#I’ve only got like three set in stone for me currently

[nickyroethemarinebiologist]

Would you guys hate me if I assigned an animal to every les mis character. And I mean EVERY les mis character. If they get a name they’re getting an animal courtesy of my intense need to sort everything into animal counterparts by vibes alone.

[dreamdepot]

Dreams of the Kingdom - Chapter 31: The Legend of the Kings

Previous < First

AO3 Wattpad or below!

“Turn to the side and… right there, stop! Don’t move.” Cece fussed over you, making last minute adjustments to your clothes. Meanwhile, Amali brushed your hair back and Yona gently massaged some cream on your face. Cece huffed as she pinned a fold back. “I swear, why can’t you sit still like Link did?”

“Maybe because he didn’t have all three of you working at the same time?” you grumbled. “Also, Link would show up in his underwear if you let him.”

Cece rolled her eyes. “Oh, believe me, we had that conversation.”

“He didn’t!”

You closed your mouth just in time for another swipe of lotion from Yona. “So dry…” she muttered. “We need to discuss proper skin care later, your majesty.”

“I was a little busy!”

Zelda sat nearby, enjoying the show far too much for your liking. “Well, if you got up on time, we could have taken this a bit slower, but someone had to sleep in.”

You wanted to turn your head to glare at her, but you knew that would end with a lecture from the other three ladies currently working on you. Instead, you settled on a huff. “I would’ve slept better in my own bed back home. Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready too?”

Zelda set down her teacup. “Unlike you, I’ve already prepared my notes, set up the altar, and rehearsed three times. All that’s left is changing into my dress, but let’s be honest, no one is here to see me. All I have to do is say some words, stick a crown on your head, and call it a day.” She pretended to think for a moment. “You know, if you wanted more time…”

“No.”

“Aww come on… just a short trip through the Gate of Time?”

“Not today,” you said. You were lucky to have had the foresight to go back to the Gate of Time and pull out the small Timeshift Stone you now wore around your neck. Letting Zelda have unfettered access to time was, in a word, terrifying. It was best that you guarded the key yourself in case she – or anyone else – got a little too ambitious with time travel. You decided to shift the subject. “Zel, did you even sleep?”

“No! Turns out after being a dragon for so long, I don’t really need it so much. Or it might be this new tea Purah gave me, who knows.”

“That… can’t be healthy.”

“Agreed, but that talk can wait,” Cece interrupted. “Turn to your left now, I need to see the back.” You complied, feeling her pull and pin once more. “I can’t say I’m not a teensy bit disappointed you turned down my more extravagant idea. You could have set a new fashion for Hyrule! New king, new look!”

You winced thinking back to the original design she proposed which made you look more like the Great Deku Tree than a king. “I appreciate the hard work, but I think sticking a slight bit more formal and traditional is better for now.”

“I suppose… stability is probably better right now,” she sighed. Your ensemble was more understated than her vision, but more regal. She designed a navy-blue shirt and jacket with a slight military flair with white trousers and gold accents, matching the design of the Royal Guard uniforms down to the white gloves. A wine-red sash ran over one shoulder, embroidered in gold with the emblem of the Triforce. Over your other shoulder was a short navy-blue cape that just reached your waist, subtly concealing a small blade. “If there is a silver – or gold – lining, you do make it look good.”

You took a moment to admire yourself. As the light passed over the cape, you noticed the fabric seemed to shimmer, revealing a gold scale pattern that only appeared at certain angles. “That’s amazing…”

“You could say I was a bit inspired,” she said with a wink.

The door swung open as Sidon, Kass, and Purah entered. Both Sidon and Kass wore sashes to match yours, however Sidon’s had the Zora Royal Crest under the Triforce and Kass had the Rito Crest. Purah wore a blue and gold dress with the Sheikah Eye subtly hidden in the folds. “[Y/n], you look fantastic!” Kass said.

“Absolutely, it’s perfect for your big day!” Sidon beamed.

Both came closer but Amali quickly stopped them. “I just got his hair to cooperate, neither of you are going to mess it up, understood?”

“Yes, my love,” Kass coughed.

Purah dabbed her eye with a handkerchief, careful not to smudge her makeup. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening, after all this time… tell me, how did the proposal go again?”

“Nope, not now,” you said. “We said we’d tell you after the ceremony, you can find out who won your stupid betting pool then.”

“Damn, worth the try,” Purah said crossing her arms. “I have a lot riding on this, you know.”

“Purah, there are bigger things to focus on besides a competition that I’m sure I’ve won,” Sidon said with his usual flashy grin, earning him a scowl from the scientist and a side-eye from the bard.

“Right Sidon,” you said as Yona gave you a final check. “For example, where am I going to strap my sword?”

Sidon stared at you. “I beg your pardon.”

“My sword. I have to have my sword with me.”

Zelda shook her head. “You are not taking a sword with you to the altar! You already have a hidden knife.”

“Link gets to take a sword!”

Purah groaned. “First, it’s the Master Sword. Second, he’s YOUR KNIGHT. Literally your royal guard!”

“B-B-But!” You spluttered, “what if we get attacked during the ceremony? What if… what if Bellum attacks?!”

“Bellum,” Sidon said. “In the middle of Castle Town, nowhere near the ocean. Really.”

“Fine, Vaati then!”

Kass gently patted your back. “The evil Wind Mage is not showing up on your wedding day.”

“I don’t know, I didn’t expect Ganondorf to come back either!” Your hands shook. “I don’t want anything going wrong.”

Sidon took your hands. “My friend, we are all here and Hyrule is saved. Like you told me on the day of my coronation, no one is better equipped to lead the kingdom than you – and besides, you have a partner who adores you to the end of the world. This is a day you should enjoy.”

You fought the rather un-princelike urge to pout. “Fine. No sword.”

“Good,” Zelda said, picking up her things. “Now that that’s settled, it’s time that we all get ready. Your escort will arrive shortly.” She stopped to give you a brief hug. “It’s going to be fine, brother.”

“Thanks, I know.” With that, Zelda, Cece, Amali, and Yona all left, leaving you and your wedding party alone in the house. As much as you wanted to be in your home instead, everyone agreed that Link would get ready there and that it would be better for you both to be surprised when you saw each other.

Purah took a seat beside you, crossing her legs. “Well, since you won’t tell me about the proposal, how about the honeymoon?”

You frowned. “Actually, funny story on that. Link and I haven’t had much time to figure that out with all the other wedding planning. We figured we’d play it by ear.”

“That’s no fun, you guys deserve a good break – and probably something more fun that just going to Lurelin for the spa.”

“You’re always welcome to come to the Domain,” Sidon said. “It’d be doing me a favor actually since we-”

“I swear to Hylia if you say statue…”

Sidon laughed. “It is for a statue, but I promise this one isn’t… what’s the word you used? Provocative?”

Kass shook his head. “I really missed a lot while I was gone, didn’t I?”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your girls would be happy to get you caught up. Just don’t ask Notts about her crush on Tulin, otherwise you’ll be stuck there for hours… especially since Tulin has no idea yet,” You said with a laugh. “I hope you’ll forgive me for not choosing you for the band.”

“I think I’ll manage,” Kass laughed. “Being part of your wedding party is quite the honor.”

Scorpis arrived with several guards. “Sir, we are ready to escort you!”

“Right,” you said, standing tall. Here you had faced monsters, time, laughed in the face of death… yet why was now the moment you felt nervous? You steadied yourself and gave him a nod. “Let’s go.”

Scorpis cleared his throat. “Fall in!” The other guards took up formation, flanking you and your wedding party. Thanks to Cece, all of them were dressed in Royal Guard Armor with shining Royal Broadswords.

The sun almost blinded you as the door swung open at Zelda’s second home in the rebuilt Castle Town. Banners hung across the street and flower wreaths adorned the braziers. When you and Link decided that it would be best to hold the wedding in Castle Town, you were nearly knocked over as Bolson, Hudson, and Karson begged for you to let them get started. Between them and a team of Zora artisans, Castle Town rose from the ashes seemingly overnight.

“There he is!”

“Your majesty!”

“The hero!”

You blushed and tried to remain focused as you waved to some of the people on the street. Everything from your walk to even your breathing was carefully timed. Sidon, Kass, and Purah followed behind. As you walked down the street, the Stable Trotters struck up the processional. Koroks sat on the rooftops, tossing flower petals. The closer you got to the center of town, the more you realized nearly the whole kingdom must have come. Streets were packed with people from all corners of Hyrule. For a fleeting moment, it almost felt like everything – the Calamity, Ganondorf, the hundred years of fear – was merely just a nightmare and you had returned to the past. The farther you walked, the easier it became, knowing what you were walking towards.

Amidst the chaos, you could catch a handful of familiar faces. Penn and Traysi, of course, were running at full speed through the crowd giving their pictobox a workout. Karson and several of the Hudson Construction Company employees started up a hearty cheer. In the plaza, the Great Fairies watched from the rear, dabbing their eyes lest their mascara run. Malanya also watched on, gently petting Epona and [H/n]. You thought you caught a brief glimpse of one smiling face with a grin just a little too wide as he wrung his hands, watching you with intense glee. Yet, by the time you looked back, there was no one there, just a shiny Keaton mask on the ground.

At the center of town, just before the fountain, Hudson had built a small stage so that everyone could see the ceremony. Two simple thrones were set up. Zelda was already waiting, standing between the two in her white ritual dress. The music swelled as the instruments were now joined by vocals from Kass and Amali’s children. As you mounted the steps, your breath caught as you saw Link climbing the other side. Both of you froze for the briefest moment upon seeing each other. Never before had Link looked so handsome. His clothes were the mirror of yours, wine red with a navy-blue sash. His jacket was a bit bulkier, looking more like armor – an image only enhanced by the chainmail you could see peeking through his collar. He didn’t have a cape, instead the ensemble was balanced by the sight of the Master Sword over his shoulder. For a second, you felt your new pendant vibrate as your eyes burned with a flash of the past to the legendary red mail of the Hero of Legend. You held back your laugh, noting you’d have to thank Cece later.

The two of you closed the distance, taking each other’s hands while lost in each other’s eyes. Words weren’t needed to convey just how much you loved him and he loved you.

Sidon, Kass, and Purah filled in behind you, taking their places. Tulin, Riju, and Yunobo followed behind Link, making the other half of the wedding party. Tulin seemed ready to burst out of his feathers out of excitement. Riju was dressed in her finest, her gold jewelry making her shine like a goddess. Yunobo polished his chain and breastplate to a shine as well, looking every bit the leader he was… though all the same he looked ready to burst into tears of happiness at any moment.

All this time, Zelda had been speaking, but you hadn’t heard a word as you held Link’s hands before all of Hyrule. It wasn’t until Zelda nudged you that you realized it was time for your vows.

You cleared your throat, beginning the speech you practiced for nights. “I’ve been imagining this day for so long. I started planning just how to propose to you months ago and then… well, let’s just call it the one of many challenges we’ll face together. With you, I’ll never have to worry about facing things alone. No man is as selfless as you, dropping everything to help our people, always right by my side no matter the obstacle. It’s no wonder the Master Sword chose you, you truly are a hero.” Fi must have heard, as the sword glowed brightly in response.

“Your thoughtfulness touches everyone’s life Link, and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Not a moment goes by that I’m not thinking of you. From the moment we met in Telma’s bar as children, to training together, to finding each other again in this time and finally having our first date! You’ve always had my heart. That’s why, before all of Hyrule, I vow to love you through this life and – should the goddesses decide – the next and every life after. I promise that even as we rule together, you are always first on my mind. No matter what may come, be that age, sickness, beast, or ancient evil, I will be with you forever and always.”

Link looked at you like you were the only person in the world, his voice cracking as he began. “From the moment I met you, I knew you were special. And then I got to meet you all over again. I was so scared, thinking that there was no way this kind, handsome man was real, it was too good to be true. Then I was scared all over again thinking I had lost you. [Y/n], you’re not supposed to make your knight, and your boyfriend, constantly worry about you!”

You could hear the wedding party cough to cover their laughs. “You’d worry regardless, Link.”

“I would,” he said quietly with a smile, before continuing. “You are truly the king our people need. Who else would face the Demon King alone or travel to the end of time to save us? To save… me? You say that I am a hero, but that’s just as true of you too. We’ve done so much together. We’ve hiked every mountain in Hyrule, swam in the rivers, dove through the sky… and even if our adventure is done for now, it’s only another part in our story. I vow to be by your side, my love, to continue to grow and go on new adventures together, starting with rebuilding our kingdom. I vow that my love, like that of your ancestors Rauru and Sonia, is eternal.”

Zelda said a few more words that seemed to blur into the background before she finally said what you had been waiting to hear. “If anyone has any objections to these two being lawfully wed in the eyes of Hylia, speak now or forever hold your peace.” You had to stifle a laugh as Link’s hand reached toward the Master Sword, a challenging glare sweeping across the crowd. Zelda simply smiled and nodded. “Then, by the power vested in me as the Princess of Hyrule, I pronounce you, partners. You may-”

The two of you wasted no time, pulling each other close in a kiss that rivaled (if not surpassed) your first all those years ago. Though no one else could see or hear them, you could hear Captain Hollo order his Korok comrades to “Fire!” Fireworks shot into the air, bursting with every color of the rainbow. As your tongues touched, it felt like you might explode too as the time seemed to slow to a stop. The crowd cheered, but you couldn’t hear them over your pulse pounding in your ears as Link was your whole world in that moment.

“Ahem, I hate to break this up, but there’s some important business left,” Zelda said, forcing her face to remain neutral, turning to you. “Will you please kneel?”

You did so as Zelda turned to the box behind her. She removed the lid with reverence, revealing a shimmering golden crown with the great emblem of your kingdom inlaid with an emerald, a ruby, and a sapphire. “[Y/n] Daltus Hyrule, chosen by the Goddesses, you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. Do you swear to defend the Kingdom of Hyrule and her people? Do you swear to speak only the truth, to be charitable to the poor and helpless? Do you swear to be brave, to never avoid dangerous paths out of fear?”

“I do.”

“Do you solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of Hyrule with justice and mercy in all of your judgments?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear to use your power, wisdom, and courage to protect us all?”

The words, well-practiced, came naturally. “All this, I promise to do. The things which I have here promised, I will perform and keep, with Hylia as my guide and witness.”

“Then whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight… whether crossing the seas or through a door to the past… may Hylia always be by your side and may the Goddesses always protect you.” Zelda gently set the crown on your head. “Rise, King [Y/n].”

You stood to the cheers and applause of the kingdom. Zelda performed the same oath with Link, placing another crown, closer to a circlet in design on his head. You took his hand, giving him another kiss, as the two of you took your seats on your new thrones.

“People of Hyrule, I present to you, your new kings: King [Y/n] Daltus Hyrule and King Link Hyrule! Long may they reign!”

The fireworks commenced once more as the kingdom cheered. “All hail the hero kings! All hail the hero kings!”

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

The party began almost immediately after. A feast had been laid out as everyone celebrated. You didn’t have a chance to leave the throne as people brought more and more food to you. Link’s voracious appetite had no problem keeping up with the extra helpings. “If Reede smiles any wider, the guards are gonna think he’s taking something,” Link muttered between bites.

“Hey, I would too if everyone was gobbling up my vegetables.”

The Stable Trotters kept up the music but traded off with musicians and performers from around the kingdom. Rito acrobats performed aerial tricks, and the Gerudo guard performed a warrior’s dance, complete with sword throwing. As you and Link applauded the performance, Tulin popped up between you. “Did you see all the presents?”

“Presents?” Link asked.

“Yeah, there’s a whole bunch of wedding presents for you guys!” Tulin said excitedly. “You’re gonna open them, right?”

“A bit later,” you said. “There’s still a lot to do tonight.”

“Aww okay,” he said. “There was a really weird one though.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“It’s a box of bananas. The only thing the note says is ‘Out of mutual respect for my nemesis.’ Who would have sent that?”

You suppressed a smile. “Oh, just an old acquaintance.”

Link, however, frowned. “Tulin, how do you know what’s in it?”

Tulin’s eyes grew wide. “Gotta go!” He shot into the air and wasn’t seen again for a few hours.

As the night went on, you finally started telling the story of the proposal. Reactions were subdued and guarded, so you had a feeling you’d find out later who won – though the fact everyone was quiet was a bit unsettling. There wasn’t time to worry about that though. Soon, the plaza was cleared of tables, and people began to gather. Finally, you rose from the throne, taking Link’s hand. “Ready?”

Link kept a determined look, but you could tell he was a little nervous. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll lead.”

Kass joined the musicians, leading them in a waltz – one composed by Sharpe. You wrapped an arm around Link’s waist as the two of you started to dance together. Your hero stumbled over the steps at first but grew steadier as you coached him through. One by one, everyone else joined. Soon, Link loosened up and the two of you swept across the plaza. “Not a ballroom,” you whispered to Link, “but I did always want a special dance with you in front of everyone.”

Link laughed. “I think this counts.”

“It absolutely does.”

The song shifted into a more upbeat melody. You kissed Link again, as the two of you traded partners with the next couple. Link spun away with Yona, while you found yourself in Sidon’s arms. “Such a wonderful night,” Sidon said, “you and Link look absolutely marvelous, my friend.”

You laughed. “Thanks, I look forward to ruling with you for many years to come.”

“Absolutely, my friend.” Sidon then looked up. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, who are those nice ladies? They seemed to know me, but I couldn’t quite place them. I don’t want to be rude…”

“Of course, but which ladies?”

Sidon frowned. “They were in the back, but I’m afraid I’ve lost track of them… I’ll point them out if I see them again.”

“Sounds good. Oh, time to switch!”

Before Sidon could protest, you spun him away to his next partner – a Zora artisan that he knew quite well. Link winked to you across the plaza, as he pushed Yona into the arms of her blushing retainer. You now had Yunobo as your partner. “Wow, Yunobo, you’re very light on your feet!”

He laughed nervously, trying to concentrate. “It’s… a bit harder… than I thought to keep up, goro. Hylian dances are hard for big guys like me.”

“You’re doing great! If you want, we can do a Goron dance instead?”

Yunobo wobbled. “Thanks, but think I’m gonna sit out for a bit…”

You escorted him to a chair, the poor guy was getting too dizzy from the spinning. You expected to wait a round, but no sooner had you sat him in the chair did you find yourself pulled back onto the dance floor with another partner. This Gerudo lady was stunningly beautiful and clearly knew how to dance. It took you a moment but suddenly you realized you had met the fiery-haired dancer before – multiple times in fact. “Din?”

“You sure have gotten casual now that you’re the king. What happened to ‘Lady Din’ all the time?”

You flushed, choking on your words. “I-I-uh… I’m sorry, Lady Din.”

She laughed, throwing her head back but not once missing a step. “You did well, Prince, or I suppose I should say King. I appreciate you taking care of that monster. Though, giving up the Triforce forever… I wonder if that was the smart idea. Might be a bit harder to keep your promise to me without it.”

“Please leave the poor boy alone,” another lady said, cutting in on the dance. Unlike Din, she had blue hair and was not as energetic a dancer. She instead flowed with grace and calculated movements. She looked at you with a smile, reminding you so much of Zelda. “You’ll have to forgive her. Putting the entire weight of a kingdom on you and Link… not to mention messing with time…”

“Ah, Lady Nayru, I presume?” You said, leading into the next part of the dance.

“That would be me,” she said with a slight bow. “Please don’t think me ungrateful, you did so much to help the people of Hyrule, and the world by stopping Ganondorf. I just don’t like my sister’s heavy-handed approach…”

You almost said something about how fitting it was that the Goddess of Order had some control issues, but wisely chose not to. “Link and I are just thankful that you were all looking out for us.”

Your hand, and Nayru’s were suddenly tugged over to a younger girl with green hair. She also took Din’s hands and suddenly you were dancing with all three. “You two can’t just hog him!” She said with a huff. “We agreed all together!”

“That would make you Lady Farore, then?”

She winked at you, whispering conspiratorially to her sisters, “He catches on quick, doesn’t he?”

“I did choose him for a reason you know,” Din said.

Nayru sighed. “Maybe I should have taken him first…”

“You two…” Farore groaned.

You then switched partners again, this time with Link, who wasn’t too happy to suddenly have three dance partners. You, on the other hand, were now dancing with Riju. “Aren’t you popular,” she teased.

“Oh please, I’ve seen a whole line of women dying to dance with you – my sister included.”

“Really?” Riju said, genuinely surprised. “Well then, I might have to do something about that later.”

“You should.”

Riju looked up at you. “I really am glad that you’re the king now. I hope that we can repair the damage that traitor has done to the Gerudo and to Hyrule.”

“Time heals all wounds, as they say. I’m sure everyone will be happy when Ganondorf is nothing more than an entry in a history book… which knowing Zelda, she’s probably already writing it.”

“Ever the teacher and historian,” Riju laughed. You traded partners again and again, dancing with Teba, Paya, and even Impa for a bit. Finally, the last trade came, and you found your sister as your partner.

“I don’t think this could have gone any better,” she sighed. “It feels like old times, doesn’t it? Before everything?”

“In the best ways. All the fun with a hell of a lot less stress.”

“You’re telling me,” she huffed. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“You’re glad?! You turned into a goddamn dragon!”

“So did you!”

“But not for ten thousand years!!”

“Well, excuuu…. Wait. I can’t do that anymore!”

“No you can’t princess.”

“Oh, I will get even.”

You smiled down at her. “I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

She tried to look stern, but instantly caved, shoving her face into your chest. “I’m so happy… it’s all over…”

“Me too, Zelda,” you said as the music slowed. “Me too.”

