighed made it seem like he wasn't mad at you. Or was he? At least his flushed expression was gone, much to your disarray.

“Right…” He cleared his throat and crossed his arms as he sighs once more. “I mean… I suppose you are right and Rivers can feel our emotions..”

“..’so let's try to be good parents’ is what you're about to say, isn't it?” You muse, slightly teasing him. “C’mon, say iiiiit.” 

“So let's try to… to…” He sighs and turns around, his hand on against his hip as he adjusts his glasses again. “...I’ll get some food, since you can't.” And with that, he immediately steps outside of your room, feeling like… like something. He doesn't know, and he hopes you don't either.

You chuckle to yourself, somehow thinking he's cute when he gets embarrassed. But you remind yourself that he despises you, and that you also despise him… or, well, not that much. Maybe despise wasn't the right word. You just weren't so sure anymore.

Orter, on the other hand, was trying to get this awfully embarrassing moment out of his mind as he walked to the Academy's shop to get some things. However… He didn't know what to buy. He then walked to the counter and looked into the store employee’s eyes very seriously.

“What kind of stuff do girls like to eat?”

He should thank the gods that you weren't there because the way he asked this with a completely straight face and flat voice would've put you to your grave. 

While he was at the shop, you were reading his notes and humming slightly to try and soothe the mandragora snake inside the egg. It was working, but it definitely wanted both of you to be here. 

You stopped on one of the pages as something caught your attention: “...mandragora snake eggs will drain a parent’s energy to grow, which is why the other parent usually hunts for the family and is in charge of making the nest more comfortable.”

With this, you almost spit out your coffee. Was this the reason why you were so tired yet restless? And also why it was panicking every time you weren't close to it? Putting more thought into it, you also realised something else.

Orter was the one who brought most of the cloth to keep it warm and he had also brought you sustenance so far. The two of you had taken these roles in very seriously without even knowing it. But since you were the one giving energy to it, perhaps…

You sat up and tried concentrating your mana into your hands before touching the soft shell, as if giving it a part of it… And much to your surprise, it seemed like something happened but you couldn't tell what exactly. 

After an hour or so, Orter came back to your room only to find you laying down in exhaustion next to the egg, completely drained for some reason. You eyed the bag he was carrying and he just put it next to you. 

“I didn't know what you wanted.”

What you wanted? Does that mean..? You sat up and looked inside of it; tons of snacks, candy, pastries and whatnot. You did need sugar right now, and so you immediately grabbed a pack of sweets and opened it.

“You are a lifesaver, Orter.” You sighed as you ate a few sweets, regaining your energy bit by bit. Pointing at the specific paragraph on his notes, you slightly tapped your finger against it.

“That's why I’m so tired, this little rascal has been taking all of my energy.” You muttered, sighing softly as you kept eating more and more sweets. He read the passage, holding his chin.

“And have you tried sending mana directly into the egg?” With your nod, he hummed. “I could try it too.” And so, he put both of his hands against it and tried sending some of his mana into the shell. Neither of you could tell if it worked.

You decided that you needed to take a shower and go to sleep, and as soon as you tried to stand up, your legs gave up from fatigue and you started collapsing, but Orter was quick enough to catch you. “Oh, crap. Are you alright?”

You groaned in frustration and nodded, even though you were completely incapable of standing up again; the sweets were apparently not enough to let you use your legs. 

“You've really outdone yourself, haven't you?” He chuckled, and you looked away. He was being awfully nice and you just didn't know how to respond to that type of behaviour, especially coming from him. 

He gently lifted you up and put you down on your bed. As embarrassing as it was, you couldn't really have managed otherwise. You were thanking him when your brain just shut down and you fell asleep quickly. He made sure to pull the covers up against you and he sat there for a bit, looking at you. 

It was clear he hadn't been very nice at the beginning, and he was now trying his best to atone for that fact. While you rested peacefully, he couldn't help but move some of your hair away from your face and place it gently behind your ear. 

From that moment, this is how most of your days went. You'd spend your day giving mana and energy to the egg and Orter would bring you some coffee, water and food, and whenever he was about to sleep, he'd give Rivers some mana as well.

After six days, the egg had grown quite a lot and you weren't sure what size the “little one” was going to be anymore. All you knew was that it was getting more and more tiring to keep feeding it with your energy. 

You were laying down, exhausted even though it wasn't that late, and Orter was reading a book on the chair next to your bed. No insults, no snarky remarks had been exchanged since last time, and he was rather helpful to you. 

After all, you were the one spending all of your energy on helping Rivers hatch correctly. Most of the time, he had to move you back to your bed because you'd fall asleep while giving it your mana. You could've sworn you felt him touch your face but you could've very well been dreaming… or were you?

The embarrassing question was stuck in your mind now and you couldn't stop thinking about it as you kept giving your mana to the egg. “Should be the last day, right?” You asked quietly, visibly really tired.

Orter closed his book and adjusted his glasses as he looked at you. “Yes. If it's healthy, then it should hatch tomorrow.” His eyes softened just a bit as he looked at you. “Why don't you call it a day? You sound exhausted.”

You sighed softly and moved to the edge of the bed to stand, and he immediately stood up to come and help you. It was… unexpected. You held onto him as if the two of you had never despised each other, ever, and he helped you get to your bed.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, he was really helpful. And since he had stopped being so condescending, it felt quite comforting to have someone sleep in the same room as you, not that you’d ever let him know about this detail. He was also really thoughtful and good at taking care of Rivers, so that was a plus… 

In fact, he was rather nice overall. He seemed to remember what your favourite snacks were, and also what kind of coffee you liked, all of this just from studying your expressions carefully as you consumed what he had brought. He really was thoughtful, and since you had started taking care of this mandragora snake egg together, he hadn’t been snarky or mean even once.

“Are you alright?” He asked, looking at you with a hint of worry in his eyes. When you started wondering why he was concerned with you when you felt his hand slightly squeeze yours. Oh. Ah. Ah. You had unwillingly grabbed his hand when you tried to stand up, and hadn’t let go since then. While you were overthinking, he was just looking at you in confusion because you just… wouldn’t let go of his hand.

“O-oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- uh… I was just-...” Ah, it was no use. Your face was slightly flushed with embarrassment and you were trying to stutter your way out of this situation, but no words seemed to come out. You looked up at him and noticed that he was ignoring you. He had grabbed his book again and crossed his legs, reading it while flipping the pages with his free hand.

When he noticed you were talking to him, he just raised both eyebrows, but the gesture did not change his neutral expression. “I don’t need it right now, I don’t mind you keeping it.” And with this, he immediately went back to his book, as if he really didn’t care. The truth was that he just could not look into your eyes right now.

Orter was trying his absolute hardest to conceal the very faint blush on his face while you actually didn’t let go of his hand. Was it because you just wanted to hold it? Or were you just too embarrassed to do anything about it? Or was it both? 

Even if you weren’t near it, you could feel some kind of weird vibration— or maybe just an emotion coming from the mandragora snake egg. You couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but it had started as soon as you had grabbed Orter’s hand. Was Rivers absorbing whatever emotion that was too? 

That was just too much thinking for you and you decided that the only reasonable course of action was to collapse in bed and stare at the ceiling. That being said, you still hadn’t let go of his hand, and it didn’t seem like you planned on doing it anytime soon because as soon as you closed your eyes, you fell asleep. 

He didn’t notice until he closed his book and saw you resting peacefully against the pillow while still holding it. He was about to pull his hand back and let you sleep, but it didn’t look like it was keeping you awake or anything, so he just decided to look at you for a bit, his thumb unconsciously rubbing your palm soothingly. 

Sitting on that chair was rather uncomfortable, but he didn’t feel like letting go of your hand, so he was going to bear it anyway until you’d let go by yourself. 

…which you didn’t do. You were just resting and holding his hand hostage the whole time. 

Approximately two hours after you had fallen asleep, Orter heard a weird noise, something indescribable. As his eyes searched the room for its source, his eyes widened slightly. He turned to you and squeezed your hand. “(Y/N), wake up, hey.” His free hand reached for your shoulder, slightly shaking it. 

Your eyes fluttered open slowly and you groaned in frustration. But Orter’s expression looked amused and a little excited, which woke you up immediately. “What’s the matter?” you asked as he chuckled and pointed at the egg.

“It’s hatching!”

Holy shit. You immediately sat up and made your way to the opposite bed as you watched the small snake slowly get out through a hole it had pierced. It then slithered away from the shell and looked at you and Orter, as if it was confused. You couldn’t help but squeal at how cute it looked. It was just a little baby!

You extended a hand and it instinctively moved towards you, then rested in your hand. It was such a precious little creature, you were holding back your tears. “Oh my gods, oh my gods… What are we supposed to do now?” You asked frantically as if in a panic.

Orter immediately flipped through his notes and then reached for a small bag of supplies, taking out a small piece of mandragora root and feeding it to the small snake, watching it greedily bite against it like “chomp!” and swallowing the whole piece. 

“So, according to the notes I’ve taken, we can move him now and it doesn’t have to stay warm anymore. I’m assuming it’ll need to stay with us until its patterns start appearing. It also says it might sleep a lot.” He flips through the pages again to see if he hasn’t missed anything.

You thought for a bit. Maybe you could grab one of your scarves and put some cotton and such into it to make a… snake holder? This way you could walk around the academy with Rivers in your scarf and without worrying about it too much. 

You had literal stars in your eyes and Orter looked completely lost as soon as he laid eyes upon this beautiful expression of yours while you were holding the small snake.

There was still a whole week left to the assignment, and it felt to him that time was flying awfully fast.

[ghostfacd]

YOU’RE LOSING ME! — LUKE HUGHES

— “AND I WOULDN’T MARRY ME EITHER,”

pairing; slytherin!luke x fem!hufflepuff!reader

summary; in which luke and yn are already dating, but his lack of care for their relationship is slowly making him lose her

genre; angst, miscommunication, hurt to comfort, fluff at end, hogwarts!au, black cat bf!luke + golden retriever gf!reader

author’s note; sorta part 2 to wanna be yours (you can read it before if you want for more context but it doesn’t have to be read if you don’t want to) ANYWAY, another slytherin!luke fic because i said so LOL i prob will be making this into a series filled with random imagines of him and our lovely hufflepuff yn 🫶 this fic is obviously based on “you’re losing me” by taylor swift so my fellow swifties, cry with me

✸ SLYTHERIN!LUKE MASTERLIST

“Luke you don’t get it,” you say, giving him a small glare. His eyebrows furrow at your harsh gaze, not sure why you were so upset.

“So what?” He asks, arms crossed like a child who didn’t get what they wanted, “what is the big deal here?”

“The big deal is you gave that girl your sweater!”

“She was cold YN,” Luke rubs his face tiredly, “it was nothing really, she was just shivering cold and I wasn’t going to be an asshat and let her freeze to death.”

“Jack was right there Luke,” you say, referring to the older Hughes brother who was sitting near the two of you during the Ravenclaw VS Hufflepuff Quidditch match. The girl who Luke gave his sweater to was also from Slytherin, which made you even more insecure. What if Luke liked her better? What if they related to each other more?

What if?

“Jack was busy watching the game,” Luke sighs, throwing his hands desperately down to his arms, “you know what YN? You win, fine. I’m sorry I gave that girl my sweater. Happy?”

You bit the inside of your cheek, not appreciating the passive aggressive tone your boyfriend was using on you. With a quiet sigh, you brush past him, leaving the boy silent.

For once, you wished he would come chasing after you, apologizing and not letting you go until you guys were made up. But your boyfriend was Luke Hughes—and there was no way he would do such thing. It wouldn’t be Luke Hughes of him to do so.

The next few days are radio silent from Luke, who seems to have his focus on Quidditch much more than on you. It wasn’t like this was anything new; Quidditch was one of his top priorities, so much so that you wonder if he would pick it over you in a heartbeat.

“I’m sorry Lukey,” you say as you find him inside the locker room. The other boys had all left, one of Luke’s friends, Mark, had patted you on the back and wished you a good luck.

Everybody saw the tension between you and the Slytherin star Quidditch player, but it was too awkward for anyone to mention.

