#I need to draw them both again holy shit I love them

[jinglingeyes]

Rhea and Philyra

(Rhea is the earthly-colored one pointing an accusative finger at Philyra (brightly salmon-colored one in brown covers) nervously sweating at a pissed off Mother Goddesss)

I picked a salmon cause they are known for giving birth to their young and dying. Also I wanted some of the nymphs to be actual fishes cause it’s fun, so why not lol?

Rhea is threatening/warning Philyra about Kronos and how he cares not for her. Deeming Philyra possible traitor trying to overthrow her (Rhea).

Surprise, surprise Philyra isn’t, she’s just in love with Kronos and was kind of a gossip/info reporter for him. (Philyra has more of a role here in this than compared to her OG counterpart, I start to daydream and I end up with a whole vague storyline for them, anything in general lol)

She gives birth to Chiron and two other egg thingys, (Chiron was also a egg baby but he hatched kind of early so yeah, also the other two is Aphros and Dolops)

Kronos actually does care somewhat about Philyra albeit not to the equal mutual aspect like Philyra did but still he turns her into a linden tree.

On the right middle/bottom side you can vaguely see two horses running and a salmon with three eggs a bit farther behind

Thats all I think ???? I can’t remember the description from my instagram post so hopefully I didn’t miss something

Posting when nobody here >:D

(Lowkey miss the GM designs and stuff I have but my brain is rotting for another as of late so another time perhaps.)

[fernsnailz]

it's time... for the TEAM DARK FEST! 💥💥💥💥

me and @serpentineshine are hosting a little tournament to finally determine who the best Team Dark member is! this week there's gonna be goofs, bits, and even a special prize for the winner 👀

however, the most important prize of all is what awaits at the end of the festival! ...but that's a secret right now.

💥 cast your vote below! 💥

(oh also if anyone makes any propaganda for their fav character. tag me i wanna see)

video transcript below the cut! ⬇️

A blue announcement screen with scrolling text reads “SPECIAL FENSNAILZ ANNOUNCEMENT.” There’s a looping animation of Squeak the cat in the middle. It disappears, cutting to a shot of a studio space.

In the studio, SNAIL, SHINE, SQUEAK, and a VASH PLUSH all sit at a desk with a large CRT TV on it. Squeak and Vash are on top of the TV, and shelves with various items line the walls. Everyone seems to be unaware that the camera is rolling - Snail is reading the script, Shine is drinking from a mug, and Squeak is licking her butthole. Vash remains motionless.

Snail notices the camera zooming in, and throws away the script in a moment of panic. Shine and Squeak sit up to face the camera as well.

SNAIL: Coming at you pre-recorded, it’s Snail, Shine, and The Beasts!

SHINE: We’re here today to announce a special tournament we’re hosting: the TEAM DARK FEST!

SQUEAK: Eep!

VASH: weemp womp :]

SNAIL: You know ‘em, you love ‘em-

SHINE: Or hate them.

SNAIL: It’s all about TEAM DARK this week! Fellas, turn on that TV!

The camera cuts to a close-up of the TV as the screen flips on. Three shitty photos of each Team Dark member appear on the TV under the question “Who is the best member of Team Dark?” Every Team Dark member’s name is misspelled underneath the photos.

SHINE: Time for the ULTIMATE question: Who is the best Team Dark member?

SNAIL: Oof. We’re turning them against each other, huh? That’s dramatic.

SQUEAK: Meep! (HOLY SHIT)

The camera zooms out to a wide view of the studio, but zooms out much further than needed for a split second. For some reason, this is all being filmed on a green screen set, and the shelves behind the cast seem to be edited in. Not only that, but this studio is either widely over-staffed or widely under-staffed, because the boom mic is held by seven Chao stacked on top of each other. The camera zooms into a closeup of Snail before much of this information can be processed.

SNAIL: Well, it’s obviously Shadow. I told him if he won, I would get him ice cream after soccer practice!

The camera pans over to Shine.

SHINE: No way, vote for Rouge! She can carry like. Nineteen mountain lions. Give or take

The camera pans over to Squeak and Vash. Squeak points at a crude drawing of Omega that seems to say “VOTE OMEGA.” It is upside down. Vash holds a cute little sign that says “I <3 OMEGA” that he likely made himself.

SQUEAK + VASH: ?????????????? (we didn’t hire anyone to translate this part.)

Back in a wide shot, Snail and Shine stare blankly at Squeak and Vash. Squeak licks her butthole again. Vash is now Real. Someone off-screen sneezes very convincingly.

SHINE: This poll will run for ONE WEEK before we announce the winner! So little time…

SNAIL: Everyone make your vote count! The winner of this festival will have a special page in my… 

An image of a porcelain snail appears over a white background as an echo-y human voice says “SECRET UPCOMING PROJECT.”

VASH: bweep bwaa :] (Yay! Prizes!)

SHINE: The final verdict will be decided by Twitter AND Tumblr, so commit as much voter fraud as you please!

Squeak bites Vash and he screams. They both fall off the TV and make a surprising amount of noise. Snail and Shine stare in shock.

SNAIL: See you in seven days! And hey, if you want to participate… tag me in any propaganda you make to fight for your favorite Team Dark member!

Squeak and Vash explode.

[dancingtotuyo]

1. mirror in the sky

Landslide | Joel Miller x Female Reader

Series Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: An unexpected encounter with Joel Miller jump starts a series of events right out of your wildest dreams.

Chapter Tags/Warnings: age gap (approx 13 years), past baby sitter, TV show basis, grief & loss, trauma, anxiety attack, consumption of alcohol

Notes: AHHHHHHH I'm so excited for this! I've been sitting on top of a no outbreak version of these two since before I posted the first chapter of Woman! How appropraite that I bring you the first chapter of Landslide on the first anniversary of Woman. Thank you all for all of your love and support this past year!

What?! @guiltyasdave beta read this?! I never would have guessed that! (love you xoxo)

Words: 3844

Series Masterlist | Author Masterlist

You don’t know how you make it to the Austin suburb unscathed. You shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a vehicle, muchless driving an extra 20 minutes, but you need to be home. Not your lonely, one bedroom apartment in the city- but home where mom is cooking dinner and dad is watching the football game, where dad keeps it a chilly 68 inside despite the heat. 

The tears come in silent waves on the drive over, but by the time you pull into the driveway, sobs pound at the dam, waiting for it to burst. As soon as the key pulls loose from the ignition, you stumble out of your car, almost tripping up the front stairs. You have to see your parents. It repeats on a loop in your fucking mind. Everything will be fine once you see them. You go for the door knob, but it's locked. Panic scratches at your throat. You try it again, expecting another result. The front door is never locked. 

Your palms collide with the hardwood door. “Mom! Dad!” You can’t seem to draw in satisfying breaths. Your face is drenched in tears and sweat as the panic and Texas heat work in tandem against you. 

It doesn’t cross your mind that they might not be home. Your parents are boring. They’re stuck in their habits. They’re always at home on Thursday evenings. It is Thursday, right? You lost track of time during your shift. It was never ending. 

Your palms sting. It feels like forever, but finally, the door opens. You fall forward. Hands shoot out to steady you. “Woah, there.”

That’s not your dad’s voice. It stuns you just enough to make everything in your body work for a minute. “Joel?” What’s he doing here? Where are your parents? You just want to hug your mom and snuggle on the couch with your dad like you’re 6 years old again. Did something happen to them? The panic comes back double, your body shaking this time. “Where are my parents?” The tears are blinding. “Where are they!”

“Holy shit, Sweetheart.” Joel pulls you inside the house.

You stumble over the threshold falling into him. He slams the door behind you, his arms tightening around your shoulders. “Why aren’t they home? They’re alway home.” You’re hyperventilating. You know it, but you can’t stop it. 

Before Joel can answer, your legs give out. He barely avoids tipping over and landing on top of you. Somehow, he manages to lower you both to the ground without any major damage. 

“They left for their anniversary trip today.”

Fuck, so it was Friday. You’d forgotten all about their 30th anniversary trip. You’d spent more time inside the ER than out of it the past few weeks, picking up as many shifts as possible. Trying to avoid the approaching Anniversary. The one that came just weeks after your parents’.

You try to repeat the words in your head. They’re okay. They’re halfway to Europe now. It does little to help soothe the ache in your chest. 

Joel runs his hand up and down your back. “Shhhhh, it’s okay. Everyone is okay.” He pushes back the hair that sticks to your face. Your sharp intakes of breath eventually die down to sporadic and shaky. “That’s it. Deep breaths.”

Eventually you settle, letting your head rest against the door. Your throat feels tight, your sinuses stuffy, and your chest aches. 

“Stay right here. I’ll bring you some water,” Joel says. 

He’s gone before you have the wherewithal to thank him. 

You wipe the mixture of fluids on your face away with the back of your hand: tears, sweat, snot, probably some drool. God, you must look a mess right. You eye the tissue box across the room but the thought of moving makes your brain hurt and your muscles sting. You wipe the back of your hand discreetly against the clean scrub pants you changed into before leaving work. 

Joel comes back into the room with a glass of ice water. Condensation drips down the sides teasing your drying throat. He grabs the tissue box without a second thought.  

“Here.” He sits back down on the floor with you, carefully handing you the glass of water.

You thank him, making sure the glass doesn’t slip through your fingers. The water is cool and soothing against your scratchy throat. You don’t think, tipping it back further until your worn out esophagus can’t keep up and you sputter, choking on the water. It spills from your mouth, following the lines of your throat until it dips under your neckline. 

“Woah there, slow down.” Joel takes the cup from you as you cough. “We don’t need you choking today too.” 

You can’t help the little uptick of your lips as you struggle to recover. His care and concern is sweet and- no, he’s 13 years your senior, you chide. You gave this stupid crush up last summer the morning after the Randolf’s pool party. You’d woken up and were flooded with the memories, the lines you swore you’d never cross. Thankfully, Joel was either an oblivious son of a bitch, or you were more subtle than you remember. Whichever it was, it doesn’t matter anymore. You are over Joel Miller. 

The dark green shirt that stretches around his biceps doesn’t phase you. Neither does the tool belt slung low around his hips, or the fact that you’re alone in your parents home. Your brain pulls you out of the thirsting that you are not doing, and focuses on that detail. “Joel, what are you doing in my parents’ house?”

“I’m renovatin upstairs.”

Something about that strikes a chord within you. “The 25th anniversary bathroom renovation?” You smile and Joel almost looks relieved to see you return to the version he’s used to. 

“Except it’s the bedroom now too. I think your mom called it interest.” He laughs. 

“Sounds about right.”

“Now,” he props his arms over his knees. “What are you doing here? I thought you got too good for us and moved into the city,” he teases as he nudges you softly. 

You roll your eyes, but the light squishes out when you close your eyes. The images play on repeat behind them. Your heart rate surges again, you feel your breath begin to quicken. 

Joel’s hand lands on your knee, the other cups your neck. “Hey.”

Your eyes snap open. His soft brown ones are closer than you’ve ever seen them. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’tve asked.” 

You sign rubbing the tension from your neck. “I just worked 36 hours straight.”

“Holy fuck, isn’t that illegal or something?” 

You shake your head. “Discouraged, but the ER was a madhouse, just one thing after the other. We had a big trauma come in and none of us felt like we could leave. I got a few hours sleep at the hospital before my scheduled shift started.” You’re starting to feel the come down of the past few days and your panic attack. 

Joel looks concerned, like he’s looking you over for any physical injuries. Something that would explain your panic. 

You don’t let him ask anymore questions. “We had this car accident come in- yesterday? I can’t even tell you when.” You can’t get the knot out of your neck. You groan in frustration. 

“C’mere,” Joel motions you over. “I’ll get it.”

You listen, too tired to fight it or over analyze it. His thumbs dig into your tight muscles. You catch the moan before it falls out. “A couple UT students.” 

You contemplate spilling details, but they’re covered in blood, marrying with last year’s events. You can still feel the blood soaking through your scrubs. 

Joel pauses before catching a knot in your shoulder. You gasp in pain, but it feels good too. “Shit, did I hurt you?”

“No, keep going.” You say, and he listens. “They got hit by a drunk driver.”

Joel sucks in a breath. You know he’s thinking back to last fall, the accident that turned your family’s life upside down. It’s the only thing you’ve been able to see since the call came in, so eerily similar to last year. The surrounding events. The injuries. You were working the ER when they brought Carter’s mangled and bloody body in. You watched, helpless to do anything as your friends and colleagues tried to bring him back. You listened as they declared time of death. Even now, you hear the ringing of the flatlining monitor in your ears. 

Joel pulls you into a tight hug, your arms hanging limply at your sides. The exhaustion is just too much, but you appreciate it. It helps, makes you feel less alone. “Thank you.”

“Course.” He gives you another squeeze. “Let me finish working out your back.” 

You oblige, tension melting away as his fingers work toward your spine and then downward. You’d been on your feet for the better part of 2 days, and that was the least of it. 

You let out a long, deep breath, body beginning to settle. “Where’d you learn to do this?” You lean into his hands to increase the pressure. 

“Got real good at ’em when Pam was pregnant with Sarah.” You’re not sure you’ve ever heard Joel mention his estranged ex-wife so casually. 

“God, can’t imagine what would possess a woman to leave hands like yours.” The words slip out before you even have a chance to think through the implications of everything you just said. 

His hands stop moving, palms flat against your lower back. Heat rises to your cheeks in mortification. “Shit, Joel. I’m sorry. Obviously that’s not even an actual reason to stay. Like you have Sarah and that’s an actual reason and I can’t-“ Laughter cuts off the words cascading from your lips. 

You turn around to find Joel leaned back, his chest shaking as laughter comes from his belly, filling your parents' quiet home. You swear you even see a tear or two come from his eyes. One thing is for certain, Joel Miller is not stressed right now and he certainly wasn’t bothered by your comment. Quite the opposite actually. 

It’s contagious as the smile passes over your face. Your chest begins to shake. Mostly, you’re enjoying this rare sight. His crows’ feet crinkle at the corner of his eyes. Your heart skips a beat but you rein it in. 