As everyone gathered for the next number, you stepped away for a drink and some rest. Some of the crowd had gone home – especially the young children, but the party was still lively with a sizeable crowd. Across the way, you saw the familiar scarred face of a seasoned knight. Time gave you a lazy salute. You waved back as he replaced his helm and disappeared into the crowd. You hoped it wouldn’t be the last time you saw him.

Soon you found yourself being drug along by Paya and Yona. “I’m sorry, your majesty!” Paya said with a blush. “They talked me into it!”

Yona rolled her eyes. “Paya wants you to do it just as much as we do.”

“Do what exactly?” You asked.

“The bouquet!” Paya blurted out. “You have to throw the bouquet!”

Suddenly, you saw a large group of your friends had gathered around the stage – all of the single ones in the middle. Link was pulled over by Saki and Traysi.

“We didn’t even have a bouquet though!” Link protested.

“Oh, come on you have to!” Saki teased, shoving a bunch of flowers into your hands. “Here, throw it together!”

Link sighed and shrugged, taking the bouquet in one hand, your hand just below his. You could hear your friends shouting behind you – Bolson’s voice somehow rising to the top. “I’ve waited this long, you better throw it here!” Together, you flung the bouquet back… a little too hard. The flowers sailed through the air, bouncing off some unfortunate Koroks before landing with a thump on Zelda’s head.

You couldn’t resist. “So, Zelda, something you haven’t told your big brother yet?”

Zelda had turned bright red. “I have no idea what you mean!” Your eyes drifted first to Riju, then to Purah, then back to Zelda, who looked ready to join the Yiga clan just to get back at you. “Don’t you dare.”

“I’ll be nice, little sister, but only because I want to be nice in front of my husband.” Hearing your new term for your knight out loud sounded so nice. Link must have thought so too as he looked ready to combust from happiness.

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

The party lasted long into the night, filled with plenty of good food, song… and perhaps a bit much to drink. Captain Buliara let her hair down, literally and metaphorically, as she showed off her hidden skills at bartending and mixology. You had never seen someone flip a bottle into the air using a scimitar, only to catch it and pour it into three shot glasses at the same time – and you likely never would again. By the first hour in, Robbie was singing at the top of his lungs. By hour two, he managed to rope Cado, Reede, and even Dorephan into drunken bar songs. Bolson and a bear of a blacksmith were getting awfully cozy, while Paya was nearly sandwiched between a Gerudo guard and the Zora soldier you had rescued. By the looks of things, she had no complaints.

You and Link grabbed your own Noble Pursuits when you realized you had a heavy someone leaning on your shoulder. “Tauro!” You greeted. “How are you?”

“I’m gooooood,” he giggled.

“How… much has he had?” You whispered to Buliara.

“That’s his first.”

“Did not expect him to be a lightweight,” Link muttered, sipping his own drink.

“Yurrr so lucky,” Tauro slurred, leaning against you. “Link is… he’s hot.”

You stopped mid-sip, and Link nearly dropped his drink. “Excuse me?”

“Link’s totally the hottest guy in the kingdom, you guys are so cute together…” Tauro murmured.

You pulled Link closer. “Yes. He is.”

Tauro giggled and slumped into a chair, forgetting all about the two of you and now talking animatedly to a pot of flowers.

“Now who’s jealous?” Link snickered.

“Shut up,” you muttered. “I think he had more than just alcohol tonight…”

“Don’t worry,” Buliara said. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Just probably needs some rest.”

The highlight of the night was easily the betting pool. As much as you knew it would be a sore spot for some, you had to ask. “Okay, so who won?”

Sidon and Riju glared at you. Yona sighed, patting Sidon’s back. “Sidon dear, you knew there was a chance you’d lose. That’s why it’s called a bet.” You saw they weren’t the only sour faces – Teba and Saki, Kass and Amali, Hudson and Rhondson, and even Scorpis seemed just as upset.

“She doesn’t have to rub it in everyone’s faces!” Sidon snapped. You’d never seen the Zora King so upset. “How did she get that specific?!”

“Of course she wins, she was the one who started it.” Riju complained, between chugging her Noble Pursuit. “Buliara! Another one!”

“She who?” Link asked.

“COME TO MAMA!” Came a shout from another table. You both turned to see Yunobo dumping a sack of rupees in front of Purah. “Oh yeah, who needs a research budget now?”

“Twenty rupees says she blows through it in a month on her next project,” Link whispered.

“Oh please, that’s no bet, it’s a guarantee,” you muttered back. The two of you walked over. “So Purah, you won?”

“Age and treachery always overcomes youth and beauty – oh wait I have all of that!” She laughed while Josha started packing the rupees into bulging sacks. “Oh my, I owe you one, you’ve made me one rich lady – maybe the richest in Hyrule!”

“So, what was your bet anyway?”

“I said that you and Link wouldn’t propose until another adventure was thrust upon you. After finishing that, you’d both be desperate to propose, but Link would beat you to it. No one believed me but come on it was obvious! You two are shy until someone’s life is in danger then you can’t help but be all mushy!”

“Obvious isn’t the word I’d pick,” you muttered. You then saw your sister approaching. “Oh no, Zelda...”

She shot you a murderous look. “I told you to hurry up and propose but no, now I get to hear Purah brag about this for life. Someone turn me back into a dragon.”

“How much?”

“You don’t want to know,” she sighed, dropping a wallet on the table. You could just barely see it was stuffed full of gold rupees.

Just then, you saw Impa shuffle up. “Oh Impa,” Link said, “did you also bet on us?”

“Oh no, no, I’m too old to be silly enough to get involved in that.” You could practically feel the temperature drop. The glares that swiveled in her direction felt scarier than any Guardian’s targeting reticle. “I’m just here to remind Purah of something.”

“Remind me of what?” Purah said, peering at her sister. Then, fear began to dawn on her face. “No… no you old buzzard! NO!”

“Purah, it is the rule. You promised. As I recall, it was your idea to have the rule. You wouldn’t go back on our promise after all… especially on your old and elderly sister…”

“No! That’s not fair!”

Impa cackled and you had to ask. “What’s the rule?”

Impa turned to you with the biggest, toothiest smile you’d ever seen. “Why, your majesty, Purah and I made a promise to each other that whenever the two of us would bet on something, we would split the winnings with each other no matter what. I’m just here to collect.”

“No, it’s mine!” Purah sobbed.

“Old age and treachery, my dear,” Impa said with a wink to you and Link.

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

Eventually, you and Link stepped away as the party calmed. The two of you stood on the Castle Town wall, leaning on the ramparts and looking out over the rolling hills of Hyrule Field. Link’s fingers interlaced with yours naturally. “Wow… King. I never thought in all my wildest dreams I’d be king with you,” Link said.

“To think, back in the day, I was just hoping to get you promoted to general and then make sure you stay in Akkala with me.”

“Really?” Link laughed. “I was hoping to run away with you and convince you to never go back to that castle.”

“You could’ve done that easily. I wouldn’t have needed much convincing,” you said. You stared up at the moon. “We never decided what we’d do for a honeymoon. We definitely deserve some down time. No monsters, no Demon Kings.”

Link thought for a moment. “I could always see if they’re holding another racing tournament? You’d like it, and I could introduce you to some of the friends I made.”

“Maybe,” you said, as the two of you leaned together. “We can also do that thing you wanted in the sky islands. Our little private paradise…”

Link then snuck a kiss, whispering against your ear. “I do have an idea for a honeymoon actually… one that could last as long as we want.”

“Oh?” you asked.

“We literally have all the time in the world,” he said, poking your hidden pendant. “We could leave now and be back before anyone knows we’re gone.”

You nuzzled into him, pulling out your Purah Pad. “As you wish, your majesty.”

“That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“You’ll get there, my love.”

Link pressed his forehead against yours. “Shall we then?”

“Let’s go,” you said. As the two of you kissed, you disappeared into a swirl of blue light, off on your next adventure.

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

And so, peace returned to Hyrule, ending the story of how the Prince who tamed the Wild and the Champion of Hyrule slayed the Demon King and ascended the throne. The two would come to be known as the Dragon King and the Champion King, and they would rule together for many years. While they would face new troubles and challenges, they would face them together, hand in hand. Even for generations after, the two kings would be known among the greatest rulers of the Kingdom of the Goddesses, often held with the same reverence as Rauru and Sonia. All would know the legend of the kings who defeated Ganondorf once and for all. Yet, their fame and glory never mattered to the two kings, for as long as they had each other, that was all that mattered.

The End

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

A/N: Thank you everyone for your support and kindness. I can’t thank you all enough for your notes, likes/votes/kudos, and comments. I had a blast returning to write this, and I hope you enjoyed it too! I loved writing about the Prince and Link again, especially with the foundation that is Tears of the Kingdom and the greater Legend of Zelda lore.

I will be taking a break over the next couple months; this is the longest continuous work I’ve ever written, and I need a bit of a break. While we’ll be shifting to a different story, don’t worry, this is not the last time we’ll be visiting Hyrule (possibly not with this Prince and this Link, I have quite a few ideas…) During the hiatus, there may be a one-shot here and there that might pop up. In the meantime, you can always reach me here, on Wattpad (DreamDepot2) or on Tumblr (dreamdepot.tumblr.com). Tumblr is probably the easiest place to reach me. As for the next story, drumroll please… Bowser wins! From being a royal to working for a royal, please keep an eye out for “Super Royal Assistant!” soon. I can almost guarantee it will be shorter than this one!

Thank you again for reading. To echo the original Legend of Zelda like I did in Prince of the Wild…

Thanks Link and King [Y/n], you’re the Heroes of Hyrule.

Finally, peace returns to Hyrule. This ends the story.

[khazadspoon]

Not the fic I should be working on but day 2 for superlantern week

Day 2 - Jungle/Accidental Kiss/ Temple

——

“Is it always this hot here?” Clark asked, stumbling over a root as he followed Green Lantern through the dense jungle. The red sun had made him feel week, a little disoriented, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with the oppressive heat.

“Not always, but mostly. The real problem’s the humidity, or so most middle aged men would tell you.”

Hal used his ring to cut through the thicker vines blocking their way to the temple set up in the middle of the jungle. It loomed overhead, spiralling minarets topped with stained glass domes, seeming both moments ahead and miles away all at once.

“Can I have the water again?”

Hal paused, opened the Guy Gardener themed backpack he had brought with them, and passed the bottle to Clark with a little grin. “It’s hard needing to hydrate so much, huh? I’ve got to admit, it’s been a while since I did any jungle training so… don’t worry, we’re both suffering here.”

“Did you train in places like this in the airforce?” He asked. He didn’t know all that much about Hal’s time in the military.

“Not really, just the once. But I spent a bit of time with some British Marines who trained in Belize. One guy said he spent six months with nothing but a few supply drops and a sniper rifle. Said it was the best six months of his life. Not sure he was telling the whole truth…” Hal continued to slash at the vines, pausing every so often to look back at Clark with growing curiosity. “Didn’t know the suit came apart like that.”

Clark had unfastened the cape almost as soon as they landed, the top half of his suit following shortly after they entered the jungle. He felt slick with sweat and it was starting to get uncomfortable. “I try not to take it off when I’m on duty, but it’s pretty useful.”

“I’ll bet.”

He tried to ignore the sensation of Hal’s eyes on his bare skin. It wasn’t a bad one, he liked how Hal looked at him, like he was a three course meal to savour even if he only had a single bite, but the timing wasn’t exactly great. He’d rather be levelled with that look somewhere less… this.

They reached the temple after another hour of slow progress and Clark almost wept at the cool shade inside the building.

“Now we’ve got to be careful. Kilowog said this place was booby-trapped and I’d really rather not deal with that right- ah.”

Clark stiffened as Hal’s tone became strained. “What? What’s wrong?”

Hal sighed, a put upon sound he only made when something disappointed him. “Think I just stepped on something that clicked. Not a good sign.”

Sure enough, a bright shaft of light erupted from the ceiling. The walls shivered and shook, dust falling as they started closing in.

“I’d say that’s a worse one,” Clark instinctively put his hand out to arrest the wall’s movement and frowned as it did nothing. Right; red sun. “Remind me again why it’s me you decided to bring along?”

“There’s some Kryptonian writing Kilowog said the ring couldn’t translate properly, and since you’re the only Kryptonian currently fluent in the language…”

“Fair enough. Any bright ideas on how we deal with the walls currently trying to literally close in on us?”

Hal nodded and Clark watched the transformation of Hal the talkative joker into Hal Jordan the greatest of the Green Lanterns. His jaw was set firmly, posture straight and sure, arm outstretched as he flicked constructs to life with his mind. They hit the walls, two large rectangular barriers, and the steady movement of the stone stopped.

“There’s a switch somewhere, always is with places like this, look out for anything that looks important and we should be good.”

“And if we don’t find it?”

A short, sharp laugh. “Then we spill are deepest darkest secrets and get ready to meet our makers.”

Clark didn’t feel like laughing. His depowered body was starting to shake a little, adrenaline filling him and tension coiling in his muscles.

He scanned the room for anything that looked ‘important’ and found nothing. Hal looked increasingly frustrated as the minutes passed. Sweat had broken out on his forehead and the domino mask had fallen away. Clark could see the concentration in his eyes and stepped closer.

“Anything?”

“Not yet,” Hal replied, “the ring’s trying to find something now.”

“Guess I should start spilling, huh?”

Hal laughed and flicked his eyes up, meeting Clark’s gaze. “Why, Superman; got something juicy for me?”

“Well I always thought it was a shame you wear that mask, you’re too pretty to cover up all the time. Seems a shame to hide it from us.”

Hal stared at him and blinked slowly. A flush started on his cheeks as he cleared his throat and Clark saw the construct barriers starting to shift inward. The walls were winning out, it seemed.

“I always wanted to see if you were as straight as we all think you are. Y’know, grab your ass or kiss you to see what would happen.”

It was Clark’s turn to laugh. “You think I’m straight?”

“That’s what you got from that?”

Clark laughed again and kissed him, firm and hard, knowing that Hal would come through and get them out but wanting to do it all the same. Hal kissed him back with just as much force, moaning into it and biting at Clark’s lower lip. Maybe it was the threat of imminent death, maybe it was the red sun’s influence, but kissing Hal seemed like the most important thing at that moment.

The ring chimed. A loud ‘thunk’ echoed through the temple and the walls stopped dead in their tracks.

Hal kept kissing him, letting the constructs fall away and taking greedy handfuls of Clark’s chest. Clark shivered and pushed into the touch. He couldn’t feel it the same way as usual, not without his heightened senses, but the pressure was almost overwhelming. It felt heavenly, that touch.

When they parted, Hal was panting heavily. Clark wasn’t faring any better. “So…” he ran his hands up Clark’s chest, palms brushing over Clark’s nipples and sending tantalising shocks up his spine. “You think I’m pretty, huh?”

“I’ll be glad to show you how much as soon as we’re done here. Come on, and let’s try not to get squashed, okay?”

“Sure thing, big fella.”

[cutegayorc]

Adopted by a Werewolf Chapter 4

I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. It turns out writing scenes involving a character having a panic attackc and then lead to you yourself having a panic attack. Fun! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I've already finished chapter 5, I've just got to finish editing. Also I've been picking up some editing tips from random parts of the internet so if my editing changes from chapter to chapter, that's not random. Apologies for those who like consitency. I'm a bit of a messy bitch that way.

Editor Credits Perky: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/perk0/ Lan the Orc: https://lantheorc.sofurry.com/ ------

Druid’s Falls was far smaller than Bright Rock. Bright Rock felt like three small cities pushed together. The slums, old town and new town. But Druid’s Falls was a small village with one winding road. The small cabins were built up against the nearby woods and a logging camp stood at the end of the road where the majority of the village worked. Parts of the woods had been cleared leaving only stumps. Other parts, there were holes where stumps used to be. Lastly there were areas where the holes left by the stumps had been filled and new baby trees had been planted. Rodrig and Jeremiah passed by all of this. The people waved as they passed. Jeremiah always waved back with a big smile. Rodrig tried to do the same, but it felt awkward. He worried people were judging him for riding on the cart. Even if he did have a legitimate reason to be doing so. Once they had passed the last cabin, they made a left turn from the main road into the forest. Rodrig wondered why they didn’t stop at the inn he saw before. Especially since the place they did eventually stop was far out of the way. 

Four buildings sat by each other. Two cottages, one large and one small, sat by each other and behind them was a barn which currently housed a small horse. Lastly was a circular stone building with a large wood stove next to it, large pipes connecting into the side of the building. 

They stopped in front of the large cottage but before Jeremiah could approach and knock, a tiny olive skinned woman popped out the door and onto the porch. Her face was wrinkled in that way where you know she was the type to always smile and oh when she smiled at seeing their arrival. All of those creases on her face falling into place as she irradiated an energy like the sun. 

“Big wolf!” She called. Her accent was heavy, Over-pronouncing the o in wolf.

“Granny!” Jeremiah called back and opened his arms. She jumped from the porch and landed in his arms giving him tiny kisses all over his face. He laughed and they swung around in a circle. 

“You are back so quick.” She said as Jeremiah set her down. She barely reached past his waist. 

“There were some complications,” Jeremiah began to explain. “Quick extraction was necessary. Have you heard from the Watcher of Bright Rock?”

“I have heard nothing,” She said. “That man is an asshole. He wouldn’t talk to me unless it was for business.” 

Jeremiah's normal happy confident mask fell for just a moment as he showed genuine worry for something. What, Rodric couldn’t know. He was still processing everything that had been revealed. But Jeremiah quickly slipped the mask back on and was back to being a confident and fearless statue. 

As Rodric finally hobbled over, the small woman took notice.

“Is this the boy you were sent to retrieve? What happened? Why is he limping?” 

“Yes and I’ll explain everything in a minute.” Jeremiah said, leading the woman over to where Rodrig was standing. 

“Rodrig,” Jeremiah said, “This is Lama Gajudo. She’s what we call a Watcher.” 

“What does she watch?” Jeremiah asked, looking around for anything of interest. 

“My job is not to watch the forest. It won’t be here much longer with all the logging.” Lama said. She sneered at the mention of the logging. 

“She watches for possible Sensitives or Adepts.” Jeremiah said. “She’s also a healer. I was hoping she could give you an examination to make sure your leg is okay.” 

Rodrig nodded but didn’t say anything. He just felt agitated for some reason he couldn’t quite grasp. Especially now that all eyes were on him. 

“Until I know the damage, I don’t want you walking on that leg.” Lama said. “Woolfy, you carry him to my exam room.” 

“I don’t need somebody to carry me.” Rodrig grumbled to himself. 

“It’s okay.” Jeremiah said. “It’s no bother. I can handle your weight no problem.” 

Rodrig wasn’t worried about Jeremiah being able to support his weight. He just didn’t like the idea of being carried. When Jeremiah walked over to him, Rodrig tensed up. He was about to try and beat the man away with the makeshift walking stick. Before he could make his move however, Jeremiah scooped him up into his arms. Rodrig dropped the walking stick by mistake. His weapon now gone, Rodrig was forced to be carried like a bride over the veil. He felt his entire face heat up as a deep blush covered his face. He covered himself so that no one could see him turn red. A deep rumble came from Jeremiah’s chest that vibrated against Rodrig. There was a sense of satisfaction in that rumbling growl. Rodrig’s face burned brighter. So did the unexplainable exasperation that was forming in his chest. It spread to his arms and made them tingle. 

Jeremiah carried Rodrig up the steps to the porch and through the door into the cabin. The room was astonishingly tidy. Everything seemed to have its place. There was a small living area with a table with four coasters ready to place a glass on in case company wanted to have a drink of coffee while they sat and chat. In the back was a kitchen kept pristine and a dining table with 4 chairs. Towards their right were two doors. They took the one closer to them and were in another overly well kept room. In one corner was a small desk with and a bookshelf covered in books. In the middle of the room was a flat table with cushioning on it. An examination table like they had at the academy. Nearby was a stool which Lama sat in. Jeremiah carefully lowered Rodrig onto the end of the exam table before stepping back and standing in the corner. 

“Can you put your leg on the table for me dear?” Lama asked. “I need it level to examine it.” 

Rodrig did as he was told, letting her move his ankle back and forth, gauging his reaction as she did. 

“How did you hurt it?” Lama asked. 

“Someone stomped on it.” Rodrig said after a moment's pause. He didn’t want to relive how he got the injury so he kept it brief. 

“Been doing much walking on it?” 

“No, ma’am.” 

“So polite.” She smiled. “I remember the first time I met another young man, he was far less polite.” She gave an over the top stink eye towards Jeremiah. The type where you could tell it was in jest.

“You wound me.” Jeremiah said back. He clutched his chest and made a dramatic grunting sound.

“Hush you!” she said back holding back a laugh. 

Rodrig watched, feeling awkward. Any time he had tried to have a friendly conversation like that, it usually ended with him being ridiculed for trying to join in. So he kept his mouth shut. It was safer that way.

Lama turned back towards Rodrig. Her smile was still there. She kept it on even when she noticed Rodrig wasn’t smiling back. 

“It’s nothing bad. Just a sprain. Stay off it for a bit and keep it elevated. Now let's take a look at what’s under that bandage on your face. Lay down so I can get a better look.” Rodrig did as he was instructed, scooching himself further up the examination table so he could lay flat. The ends of his feet still dangled off the edge but beyond that it was pretty comfy. She removed the bandage. Her smile went away. 

“How did you get this?” She asked. 

Rodrig tried to answer but found that no sound was coming out. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times. Was he going to have to go over everything? Right as it was about to be too much, right when his eyes started to burn with the feeling of tears starting to form, Jeremiah came to his rescue. 