He opens up his arms, letting you place your face into his chest. A few seconds later, he pushes you off gently, swinging his gym bag over his body.

“Slytherin’s having a party tonight,” he says as the two of you walk hand in hand. “Are you coming?”

“Depends,” you say, leaning closer to him, “am I invited?”

“Course you are baby,” Luke makes a stop, placing his full attention on you, “I’m sorry about yesterday okay? I really mean it when I say it was nothing between me and her. I didn’t even know she existed before the game, I only gave her the sweater because I wanted to be polite.”

You nod, hugging your boyfriend tightly as you tippy toe to place a kiss on his face.

When the sun set and the clouds were covered by the dark sky, you placed on your dress, a simple, but beautifully designed emerald green silk dress. You wanted to match with Luke’s house colors, which were a dark green.

As soon as you entered the Slytherin Common room, you were met with the smell of cigarettes and beer. In some corners, couples were making out, and in others, there was a group playing beer pong.

“Have you seen Luke?” You ask Mark, who happens to pass you as he tried to reach the alcohol.

“Oh—Luke?” He says that in such a tone that made you furrow your eyebrows deeply, wondering why he looked so guilty. “Yeah, uh, he’s in the main part of the common room.”

“Okay,” you say, starting to make your way there, but Mark pulls you back, giving you a gentle smile.

“How about you play some beer pong with us for a bit? It’ll be fun!”

You give him a small smile but shake your head. “It’s okay Mark, thank you for the invite,”

Mark sighs as he watches you go, hoping his best friend wasn’t doing anything stupid to make you cry again. He had seen the two of you fight endless amounts of time, mainly due to Luke’s stubbornness and his inability to be.. well.. good boyfriend.

Walking into where Mark said Luke would be, you could understand why he acted the way he did. There your boyfriend was, on one of the small couches, with a girl right next to him.

He was holding a red solo cup, a cliché that you’ve seen in muggle high school and college movies. She seems to keep rambling about something, giggling and twirling her hair as Luke looks the opposite direction, disinterested.

“Luke,” you say, your insecurities rising up once again.

Sure, Luke didn’t really give the girl the time of day, but she was extremely pretty, and seemed way more carefree than you were.

“You know her Lukey?” The girl asks, head leaning close to touch to his curls.

“I do,” he says, sitting up properly. “Cho, meet my girlfriend, YN.”

Cho smiles bitterly, “nice to meet you YN! I’ve heard soooo much about you.”

“Mhm,” you say, “nice to meet you too.”

“Well Lukey, I’m gonna go and say hi to Jack, see ya!” She hops off the couch, not before giving your boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

He barely even flinches at this.

“Seriously?” You whisper out, anger fueling your body.

“What now YN?”

“You let girls be all over you and kiss you on the cheek now?”

“Oh my god, are we doing this again?” Luke stands up, discarding his solo cup somewhere in the common room. “Can we not have a good night YN?”

You scoff, “we can have a good night when I’m not treated like shit by you in this relationship, Hughes.”

Saying his last name felt like a blow to Luke’s face, making him more upset by each minute. “I don’t treat you like shit!”

“Yes you do!” You yell, exasperated. You watch as Luke tries to push his way past you, but you grab his arm, tightening your hold on him so he wouldn’t go. “Don’t you ignore me Luke!”

He looks down at your figure, his drunken daze almost fading when he sees how beautiful you looked. A green emerald dress on with your hair curled. You truly were the best thing at this party.

“Listen, I wouldn’t marry me either!” He spat out, “I told you this when we first began dating! That I was going to be a terrible boyfriend who isn’t good at comforting and communicating. You knew this right off the bat, YN! You know that I’m a pathological people pleaser!”

“I just wanted you to see me!” You cried out, tears now falling down you cheeks. “Yes, I knew what I was getting into—but all I wanted was for you to see me and love me Luke!”

Your breath hitches when you see Luke’s arm falling loosely off your grip, scared he was going to leave forever now.

Do something Luke, your brain screams. Say something.

He leaves the room, making you drop onto your knees. The pain you felt in your chest was overwhelming, accompanied by the seemingly endless tears.

Lose something, risk something Luke!

You don’t notice he re-enters the room until you feel arms wrap around you, carrying you to one of the large couches. Luke places you on his lap, a large tissue box in his hand. Using his free hand, he wipes away your tears, making sure to get the mascara that was dripping.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles into your hair, giving you a soft kiss on your head. “I know I’m not a good boyfriend and that I do stupid shit—but I promise I love you—that I see you YN. I’m trying my best here, I’ve never had someone care for me as much as you and I guess I was just afraid of love,”

You don’t say anything, just holding onto Luke’s arms that were currently embracing you.

The two of you sit in silence for the next half hour, Luke never once letting go of you as he rocks the two of you back and forth.

“Just so you know,” you say, looking up to meet Luke’s teary eyes, “I would marry you. Regardless of you being shit at showing emotions.”

This makes him laugh as he hugs you tighter, mumbling another apology into your head.

“I would gladly marry you too baby.”

[wc-confessions]

I’ll do a full breakdown of why the news surrounding the Tencent animation disappoints me.

Disclaimer: while you can have criticisms about Tencent as they seem to be a controversial company, don’t use it as an excuse to be sinophobic. If your thoughts ever go to “well of course a Chinese production would suck” or something of that ilk, please stop right there. The main issues are corporate greed and laziness, not China. Got it? Time to carry on.

Firstly, it strikes me as more of a proof of concept than an actual announcement. It’s the most minor problem IMO, so I’ll let them off the hook. They probably wanted to make sure people knew it was being worked on.

Secondly, AI. Warrior Cats is an art-centric community; it’s no wonder fans are pissed. I don’t like AI art, you - a (probable) Warriors fan reading this - likely don’t like AI art, your father doesn’t like AI art, everyone here doesn’t like AI art. Which means I’m going to argue on a more technical side. Looking at the confirmed and possible AI art, I have a question. What do they achieve? They don’t fit with the style of the hand-drawn illustrations, they resemble galaxy cats in space, while that Yellowfang generation is just a bootleg of the reprinted Rising Storm cover. Their existence in the presentation is a waste of time and resources (literally, AI prompts use up absurd amounts of water). I’d rather them show exclusively human art because you can tell they’re going in a direction, even if it’s uninteresting.

Speaking of the presumably human art, oh boy. To start off mildly positive, I’ll say a majority of the illustrations are decent. You get some character designs and scene concepts. They’re clearly playing with art style. I don’t find them particularly ugly, so… good job! I suppose! Now, to address the elephant in the room: anthro cats. For the love of StarClan, I’m begging on my knees, don’t make these cats anthro in the final product. It would fundamentally break the entire series. They call humans “twolegs” for a reason! Go work on the Redwall movie if you want anthro animals.

Finally, my last concern. As of writing, there hasn’t been confirmation of the Tencent animation being a movie, TV show, or other. My opinion on a TV show is “it’s fine.” Warrior Cats is a long series, making it suitable that it gets a longer adaptation. Meanwhile, my hope for a Warriors movie is as big as a single grain of sand. 

Warrior Cats is borderline unadaptable when it comes to shorter-form media unless you want to dish out a pretty penny. We can already see this with the Prophecies Begin graphic novel; it’s transparent HarperCollins or whoever is in charge of these things didn’t want to pay for six TPB comics, so they had to hastily mash two books together in one. If the Tencent animation is a movie, I’m afraid some concepts already have signs of this. Multiple pieces have what can be assumed to be Fireheart and Tigerclaw fighting. I’m sorry, but that happens later in the books. Are they going to scramble the narrative worse than the graphic novel adaptation? Are we seriously going to wait 20+ years for an official animation, watch at least one high-profile fan project get canned, only for it to be about as accurate as evil snipers in an action movie? If it’s not a movie, ignore what I’ve said. If it is a movie, sigh.

TL;DR: Should’ve made the Little Dragon Studios series official instead of forcing them to cancel, guys.

.

[coralinnii]

Under a mistletoe with them feat: Idia, Sebek, Epel, Cater genre: fluff note: relationships is up to interpretation, no pronouns were used, I have no idea how mistletoe traditions actually work so that’s something to note,

“Grim, would you please help me with the decorations?” You pleaded, exasperated with the lazy monster laying on the couch while you hung up lights in the living space. 

“Why should I? This was your idea anyway” Grim grumbled which left you to sigh. 

You realize that Christmas doesn’t exist in this universe (or at least your version of it, anyway) but feeling nostalgic and a little homesick, you thought decorating the Ramshackle dorm would bring your mood up a little…if your dorm mate would be a little bit more cooperative. 

“Well, the faster we finish decorating the faster I can get started on making cookies and some hot drinks” 

“Myrah, why didn’t you say so? This place will be Crust-mas ready!” the young monster was quick to his feet at the mention of a sweet reward, yanking the decorations around to hang them in a haste.

“It’s Christmas” you chuckled but decided with Grim motivated well enough, you thought you could head into the kitchen to get a head start of the treats you promised. You already told the cat-like creature where things should be. 

To be fair, you should have expected for things to not go as planned when the mistletoe you made in good fun falls atop of your surprise guest

Ortho convinced his brother to give his thanks in person when you offered to take his place for in-person presentation (Crowley refused to let him do it through his tablet). Idia figured he could quickly give his thanks then run back to his dorm. That’s fine, right?

He was close to a heart attack when the mistletoe fell on his head, poorly attached by Grim and you kept yourself from laughing while you plucked the decor from Idia’s flames. 

You explained the mistletoe and its old tradition, which Idia just can’t believe the gall of your world.

“What crazy normies would ever think of this nonsense?! You’re jumping someone with this boss-level task without warning or prep! That's practically mission impossible!” 

Despite the complaints, you saw that he didn’t move from his spot. He wasn’t trapped as he said he was and he could have walked away after saying his thanks, as he planned. 

So, you took the chance. Hovering the mistletoe between the two of you, you gently place your lips onto his pale cheeks. A light feather-like touch but it set the senior’s heart racing and hair ablaze as he stumbled back onto the cold pavement. 

Idia’s felt his body burn along his fiery locks as he clutched the fabric atop his chest in poor hopes to calm his speeding heart. His senses are going into overdrive as his mind replays the sensation of your soft lips on his cheeks over and over. He’s seen animes with lucky protagonists who get the chance like this and he's ashamed to catch himself occasionally switching the fictional couple as the two of you in his mind. But dreaming about it is vastly different from the real deal.

“T-This is why I can’t understand you extroverts, doing this like it’s no big deal! Don’t you have any mercy for poor souls like me?”

“Hey,” Idia flinched at the way you crouched to his sitting level, leaning your close to him. “Aren’t you being a little harsh?” 

“H-Huh?” 

“I wouldn’t do that with just anyone, you know?” You pouted before half-hardheartedly glared at the blue-flamed man, who couldn’t look away from such a cute sight “I did it because it’s you”

It was a Christmas miracle Idia didn’t pass out on your front porch. 

Sebek was on his way to drop off some blankets and other warm materials to keep you from freezing in the dilapidated building you and Grim call home. Afterall, your weak human body can’t possibly withstand the cold unlike him (which is true, but he shouldn’t just say it). 

He was about to go on another rant when he caught the decorative plant before it could touch his hair, appalled by the crumbling state of your dorm before you explained that Grim probably didn’t hang it properly. 

He questioned the strange plant in his hand and you explained an old-fashioned tradition from your world, to which made the mixed fae to blush profusely. 

He’s flabbergasted by the audacity of your world, to give away kisses so freely. He grew up learning the legend of a princess who shared her first kiss with her true love that broke her curse and he secretly hoped the same for his future love. 

“You humans are so imprudent, so flippant with something that should be treasured!” 

“Well, we don’t have to do it” you frowned, a little disappointed “Though, I wouldn’t mind it if it’s with you” 

Now, Sebek was caught in a dilemma. Despite all his expressed displeasure, the chance to finally kiss you literally fell on him and you’ve given your consent to him. It may not fit the expectations of his first kiss with (not that he has ever thought about, of course!) but he wonders if another chance like this would ever come again.