Joel wipes the side of his eyes. “Pretty sure I was supposed to make you feel better.”. 

“You did.” 

“Glad to hear it.” He groans as he rises to his feet. “I’m getting too old to sit on the floor like that.” 

He offers his hand. You take it and he pulls you to your feet. “Thank you, Joel.”

He nods. “I need to get back to work. I told Sarah I’d be home by 6 tonight.” 

“What time is it?” 

Joel looks down at his watch. You took Sarah into the city last fall to get it fixed for his birthday. “Just past four.” 

You stare up the steps, contemplating staying in your childhood bedroom tonight. You don’t have the energy to make the 20 minute drive home. Your energy is draining by the second. 

“You need sleep, and probably a shower.”

“Showered at work.” The stairs look like Mount Everest to your weary bones. “Think I'll crash on the couch.”

Joel sees it. “You’d still have clothes here?”

“There’s a set of pajamas I left at Christmas in my old room.”

“I’ll get them for you.”

“Room with-“

“The pink walls.” He chuckles, stomping up the stairs. Guess it was obvious seeing as you’re the only girl. 

You’re standing in the exact spot he left you in when Joel gets back. Your sleep shorts, and thin top in his hands. “Thanks.”

“No problem, and if you need anything while you’re here, just come over. Sarah and I will be home all weekend. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll stop by at some point. I’d love to see her too.”

You hadn’t seen Sarah since her soccer tournament this spring. You’d lived with your parents for almost a year after graduation before moving into the city to work at the only Level 1 trauma center in the area. 

Joel nods then stomps back up the steps. You change in the bathroom before folding into your parents' oversized sectional. It smells like comfort and all things nice. You can hear Joel working in your parents’ space upstairs, but it quickly fades as the darkness takes over. 

You wake up disoriented, not sure where you are. It’s completely dark around you, but you pull at little threads as they’re given. You’re definitely not in your bed. You can’t hear the city noises below your apartment. You sit up only to be greeted with a splitting headache. You’re in your parents' home. Everything comes filtering back through your brain. You shudder. You don’t want to think about it. 

You shove the blanket off your legs in a pursuit of water and advil. You don’t remember pulling a blanket over yourself, but quite frankly, you could’ve done anything in your sleep deprived state. The water dissolves the cotton in your mouth, but does little to dull the aching in your skull. You’ll have to wait for the drugs to kick in for that. The stove clock says it’s 2 am. 

You wander back to the couch, but the moment you lay down, the restlessness sets in. You toss and turn but your body says no. Finally, your headache has reduced to a dull ache, barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things. 

You know you need more sleep. You should probably sleep for 24 hours straight after the shift you just had, but you sit up again, brushing your hair out of your face. This is ridiculous. Your sleep schedule is already fucked up enough as is. Maybe you should start working the night shift. 

You pace through the dark house. You know the layout like the back of your hand. Your mother hasn’t so much as moved the furniture since you moved into this house when you were 6. 

You step out on the porch for air. It’s cooled down some. You contemplate driving home, but the peacefulness of the neighborhood is comforting. You can almost ignore the ache in your chest, pretend your brother is still alive. 

Across the street, you catch Joel’s TV playing some corny action movie through his big living room windows. You catch the outline of his head, the rehearsed movement of bringing a bottle to one’s lips. He’s not asleep.  

Your heart beats a little heavier in your chest. He had said to come over if you needed anything.  Right now, you need company. It might be the lack of sleep, but your bare feet hit the asphalt without a second thought as you cross the street. Your brain doesn’t even register what you’re doing until you knock on the door. 

You contemplate running away. Who doesn’t love a good game of ding dong ditch? You certainly did in your heyday. Why not relive the glory days when you ran this street?

The door opens pushing away all of the swirling thoughts in your mind. The cicadas play white noise in the background leaving your sole focus on Joel’s concerned brown eyes and your raging pulse. 

“You okay?” 

“I just- I saw your TV on. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” 

He gives you a soft smile, stepping aside. “Come on in.”

You exhale almost in relief, stepping across the familiar threshold. Part of you eases, but another tightens up. You’ve spent so many hours in this house, many late nights here, but never with Joel, with him watching you with such concern. Heat flares up your neck. 

“Can I get you anything? A snack? A drink?”

“It’s two a.m.”

“You’re the one who knocked on my door.” Joel teases.

“You told me to come over if I needed anything.”

“So what do you need?” The hour of the night scratches at his voice, sending a charge through the air. 

Your eyes snap up to his, knowing he didn’t mean anything by it other than to be kind, but it doesn’t help the way your skin prickles. You swallow down the lump that forms in your throat. “Company.” Joel smiles at you. Your eyes dart down to his lips. “And some water, please.”

“Coming right up.” He turns for the kitchen before you can do anything foolish. 

You rub your eyes, hoping to clear your head. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, it runs through our mind. Your inhibitions are lowered after the high flying emotions of the day. You can’t fall into his arms. They’re not open for you, not like that. 

You settle into the corner of the couch, pulling your knees to you chest as the familiar smell envelops you. A cheesy action movie plays lowly on the tv. Joel isn’t too far behind, passing off a glass of water as he eases onto the middle of the couch, arms spread across the back of the sofa. He doesn’t say anything, returning his attention to the tv. You appreciate that he doesn’t ask too many questions. He’s just letting you be. 

You attempt to watch the movie, but it’s bad, almost endearingly bad, but Joel seems to enjoy it. He’s the thing holding your attention. Joel is a good distraction. You’ve never gotten the chance to admire his profile in this way, this close, this undisturbed. If Joel catches on to your staring, he doesn’t let on. He lets you study. 

At some point, your mind takes over again, reminding you of the brother you no longer have, of the deep cavern in your soul. It doesn’t pour out of you like it did earlier with the fury of a hurricane. This is more like a peaceful stream, tears silently gathering in your eyes, falling with little fanfare. 

Joel’s hand falls to your knee, squeezing it softly. It’s the only acknowledgement from him, but it’s what you need. Long after your tears are gone, Joel’s hand stays, his fingers tracing absentminded patterns against the inside of your leg. 

Some line makes Joel chuckle as he shifts further into the couch. Your legs have fallen out in front of you, one brushing his thigh. You’re not sure you’ve ever been this close to him, unless you count last summer when you got drunk at the Randolf’s party. Embarassment floods your system, making you withdraw your legs slightly. 

Joel’s brow furrows, head turning to you. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you nod, not sure you’re convincing. “I’m just shifting.”

He gives you a once over from top to bottom. Your stomach dips. You know he means nothing by it, but your body doesn’t get the memo. As if to make matters worse, Joel slings his arm back over both your legs, pulling them over his lap. It tugs you closer, pressing more of you against him. Nothing about it is inherently sexual, but your body is on fire. 

You can smell him. The mixture of fading old spice and the ever present smell of dirt that has seared itself to him. You can’t take your eyes off his profile now. You’re close enough to count his eye lashes if you wanted to. In all your life, you never though you would be this close to him, with his hands on you. 

It’s not like that. It’s not like that, you repeat in your head because it’s not. Joel would never look at you like that. He’s too good of a guy. He’s just showing you comfort, but you can’t stop looking at him. The temptation to make a move so close, it’s hard to ignore. It’s not like that.

It’s like your brain is running a million miles a second, taking Joel in, his proximity, while clinging tightly to the thread of self control that keeps you from closing the gap.

Then he’s looking at you and he’s so close. Lights from the tv flicker off his brown eyes, drawing you in further. It wouldn’t take much effort to press your lips to his. Before you can stop yourself, years of college party instincts take over and you kiss him. You kiss Joel Miller. 

It’s a soft, lingering kiss, and then your mind forces you to withdraw. Joel sits still as a statue. He didn’t really kiss you back, but he didn’t push you away, and then it all comes crashing down. This isn’t some fucking frat party. He’s not a peer. This is Joel Miller. You spring to your feet. 

“Shit- fuck, Joel. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Your hands tangle in your hair. “I should go.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Joel stands. His hand cups your elbow, head stooping to be at eye level with yours. Tears shine in your eyes again. 

“It’s not actually.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, desperate to stop them. You’re not sure you can handle more tears right now. 

“Sweetheart, I promise. It’s not a big deal. You’re goin through a lot.” 

Your shoulders drop with relief. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He smiles. “You’re welcome to stay here tonight if you don’t want to be alone. I’ll take the couch.” 

And you want to say yes so badly. It sits on the tip of your tongue. You imagine what it would be like to curl up under his sheets, be immersed in him, but you swallow the quick response down. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay at home.” 

Joel nods. You think you catch some relief in his eyes. He probably wasn’t looking forward to sleeping on the couch. He scratches the back of his neck. 

“I don’t know how long you’re planning to hang around, but you’re welcome to join us for breakfast tomorrow. Sarah usually makes pancakes on Saturdays. I’m not a huge pancake person, but she loves it.”

You decide at that moment Joel Miller is a saint. You just made a fool of yourself. He shouldn’t want to see you again, let you around his kid, but he invites you over for breakfast, offers up his bed. 

“I’ll think about it.” You walk to the door. “Thanks. For everything.” You mean it too. 

“Of course. It’s what neighbors are for.”

You laugh. “Pretty sure this goes past the moral obligations of being neighbors.”

Joel shrugs. “You’ve been the one steady female influence in Sarah’s life. Pretty sure it goes past the moral obligations of being a babysitter.”’

A smile ghosts over your lips. “Goodnight, Joel.”

You open the front door. The wood of the front porch is still warm against your bare feet. Joel leans against the door frame. “Night, Sweetheart.” 

You wave, dashing across the street. You know you’re imagining it when you feel Joel watching you until your parents front door is shut behind your back, but you never hear his front door close. 

Taglist: @pedrotonin @amyispxnk @joeldjarin @ilovepedro @justagalwhowrites

@missladym1981 @jessthebaker @annieispunk @ashleyfilm @moel-jiller

@eloquentdreamer @lizzie-cakes @hiroikegawa

I carried over the taglist from Woman. If you were tagged and no longer want to be, please let me know! If you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know!

[sixhours]

Firsts - Birthday

Rating: Explicit (here be smut) Series tags: The Last of Us, The Last of Us (HBO), Joel and Ellie, Ellie Williams, Joel Miller x f!OFC, soft!Joel, no really super soft!Joel, Joel is a sap, mostly follows canon, fluff, fluffy baby stuff, no really this is sickeningly sweet, tooth-rotting, don't forget to brush your teeth Word count: 7k

Notes: Smut and a whole lotta fluff ahead!

You can also read Firsts on AO3.

Joel blinks awake, peering into the faint light that ekes around the edges of the blackout curtains, immediately on edge, a familiar sinking feeling in his gut telling him something is wrong.

He fumbles for the alarm clock, squinting at the time.

That can’t be right.

He scrambles out of bed, heart in his throat.

There’s no fuckin’ way.

Tiptoeing over to the crib, he peers over the side. Anna is sleeping soundly on her stomach, one fist pressed to her mouth, chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.

He blinks and clears the sleep from his eyes, just to be sure. She’s still breathing, still alive. His knees go weak with relief.

He creeps back to the bed, taking a seat and willing his heart to settle down.

She slept through the night.

Not even sure what to do with this information, he slides back into bed where Charlie is just beginning to stir.

“She’s…still asleep,” he says distantly.

“Mmph…what?”

“She slept through.”

Charlie blinks, looks over at the crib. “Well…holy shit.”

“Yeah. I don’t…”

“Wow.”

They look at each other in shared disbelief. Without thinking, Joel leans down and presses his lips to hers, half out of love, half out of sheer triumph.

“Hi,” she whispers when they finally part. He’s grinning, almost laughing, maybe a little manic.

He feels fucking amazing. Eight hours' sleep and he’s ready to conquer the world.

But first, he’ll start with her.

Leaning in again, he lets their lips meet tenderly, nipping at Charlie’s mouth until she sighs a deep, tremulous sigh, opening under him. He cups her face, hand cradling the delicate line of her jaw, brushing her cheek with his thumb. His hips grind into hers lightly, and he arches an eyebrow in a silent question.

“Mmm, yes,” she breathes.

Deepening the kiss, he rolls them, hand slipping under her sleep shirt to cradle the fullness of one breast, tongue darting out to lick the soft skin of her lower lip. Soon he can’t resist pushing the shirt up to see her, rich and ripe and ivory smooth. His tongue circles a nipple, gives a gentle, tender suck. She gasps and arches into him, his cue to keep going, and he does, laving at her breasts until she’s writhing beneath him.

He’s vaguely aware of her hand slipping into his boxers, then acutely aware of her stroking him. Rhythm momentarily lost, he pushes into her palm with a muffled groan. His hands wander over her soft curves, gripping at her hips, sliding down, down between her legs, finding her slick. He draws his fingers lightly back and forth, circling the way she likes, and it becomes a game to see who can get the other to break first. Then she pushes his hand away.

“Much as I…appreciate…the foreplay,” she says, panting softly. “We’re on borrowed time.”

“Mm,” he murmurs, catching her drift. They’ll need to be quick, as usual.

She throws her leg over his hip, not bothering to remove her underwear. He fumbles and pulls them aside, lines up, pushes inside.

“Hoooo-ly shit,” she gasps, at the edge of a whine, hands gripping his shoulders. “Oh, fuck, Joel–”

He’d like more time to ease into it, but they have what they have. How long has it been, anyway? Weeks?

Way too fuckin’ long.

“You good?” he rasps, stilling for a moment, letting her adjust.

She nods frantically and he growls a wordless response into the line of her jaw, kissing along it, rocking them with his hand gripping her ass, grinding into her until they’re both groaning softly and he’s buried to the hilt. Small wonder they are where they are, he thinks dully, looking down the barrel of sixty with a baby on his hip.

Her fingers dig into the meat of his bicep, other hand threading through the curls at the nape of his neck; his hair is getting long and he’s suggested cutting it, but she pouts with those sweet pink lips and shakes her head.

“I like it long,” she’ll say, eyes flashing. “More to hold.”