“It was a knife wound.” Jeremiah said. “He also has one on his back. Although that one is from a rapier. It’s not as deep but goes over a wider area. I can go over the how later if need be.” 

Lama didn’t say anything right away, processing the information. She kept her face blank. A strange thought crossed Rodrig’s mind through the depression and the anguish. He thought that she would have made a great poker player. The funny little thought brought a little bit of levity. His own little private joke. It helped to calm him down a little bit. 

“These stitches, were they you Big Wolf?” Lama asked. 

“Yes.” Jeremiah said.

“You have improved since I last tutored you. It seems to be healing well. But I would like to get some salve on it, to speed the process along.” 

She hopped off her stool and went to a nearby cabinet. She pulled out a small handheld jar and came back. 

“This is my own personal healing salve,” Lama said as she popped the top off the jar. Rodrig could smell an earthy scent fill the air. It reminded him of the smell of vines that he once had to pull out of his mothers garden. “A little bit along the cut and then we replace the bandage.” 

She placed her finger in the jar and it came out covered in what looked like mud. As she spread it across the wound, the smell of vegetation grew. It was cold. Once she was  done applying the goop, she applied a new bandage. 

“Okay, now let’s see the one on the back.”  Lama said. “Shirt off and on your belly.” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Rodrig said. “It feels fine.” 

“It’s not.” Jeremiah said. “I didn’t want to alarm you but it smells infected.” 

Rodrig grew pale. Lama cleared her throat.

“Shirt off or I make the wolf rip it off.” Lama threatened. 

Rodrig did as he was told, stripping his shirt off and turned himself over. He re-used his shirt as a pillow for his head while he waited for the old woman to do her work. She had to stand on her stool to see the whole thing. She tisked a few times before prescribing more plant goop. Again she slathered the goop against his skin. This time it stung as she applied it. But then a cooling feeling started to cover his back. She then applied a bandage, replacing the wraps that had covered the cut from before. 

“You’re going to need to keep applying the salve until it heals. I’ll make sure to send some with you.” Lama said before stepping down. Rodrig pushed himself up and put his shirt back on. “Now, why don’t you come and have a pot of tea with me.” 

----

Jeremiah sipped at his tea. It was strong. Lama always made it that way. He watched as Rodrig took a sip and then immediately scrunched up his face. The young man was quick to return his face to a neutral look. Jeremiah had noticed that Rodrig liked to put on a neutral face like a mask. It didn’t do much to hide from Jeremiah since he could hear his heartbeat and smell the changes in his body chemistry. Plus there were the tiny twitches and quirks of body language. But in front of normal humans, it would have been perfect. The next time Rodrig took a sip, the mask stayed on. But there was a twitch along his brow indicating he didn’t like the taste. 

“Thank you for the tea.” Rodrig said. 

“It’s my pleasure.” Lama said to Rodrig before turning to Jeremiah. “I’m assuming you will be staying tonight?”

“Yes Granny.” Jeremiah said. “If it’s not too much trouble, I was hoping we could use your bath too.” 

“I was going to insist.” Lama said. “We need to get the dirt and sweat off your young ward’s wounds. Do you remember how to turn it on?” 

“Yes. I’ll help Rodrig with-” Jeremiah began to say. 

“Don’t pick me up!” Rodrig interrupted, tensing up. 

“Okay.” Jeremiah said. He was trying not to laugh at the sudden outburst. Jeremiah made a mental note that embarrassment made Rodrig drop his mask. Probably not the best way to get him to drop his guard so he would have to keep looking for other ways to get him to open up.  “But we can’t have you walking on that foot. Let me at least be your crutch. Deal?” 

Rodrig didn’t answer right away. But he finally nodded. 

“I’ll have some food waiting in the guest cabin for when you are done bathing.” Lama said. “I’ll also need you to reapply more of the salve once you’re done. I’ll leave the jar with the food. Try not to mix up the food and the salve. Don’t get my wrong, the salve is technically edible. But it probably won’t taste too good. Even if you spread it on bread.” 

Jeremiah had no doubt that she had tried the salve on bread once just to see. She was eccentric like that. He chuckled and headed over to Rodrig, offering his hand to help the young lad up. Rodrig eyed the hand then looked up and met Rodrig’s gaze. Rodrig quickly looked away, a small amount of red tinging his cheeks. Jeremiah didn’t comment, instead hanging him his makeshift walking stick. 

They slowly made their way out the door. They made their way over to the small circular building made of brick. There was a small stove to the side. 

“You can head inside and start getting undressed.” Jeremiah said. “I’ll load the stove with wood.” 

“How does it work?” Rodrig asked. 

“The pipes here are connected to an underground stream.” Jeremiah began to explain. “When you turn this lever, the water flows up and goes into this reservoir. The stove heats up the water and then you turn a nob in there to let the water out of the reservoir.” 

“Won’t it take a while for the water in the reservoir to heat up?”

“Not as long as you would think. Now go on, there should be some towels in there already.”

Rodrig did as he was told. When he opened it, he stopped. 

“It’s really dark in there.” Rodrig said. 

“There should be candles inside. There is a match box on a shelf right by the door.” 

Rodrig stepped inside. Jeremiah heard the sound of a match lighting and then a sudden gasp. Rodrig must have seen the huge stone tub. It had surprised Jeremiah the first time he saw it too. Jeremiah got to work filling the reservoir with water before starting the work on filling the stove with wood. He then lit the flames with flint and steel, sparking a small flame which quickly consumed the wood and became an inferno. Jeremiah closed the stove before heading towards the entrance to the stone cylinder.

Inside and slightly sunken into the floor was a large stone tub shaped like a bowl with a drain at the bottom. Rodrig stood there still dressed. He had just got done lighting the candles tucked away in the sconces on the walls. He waved the match in his hands to put it out before tossing it in a nearby rubbish bin. 

“Why does she have something like this out in the middle of the forest?” Rodrig said motioning towards the tub. “I would expect something like this in some rich man’s mansion.” 

“Well I wouldn’t call her rich but Granny is pretty wealthy.” Jeremiah said. “She’s a famous healer. That salve she gave you is the same stuff used by some royals.” Rodrig had pulled his shirt off half way before he stopped. He looked mortified. 

“You let her use that on me?” Rodrig said. “B-b-but I’m just me!” 

“So?” Jeremiah said, enjoying Rodrig’s reaction a bit too much. “Believe it or not, the bodies of kings and queens are exactly the same as yours.” 

“But if they use it, it must be expensive.” Rodrig said in a whisper. “I can’t even afford to pay you back for everything you’ve done so far. How am I supposed to pay her for world famous healing goop?” 

“It’s fine.” Jeremiah said as he stripped off his shirt. “It’s part of her job to help heal those with supernatural abilities we rescue. It’s all paid for by our organization.” 

“Nothing is free.” Rodrig said. “Somebody is going to want the money for that junk and when I can’t pay, it’s going to be taken out of my hide. I’ve seen what is done to people who can’t pay back their debt. I’m not using that stuff again. No way.” 

Rodrig’s heart rate had become like a war drum. Loud and fast. It almost hurt Jeremiah’s sensitive ears. He tried to think of ways to distract him. Then an evil thought entered his head. 

Jeremiah dropped his pants. 

---

Rodrig was about to give another really good reason why using healing salve was a terrible idea. Images of men who owed money to those more powerful being beaten in the street in front of their own children came to mine. Then for the briefest of moments, his eyes caught sight of Jeremiah’s rather large cock and balls. He immediately turned around, his entire body humming as blood suddenly rushed to his face. There was definitely no denying his worst fears. He was attracted to a man who could turn into a beast. It also meant that bathing together was out of the question. 

“Maybe I should go.” Rodrig said. But he didn’t move, because Jeremiah was standing in the way of the only door out. There wouldn’t be enough room for him to pass by him towards the door. Not without pressing up against the big, hairy, muscly, handsome...Rodrig thought to himself that he was completely and utterly fucked. 

“Nonsense.” Jeremiah said. Rodrig heard the sound of the tap being turned and the sound of water running. The room suddenly jumped in temperature as the warm water began to fill the room with steam. “If we take turns, there won’t be enough hot water. Besides, the tub is more than big enough for both of us. Now get undressed.” 

Rodrig stood still. 

“You’ve got thirty seconds before I come over there and rip those clothes off myself” Jeremiah said. 

“Then turn around, you big perv!” Rodrig said making eye contact and making sure to keep his eye line above the waist. 

“Okay. But if i don’t hear the sound of you hitting the water in the next minute, I'm coming for you.” Jeremiah turned around. Rodrig tried really hard not to take a peak at Jeremiah’s ass. He failed. It was big and had a thin layer of fuzz on it. Rodrig’s mouth went dry.

“Time’s half up.” Jeremiah said, snapping Rodrig out of his daze. Rodrig quickly stripped his shirt off before tossing it to the floor. He dropped his pants next before kneeling down. Getting in the tub with one ankle was an interesting maneuver but he figured it out. 

“HOT, HOT, HOT!” Rodrig screamed as he realized the mistake of just plopping himself down into the water. 

“There, was that so bad?” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig heard the sound of Jeremiah also lowering himself into the water. Meanwhile, Rodrig was busy taking deep steady breaths, his eyes clenched shut as he waited for his body to get used to the water. Eventually the searing pain subsided and the water just felt warm and comforting. He sighed in relief. 

“Hand out. I’m passing you a bar of soap.” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig did as he was told, keeping his eyes averted so as not to see his tub-mate. The bar of soap was placed in his hand with a washcloth. Rodrig got right to work scrubbing his arms. 

“I don’t want you to worry about the cost of all this.” Jeremiah said.

“But I-” Rodrig began to say back.

“Let me finish saying this first.” Jeremiah interrupted. There was a sharp authority to his voice that made Rodrig shut his mouth. A feeling of needing to obey swept over him. It was familiar. Like that first night when they met at the bar. A part of him wanted to tell Jeremiah to shut up. To leave him alone. But he held it back and pushed those emotions in a little box in the back of his head like he always did. Nothing but pain ever came from confronting people.

“I’m part of a rather large group of supernatural beings.” Jeremiah said. “We don’t have an official name or anything like that. Originally it was formed out of a need for survival. Different leaders of packs and covens would mee to share information and resources. Help each other to stay safe and prosper in a world where we were hunted. But then, one of our own saved a prince. It was an accident really. The witch didn’t know the person he was saving was royalty. He just saw that someone was in trouble. That random act of kindness spurred a partnership that still exists today.

“The Prince vouched for the supernatural community to his mother, the then Queen. Said that the majority of supernatural beings were just like them, people trying to survive. The Queen, wise beyond her years, saw an opportunity for a partnership. She would offer certain supernatural groups that weren’t a threat protection and land. In exchange they would offer services to the people and the crown.

“My coming to retrieve you is one of those services. Now this next part I don’t say to scare you but to make you understand the why. People like you, Sensitives, if left alone are more often than not taken in by dark elements. Sensitives, because of the nature of their soul, are malleable. They can become hosts to many dark things. Often against their will. Then they become a danger to everyone around them. 

“So yes, there is a cost to all of this. The travel. The food. The medicine. But it’s a price that the crown gladly pays to keep the peace.”

Rodrig thought over all this information. The soap and cloth were forgotten as he sat there processing all this new information. He looked up and saw Jeremiah on the opposite end of the tub. He was sitting watching him. His hair wet and plastered against his body. He smiled at Rodrig, giving him a chance to process the information. A dark thought crossed his mind and it came out before he could stop himself. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just kill me?” 

Jeremiah’s smile dropped. The look of sorrow and pity made Rodrig need to turn away.

“I don’t believe you would say something so vile because you have a cruel heart.” Jeremiah said. “I believe you said it because you’re hurting so much that death feels like it would be a release. But hear me now. I would never entertain something so cruel as to murder someone for something they have no control over. So no Rodrig. I won’t kill you. I will not come for you expecting payment for services rendered. What I do, I don’t do so expecting payment. I do these things because I believe in our cause.” 

“But what sort of life will I be able to lead if I’m a danger?” Rodrig said. He felt bitter. Some of the anger he had bottled up pushed through. 

Jeremiah sighed. A moment passed before he spoke again. 

“I used to be a Sensitive too.” Jeremiah said. 

“You what?” Rodrig said. All the thoughts in his head came crashing to a halt as he focused completely on the man opposite him. 

“The hole in your spirit that I mentioned the other day, it can also be inhabited by benevolent beings.” Jeremiah said. “When we save a Sensitive, we don’t just keep them in a dungeon away from society. You’re given a choice. Some choose to remain as they are. For those, we have places where they can stay that are warded against evil beings. Some though, like myself, choose to open their soul up for residency to a spirit to form a symbiotic relationship.”

Rodrig sat there stunned. He slowly sank into the water until it covered everything but the top of his head, breathing through his nose as the water covered his mouth. Jeremiah began to lather up his body while Rodrig processed things. This reminded Rodrig he too needed to start scrubbing himself and grabbed the soap from the edge of the tub and got to work himself. 

“You said you were a Sensitive. Are you not anymore?” 

Jeremiah’s smile returned.

“Senstives in the supernatural community are kind of like caterpillars. They are just the start of what could be. Just like how a butterfly is no longer a caterpillar after it cocoons itself, once a Sensitive takes on a spirit and creates a permanent bond, they turn into something else. For example, when I chose to accept the gift of the werewolf, my soul became one with a wolf spirit.” 

“Oh.” Rodrig said. He was suddenly very curious about all the different types of being out there. Then he realized he had washed all he could that wasn’t submerged in the water. “I need to wash my...lower half. Could you look away for a second.” 

Jeremiah rolled his eyes, but he did as was asked. Rodrig stood up and started washing his legs.

“How were you turned?” Rodrig asked while lathering up his legs. 

“I was bitten while under the full moon.” Jeremiah said. 

“Did it hurt?” Rodrig asked. He briefly wondered if these questions were becoming too personal. 

“A little,” Jeremiah said. “I still remember it to this day. I was scared but excited at the same time. The bite hurt like hell, but right after it happened, my body grew limp and suddenly I wasn’t there anymore. I was somewhere else. Not physically. The witches call it spirit walking, when your senses temporarily leave your body. My soul was taken to a forest and I was surrounded by wolves. The man who bit me was also there. We walked through the forest with the wolves and one at a time I was introduced to the spirits until I found one that my soul resonated with. It was like meeting someone for the first time and knowing this, this, this. This right here is my best friend. My literal soulmate. And then we merged.”

The way Jeremiah talked about the event filled Rodrig with awe. He sounded so happy. Rodrig couldn’t think of a single memory that filled him with that much joy. 

“I still have the scar. If you would like to see.” Jeremiah said. 

“Really?” Rodrig asked. He then scolded himself for sounding so excited. 

“Sure, it’s here on my right shoulder.” Jeremiah said. He came a little closer before turning around, moving his long black hair to his left shoulder so that Rodrig could easily see the bite mark. It was scarred over, multiple little dots on his skin where the teeth would have pierced his flesh. 

For a moment, Rodrig imagined Jeremiah placing his mouth along Rodrig’s neck. He then froze and slowly backed away. He scolded himself for letting such a perverted thought enter his mind. He sank back into the water as nonchalantly as he could. “Thank you for showing me.” Rodrig mumbled.

“No problem.” Jeremiah said. He stood up without warning, giving Rodrig a sudden very close and personal view of Jeremiah’s ass. 

“Welp, I'm getting all pruny. I think I'm done washing up.” Jeremiah said. He stepped out of the tub. Rodrig told himself he should look away but couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to touch that butt. Those arms. That chest. Jeremiah began to towel off, not worrying about the fact his nudity was on full display. Finally Jeremiah wrapped the towel around his waist and started walking towards him before offering his hand. 

“Here, let me help you out. Don’t worry, I won’t look.” Jeremiah said. 

-----

Jeremiah lied. He did in fact look. In his defense though, the human half of him felt really bad about it. The wolf half did not give a shit and was a lecherous asshole. Or at least that’s what Jeremiah told himself after watching Rodrig get dressed out of the corner of his eye. Rodrig was a bit skinny for his height. Something that Jeremiah had noticed before. Jeremiah wondered if maybe before joining the guard academy, he was malnourished. Rodrig also appeared to have a few scars on his ass and back. They were old scars, having faded a bit. Given that Rodrig was just barely an adult, he would have had to have received them during childhood. A lot of his mannerisms started to make sense. They were defense mechanisms learned from a hard childhood. 

Beyond that though, he seemed overall healthy. Minimal body hair though. Well except for the bush around his balls. They hung low and swung around while Rodrig pulled his underwear back on. Jeremiah couldn’t help but notice the small hard on he had to. A dark part of his mind got enjoyment from knowing that it was his body that had aroused Rodrig. The other part of his mind chastised him for thinking such things at such a time. 

When Rodrig turned around to grab his shirt, Jeremiah quickly looked away and played the part of the innocent wolfman who was not secretly a Peeping Tom. 

“Why do I feel so exhausted?” Rodrig said more to himself than to Jeremiah. “I’ve been sitting in a cart all day. Why do I just want to pass out.” 

“You’ve had a long couple of days.” Jeremiah said. “Your body is still recovering from the physical and emotional stress.” 

Rodrig sighed but didn’t say anything more. The two left the bath to find a pair of crutches waiting for Rodrig. 

“Guess you won’t need me to carry you around anymore.” Jeremiah said in a joking manner.

“That must be a relief for you. Don’t have to lug me around anymore.” Rodrig said completely serious. 

It was in fact not a relief. Jeremiah’s wolf practically purred any time their bodies touched. Just like it had done with his three sons before he bit them. The wolf sensed Rodrig’s compatibility. It wanted to make the man pack. But that wasn’t how this worked. So he held back. 

“You aren’t as heavy as you think you are.” Jeremiah said before giving a well practiced fake laugh. Rodrig grunted.

Jeremiah kicked himself a little for trying too hard. Rodrig was clearly at the end of his emotional rope. His movements were slow. His shoulders were slumped and he had a look of someone who was about ready to pass out. 

“Come on, the guest cabin is this way.” Jeremiah said, leading Rodrig to the smaller of the two cabins.

The guest cabin didn’t have a porch like the bigger one so there was no need to worry about navigating stairs to make it through the front door. The room had two rather large beds against the opposite wall, freshly made and ready for an occupant. In between the space left between the two beds was a small table with two chairs. On said table were two bowls of steaming hot soup, a large loaf of bread, butter and a jar of what Jeremiah assumed was the healing salve Lama said she would leave for them. 

A grumbling sound came from both Rodrig and Jeremiah’s stomach at the same time.

“I think our bodies are telling us they are sick of travel rations.” Jeremiah said. “Come on. Let’s eat.” 

---

Rodrig belched. Everything was delicious. Except the healing salve. They did not eat the healing salve. After dinner, Jeremiah grabbed the salve and popped the top off the jar. 

“Shirt off. Back to me.” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig grunted but did as he was told. Jeremiah applied the goop to the cut on his back before retying the wrap holding a fresh cloth over the cut. 

“Anything else?” Rodrig said, sounding a little more grumpy then he meant to.

“Just your face. Do you want me to do it for you?” 

“No, I can do it myself.” Rodrig grabbed the jar and peeled the bandage off his face before applying some of the salve on his cheek. Jeremiah handed him a new bandage which Rodrig applied to his face a little less gracefully than normal. 

“Let’s get you to bed.” Jeremiah said, looking like he was trying not to laugh. Rodrig gave him a death stare but didn’t argue. Instead he went over to the bed and got under the sheets. He didn’t even notice falling asleep. 

Not until he woke up and the room was suddenly darker. The only light came from a candle on the nearby table. He was under the sheets. He didn’t remember getting under the sheets. Jeremiah must have tucked him in. The realization made Rodrig feel like trash. He shouldn’t have needed someone to take care of him like that. He should have taken care of himself. This feeling of helplessness was driving him crazy. He told himself he needed to apologize for Jeremiah having to take care of him like a kid.  He looked around the room for Jeremiah, but he wasn’t there. There was a note next to the candle though. Rodrig stretched out his back and legs before grabbing the crutches and hobbling his way over to the table. 

“Went on a midnight run. If you hear howling, don’t worry. That’s just me.” The note read. 

Rodrig sat down next to the note. He wondered if Jeremiah was talking about a regular run or if Jeremiah had shifted. Then he saw Jeremiah’s pants and shirt by the door and realized it was probably a wolf run. Unless  Jeremiah liked to run around the forest naked. That brought images from earlier in the day popping up in his head. Rodrig had to pinch himself to get his mind off of a naked Jeremiah running through the woods naked. 

“No. Not happening.” Rodrig told himself. “Not one bit. Get that out of your head right now.” 

A scratching sound came at the door. Rodrig jumped as the sudden noise startled him. He knocked the table with his leg and the candle began to fall. Rodrig grabbed it at the last minute, putting it back in place. He yelped in pain as a second later his brain registered that he now had burning hot candle wax smeared on his hand. He waved it back and forth to try and get the wax off. 

The scratching came again. Rodrig stood up, holding his crutch above his head ready to strike as he looked towards the door. Then he heard a low canine whine. The first thought that came to Rodrig’s head was that Jeremiah was outside the door. He became worried. Should he open the door? Would Jeremiah be the monster that chased him through the woods? Or would he be full wolf? Was he about to see Jeremiah transform? The idea was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. 

He was distracted by the sound of loud popping and guttural growls that slowly morphed into groans. As the groans slowly morphed from beastly to human, Rodrig began to realize that voice didn’t belong to Jeremiah. There was a werewolf on the other side of the door. One he didn’t know and in a few seconds, it would have the ability to open the door. 