Coughing into his fist to cover his nerves, he straightened his posture but his line of sight shifted to the side, avoiding your gaze which shook his confidence. “Since it is part of your tradition, I would be a disgrace to Lord Malleus’ name to disregard such a thing as his knight” 

You would still have to be the one to close the gap however as Sebek shifted closer to you but with his eyes screwed shut and slightly shaking, he doesn't realize that he was still too far to reach your lips. 

You took pity on the poor boy and closed the gap yourself, your lips gently on his shaking ones. You felt the green-haired student flinched but you said nothing about it, opting to lean your weight onto his built body. You could feel the green-haired fae relaxed under your touch, slowly leaning towards you himself to prolong the intimate moment.

When you separated, you saw that Sebek was slow to snap out from his daze, taking a while to open his bright green eyes and realize you already leaned away. 

Quickly correcting his posture, he gave you a short goodbye and a nod before turning to walk back to his own dorm, taking quick but stiff steps at a time. You wondered if Sebek remembered that he still had the mistletoe in his grasp. You smiled, hoping to yourself that he would come back to return it.

Epel was making his way to your dorm with a crate of treats from his hometown. He was excited to share his family’s apple jam, hearing that you were planning to make cookies with jam fillings. 

But imagine his surprise when he suddenly saw a strange plant land atop of his crate when you opened the door, with you softly cursing Grim for his lazy decorating. 

You explain your reasoning for decorating and the strange plant to Epel and he suddenly felt the heat in his cheeks. Growing up without too many kids his age around, the idea of such a lovey-dovey tradition would never cross his mind. 

“….Does it happen a lot to you?” He carefully asked as he placed the crate down to inspect the plant, hoping not to sound too jealous of the idea of you kissing other people. It may be a silly tradition but still, having the idea of others having such a chance with you rubs him the wrong way. 

“Ah no, never” you replied, feeling a little shy. Despite making the mistletoe yourself, putting it up and doing it are two separate experiences. You explained that not many people do it anymore because “only the boldest” would ever go through with it, and you’ve never had such a chance. 

Epel saw this as a chance to prove his confident, masculine side. Boldly, Epel picked the mistletoe and placed it as high as he could between you two. With a cocky grin, he asked you “Wanna give it a try, then?”

Perhaps a little too enthusiastic, Epel crashed his lips onto yours a bit too harshly, shocking you from the pressure of the kiss. After the shock however, you found a rhythm between you two and you closed your eyes to fully indulge in the touch. Be it his natural genetics or Vil's regime, you enjoyed the feel of Epel's lips on your own which felt soft to the touch despite the dizzying passion behind it.

Epel was the first to move away, breaking the spell. He’s brimming with pride looking at your dazed expression. He picked up the crate once more, bringing it into the kitchen.

“Come on, I’m curious about the cookies you told me. Could I stay and watch?” 

You didn’t notice how the lilac-haired boy pocketed the mistletoe, already planning a trick or two that night. 

The redhead ordered a few magicam-worthy pastries but since he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, he thought you would appreciate them more than he would (plus he wouldn’t mind taking a few pictures too). 

When you opened the door, he was intrigued over the decor you and Grim put up and he had to stick around for some good shots when he felt a soft weight landing on his head. He saw the cute decor and asked you about it. 

The more you explained the old tradition of the mistletoe, the more excited Cater was. How could he not with such a cute premise and the picture-worthy opportunity he could have with you. He had to try it, with your consent. 

Since it was his idea (even though it’s your mistletoe), he decided to take the role as the initiator of the kiss. You trusted Cater so you closed your eyes and nervously waited for his kiss. 

But Cater instead took the time to admire your face. He watched how your hair complimented the frame of your face, the pretty shade of your lips, the curve of your nose he would love to boop, and especially the plumpness of your cheeks. 

He also saw the slight shake from your nerves, perhaps he made you wait too long, he mused. 

Slowly, he captured your lips in his with a sense of gentleness you weren’t expecting. You could swoon with how soft Cater’s touch was, how careful he was with you to ensure your comfort. 

The two of you separated, both a little light-headed from the experience. You felt hot from the sensation of the kiss but you can’t say you hated it. 

“Ooops, my bad” you heard Cater, which you worriedly looked to. Cater himself looked a little embarrassed but not too upset. 

“I totally forgot about taking pictures” you also realized that you didn’t sense the flash of his phone. Cater did pull out his phone this time and smiled coyly at you. 

“Mind if we do another take?”

[goodomensofthestars]

It took me so long to finish this that I forgot how to use the brush I started with 😋

— Story under the cut —

It starts, as it will end, in a garden.

There is Adam and there is Eve. And then there’s a whole lot more - some stuff with a flaming sword and a wall - but you’ve already heard that story before.

No, this garden is a bit further along in history. It’s a bit after the tigers and the lions, when the big cats realized they didn’t have to be big anymore and could lead just as happy - if not happier - lives when smaller. It’s after the first few fun-sized cats strolled into the lives of humanity, tore a hole into fabric of their existence, and then started the trend of humans forgiving cats for any imposition, however big or small.

The thing about cats, however, is that it has always been about them and only about them since the beginning of history. Perhaps humans were made first, but God’s favorite would always be the cats (and the whales, but that’s a story for a different time). She was so enamored by cats that She gave them something only one other species on Earth had: free-will. But with free-will comes choice, and we all know how terribly that goes.

So the cats gained a conscience, and then as is conventional, they gained Faith. They call things differently than the humans do, so excuse any unfamiliar vocabulary.

Under Midnight are Star Clan and the Dark Forest. Silverpelt is made up of the hundreds and thousands of bright, good souls that partake in the endless hunt on Star Clan’s territory. The Dark Forest is… somewhere else, one can only presume. It’s where the bad cats go. Ask your clan’s elder, and they’ll scoot around the topic for as long as they can. It’s not in the nature of cats to think about the evil; memory is what keeps that evil alive, after all.

But forget an elder - forget the clans. Remember (and continue to remember, long after) the cats who live by a large lake somewhere in a place the humans call England. Not those cats (not yet) - those cats, who took great trials in the winding tunnels to prove themselves worthy of the title Sharpclaw. This is the garden that we speak of, because this is the beginning that matters.

It has been a moon since Fallen Leaves entered the tunnels and never came back. Broken Shadow and Stone Song are still beside themselves.

“The twolegs are getting worryingly ahead of themselves with all this digging,” comments Sun’s Chaser to Jay’s Wing.

“Hm,” is all he gets in response, apart from some raised hackles.

“It would probably be in the tribe’s best interest to relocate,” Sun’s Chaser tries again, flicking his tail.

“Don’t try and talk me into it,” Jay’s Wing huffs sourly, giving him a truly venemous side-eye. “Go try and convince Stone Song. That’s who cats will listen to.”

Sun’s Chaser offers a noncommittal whine of acceptance. “Sure, they listen to him. But they like listening to you more.”

The next day, Jay’s Wing advises the tribe leave for the mountains. A meeting is called. Stones are cast. They leave the garden.

Some years later, it becomes clear that perhaps the mountains weren’t the best choice.

“What do you say,” Sun’s Chaser begins, whispering into a mourning Clear Sky’s ear, “that we save ourselves more grief and take this group somewhere safer.”

“…Like where?” the gray tom asks miserably, staring listlessly at his sister’s grave.

“Like…” Sun’s Chaser digs deep. “…Somewhere else,” he finishes awkwardly.

“Go talk to Stoneteller about it,” Clear Sky mumbles despondently. “She’s the only one who can make things happen. They listen to her.”

Sun’s Chaser flicks Clear Sky’s ear with his tail. “Sure, they listen to her. But they like listening to you.”

Clear Sky proposes they leave. A gaggle of discontent cats is formed. As soon as they depart, Bright Stream is slain. She’s the first in the trend of mollies dying to give toms a reason to push forward. They keep going.

“Oi, you there!” Sun’s Chaser calls to the cream ball of fur crouched on an overhanging outcrop of rock. The cat starts, then lifts his head attentively.

“Me?” he asks.

“Is there anyone else hanging around that I would be talking to?” Sun’s Chaser asks rhetorically. The other cat shakes his head earnestly.

“I’m the only one here. Good as any.”

Sun’s Chaser spares a glance at Clear Sky who watches him with undisguised impatience. “Wonderful, wonderful... Say, would you know of any territory near here that would be hospitable to a group of cats seeking asylum?”

“Wouldn’t you know it,” the unfamiliar cat begins, “I think I do.” He stands, and Sun’s Chaser is able to get a better view of how well-fed this particular cat is. His own stomach rumbles in jealousy as the cream tom leaps delicately down to join them. He waves his tail, and the bedraggled group follows.

“I’m Wisteriashine,” comments the new cat as he walks with them.

“Neat,” Sun’s Chaser answers, anxiously awaiting whatever comes after the crest in the hill.

The moment they set eyes on the new territory, the group becomes miraculously certain this is where they’re meant to be.

“Oh, look at you,” Sun’s Chaser mumbles, looking out over the rolling fields and lines of trees. “You’re beautiful.”

“Oh, well, th-“ Wisteriashine stumbles for a moment before self-consciously licking at his chest. “It is, rather - er, just so you know, I’ve heard some - some talk of future plans the twolegs have with it.”

Sun’s Chaser whips around. “What?”

“I’ve been told they’re going to level it for more of those great big stone dens.” Sun’s Chaser looks at him incredulously. “…Nothing certain, nothing certain! Just, uh, something to keep in mind,” the fluffy cat soothes quickly. “With twolegs - I mean, it’s all quite ineffable with them, don’t you think? Everything eventually becomes theirs.”

Sun’s Chaser just stares at him for a long moment. “Seems a little mouse-brained.”

“Midnight lets it happen, so it must be intentional,” Wisteriashine snips, suddenly defensive. “It would be best for you not to question it, really.”

Sun’s Chaser spares a look at the cats he helped lead this far. Then he turns a wry look on Wisteriashine. “Surely She wouldn’t protest if I were to just offer a few suggestions. Or critiques. You think there’s a way to talk to the Spirits directly without being a Stoneteller?”

The cream tom’s eyes widen into tiny twin blue moons as the black cat prattles on. “Oh, just look at how beautiful this territory is,” Wisteriashine meows quickly, just shy of cutting him off. “I think it’s time for you all to get settled, don’t you think?”

Sun’s Chaser opens his mouth to retort but catches a taste of the air in his haste. He shivers. “I think it might rain soon. Join us while we get settled so you don’t get caught in it,” he offers.

Wisteriashine does. In fact, he joins them for such a long time that he’s still there by the time the clans have been created.

“They are becoming insolent, Sun’s Chaser,” says Clear Sky as he paces.

Sun’s Chaser thinks that’s a bit of a stretch. “I don’t think a war will fix it,” he says aloud.

Clear Sky whirls on him, eyes blazing. “They will learn what it is like to lose someone they love.”

Gray Wing and Jagged Peak have already lost their brother, but Sun’s Chaser doesn’t mention that either. Instead, he awkwardly nods his head. “Right.”

The first Great Battle commences that night. Silverpelt gains a plethora of new stars. Every soul, sans two, finds its place in the endless hunting grounds.

A few years later, those two souls meet again.

“That went down like a lead balloon,” comments the sleek black cat. His fur has been permanently parted by unfading scars along his face and crisscrossed into his back. A tail too long to be natural winds behind him like a snake.

“Sorry, what was that?” asks the large, fluffy cream cat with frost in his fur and stars in his eyes. He has a white daisy with two big leaves cradling it decoratively nestled in his shimmering chest fur. Also, he has the expression of a cat who has done something he really, really shouldn’t have.

“Lead balloon,” the black tom annunciates, taking it in stride.

“Quite, rather…” the shimmering cat meows in a way that means none of that is quite or rather. “And you are?” he asks politely.

His companion scrunches up his muzzle. “Crowfood,” he purses out, “though I was thinking about changing it.”

“Does feel rather on-the-nose, I suppose,” Wisteriashine nods.

There’s a lapse wherein they continue to watch the unfolding scene in silence. Then Crowfood continues. “I don’t really get the point of the Warrior Code being so strict on things like having relationships. Especially for us poor medicine cats.”