Just the thought has him careening toward the edge at a pace that’s frankly embarrassing. He grits his teeth and tries to think of anything other than the hot, wet clutch of her around him as they rock together. She may have indicated they should make it quick, but he has no intention of being premature about it.

The little sounds she’s making in his good ear are doing nothing to help, so he snakes a hand between them, slowing his pace to rub the rough pad of his index finger between her folds, offering her friction.

“Ohhh, fuck, yes…just like that, just–ah!”

He doesn’t trust himself to move, just lets her set the pace, writhing against him as he nips at her ear, traces the shell with his tongue, sucks at the ridge of her collarbone. When he feels her fluttering contractions, he stifles her moan with his lips and thanks fuck because he’s not going to last. A few more good thrusts and he’s coming, spilling inside her, fingers gripping the pillow by her head until his hand aches and his head is spinning.

Charlie smirks, blinking sleepily at him. He can feel the sweat at his temple and down his back as he rolls onto his side, trying to take his weight off her while keeping them joined. He nuzzles the hollow at her throat and waits for his breathing to settle, for the fog of release to clear.

“Not a bad way to wake up,” she murmurs, carding her fingers through his hair.

He gives a quiet grunt of agreement, but hasn’t found his words yet.

Then there’s a soft coo from the other side of the room.

“Uh oh,” Charlie whispers, carefully peering over Joel’s shoulder. “I think we have an audience.”

“Shiiiiiit,” he groans, pulling out with a soft hiss. He slowly looks back to find Anna standing in her crib, peering through the bars. At the sight of him she bounces on her feet and lets out a little cry of delight, raising one tiny hand and waving frantically.

Joel turns back to Charlie, face burning. “How long d’you think she’s been awake?”

She snorts a laugh and cups a hand to her mouth.

“D’you think–think she saw, uh–”

“Memory doesn’t kick in until at least two, so…if she did, she won’t remember it.”

That…does not make him feel better.

“She’s movin’ to her own room,” he grumbles. “Tonight.”

“Uh-huh,” Charlie says skeptically. “I’ve heard that before.”

“I mean it this time,” he mutters. “Movin’ her crib today. Soon as she’s down for her nap, I’m–”

Another cry, this one more insistent and accompanied by the soft smack smack of a chubby fist against the bars of the crib.

“Alright, baby girl,” Charlie sighs, slipping from the bed, stripping off her T-shirt. “We’re up.”

Joel wraps the sheet around his waist and watches as Charlie plucks Anna from the crib, swaying a little, then puts her to the breast. She barely nurses now, more interested in sticking her fingers in her mother’s mouth and nose and giggling when she gets a reaction. Charlie paces and gently redirects Anna’s grabby hands.

The sight of his partner–hair mussed, cheeks flushed, nursing their child–makes him glad to be as old as he is, otherwise he’d be starting the day with blue balls.

With that thought, Joel gets up, planting a kiss on the top of Anna’s fuzzy head, and another at Charlie’s temple.

“Gonna shower.”

Joel has just finished rinsing off when the shower curtain is pulled open and a naked, kicking baby appears, held aloft by her mother.

“Clean this, please,” she says.

He accepts the squirmy bundle and seats her against his side, adjusting the shower head so it’s not spraying in her face. Anna grins and grabs at Joel’s nose.

“Yeah, yeah. Better hope you got your mama’s,” he mutters, booping her little snub nose in return.

He grabs the rubber duck squeaky toy from the edge of the tub, offering it to her, making the sign for duck when she takes it in two chubby hands. She immediately shoves the head in her mouth and bites down hard; the duck lets out a pitiful squawk.

“Teethin’ again, huh?” he says, and she chomps on the toy even harder.

Joel reaches for the soap while she’s distracted, washing her as quickly as possible. When they’re both washed and rinsed, he wraps the baby in a towel, exchanging another kiss with Charlie as she gets into the shower.

He lets Anna loose to toddle around the bedroom while he gets dressed. She hangs onto the furniture, still hesitant about taking her first un-guided steps. He remembers Sarah doing the same thing at this age, leaving little drool trails along the edges of the furniture. He sweeps her up, tossing her on the bed and diapering her with skilled fingers.

“Alright, bug. Let’s get you dressed.” He tries to remember the sign for clothes but can’t; too early, no coffee. Ellie would know, he’ll have to ask her.

He pulls out overalls, a t-shirt, and socks, then a warm sweater for good measure. Anna rolls and wiggles and tries to crawl away as he wrestles her into the outfit piece by piece.

“Like tryin’ to dress a fish,” he mutters, making the sign for fish just to emphasize the point. Anna grins a gummy smile and grabs for his nose again. He blows a raspberry on her denim-clad belly and lets her sticky fingers grip his hair.

“Happy birthday, bug,” he whispers.

Downstairs, Joel plops her in the highchair with a smattering of frozen blueberries, freeing his hands to make breakfast.

“Birthday pancakes are a tradition in this family,” he says, signing as much as he can remember in her direction as he speaks. “You were too young to have ‘em on your sister’s birthday, but I think you’ll like ‘em.”

She gives a plaintive whine and swipes her hand across the highchair tray, scattering most of the berries to the far corners of the kitchen. She picks one of the stragglers up, carefully pinched between thumb and forefinger. Joel watches out of the corner of his eye as she sticks it into her mouth, then immediately spits it out with a trail of drool.

Yeah, definitely teething.

He’s just put the batter for the first pancake in the pan when Anna begins to fuss in earnest.

“Alright,” he sighs. “C’mere, you little gremlin.”

He balances her on one hip while watching the forming pancake, waiting for it to bubble. He’s just flipped it over when the front door opens.

“Oooh, birthday pancakes,” Ellie says in greeting. Anna nearly lurches out of Joel’s arms, both hands making grabby motions at her sister, and he fumbles to keep her upright and manage the stove at the same time.

“Take her,” Joel says. “Or the birthday pancakes are gonna be burnt-day pancakes.”

“Whoa–did you just make a pun?” She reaches out and takes Anna, who immediately tries to stuff her fingers up Ellie’s nose.

“You have no witnesses,” he says, flipping the first pancake, only slightly crispier than he’d like.

“Eh, I give it a five. Mostly for effort,” she smirks. “You’re Mr. Chipper today.”

Joel’s lips quirk in a smile. “She slept through the night.”

“Who, Charlie?”

He side-eyes her. “The baby, smartass.”

“You?” she asks, eyes on Anna, bouncing her in her arms until the baby leans over, pointing toward the floor. “You wanna get down, huh?”

“Think she’s gonna walk soon. Any day now.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

Anna holds onto the stool at the counter and looks up at Ellie with big, silver eyes. Ellie signs walk and Anna bounces up and down, then reaches up with one hand and a whine.

“Up? Again?”

“Her favorite game,” Joel grumbles, sliding the next pancake onto the plate and covering it. “Up, down, up, down, all damn day.”

Ellie holds her little sister in the air and wiggles her until she laughs, riotous and drooling.

“She spits up on you, I’m not cleanin’ it up.”

“Grumpy old man,” Ellie says, tossing her sister in the air. “Never lets us have any fun, huh?”

“Real fun gettin’ puked on.”

Anna signs down again and Ellie obliges. This time the baby drops to her hands and knees and crawls, making a beeline for something on the floor just as Charlie comes downstairs, hair damp from the shower, dressed in jeans and layers.

“First day back,” Ellie says. “You nervous?”

“A little,” she admits. “But I’m looking forward to it, too.”

It’s been a year and a half since Charlie was taken off patrol duties for maternity leave. She’s done a few shorter runs to warm up, re-trained on her weapons, but today she’ll be outside the walls for the whole day. Joel’s stomach twists at the thought, but he makes his voice light.

“She’ll be fine. I’m the one who should be nervous,” Joel says, eyeing Anna, who has crawled to the corner to find one of those errant blueberries, shoving it in her mouth before anyone can intervene. “Leavin’ me with the feral one here.”

“Yuck,” Charlie remarks, plucking the baby up, examining her sticky hands, now stained with rich purple juice and flecked with dust. She washes her at the sink before putting her back in the highchair.

“Builds her immune system,” Ellie quips. “And that’s not a nice way to talk about your kid, dude.”

“Who says I was talkin’ about her?” he smirks. “I have more than one kid, y’know.”

“Well, I know you’re not talking about me, because I’m on patrol today, too.”

“I know,” Joel says pointedly. “And you be careful, y’hear? No wanderin’ off, stay with the group, keep your–”

“‘Keep your wits about ya, eyes and ears open,’” she says in a terrible impression of his drawl. “I got it, I got it. Not my first rodeo.”

“Patrol ain’t a rodeo,” Joel grumbles, placing a plate of pancakes in front of her. “Here, eat.”

Anna lets out a faint screech of protest at the sight of Ellie’s food, frantically signing “please” until Joel drops a handful of bite-sized pancake pieces in front of her. She makes a happy burbling noise, grabbing one and squishing it in her fist before shoving it in her mouth, fist and all. For a few minutes, things are blissfully calm.

“That goes for you, too,” he says quietly to Charlie, pouring a mug of chicory coffee and holding it out. She’s digging through the fridge, pulling out the milk. “Be careful out there. Don’t gotta be a hero.”

“You said it yourself. I’ll be fine,” she says, taking the coffee with a smile and a kiss that warms his cheek.

He nods, bites the inside of his lip, silently reassuring himself. Charlie is a crack shot, capable, steady handed with a sharp eye. A few more runs to get her feet under her and she’ll be back to leading patrols again. Nothing has changed.

Everything has changed.

“Oh, the cake’s in the fridge,” Charlie says. “I asked them to set aside our dinner at the kitchen so we don’t have to cook, but you need to pick it up.”

“Think Anna and I can manage that. Right, bug?”

He turns toward her and does a double take. In the five minutes she’s had her food, Anna has managed to get blueberry juice and pancake crumbs from the tips of her fingers to the roots of her hair. She smacks the tray in front of her and grins with berry-streaked teeth.

Ellie, whose table manners are only marginally better, has already finished her plate, too.

“Shit, forgot my gloves,” she says, hopping off the stool with her mouth still half full. “Meet you over there?”

“Will do,” Charlie says, sipping at her coffee. Ellie is out the door before Joel can finish saying goodbye, and Charlie turns to him, fixes him with her silver stare. “You sure you’ll be alright?”

He sighs and leans back against the counter, nursing his own mug. “Be just fine,” he says. “Nothin’ I haven’t done before.”

And it’s true, he doesn’t mind staying back. He never had the privilege of seeing Ellie’s childhood, and he saw a lot less of Sarah’s than he wanted to. Most days it felt like she spent more time with Tommy or the Adlers than him, a source of guilt that still gnaws at him, absent from so many hours in a life cut short. He was always missing something, always late, always falling short.

Things are different with Anna in so many ways, but at least in this life, he gets to be there for it, blueberry-stained fingers and all.

They say their goodbyes at the door, Anna perched on Joel’s hip.

“You’ll come back,” he says, softer than he means to, and Charlie just nods. They embrace, the baby squished awkwardly between them.

“Wave to mama,” he says around the lump in his throat, and Anna does, dutifully flapping her hand until Charlie is down the street and out of sight.

“Dunno why we bother with the shower,” Joel sighs, looking the baby over when it’s just the two of them. “Y’look like you ate a damn Smurf.”

It takes another half hour to clean Anna and get her dressed to go out, several wipe-downs and a fresh outfit and everything short of a second bath before she’s bundled in her snowsuit and strapped to Joel’s back. Thankfully she’s still portable and happy to be carried, or the morning errands would take that much longer.

His first stop is the greenhouse, to pick up their share of vegetables for the week, meager as it is this time of year. Their neighbor, Marjorie, is doling out shares when Joel steps up to the counter. She coos at Anna, talking in a sing-song baby-talk voice.

“Aw, is someone giving Mommy a break today?”

Joel bites the inside of his cheek and forces a smile. End of the fuckin’ world and the Mr. Mom jokes are just as annoying as they were back when he was toting Sarah around. He’s about to brush it off when a voice carries over his shoulder.

“I should hope he’s taking care of his own child. You make it, you take it.”

Joanie, the midwife, pushes past them in her usual brusque manner. For once, he’s happy for her sharp tongue.

Marjorie isn’t fazed, only greets the gray-haired midwife and hands her a bag of garlic and onions and sprouts, then turns back to Joel.

“It’s a wonder you have so much energy,” she continues breezily. “I just don’t know what I’d do if I had a little one at our age.”

Never mind that Marjorie is at least ten years his senior, he’s not even the oldest father in Jackson–there are plenty of older parents, although most of them are adoptive. Still, most folks aren’t tactless enough to mention it.

Joanie seems to have moved on, so Joel is left to his own devices with a response.

“We manage,” he grits out. “You have a good day, Mrs. Allan.”

She opens her mouth, probably to say something even more offensive, but he’s already out the door. If anyone gives him shit later, he’ll use his bad hearing as an excuse.

Next, he swings by the caf to pick up their dinner for the night. It’s nothing fancy–a canister of soup and a fresh loaf of bread–but it will be nice to have a family meal at home, no interruptions from well-meaning neighbors about council business, and trying to keep Anna focused on her food during the hustle and bustle of community dining is a challenge. Joel is reminded why–aside from financial reasons–they rarely dined out when Sarah was little.

The kitchen staff fawn over the baby while they wait for their food. None of them seem to have opinions on his age or his fitness as a parent, for which he’s grateful, and they chat with Anna in normal, adult tones. She can’t hear, but the kid soaks up their attention nonetheless, grinning from ear to ear and flapping her hands when she gets excited. José, the head chef, hands Joel an extra biscuit as they’re leaving.

”Is stale,” he says in a thick accent, miming biting motions. “Good for new teeth, yes?”

Joel thanks him and pockets the biscuit for later, then they walk across the street to the Jackson library, where a small crew is working on a renovation inside. He can’t enter the construction area with the baby on his back, but he checks in with the foreman so he can update Maria on the status, marveling to himself how much like old times it is–for better or worse. There’s talk of creating a children’s library, but supplies are scarce and there are multiple projects competing for the council’s attention. They’ll probably have to hold a community-wide vote in the spring.