He quickly hobbled over to the door, his crutch forgotten. He slammed into the door and quickly pushed the deadbolt in place. He then slid down to the floor, suddenly finding it hard to stay standing. He sat with his back to the door, covering his mouth and nose to try and calm his breathing.

The popping and grunting stopped and a second later, a fist pounded on the other end of the door. 

“Jeremiah.” an unknown voice said. The accent sounded like it came from one of the countries from the west. “Open the door. It’s Alfonse.” 

The doorknob turned and whoever was on the other end tried to push the door open. The door jiggled with more force than he thought. Then there was silence. And then a low growl. 

“I can hear your heart beating on the other side of this door.” The voice said. A low snarl followed. “Tell me where Jeremiah is or I will rip this door off its hinges.”

Rodrig turned around and started pushing himself away from the door. His arms had goosebumps and his chest felt like it had a weight in it. His forehead was wet with sweat.

“What do you want?” Rodrig finally was able to call out. 

“I want to know where my father is!” The man’s voice roared through the door. “I can smell his scent! He was here! What did you do with him!” 

The door started to shake as the hinges groaned. Rodrig found himself hiding under the table, holding onto one of the legs for dear life. The hinges slowly were ripped from their hinges. The sound of splintering and cracking wood roared through the cabin. The door fell inward and crashed to the ground, shaking the floor. Standing in the doorway was a naked man, but his body wasn’t normal. Large patches of light brown fur covered his arms, chest and legs. His hands were tipped with large black claws. His mouth hung open as it panted for air. His teeth were long and sharp. His eyes glowed a deep crimson red. Rodrig briefly met the man beast’s eyes. The mystery man took one step forward. Rodrig was frozen, his entire body tensed up. There were no coherent thoughts going on in his mind at that time. Just the emotion of pure terror. 

“Alfonse?” Jeremiah's voice said. 

The wolf man stopped in his tracks and turned around. Standing behind the stranger was Jeremiah, also nude. He was looking at Alfonse. Then Rodrig. Then Alfonse again.

“Jeremiah?” the stranger said. The fur and claws began to shrink away as the man returned to a normal human. He ran out of the cabin and jumped into Jeremiah’s arms. 

“What are you doing here?” Jeremiah asked. 

The stranger said something Rodrig couldn’t hear, his face buried in Jeremiah’s shoulder. Rodrig’s body was moving on its own at that point. He crawled to a door he hadn’t opened yet. He fumbled with the doorknob before flinging it open. It was an empty closet. He threw himself in and closed the door before curling into a ball in the dark closet and trembling as he started sobbing.

---

“What are you doing here?” Jeremiah asked his first son. 

“We got the report that Bright Rock had attacked their watcher.” Alfonse mumbled into his shoulder. “They have declared all supernaturals to be enemies to be killed on sight. Nobody knew if you were safe or not. I ran after you as soon as I heard the news.” His youngest son’s voice was moving quickly and was filled with breathy sobs. He hugged the man, patting him on the head. 

Alfonse was about as tall as Jeremiah. He wasn’t quite as muscle bound as he was but still quite large compared to most men. His bright red hair was cut short, otherwise it began to curl into a mop. He had a small amount of stubble on his chin. It prickled against Jeremiah’s neck as Alfonse rubbed his head against him.

The sound of a slam pulled both of them out of the moment. Alfonse let go of Jeremiah and they both looked around. Rodrig was no longer under the table. Jeremiah took a step into the cabin, looking around. He could hear the soft sounds of sobbing and a heartbeat that was beating like a drum at the summer festival. It was coming from the closet.

“Damn it.” Jeremiah said. 

“What is going on?” Lama called out. She was peering out the window from her cabin and was wearing a matching nightgown and nightcap. “Why are you naked? What is Angry Wolf doing here? AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE DOOR?”

“It was...I just–” Alfonse stammered back. 

While Lama proceeded to scream at Alfonse, Jeremiah began to approach the closet door. Rodrig’s breathing was uneven, he was hyperventilating.  

“Rodrig?” Jeremiah called through the door. “It’s okay. It was just a misunderstanding. I promise. You’re safe.” 

Jeremiah grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open as he slowly started to open the door. It suddenly was pulled close. 

“Get away from me!” Rodrig screamed through the door. 

“Okay. Okay. It’s okay.” Jeremiah said, pushing a bit of the Wild into his voice. Trying to push calming energy into the words. 

“Stop it! Stop using your fucking magic on me!” Rodrig screamed. The Wild being repelled back at him. It was laced with pure panic.

“Rodrig, I-” 

“Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! JUST GO!” Rodrig’s voice tore from the closet. There was a pounding sound on the door, like Rodrig was slamming his fist against it. 

“I’ll be outside if you need me.” Jeremiah said as softly as he could while still being loud enough that Rodrig would hear before backing away and heading outside. 

“Granny, I’ll fix it. I swear.” Alfonse said. He now wore a pair of pants. Alfonse must have brought his wolf pack, a special backpack that could fit on the back of a wolf and carry some clothes and money. It was usually only used when a wolf had to head somewhere quick. Alfonse must have run straight here from their territory. Jeremiah grabbed his own pants and slipped them on before stepping outside. 

“You’re damn right you will fix my door. You’re going to be doing a lot more than that to make up for the fact that you scared me half to death.” Lama was waving a fluffy pink slipper in her hand. If Alfonse was closer, Jeremiah had no doubt that she would be beating the young man with it. 

“Alfonse.” Jeremiah said. “What did you do?” 

Alfonse looked over to his father. He took a step back after seeing the death glare Jeremiah was pointing his way. Alfonse scrunched himself up trying to make himself look smaller.  “After we got the report, we were all afraid you were in danger.” Alfonse began to explain. “I told the others I would follow after you. To make sure you were safe. I stopped by the watcher 's posts along the way to see if I could scent you. When I got here, I caught your scent and figured you were in the guest cabin. So I started knocking. And then there was this unknown scent. I started calling you but got no answer. I panicked and thought that they had hurt you.”

“Why?” Jeremiah said. He was angry. Angry that his son would do something so stupid. Especially when he was more level headed then this. Then it dawned on him. The Watcher was only attacked 2 days ago. The pack territory was still 5 days walk from here. There was only one way that he could have gotten here so quickly.

“Alfonse. No. Please tell me you didn’t use an enhancement potion.” Jeremiah said. 

Alfonse did not answer. 

“Granny, do you have an oral tranquilizer? ” Jeremiah asked. “My son has been traveling nonstop on performance enhancing drugs and probably hasn’t slept for at least a day.”

“Father, I-” Alfonse began to say.

“Not now Alfonse.” Jeremiah said. “You have no idea what damage you’ve done. On top of that, you’re hyped up on a cocktail meant to keep soldiers on the front lines of battle ready to kill for days on end. Now you almost attacked the Sensitive I’ve been charged with protecting. On top of that, you just re-traumatized him after he was bound, gagged and stabbed less than half a week ago.” 

Alfonse did not have a response to that. Lama told the young werewolf to come inside. Jeremiah headed back to the guest cabin. Rodrig had not left the closet. The hyperventilating had eased into a sobbing fit. When Jeremiah’s foot made the wooden floor creak, Rodrig gasped and started to make a sort of whimpering sound. 

“Hi.” Jeremiah said. “I won’t try to open the closet again. But it can’t be comfortable in there. Can I get you a blanket and pillow? I’ll leave it by the door so you can grab it when you’re ready.” 

No answer. 

“Tap once for no, twice for yes.” 

No answer. Then two knocks on the door. 

Jeremiah pulled a pillow and the comforter from the bed. He folded the comforter up and placed it by the door and set the pillow on top. 

“I’m stepping away from the door.” Jeremiah said, making sure to make plenty of noise so that Rodrig could hear him step away. A couple of minutes passed but eventually the closet door opened just a creek. A hand slipped out and grabbed the blanket and pillow before pulling them in and closing the door. Jeremiah sat on the opposite side of the room, watching the door.

“Where is the boy?” Lama asked as she stepped in the cabin. She was still wearing her nightgown but had her leather boots on.

Jeremiah pointed towards the closet.

“He panicked.” Jeremiah said. “And now he won’t leave the closet.” 

“I don’t blame him.” Lama said. “Someone just ripped off a door to attack him.” “I’m so sorry Granny. I’ll pay for all the repairs.” “The door is not what I’m worried about right now.” She said, “I need to make sure he’s not injured.” 

Jeremiah got up and both he and Lama approached the door. 

“Rodrig.” Jeremiah said. “We need to make sure you aren't injured. May we open the door?” 

No answer. Then the sound of shuffling and some grunting. And then the door opened. Rodrig had the comforter wrapped around his upper body. His eyes and nose poked through a small hole at the top of the wrap he had made of himself. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and his body was shaking. Lama offered her hand. Rodrig reached out and took it but his eyes never left Jeremiah’s. Rodrig was terrified. Whatever trust they had built, Alfonse had destroyed in a matter of seconds. 

[tomyo]

Harvest Moon Animal Parade Part 1

Of all the Harvest Moon games, the Wii series stands with the highest regards. Possibly the only one where it could get me conflicted on a husband for being too many options. Toby, Chase, Julius, but for this run, The Wizard is our pic.

I am only just doing my first playthrough of this game 16 years after its release but I can say it’s something I wanted for a long time. I think a part of me is sad that my childhood self missed out despite all the other ones I did grab because my patience for game chugging isn’t what it used to be. The background lags, the loading is frequent, and only once in a while will the graphics clear up and run like they are supposed to. Half of me has been wondering if I should try to set it up so that I’m playing on my Wii U instead where I could potentially have faster running cpu and play via my Wii U pad. Honestly I’m questioning as I type this why I haven’t been doing this for most of my Wii games to play (albeit I think it’s a small list rn, mostly Sonic and the Black knight, Tree of Traquility, and Wii music with the 64 Zelda games, Cooking Mama, and Pokémon Battle Revolution benched).

Tangent aside; What are my goals in game?

Finish the Main Story

Full house upgrade with full kitchen and furnishing

Marry the Wizard and have his kid(s) (Roughly two years)

Upgraded Barn and Coop allowing for one of each animal(Do horse raising for white horse)

Collect all the desired clothing.

Big emphasis on the first three at least.

So where am I now? Just past the Red Bell and currently in between the yellow and blue bell arcs. For the blue bell, I have access to everything but the egg which I should have in 5 ish days and the yellow bell requires access to the bell tower which just requires the lettuce I’m growing (reminder: you still need to grow more).

As I mentioned in an earlier post , I’m currently challenging myself to play through most of my Harvest Moon games that I owned but haven’t played….again. Right now I’m jumping between this and Save the homeland with possibly the original and AWL Special Editon in the rotation soon. If I could somehow come out with 3 or 4 finished playthroughs by the end of January, I’d be pretty psyched. After all, I made it a goal that I can’t buy hero of leaf valley until I make it through 10 games and while the above makes that sound easy, the big ones in the way are always the extremely complicated 3DS titles. Part of the problem as well is my 3ds for Trio of Towns has a spicy battery but finding the right one has been a nightmare. It’s also the one that houses my copy of HM3. Thankfully

Overall though, I’ve found Animal Parade unsurprisingly fun and great. I find the story progression somewhat frustrating as a lot is locked behind the red bell (gold ore is easiest?? Found on levels 4-6 btw). Mine floors, characters, tool upgrades, health recovery, and possibly more is all inaccessible until you find one piece of hard to find gold ore. Now though, the concept of the next three bells feels easy to reach albeit just a waiting game. In the time for the first task, I collected tons of stone, enough to build my first house and upgrade a farm building however, wood is a different story. My likely workflow the next few in game weeks will be trying to raise animals and crops to upgrade the stores, befriend enough people for the purple bell, and chop trees. So many trees.

Like a lot of people, I’ve found it really sad that this got stuck on the Wii, its not to say its bad but a straight port to the switch or its successor would likely be a huge hit. Would love it to either come with a sprite plush or or ostrich or a silkworm one but more than likely it would be a horse since they seem to be sticking to four footed animals. The game is gorgeous as is, I love the cutscenes and overall it’s a great cute factor to it. The killer really does stay that the Wii or at least MY Wii is slow as shit. I’ve had the poor thing since 2007. If I somehow get out of Harvest moon hell, I would love to visit a new series of games for it; Cooking Mama or the Olympic titles. But I think the biggest struggle with specifically gen 7 gaming is how hard the start up is. Gen 6 was turn on and go, gen 9 is 5 second start up but both my Wii and 360 chug to start and require a handful before I’m loading the game up. It’s embarrassing to say how much that stops me from starting then combined with the guide load up and the loss of flow state when you stop an HM game.

Speaking of the game returnage, Animal Parade actually fares better. The progression system is complicated enough to grab you back in but not so complicated its intimiadating. I’m certain if I dropped it for a few months, I could figure out again what I needed to do which if not, it really does just come down to basic work and friendship followed by some SELECT items. The Ds and 3ds games specifically scared me away because of excessive mechanics. While I hoped to return to ANB soon as well, remembering my routine scares me especially since it was so time centric. At this point my wife is in town but ugh, the rest worries me to no end.

What was this about again?

[futureseaempress]

WIP Weekend Tag Game

I got tagged by @hypnostheory tyty bb

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (If you're an artist or other non-fic fandom creator, questions can be found here!)

1. WIP List:

okay bear with me theres a bunch

DAVEKAT -the cowboy one -the waho one and/or the office one -first date/Nastygum -tire trouble part two -the nanny au -the sweet home alabama au -more Silver paint CODA -glory -some princes don’t become kings

FIRST PRINCE -the soulmates au -the omegaverse au -the actor au -the baby one -the hockey one -threes giving - bachelor party -the autism/self expression one

TMA -that last chapter of fanning the flame that was supposed to be about agnes and Jack and I just never fucking wrote anything for it

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

here in search of your glory for sure

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

so if i ever finish it more silver paint is bound to be the longest

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

oooo i love writing the kid fic echoed through my mind is rlly fun tbh i like the drama and doing something ive never written before is rlly fun

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

ALL OF THEM but defo the sweet home alabama au bc i think about it allll the time

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

-the threesome one bc I have a rlly good idea for it but I’m convinced I’m gonna fall short bc I want it to be kind of long and I struggle with that

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

hya usually reads my stuff but uhhh the soulmate au for sure not bc of anything bad but bc it’s almost too quick and I need someone to help me like slow down and set the mood

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

ALL OF THEM ACTUALY i kinda just black out and start typing jibberish when i get too stuck and usually it works itself out

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

oh uh none of them. i suppose I’m gonna cheat and say the kid fic bc I’m playing with some characters who exist in name only and like I’ve written Philips kids as getting along with Shaan & Zahra’s and his youngest behave like Henry and Bea and June has a little girl who is just like Alex and Alex is going to have a daughter who is just like June

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

i'm gonna say the actor au but thats just cause i have plans

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

ooo I don’t do a lot of angst but I’m gonna say the threesome bc Alex is a Dingus in that one BUT MAYBE HOCKEY BC ITS SAD FOR OSCAR AND ARTHUR

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

ummmmmmmm. I’m gonna say. The omegaverse one actually it blends canon and fantasy rlly well

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

glory. the next chapter has like bits from my favorite concert stuff and I love it

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

I wanna say Glory but it could rlly go for any of them I think about them kind of all the time

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

the threesome one but that’s bc the idea is rlly good and I want to pull it off college aus are my favorite & should be easy cause I lived in a dorm from age 16-21 but still

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

ummmmm no? mb? I think about them before bed to get to sleep tho

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

so I like putting different venues of communication in my fic it’s kind of my favorite thing to add and I like writing emotional break downs where the text changes and the vibe becomes rlly frantic

but complexities is a hard stone to lift maybe the hockey one bc they aren’t together yet? and I mostly write established stuff? or the omegaverse one for the same reason

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

probs the threesome but that’s just bc hya and I had fun telling each other about it

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

NO LOL— maybe I should write something from Pez or Nora’s perspective for the threesome fic but that’s kind of cheating maybe Liam will get a chapter for funnies

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

My college au has a fight over the custody of Nora’s Keurig.

I’m not going to be tagging anyone bc I’m dreadfully late but if anyone wants to do it bc they saw it here they should!

[nerdskii]

•• LONG BLOG POST ABOUT LIFE KEEP SCROLLING ON BY or read if you want ••

I have bipolar disorder and thanks to years of searching to truly understand myself I know that I have had it for as long as I remember my feelings. I was officially diagnosed with it in 2008 and took medicine for it all the way until 2018. Ten years of hard fought depression and mood stabilization and I really did get better.

But what bar is better measured by? I no longer randomly explode with bottled up emotions; I can process them in real time and I am capable of calmly explaining what I am feeling to another. I can identify when manic mood has set in and know to make no decisions of any consequence during it. Such as spending money, giving away items, or deciding to live or die. I can play a videogame instead but I do very poorly in that state and get enraged so it isn’t best option but I still choose it sometimes. I can’t really focus on reading or watching a show so yoga, meditation, and listening to music while running on my elliptical is nice.

I think about watching my nieces and nephews grow and how much they love me. How I can be useful to my family or things I can arrange or rearrange in my room. I don’t fall into extended manic moods or depressions. In the year 2015 I was depressed for 11 months and spent three or those months manic while working a job. Oh boy! That was a doozy I mostly felt nothing and when I did it was sadness or anger and I developed insomnia as a little treat for my declining mental health. It was difficult but I never quit my bipolar meds and immediately got on an sleep aid/antidepressant combo after four days of being awake and was sorted.

The bar to measure success by is am I current miserable and the answer is a resounding no.

However. . .

I still have bipolar disorder and that my feeling great no passion in my life due to the medicine has led me where I am meant to be. I feel like I truly have achieved inner peace with how I express my love for my family, the acts of service I give freely, that my lack of desire to achieve or experience isn’t bad; it’s Tao.

All that mental suffering and the process of feeling terrible medicine stripped away my ability to emote from me led me here. Like it was supposed to all along. I am a person that doesn’t need passion it made want to die back then. I don’t need to compete it makes me not want to be around other people. I don’t need to do anything but help others and show them harmony is best through being peaceful myself.

I don’t know why I felt like typing that out but it’s kind of the line some of my meditation thoughts take. I couldn’t meditate for peace when my mind decides to attack me if I never got my prescriptions so many years ago in my 20s. We are all in the process of building the foundation tomorrows us will stand on everyday. What may feel like a pebble today will soon be a stone.

Not quitting my medication when I felt down and couldn’t get out of bed and slept 13 hours, not quitting another day when I said, “This is bullshit I am not even happy” as I laid in bed unable to asleep, not quitting when my only thought was “I’m invisible everyone would get over me dying sooner than they think.”

I know no measure for happiness but what I know I am not this body, I am the electricity that powers it. I know that the brain is a powerful computer we don’t really know how to use, it suggests things simply to let you know it’s something you *could* do. I know I am not my thoughts. I know feelings a transient and are only blowing through but eventually they’ll return so I must welcome them and bid them farewell each and every time, even the negative ones.

I don’t know why I am writing this instead of just meditating but I know I felt like a stream cloudy with kicked up silt when I started but now I a peaceful and the stream has cleared. I hope to read this again one day and find some clarity I missed; meaning I’ve grown more wise.

☯️

[tdcloud]

DVerse Lore + Updates - Triarii, Nicciave, and Loremasters (blog#14)

I seriously can’t believe it’s already March. Am I the only one who thinks the months go by faster the older I get? Well, anyway, there’s no time for existentialism—we’ve got a lot to discuss this time and there’s no time like the present to get down to things!

First order of business: I’m freshly back from Anime Crossroads and ecstatic that the first convention of 2023 went so well! I met a lot of fans, new and old, and managed to hawk my wares to a lot of new readers, all without losing my voice! If you’ve ever met me at a convention before, I’m sure you know how amazing that last part is. 90% of my business is gained by talking to people who stop by my table. I have to give summaries, discuss my writing style, and listen to many aspiring writers, casual readers, and overly-effusive porn enthusiasts for three days straight. It’s a lot on the vocal cords, believe me! But ACross was great, the people were phenomenal, and I’m gearing up for Evillecon later this month with full faith that it’ll be just as good if not better than what I just experienced last weekend.

So, here’s your reminder that I’ll be attending Evillecon in Evansville, IN! Mosey on over to my Schedule page for more information on that, and definitely swing by the table to say hello if you’re going, too. I’d love to see some more friendly faces from that neck of the woods!

Second on the docket: Ossuary. Another novella published, and a whole slew of new readers to traumatize with my particular brand of erotic horror! I hope you all managed to snag yourselves a copy, be it physical or ebook, and if you ordered a signed copy from me, rest assured, the books are on their way if they aren’t already in your hands! Please keep in mind that I offer signed copies of all of my work at all times. Merely mosey over to the Books tab and click on the form link at the bottom of the page, and I’ll personalize a copy and mail it to you myself. 

And hey, if you’ve already got your book and enjoyed it thoroughly, here’s your regular reminder that the best way you can continue to support me after your purchase is to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Seriously, there is no better way to help my work read new readers than by leaving a kind review. It helps boost my work in the algorithm, and helps me find new markets I wouldn’t otherwise reach. So… get to writing if you’ve already finished Ossuary! Just a few sentences can really move mountains on those sites!

And lastly, the third topic of discussion: What’s coming next?

Well, a hell of a lot, to be honest with you! With Ossuary wrapped up and freshly off to market, the next title on deck to be published is Infaust, my Pied Piper inspired dark romance. My artist for this book is currently tied up with some other projects at the moment, but the manuscript itself is fully finished and ready whenever she is. Tenuous plans have this book launching sometime this Summer, if not into early Fall. More details to come as we get closer to June, but trust me, I’ll keep you all informed!