The cream tom stiffens. “It must be wrong. After all, you were the one who tempted her into it.”

Crowfood shrugs noncommittally. “Eh.” His void-ringed golden eyes flash. “But why let her get that far? Shouldn’t there have been some interference from Starclan before things got to this point?” He looks pointedly at his companion.

And what a point. “Ineffability,” Wisteriashine sniffs defensively.

“Should have been some resistance. How was she to know?”

Crowfood isn’t dignified with an answer. He rather thinks Wisteriashine doesn’t have one.

The two ghosts observe as Moth Flight wails over her two stillborn kits. The clan watches in detached scorn. Narrowing his eyes at the dead kittens curled up next to their mother’s body, Crowfood makes an internal calculation.

“Hold on,” he starts slowly, “weren’t there supposed to be three of them?“

“Hm?” intones the fluffy tom. He does not look Crowfood in the eyes.

“I head Starclan sent you here to kill three of them.” With a nod, the black tom continues, trying to catch the larger tom’s icy gaze, “Yeah, yeah - there was a ginger one, I’m sure of it. Had fur the color of fire and everything.”

“I didn’t kill any of them,” wails Wisteriashine somewhat manically. “Two of them were stillborn without any help,” he adds when he gets nothing but an incredulous stare.

Crowfood waits for a courteous amount of time. Then, when he gets no elaboration, “… And the third?”

The cream cat mumbles something under his breath. Crowfood’s eyes widen.

“You what?”

“I gave her away,” Wisteriashine hisses, sparing a fearful look upward. Thick clouds obscure Silverpelt. “I couldn’t - I can’t kill kits! I told her to trust that one with me - that I would keep her safe. She was just so distraught, really! I couldn’t stand the thought of her losing another one to Star Clan so early. So I said, ‘There’s a good dear, just let me handle her, I’ll keep her safe.’ I took the kit to one of those twoleg settlements and put her on a step and - and waited for one of them to come out and take her in.” When Crowfood does nothing but stare, jaw parted, he gets defensive. “You know, if you were in my position, I’m sure you would have done the same!” He catches himself, coughs, and flattens his ears against his head. Crowfood blinks at him.

“Or, not. Being of the… Dark Forest and all,” Wisteriashine mumbles miserably.

They turn back to the scene in silence after that. Moth Flight eventually pulls herself to her paws and retreats to bury her kin. With little more than a collective sigh from the sneering Wind Clan crowd, she’s let past. Micah walks by her side, offering support whenever she stumbles. Exhaling a breath of relief, Wisteriashine watches as some of the light returns to her eyes at his touch.

“Wouldn’t it be funny,” ventures Crowfood, “if I did the good thing, and you did the bad thing? Could get in a lot of trouble, me, for doing the right thing”

The cream cat’s whiskers twitch with amusement before he catches himself. “No,” he says quickly. “No, that would not be funny at all.”

Moth Flight and Micah bury their children, and the sky breaks at last. The promised storm comes to fruition. Crowfood feels his companion sidle closer, followed by the sensation of a tail creeping over his lean body. As the first raindrops hit the ground, Crowfood remains blessedly dry.

[alwaysonf1]

big leagues?

Pairing: Charles LeClerc x Hamilton!OC

Genre: Slice of Life; Fluff

Word Count: 1.2k

Warning: Language

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: She has a name now *shrug*

“It shouldn’t take that long to tighten it.”

“It wouldn’t if you’d get off my ass about it.”

There’s a huff, but Iman still sees the feat of the hovering mechanic. The man is impossible. Most of the time she doesn’t have any issues being around him, she even enjoys his company and what he can teach her. Their relationship started when he was one of the people in charge of her during an internship years ago. But he’s incapable of chilling the fuck out during a race weekend.

Iman would also love to have slid under the lifted car, tightened a bolt, and got up so that she can do other pre-practice checks, but the damn thing is stripped. She knows it was the older, know it all mechanic who hates her mere existence because she’d asked him to do it. He was smart enough to complete a simple task, but clearly not since he managed to fuck up three of them and now, she has to check every single one.

It’s tedious and she finds that all the others are fine but can’t bring herself to leave it up to chance. She refuses to risk Alex’s race and more than that potentially his safety. Sometimes it almost feels like she’s the only one who understands why being a little overly cautious in a sport where accidents are par for the course is a good thing.

There is chattering in the garage as everyone prepares, but it’s mostly quiet near the car. Her check has halted any work being done and she knows that some people are annoyed with her - outside of the man currently rushing her - but she doesn’t have it in her to care.

As she goes over the last two bolts, she hears the tapping of a foot and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Ben, stop hovering. I would be done already if someone didn’t strip these things. Maybe talk to him about his fuck up instead of helicopter parenting me making sure nothing else is messed up.”

Her tone is firm but doesn’t lean into disrespect. They have a dynamic where she can speak in a way that may seem like she has a lot of audacity to check a superior from an outside perspective, but she doesn’t use it. Not yet at least. As she looks over the last two, she knows that if he has something to say when she gets up words will fly.

Thankfully, Ben regains some sense and walks away. And in less than a minute she’s up and holding the three bolts she had to change out. She dangles them in the air for all to see and gives a pointed look to Gareth, who has the decency to look ashamed and then looks away from her.

Ben still has a look on his face, but she knows it’s out of stress, so she let it slide. Iman levels a look at him and he sighs and then turns to Gareth, professionally laying into the man while everyone else gets back to work.

The rest of the checks are done within the hour and that’s when the drivers begin to hang around their cars.

“Hope you didn’t break anything on my car. Don’t think I don’t know your plans to help Logan win,” Alex jokes.

Iman rolls her eyes.

“How is that plan coming along by the way? I’m in the points, but this guy is in my way. Need his car a little slower this weekend,” Logan chimes in.

They’re both dorks and Iman is unsure of how she puts up with them. She always thought that Logan was the worst in that department and was so unsure of how close the two drivers were, but if they weren’t bonded before they are now in all the ways they can mess with her. It’s like adding another brother to a roster that is already filled with heathens.

“If I wanted to slow you down, I wouldn’t mess with your car, Ally Cat. And maybe if you weren’t a punk and would just pass your teammate things would be easier for you, Logie Bear.”

Both men cringe at the nicknames. Alex's is a full body shudder and Logan looks like he’s going to throw up. Which brings out Iman’s first smile of the day.

“Now stop bothering me and go warm up.” 

With that she turns on her heel and walks away. Every other mechanic is taking a break so they can give their fool focus in the next thirty minutes, and she plans to do the same. Ben - Chief Mechanic - had her come in earlier than the initial schedule called for and she was starting to feel tired. She’d still have more than enough energy to focus until they wrapped things up, but she didn’t want to lag later. Especially since she’d promised to catch a late lunch with the team and then dinner with some of the drivers.

She takes several steps outside of the garage and takes a deep breath, looking around to see where she should go next. It takes a moment, but after little debate, she pulls off her lanyard, stuffs it in her pocket, and heads toward a fan area. 

“Wait. What way would you do it then?” Alex calls out as she starts walking again.

She says nothing. Doesn’t even look back.

“Iman. What way?” he shouts, sounding desperate. 

Laughter slips free and she makes sure it’s loud enough that he can hear and evil enough that a little fear hits him. Alex knows she would never do anything to fuck him over, but over the last two plus years he has also learned to be a little scared of her. Which was by design on her part, she prefers that people are a little afraid of her. And it’s just fun when it comes to her friends and family.

Her chosen path leads her past most of the garages and she doesn’t spare any of them a single glance. What they’re doing is none of her business. But she makes sure she greets anyone she makes eye contact with or who speaks to her. She’s not rude. At least not if they aren’t. 

Iman is pretty sure that most of them know by now that her mouth is worse than Lewis’; she’ll keep it diplomatic, but she’s less likely to hold back. She’s pretty sure Horner still holds some hurt feelings for some slick shit he tried to say in her presence because she refused to let it slide.

Toto high-fived her after and reminded her that she always has a job with him if she wants it. But she wasn’t going to use that connection just yet.

The last garage she passes is the Ferrari one and she can’t help but look at the driver doing his warmups just outside of it. His back is partly to her so she picks up speed to get out of there, but before she can pass his head snaps in her direction as if he could sense her presence.

Charles’ lips curl into a smile when she meets his eyes and then he winks at her. Iman makes a show of rolling her eyes, says hi to his trainer, and continues walking out of there and into the crowds of people milling around.

Her heart doesn’t calm down until she’s far enough that she knows he can’t see her.

[marymarvels-blog]

I just wanna be a part of your family |

Eddie Diaz/ Evan Buckley

or Chris wants a gecko. Eddie doesn’t.

Eddie Diaz adores his son. Every time when he is seeing sad grimace on Chris’s face, he is ready to go through literal fire to bring his son a smile. And he is a firefighter and. by his shy opinion, not so good at cracking jokes, so when he is saying that he means it literally.

He tries to think about how much he loves his son, as he carefully watches all the lizards lazily moving in their aquariums.

His dignity didn’t allow him to say that he is deeply enormously scared of every type of lizard that has ever existed. In their family there were already enough inside jokes about his persona. It was already humiliating enough that he was afraid of AI or other bunch of smart technologies and don’t even get him started on cooking.

***

It all started one week ago after they started to watch Disney series named Jessie. Normal family friendly sitcom, that got him chuckled far more times than he wants to acknowledge, so for a kid show it was really an impressive score.

Chris watched in awe when the lizard first appeared on the screen and Eddie, as thoughtful as he is, didn’t give it too much attention. He was more preoccupied with Buck’s hand gently drawing circles on his leg as he previously threw it over Buck’s laps and other securely put an arm on his knee.

Eddie waited for that moment to happen. He knew how excited Chris and Buck were about animals and he for years expected Chris to ask him about some variation of a pet in their household but that moment never happened. So he let his guard down. His dad-radar failed him.

Because he shouldn’t have to, because the Chris and Buck combo was strong enough for him to agree on any animal they would like to get. He expected them to ask for a jellyfish for a tiger (luckily he knows it isn’t possible and they care for wild animals, so big no no!) etc. But he never saw this coming. And he paid the price for it.

It was almost midnight, way too past Chris’s bedtime — and honestly Eddie’s too — but they were too preoccupied with new season of their favourite telenovela and when Eddie and Buck fall asleep on the couch, Chris the little strategic boy he is, didn’t wake them up, innocently clipping on them with his bamby eyes “I didn’t want to wake you up you seemed like you needed that sleep” and okay, maybe he was right but he will not acknowledge it near his son because it would basically mean he gives him a free pass not to sleep at night if Eddie and Buck are asleep on the couch.

It happened exactly when they changed their position and now Eddie’s head was on Buck’s laps.

“Dad, can I get a lizard?” asked Chris casually cleaning the table. Which was not typical for him. No one in this family is the cleaning type of person.

Thank god Eddie didn’t eat something or worse drink, because he would definitely choke.

He stroke him in the most casual way possible — and much worse was that Eddie could feel that Buck is excited about it.

Eddie immediately shoots into a sitting position, taking a surprising huff from Buck, who put his arms on his shoulder, steading Eddie.

“Wow, be careful, baby”.

“I’m-I’m okay,” answered Eddie, clearing his throat and trying to cover the panic in his eyes and voice”, maybe we should consider other animals? What about cat? Hamster? Rabbit?

“No, I want a lizard”.

“ Are you sure? Like sure-sure?” please, no

“Yeah, dad, I’m sure. Please, please please, let it be my birthday present for the next 3 birthdays.”

And listen, Eddie has only two weaknesses. Chris and Buck. And he feels himself so weak by the look Chris is giving him.

Instead, Eddie looks at Buck silently begging for help.

“ We will consider it kiddo, alright? “ Buck soft calming voice as opposed to Eddie’s anxious.

Worst of all, Eddie knew that Buck was probably super enthusiastic about taking this creepy cold creature home, but he didn’t want to show it too much to already obviously scared Eddie.

Eddie saw the same expression on Buck’s face when they first saw Mrs. Kipling on TV.