Joel doesn’t have a head for politics. Anna doesn’t, either, because she starts fussing as the conversation turns to resource management, smacking him on the shoulders as if to say, “It’s time to go.”

“Lookit her,” the foreman says. “She’ll be runnin’ this place soon enough.”

“Think she already is,” Joel mutters, wondering if this is what his horse feels like as she kicks him lightly in the ribs.

They take a breather in the square to look at the Christmas tree. It’s quiet, so Joel unstraps Anna, much to the relief of his back, and lets her roam while she chews on her biscuit. One mittened hand in his, she toddles alongside him on unsteady feet, distracted by the lights, the snow underfoot, the baubles on the tree. She points and gestures in sign, most of which only she can understand even if she weren’t wearing gloves and holding a biscuit, but he catches a few–”daddy” is one, and the fist-waving motion they’ve collectively decided means “Ellie.” He talks back in his own limited combination of spoken word and sign; even if he’s not making sense, at least she knows he’s listening.

When she inevitably drops the biscuit in favor of trying to put the snow in her mouth, he sweeps her up and walks to the tree, letting her grab at the branches and ornaments. It’s not her first Christmas–that was five days after she was born–but it’s the first one she’s fully alert for, and the wonder in her eyes is enough to make Joel feel some of that Christmas spirit everyone likes to go on about.

Eventually he plops her back into the carrier for the walk to the town hall, the old gymnasium that serves as a gathering space with a row of small offices off the back. Maria is working in one of the smaller rooms when they arrive, seated at a desk with a pile of ledgers and files in front of her while three-year-old Isabel plays with stacking blocks on the floor. The little girl grins up at him, waving one of her blocks.

“Unca Jo!”

“Hey, kiddo,” he says, feeling that bittersweet pull in his chest at the sight of her. Curly brown hair and dark skin, she looks an awful lot like Sarah did at that age. “Wanna play with your cousin for a bit?”

“Baby!” Isabel says.

“Mornin’,” Joel greets Maria, unstrapping Anna from the carrier and extracting her from her snowsuit. Thanks to Isabel’s presence, the office has already been baby-proofed. “Take it Tommy’s outside today?”

“He’s on the wall,” she says. “How’s Charlie holding up?”

“Good, I hope,” he grimaces, then looks up, concerned. “Why? You heard somethin’?”

“No, but no news is good news. I’m sure they’re fine. I just recall my first few runs after Izzy being…an adjustment.”

“Oh, I remember,” he smirks, thinking of Tommy, not yet confident in his solo-parenting abilities, and more than one frantic knock on Joel’s door.

“And how about you?” Maria asks. “Behaving for the birthday girl?”

She smiles, watching as Anna zeroes in on one of Isabel’s toys and crawls over to investigate. The kids play side-by-side well enough. As much as Anna adores Ellie, Joel is grateful she’ll have someone closer in age to grow up with–not unlike him and Tommy, he thinks.

“We’re gettin’ by,” he says. “She slept through last night, so this is probably as good as it’s gonna get.”

“Wow,” she whistles, holding up a ledger. “Then you’ll be more awake for this than me.”

They go over the next week’s patrol schedule, the expansion renovations on the library, and supplies for repairs at the clinic. He’s taken on more responsibility in the community in an effort to stay closer to home, which means working with his sister-in-law more often than not. They may have gotten off to a rocky start, but they’ve made a tenuous peace in the months since Anna was born. As Tommy was quick to point out, they have more in common than they’d like to admit.

Eventually, they’re interrupted by a rising shriek from the corner.

“Mine! Mine! Noooo, mine!”

The peaceful play has dissolved into a fight over one of the toys–a block, nearly identical to all the other blocks, but Isabel has decided this one is special.

Yep, just like him and Tommy, he thinks, sighing.

There’s wailing from both parties, fat crocodile tears in Anna’s eyes and a lower-lip pout for maximum sympathy.

“Isabel, are you sharing?” Maria asks, the exasperation in her voice suggesting she already knows the answer.

“No! Mine!” Izzy says, holding the block tightly to her chest as Anna grabs for it again.

“Her favorite word,” Maria mutters as Joel reaches down to pick Anna off the floor. “She’s too little to share, baby. She doesn’t understand.”

“Mine,” Isabel huffs. “No baby.”

“Think we’ve done as much as they’ll let us,” Joel says. “Time to get this one down for a nap, anyway.”

“Wanna trade?” Maria asks as they separate the cousins, a tired smile gracing her lips.

“Not a chance in H-E-L-L,” Joel chuckles, wrestling Anna back into her snowsuit before hefting her onto his hip. She tucks her head under his chin, sniffling. He remembers the three-year-old attitude all too well, temper tantrums and power struggles galore. The Miller genes run strong that way, and he’ll have his fair share soon enough. “We’ll see you for dinner tonight?”

“Right. Hopefully this one is in better spirits…although somehow I doubt it.”

“Good luck,” he says, and he means it.

He opts to hold Anna rather than bothering with the carrier. She’s too tired to wiggle around, anyway, gnawing on one fist and whimpering her displeasure into his neck as they walk the few blocks home.

“I know,” he murmurs, hoping the rumble in his chest will soothe her since his hands aren’t free. “Your uncle an’ I were a lot like that growin’ up, always gettin’ into spats over things. You an’ Iz will have to figure your shit out just like we did. Might be a pain in your ass, but family’s family.”

Anna offers a displeased grunt and a whine in response.

“Yeah, that’s about how it goes,” he sighs.

At home, Joel puts away the food and digs a bottle out of the fridge to warm over the stove. Charlie has mentioned weaning soon, and he tries to imagine a day when they aren’t washing bottles and their freezer isn’t full of breastmilk. It’s almost as impossible to believe that a year ago, he could hold this same child one-handed, the scant length of her fitting easily along his forearm.

Anna clings to his shirt and fusses while he paces and waits for the bottle to heat. His own damn fault, they should have been home an hour ago.

“It’s comin’, baby girl.”

When the milk is finally warm through, he picks up Anna and the bottle and takes them into the living room, collapsing in the rocker with a groan, the kind that would inspire a whole lot of lip from Ellie if she were here to hear it. Anna can hold her own bottle, but she lets him do the honors today, as if sensing he’s feeling some way about it. Within minutes, she’s looking up at him with long, sleepy blinks as her jaw works, lulled by the rocking motion and the rumble of a low lullaby in his chest.

Oh I’d like to visit the moon,

On a rocket ship high in the air,

Yes I’d like to visit the moon,

But I don’t think I’d like to live there.

Though I’d like to look down at the earth from above,

I would miss all the places and people I love,

So although I might like it for one afternoon,

I don’t want to live on the moon.

Soon she drifts off and rather than put her to bed, he holds her, savoring the quiet and the weight of her in his arms, because all too soon she won’t fit there, won’t want to be carried or rocked or sung to sleep.

He’s in no rush.

The afternoon passes in a blur of laundry, snacks, and entertaining the world’s grumpiest post-nap baby.

“You take after your sister,” he mutters, bouncing her through another round of jagged fussing. “Naps piss her off, too.”

He finds a frozen washcloth in the freezer and puts her in the highchair with it. She chews on the cloth angrily for a minute or two, then throws it on the floor and wails. They repeat the cycle–pick up cloth, chew, throw, scream–while he finishes the morning dishes. He thinks about taking her for another walk, but decides against it; wrestling her into the snowsuit when she’s already fussy will only cause them both grief and probably give him a fuckin’ headache.

So it’s back to the baby carrier she goes, on his front this time so she can bury her face in his chest while she gnaws on her fist and he does what he can to clean; laundry, sweeping old blueberries off the floor, picking up around the kitchen.

Then he plops her down in the middle of the living room with a basket of toys and joins her on the floor, figuring at least if she’s crawling around, she’ll work off some energy. She’s still fussy but climbing over him and chewing on one of the little wooden dinosaurs he carved provides a momentary distraction. He tips his head back on the arm of the couch and lets his eyes close for a second; a full night’s sleep and he’s still fuckin’ wiped.

Gettin’ too old for this shit, a voice whispers in the back of his head, but it’s soon drowned out by a whine. He’s brought fully back to the moment by two hands smacking his cheeks and a slobbery wet kiss on his nose.

“Caught me sleepin’ on the job, huh, bug?” he murmurs. She flutters her hands in response, more baby signs. He pulls her in, lets her nuzzle her snotty nose in the crook of his neck while he rubs a hand up and down her back. She calms, and he feels a swell of pride through his exhaustion. He’s old as dirt and his back is killing him, but he’s still good for something, at least.

When the front door opens around five, they’re back to pacing and bouncing, Joel holding on to the last shred of his sanity and Anna voicing her disapproval. Charlie is visibly tired but otherwise intact.

“Uneventful,” she says, just as Joel opens his mouth to ask how the patrol went. “All’s clear. Ellie is showering. How did it go?”

The knot of tension he’s carried around all day gradually unwinds. Everyone is back inside the walls and safe…if not happy. As if to make the point, Anna reaches out to her mother, frantically making the sign for mama through her tears.

“It, uh…went better this morning.”

Charlie takes Anna, relief written in the lines that smooth from her brow as soon as the baby is settled in her arms, a missing piece slotted back into place.

“I’m going to get cleaned up and nurse her before everyone shows up.”

“Be my guest,” Joel sighs, rubbing at his neck. “She's pretty tired of her old man.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Charlie says, mock frowning as Anna wraps her pudgy arms around her mother’s neck and makes offended cooing noises into her cheek. “Let’s go upstairs and you can tell me all about it, okay, sweet girl?”

Anna gives a tiny, muffled whimper in answer.

When they’re gone, his ears are ringing with the lingering quiet. Joel busies himself with all the things he meant to do before Charlie got home–he folds the laundry, picks up the living room, and puts the soup on low to reheat while he chops vegetables. An hour passes, so he climbs the stairs, suspecting Charlie has drifted off while nursing. It’s been a long day, and it wouldn’t be the first time. But he finds her awake, freshly showered and sitting up in bed with Anna at her breast.

“They’ll be here soon,” he says softly, easing the bedroom door open.

“Thanks…we'll be down in a minute,” she whispers. There’s a hitch in her voice that resets that tightness in his chest.

“What’s wrong? Somethin’ happen?”

“No…it’s nothing,” she whispers. She’s cupping Anna’s head, smoothing her fluffy dark hair. There’s the glint of tears on Charlie’s cheeks and his stomach sinks.

“Is it the patrols? ‘Cause you don’t have to do ‘em. It ain’t like before,” he says, thinking of all those times he left Sarah behind to bring in a paycheck. “I can ask Maria to–”

“No, no,” she shakes her head, looking up. “Patrol was…good. I–I felt more like…myself out there. Strong. Capable.”

She smiles then, almost beams, and his heart skips.

“It reminded me…I’m not just a–a walking milk machine,” she sniffs, chuckling wetly.

“You’re more than that,” he murmurs, coming over to take a seat on the edge of the bed. Anna is breathing slow and deep, suckling occasionally, eyelashes fluttering–milk drunk.

“It’s just…going so fast,” Charlie whispers. “It feels like yesterday she was this tiny little thing. I swear she got bigger in the hours I was away.”

“Yeah,” Joel sighs, all too familiar with the paradox; how all those long nights add up to the blink of an eye. “Yeah…they do that.”

“I’m not ready for her to grow up,” she sighs. “But I guess I don’t have a choice, huh?”

“‘Fraid not. We still have a few years left, though,” he murmurs, reaching up to trace the line of her jaw, catching a stray tear on his thumb. “She’s gonna need us for a while.”

She gives him a sad half-smile and he leans in, lets their lips meet tenderly. He’s shit with words, but this is their language. It’s the one that put them here, after all.

Then there’s a soft whine and a tiny hand smacks his cheek. He breaks the kiss, looks down, finds Anna still latched, scowling up at him.

Charlie laughs, a throaty, lovely sound. “You’re encroaching on her territory.”

“I was here first,” he mumbles, bending down to nuzzle at the baby’s soft, pink cheek. He peppers her with kisses, soaks up the scent of her, fresh shampoo and milk, then pretends to nibble on her fingers until she cackles.

“Little punk,” he says, punctuating the word with a final kiss.

“I notice you didn’t move the crib,” Charlie says, arching an eyebrow.

“Yeah, well. Maybe she can stay in here a little longer. ‘Specially if she keeps sleepin’ through the night.”

There’s the creak of an opening door downstairs and a familiar voice calls up.

“S’up assholes? Where’s the party!”

“Be down in a minute, El,” Joel calls over his shoulder before turning back to Charlie, catching her eye. “Sure you’re alright?”

“Go on,” she nods. “We’ll be down soon.”

Joel makes to leave but finds himself lingering at the door, catching one last look before his family’s chaos descends on their home. He points at himself, crosses his fists over his chest, then points to them.

I love you.

Charlie’s slow blink and a smile is all the answer he needs.

He goes downstairs, finds Ellie in the kitchen, investigating the soup bubbling on the stove. Without preamble, he goes over and pulls her into a hug, letting the embrace linger a little longer than usual. She’ll be eighteen in a few months.

It really does go by too fast.

She looks up at him warily when he finally pulls away. “Uhhh, what was that for? Are you dying?”

“Jesus,” he sighs. “No, I ain’t dyin’. Can’t I hug my kid?”

“Hmm, I guess,” she says. “When’s everyone getting here? I’m starving.”

As if on cue, there’s a knock at the front door, the sound of someone letting themselves in.

“Looks like…now,” he sighs. “I’ll finish up here, you greet the crazy train?”

“Roger that.”

Soon the house is full, the sounds of conversation and laughter drifting from the living room as they settle in. Maria and Charlie compare notes on weaning, Tommy and Ellie rag on Joel’s cooking (“I didn’t even make most of it, you assholes”), and the kids only have to be gently separated and redirected a few times.