I don’t like making promises on for-sure publication dates. Lord knows there are a million little things that can send a project back several months, and at this point, I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to promising things that aren’t set in stone. But, while I wait for Sun’s time to free up for Infaust, I’m also working on preparing the first of the Vigilante novellas, too! We may see Pride/Stray published late this year, but please, don’t hold your breath. Three publications in one year is the dream, but until Infaust comes out, not much else will. Get excited, though! If it doesn’t drop this year, it will drop first thing in 2024.

Anyway, that’s enough preliminary business for the time being. We have an actual topic of the month to discuss, so let’s get to it and delve into the next category of DVerse clans: the Triarii, Nicciave, and Loremasters!

The Triarii are one of my favorite clans to talk about because they don’t seem like they’ve got all that much going on with them at first blush. They’re the “strong” vampires, the big ones, the jocks as Gabriel in Letifer termed them, but they are so much more than that. Boy howdy, are they so much more than that. They’re a very tumultuous bloodline that has seen great rises and great losses in power. For much of the Dark Ages, they actually stood alongside the Luminaries and were, in some ways, far more akin to a ruling class than their landed gentry contemporaries. 

The first Triarii isn’t known, but exemplary Triarii stand out in history as the leaders of countries, the winners of wars. Most notable of all the Triarii we’re likely to encounter in the DVerse books is Marcu, a Roman Centurion who single-handedly changed the course of European history after a rampant spree of vampiric over-feedings combined with an intense population growth threatened the human species at large. We’ll get into the specifics fully in the final books of the series, but he essentially saw the writing on the wall, realized that there would be nothing left if someone didn’t do something and soon, and took matters into his own hands. The first great cullings began under his watch. Lesser clans found their numbers purged in droves, and prominent families who had the foresight to place their support behind the winning side (Marcu’s) found themselves elevated in the new world order while the rest were left out to receive a last sunrise. 

This was the golden age of the Triarii, and it lasted as long as Marcu did. Marcu lost power in an nebulously understood part of vampiric history known colloquially as The Fall. After he was gone, the Triarii splintered, scrambled, and lost their hard-won supremacy. Luminaries who realized they no longer wished to be puppet rulers behind their muscle-bound pseudo-servants took back control and reinstated the pecking order we see persisting into modern nights.

In modernity, we see most Triarii occupy a tenuous position of power and unimportance. They’re often found in ancillary roles of bodyguards, drivers, hired muscle, and confidants to the high bloods. Nary will you see a Luminary operating in public without a Triarii close behind, and because of this close proximity to power, Triarii enjoy being in the know in ways few are. They seem to be working towards something, accumulating power, contacts, and information, but what, exactly, they’re hoping to accomplish is a secret known only to their ranks, and if there’s one thing Triarii don’t share, it’s secrets that benefit the clan as a whole.

Might makes right to the Triarii. First and foremost, they are a clan built upon the belief that the only way to hold power is through conquest, battle, and proving definitively that you are stronger than the one you’re up against. In a time of constant war, in the time of Empires, it’s easy to see why they would have risen above their intellectual counterparts. Triarii embrace from the ranks of soldiers, generals, hardened veterans, and those who have proven their will is stronger than their foes—stronger than anyone, in fact—and their blood assures that’s true. 

Similar to the Cultists, it can be difficult to survive the transformative bite of a Triarii. It’s strong blood. Only the strong can withstand it, and even then, a will of steel is needed as well. Because of this, most Triarii tend to be big and bulky. They were fighters in life, or soldiers, or thugs. Athletes, hired muscle, the sort of humans who led an active life and have the body to prove it—but that’s just one sort of Triarii. The strongest powerlifter could be felled by a Triarii embrace just as easily as the weakest pencil pusher if they don’t have the mindset, the sheer force of will, to overpower the blood before it overpowers them first. So, any Triarii you encounter demands respect outright. There is no such thing as a Triarii pushover. They all fought to survive in ways most can’t comprehend, and because of that, they’re all worth consideration, no matter the package they come in.

My favorite thing about this clan is that they are, as I fondly call them, “team sports.” What makes the most dangerous isn’t their enhanced strength, their ability to channel ungodly strength and bloodlust through blood rages, or their unbreakable willpower. It’s that they all come into the night with an innate sense of loyalty that is nigh on unshatterable. For most, this loyalty is directed to the clan as a whole. There shouldn’t be such a thing as a Triarii who isn’t willing to lend aid to a fellow Triarii. They are all bloodkin, and in this sense, blood is far, far thicker than water. Triarii talk. They share everything. If one works for a Luminary in Chicago and hears some secrets on the job, you can guarantee every Triarii they’ve come into contact with in that city also knows those secrets too. They rarely if ever act in ways that wouldn’t benefit their fellow clanmates at large.

Of course, there are always outliers. Triarii have to be loyal to something. Most are loyal to each other, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Some are hyper-loyal to the groups they were affiliated with in life (a gang leader may remain loyal to his gang as opposed to the Triarii who turned him, for example). The thing is… this is the sort of loyalty that’s meant to be shared. If it isn’t given to a large enough group, or God forbid, is only given to a single person… Well, there are a few freaks in this world—Rience being one of them, as discussed last month—and there is nothing scarier than a Triarii who doesn’t share. 

We’ll get into that in the next novel, Philaimatos, and believe me, it’s fucking wild.

Triarii Power breakdown:

Insanely enhanced strength, speed, and physical ability.

When hurt/angered/triggered, can engage in a “Blood Rage” and essentially go full primal instincts. Become a killing machine with no sense of pain or consequences until their blood lust is satisfied.

Enhanced loyalty to the clan/group of influence. Fixations occur if this need for camaraderie/kinship isn’t disseminated to a big enough pool.

But let’s move on to the exact opposite of the Triarii. No more jocks—let’s move onto the nerds, namely my favorite clan, the Nicciave!

I’m not sure who the progenitor of the Nicciave was, but I can guarantee they were a paranoid bastard who probably wasn’t well liked. They were instrumental in the Triarii’s rise to power during the Dark Ages and select Nicciave benefited greatly from sensing which way the wind was blowing during that initial conflict. Many were culled, but those who aligned themselves with Marcu early on saw unprecedented prestige, status, and power placed upon them as they sold out their fellow kin, clanmates and strangers alike, all in the hopes of receiving a good seat in the new world order Marcu built off the bones of the culled. We’ll see a lot of that in the story of Cassius, another key player in the final books of the series. No spoilers here though. Just know it’s a doozy.

When I describe the Nicciave, the best analogy I’ve found is that they are rats fleeing an eternally sinking ship. They are the most Type-A neurotics you can imagine, and they have good reason to be that. Unlike most clans who are gifted with physical abilities, their claim to fame is purely mental. No one in the vampire world has a stronger mind than a Nicciave. They can compel humans and vampires alike without breaking a sweat, mesmerize as easily as breathing, and destroy minds on a whim. On top of that, they’ve got one hell of a self-preservation tactic under their belts: minor precognizance. If there’s a fist being thrown in their direction, they’ll know about it before it happens—or before it could happen. 

For better or worse, they are grossly aware of how dangerous the world is. They have the unique ability to know exactly how bad things are about to get just before they happen, and because of that, they are constantly doing everything in their power to better their positions. It’s not paranoia to think the whole world is out to get you when you know that it is, and in a world built on shadowy politics, back alley alliances, and cutthroat bargains, the only true safety is found in power—absolute power.

Nicciave are opportunists. They are shadow brokers, spymasters, kingmakers, and power hungry to a fault. There’s no other way to attain security than to know every single danger out there and have it under lock and key—or better yet, have it owe you so you hold the leash and direct what direction the danger points. Beside every great leader are a dozen Nicciave lurking just behind the seat of power, whispering in the King’s ear to guide him this way or that. They are loyal only to themselves, and even then, that loyalty is a fickle thing when their own minds tell them they’re constantly under threat. 

No one trusts a Nicciave: they are a resource to be used carefully, and always at a cost. 

Nicciave have a wider pool in which they sire from than most clans. They don’t look at scholars or athletes or royalty—they look at everyone and choose based on their own set of standards. And even after a fledgling is turned, whether or not they live up to their sire’s standards is another matter entirely. Some watch a single individual for years to weigh whether or not they’ve met some arbitrary set of standards, some invisible check-\list that meets their expectations for a good lackey. Others treat it more like a job interview with the human unknowing what, exactly, that job will entail until it’s too late to turn it down. Some employ “tests'' that range from innocuous to utterly inhumane just to see how the prospective fledgling bounces back. 

Regardless of how they get there, Nicciave sires are… difficult mentors to impress. It’s hard to tell who has it better, those with micromanaging sires or utterly detached ones. 

Despite their typical unsavoryness, Nicciave remain in high demand to those also seeking power, prestige, or a leg up over their rivals. Most Nicciave have a price they’re willing to sell just about anything for, and their loyalty comes at a figure most couldn’t scarcely begin to afford. Anyone who’s anyone has the number to a few prominent Nicciave on their phone, and if you’re smart, you can benefit greatly from a relationship with one. Just be prepared to lose a few secrets in the process, naturally.

What I love most about Nicciave is that while every bloodline has some flaw or facet of their personality cranked up to eleven, these bastards prove to be their own worst enemies 99% of the time. They are self-destructive in their need to climb the ranks, and even those who seem level headed have at least one trigger topic (or person) that will send them spiraling. Anxiety, OCD, unsavory fixations, and paranoia are prevalent, and no Nicciave has the exact same flavor of brain rot. I adore shadow lord type characters, but they’re always so much more fun when they’ve got some kind of Issue that keeps them from fully achieving domination. They don’t seek power for power’s sake—it’s a self-defense mechanism, and the thing that might provide them with true safety, happiness, or satisfaction will always take a back seat to the thing they perceive will keep them ahead of the dangers they see around every single corner. It makes for very interesting characters and dynamics, something you’ll see in our next duology of novels!

Nicciave Power breakdown:

Enhanced mental acuity—compulsion, mesmerism, mental dominance, and control. Can compel humans without effort and almost all vampires with ease. Only Luminaries would present a challenge.

Minor pre-cognizance (mental “vision” of incoming danger/threats).

Exacerbated anxiety/paranoia. Will distrust instinctively.

Our final topic of the month comes in the form of the other nerds of the vampire world, the Loremasters. In some ways, these are the truer form of “nerd.” They seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge and not for some desperate grab for power, dominance, or security the way the Nicciave do. They’ve got their own issues, but they’re far less dramatic, and there can be an argument made that these bastards are the saddest of all the clans. I sure as shit know my editor thinks so XD

For as long as there has been history, there have been those dedicated to recording it. Vampiric history may transpire in longer epochs than most history, but there are still record keepers, or in this case, Loremasters. Built from enclaves of scholars from every order under the sun, the Loremasters navigate the centuries with the marked goal of recording its passage as accurately and unbiasedly as possible. If there is a progenitor of this bloodline, they would know it. They try to know everything they can as quickly as they can because unlike all other bloodlines, the Loremasters do have an expiration date. 

Yep, you heard me right. Loremasters are not immortal. The average Loremaster has a lifespan of roughly 900 years, and for every decade they exist as such, they age. It’s slow at first, but persistent, compounding until their bodies fail them while their minds—the lone aspect of their bodies untouched by age—continue on. 

It’s common practice for younger Loremasters to mercy kill their elders once they reach the last stages of bodily autonomy—and once they’ve finished conveying the bulk of their own knowledge. No one wants to exist as a sentient brain on the floor, which is what tends to become of them if they’re not dealt with when their bodies begin to break down. 

There’s definitely some possibility of some weird sci-fi shit with this clan once technology catches up to the Futurama heads-in-a-jar concept, but I’ll leave that to you guys to postulate on.

These guys don’t solely live just to die though. Some believe that the fact that they do die gives their longevity more meaning. You would be hard pressed to come across a single Loremaster that doesn’t give their duty 100% of their focus, and that duty is vast, varied, and fascinating. While Loremasters tend to all maintain some contact with their order in whatever area they may inhabit, Loremasters have a variety of positions within vampiric society. Their number is few and always has been, but their worth is undeniable to those with the common sense to appreciate it. Luminaries who desire uncontested proof of their claim over an area always have at least one Loremaster under their employ to attest to their historic legacy, and those with fledglings in need of guidance are often assigned younger Luminaries to document their growing deeds as preemptive guarantees that their rises to power go uncontested. 

You can view Loremasters as counselors, scribes, and historians all in one. Most remain situated in one area for most of their lives, but others, typically younger Loremasters, travel frequently, gathering new sources of information for the clan as a whole while their bodies are strong enough to facilitate travel. A common coming of age task for young fledglings is to venture away from the enclave alone and bring back the truth regarding long-held folk beliefs, rumors, or events that have gone uninvestigated by frail elders. The acquisition of new knowledge is paramount to the clan, and the best way to prove your worth is to bring back something juicy.

Older-but-still-spry Loremasters oftentimes have ongoing research projects under their belts. Sometimes they’re pet interests, and other times they’re assigned duties they’ve been tasked to delve into. The quintessential Loremaster is an unbiased observer, a witness to the events of history as history is made. Most subscribe to this mentality. Most. It’s uncommon to see a Loremaster engaged in any physical or bloody feat to uncover secrets. It’s even more uncommon to find a Loremaster engaged politically in any capacity other than as an apolitical advisor/historian. But there are exceptions to every rule, and like all exceptions in the DVerse, it’s those individuals who leave the most ripples in their wake.

While writing this series I’ve found that the most fun vampires are the ones who don’t fully fall into their clan bias. All three of this month’s clan spotlights will get that proven true in the next duology, so trust me, y’all are in for a treat.

Loremaster Power breakdown:

Photographic and eidetic memories. They never forget, and no other bloodline can say the same.

Longevity, not immortality—they age roughly a decade every 100 years after they’ve caught up to their physical age (someone turned at twenty will look twenty for two hundred years and age 10 years physically every century after that).

Enhanced strength, speed, and senses are average in terms of most vampires. Nothing to write home about compared to anyone else under the vampiric sun.

That’s enough of all of that for the moment. Let’s open things up to a question! I only got one this month from Twitter, but that’s fine. I’m a bit pressed for time at this point in the month, so I won’t complain.

Do you have a list of character names or words (made up or otherwise) you’ve set aside as title words or scene inspiration that you want to use in future works?

This is a fascinating question! I don’t typically have lists of names stored up—I’m really more of the “picks a name when I absolutely have to because choosing names is like pulling teeth half the time” but I do have a few names I came across while reading this big ass text book on horror cinema history that I decided to store for a rainy day. I think I’m going to use them for a future polyam erotica I want to write. The names are Zattiany, Diodati, and Aloysha. 

When it comes to stories set in fantasy spaces where I don’t have any real-world applications or correlations, I tend to make up names based on how they sound phonetically, and those are always in-the-moment type choices I make while looking at my keyboard and Frankensteining syllables until a name emerges. For real-world based things, I usually look up census records from the time period/location for inspiration or I pull up the various family trees my mother has researched and find fun names from there. Some examples of the latter could be seen in the pirate story I want to write sometime: Rook Sinclair, Avery Tremaine, and Olivier d' Aubrecicourt (father’s name)/de Malet (mother’s name). I’ve also got a Lyde and Nikita on deck, a Lucas, Pierce, and Ilya for a spy novella, and a whole range of various vampires (Felix, Jericho, Eden, Blair, Asher, Ricca, Naoya, Nebraska, Charon, etc.)

As for title words, lord, where do I begin? We already know I almost exclusively title my stories with obscure, one-worded things. I usually find words for that kind of thing by using obscure word dictionaries or online resources like the Haggard Hawks twitter (if you don’t follow this twitter you are missing the fuck out). I also keep a running list on a desktop sticky note of words I come across that I’m fond of and might potentially use if I come up with a premise that suits the word. The DVerse novels in particular required a lot of long hours of research and digging to find Ancient Greek/Latin vocabulary that fit the overarching themes of each book without sounding jarring or bad as title words. For those I’ve got things like Thanatoses, Skiamakhia, Aletheia, Nepenthe, Dakethumos, Philaimatos, etc. 

Current words on my list I’d like to write stories around/for would be Philamot (the brownish orange of dead leaves) or Aiteall (a fine spell of weather between showers of rain), with that latter one being one of the few reasons I’d ever consider doing a sixth Tempest book, simply because it fits the overarching title theme of that series.

As for words that may inspire scenes, that’s trickier. I do have one example that sticks out in my head. When it comes to the sequel to Ossuary, Reliquary (oh look, another title word teaser), a large part of what made me want to write it came from the idea of “infestation.” I don’t want to go into a ton of detail since Ossuary only just came out and I’d hate to spoil the ending for anyone, but as I was working on the notes for it, that word just stuck in my head and wouldn’t let go. The idea of something inhuman and wrong “infesting” a mundane, domestic space, worrying away at the once-comfortable trappings and existing within its confines in a way that is just patently WRONG wouldn’t leave me, and it’s become a large feature of what makes that sequel so horrifying. In Ossuary, the horror of Thierry’s surroundings was obvious. He’s in a crypt. He’s surrounded by the dead and dying; it’s simply human nature to recoil from dead things. Domestic horror, though, and the idea of the once-comforting domestic setting becoming “infested” with something that shouldn’t be there… 

Well, that’s a hallmark of lots of horror, and it helped me define what sort of terror I want the audience to feel as they read it. 

I think that’s the only concrete word I’ve currently got influencing any specific scenes or themes in a story right now. Typically, I’m more guided by “feelings” or specific energies I want to convey to a reader, and a lot of that isn’t so easily captured in just one word. 

Only one question, which means we’re going to wrap things up a little shorter than usual this month. There’s plenty to make up for it though in terms of upcoming events and projects, and on that note, I hope I get to see some of you guys at some conventions this year—lord knows I’m going to be attending and tabling at a lot of them—and that you’re enjoying Ossuary. We’ll finish up the last of our clan deep dives next month and move on to some more fun things come April, and not just in our blog rotation! But more on that later. I’ve rambled on long enough here, and I’d hate to spoil the surprise.

Until next time,

T.D. Cloud

[books]

Tumblr Exclusive: Forestborn

Do you like shapeshifters, epic quests, magic, dark forests, and obstinate princes? Well, have we got an exclusive excerpt for you!

Forestborn is an upcoming @torteen novel by debut author Elayne Audrey Becker. Becker graduated from Vassar College with a BA in classics and history. She is currently continuing her education at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland after time spent as an editor with a New York publisher. She grew up with a lake and woods as her backyard, spending long days outside and visiting national parks with her family.

Forestborn will be available at bookstores everywhere from August 31. Read the exclusive excerpt below, and thanks again to Elayne for sharing her inspiration moodboard with us!

Forestborn By Elayne Audrey Becker

One

I find her deep in the Old Forest, facedown in the dirt. 

Sharp pain needles my palms where I’ve balled my fists so tight, the nails have carved half-moon marks into the skin. Snaking across the twig-strewn ground, gnarled roots press against my boots like a warning as I roll the young woman onto her back. Best to be sure.

No, she is certainly dead. Cold, stiff, and hungry like the rest; even with forest debris masking much of her shirt, the threadbare cotton dips in unmistakable rivulets across her bony frame. I swallow my disappointment and push her eyelids shut, wanting to spare her kin the sight of those empty, pointless eyes.

“Sorry,” I murmur, sitting back on my heels. “I’m guessing you didn’t deserve this.”

Around us, the trees lean inward and down with ominous uniformity, leaves and branches straining against their holds, drawn to the dead woman as if tethered by ropes. The sway, the humans call it. I ignore the prickling in my belly. They’ll straighten out soon enough when the magic leaves her body. 

With a final nod, I push to my feet and wend my way back to the forest’s edge. It’s a close wood, with broad oaks in summer bloom crowding the grassy floor, their leafy canopy admitting shafts of sunlight that glitter like crystal chandeliers. All in all, too peaceful a setting for someone driven to madness to die alone. I breathe it in deep to savor the scent while I can, grateful that for whatever reason, these trees never seem drawn to the magic in my own blood. I’ve had enough of vengeful wilderness to last a lifetime.

“Well?” Seraline asks, her knuckles nearly white where they clutch the hem of her shirt. 

I shake my head. “Dead.”

Her shoulders sink. Though Seraline is sturdy as iron when she’s in her aunt’s tannery, shaping leather into draft horses’ yokes, standing a determined two paces behind the tree line now, she seems shakeable as snow.

“Come on,” I say, nodding to the stony town just across the open fields. “You’re going to be late.” I don’t ask if she plans to examine the body for herself. Seraline may have insisted on coming as a show of support, but our friendship has many limits, her discomfort with the dead and dying the least of them. 

After a brief hesitation, Seraline falls into step at my side, sweeping her seeing stick across the ground in broad strokes. “Poor thing.”

I nod, my jaw clenched tight. 

This time of year, the late summer air hangs heavy even in the early morning, enough that the back of my neck is already slick with sweat. The barley fields remain mercifully empty as we pick our way through the dusty rows, but still I plow forward with my head down and shoulders bent, half from habit and half spurred by the hour. Seraline isn’t the only one who’s running behind. 

“Will you not come with us?” she asks, her head tipping to the side as we near the town. “Aren’t you due back in Roanin, anyway?”

“I can’t,” I reply, making it sound like an apology. I’m not really sure why we still play this game when we both know it’s futile. “I have a few things to take care of first.”

“Today of all days,” she snorts.

“You know how it is.” In truth, I’d give my right arm to stay away from the capital today. But there’s no help for it.