**

Buck tried to approach this topic slightly and Eddie appreciates the slowness of it. He knew they need to talk about it because Chris rarely asks about anything at all and those last years were hard, to say at least, and maybe a new family member will cheer them up.

Other than that it, could teach Chris be responsible for another alive being.

You can see Eddie desperately tries to find pros in this situation.

***

While Eddie cooked (read tried to not cause a huge mess and optionally not to cause fire and to blow up their house) Buck casually leaned over the kitchen bar, scrolling through tiktok with fast looks at eddie. He knew when Buck was “randomly” offering to give him a company while he cooks it was always as a safe measurement.

He thinks Buck’s left eye is still twitching at a slight reminder what happened six months ago, when Eddie was left alone with the kitchen and him himself. To say at least he burned his arm all way from little finger to the shoulder. Don’t even ask how that happened. Thank god it wasn’t third degree burn but hurt nonetheless. And he thinks he will never forget scared, frightened look on Buck’s face when he saw his arm and then even more horrified, if it was possible, when he found that it’s not all the burn he got. And listen, Eddie isn’t some damsel in distress, who always needs someone to rescue him.

It just happened that he is very distracted when he is cooking. So he enjoyed Buck’s company while he was cooking and he is not complaining. Having his hot boyfriend near him and listening to him ramble about lizards — if he takes away part with lizards, geckos, whatever — it’s ideal evening.

“Hey baby, I’m going to distract you for one second. Please put your knife down,” cautiously asks Buck, coming closer to him.

Eddie puts the knife down but still works with dry ingredients humming in his own rhythm.

Buck smiles at the sight of that and gives him one soft kiss on the cheek.

“Look how funny they are imagine one like that here,” Eddie gives one look at the screen and he is happy that Buck asked him to put the knife down, because he would certainly accidentally chip one of his fingers. The video Buck was showing him wasn’t funny — it was heinous. 1,5 metres of green creature was running through the house.

Eddie feels nauseous.

“Omg Buck, put this away, I can’t look at it,” at this point Eddie begs him and Buck looks at him, concern shows on his face.

“You don’t feel good? Baby, what hurts?”

“No, no, not in that way. I’m alright. It’s just those lizards. Hate them,” whispers Eddie like some kind of a secret, looking around.

“No way,” Buck eyes widened and he is audibly gasping.

“Yeah, I would rather allow tarantul to live in my bedroom, rather than that.”

“Oh my fucking god.” Eddie thinks he broke Buck because the man looks at him like he sees him the first time, still processing the new information.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Buck comes closer and kisses Eddie’s temple, making his anxiety go away, “we definitely will not buy something like that. It could be something small, like geckos, you know. They are pretty cute.

Eddie audibly gulped, making Buck snorting.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Eddie groans. God, maybe it’s better to buy someone large, geckos are even scarier.

“I will think about it. but I guess that could be tolerable as long as this baby gecko will stay at Chris’s room.”

***

They made plans, so it was official. On Saturday they will go and visit a nice pet store nearby.

The sun was amazing, the weather was warm and the grip Eddie has on bucks biceps was nearly painfully tight. As tight as he can be to not cause pain to Buck. If Buck noticed the way Eddie clings to him like a lifeline, he says nothing.

But it was worth the excitement Chris had and how happy he was the last week when they announced that if Chris wants, they could get a gecko.

It took a little bit exposure therapy (aka every night Buck showed him 1-5 videos of geckos).

“Omg dad look! I found them!’” with a happy yelp Chris rushes as fast as he could over to yet a glass cage, filled with four geckos.

Eddie clung to the Buck even harder, not being able to move his legs. But Chris was waiting for them, so Buck had to physically but still gently nudge Eddie.

“Wow, sooo..eh.. cute”, if Eddie wasn’t so scared right know he might as well cringe at the tremble in his voice, that was so obvious.

Chris snorted rolling his eyes.

“You can’t possibly be scared of them. They are so cute!!”

“Oh buddy you don’t no what I am possibly capable of.” Eddie shook his head.

“Are they safe?” He frantically turns his head to a consultant that he only now notices was standing near them.

The little smile on her face as she shooks her head looking at those gecko as fondly as Chris was looking at them. If not more.

“They are safer than the hamsters”, woman laughs.

“Can I pet them?” asks Chris with his baby eyes directed at the employee.

“Of course, which one do you want first?” honest to god, she is so nice to them. Seeing how often he clears his throat, on purpose not looking at gecko.

Buck was also so patient with him glueing to his side (aka read as Eddie glued to Buck’s side) although he could bet if Eddie wasn’t so terrified Buck would be also with Chris petting all the geckos.

“Go take a look”, Eddie is already tugging his hand. Buck is so solid, so warm under his arm, he will miss that.

“Nah, I’m fi-“ Buck shakes his head, but abruptly stopped mid sentence.

“Don’t say you’re good I know you’re dying to pet all the animals out there”, Eddie says as he stirs, pointing an accusing finger at Buck.

“Maybe but being with my silly boyfriend and holding his hand is more important and better than petting the whole zoo. Even if there are penguins in it”, Eddie can hear the grin in Buck’s voice.

“What if you will pet gecko while I will stand near you?”

If five years ago someone would told Eddie that he would love someone so much that he would be asking about standing next to that person while they are petting the lizard, he would actually lose his consciousness.

“Are you ready for such a brave step?” it was meant as a joke but even such a stupid fear of his Buck took seriously.

“Yeah, besides, I think Chris needs our company and your expert opinion”.

“Really, are we doing this?”, dramatically asked Buck, turning his head from side to side trying to find the camera, “is this a prank?”

Even in this tension situation for him he can’t help but laugh.

“Yeah yeah yeah, let’s go”, he pushed Buck towards Chris, who is doesn’t even seem to notice that they are here existing in his small bubble with the geckos.

And Eddie was right. The light in Buck eyes almost visibly became even lighter when he took one of the geckos Chris gave him.

If he was shaking a little it was between him and God, in which he doesn’t believe anymore.

“Hi baby!!” softly whispered Buck, petting his head, “how are you doing?” Hearing how Buck cooed over the geckos made Eddie turn soft for seconds forgetting they are talking about geckos.

Strategically Eddie placed himself behind Buck, and at a slight distance but also that in any moment he could be able to touch Buck’s back or his arm if he needed. But also in a way so Chris and Buck would see him and see that he is, in fact, not scared.

Buck and Chris were rumbling and giggling, making the whole world brighter and more wonderful.

Eddie tried not to look at those geckos managing his breath, even the thought, the mental image of taking gecko in his arms makes him shiver.

And Buck, his kind, loving Buck, every thirty seconds is turning to Eddie to check on him, silently asking are you alright? do you need me?

Eddie might feel like his heart is bursting. He loves this man so much.

“…geckos eyes are 350 times more sensitive to light than human eyes and although” he hears Buck talking.

After another 10 minutes of looking, petting, cooing the geckos, Chris finally choose one he wants to take home.

It was..just a gecko. Like any other. Although Chris and Buck have sweared that he smiled at them and was special.

“Are there special notes for this type of gecko? Any information we should know before adopting her? “ asked Buck. Eddie knows that in that week of intense research Buck has read more than enough about how to take care of this creature but he still doubts himself.

“To keep geckos happy and healthy it’s very important to have specific habitat requirements like: right temperature, humidity levels, lighting, enclosure. I can give you a guide how to properly take care of them.” it was seemed like she was happy for them too because she is so excitedly telling about that. Wow, she really loves her job.

„And now I will show you what do you need to buy for her right now. For those type of gecko with his size and age it is a good choice to buy 76.2 × 30.5 x 30.5 cm (20G) but after she becomes adult, you will need to upgrade it. A proper size enclosure is important because allows for a good heat gradient, which is how they keep warm/cool and digest their food as they can't adjust their body temp on their own. Without proper heat they can get impacted or have trouble digesting. You will need a heat lamp. Heat lamps must be connected to a thermostat to make sure they don't get too hot/ cold. The temperatures in the enclosure should be 90-93F on the hot side, 70-75F on the cool side, and 95-100F on the basking spot. Make sure to use a digital thermometer with a probe to measure temps as they are the most accurate. uvb light would be a good to buy too and..”

Chris is practically vibrating with excitement, listening to everything woman has to say, making sure Buck notes everything on his phone.

Definitely not the right time but Eddie started to think about clipboard Buck.

“So, are you ready to take your gecko home?”

Maybe extending their family a little bit isn’t a bad idea. Eddie silently tells gecko that he is sorry for not liking him at a first sight, but he will try to do his best to love him because they are family now.

"Do you wanna pet Sandy, dad?" sweetly asks Chris.

"No, no, no! Im actually, actually watching the route for Buck. Right, Buck?”

He hears his son giggling.

"Right, bud." Buck tries to stop himself from laughing.

Okay, but not today. They will try tomorrow. He will give himself another day to be terrified.

[questionableratatouille00]

ᴍᴇᴀɴᴡʜɪʟᴇ, ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴀᴛ…

Pairing: Sambucky (Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes) 

Summary: The world is ending. Love is dead and lives are being destroyed. Anyway, here’s two guys.

Bingo Fill: ‘Meanwhile, On the Boat…’ on my ‘Vacation’ card for @sambuckylibrary’s sambucky summer bingo!

Warnings: minor character death, grief, sadness, themes of fear, Thomas the train.

Loki stood there, not sure what to say. Mobius..didn’t recognize him? This man—this man who had stuck his neck out for Loki, who had known basically every details of Loki’s existence—didn’t recognize him? 

He glanced out the large glass window at the statues of the Timekeepers. Except—it wasn’t the usual statue that stood there. It was He Who Remains—Kang. 

What was going on?

Bucky whistled as he worked with Sam. He tightened some bolts and held some nails. Sam told stories about his childhood—the goofy things, like when he took care of a stray cat for a solid three years. 

Bucky couldn’t help but wonder if somehow Sam was trying to allude to Bucky being like the stray cat. 

He didn’t really wanna unpack that. 

“You’re doing it wrong.” Bucky commented as he glanced at Sam, who was hunched over a bolt. 

“What? No, I’m not.” Sam huffed. 

“Yeah, you are. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. You’re loosening it.” 

“No—“ Sam looked down at what he was doing before chuckling to himself. “Man..” 

Wanda brushed her thumb against Vision cheek. She had just said goodbye to her boys—forever. Though the entire purpose of the Hex was to reverse death—it seemed like it only ended in it. 

“Well say hello again,” she whispered, knowing that if she attempted to speak any louder she would burst into tears. Her eyes were watering already. 

Vision was already beginning to fade away. And with him, her entire life. Everything she could’ve had—gone.

And merely a few moments later, it would be true. And she was alone. Again.

Seeing the concrete slabs where her future home had previously been made it all feel real. Because it was real. Deep inside her, she knew it was real. 

She knew this town would be better without her. The people would recover. The police would leave. Monica would move on. And she wasn’t worried about Agatha. As long as Wanda was alive, Agatha couldn’t hurt anyone ever again.

“Do you boys want pizza or burgers for dinner?” Sarah asked, looking between Sam and Bucky and her two sons. 

“Pizza!” The boys cheered, somehow perfectly synchronized. Sam looked to Bucky, who shrugged. Sam took a moment to assess whether or not it was a case of ‘Bucky still struggles to make choices and just doesn’t know what to do’ or ‘Bucky genuinely doesn’t have a preference’. Seemingly satisfied by whatever he’d seen from Bucky, Sam nodded. 

“I’m good with pizza,” he grinned.

Sarah nodded. “Perfect. Pizza it is.” 

“I wanted pizza too, thanks for asking.” Sam groaned dramatically.

“Oh, hush, you big baby. I know you. I know you would want pizza, especially since I’m getting it from Luis’s shop.” Sarah smiled, looking back as she walked towards her phone to..pre-order the pizza or whatever. Bucky wasn’t entirely sure.

“Yeah, but it’s the principle of it.” Sam grumbled. 

Bucky watched, a warm feeling in his chest.