Later, there’s cake and strawberry ice cream. Isabel helps to blow out the candle while Anna blinks up at everyone, overwhelmed by the sudden audience. She digs into her slice of cake at first tentatively, then with gusto, grabbing fistfuls and stuffing it into her mouth with a pleased humming sound. She opens a few presents with help from Isabel–some board books, a carved wooden brontosaurus to add to her collection of chew toys, a quilt made from clothing scraps.

It’s a humble celebration as most of them are, but it’s theirs.

It’s long past Anna’s bedtime when Tommy, Maria, and Isabel leave. It’s a special day and the baby is in good spirits, so Charlie sets her in the highchair and puts a record on the turntable while the three of them clean up.

Or, Joel and Charlie clean up–Ellie is supposed to be sweeping, but she’s mostly dancing around the kitchen making silly faces. Anything to make the baby laugh. And then she spins one spin too many and crashes into Joel just as he’s rinsing the last of the plates.

“Whoa,” he says, turning and catching her before she crashes to the floor. “Easy, kiddo. Gonna hurt yourself with those two left feet a’ yours.”

“You have two left feet, jerk.”

“Do not. Here,” he says, drying his hands on a towel before holding them out.

“You’re so lame,” she says, but she takes his hands.

“Now–stand on my feet.”

“I’m pretty sure the point of dancing is not to step on your partner’s feet, dude.”

“Just do it.”

“I’m gonna crush you!”

“You won’t, you’re puny,” he teases. “C’mon. Used to do this with Sarah all the time.”

Ellie giggles. “Alright, but don’t fucking blame me if you throw your back out again.”

“Not gonna,” he says. “Ready?”

“Ready,” she grins, carefully stepping onto the tops of his toes. It’s a balancing act, and when they’re finally somewhat stable, he moves, picking up their combined feet in an awkward shuffling crab walk. Soon her giggling devolves into full-on laughter, until she gives up on trying to balance in favor of wrapping her arms around his waist to hold on. Even Charlie has stopped drying the dishes and turned to watch, lips quirked in amusement.

Joel smirks at her over the top of Ellie’s head. “Wanna turn?”

As if on cue, Anna screeches from her highchair, hands stuck straight out in front of her, fingers opening and closing in the universal gesture for gimme.

“Think someone wants to cut in,” he says to Ellie, giving her one last squeeze before she hops off his feet and goes to her sister.

“Alright, crotch goblin. Show us your moves.”

Ellie takes the baby and pretends to fly her through the air before landing her like a rocket ship, complete with fake engine noises, then holds her hands so she can walk over to Joel. He tries to put her feet on his, but she’s too excited, bouncing on the tips of her toes, so he settles for letting her continue to bounce until Joel has to stand up to save his back. He takes her with him, tossing her into the air to the sound of her delighted giggles, again and again, until the giggles turn into belly laughs.

“Dude, she’s gonna puke on you,” Ellie says. “She’s got that look.”

“No she ain’t,” he says, tossing her again for good measure, rewarded with another cackle.

“She is! You said–”

“I’m barely even–”

He’s interrupted by the wet splat of spit-up down the front of his shirt.

There’s a long pause where Joel can only stare at the little girl held out in front of him as she chews on one finger and giggles, unbothered by the mess. Ellie is the first to break the silence, howling with laughter as she collapses against the counter.

“Ain’t that funny,” Joel mutters.

“It really fucking is,” she wheezes, gasping for breath. “Dude, I warned you.”

He glances at Charlie, whose lips are pressed in a hard line, obviously trying to smother her laughter for his sake.

“Oh, go on,” he mutters, handing the baby over. “Take this one. Need to change my damn shirt.”

Upstairs, he strips off his soiled flannel and undershirt, digging through a basket of laundry to find a clean tee. He half-smiles to himself, shaking his head as he finds the little yellow sleeper tucked in the bottom, part of a pile of things ready to go to the trading post. He holds it up, remembering when it was too big, nostalgia flaring bright in his chest.

With a soft huff, carefully folds the sleeper and sets it on top of the pile, glancing at his watch in the process. The face is still shattered, the hands still frozen in time, and suddenly the ache of Anna’s fading babyhood is a welcome one.

The sound of laughter echoes up the stairwell like music, bringing him back. Joel shrugs on a fresh shirt and pauses on the landing, exhaustion and contentment settling over him as he listens to his family.

He grips the watch over his wrist, giving it a light squeeze, then walks downstairs to rejoin them.

[starhvney]

𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 ☆ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: dante, travis, vylad

𝐂𝐖: NSFW, sexual content and kinks, but nothing extreme or disturbing

𝐀/𝐍: happy fourth of july if anyone decides i need to be spayed after this please do it before the fireworks show thanx!!!! also sorry if this is incoherent i was lowkey going insane writing this lol

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑷𝑶𝑺𝑻 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑺 𝑵𝑺𝑭𝑾 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻, 𝑰𝑭 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑬 𝑶𝑹 𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑺𝑬𝑿𝑼𝑨𝑳 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑷𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬 𝑫𝑵𝑰.

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄 | mirror sex, cock warming, teasing, dirty talk

☆ normally not a day goes by without this man at least whispering something completely dirty in your ear, his hands wandering and grabby for whatever he can appropriately reach at the time. you two could be having a normal time chilling on the couch and all of a sudden you’re in his lap while he asks you to just “warm him up” for a bit.

“quit twitching so much.” dante chuckles in your ear, hands squeezing the fat of your hips that he holds securely in place. “i’m trying to watch the movie.”

he hasn’t let you budge a single bit since he had you sit down on his dick, trapping you and keeping you snug in his lap. the tv screen had been flashing light against your eyelids ever since you closed them a good while ago, whatever you both had been watching long gone from your mind.

“shut up.” you breathe, involuntarily fluttering around him as you try to shift your hips again. “that’s not what you’re trying to do and you know it.”

another huff of amused air rustles your hair as his hips shift under you, bringing a rather pathetic-sounding moan from your lips when he twitches inside of you.

“oh?” he coos at you, voice nothing if not full of mischief. “why don’t we go to the bedroom, then?”

☆ his teasing doesn’t end there. it never does. especially when you’re fixed so pretty on his lap, both of your forms reflected in the mirror he had been sure to fix right in front of your shared bed when you got it. 

“what’re you so embarrassed for? look right ahead, baby.”

you’d slap him if you didn’t feel so good right now, one of his hands circling and rubbing your clit while the other grabs onto your chin, forcing your head to look forward at your reflection.

even if you wanted to close your legs for some sort of reprieve from his touch you wouldn’t be able to. your legs have been hooked over his, feet trapped between his calves and the bed, leaving you completely at his mercy as he spreads you out on top of him.

your eyes meet his through the mirror and he looks like he could cum right there, his eyes rolling back for a second when he sees that breathless look on your face.

“holy shit you’re so hot.” he groans, pressing a sloppy kiss against your neck. 

☆ at a certain point he can’t even draw it out any longer, his own patience thinning out the closer you get to the edge. his arms find themselves wrapping tightly around your waist, giving him the momentum to completely lose himself in you. 

your hands have found their place on his thighs, fingers digging into his bare skin as you’re continuously lifted and dropped back down onto his cock. he doesn’t even flinch at the pinch of your nails against him, all of his focus on how good you both feel.

his shoulder has become the place for your head to fall back on, broken moans leaving your lips with every bounce on his lap. you’d already cum twice at this point, head dizzy as you watched your mixed release ring around the base of his shaft.

“so good, taking it all for me. you’re so tight.” he unabashedly moans into your ear, breaths hitting your ear as he shows no sign of stopping, even as your legs violently shake against his. “love makin’ you feel good.”

☆ even when you’re both spent, he doesn’t stop running his mouth, even if his words are slurred as both of you lay back on the sheets in exhaustion. 

“you were s’good. you’re so sexyyy-” he mutters against the side of your head, eyes dropping closed.

“dante, shut up.”

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐒 | face sitting, lingerie/cosplay/dress-up, noise play

☆ this dirty-minded man. you honestly should’ve expected it, with how much he drools over your ass and thighs any chance he gets. before he even gets any kind of pleasure from you, he begs for you to trap his face between your thighs.

“don’t be shy, babe, you’re not gonna hurt me.” he coaxes you, hands tugging you down as you hover over him. “please. i’ll make you feel so good, promise.”

nervously, you lower yourself on his face, your thighs feeling unbelievably soft as he presses them against his cheeks, pulling your core right over his lips.

immediately he goes all in, hands squeezing your ass, fully rolling your cunt onto his mouth as he begins to messily eat you out. 

☆ the noises he makes are downright pornographic, the mixes of his satisfied moans and the crude wet slurps of his tongue nearly enough to make the tightening in your abdomen snap. and with his eagerness, it’s hard to hold back. especially when he’s wanting you to be loud, too. 

“keeping making those noises f’me, hon.” he takes a breath, not caring how his face was covered in your juices or how his eyes were completely glazed over in lust as he looked up at you with those pleading eyes.

even if you were trying to stay quiet it’s impossible now, not with his determination to get your voice to echo off the walls. he’s curling his tongue in all the right places, shaking his head back and forth for his nose to brush just right against your clit.

when you try to pull away, the electric shock of pleasure growing to its peak, he pulls you right back in, having you ride it out while he relishes in the whines you make. his eyes are rolled back as he drinks up everything you give him, completely drunk on the way you taste.

☆ and when you add a skimpy little outfit or lingerie on top of all of that? oh, he’s going feral.

“you make me feel like such a perv.” he groans, one of his hands placed between your shoulder blades keeping you face down on the bed while the other pushes the tight nurse costume above your ass. “you knew this would turn me on, huh?”

the lace underneath that did anything but provide you modesty has him reeling, the hard-on straining against his pants borderline painful.

it’s only a minute later that he’s frantically driving himself into you, both of his hands gripping your ass and spreading you out to watch as you take him. 

“i already feel better, nurse. this treatment is just for me, right? cause i’m your favorite?”

…he used to be a theater guy, so it’s a given he’d be getting a little into it.

☆ he clings to you afterward, resting his head on your chest and hands resting on your hips, a position that was totally and completely unrelated to the activities you were just up to.

“…can you dress up like a maid next time?” he mutters into your boobs, and you can feel the perverted smile curving on his lips. 

that earns a harsh slap to his back.

𝐕𝐘𝐋𝐀𝐃 | soft sex, praise, pampering/babying, body worship

☆ it’s sickeningly sweet, how vylad handles you in bed. honeyed words leave his lips as soon as the clothes are stripped from your body.

you’re not sure if you should be turned on, fall asleep, or start crying at the gentle caresses that ghosted along your skin. vylad’s lips pepper sweet kisses against your neck, sending warm shockwaves across your whole nervous system.

“you’re so beautiful.” he murmurs, fingers traveling between your thighs, coaxing your folds open.

he works one finger in, massaging you open before adding another finger, then another. he doesn’t stop the path of his lips against you either, his kisses lining your jaw and nearing your ear. 

“there you go, just relax for me. i’m gonna take care of you. don’t worry your pretty little head about anything else.”

☆ and it’s true. you don’t even have to think, your mind only dizzily swirling with thoughts of vylad and how good you felt as he took the lead.

it’s like you were drunk, thoughts incoherent while vylad’s slow pace melted and churned your insides. your vision was blurred and crossed every time you opened your eyes, so you settle on completely letting yourself turn brain-dead.

“you're doing so well for me.. good girl.” he whispers, voice softer than the pillows you laid on.

whatever chance you had at being anything other than putty in his hands flies straight out the window.

he rocks into you at a slow pace, dragging himself out to the head before pushing in all the way back down to the hilt. every time he drove himself back in he managed to hit that perfect spot, sending your eyes to the back of your head and shockwaves up your spine. 

throughout it all his words stay just as steady as his pace, his voice soft and quiet in your ear. 

“does it feel good when i do that?”

“look at you… so sweet.”

“you’re so perfect, you know that?”

☆ he’s so overwhelmingly loving to you, it almost makes you want to shy away. especially with how his eyes linger on every part of you. from the expressions you make to how your chest softly bounces with every thrust, down to where your waist curves and your bodies meet. he won’t let you hide from him, though.

vylad’s hands laced with yours, pinning them both by your head and leaving you completely vulnerable to him.

“you’re so beautiful. right now and all the time.” he whispers, eyes unashamedly tracing across every curve and line of your skin, taking in every feature of your face.

“if only you could see the way you look right now.”

☆ after you’re both done his praise doesn’t stop, even as the pleasure slurs his words together and has him pressing his weight onto you.

“so good. you feel so good.” he sighs, hips and chest flush with yours. his face is tucked in the crook of your neck, heavy breaths leaving goosebumps against your sweaty skin.

“my girl. you did so well for me.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

[angie-likes-to-art]

Fic Recs (Stranger Things Edition IV)

My semester is over and I can finally read fanfics again!! and maybe write??? All fics are fem!reader

Marvel One Two Three Harry Potter One Two Three Stranger Things One Two Three Specific Characters Tangerine Masterlist

Like a Random Tuesday in December by @bimrwolf (18+ Only)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader Summary: “Reader had always had a crush on Steve, but he is not interested. Yet, when he starts to get closer to her, he realizes he made a mistake because it might be too late.”

Whip it! by @schoopsahoy

Pairing: Steve Harrington x roller-rink!Reader Summary: “steve gets forced into taking the kids to the new roller rink, but he doesn’t mind so much once he meets you. basically just steve being a massive simp for reader.”

Dazed and Confused by @caxde

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “you work on Hawkin's music shop, and Eddie is a regular costumer. Your friends (Steve and Robin mostly) help you to gain confidence and flirt with him.”

Start Me Up by @jobean12-blog (18+ Only)

Pairing: Mechanic!Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “Your car needs a major tune up but when you meet your mechanic, all you want is for him to tune you up.”

Dreaming of You by @boomhauer (18+ Only)

Pairing: Virgin!Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “Plagued by graphic dreams about the Munson boy, you decided to see if he can make them come true.”