“Her husband deserves to know,” Seraline adds after a while. “The two of them were inseparable.”

“He will know. The trail wasn’t hard to follow.”

Seraline is always trying to persuade me to talk to the deceased’s families. She believes I have a softer manner than many in uniform, and once she even called me heartless for refusing. That time hurt the most. But it isn’t my job to report any deaths I uncover to next of kin. Only to the king. And it’s not like she’s stepping up to volunteer, anyway.

Briarwend is a humble farming town that stretches all of three streets, a collection of squared off stone shops that deal in necessity rather than charm. Its weather-worn residents are the same. When I began seeking intel here four years ago, long days tending the surrounding fields made the people lazy and open over a couple of pints. Lately, they’re just hungry, poor soil and rising taxes leaving gaping holes that only tempers seem to fill. 

Each night under dwindling lamplight and over stained, sticky tables, the pub dwellers deal out anger and judgment like tossing seeds across the earth. The battered forest walker I helped home last night is not the only magical person I’ve found bleeding on cobbled streets. The humans’ anger is growing fists.

Seraline’s family is fixing their horse’s harness to an old wooden cart when we reach their cottage home. Most others have long since departed.

“Where have you been?” her mother demands, tightening the leather straps. The roan mare stamps a hoof, ears flicking nervously in my presence. “We should have left hours ago!”

“Lela needed my help. And you’re not ready, anyway.” Seraline shrugs.

“Nor are you. Breakfast is gone, so you’ll just have to wait. Go get changed.” She studiously avoids my eye, as if I’m not even there. 

Seraline bids me farewell with a light touch on the shoulder, which causes her little sister to quickly interlace two pairs of twisted fingers and pull them apart. The sign to ward off bad fortune.  

“You shouldn’t indulge my sister,” the dreadful Arden says once she’s gone, stomping over and swiping a greasy hand across his forehead. By far the weakest sibling in this family of four. “Seraline is delicate. She can’t be tramping about the kingdom with the likes of you.”

Which is ironic, really, since he was eager enough to sidle close last year, when he thought empty flattery might earn him a kiss. That was before a too-often empty belly soured his tongue, before he learned who and what I was. And though I truly could not care less what this boy thinks, I’m dismayed to find my stomach still burns with anger and something close to shame. My gaze drops to his pant leg, which bears splotches of dried blood from the night before. 

“Problem?” Arden sneers, white skin burned red from long days in the sun. 

A slow tingling feeling bubbles up from my core, threads of numbness that tiptoe across my arms and legs. I force myself to breathe deeply, to beat the threads back. “I know it was you,” I mutter. 

He traces his chapped lips with two fingers, beady eyes darting to his mother before he leans forward, his smile stiffening. “You know nothing,” he hisses.

“You forget I have certain resources at my disposal.” I raise a hand in front of his flaking face, where my nails have sharpened into claws. “And that I know where you live.”

I stare until a satisfying trace of fear tinges Arden’s expression before stomping away toward the town’s single inn, which is little more than a guesthouse with four creaking rooms. If Helos were here, he would tell me to not take the bait, that I’m better than that. What he never seems to understand is that I’m not better than anything at all.

[positivexcellence]

Jared Padalecki Looks Back on ‘Walker’ Season 2 & Ahead to ‘Independence’

Until then, we have this chat with Mr. Padalecki, who offers a little bit of insight into what is coming next, as well as a lot of laughs about this past season, the show’s Independence spinoff and, of course, a certain former costar’s current (and cheeky) gig.

Sir! How is it going?!

Jared Padalecki: Oh, it’s going. I’m here. Been here, there and everywhere. I have a big birthday next month but we’re gonna be out of the country, so [Padelecki’s wife] Gen had a bunch of our friends fly in…I had a pretty overwhelming weekend of seeing friends from like my high school days, my Gilmore Girl days, my Supernatural days, my Walker days and everything in between. It was awesome.

Nice. And now you’re finished filming everything, right?

We finished about a month ago. And we don’t go back to Season 3 of Walker until August, but I think Independence — I don’t know if it’s set in stone yet — but I think it’s gonna be towards the end of next month that we start in Santa Fe.

Are you gonna back-and-forth it?

I’m gonna try and go to Santa Fe as much as I can, but you know how busy it gets with Walker in Austin during the season, so I might not be able to get out there a whole lot. I hope I do. I’m not in Independence obviously, so I don’t have to be there a whole bunch, but I’d love to be there as a producer and as a friend to the cast and crew and what-not.

It helps that Cordi has been kidnapped because you could be missing for a couple episodes while you’re down in Santa Fe

[Laughs] You know? I’ve been trying to pitch that for months now. I’m like, “Hey, maybe I don’t really resurface until like episode five.” And then I’m gonna be Instagramming me, like, from Spain, having a good old time, you know? Eating prosciutto. And then come home with my pants three sizes bigger.

Oh please, you would just sweat it all off in that Texas heat…that final shot of you guys running, I was like “Mother of God, the cruelty.”

We kinda laugh sometimes, looking at the little weather app on our iPhones and it’ll be like, “Oh, it’s only 101…but the heat index is 106!” And that was just a couple of weeks after I was in that big car accident [in Texas, when Padalecki was a passenger in a car that went over a retaining wall and into a utility pole].

Oh my God. That’s right.

And so I hadn’t really moved around and that scene had already been written long before that. So I was like, “Okay, well I’m gonna give it a shot. I haven’t moved my legs in a while but here we go.” I was really sweating and was not used to running; that was the longest I’ve gone without running in my adult life. So yeah, the sweat was real. That wasn’t makeup. [Laughs]

How are you feeling now from the accident?

I feel great, thank you. Yeah. I feel, I feel great. I was a little banged up up but got up and at it, got through the last three episodes. I probably, I dunno if I’ve really talked about this but, unbeknownst to I think a lot of the viewing audience, they had to rewrite a lot of the scenes in episodes 19 and 20 because I couldn’t film for a couple of weeks. I was kind of bedridden, so yeah. Even with episode 218, which Austin Nichols—our beloved Clint West and my dear friend—directed, they had to kind of take me outta some stuff. It was a beautiful episode and a lot of it luckily happened anyways with the hiking and climbing that Stella and Colton were doing.

You gave us a bit of a scare when Jensen revealed the news.

Yeah, I know. Jensen called me before all of that, because it happened on Easter and then he was at the New York convention the following weekend, which I was supposed to be at, too. But you know, I was on medication that makes you loopy so you don’t want to be trying to do appearances like that. And I also didn’t wanna be tweeting to people, because I don’t think I was making much sense. It might have just even been more frightening to people if I had come out and said like, “Hey, so the other day…I blah blargh blech.” [Laughs] But I am all good now.

Thank God. So you got to close out the season with another great curveball. It was like 45 minutes into the hour, and the Davidson situation is settled, so I started to think “Ok, what is happening now?” And then you give us this nice resolution and then the kidnapping twist! I did not see that coming. I was thinking you were all gonna like run up onto a body somewhere.

That would’ve been great also!

How early into Season 3 will we find out who’s got Cordi?

Very early. Certainly in the Season 3 premiere, we’ll get a glimpse of just how much trouble Cord is in, if there’s any way for him to get out or if he’s gonna need help…and how help would even get to him or find him. We find out quick, much to my chagrin. I kind of pitched that like, “Hey, maybe I’m just kidnapped for like 10 episodes and I have a really long summer.” And they’re like, “No, that’s not really gonna work. The show’s called Walker, so we’re gonna need you.” [Laughs]

Yeah, he needs to be back on duty now that Trey is becoming a Ranger.

If he chooses to follow through with it.

And Liam is becoming a rancher. So we’ll get a scruffy Keegan Allen and Jeff Pierre in uniform. You are really giving the people what they want, you understand?

Right?! [Laughs] With Trey having done so many great heroic, wonderful things, like in Season 1’s tornado and just recently in Season 2, seeing him hop outta helicopters and what-not, it’s clear that he has great skills. We did some research and there is precedent of the Department of Public Safety making allowances for [Rangers]. Usually, you have to be in the DPS for seven years before even being eligible to be a Ranger, but they have made exceptions for special circumstances. And I think we’ve all seen over the last two seasons that the character of Trey Barnett would clearly be a fantastic Ranger. And I wanna see him in the outfit. I wanna see if he can fit all those muscles into the uniform. [Laughs]

And I’m guessing Geri needed to break off things with Cordi because Odette needs to go and be pregnant?

[Laughs] Maybe? I think, outside of O’s personal situation and giving birth, the storyline just seemed to make sense that Geri—who’s been so independent for so long—would go on a personal journey of her own. Finding out that her father wasn’t really her father and that her father kind of killed her father and that she’s kind of a Davidson, but kind of a Walker, like she needs to get her head set on straight. Like when she sold the Side Step and drove off last season? Geri is kind of a lone wolf. As much a she’s loved and as much as she’s part of both the Walker and Davidson families, she is also a strong human being who just needs to reset and approach things with a clean slate. And so we’re gonna see her character take a reset, take a hard reset, and then figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

Are the Davidsons sticking around?

I hope so. Obviously, we’ve seen a lot of sparks between Colton and Stella, we’ve seen Dan (Dave Annable) have redemption of sorts. And Denise and Gale have their own sort of redemption, you know. I think part of the whole [theme] of the series Walker, this one, is that no one’s perfect, right? Everyone makes mistakes and everyone can take steps to try and make things better, make things right. So I love the idea of the Davidsons sticking around and us seeing their journey to redemption.

And now Cassie…love her.

Love her. Amazing.

Ashley Reyes is so great. I wanna see you guys work more together.

Me too! And Ashley, as a human being, I just love the shit out of her. She is just an awesome young actress.When we were casting the character, we had seen God knows how many audition tapes. These days in Covid, it’s done via Zoom or you log in to watch test auditions. Finally, when we were getting towards the very end of the casting process, we had a call and they’re like, “Hey, we really like this actress. We haven’t sent her to y’all yet because she’s five-two and Jared’s six-five, but give her a look because we love her.” And so we watched her tape and we were like, ” Damn it, she’s it!” Then we had a Zoom read, Ashley, me and a bunch of the other execs and they were like, “Yep, that’s it. Let’s get her to Texas.”

She’s charming and she’s funny and she brings a nice lighthearted aspect. Ashley, along with Matt Pascua, who plays her brother, are just wonderful people, wonderful actors…they really flesh out the entire Walker world.

That’s what I really love, the way the show’s universe really did expand this season. The way we saw connections among the characters develop…Bonham (Mitch Pileggi) and Abby having that connection with the Davidsons and having that history. It’s like they could have had their own show that would’ve aired 20 years ago and this season was almost like the recap of that.

That’s an amazing way to put it. And yeah, I would watch the Bonham and Abby show, all day, every day. All they’ve been through, their acceptance of each other, their forgiveness and their frustrations. When you have actors like Mitch and Molly, you can have ’em read a phone book and it would be compelling, so what they’ve done, alongside the writers, has just been a special joy to me. And another thing, you know, watching the show in my capacity as executive producer — I’ll watch the dailies and what-not — but a lot of the scenes that take place between Bonham and Abby Walker, I’m not there on set for, you know? I’ve read the script obviously and know they’re shooting that scene that day, but I don’t see it until later when I see it on camera and I’m always like, “Holy s–t, this is good….they’re so good.”

Oh we totally ‘ship them. Now, are you ready to be the lead of a show and the executive producer of that show and launch a second show? Are you ready to juggle it all?

As you ask that question, I started profusely sweating.

Sorry!

[Laughs] No, I can’t wait. Fortunately for me, a lot of the load goes to Anna Fricke and Seamus Kevin Fahey, who’s running Independence. So I just have to kind of be there to go like, “Guys, this is badass. And guys, this is badass, too.” I can’t wait and I’m so thrilled for that cast and crew.

Kat McNamara is an absolute delight.

You know how I was mentioning before, because these days during Covid, that you can’t really cast people in person? So when you’re casting No. 1 of the call sheet, that is who’s gonna to be the person that’s there every day and that’s doing interviews on the weekends and doing photo shoots in between takes and this and that. Well, we did our research. We called other shows she had worked on, other actors she had worked with, other producers and writers and — to a person — they all just sang her praises. They were all like, “Oh my God, she’s wonderful.” And like, in that way of “Please don’t hire her because we want her,” [Laughs]

I just spoke to one of your friends, Mr. Eric Kripke over at The Boys and he said that you have an open invitation to come over and make a cameo.

No s–t! Oh my God, I would love to. I’d have to start doing some squats though so I would be ready to show my naked ass.

Yeah, how about that?! But if it’s a cameo, you probably won’t have to go that bare, but you never know with that show.

[Laughs] Well, I mean, if I’m gonna do it, I’ll have to do it right, you know? I can’t just show up and have a suit on.

You can’t let Jensen be the only one showing off his butt.

Correct. I mean they all get it, so if I’m gonna fly all the way up to Toronto, then I may as well make it count.

Exactly. Again, giving the people what they want.

[Laughs] Well, we’ll see. It’ll be my 40-year-old ass!

Tv Insider

[landinoandco]

A Game of Chess

Carlos Sainz x reader

Request from @leesuhnakamoto-krys "Carlos Sainz x reader fluff"

Warnings: fluff, a slight reference if you squint.

Word count: 2.2 k

Requests are open :)

This year - due to the current pandemic - there were to be two races in Austria, however to keep with the theme of ‘no two races the same’ they were to be called different things: the Styrian grand prix for the first race and the Austrian Grand Prix for the second. This weekend saw the first of the two and your boyfriend Carlos Sainz finished a respectable 6th place behind his former teammate and current best friend Lando Norris. 

The majority of the grid had decided to stay in the surrounding area, making the most of the time they had - not only to keep on training but to explore. 

Travelling the world with Carlos was a dream come true and you were so lucky to be able to do your job on the move - you were a travel blogger/vlogger and were pretty well known for it as well. A large following of people that enjoyed watching your weekly lifestyle and travel vlogs alongside the photography that came with it. 

It was the Monday following the race so Carlos had taken it as a rest day, you had woken up that morning in his arms, tracing circles on one of them as you both spoke about your plans for the day. 

“And a haircut is what I really need.” He said to you, as you moved a strand that had fallen into his eyes. 

“No, I like it long, you look more -” You paused. “Mature.” Giggling, you moved your hands up to run your fingers through his hair. He shook his head at you, a large smile plastered onto his face. He leaned forward onto his forearms, connecting your lips together for a brief second before pulling away and rolling out of bed. Leaving you, still huddled in all of the covers, watching him as he strode across the room to the hotel chest of drawers, pulling out two t-shirts; one of which he put on and the other being chucked in your general direction. 

“So, cariño, what is your plan for today?” Carlos asked, flopping onto the bed and looking up to you.

“I think I’m going to go and explore the town, some of my followers have recommended a few places so I think I am going to check those out, take a few photos-” You trailed off as he began to draw patterns onto the palm of your hand. You smiled fondly at him, you had met just before lockdown completely by chance after you bumped into him in a train station. He had asked for your number and feeling like he had given you no reason to say no, you did and as it turns out, it was the best decision of your life. “What is your plan for the day ahead, mi Amor.” 

“I think I am meeting Lando this afternoon at a café down the road. I’m going to teach him to play chess.” He said proudly, emphasising the word ‘chess.’ 

“Chess?” You questioned, reaching over for the top and putting it on. It was one of his old team McLaren t-shirts, you scoffed at his still apparent loyalty to the team; admittedly it was your favourite but Ferrari didn’t need to know that. 

“Yes.” Carlos stated, he then pointed at the t-shirt you were wearing. “I would recommend not leaving the hotel room with that t-shirt on. I don’t want to get into trouble.” He fought to keep the smile off of his lips. Your eyes lit up, “I wouldn’t even dream of it, mi Amor.”

You had agreed with Carlos that as soon as you had finished what you had set out to do that morning, you would meet him in the café alongside Lando. “Do you fancy playing a game of chess with me, later?” You had asked before you went your separate ways. 

Carlos gave a lopsided grin and kissed your forehead. “We will see, cariño, we will see.” With that he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked down the street. Styria was a beautiful town, a handful of buildings situated in the mass of rolling hills and mountain tops that covered the landscape for as far as the eye could see. 

You had walked up to a stone viewing point at the peak of the town, a small bench that overlooked the south past Styria and into the Austrian countryside.

You loved this time you got to yourself, it allowed for you to sit and reminisce; bathing in all of the memories that lead up to this point in your life. You thought back to the day Carlos asked you to move to Italy with him - due to him changing teams. It almost broke your relationship, the thought of leaving all of your family and friends behind in England but in the end you decided it was an adventure too thrilling to pass on...

It was a breezy summer evening in London, the clouds had blanketed the city and a faint rumble of the traffic could be heard from your apartment. Carlos had messaged you earlier that day, asking if he could talk to you when he got home - for the remainder of that afternoon nerves had settled comfortably in the pit of your stomach. At last you heard the unlocking of the door, your head whipped around to see a tired looking Carlos to fall through the door with a sigh. As soon as he looked up and saw you sat on the sofa, his eyes gleamed. “Mi amor.” He said tiredly, his brows knitted momentarily before he nodded his head. “Right, my text message.” You nodded unsure of where this conversation was heading. It was early days in your relationship so anything was possible. 

“I got an offer from Ferrari-” He started, making his way over to you, you watched him intently, nibbling on your lower lip. “It’s an offer that in this industry you don’t turn down, obviously there is a lot to consider because it would mean leaving McLaren and-” He sighed, “This country behind.” 

A line appeared between your brows, you didn’t speak for fear of interrupting his train of thought. He took your hand in his. 

“If I signed with Ferrari, I would have to move to Italy-” Your mouth made an ‘o’ shape. “Which is why I wanted to ask you if you would come with me.” 

You definitely didn’t expect him to ask this, any expression that was on your face before had been wiped as you took to staring. “I’m asking a big thing and obviously you don’t have to answer straight away.” He rushed in response to your dumbfounded expression. 

For the next few days - after that conversation - the atmosphere between the pair of you had become tense, you had decided to call your sister and explained the whole situation to her. In a nutshell she called you an idiot for not saying yes immediately.  

“I’ve been thinking-” You began to Carlos that evening . “I would love to move to Italy with you. It’s a good opportunity to really write our story, explore the world - together. It will be such a great adventure.” Carlos didn’t need to ask you twice and he enveloped you into his arms and span you around, meeting your lips with his. 

“I love you.” He said, placing his forehead on yours. That night was also the first time those three words were exchanged. “I love you too.” You replied sweetly, your lips brushing his as you did so. 

You smiled fondly at the memory. You were so lucky to have found Carlos - actually you found each other - you like to believe that it was the universe who had a hand in it. Carlos was your soulmate and you were honoured to be able to call him that. 

Deciding it was time you made your way back to him, you started on your journey back to the main town - down the steep, winding path, birds darting overhead and the chirp of crickets sounding in the hedgerows. 

You reached the café and as soon as you opened the door, you were hit with the smell of warm coffee, you went over to the counter and ordered yourself a latte - casting your gaze around the old fashioned shop, you were surprised to see that only a few people were sitting inside; an older couple, who had taken extreme interest in the pair you were here to see. You chuckled to yourself as the barista placed your drink onto the counter in front of you. 

“Drew quite the crowd earlier.” He leant over the counter, pointing to the pair, they were stuck in an intense game of chess and by the looks of it - Lando was winning. Carlos looked up, shaking his head as Lando moved another one of his pieces off of the board; as he did he noticed you standing there and waved you over. 

“Yes, I bet they did.” You chuckled, taking the drink and nodding ‘thanks’ to him. Carlos pulled a chair up for you and motioned to the chess board in anguish, “You will not believe it, mi Amor. He is beating me.” Lando was sat on the other side wearing a cocky grin and his arms crossed onto the table. 

“So what you are trying to tell me, Carli , is that you taught Lando too well and now he is beating you.” You pointed out, the corners of your eyes crinkled. Carlos only glared at you, sighing dramatically. Lando played incredibly well and did take the victory, punching his arms in the air as he called out ‘checkmate.’ 

“The student becomes the master.” He cheered, high fiving you and offered to shake Carlos’ hand but Carlos pouted and pushed it away with his index finger. “No. How on earth did you win? I’ve only just taught you.” He cried out. 

You looked at Lando as Lando looked at you, both fighting the urge to laugh. You couldn’t hold it in as you held onto the table - both doubling over. 

“I love you, Carli, I really do but - boy - are you a sore loser.” You managed to say. 

“Well, cheers, mate.” Lando said getting up, wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. “I’m going to head off now. Dinner with Jon.” You waved as he left, fist bumping Carlos on his way past. 

“Do you fancy a game with me now?” You asked, your elbow was resting on the table so you leant on the heel of your palm. 

“On one condition.” Carlos said, setting the chess board back up, “As long as you promise not to beat me like Lando just did.” 

“Of course, mi Amor.” You said, a hint of mocking in your tone. You admired the way he scrunched up his nose as he concentrated, working out what his first move was going to be. 

“The aim of chess is to be in control of your opponent, you want to be able to trick them into doing exactly what you want them to do.” Carlos said, moving his first piece. “You have to play with dominance.” He added theatrically. 

“You want me to be dominant?” You repeated incredulously, a smirk toying with your lips. “Well, why didn’t you say so. After all this time-” 

“Mi Amor.” He gasped, lowering his voice. “Not like that -” He stammered, a pink flush rising up his neck. You only winked in reply and made your move. 

“Go on, tell me more about chess.” You urged him on, watching as he went to make his move. He paused, met your gaze and narrowed his eyes. You shrugged innocently and he carried on; his gaze softened as a reminiscent haze coated his eyes. 