After returning from Aunt May’s grave, he stopped in the coffee shop MJ worked at. He glanced at his two best friends—at his girlfriend and his brother, both talking about the college they were all meant to go to together. He stands awkwardly as he orders his plain coffee—he doesn’t even like plain, hot coffee. But if this is the closest he’ll ever get to be with them again, so be it. 

“No, just..coffee.” He says, his voice more rough and emotional than he wanted it to be. 

He could tell MJ and Ned. He knows he could. He doubts MJ would believe him, but Ned would be easy to convince. Ned—Peter could just say something that only Ned’s closest friend would know. And that would work. Surely. 

But he knows better than that. J. Jonah Jameson had said it himself: everyone who’s close to Spider-Man gets hurt. And Peter knows it. 

So maybe awkwardly ordering coffee he doesn’t like will be enough. And maybe he’ll just have to be okay with it.

“You need more t-shirts.” Sam said suddenly as he and Bucky continued working on the boat. 

“What?” Bucky gave him a disagreeing look. 

“I haven’t seen you wear a t-shirt this entire time. I know it’s hot as hell down here, and everyone in town knows you’re sweating. Your stench is like a blanket over the entire state.” Sam snickered. Bucky just rolled his eyes.

“That was..that was real mature, Samuel.”

“And I know you only using my full name ‘cause Sarah said it. But your middle name is literally Buchanan.” Sam shot back, a playful grin on his face. “Who names their kid James Buchanan? Shit, are you named after a president?” Sam’s brows furrowed as he noticed it.

“Okay, Samuel Thomas.” Bucky grumbled, adjusting the way he positioned his left hand to hold the nail. “Who are you? Thomas the train?” 

“I—how do you know about Thomas the Train?” Sam paused what he was doing, looking up at Bucky.

“Not this again.” Bucky rubbed his face with his right hand, feigning annoyance even as he held another nail for Sam. 

Yelena stood across from Clint, her eyes watering. “If I had been there, I could’ve done something, I could’ve stopped her—“ she began to spiral.

Clint shook his head. “Nothing was gonna stop her, ‘Lena. You know Natasha.” He said, his voice rough. His whole body ached. He couldn’t wait to go home. He didn’t wanna think about this, but part of him knew it was closure. For both himself and Yelena.

She let out a small squeak, accompanied by a few small sobs. 

“She made her choice,” he continued. “Now we’ve just gotta find a way to live with that.” 

“I loved her so much,” Yelena sniffled. Clint felt a familiar burning in his eyes, a lump in his throat. 

He looked up, nodding. “I know. Me too.” 

He looked down at his knees, before he noticed she was walking towards him. 

He heard her gun click. He silently sent an apology to his wife. And his children. Shit. His children. 

He glanced up at his soon-to-be-killer. Just to see that she had extended her hand to him. 

He took it, holding it for a moment as he gathered himself enough to stand up. 

He stood before her, looking down at her tear-stained face. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. She looked up at him, a sad, and silent rage in her eyes. She said nothing, merely turning around and walking away.

He supposed there was some sort of closure in that, too.

“What are we gonna do about Karli?” Bucky asked as he continued to paint even streaks across the surface. 

“I don’t know.” Sam answered, his brows furrowed. “Walker fucked up. Badly.” Sam doesn’t miss how Bucky bristles at the mention of the man. 

“Understatement of the year,” he grunted. 

“Right. Well, until we have a lead, there’s not much we can do.” Sam explains.

Bucky is silent at that.

“I’ve got Torres looking for those already.” Sam says, and he watches as Bucky nods in approval. 

“I can practically already read that cyborg brain of yours.” Sam jokes. 

Bucky mutters something under his breath, but it’s clear he doesn’t take offense to the slight tease.

Wanda collapsed to the floor, her wet cheeks and small sobs showing how distraught she was. Her terrified sons—no, they weren’t her sons at all—watched from the rubble of their home. It reminded her of her own childhood; the day her parents died. 

She was a monster. That was the truth. What had she done? 

She killed so many at Kamar-Taj, all of the Illuminati, and even all of the fighting with Stephen Strange. She had done nothing but destroy. Not to mention what she had intended to do to America Chavez. She traumatized her own—she traumatized children. 

What had she done?

The other Wanda, the bloody, beaten version of herself, crept toward her cautiously, ignoring the cries and pleas from her children. 

Wanda stood in front of the Scarlet Witch, before cupping her face gently. 

“Know that they’ll be loved,” was all she said. Her eyes were kind, understanding almost. It made sense, considering they had shared a consciousness for the majority of the day. Of course she had seen the Witch’s  thoughts. 

The Scarlet Witch let out another small sob as Wanda backed away and America began to close the portal. She knew what she had to do.

“Where the hell did you even find this stuff?” Bucky asked as he duct-taped the mat to the tree.

“Sarah had some old junk in the attic. I have no idea why she even had these, but she said we could use them.” Sam said from another tree, his own roll of tape in his hand.

Bucky nodded, amused. 

“Ignoring my own deep love for the environment, I think she’d actually kill us if we ruined these trees.” Sam said sarcastically. 

Bucky chuckled, moving on to another tree.

“Okay, how the hell are you doing this so fast?” 

“Genius and finesse.” Bucky snickered as he walked past Sam. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Sam huffed. 

graphics by @saradika-graphics

[bingo masterlist]

[raikkonenvettels]

Huskerdust pleasee !! 😭 (i just realize they would be perfect for this and im obsessed with them rn)

AAA SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT MY BELOVED BABIES!!! thank you so much this was so cool to do!!! (also it reminded me i have to post the simi x huskerdust pics lol)

who hogs the duvet

i think angel does but it doesn’t really matter bc they sleep basically glued to each other anyway so it doesn’t really matter akdksks

who texts/rings to check how their day is going

HUSK HE ALWAYS WORRIES SO MUCH FOR ANGEL!!! he will make angel tell him his schedule and he WILL call after every client/shoot!!!

who's the most creative when it comes to gifts

i think husk??? he is definitely a big big romantic guy so he gets very meaningful gifts (he also gets gifts for fat nuggets bc he knows how important the baby is to angel and he also loves him (he is the parent that stepped up‼️)

who gets up first in the morning

unfortunately angel because he has to go to work :( and well husk is husk if he didn’t have to say goodbye to angel in the morning he would NOT be up at that hour (just cat things)

who suggests new things in bed

i think we all know this akdnsns (sorry angel i love u so much 😭)

who cries at movies

angel ofc (he drapes himself over husk as he cries and sobs so much. husk is annoying amused and fond all at the same time akdnsn)

who gives unprompted massages

husk. after a long day of work angels definitely deserve them <333

who fusses over the other when they're sick

they both do akdjsn

who gets jealous easiest

most people would say husk (and he does get jealous too, ofc) but to me it’s definitely angel, he is scared husk would want someone whom is easier to be with if it makes sense?

who has the most embarrassing taste in music

i am convinced husk listen to jazz unironically. angels makes so much fun of him

in turn, tho, angel listens to old italian music sometimes and that’s when husk gets his revenge skdjsk

who collects something unusual

angel. he collects sex toys <333 (i’m sorry for this one) no but seriously i am somehow convinced husk loves vinyls so i will say that!!!

who takes the longest to get ready

angel ofc 😩 looking perfect takes time!!!

who is the most tidy and organised

none of them but the more organized i think would be angel because i don’t think he likes messes!!! he just doesn’t have time most of the time to actually tidy stuff

who gets most excited about the holidays

angel!!! christmas is acc pretty important to italians bc of family so yes definitely him (and well, he has a brand new found family in the hotel so yeah. also it’s a time to cheris his siblings as well, esp molly bc he misses her a lot)

who is the big spoon/little spoon

husk is the big spoon and angel is the little spoon but husk is also a backpack bc angel is so much taller than him akdnsn

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports

both i think akxjsj but esp husk (he is a poker player after all)

who starts the most arguments

i’ll go with angel on this one (mostly bc of his insecurities and stuff, he doesn’t mean to :( )

who suggests that they buy a pet

well they already have one thanks to angel so him ahah

what couple traditions they have

they go flying and they forget the world exists for a little

what tv shows they watch together

ANGEL DEFFO MAKES HUSK WATCH HELL-A-NOVELA AKDJNSNS (husk hates it but also finds it so stupid it’s actually funny)

what other couple they hang out with

chaggie and sir pentious and cherry!!!

how they spend time together as a couple

i personally think they spend most of the time they have together either cuddling or going on dates

who made the first move

i think it was deffo husk, and angel didn’t even think he was serious at first lol

who brings flowers home

husk bc angel deserves all the flowers <333

who is the best cook

ANGEL!!! not to be biased but he is italian i know he is the best

[rottenpumpkin13]

This Time I'll Call

⏤ Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

⏤ AU, Angst with a happy ending, Cloud Strife/Genesis Rhapsodos, grief, feelings of guilt, major character death but the characters are already dead.

⏤ WC: 1620

⏤ Genesis’s coping method these days include a phone number that no longer exists.

⏤ My writing is extremely wonky in this because I’m getting over yet another wave of writer’s block, but I cried to Yellow by Coldplay while thinking of this and now you get to feel my pain too :,)

The shutter of the camera echoed faintly across the vacant parking lot. It flashed, capturing the moment in color, but never in its full glory. It’s what Genesis found the most annoying about photography.

Photos never did beautiful scenery justice, and certainly not the infamous, golden sunset over Midgar’s ruins.

The sunlight would streak through broken glass and make the red dirt glow. Every dust particle became glitter, the piles of metal and rock were painted orange and yellow, and the decrepit buildings would soak up life in each sun ray, giving them the illusion of their prior glory, when Midgar was still a bustling metropolis. 

Genesis lowered the camera, then unslung the strap from around his neck. Angeal would always have them pose in the scenery after he’d taken the picture.

He said he liked to capture both the place and the people he was with, who were almost always Genesis and Sephiroth. 

He’d always bark orders at them, telling one to sling his arm over the other, or nagging Sephiroth to smile. Cracking a joke always worked. Sephiroth would always laugh at Angeal’s jokes. 

Sephiroth’s laugh was comically deep, a phenomenon that never failed to make Genesis himself laugh. Soon enough the two would be laughing and Angeal would snap the photo.

Genesis laughed quietly at the memory, then stuffed the camera in his open bag. 

It was a rooftop parking lot in one of the few skyscrapers that still stood. The hollow chill of the mid-autumn air magnified every sound tenfold, making the wind that whistled through cracks in the concrete sound like ghostly screams.

Genesis slung his legs over the barrier, sitting right on the edge of the drop. Then he reached across and pulled the bag closer to him. He fished around until he found his phone.

Genesis wasn’t delusional, don’t get him wrong. He knew dialing a dead man’s number was nothing but metaphorically picking at a wound. 

But it wasn’t like it was a daily bout of mania. It was only once every few months, a tradition of sorts. 

Each key he pressed emitted a small beep as he dialed the number. It went as it always did. He’d press the phone to his ear, his heart nearly tearing a hole through his chest, then wait for the electronic voice. 

“We're sorry. You have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

“Hey ‘Geal, it’s Genesis!” He forced the words out no matter how much his voice trembled. “Guess where I am right now? Midgar. Well, what’s left of it at least.” In a low tone, he added: “You can thank Seph for that.” 

Genesis fixed his eyes on the ruins below. The breeze raked through his hair before he ran his own hand through it. “So…It was my birthday last week. Thirty-four. That’s a big age.”

He rolled his eyes. “Remember when Director Lazard turned thirty-four and refused to let us throw him an office party, but we did so anyway? Yeah, now I know how he felt.” 

Genesis crossed his legs. “Can you believe the little shits threw me a party? Behind my back too. I walked into the bar and was met with a giant banner that read Gen’s 34th. Ugh. I would’ve left immediately if the kids didn’t look so happy.”

He paused, then huffed. “Marlene ate so much cake she got that crazed cat look in her eyes, you know, the one Seph used to get when he ate too much sugar?” 

Genesis coughed, trying to hide his laughter. “And Cid—Captain Highwind, you’ve heard of him—he kept egging Tifa on, saying she couldn’t handle her liquor until she caved and beat him in a drinking competition.” 

This time he did laugh, heartily as the memory replayed in his mind’s eye. 