Sketchbook by @galaxy-siren

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Artist!Reader Request: Could I please request an Eddie x artist!reader story. Maybe he sits next to her in a couple of classes and he sees her drawing in her sketchbook and he’s just like “holy shit that really good” and he asks if he can look at some of her other drawings. She lets him forgetting that she has a couple of sketches of him.

Second Chance by @astermath

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader Summary: “steve decides to ask out the girl who he keeps seeing around hawkins with her nose in a book. he’s a little surprised when he gets brutally rejected, only to find out his “king steve” era is haunting him more than he expected. he attempts to make it up to you and show you he’s changed, even if it takes him a couple of tries.”

Private Viewing by @lokis-army-77 (18+ Only)

Pairing: Camboy!Eddie Munson x Reader Summary:  “What happens when your favorite camboy is in your class? You should stop watching his content... or should you? What happens when you are eventually paired together for a project? Everything will be just fine, won't it?”

Next Caller by @eddiemunsons-missingnipple (18+ Only)

Pairing: College!Eddie Munson x Shy!Reader Summary:  “Eddie hosts a late night radio show for his college campus, where he discusses various different topics. He's mostly known for his DnD and sex talk segments. You've been a long-time listener who works up the courage to finally call in for some help.”

Deal with the Devil (Series, Ongoing) by @hard-candy-writing (18+ Only)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Cheerleader!Reader Summary: “you want to piss off your parents. eddie wants to pass his classes. so you make a deal with each other: he'll date you, you'll tutor him, and you'll both end the year happy. the catch? no falling in love. slow burn romance, enemies to friends to lovers, fake dating, don't fall in love. fic takes place in 1984-85.”

[z0mb1epuzzy]

okok so i just found your blog and lemme tell you ive been eating it UPPP

how would you feel abt josh or maybe chris? (rlly any of the men tbh) with a s/o who has nipple piercings?

i feel like josh would be sooo into it when he found out/when you first got them done. he wouldve def been so so so supportive if you wanted to get them done during the relationship. hed love the sensitivity after theyve finally healed, lowkey would sit there admiring them for a hot while just looking and fiddling with them(i headcannon josh as a tits/thighs man gonna be honest)

more smutty imagine, his s/o is bouncing on his lap, and your tits are just so perfect, and he just cant resist himself anymore, hes gotta know how they feel on his tongue. he takes one of your nipples in his mouth and just rolls his tongue over the piercing, mapping out the feel with his tongue carefully. hed be so content i fear.

chris would be shy about it, like, "oh wow, those mustve hurt pretty bad, huh?", not drawing too much attention to it at first, but eventually, maybe youre sat on his lap, grinding your hips against his, youre both sensitive and heated, panting, and chris has been admiring the way the balls of the peircing really perk up your nipple, and after a particularly rough stroke of your hips against his clothed hard-on, his large hands grip your hips or ass, digging into the flesh and he leans down, taking your nipple between his lips in an attempt to cover his loud whimper. after all, with you riding his hips, youre just elevated enough where your tits are right there, at a conveniently perfect level to his mouth.

someone save me my goddd 🙀

anon thank you for leaving this wonderful little gift in my inbox holy shit

warning 4 this one! afab reader potentially implied!??

josh:

i totally agree that josh is a tits man, but honestly - he just loves any curves… ass? tits? thighs?? and they’re not on his face rn?? 🤨

he’d totally love nipple piercings… man’s a FREAAK!! first time he sees them he’s like 🧿🧿.. absolutely baffled!??! during intimacy he’d love them too, teasing them with his lips or fingers just to hear you whine and shudder like hello!?!😵‍💫

also to elaborate on your thought… he’d definitely give them some special attention if you’re riding him, i mean… they’re LITERALLY right there.. and he’s a strong man, but not that strong… it would definitely satisfy that little part of his brain that wants to analyze and commit all of your little reactions to memory… running his thumbs over them, maybe a lil pinch, kisses, sucking on them, y’know.. the works. he wants to know what makes you moan for him the most!!

as for chris… oh boy..

he’s a lot more flustered by them, AND more hesitant to mess with them.. his eyes getting all wide when he sees them for the first time..like? BAFFLED.. “oh, wow… uh.. man, did those hurt?” and like.. obviously yeah, so he’s a little scared to fuck with them? BUT once he knows they’re healed and in fact don’t hurt anymore… oh lord!!!

he loves having you in his lap CANON! his face getting all flushed while you grind down on him, him touching ur piercings just to hopefully mess you up like you’re doing to him… he’s sensitive!! he doesn’t wanna cum first :( and ur tits look so pretty with the bars through them, making ur nipples look extra perked up, ?!yknow!?

chris def has a secret oral fixation.. i have no reason or explanation… my brain is saying its true so i’m sharing it with the masses!!! he needs to he doing something with his mouth, especially when he’s close 😵‍💫 so he’d love to wrap his lips around your nipples just to hear you whine for him like… UGHH!!

i hope i fulfilled your expectations anon!! praying this is good or else….. (idk nothing will happen i’m just dramatic)

another note, i typed this shit like 3 days ago and it went to DRAFTS. INSTEAD OF POSTING.

thx bbg @ghouleaterr 4 giving me motivation once again…

[thebestusernamepossible]

You know I keep seeing interpretations of possible post-canon Loop integrating into the party. And like how they would interact with said party, but like I feel like there is one aspect of the dynamic people seem to miss out on- which is a shame because it’s one of the most interesting to me.

From the parties perspective Loop is a ‘star’ that Sif met when he was stuck in a Time-Loop. So that means the party is aware that Loop was also stuck in said time-loop. I want to see the party trying to figure out how to help and accommodate Loop’s Time-Loop trauma, because I know this would drive Loop insane. Like imagine alternate versions of the friends you’ve seen die over and over (who Loop definitely feels they’ve failed) and trying to accommodate you because they think you’re traumatised from a COMPLETELY SEPARATE time-loop. I’d simply go insane actually.

Not to mention Loop would probably grind the parties gears because they would act like they always know what’s best for Siffrin and the party in general. And like- yes they know Sif better than anyone, but from the parties perspective they’re someone who knew Sif for something equilvlant to like 7ish months at most. And they just stroll ina js act like they know what’s best for them, AND the party. And loop is condescending even when they don’t mean to be, so double whammy. But then again Loop and Sif (as far as the party know) we’re stuck in a time loop with only each other for that long. So Loop is now reluctantly the Siffrin expert, which would cause some jealousy from people who have been trying and only somewhat succeeding at getting Sif to open up. Because from their perspective Loop just gets all of Sifs secrets and gets to know everything about them, assumedly because Sif TOLD them everything. (Haha imagine Sif communicating). I think they’d be a bit jealous even if they felt bad about it.

Not to mention the miscommunication of it all- from the parties perspective they have a gap in their memories from a massive amount of time that only Siffrin and a (albeit helpful) stranger. The same stranger who both helped you save your friend, but seems to be in some kind of toxic situationship(?) with said friend, AND acts awkward as hell around you. There are so many conclusions to grab from that, and I don’t think that ‘completely separate Timeloop in an alternate dimension where stranger is also your friend’ is what they’ll come up with. Even smart gal Odile needs some actual information to draw a conclusion.

The most obvious conclusion would obviously be ‘Loop is a seprate person Siffrin grew close to due to the fact they were the only ones who remebered being in a timeloop’ and ‘Loop may have done something to/been wronged by the party in the Loops’.

Honestly you only need Loop referencing them not being a star in the past one time for the entire party to immediately conclude ‘holy shit, Loop also had some kind of wish gone wrong™️ that changed their entire body and made them be stuck to a tree woth only Sif for company for months’

Which isn’t WRONG per-say, but I just think we as a fandom should get more creative with Loop-Party assumptions when talking relationships.

Especially Loop-Isabeau, I want him assuming he said something really mean to them or something during a loop. The Situationship jealously I see a lot is fun too, but I think Isa trying very hard to be nice and make up for whatever he ‘did’ would make Loop have a fucking panick attack out of guilt. I just think Loop should be in the torcher nexus here.

Also! Loop-party strain! I think that the party would have mixed feelings in loop! Because they don’t know that’s Sif, so it’s just looks like to them that Loop so some stranger being unfair to Sif and what they went through (Loop screams). And since is inevitably going to be a bit mean to the party on account of being unwell, and teh fact they don’t really have the advantage of the party knowing and loving them previously. I think the initial relationships are strained, and honestly Loop is probably self sabotaging too. Testing boundaries to see how ‘unlovable’ they can be before they are thrown out. And while the party eventually grow to look past Loos hard edges and grow to love them, I think initially there is some fights and tension. Loop has the ammunition and almost wants to be proven right in their assumption they’re unlovable. But I think the party will realise that they are just like Sif was when they had THEIR metal break down and will see how Sif gets better and opens up (even if just being more expressive) with Loop around. So I think they’ll grow to like loop as their own person! But it takes time

Also Loop and Sif informing the party of each other individual triggers and keeping each other accountable (while also trying to work off being the most toxic co-dependant ass relationship ever)

[lowkeyrobin]

hi! how are u???

i was wondering if you could do mcyt x reader where they go to an amusement park? i don't realky know the specifics :P

it's totally fine if not!

also, could i please be 🦑 anon?

your writing is so good, btw :3

ooo okay I can try! ; and welcome 🦑! (I'm gonna consistently think this is an umbrella academy fan goodnight 💀) hope you enjoy your stay! ; and thank you, I appreciate it! <3

MCYT ; amusement park

includes ; tommyinnit, badlinu, maxggs, quackity & slimecicle

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; idk anything about amusement parks outside kennywood and disneyworld so probably using references and names here / may be mixed up cause I don't remember all the different places / pretend like it's in Europe for tommy, freddie & max and in america for Charlie & Quackity

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

he's so fuckin scared of the rides with insane heights that go really fast

he will NOT be going on them unless it's to impress you (shout out university crush)

if there's any water rides he's forcing you on them 🗣🗣

he buys any snacks/food or little souvenirs you want lol

you both go home tired and lowkey sleep on the train and almost miss ur stop

soooo many pictures

you're probably vlogging too

"guys, Tommy's scared of the phantom"

"look at that fuckin thing! I'm not going on that, ill fly out!"

"true, you're a six foot twig"

"I swear to god, y/n..."

FREDDIE BADLINU

he's getting on most rides w you

he loves the swings lmao

you got a handful of pics but you're mostly living in the moment

dippin dots go crazy

you go on the little kids rides for shits and giggles and adults are looking at u like 🤨😒

yk on that Winnie the Pooh ride line there's the screens and it's like honey and u can draw on it temporarily? yall stood there for a solid 10 mins cause the long line drawing dicks and random stuff

ice cream!!!! it's so good

you make a tiktok

"wheres harry potter land??"

"....y/n were at disneyworld"

it's your mission to piss of Disney adults

MAXGGS

literally up for anything

he got you both silly sunglasses and you wore them around all day

you literally go on Kalis River Rapids twice because why not

you SPRINT for Tianas Bayou Adventure (I wanna go so bad to see this omfg)

he makes you re-ride the barnstormer like 5 times (me core)

you immediately go for the fast paced / thrilling rides like space mountain and tower of terror (ik these are different just pretend I can't remember many rides...)

then at the end of the day you do the safari ride / avatar ride / ykwim

so many cute pics and videos 💔 literally spammed ur Instagrams when u got back

ALEX QUACKITY

he does not wanna go on things like space mountain or thunder mountain bro

you make him get on them anyway unless he just genuinley doesn't want to, you'll go with a friend if there is another person with you / alone and he'll wait / vlog from a safe spot

you meet a lot of characters and get pics all day long & they were so nice 💔

"OMG Y/N ITS OLAF"

he nearly vomits after the teacups...

you go on the pirates of the caribbean ride and he tries to speak like sparrow the whole time in line

you get some little leather bracelets with each other's names on them at the end in the little store (I had one but idk where it is anymore I'm so mad)

he keeps saying "I'm not hungry" ans when u stop for food he literallt devours his ice cream and hot dog bro

"I thought u weren't hungry???"

"... I was waiting for u to want food"

CHARLIE SLIMECICLE

literally the funnest ever

he's getting on everything istg

yall chill in the swiss family tree house when u need a break from walking / grab a drink and go to the enchanted tiki room to escape the heat entirely

over food you speculate what they may add for the little villain land they're planning (holy shit so excited for this even tho I'm probably never gonna be able to go again)

haunted mansion went crazy 💀 trust the vlog is funny asf

"woahhh that ghost looks like me!"

"yeah if you were dead"

"wanna go to mickeys philharmagic after this?"

"that's across the park.."

"we can make it lol"

he's on it with the puns idek how

u want a souvenir of any kind? he's got u trust

[shadowkoo]

raven's tumblr wrapped 2024

As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to thank every single one of my followers, readers, and friends. Your kindness and support have meant the world to me and without you, I likely would have stayed on hiatus throughout the entire year. But when I returned in September, you welcomed me back with open arms and reminded me why I love writing and sharing my work.