“You know,” Carlos began, placing the chess piece down and resting both of his elbows onto the table. “When my dad first met my mum, he taught her how to play chess and they used to sit in the kitchen on a Sunday morning after church and play. It was then my mum who taught me, on the weekends when my dad was away racing; we used to sit in the kitchen together on a Sunday after church and play. It was always the highlight of my weekend.” You watched as he fondly spoke about his family, warmth filled your chest. 

“You teach me well then and maybe we could turn it into a tradition.” You spoke gently, reaching over the table to take his hand in yours. Awe transformed his face as he gazed at you. 

Many years later you would end up making it a tradition, as you taught your daughter how to play on a Sunday after church as she watched her daddy race. You would tell her the story every time you would go to play and every time you would think about how lucky you were to have bumped into that stranger in the train station. They say that you will find your soulmate when you least expect it and after all these years - you would have to agree. 

[sassyhobbits]

rowaelin with their first child and they get into that stranger anxiety phase and cry with everyone except when they're in their mothers arms and it's exhausting but also adorable but rowan sometimes feels like a bad dad because his kid doesn't want to be held by him so aelin has to reassure him and then some day this phase is finally over - prompt 😢🥺

ok i adored writing this one. dad rowan is so much fun to work with. i hope everyone enjoys!!

~~~

In his over 300 years, Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius had been awoken by many different things. Whether it was a call to battle while sleeping in a war tent, a summons from his queen late at night, or a lover trying unsuccessfully to disappear quietly before dawn. Yet, none of these manners of waking up had filled him with as much dread as he felt currently.

He was woken in the middle of the night by a shrill shriek coming from the room that adjoined the one he shared with Aelin. In the recent months, what had once been a leisure room had been converted to a nursery for their new baby girl.

It took three years after Aelin’s coronation before they decided to start trying to have a child. It took another year before they were successful. Rowan counted his blessings. He had seen plenty of Fae couples take decades before they finally conceived.

Eliora was four months old now, which meant four months of troubled sleep for both him and his mate.

Rowan was instantly on alert at the sound of his daughter’s cries. He knew that they were no more than a normal babe’s troubles, but his instincts made him tense anyways. He quickly sat up, looking down at his wife quickly to see if she had woken up. Luckily, she still slept, likely beyond exhausted from the mix of raising a child and ruling a kingdom. If Rowan was successful, she wouldn’t have to wake up at all.

He got out of bed and swiftly stepped into the nursery, coming before Eliora’s crib. Her tiny face was pinched up in dainty outrage, small limbs flailing as she cried. Rowan took a deep breath, sending a prayer up to the gods more out of habit than faith at this point, and picked his daughter from the crib. Hopefully, this would be the time he could get her to stop crying.

The little princess shrieked and protested whenever she was in anyone’s arms besides her mother’s. Rowan’s included.

“I’ve got you, my little light,” Rowan whispered to his daughter, cradling her tiny body to his bare chest and lowering himself onto the rocking chair they kept beside her crib. “Everything’s alright.”

Despite his soothing words, Eliora still continued to cry. It broke Rowan’s heart to hear, broke it even more to know that nothing he did could seem to calm her down.

“Please stop crying, love,” Rowan pleaded, threading his fingers through the fine, silvery-blonde hair growing on his daughter’s head. “Your mother is so tired and needs her sleep.”

Unfortunately, even begging didn’t seem to work.

Over the sounds of Eliora’s cries, he heard the door hinges creek, and the sound of bare feet scuffing over stone. Rowan glanced over, finding Aelin walking towards him. Exhaustion weighed down her beautiful face, but her eyes were still full of fondness at the sight of the two of them.

Rowan looked to her apologetically before his face crumpled in defeat. “I can’t get her to stop crying. I’m so sorry, Fireheart.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, love,” she whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his hair. “Give her to me.”

Rowan handed the squirming bundle of blankets to his wife. Aelin situated their daughter in her arms before she lowered herself on Rowan’s lap, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist, press a kiss to her shoulder, and begin to rock them.

Quickly, Eliora’s cries began to fade away. Her face unscrewed, looking at Aelin with those wide, Ashryver eyes that she had.

Aelin began to sing a low, Terrasenian lullaby as he continued to rock the three of them. It never ceased to amaze him how good she was with their daughter, how quickly she was able to sooth her temper. He only wished that he could do the same, that Eliora would look at him the same way she looked at Aelin and not scream and scream and scream.

Rowan’s heart was full of love as he watched Eliora’s eyes begin to droop shut at the soothing rocking motion and the sound of her mother’s voice. It wasn’t long before she was once again asleep, the night perfectly silent.

Rowan helped Aelin stand, keeping a hand against her back as she brought their daughter back to her crib and laid her down. Perfect. She truly was perfect.

A gentle hand on his arm drew his attention away from the slumbering babe. Aelin nodded her head towards their room and Rowan dutifully followed, shutting the door quietly behind them.

“I’m sorry, Fireheart,” Rowan said again, drawing Aelin into his arms and kissing her forehead. “I know you’re exhausted.”

“No more so than you.”

Rowan could only sigh, pressing his lips together tightly. His emotions were troubled, and he should have known that Aelin was going to notice. She leaned back slightly, peering up at his face.

“I know what you’re thinking, Rowan, and you’re wrong,” she said matter-of-factly.

Rowan wanted to believe her, but he couldn’t help but ask, “What am I doing wrong?”

He had faced many challenges over his years. Wars and battles and tortures. He had survived them all and came out victorious. And yet, the thing that brought him to his knees, was the fact that he couldn’t bring comfort to his own daughter when she needed it. A baby had finally defeated him.

“You know you’re not doing anything wrong,” Aelin said firmly. “The nurses said this happens sometimes. It’s not your fault.”

Rowan had heard this what felt like a thousand times. It did little to soothe his troubles.

Rowan was good at many things. He was a warrior and a general, had stepped confidently into the role of king consort. His hands could kill and heal and build, but they couldn’t get Eliora to stop crying. He couldn’t help but feel that, perhaps, being a father… wasn’t something that he was made for.

It broke his heart to think. He remembered how excited he was when they found out Aelin was finally pregnant, how they cried and kissed and clung to each other, whispering about the future. He had been ecstatic, but also terrified. He knew Aedion, who had welcomed his own son into the world a year before Aelin got pregnant, had felt the same before he was born. But, Aedion hadn’t had the troubles Rowan did. He had stepped into fatherhood gracefully, and his son loved him immensely.

“Hey,” Aelin said, a bit snappily. She put her hand on Rowan’s cheek and urged him to look at her. In those eyes was a familiar fire. “Stop that. I know what’s going through your head. You’re a wonderful father.”

Rowan sighed and hung his head, pressing Aelin’s hand more firmly against his cheek. “How can I be a good father if I have no idea what I’m doing?”

“Do you think I’m a bad mother?”

“What? Of course not.”

“Well, I don’t know what I’m doing either,” Aelin said. “Neither did Aedion or Lysandra. No new parent has any idea what they’re doing. It’s part of the job.”

She made it sound so easy. Aelin had always had a knack for that.

“I wonder if there’s some secret behind it,” Rowan mused as Aelin tucked herself back into his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso.

He felt his wife shrug. “I don’t know… but if there was, I think it would be to love them. To support them. To do everything in our power to make sure they’re happy.”

“I love Eliora more than life. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

“I know, love.” Aelin rolled on the tips of her toes and brushed a soft kiss against Rowan’s mouth. “Now, all you need to do is have patience.”

He chuckled. “Look at you. Who would have ever guessed that Aelin Galathynius would be lecturing me on patience.”

Her grin was a slash of white in the dark. “I’ve been told I’m wise beyond my years.”

“Who the hell has ever told you that?”

“People. Now, will you come back to bed with me?”

“Of course, Fireheart.”

They climbed back under the covers, pressing their bodies close. Aelin fell back asleep almost comically quickly. Rowan wasn’t far behind, holding his wife tightly throughout the night.

…

Another month went by and little changed. Both Rowan and his wife were getting little sleep during the night, leading to some groggy mornings. He had seen Aelin taking short naps at her desk or dozing off when an advisor spoke for too long. She would, of course, deny it if Rowan ever brought it up, so he wisely stayed silent.

Eliora still abhorred being held by anyone except Aelin. The fact that it wasn’t just him brought Rowan a bit of solace. His daughter cried when held by Lysandra or Fenrys or Elide. She had a particularly nasty meltdown last time Lorcan had held her.

“I know, sweet girl,” Aelin had murmured, taking Eliora from Lorcan. “I wouldn’t want to be that close to him either.”

Still, Eliora’s reactions didn’t deter Rowan from trying to hold and soothe her, though he had not yet been victorious. Patience, Aelin had said. It was easier said than done.

The sun had set below the Staghorns hours ago. Eliora was asleep in the nursery, Aelin was treating herself to a long soak in the tub, and Rowan sat in one of the plush armchairs they kept in their room, sharpening and polishing some of his blades.

It was an easy practice to get lost in. The simple, repetitive movements were a welcome distraction. A good way to cool down before bed.

However, his hands froze when he heard a tiny whimper sound from the nursery that quickly morphed into a shrill cry. Eliora.

Rowan placed his blades down on the low table before him, pushing to his feet and quickly striding into the nursery.

Eliora was wiggling as she wailed. Rowan wished he could read her mind so he knew exactly what was bothering her and how he could help. But, all he could do was take a deep, bracing breath and scoop his daughter into his arms.

“What’s wrong, little light?” Rowan whispered, carrying her over to the rocking chair. “What is it?”

Eliora’s only response was to continue crying.

Rowan sighed, wondering how much longer he had before Aelin got out of the bath and came in to calm Eliora down. He had seen Aelin do it countless times. She would take Eliora into her arms, smile down at her, start to whisper nonsense or sing a low lullaby. She made it seem so easy.

“Everything’s alright, Eliora,” Rowan murmured, switching to the Old Language. “I’ve got you. I’ll never let anything happen to you, little love.”

And then, something amazing happened.

Slowly, Eliora’s cries began to fade away to a whimper and then, to nothing at all. Rowan held his breath, worrying that one wrong move would put her back into a fit of hysterics. His daughter slowly opened her eyes and peered up at him.

Rowan smiled down at her. “You’re just as lovely as your mother. Just as stubborn, too.”

And then, as if she understood his little joke, Eliora flashed him a gummy smile. The shift in expression floored him. She had never given him a smile before.

Rowan felt his throat tighten and his eyes begin to burn, but he smiled back at the tears welled up. A tiny laugh escaped his throat. Finally, finally, he had done it.

Eliora’s chubby arms reached up. Rowan held out a finger, letting her wrap a tiny hand around it. He always forgot just how small she was.

“I love you more than you could possibly know, Eliora.”

He was too distracted by his daughter and the little grip she had on his finger to notice that Aelin had entered the nursery until she was almost upon them. Rowan looked up at his wife, knowing that his eyes were still watery and there were likely tear tracks streaking down his cheeks. Regardless, he beamed.

“It would seem, once again, that I was right,” Aelin said with a triumphant smirk.

“As you often are, my love.”

She laughed and dropped a kiss to his forehead before draping her arms over his shoulders, leaning over and watching their daughter, who was studying them with wide eyes. Once again, Eliora smiled. Rowan would never tire of the sight.

“She looks like you when she smiles,” Aelin mused.

“You think?”

She nodded slowly, reaching out and running her knuckles along the smooth curve of Eliora’s cheek. “I still can’t believe she’s ours. She’s just so… perfect.”

“Like her mother.”

Aelin snorted. “Kiss ass.”

“Maybe a little.”

They faded into silence, simply standing there, wrapped up in their little, blossoming family. They stood there until Eliora’s eyes fluttered shut once more and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. One she enjoyed for the entirety of the night.

Rowan didn’t know what he had done to deserve such bliss, but he knew it must have been something good.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Miss American Pie

Chapter Three: Bye Bye

Warning: This series features a romantic Yelena Belova x Fem!Reader relationship.

Summary: After freeing the widows from chemical subjugation and destroying the red room, you and Yelena finally settle down.

Part 1 & Part 2

The widows welcome you, the ones you trained with and the ones you didn’t. After Dreykov was gone and you had nothing but time. Melina and Alexei go to work on replicating the antidote. Creating enough to free all chemically subjugated agents.

It’ll take time. But the more you free the more are willing to help. Some of the widows just leave once they are given freedom. Ready to wash their hands of all of this and start living. You understand that more than anything. Eventually the operation is running on such a large scale they hardly need you at all.

Natasha hasn’t reached out since you separated after the red room. Probably off with the Avengers trying to save the world again. No one blames her, for her inability to be still. Not even Yelena.

“So,” you plop down on the couch beside Yelena. “What’s the plan now?”

“I don’t know.” She admits, staring up at the ceiling. “To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to make it this far.”

“Yeah.” You tug at a loose strand of her dirty blonde hair. “That makes two of us.”

“We could pretend to be normal.” Yelena offers. “What would a normal person do?”

“Don’t know,” you shrug. “I’ve never been one.”

“Maybe...settle down.” Yelena’s eyes are far away.

“Would you have wanted to-“ You break off, trying to sort out the words. “I mean if you could…would you have a baby?”

She raises her brows, “I never thought about it.” A long pause. “I wouldn’t know how to be a mother.”

Neither would you. You’ll never be right. Whatever that is, was, or might have been. Always a little too guarded and rough around the edges. “You never waste time thinking about things you can’t have.” You sink farther into the cushions, her pinky skates over your own. Taking the invitation you twine your fingers together.

“I thought about you.” She lowers her eyes to the coffee table. “Everyday. Until I couldn’t anymore.”

“I-“

“The red room took that from me too.”

You shake your head at her. “They can never take anything from you or anyone else ever again,” you whisper. “And to be clear you can have me.”

A laugh rumbles out of her chest at the news. “I can?”

“I mean if you still want me.” You tease, “I know that the chase is half the fun for you. So I can keep on running. I’m one foot out the door-“

“I am tired of running.” Yelena murmurs, curling up against your side.

“Me too.” Your chin rests atop her head.

“Then stop doing it!” She scolds, slapping your arm playfully in retaliation.

“I will if you will.” You know why she runs. The same reason you do. Because you’re afraid. That maybe some parts of you are too broken to love.

She mulls it over for a moment. “Truce. I don’t run. You don’t run.”

“Deal.” You give her fingers a squeeze.

“Except into the face of danger.” She clarifies, only half kidding. “Then we run, straight ahead.” Yelena motions with her free hand. “But together.”

“Together.” You agree, with a soft smile.

“We could get a dog.” The tone of her voice tells you that she is invested in the idea.

“I wouldn’t mind a dog.” You prop your feet up on the coffee table.

Yelena hates anything but a straight answer. Still feeling the need to convince you, she presents the facts. “Dogs are really cool! They have special powers.”

You chuckle, “dogs do not have powers.”

“Yes!” Yelena argues, “they can predict natural disasters and judge character.”

“That’s a special power?” You quip, “I can do that too.”

She grumbles under her breath.

“I want one.” You sigh. Feeling all the tension leave her body.

“I knew you did.” She smiles, contently.

———————————————————————

Dogs might have powers, but the only thing your puppy currently seems to posses is the ability to chew up anything in her path.

“Yelena have you seen my-“ you pause, taking in the scene before you, “shoes.”

“Don’t be angry,” Yelena holds up a hand.

The tiny puppy beside her squeaks, not quite a bark yet. Your demolished sneaker tumbling to the ground.

“What happened?” You run both hands over your face.

She sweeps the dog into her arms. “I told Fanny we could go for a walk once you got out of the shower. She was excited, Y/N! She was trying to bring your shoes to you. But she got distracted, only a little.”

“A little?” You can’t help but smile.

“Look at this face,” Yelena waves Fanny’s paw at you. “You can’t be mad at this face. Tell her girl. Say, you can’t be mad at me Mom, I’m trying my best.” She brings the dog closer.

You raise a hand to pet Fanny lightly. Yelena’s right of course, there is no being mad at that face. “Let me find a pair of shoes that isn’t mangled. Then we’ll go for a walk.”

“I’ll wait with Fanny.”

“Of course you will.” You retreat to your bedroom. Rummaging through the closet in search of some sort of footwear. You’d settle for slippers at this point. Fanny joins you after a moment. Nuzzling at your ankle as she whines.

It’s not everyday that she follows you, she is Yelena’s dog and never lets you forget it. “You’re really excited aren’t you?” More whining. You scoop Fanny up. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

You huff, finally locating a pair of sandals. Slipping them on quickly so you can return to Yelena and gloat about being Fanny’s favorite. “Hey baby, I don’t know what you did, but look.” You smile, gazing up as you present the dog…to an empty room. That’s odd. Maybe she’s waiting outside.

You grab the leash Yelena abandoned on the countertop, securing it to Fanny’s collar. “Come on girl. Let’s go find Mama. Where’s Mama?”

Fanny follows you out the door, onto the walkway.

“Yelena?”

Nothing.

You scan the area, no sign of her. “Ok…” Back into the house, you check the bathroom next.

“Yelena!” You shout, knowing you’ll feel stupid once she replies. But she doesn’t.

A buzzing from the cell phone in your back pocket draws your attention. You set Fanny down gently, accepting the call and moving the device up to your ear. “Alexei?”

“Y/N! Oh thank god!” His voice booms through the speaker.

“Are you ok?” You ask immediately. Leaning down to grab the television remote, turning to channel thirteen, still broadcasting it’s usual gameshow.

“I am alone.” He cries through the speaker. “Melina left me with her pigs.”

“What do you mean she left you?” Something is very wrong.

“She disappeared.” He says somberly, “didn’t even say goodbye. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.” The dramatic monologue continues. “I give her back rub every night and then-“

“No,” you cut him off. “Absolutely not.” Under no circumstance is he going to tell you what happens next.

“I have made mistakes, but this! This is cruel.” Alexei, clearly distraught begins cursing in Russian.

“Alexei, I know you’re upset but I need you to listen.”

“What?” He asks. “What is it?”

“Yelena is gone too.” You inform him. Your eyes flicker over the words at the bottom of your tv screen. “People disappeared all over the world.”

You fall back onto the couch, feeling all the air leave your lungs.

More hysteria on the other end of the line. “What are we going to do?”

“I’m gonna find Natasha. Maybe she knows something.” Assuming that Natasha is still here.

“What about me?”

“Come to Ohio. You can dog sit.” You offer, familiar numbness seeps into your limbs.

“I have nine pigs!” Alexei shouts back.

“We have a backyard, don’t worry.” You hang up before he has a chance to argue.

You return to the call screen. Scrolling to find a different contact. Pressing the dial button beside her name.

It rings. And rings. And rings. “Hello.”

“Natasha,” you let out the breath you’ve been holding. “What the hell happened?”

——————————————————————

The Avengers fortress isn’t exactly how you imagined. Not very homey.

You park your car in the lot. Removing your keys from the ignition and stowing them in your back pocket. The clear rectangular keychain with a picture of you and Yelena inside sticks out. Clinking when you round the vehicle to retrieve Fanny from the passenger seat. “Come on, Fanny.”

She wags her tail, waiting expectantly to be carried.

“You’re spoiled, you know.” You sigh, taking the puppy into your arms and closing the door behind you.

The front gate is open but Natasha takes a moment to locate. She cut her hair up to her shoulders, dyed it blonde. “Hello stranger.”

“You got a dog.” She says, in greeting.

“Yeah.” You reply, not in the mood for small talk. “It was Yelena’s idea.”

“I knew she’d sucker you into that.”

“It’s not like she could make me do anything I didn’t want to.” Your finger slides along the edge of the metal table Natasha’s seated behind.

She barks a laugh, “that’s a lie.”

Maybe so. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“It’s not mine.”

“Still cool. I like the hair too,” you motion toward her blonde locks.

“That’s not really mine either, is it?” She remarks.

“Is anything ever really ours?”

“No.” She frowns. “I guess not.”

“What happened?” You ask again.

“It’s a long story,” Nat crosses both arms over her chest. “You might want to take a seat.”

You clear your throat, pulling out the chair beside her. Fanny curls up in your lap, curious eyes darting about every now and then. You tell yourself it’s because she’s in a new place, but part of you knows, she’s looking for Yelena.

Natasha stares down at her hands. “Have you ever heard of infinity stones?”

You shake your head. “Must be an avenger thing.”

“There were six of them, scattered all over the galaxy. If a person has all six they can use them in anyway they choose. Thanos, used them to eliminate half of all living creatures.”

“Are you the only one left?” You lean in.

“No.” She sniffs, blinking away tears. “There’s others.”

“So where are they?” The place looks abandoned. “Why aren’t you charging into battle?”

“Because we lost. Probably the worst we’ve ever lost.” Natasha clenches her jaw. “By the time we found Thanos again he already destroyed the stones.”

“We’ll try again.” You decide immediately. This isn’t over.

“Will we?” Natasha shakes her head with a smirk.

“If she was gone for good I would know it.” You tell her truthfully. “I would feel it, in my heart and I don’t.”

“You didn’t see it happen. I saw him snap his fingers and-“

You lay your hand over hers, squeezing tight.

“Did you see her go?” She asks, voice just above a whisper. “Yelena. Did you see her?”

“No.” You confess, “I didn’t see.”

Natasha closes her eyes. “That’s why you still have hope.”

“Look maybe you’re right.” You shrug, “even so, now seems like a really stupid time to give up.”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “What’s the dog’s name?”

“Fanny.” You inform her.

“Come on.” She rolls her blue eyes. “You’re kidding right? Tell me you didn’t actually name a dog after one of those stupid aliases Rick made me.”

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“I guess a dog’s better than a pig.” Natasha reasons. “Are they still here?”

“Not Melina.” You break the news quickly. Like tearing off a bandage. “But Alexei and all nine of her pigs are on their way to our house in Ohio.”

“Sounds crowded.”

“Always room for one more.”

——————————————————————

You stay like that for a long time. Hopeful. Sure that this was all some nightmare that you could wake up from; fight your way out of.

And then five years passed.