“She claimed she was only a little tipsy, but couldn’t mix one drink for the rest of the night. I took over, of course. I missed playing bartender. I still help out there some nights when the bar’s too packed, not that I have much time for that anymore.” 

Genesis leaned over and braced his head in his hand. “The WRO and Reeve keep me pretty busy…Something I’d never thought I’d say. Oh! And I’m a writer now! An officially published author!”

He couldn’t keep himself from giggling childishly. He was alone after all, with not one Barret Wallace to tease him for his laugh in sight. “It’s a part of a project the WRO’s working on. I’m under a pseudonym, of course, and instead waxing poetic about LOVELESS themes, I’m writing about The Cetra.” 

He smirked, tracing the cracks in the concrete with his free hand. “Can you believe I did it all? SOLDIER, wanted war criminal, presumed dead man and now I’m a writer. At least that’s how Yuffie phrases it.”

Genesis sat up straight, then shielded his eyes from the sunlight. “Speaking of Yuffie and LOVELESS, they’re making a new blockbuster action franchise based on LOVELESS. I watched the first movie last week with Cloud, Yuffie, and Vincent. I think I’m starting to grow on her. She can finally stand to be in the same room as me instead of attempting to kill me.” 

He sighed. “She has guts. Reminds me of myself at that age.” There was a pause before he added: “Firaga skills included, by the way…She nearly set Cid’s head on fire when he dared her to light his cigarette with materia.”

He stretched, stifling a yawn. “And then there’s Cloud.”

Genesis felt his heartstrings tighten at the thought of him. His lips subconsciously stretched into a smile.

“We’re doing well, taking it slowly…If him sleeping in my apartment during weekends is slow.” He shook his head. “I like him. A lot. And he likes me too, which is…Something I never thought I’d have the privilege of saying.” 

The sun dipped more into the horizon with each passing minute. “Angeal…Have you ever felt guilty? And I mean truly guilty? Because I do all the time. Cloud says it’s me developing a conscience after, quote, years of being an asshole.”

He swallowed hard. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel seriously undeserving of the things I have, of the job I have after deserting SOLDIER, the friends I’ve made after I lead you….”

The phone nearly slipped from his weakened hand, but Genesis pressed it harder to his ear. He felt the sharp pierce to his nose, the pain that preceded the tears. He bit his lip harshly enough to taste the metallic pang of blood on his tongue. 

“After I lead you to your death.” 

The phone rang. Genesis paled, eyes shooting open as he jerked his hand away. The smidgen of hope that pricked his nerves became a childish reflex once he saw the name. 

Cloud flashed across the screen, right above the picture Genesis had taken of him in Kalm a few months ago, the one where he’s smiling while holding a Chocobo chick. 

He wiped away the stray tear from his cheek, then cleared his throat. 

“Hi—”

“Are you still in Midgar?” Cloud’s voice sounded from over the phone before Genesis could greet him.

Genesis sighed, then felt his body deflate as his shoulders dropped. “I am, why?” He scoffed in a mocking tone. “Miss me?” 

He could practically feel Cloud roll his eyes from the other end. 

“Full of yourself much?”

Genesis shrugged. “Not fuller than you, dearest.” 

“Gen!” Cloud sputtered, no doubt blushing while Genesis laughed uncontrollably. He groaned. “Look, if we’re late again, Tifa’s gonna freak. I’m coming to pick you up.” 

Genesis slipped from the barrier, standing up. “No need. As much as I love—”

“Genesis if you say ‘riding you’ I’m hanging up.”

“Riding with you!” Genesis corrected him with a smirk. “I need to stretch my wings a bit more. Besides, it’s quicker.” 

“You sure? I don’t like letting you fly at night.” 

Genesis smiled, leaning on the barrier. “You worry too much, Strife.”

“Because you’re a hazard to yourself and others, Rhapsodos.”

Genesis scoffed. “I’ll be there in a bit. I need to get started on that dumbapple pie, anyway, or else Marlene will have my head. I promised I’d bake her one weeks ago.”

“Alright,” Cloud said. “Call me if you change your mind. And stop flying if you get a wing cramp on the way, got it?” 

“Fine, fine,” Genesis waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Once they had said their goodbyes, Genesis pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. A trembling sigh reverberated through his chest. Then, he put the phone up to his ear again.

“I have to go now, ‘Geal.” Genesis pressed his lips together as if it would stop the words from spilling out. “I miss you, old friend. I miss you more than the richest words could express.” He sighed. “Say hi to the puppy for me. And tell him Cloud sends his love.”

He gathered up his things, then slung the bag over his shoulder. “While you’re at it, give Sephiroth a good kick in the shins for me, will you?” Genesis smiled, but he didn’t notice it. “And tell him I miss him too. Terribly.” 

Genesis inched the phone away from his face, paused, and then put it to his ear again. “Before I go, it should come as no surprise to you but…”

He sighed, letting his shoulders deflate as the weighted emotions rolled off of them. 

“Three friends go into battle. One is captured. One flies away. The one that is left….” 

As Genesis began to walk away, he looked at the sunset one last time. 

“Lives to tell the tale.”

[ap-kinda-lit]

You know what they should have done in YuGiOh? You know what would have made a cool antagonist/monster?

This piece of work ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Apep (aka Apophis)

(aka Apophis) was a monstrous snake from Egyptian mythology. It’s not clear, but it seems like Apep has existed for, well, eternity. He was born from either goddess Neith’s saliva or Ra’s umbilical cord (no seriously). He’s just about always a snake (a creature normally respected and even admired in Egyptian lore, but not in this case…) and a big one. I mean, huge. Accounts vary, but he’s been described as reaching 16-120 yards in length (48-360 feet). Either way, he was a unit.

Egyptian mythology is fairly grey when it comes to good and evil, but when it comes to Apep…yeah no, they make it crystal clear that m*therf*cker was evil incarnate and every one feared and hated him. Saying his name alone was cursed, like Voldemort.

And for good reason, because Apep was a damn beast. Even the gods were nervous about him.

He created storms, earthquakes, and eclipses with his roar or just by moving. He could hypnotize people, mortals and gods alike, and he devoured souls, living and dead. The worst part of that, though, was that the souls would not die. Instead, they would be trapped in an endless void of darkness that was basically a hellish limbo. But, most of all, his favorite thing to do was pick fights with the sun god Ra and eat him alive. He would literally swallow the sun whole.

Yeah, that’s what he did. He would come after Ra, the god of the sun and king of the heavens, and they would do battle. Apep’s main goal was always to devour the sun, destroy Ra, and plunge the world into darkness and chaos. Sometimes, he would succeed in swallowing Ra, and it would take all the gods joining forces to free him from the snake’s belly. As a matter of fact, even Set—the literal god of chaos, an Egyptian Loki—would join in. Hell, it’s even said he stabbed Apep with a spear. Seriously. That’s how bad Apep was.

Priests would hold rituals every year to ward off Apep and the rituals consisted of going ham on a picture/sculpture of him. There was even a whole guide called “The Books of Overthrowing Apep”. Apep was essentially invincible, he could not be killed, even by the gods. All they could do was cut him to pieces and cast him into the underworld. But he would always come back sooner or later.

Apep was a bad, bad SOB.

So I’m thinking, how the hell did they not so much as mention him in Yu-Gi-Oh!?

He’s perfect! He’s a primordial kaiju that embodies chaos and eats gods like fruit snacks. Like, screw the Leviathan or Zorc, look at this guy. He makes the Leviathan from the DOMA arc look like a baby. Zorc is darkness incarnate? Bitch, Apep is right there. That job is already taken. Also, keep in mind that Ra was the first pharaoh, the forefather of all pharaohs. About every pharaoh in history was associated with the sun and Ra. Atem/Yami Yugi was destined to encounter Apep at some point.

I seriously wish there was an arc including Apep. Hell, I would sell my kidney to replace the goddamn Waking the Dragons arc with a different arc on Apep (in case you didn’t know, I don’t care for the DOMA arc).

Please tell me I’m not alone on this.

*bonus

Sometimes Ra (or Bastet or Hathor) would transform into a cat to fight Apep and it was shown in hieroglyphs. Here’s one of them.

I just think that’s neat

[factual-fantasy]

30 asks! :0000 Mostly Mario stuff :}

My hopes were dropped even lower tbh

Hot take, but I don’t like the personality they’ve given Peach. She just feels like a cookie cutter tough woman character that you see in like every movie now a days. It feels like they didn’t put any heart into her. They just made her a tough woman lead and called it a day. She’s more than that you guys common!

Peach is already full of personality, why change her? She’s sassy, she’s classy, she’s emotional, she’s unique. Why changer her? Why make her dress up in armor wielding an axe to go fight Bowser? That’s not what she’s like, If anything she’d strut out there in her dress and all to go fight Bowser.

Here’s an idea you guys, keep Peach the way she is in canon. Why? Because that’s the personality she’s had for years. It would also make her much more interesting in the movie. And get this! We already love canon Peach.

Aside from that. I wasn’t a fan of the whole go-cart thing, it felt out of place for what the rest of the trailer looked like. But idk maybe it makes sense in the movie. Jeez, there’s a lot about these trailers that I don’t like-

BUT, I can say that I LOVE what they seem to be doing with Mario and Luigi. Mario reaching out and grasping Luigi’s hand, that whole scene makes me think that we might get some brotherly moments between the bros. Which I am all for!

@theflamingflamingos​

Like if you drew my version of Donkey Kong. Where he’s big and red with long fur, or drew the designs I made for Peach and Daisy’s dress’s, that wouldn’t be so cash money. 

I wouldn’t be happy if someone drew fanart of something I designed basically. Which includes my Mario AU..

@dark-cynder49

The things I had in mind was if Mario and Luigi are in a public place, Mario would try to keep people from interacting with Luigi. Like, if someone tried to talk to them, Mario would step forward and do all the talking and answer questions on Luigi’s behalf. 

If Luigi just needs some time away from all the noise. Mario will find a way to get him out of there, even if it means he needs to cause a scene to allow Luigi to escape unnoticed.

Sometimes though that doesn’t Work. Sometimes Luigi cant get away or his anxiety just keeps rising.. if that happens Mario will discreetly hold his hand, and squeeze it tightly. Just knowing that Mario is there usually keeps him calm enough that they can wait out the stressful situation and get away.

Now when they’re in private? Luigi’s anxiety is a lot easier to deal with.

Mario can openly hold Luigi’s hand and comfort him without any risk of judgmental stares. Mario can talk to him in what ever language he wants because no one can hear them. Usually Luigi just parks somewhere on like a couch or a bed, gets some water and they ride the out anxiety together.

Heh, and here Mario thinks he’s not the best brother he can be, smh.

@justapikachu1​

Oh I’m sorry, buuuuuut Peach cant use Power-ups in this AU. So no cat Peach this time.. 😅

Also I don’t know anything about Cappy or his species, so he has not been added to my AU...

aaaaa, they cannot use Power-ups either! In my AU only humans can use powerups. Peach and Daisy are not human, and obviously neither are the Toads-

I think if the poison Mushroom was a thing, it wouldn’t be a Power-up or anything special. Just these bright toxic Mushrooms that make anyone who eat it very sick..

I have played none of those games, and thus am unfamiliar with the villains and did not add them to my AU..😅

SNIGF, U FOUND/LIKED SOME THINGS CUZ OF MEEEEEEE WAAAAAAAA

XD I love drawing sad brothers what can I say?

mmmmno, not really :/ I’m still trying to fix my FNAF AU and save my energy for those long comics.

I’m not familiar with that.. Power-up..? I didn’t know it existed and thus, didn’t add it to my AU..

I have some ideas in mind for those actually! Although they’re not super ironed out..

The Shy guys might be this spooky tribe in the woods somewhere. They don’t work for Bowser, they just kind’a do their own thing. And I imagined that they’d be cursed, or at the very least people fear them because of all the horrors and death that seem to follow them..

The chain chomps were supposed to be giant hunks of metal, that Kamek used his powers to cast a curse on. This curse brought them to life. The curse of hunger.