You’ve all helped to reignite the writing spark in me, and for that, I’m endlessly grateful. I’m so excited to see what 2025 has in store for all of us. Thank you for being a part of my journey—you’ve made it so much brighter 💚

⋆˙⟡ 2024 fic stats ⟡˙⋆

number of fics posted: 6

number of fics in progress: 53 (i have a serious problem...i knowwww)

⋆˙⟡ most popular fics of 2024 ⟡˙⋆

almost home - first place, 1091 notes

posted: sept. 22

pairing: wooyoung x f.reader (ateez)

readers screaming

↳ #I SWEAR THIS GOT ME RUBBING MY THIGHS IN DESPERATION #FFFFUUUUCKINGGG HELK THIS IS GOOD - @jwymybelovedhusband-reblogs ↳ #PLS #I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD WRITE THIS #i was looking at those jeep pics like sirrrrrr #thank u for putting those pics together also bc i’m going feral - @starhwas-bunny ↳ #stop bc i love thinking abt being passenger princess for anyone in ateez - @cromerhearts

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

oh brother - second place, 978 notes

posted: sept. 9

pairing: jungkook x f.reader (bts)

readers screaming

↳ "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME RAVEN!!!?? i was minding my own business and this pops up on my dash. this was hot, intense, thrilling!!! the bathroom scene... MY HEART DROPPED!!! i cannot wait for pt2! this was sooo good!!" - @aaagustd ↳ "i'm not saying raven has written the best thing in the world, but she did. SHE DID SO WELL!!!" - @ficskhoeloves ↳ #gaaaaaaah #i love this #dfkjsgh #this scratches the itch in my brain #i have been on a brain rot for this man #it's unbearable #this was so cool - @hannieween

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

kingdom cum - third place, 657 notes

posted: sept. 18

pairing: mingi x f.reader x hongjoong (ateez)

readers screaming

↳ "RAVEN!!!!!!!! WTF???!!! WHAT WEDDING??? IT'S FUCKING CANCELED! I NEED THESE TWO, IN THIS WAY, EVERY NIGHT!!!! THIIIISSSSS WASSSSSS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDD!!!! I HAD TO READ IT TWICE! IDK WHAT TO EVEN DO WITH MYSELF RN!!! THEY WERE TOO FUCKING COCKY BUT SOOO SEXY!!!! YOU FED US WITH THIS I SWEAR!! I AM FILLED TO CAPACITY!! (no pun intended... or maybe it was) AHHHHHH!!! I CANNOT STOP SCREAMING OVER THESE TWO!!!!" & #i'm drooling rn #raven strikes again!! #don't know how i'm supposed to move on - @aaagustd ↳ "RAVEN YOU ARE INSANE THIS IS SOSOSOSOSSO JLEJHVLQEFJDJKDFEHG LIKE HELLO ITS FILTHY I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!" & #the image of the two of them sitting on the couch and calling reader over to sit between them?????? #🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴 #LIKE YES ME TOO GLADLY ILL BE STAYING #MINGI WITG EH FCKING PIERCING?!??!!?!?!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!!?!???!!?!?!!?!!!?!? #WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF #BOOKING A TABLE AT KINGDOM CUM RN!!!! - @shuadotcomrecs ↳ "okay I might be bias cause I did beta it BUT cmon stripper hongjoong and mingi?!! the demon line!!! chile i about passed out reading this. it was too much... in a good way lol. raven this was one of the best filth fics I've read in awhile. kudos sis 💜💜" - @beeznthetrap

⋆˙⟡ longest & most recent fic of 2024 ⟡˙⋆

disgraceful dreams - first place in both categories, 16.4k works

posted: oct. 31

pairing: wooyoung x f.reader feat. yeosang (ateez)

readers screaming

↳ "this quite literally is everything to me ESP for halloween woooooo weee" - @rockstarsanie ↳ "Holy fucking shit... bruh. I'm literally at a loss for words on this! From the dark fantasy academia setting to each witch/warlock detail in all the characters, this is like a Harry Potter fic, but Death Eaters version. What an excellent way to kick off Hongjoong + Wooyoung month. Keep it up, Raven!" - @othersideoutlawsnetwork ↳ "I know this is suppossed to be smut but jeSUS did i fall in love with the worldbuilding! "I don't share!" DJDLDHHS Poor Yeosang, has his best friend competing against him for yns attention but WHERE IS THE HOLY WATER WHEN YOU FREAKING NEED IT? Wooyoung is such a charmer in every way and it didn't change in the slightest in this piece of art" - @cromernet ↳ "“I don’t break the rules, I just bend them” sir how about you just bend me over. then what?" - @recverie ↳ #talented brilliant incredible amazing show stopping spectacular never the same totally unique - @heyoandbye

⋆˙⟡ personal favorite fic of 2024 ⟡˙⋆

just dance it off - first place, rated 5 stars by myself lol

(re)posted: sept. 4th

pairing: jimin x f.reader

my acceptance speech (lol)

↳ This fic first made its debut a few years ago, but honestly? I was never quite happy with how rushed it felt. So this past August, I decided on a whim to open up this doc to do a complete overhaul. I hadn't wrote anything in nearly a year and starting fresh was too daunting so I dove into the comfort of this work. And let me just say, this baby really had her 2024 glow up with 2k additional words! I really think it all flows together so much better now. Also, dance AU's have a special place in my heart. I’ve always dreamed of being a ballet dancer (tragically, I lack the coordination for anything beyond an aggressive ass shake, but hey, a girl can dream lol). If you read the original version, I highly recommend giving this one another shot. It’s sharper, smoother, and has all the juicy bits that make enemies-to-lovers so good: the mutual hatred, the witty banter, the agonizingly denial of feelings, etc.

⋆˙⟡ favorites reads of 2024 ⟡˙⋆

I didn't read nearly the amount of fics that I should have this year, but those that I did knock off my tbr were everything I wanted and moreeeeee. Here's a recap of some I've shared, check out my #raven reads (read fics) and #raven reacts (fic reviews) tags for more!

freaky friday by @aaagustd

still your biggest fan by @byuntrash101

sleepover by @kitten4sannie

one & only by @changbunnies

save a horse, ride your best friend by @seonghwaddict

more than you know by @beomcoups

simply meant to be by @caelesjjk

make me water by @bangtanintotheroom

⋆˙⟡ my top tracks of 2024 ⟡˙⋆

past life persona - erra

reason - kai

left me like summer - daily j

what do you want from me - bad omens

let down - palisades

bouncy (k-hot chilly peppers) - ateez

self-sabotage - waterparks

work - ateez

i think i like you - the band camino

feels bad man - dance gavin dance

⋆˙⟡ my goals for 2025 ⟡˙⋆

promoting & posting my 2 collabs that are in progress (stay tuned for details!!!)

read 50 books (this year's goal was 25)

knock 10-15 fics off my wip list by posting at least once a month without going on hiatus or just dipping without saying anything LOL (can she do it???)

review more fics on tumblr & ao3

A special thanks to Aeris @beomcoups for inspiring this 'wrapped' post, check out hers here. Mine is a little different, but the sentiment is the same!

Tagging: those who've I've mentioned above already plus

@heechwe @kwanisms @wonustars @yoonia @captain-joongz

@xomakara @pars-ley @wongyuseokie @junkissed @jenoslutie

@svtiddiess @yoonguurt @hisunshiine @taegularities @iridescentxstars (if you want to)

& anyone else that feels inspired to do so <3

See you in 2025 🥂✨🌙

[yl0w]

PAGE 5 :: CHAPTER 1

<< PREV | NEXT >>

cover page and title reveal! both of which im going to probably redo again and again cuzz:

i have a massive perfectionism problem and i need to tell myself

"this is not going to be perfect!"

its probably going to suck ass!

more than anything, this weird comic will be a playground for me to experiment like heck. a fun place to make mistakes, and learn! the dialogue might feel cheap, the art might look scrappy, but im learning all along the way

the quality of the pages will probably fluctuate since il try my best to just. keep. drawing. and posting pages, even if i cant quite polish them

i love comics, but ive never really committed to one before. id hate to take forever to finish my first one! this is only my first, and i dont want it to be my last. :>

THAT BEING SAID: i spent a LONG time working on the lore holy shit

okay BUT WHY "RAINBOW FACTORY"?

because i love it duh! i want to use this comic to express just how aggressively that song and fanfic captured my imagination. a love letter to edgy "grimdark" fics that i never grew out of!

what do you mean "AN RF REMIX"? this isn't a song!

this story will involve all the parts of the original that made it Rainbow Factory, but it wont be a retelling of that same story. i like to think of it as a "remix" because it takes the concept of the rainbow factory and all the cool stuff about the pegasi and spectra and spins it into a different direction (which hopefully turns out to be interesting...)

that also means that none of the events that happened in the original fanfic happens here, unless stated so in this story!

(however, i will say that this story sticks closer to the lyrics of the songs, rather than the fanfics by the original author. and none of the sequels of the original fanfic are important to the lore of this story)

basically, you probably dont need to have read the original fics to understand whats going on here :v

so yea ! !

come along while i lose my mind over rainbows and horses :DD

(aaand if youve read this far i deem you worthy of a peek at the kid who kept runnig)

lyrics from "The Wolf" by Siamés

[the-tmnt-ficfinder]

Christmas kindness letter

To Remedyturtles AKA Remrose,

I’ve read a good chunk of your fics. Probably just about all of them. And what constantly amazes me is your way to just… draw me INTO the story and leave me literally unable to put it down. What’s especially funny about that is how you write a lot of Leo-centric things, and my favourite turtle is Donnie. Leo is my second favourite, though. But I didn’t think I’d ever be so captivated by the stories you tell about him, especially with how heavy with the angst they get.

The first longer fic of yours I read was Stare Directly at the Sun. Which I read in pretty much one sitting. I don’t even know why I clicked on it— considering, as I said, Donnie is my favorite, and I actually do not care for human AUs. Somehow, this one drew me in and locked me there. I loved it. 

And Firefight? That took over my LIFE. I powered through it, literally spent HOURS just sitting on the couch reading it (and even reading it outside on a nice day). I joined while it was incomplete, and read what was there in only a few days. Then, I read every subsequent chapter as soon as I could. It was a legit highlight of my day, something I looked forward to, and I was hooked so bad like you wouldn’t believe. It was sad to see it end, but what a beautiful journey it WAS. I love love loved it, especially how long you took to focus on the healing of Leo and Donnie… they went through hell, indeed, and managed to come out the other side stronger. Even Leo, who scared the SHIT out of me for so long. But I’ll cut myself off, here. I could go on FOREVER about Firefight, you have no idea. I’ve been meaning to read this one again, actually. I need to.

The last fic I want to highlight, of yours, is actually one I don’t see talked about much: Take One For the Team. That one. That one. It was haunting. It was sickening./pos It was gripping. I could. not. put. it down. It was horrific to watch Leo go through that, to watch him deteriorate, and even though you didn’t detail his… extracurricular, I felt violated along with him, simply because of how he reacted to it, and how you wrote him processing (or failing to process) it. Slash pos. Seriously. This one. THIS ONE. I guess it isn’t talked about much because it’s a very sensitive topic, but if people can read it, they should. Holy shit, incredible.

I’m not sure what makes your writing so captivating. Maybe it’s how you write the characters. Maybe it’s your style. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s something else. I don’t know. But it’s easy to get lost in, and so easy to get attached, to CARE, and to feel along with these characters. Reading your stories is like sitting in the passenger’s seat of a friend’s car on a long road trip. You experience everything together, and, to me, it feels pretty damn special. 

Anyways. I’ve prattled on enough. If you’ve got more gems planned, I’ll be happy to read them (in the meanwhile, I have on my list to read Little Kid With a Big Death Wish because I HAVE NOT READ THAT YET I have TOO MANY FICS TO READ/lh it’s on the list tho).

Have a very Merry Christmas!! :D

@remedyturtles

Christmas Kindness Event Post

[anurst]

What He Likes

Summary: Natasha makes an observation about the girls that Jake hits on, and you jump to conclusions about his type. Let's just say you make the irrational decision to cut your hair after.

A/N: sorry this isn't a Girl Bradshaw update :( ik a lot of people have been waiting for an update. I've been lowkey spiraling but I'm feeling better now! college has been stressing me tf out but I'm starting to take better care of myself! if you haven't noticed there's a tip option now so if you want maybe tip? i don't wanna pressure anyone at all!! i figured that maybe I could get paid while writing since it's something that I love to do ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ anyway enjoy! this has been sitting in my drafts for a while

Pairing(s): Jake Seresin x (fem) reader

Warning(s): mentions of alcohol, language, inaccurate military cause I said so, reader is described with long hair

"Have you ever noticed how Hangman only goes after girls with short hair?" Natasha says beside you, and you stop mid-sip. Your eyes shift from Bradley and Bob's pool game towards Jake and a short-haired brunette.

They're both standing near the bar, and the woman gives Jake a bright smile as she laughs at something he says. The moment her hand brushes against his arm, jealousy fills you. It wasn't a secret between you and Natasha that you had a crush on Jake. Being the only woman in the dagger squad meant that the two of you spent a lot of time together.

"Nope," you respond to her, and a finger wraps itself in a strand of your hair. It's an understatement to say you have long hair. After seeing Rapunzel as a little girl, you committed to having long hair like her. It's been your pride and joy since you were young, the reason many girls have showered you in compliments about how long and luscious it is. But now, looking at Jake and the short-haired girl heading towards the door of the Hard Deck, you curse your decision to keep your hair so long.

"Hey, Princess!" Mickey calls out, and you turn to look at him. "You up for some pool?" You force a smile and stand from your seat beside Natasha.

"Only if you're up for losing again."

'Oh God, this was a terrible idea,' you think as you stare at yourself in the mirror. Your fingers run through your shoulder-length hair, and you groan. The memories from last night are a little hazy as you try to think about how you ended up in this situation.

After having one too many drinks, Bradley gave you a ride home, and you ended up in your bathroom with a pair of scissors. Natasha's words from hours earlier seemed to echo in your head as you frowned. "If Jake likes girls with short hair, I can be a girl with short hair," you mumbled as you cut inches of your hair off. Hair strands fell to the ground as you measured the ends with your fingers. Looking into the mirror, you smiled at your new hair, and a yawn slipped out of your lips as you looked down at your phone resting on the sink. "I really gotta sleep."

'This is so so so so so very bad' You squint at the uneven portions of your hair and grimace as you try to fix them. The sound of your phone ringing draws your attention away from your hair. Running out the bathroom and into your room, you answer the phone to hear Natasha's voice.

"Hey! I'm outside! Oh, and I got you an iced coffee and bagel for breakfast."

"Nat..."

"Yeah?"

"I really need your help right now..."

"What'd you do now?"

"Holy shit," Bradley gawks at you, and you groan as you cover your face with your hands. Natasha glares from beside you before she hits Bradley in the stomach. The brunette groans as he doubles over slightly before forcing a smile onto his face. "It's not that bad," he tries to reassure you.

Momentarily, you look up at him. With one glimpse of his, you already know he's lying, and you try to muffle a cry. "Idiot!" Natasha seethes as she rubs your back. Bradley raises his hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry!"

"(y/n), it's really not that bad."

"Yeah! It's just, uh, different. You still look beautiful," Bradley says as he smiles at you. Your eyes shift between his face and Natasha's before you give them a weak nod.

"We should get going," you say with a deep breath as you puff your chest out in fake confidence. Fake it until you make it, you know? You'd try to act confident with your new hair, even if you wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide. Natasha and Bradley let you lead the way towards the classroom.

Eyes are all you feel as you walk into the classroom and sit beside Javy. You try to shy away from his gaze by placing your chin into your palm, but eventually, you turn to him with your eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Your hair..."

"I wanted to try something new," you mumble before burying your head into your arms. Maybe you should have called in sick. That'd be better than feeling like everyone's staring at you.

"Princess?" Jake's voice calls from behind you, and your head whips up and around to look at Jake. His usual cocky look is replaced with a dropped jaw and wide eyes. "You...your hair...you..."

You can't help but giggle at his words, "Yeah, I cut it last night when I was a little drunk. Kinda a bad decision," you say, your hand nervously tucking a strand behind your ear. Jake doesn't reply, his jaw still dropped and staring straight at you. Self-conscious, you huff. "If you don't like it, then just say it. I can take it."

"No! I just- uh- well-"

"Okay, let's get started," Pete says as he walks in. "Hangman, quit your drooling and sit down. You can stare at Princess some other time."

"You know, I like you more with the short hair!" Mickey says while handing you a beer. You snort and toast your beers before cheering on Bradley and Bob as they take on Javy and Reuben in pool.

A cough from behind you makes you turn around. Jake is standing there, his cheeks flushed red, and embarrassment is clear on his face. "I wanted to say that I like it— your hair."

Nodding, you lick your lips. "Sorry if I was a little mean in the morning. I just was trying to get used to it."

Jake chuckles and dismisses your apologies. "It definitely will take some time to get used to."

"I thought you'd be thrilled about it."

"Huh?" Confusion spreads all over Jake's face. Seeing him confused, you all raise a brow.

"I mean, you like girls with short hair, right? I figured you'd like my new hair, too."

"Who told you that?"

As you remember the conversation between you and Natasha, your cheeks flush. "Well, no one told me that. I just, like, kinda assumed."

"Assumed?"

"Yeah, I mean, all the girls you take home all have short hair, so I just thought you were into those kinda girls, ya know?"

"So, you've been watching me?" Jake grins, and you realize what your words have implied.

"What?! No! I just—" You're cut off when Jake starts laughing. Groaning, you put your beer down and cover your face. Jake's laughter slowly dies as he reaches for your hands to pull them away from your face.

"For the record, darlin'. I'm into you."

"Huh?"

Jake chuckles before smiling, "I'm not into girls with short hair. I'm into you," his face then looks a little embarrassed, "I thought you were so out of my league that I went after girls that didn't look like you. 'Sides, I never really took any of them back to my place."

A smile starts to grow on your face as you giggle. "You're into me? No jokes?"

"No jokes, darlin'." Without another second passing, you rush forward and press your lips to Jake's, his eagerly molding with yours. Fireworks go off in your belly as Jake's fingers brush against your short strands of hair. You both pull away, and Jake frowns.

"Can you grow your hair back out? You're always beautiful, but the Rapunzel hair was just so you."

[noforkingclue]

Hi! I’m here with a Butcher request, if that’s alright with you? 💕

I wanted to see how Butcher would react to reader gifting him a new Aloha Shirt🌺. (Sorry I just think he pulls them off ridiculously well) Everyone else thinks his shirts are hideous, including this one, so asking them what he’ll think about it only makes reader more anxious about giving it to him🥺

It can be an established S/o or not, and whatever other magic comes from your author brain please!💕 ☺️

Note: requests are currently closed

I am convinced that Karl Urban can look in anything!

I did this in the mutual pining stage of their relationship. Hope you like it!

Title: Gifts

The Boys tag list: @captainofmybigwetdream, @scraftsku35, @zannemes, @holy-minseok

Billy Butcher tag list: @mrdcks-spaghetti

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @byebyebreezywrites, @spngingerbread21, @layazul, @lov3vivian, @simonsbluee

Why would someone as handsome as Butcher wear shirts as hideous as those?

And why the fuck did he manage to pull them off so well.

You rested your chin on the palm of your hand as you studied him intently, eyes narrowed. Frenchie had a look of disgusted on his face as he waved dramatically at Butcher. He was clearly as horrified as the rest of you about Butcher’s choice of ‘fashion. Then again, Frenchie had shit taste. You didn’t know when the last time he washed his clothes (and that went for both Frenchie and Butcher).

“What are you thinking about?”

You glanced up at MM before looked back at Butcher.

“Just wondering where he gets those shirts from,” you muttered, “They’re equal parts hideous and fascinating.”

“We should burn them.” Said MM

“Didn’t know you were so keen on seeing Butcher shirtless.” You said with a smirk

MM glared at you but didn’t say anything. You folded your arms and kicked your feet up on the table, a plan forming in your mind.

*

“Oi, what the fuck are you doing up so late? Though I told you cunts to get some sleep.”

You looked over at the familiar sound of Butcher’s voice. You gently closed the door behind you and gave him a small smile.

“Just popped out for a bit.” You said

“Yeah, I can fucking see that. What for.”

You walked over to your bed and sat down on it. The mattress was shitty but you had become used to sleeping in shit conditions. You had drawn the short (or long depending on how you looked at it) straw and had to share a room with Butcher for the night.

“You shirt,” you said, “Got blood on it.”

“Part of the job, love.”

“Got you a new one.”

The silence was thick. Even with Butcher’s back to you, you could see the tension in his shoulders. He looked at you over his shoulder and said,

“Now why would you do that?”

His voice was uncharacteristically soft and you hesitated for a second.

“Because you needed a new one,” you said, “Can’t keep wearing a torn and bloodied shirt.”

“Have done before.”

“Well we’re slightly more infamous now. Might draw some unwanted attention.”

Butcher turned around and raised an eyebrow at you. You just grinned and threw the bag at him. He caught it in one hand but didn’t open it.

“Don’t feel obliged to wear it,” you said, “You can do what you want with it. Burn it. Use it to dress wounds. Whatever. Doesn’t bother me.”

You lay down and rolled over, closing your eyes. You heard the bag rustle as Butcher opened it and you didn’t want to see his reaction. What if he did hate it?

You really hoped that he did like it.

*

“Where does he get them?”

You glanced at Frenchie. He folded his arms, eyes narrowed at Butcher. He looked down at you and waved his cigarette at you.

“I think he does this to piss us off.” He said

“Piss us off?”

“Piss me off,” said Frenchie with an eye roll, “They’re an eyesore.”

“I don’t know,” you smiled slightly as Butcher passed you in the shirt you got him, “They grow on you.”

[coraline-jones353]

Your ink adorns my skin

Heyyy so nobody writes for Henry Hart/Kid Danger so imma do it myself.

Prompt: Soulmate Au, Whatever is written on one soulmates skin is written on the others.

Summary: In which the reader is an inspiring tattoo artist and draws on themselves for practice when bored in class. One day Henry has to switch classes mid period and sees them drawing exactly what is appearing on his skin, his favorite animal. (for the purpose of this his favorite animal will be a jellyfish because I couldn't find anything on his real one 🫶🏼)

Warnings: Cursing, they/them pronouns, use of Y/n

Fluff

"I can't believe they are switching my class again!" Henry complained at lunch to his closest friends, Charlotte and Jasper. "It's only because there's too many kids besides that class learns more." She says rolling her eyes and taking a bite of her sandwich. "Yeah that means more work" Henry said with a groan. "Dude your soulmate really needs to put down the sharpie it's all over your arm." Jasper mumbles while food sloppily falls out his mouth, at this Charlotte makes a face of disgust. "Jasp I love the tattoos they do, besides there only on one arm and have no words." Henry states defensively

After lunch Henry went to his new biology class hoping he knew someone there. He scanned the room for people he knew but found none. He instead sat in the only empty seat, which was so conveniently right next to y/n.

"Hey, can I sit here?" he asks grabbing hold of the chair next to them. They nod slowly not making eye contact. Henry sits down sensing the vibe that they don't wanna talk.

The class begins and Mrs. Dahl goes on a boring lecture about mitosis and meosis. Mid way through y/n takes out there black sharpie and starts drawing.

It took Henry about 10 minutes to notice it but once he does he can't keep his eyes off of them. They had pulled up their sleeve to reveal multiple sharpie marks along their arm and hand; each one of them matching one on his own arm.

"Hey" he whispers "Nice Jellyfish." while nodding towards y/n's arm. "Thanks." they mumble not looking over at him to see his already rolled up sleeve. "You're an excellent artist, you should consider teaching art lessons." he mentions trying desperately to get their attention.

"Man what do you want? An entire conversation about my drawings-" They state harshly while looking over at him to see the marks that adorn their arms on his. "Holy shit" They stated very loudly causing everyone to look over at the pair of soulmates. Henry snickers at her remark, while the teacher stares at her with a disapproving look.

After class the pair found out they both had a free period. So, naturally they decided to take the time to figure out "the situation" as y/n liked to call it.

"Now how come I haven't seen all my drawings on your arms?" y/n says as she walks to a table in the library. "Idk I usually have short sleeves." Henry says sitting across from them. "ya know you're kinda cute." y/n states "Oh so you think I'm cute?" Henry says wiggling his eyebrows at them teasingly. "Omg no don't get cocky on me, Hart." They say cracking a smile for the first time since he met them. "Your smiles beautiful." Henry says staring at them enchanted by their smile. They look at him with a warmth he's never felt before. He can't wait to get to know his soulmate more.

Sincerely, Coraline Jones 🐈‍⬛

[velvetvexations]

TERFs are so bad at making bottom surgery sound bad. Saw one say "--- (read: trans woman "vaginas" and trans man "penises") is something only erotic to a necrophile". Which was obviously intended to be off putting but i dunno I think it sounds kinda metal???. N there's one i just ran into calling neovaginas "axe wounds" which I KNOW is meant as an insult but oh my god it makes them sound so badass to me

lmao it was bad enough I felt compelled to censor it but yeah we're all about reappropriating TERF conceptions of trans people here

I'm white myself but I've been noticing more and more that white trans people have such a victim complex and believe themselves (ourselves) to be the most oppressed group ever. An acquaintance of mine (a famous trans activist) recently said that "trans people are the only people that face hate for how we dress". Like??? what about ethnic and religious minorities??? what about All Women including cis ones??? She also loves using antisemitism as an example of what "could" or "is going to" happen to trans people while treating it as something that was resolved after ww2 and is not very much still rampant

People are drawing swastikas on Synagogues and calling it praxis!

Idk if you ever saw this comic, but about a month ago, a trans man made a jokey joke comic about making an appointment at the gyno where the receptionist was confused. The ultimate punchline was that he's trans, and thus is the one who needs the appointment. It's v clear that the main point of confusion is that the receptionist thought she was talking to a cis man, who would have no real need for gynecological care. In the "I'm upset when not about me" crowd of TRFs, they decided it was transmisogynistic bc no *actually* the receptionist thought the trans man on the line with a deep voice was really a trans woman. Because sometimes trans women are mistaken as men over the phone. Idk if they just missed that it wasn't a primary care provider or what, but it was v clear to me that the idea was confusing a trans man over the phone for a cis man. Cis men generally don't need gynecologists. Trans men can need gynecologists. It had fuck all to do with trans women on a subtextual level. I can't fathom how they thought that.

TRFs CANNOT fucking read holy shit I hope they fucking apologized to the author

sorry to bring up PT AGAIN ik you are probably tired of hearing about it, but one of the last posts.i read before unfollowing was a comparison of transandrophobia believers with James Fucking Somerton. and its ironic as fuck to me because alot of critiques of Somerton can absolutely apply to them. equating any critique as harassment based on their identity is a big one and its been driving me nuts to see trfs envoke a James Somerton comparison when they are doing similar shit to him

James Somerton is a convenient lightning rod to compare every bad queer person for the rest of time

As a trans male I hate the weird, white knight shit that i see so many other men doing rn, like shut up will you?? Trans boys are not "cowards" or "incels" for not putting themselves in harm's way for (ESPECIALLY) CIS WOMEN Or trans women/girls. I'm so sick of seeing that stupid shit. Those guys are on the same level as military recruiters in my opinion. Just as predatory and fucking dangerous. Like not to be a dick but why do they seem SO convinced that trans boy must be naturally so much stronger then the average trans girl? Hello???????? Hello???

Man is the Strong Gender.

honestly of it wasn't for the lesbian separatism shit i would think that some transfem TRFs want some kind of tradwife-style "macho manly man protects his wife who is a delicate flower incapable of both violence and self-defense who will die if you look at her too hard" thing with a transmasc partner or something, given the way they actively applaud transmascs who talk like that. which would be totally fine if it was a weird fetish thing but this seems to be an actual expression of their politics (also am i just old or does anyone remember when the dominant feminist rhetoric was "women are just as strong as any men and can protect themselves")

it sure feels like that doesn't it lmao

IN WHAT UNIVERSE ARE WHITE PEOPLE INVISIBLE lmaoooo that post was too much

seriously lmao

I really dislike "trans women are the women of women" cuz once again we're using woman to mean the lowest position in a hierarchy

as always

Just something I wanted to share bc it made me really happy: when the forcefem blog made that post about how forcemasc isn't revolutionary and makes no sense or whatever the fuck, one of my transfem mutuals talked about how stupid the aforementioned post was and expressed her support for forcemasc and transmascs in general. I had no doubts that she was supportive of transmascs but that made me super happy!

Hell yeah, I'm really happy for that anon!

Happy Christmas eve if u celebrate ^^ hope ur havin' a good evening [or whatever time it is over where u live]

you as well <3

Logging into Tumblr after a chill movie night with the family only to see you've murdered a guy, holy shit

my tits were too heavy once more

saw another transandrophobia denier, this time on my dash specifically

terrible

Hell yeah it's always nice to find a casual history enjoyer online who's not racist

I do my best.