The Piranha plants are supposed to be just a rather dangerous species of plant that live all over the place. But Bowser feeds the ones that grow near his kingdom. Thus making them bigger.. and bigger... and bigger. Until their roots are strong enough that they can relocate themselves where ever they want..

Aw, thank you! :D

Also, my only tips is to use references of the real deal. Because I myself also struggle with the Koopalings/Bowser and have to heavily reference in order to get them to look right 😭

Uhg, that’s frustrating as always. 

Report them if you can, comment that its stolen if you’d like, thanks for letting me know.

They are all Bowsers blood children in my AU. And they have no role in his army or anything like that.

My idea is that there is a hidden home/castle somewhere on Bowsers land that is guarded heavily by Blue shelled Para troopas. In this home is where his kids, Kamek and Kammy all reside. Where they are kept hidden and safe from anything or anyone that might try to harm them.

I don’t have any plans for them in this AU, although they do exist!

@fruitcakei​ 

XDDD Norton is trying to protect you from the angst-

@the-cosmic-stars​

I’m not familiar with any of the Mario Galaxy Power-ups.. But! Rosalina does exist in my AU! Although the story of her game does not take place. :(

I actually have some sketches in my folders of her that I should get around to drawing sometime.. 🤔

@aimless-aimz​

Daisy and Peach think the Boos are little pests. They cant actually really hurt anyone, but they love to sneak into their kingdoms and scare their civilians. Super annoying 🙄

As for if you’re not scared of them, they might be offended or upset. In which King Boo well.. he doesn’t like people makin his Boos upsetti spaghetti

@caronaro123

XD If you tried to hug them or befriend them, I imagine King Boo would be suspicious of you and keep you at arms length. Or just trap you in a painting-

I imagine the Toads know of the Mega mushrooms and can tell them apart from regular trees.. but I doubt they would have a way to move the wild ones since they don’t have Yoshi’s anymore. So they probably have a garden of Mega Mushrooms somewhere in the kingdom just waiting to be tested on.

Buuuuut, they were saving those for another day. Assuming just by size alone, that they weren’t safe to test within Kingdom grounds.

That’s when Mario and Luigi would stumble upon one in the woods without knowing what it is and.. I think you know the rest XD

@wadofgum​

Aw, thank you! Also yes! ✊ Another follower dragged into the Mario fandom by my works XDD

Some of the Boo might be offended to an extent. Like what, we’re not scary to you? Huh? Why aren't you scare of us??

But also some of them might be flustered or surprised. If someone came in and just gushed about how cool they were, they might be inclined to show off a bit. Maybe try to make even scarier faces to look cool.

All in all, I think they’d spare you, and let you leave the Mansion unharmed out of flattery.

hmmmmm not necessarily..

While yes he would have a fever, which would make them think this is just an illness.. 

Mario’s skin would also begin to burn and fry. Like a sunburn that keeps on burning and burning.. His hair would be singed and start falling out, he would light fire to anything he touches..

Yeah, I think they’d know <XD ...

@shinygazelle744​

Ah, unfortunately Mario only gets his Tanooki abilities when he consumes the Tanooki leaf Power-up. And the form he gets is 100% the animal form. He cannot change it to be anything else.

Without the Power-up in his system, he’s just good ol Mario :/ he doesn’t get the privilege of having just the tail and ears at any point XD

(And also, if you spelled it right- yes and no. The real world animal, Tanuki, is how you spelled it. But for some reason Nintendo spelt the Power-up as “Tanooki”??)

Either they throw so many fire/ice balls that they eventually just, use up all the flowers power..

Or, they take a huge blow of physical damage, and the fire/ice flower consumes all of its remaining energy trying to protect them from the hit.

Yeah, it was pretty rough. There were two whole days where Mario was too cold to really do anything other then sleep. And even after he warmed up.. he was too exhausted to move, so he just kept sleeping.

As for the toads.. I think Toadsworth would have been pretty upset at the scientists. And he would tell them that they needed to pace their research better as to not overwork Mario.

He also probably wanted to be present for more of the testing. To insure their hero’s were being given proper treatment. You know, he wanted them to be treated like hero's who were graciously offering their bodies for scientific study. Not guinea pigs.

@milk-powrit​

I don’t actually know anything about the paper Mario games.. and I didn't have intentions to bring any characters from the spin off games into the AU. Excluding well known spin off characters like Waluigi and Wario of course,

Basically, I don’t know anything about Mr L. And considering if from the paper Mario series.. he might not have a place in the AU..

I haven’t actually thought that part out yet. And I’m not sure I’ll ever find an explanation.. its as much of a mystery to me as it is to the characters I guess haha <XD ... 

@kirbyparadise​

Well thbnk you for sayinh kind things about me and my art which make me wanna make moraaaaa

@journey-of-aris

Aw! I’m so glad I inspired you! And these plush toys are awesome! Keep it up! :D

[sunsuns-babie]

If I Get My Way | 08.5: bonus chapter 4 [written part] (1,304 wrds)

Keeho & Jungwon’s Valentine’s Morning

A/N: This isn’t proofread but I’ve re-written it a couple times before. It was supposed to be posted with chapter 8 but I’ve been so busy lately. I’ll try to get the next few chapters out because I wanted to get at least the first 10 out before March.

Jungwon was tired and bored out of his mind while he and Wonbin set up for the morning shift at a local cat cafe called MeOw’s. Usually he’d be on the afternoon shift but he switched shifts with his coworker Yeji so she could spend the morning with her girlfriend (his close friend) Ryujin before their big date later tonight.

In his humble opinion he’d rather say he was forced and blackmailed into this by his friend Ryujin but deep down he knows regardless he would’ve done this because his friend’s happiness is his.

Anyways his only company was Wonbin another rich kid who goes to SM University but got a job at MeOw’s for fun. It’s not like Jungwon didn’t like him or anything if anything he liked Wonbin too much. Today was Valentine’s Day and Jungwon already existing feelings seemed to multiply around Wonbin.

The problem? Wonbin has a boyfriend who’s obviously not Jungwon.

While lost in groggy thought while watching Wonbin feed their pretty cats in the separate room with glass doors and windows showing off the dining area with the cafe’s furry friends. There was a separate room from the workers open space work area behind the desk, only a few cats were allowed in that part of the building (mainly the short hairs).

By the time 6am rolled around both Jungwon and Wonbin were in close proximity behind the counter ready and waiting for customers. Before they knew it they fell into an easy routine when the door chimed once more, this time with a pretty blond guy coming in.

The blond was intriguing to Jungwon so much so he seemingly forgot about his feelings for Wonbin and was now experiencing what could only be described as love at first sight… well until the handsome boy made it to the counter and he was hit with the smell of weed.

Jungwon could feel the headache starting, he absolutely hated the smell of weed. Now looking in the handsome boys eyes he could see how red they were.

Blondie gasped, “I didn’t know they let giant cats make coffee and work the register!”

“Since when did giant cats who walk on two legs exist? Science is AMAZING!”

Jungwon couldn’t help but cringe one because of the boys loudness and two because of his calling him a giant cat. “Hi, welcome to MeOw’s what can I get for you this morning?”

Blondie just giggles at Jungwon in response while staring at him weirdly.

“Uhm sir…?”

More giggles, “I didn’t know cats could talk!”

“Sir, what can I get you to drink?”

“Oh right! Thank you Mr. Cat uh—“, the boy trailed off staring at the menu trying to figure what it even said. Truth be told Blondie aka Keeho had never been here before. He just went to the first place he stumbled across coming back from Yeonjun’s apartment after their smoke sesh.

Jungwon was growing rather impatient and annoyed with the boy but he forced his customer service smile to stay put, despite him taking forever and holding up the now forming line.

“Can I get a LARGE hot chocolate with vanilla and whipped cream! Extra whipped cream!”, the boy said excitedly.

“Okay, will that be all sir?”

“Ooo! I’m hungry! Can I have——”, and now the boy was pointing at literally every pastry in the display cabinet.

“Alright and what’s your name sir?”

The blond boy looked shocked, “My name is —“, he started mumbling to himself, “right my name is Stephen!”

“Alright Stephen, please have a seat anywhere you’d like and we’ll have your order out soon!”, Jungwon smiled to which the blond burst into another fit of shy laughter.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After a while Wonbin finished Stephen’s hot chocolate and Jungwon finished grabbing all the treats for the blond. Wonbin complained about it being too far for him to deliver the order to Stephen (in reality he just wanted to text his boyfriend Sohee back), begging Jungwon to just do it for him. Normally they wouldn’t hand deliver but the place wasn’t that packed given the time and what day it was, so it was a courtesy to their customers from time to time.

Begrudgingly Jungwon took the order out to the weed guy who was currently cuddling four of their cats at once while cooing at them, telling them how it was okay he wouldn’t tell their secret since he knew they could talk too since the “giant cat” told him. Oddly enough Jungwon couldn’t help but find the stinky headache inducing boy cute.

“Here you go Steph!”

At the call of his nickname Keeho locked eyes with Jungwon and giggled again saying a quiet thank you.

Quickly that same boy pulled out his phone and tried but failed to discreetly take photos of Jungwon, which should’ve made him uncomfortable but he found it endearing.

The rational part of his mind was telling him this man was psychotic but again he found it somewhat flattering, maybe it was because it was a day for love or a form of pretty privilege. Either way he didn’t care much.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Not long after Jungwon and Wonbin had started serving a few more customers and the place filled out a little.

It wasn’t packed by any means but there were a few more people there and not just the high off his ass Stephen. Jungwon also had watched as the blond scarfed down every pastry in his sight and he was now slightly scared of the feral beast.

Not even more than 3 minutes had passed since he gave the weed guy his order before Keeho made his way back to the front and directly towards Jungwon.

Mimi a white Ragdoll was currently asleep on the counter next to Jungwon when Keeho stumbled and tripped over his own two feet which startled the cat of whom jumped off the counter and charged Keeho while hissing. Dignity lost in the wind the boy started screaming and jumped on the counter nearly stepping on the register and Jungwon’s hands.

Patrons were staring and the Won boys stared in horror before Jungwon sprung into action trying to calm the screaming boy down and coax him off the counter. Which backfired because then the blond started projectile vomiting on him.

Now Jungwon was screaming and Wonbin was horrified and nearly throwing up himself. Finally Jungwon snapped and yelled at the boy to get down to which he did, as he was scolding the blond Wonbin decided to help the situation by trying to defuse the tension.

Keeho in his current state hated the fact that the new love of his life was yelling at him and that he threw up on him started crying. Now Jungwon felt bad and so did Wonbin.

Gently Wonbin started asking if Keeho would like to sit down and if they could calm someone for him. Keeho just forked over his phone to Wonbin and much to his surprise Wonbin found his friend Anton’s number on the phone and called it.

Jungwon was now working on calming the stoner down when Keeho revealed he was broke. At this point it felt like god was testing Jungwon.

He lunged at Keeho and Wonbin who was on the phone with Anton had to tell Ant to hold on while he dealt with something, that being grabbing a hold of Jungwon preventing him from killing Keeho.

In the mist of that struggle randomly the stoner says, “Wow you’re really hot”, to Jungwon which stops the murderous boy in his tracks. Wonbin then answers the phone once again and told him he also had to pay Keeho’s bill and to come quick for him.

So much happened in less than 5 minutes and both Wons were over Valentine’s Day and the morning shift.

prev | masterlist | next

IN WHICH: Kim Seonwoo aka Sunoo is a Sophomore at Decelis University and has a crush on the pretty Music Education Major Y/n Marsh. Seems like a match made in heaven since he’s also a Music Education Major and has had a crush on her since Freshman year when he met her at orientation… well sort of. He’s a little delusional about her but that’s okay, right? When finally given the opportunity to get to know her and potentially date her some weird things start happening that Sunoo doesn’t quite understand… which leads to the postponement of his grand plan to confess his feelings for Y/n. At the end of the day does he get the girl or does he miss out and think of what could’ve been?

ALSO IN WHICH: Sunoo and Y/n’s friends also have their own storylines and side quest relationships happening simultaneously with theirs.

taglist opened 🏷️: @clairecottenheart @littleaprilcherryblossom @literallyags @ttylxox2