Now you come to see Natasha twice a month, just to check in. Alexei and his pigs have taken up permanent residency in the home you bought with Yelena. As for you, you bounce around. Never staying in one place too long.

“Any news?” You wonder, leaning against the doorframe of Natasha’s meeting room.

“No.” She bites out. Kicking her foot up on the desk. “You should move on.”

“Is that what you call this?” You flick your wrist in her direction. “Crying into a peanut butter sandwich.”

“It’s therapeutic.” She waves the bread at you. Tears welled up in her eyes. “You should try it sometime.”

“Nah.” You take a seat, reaching across to make a sandwich of your own. “It’s not the sandwich’s fault.”

“Am I interrupting the pity party?” Steve says, announcing his presence. Captain America is as self righteous as ever.

“Didn’t you grieve for a century over a girl you kissed one time?” You arch a brow at him, licking wayward peanut butter from the pad of your thumb. “Five years is just a drop in the bucket.”

Steve purses his lips, you have a point. “It wasn’t a century.”

“Close enough.” You mumble around a mouthful of your dinner.

“Want a bite?” Natasha offers half of her sandwich to him.

“No thanks.” He takes a step closer. “I’d offer to make you a real dinner, but already look pretty miserable. Where’s your dog?”

“Visiting her granddad.” Everyone and their mother loves that damn dog.

“Oh yeah, my great adversary.” How could he ever forget. “Is he still wearing that stupid suit?”

“I’m pretty sure the suits are stowed away. But it’s been a while since I’ve been there.” Your mind wanders to the vest. The one Natasha returned to you after Yelena was gone. The one you retired because it doesn’t smell like her anymore. Nothing does.

Most things remain untouched in the Ohio house. Your pictures. Your memories. Your plans. You can’t get rid of them. Can’t stomach being around them either.

Someone, a man, alerts the security cameras, pounding on the front door. “Hello? Is anyone home? Hello! Can you hear me?”

“How old is this video?” Steve asks, cocking his head to the side.

“It’s the front gate.” Natasha breathes, enlarging the image.

“Do we know him?” You squint at the man in question.

“It’s me, Scott Lang, Antman. I met you guys at the airport in Germany a few years ago. I had a mask on, you probably wouldn’t recognize me.” He rambles on.

Natasha presses the access panel, opening the gate.

You straighten yourselves out, before he makes it down the long hallway into the common room.

Scott paces, a lot. Nervously rubbing his hands together.

“Scott.” Steve finally cut in. “Are you ok?”

“Have any of you ever studied quantum physics?”

“Only to make conversation.” Nat says, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Ok. Alright so, five years ago. Right before Thanos. I was in the quantum realm. The quantum realm is like it’s own little microscopic universe. To get in there you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she’s my uh-“ he trails off. “She was my…she was- she was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened and I got stuck in there.”

“I’m sorry that must have been a long five years.” Natasha apologies.

“That’s the thing, for me it wasn’t.” Scott replies. “It was five hours.”

“What a trip.” You snort, absently toying with your belt loop.

“The rules of time are different there. See everything is unpredictable.” He explains, getting distracted by the food in your hand. “Are you gonna finish that?”

“I guess not.” You hold it out to him.

He accepts, gratefully stuffing the bread into his mouth.

“Scott! What are you talking about?” Steve demands.

“So what I’m saying is time works differently in the quantum realm. The only problem is we don’t have a way to navigate it. But if we did, if we could somehow control the chaos; to enter the quantum realm at a certain point in time and exit at another point in time…like,” Scott locks eyes with you then. “Like before Thanos.”

You nod.

“Are you talking about a time machine?” Steve sighs, running a hand over his tense forehead.

“No. No of course not. Not like a time machine but like a…yeah.” There’s no other word for it. “Like a time machine. I know it’s crazy. But I can’t stop thinking about it! There gotta be some way.”

“Scott,” Natasha calls his attention. “I get emails from a raccoon. So nothing sounds crazy to me anymore.”

“So who do we talk to about this?” His eyes flicker between the three of you.

“Don’t look at me.” You hold both hands up. “That’s way above my pay grade.”

Part 4

Series Taglist: @3and30aresoultwins

[disneywizard]

What can we say about 2021? Well it’s not 2020. But that’s about all it’s got going for it.

We lost Ed Asner, one of my favorite voice actors of all time, as well as Betty White, right before the end. But we have some bright spots too. I have my health, my family, and more merchandise than ever for my favorite animated series. On that note, let’s start my list.

First up, honorable mentions:

Young Justice: Phantoms

Okay, let’s be clear. Just like the last time, this show SHOULD be my number one, because it’s easily the best thing I’ve watched all year, bar none. But because of violence and ‘adult content’ I’ve had to restrict it from my normally family friendly list. Well I’m not doing that anymore. With Young Justice, Samurai Jack, Invincible...we’re finally starting to break the trend of homogenized adult animation. Starting next year, I’m implementing the “because of Young Justice” rule. If an adult show is good, and I mean really really really good, it can now potentially earn a spot on my list. But for this year, it’s only an honorable mention.

Hilda and the Mountain King

Hilda’s second season ended on quite the cliffhanger that was resolved in this movie event. It was very good, (and possibly a series finale? Unsure at this time). As a movie, however it doesn’t get to be on the list.

Dishonorable Mention:

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

It’s not very often that I put a negative on my list, but I have to acknowledge how incredibly AWFUL this movie was for what WAS one of my favorite franchises. It actually ruined the rewatch value of the series for me. This is a must MISS movie.

And now, the list itself:

10: Star Trek Prodigy

This show has only had five episodes that basically just set up its premise, but those episodes were so engaging and interesting that it set the stage for this show to snag my tenth slot. Available on Paramount+

9: The Owl House

The Owl House’s second season has been nothing short of amazing, and I cannot wait to see what Dana Terrace has in store for us in the future. Disney+

8: Carmen Sandiego

I’ve sung this show’s praises many times before, and the finale season was easily it’s best season, with quite a tearjerker of a final arc. Netflix Original.

7: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Season 4 has been WHAM episode after WHAM episode. Honestly the best season yet. Still having scheduling issues though. First 3 Seasons on Netflix, fourth season on Disney+

6: Kid Cosmic and the Stones of Power

This show by Powerpuff Girls/Wander Over Yonder’s creator Craig McCracken is his first stab at arc based storytelling and he nails it. Netflix Original.

5: A Tale Dark and Grimm

Based on a series of books, themselves inspired by Grimm fairytales, this show was my sleeper hit this year. It is what it sounds like. Netflix Original.

4: Centaurworld

What would happen if a character from a serious show like Avatar wound up in a World like Care Bears? Find out here! Netflix Original.

3: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Seasons 3 &4 dropped this year, and I just love the direction that they went. The Long Run is one of the best episodes of anything I’ve ever seen. This show just keeps getting better, and I cannot wait for season 5. Netflix Original

2: Amphibia

This is the best show currently airing on Disney Channel, and I cannot recommend it enough. On Disney+

1: Maya and the Three

Discounting Young Justice Phantoms, nothing else I watched this year even came close to how good Maya and the Three was. Easily the best show I watched that qualified this year, without question. Watch it, you won’t be disappointed. Netflix Original.

[simplee-dreaming]

The Runner

(Part 2 here)

A/N: Okay so I've been writing this for a while and only just finished it but I'd like to know whether you guys would like me to turn this into a series? This part works well as a stand-alone but can easily turn into a series if you would like!

Word count: 3194

Summary: The reader works as a runner on the set of Infinity War and developes a bond with Chris Evans.

(SPOILER WARNING: There is one spoiler for Infinity War in this fic, but I'm sure many of you have seen it anyway)

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

“Black coffee for Mr Evans please! Black coffee!” A man called over the radio. Your ears pricked up and you ran into the kitchen to make a black coffee. You came charging back out and headed straight for Chris Evans’ dressing room, but his assistant jumped in your path.

“I’ll take that to him.” He said, snatching it out of your hand.

This was your first time working as a runner and you were starting to get the hang of the job. You had only been working there for three weeks and you had about 8 months to go. You were highly excited to work for Marvel, being a fan yourself, but you hadn’t met any of the cast or even the directors. You had caught small glimpses of them but never had any interactions. You had a lot of responsibilities as a runner - making tea and coffee, handling the paperwork, assisting anyone who needed it - and yet you were just chopped liver to everyone on set.

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

Another month had passed and you had grown closer to the other runners, the kitchen staff, the cleaners and even the third assistant directors. You were far more comfortable in your job and you even had the opportunity to stand with the third assistant director and watch them film Loki’s death scene...though not your favourite thing to witness.

You still hadn’t interacted with any of the cast but you were used to that by now. It was mainly running orders for everyone and handling the secretary-type roles, which you didn’t mind doing anyway.

Call after call came over the radio with people demanding all sorts of coffees and teas and hot chocolates and cold drinks. Enough to keep you on your feet during the long days. There was a break in demands when they were setting up ready to shoot another scene so you stood with your work friends for a chat before the room had to fall silent. One of the runners let out a small gasp and directed you with their eyes. You turned around to see Chris Evans walking behind you, heading onto set. He turned to you all and gave a little nod and a smile before carrying on. Your heart fluttered. Chris Evans just acknowledged your existence. A stream of small shrieks and giggles came from your group as everyone tried to compose themselves before filming commenced. That was your day made.

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

“Black coffee for Mr Evans please! Black coffee!” A man called over the radio. Same guy every day, always his assistant. You quickly marched into the kitchen to get his coffee ready before anyone else did. Strong black coffee with one sachet of sugar. You grabbed the cup, marked it with Chris’ name and strolled over to his dressing room. Once again your luck had vanished when his assistant jumped in front of you and grabbed the cup.

“The order is absolutely correct, yes?” His assistant asked, like he did every time you brought the coffee.

“She makes it the majority of the time, I’m sure she has the order right by now.” Said a voice from behind you. You turned around to find Chris Evans smiling at you. You gave a shaky smile back.

“You know, you make my coffee all the damn time and I don’t even know your name.” He said. You gave a shy giggle. There was a pause.

“So...what is your name?” He asked.

“Oh, um, sorry, yeah, it’s Y/N”, you responded.

“Y/N. Very pretty name. Well, thank you Y/N for the constant coffee. I’ll make sure you deliver them straight to me next time.” He winked at you and you giggled again. His assistant cleared his throat.

“Mr Evans you’re needed in makeup now.”

“Yes thank you Darren. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Chris?” He huffed. He gave you one last smile and walked off. You were in heaven.

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

A week had passed and you hadn’t interacted with Chris since. Every time there was a call for his coffee, you were busy doing other jobs. You had sorted out multiple paperwork, made drinks for crew members and you were currently assisting the cleaners in cleaning up a very messy set after they had stopped shooting a scene. You didn’t mind because the cleaners were all lovely people, plus it gave you a bit of a break before running all over the place. You were kneeling on the ground sweeping up the smaller bits with a dustpan and brush until a pair of feet suddenly appeared in your eyeline.

“Missed a spot” came a voice from above you. You looked up to find Chris Evans towering above you. He winked.

“You’re everywhere at the moment. I’m sure this isn’t in your job description.” He said.

“It’s not, but the more hands on deck, the quicker this gets cleaned.” You shrugged. “Plus, I don’t mind, all of these people are lovely to work with.”

Chris smiled at you and bent down to help.

“You’re an A-List celebrity, you shouldn’t be cleaning up this mess.” You said.

“You’re right. I’m far too big of a diva to clean.” He replied. He flicked a tiny stone at you and you gasped.

“Now is that any way to treat your staff?” You teased, throwing a bit of soil on him. He laughed and you continued to throw bits of rubbish at each other until Darren appeared.

“Oi! You there! What do you think you’re playing at?!” He asked you.

“Oh, I’m sorry we were just..”

“Chill Darren, I was helping her clean up and I started the rubbish fight.” Chris interrupted.

“Well, you need to be resting. You have a big scene coming up.” Darren huffed.

“It’s fine, I was resting then I got bored and now I’m having fun.” Chris responded.

“Fun? With a runner? I highly doubt that. You best head to makeup and get yourself cleaned up.” Darren said to Chris. He then shot you a glare and marched off.

“Sorry about him, he’s very pompous.” Chris apologised.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” You said. Even though you were used to people degrading you for being a runner, it still hurt when they did.

“Well you shouldn’t be.” Chris said. He reached out to squeeze your shoulder but was interrupted by Darren yelling “CHRIS!” at the other end of the room.

“I better go before Sir Shouts-A-Lot yells at me again.” Chris said. You let out a little laugh and watched him leave.

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

Two more weeks had passed and you had only spoken to Chris on the odd occasion that he would pass you on set. Every time there was a coffee call, Darren made sure someone else made it to stop you two from interacting. You couldn’t see what his problem was but you chose not to kick up a fuss anyway.

When your break finally came around, you grabbed a cup of tea and decided to walk around the studio...just so happens that along your walk was the caravan park where all the actors stayed on set. You heard a familiar voice behind you and your heart dropped.

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing back here?”

You froze.

You slowly turned around, ready to face the wrath of Darren, when, to your surprise, Chris was standing there grinning.

“Good impression, no?” He chuckled. You let out a long sigh.

“Jesus, Chris, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” You scorned, but you couldn’t help smiling,

“On your break?” He asked, gesturing to the tea in your hand.

“Yeah, only a short one though. I get to finish early today.” You said.

“Oh nice! I’ve already wrapped for the day myself. Say, did you want to do something when you’re finished? It’s cool if not, I just thought it would be nice for us to actually talk and maybe become friends? Without the demon on my shoulder.” He said. You smiled instantly.

“I finish in 2 hours, I would love to do something!” You said, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

“Okay okay, um, I have a few movies back in the caravan if you wanna pick one later?”

“Sure, sounds like a plan. I’ll run over as soon as I’ve finished.” You smiled at him.

“It’s a date.” He winked at you and walked away.

Time was moving slower than ever. You kept checking your watch to see how much time had passed but it was only ever a couple of minutes. You decided not to look at your watch for a while and carry on with your duties. The next time you looked at your watch you had half an hour left. A wave of excitement came over you and you went back to finishing up your jobs.

Finally, the time had come.

You finished the jobs you were doing, collected your belongings and clocked out. Butterflies swarmed your stomach as you walked off set and into the caravan park. That’s when you realised you had no idea which caravan was Chris’. You walked up and down and scanned each one, careful not to look like a creep. Suddenly, the door of the caravan on your right opened and Chris stepped out.

“You’re not lost are you?” He asked, smiling.

“I wasn’t sure which was yours, they all look the same,” you said, shyly. He chuckled and invited you in.

You stepped into his caravan. There wasn’t a lot of stuff as it was only a temporary home, but it was still enough to produce a warm ambience. He gestured at you to sit down on the sofa, opposite the tv.

“I have chocolate, popcorn, sweets...salad...what do you fancy?” He asked.

“They’re all fine...except for the healthy stuff, that ruins movie time,” you said. He laughed and poured the sweets, chocolates and popcorn into separate bowls and placed them on the table in front of you.

“Drink? I’ve got fizzy drinks, water, hot chocolate, tea, milkshake...um...black coffee…” he said, you chuckled.

“A milkshake might be nice if that’s okay?” You asked, he nodded and said he was gonna have one too.

You couldn’t help the mix of nerves and excitement flowing through your body. You were sat in Chris Evans’ caravan...with Chris Evans! It really was a dream come true. You tried to calm yourself before you had a fangirl attack but it meant you came off quite shy and quiet.

“Here we are,” he said, placing the milkshakes on the table. “Are you warm enough?” he asked. You noticed you were sat on the sofa looking quite tense. You nodded.

“I’ll get blankets just in case,” Chris said. He went into his room and came out with two large blankets. He passed the softest one to you. You thanked him and adjusted yourself, taking off your shoes so you could sit cross-legged on his sofa with the blanket draped over you. This made you feel a bit more relaxed.

“So, um, what do you fancy?” he asked. You bit your tongue to stop you replying with “you”, you felt it was far too soon in your friendship to make a joke like that.

“Um, Captain America?” You joked. He giggled.

“Nuh-uh, not happening. Try again,” he said.

You had a small discussion on the types of films you like and you settled on Deadpool. Still a great Marvel film, just one that doesn’t have Chris in it so he didn’t have to stress about watching himself.

Chris put on the film and sat next to you, he grabbed his own blanket and draped it over his long legs. He offered you food and you kindly accepted. You both sat in silence whilst the film began, though you kept having to bite your lip to stop you from smiling so much.

About 45 minutes into the film, Chris started to get fidgety, so he tried to adjust himself without making too much noise. In the process of moving his hand, he accidentally scratched the sole of your foot. You let out a squeak and pulled your foot away.

“Sorry, sorry, that was an accident,” Chris said, apologetically.

“It’s okay,” you said, relaxing a bit but praying that he didn’t notice your squeak. You didn’t notice him giving you a side-eye with a puzzled expression on his face.

He sat still for a few minutes then went to adjust himself again, this time deliberately scraping his nails against your sole. You squealed louder and tucked your foot under your leg. You looked over at him and he had a wicked smirk on his face.

“You’re not ticklish by any chance, are you?” He asked, the corner of his lip curling up.

“N-no, you just made me jump,” you said, unconvincingly. He narrowed his eyes but let out a “hm” and turned back to the film.

You were a lot less relaxed now. You were ridiculously ticklish but only a handful of people knew. The trouble was, you did enjoy being tickled but you were always embarrassed by how ticklish you were. Your heart was pounding at the thought of Chris Evans discovering this weakness.

A few more minutes had passed and you couldn’t properly relax. You were still sat cross-legged but your foot was tucked further under your leg this time. Chris let out a little yawn and stretched, you flinched at his movement but still kept your cool. He noticed and tried to hide his smile. When he put his arms back under his blanket, he casually let one hand slide over and gently tickle your toes. This time you let a small giggle slip out and you clamped your mouth shut.

“I think you are ticklish,” he teased. Your heart did a somersault. He gave you a playful smirk and the nerves washed over your body. You couldn’t even find the words to speak. He reached over and grabbed your foot with one hand, pulling it out from under your leg, and he used his other hand to tickle your sole. You shrieked loudly and tried to tug your foot away but his grip was too strong. You couldn’t even twist that far away because of how you were sitting. You fell backwards into the sofa and kept giggling.

“Chrihihis plehehease,” you giggled.

“Aww look at you, you’re so ticklish,” he cooed. You lifted up your blanket to cover your bright red face.

“Oh no you dont,” he said. He stopped tickling your foot and lunged at you, pinning you down to the sofa. You screamed at the sudden attack and pulled the blanket further over your face. He shook his head and vibrated his fingers into your tummy. You shrieked loudly and used one hand to bat away his hands.

“Come on, I wanna see your face when I tickle you,” he said. Your laughter shot up an octave when he started squeezing your hips.

“Oh? Did I just find a bad spot?” He asked. You kept trying to bat him away with one hand but it was no use.

“Remove the blanket or I’m gonna make this worse for you,” he said, sternly.

“NEHEHEVER!” You shrieked under the blanket.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He shot his hands under your arms and you screamed loudly. You couldn’t keep holding the blanket over your head with him tickling deep into your armpits. You slammed your arms down and the blanket fell off you in the process.

“That’s better, I can see your face when you laugh now,” he said. The feeling of his fingers wiggling deep into your armpits was absolute torture.

“Surely it doesn’t tickle this much?” He asked. You shrieked loudly and your laughter grew more desperate with every tease.

“Does it tickle more when I mention how much it tickles?” He asked, clearly aware of what he was doing.

“SHUHUHUT UHUHUP!” You cried. He laughed with you which made it worse.

“Ohh, cootchie cootchie coo,” he said in a high pitched teasing voice. That made you scream more and frantically try and buck him off you.

You thought that would be the killer move? Oh no. Not for Chris. He picked up the pace of his wiggling fingers in your armpits and bent down to nuzzle his beard into your neck. His longer hair brushed over your ear too. This was the killer. It was absolute torture. He blew a raspberry into your neck and you fell into silent laughter. You couldn’t cope with him tickling your armpits, his beard tickling your neck and his hair tickling your ear. He laughed into your neck and the vibrations were the final straw. You started hitting his shoulder with as much force as you could and he sat back up, removing his hands.

“Sorry, I went a bit too far. Are you okay?” He asked, getting off of you. You lay there, sucking in deep breaths, and nodded. Your face was the deepest shade of red it had ever gone.

“Are you sure?” He asked, giving you a hand up.

“I...I...” you began, he looked at you with a concerned expression on his face. “I’m okay,” you breathed out. He gave you a soft smile.

You were more in shock at the fact you had just been ruthlessly tickled by Chris Evans. You couldn’t speak, your heart was pounding ten to the dozen.

“You’re quite possibly the most ticklish person I’ve ever met,” he said. Somehow your face went an even deeper shade of red.

“Aww, you’re so cute when you blush,” he cooed.

“Shut...up..” you whispered.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, shuffling closer to you.

“Yeah, I’m more than okay,” you said. He raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you liked that?” He asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. You blushed and tilted your head down.

“No. Way. You enjoyed that didn’t you?” He asked. You blushed once again and gave a very small nod.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get more adorable,” he said. “Little Y/N enjoys being tickled.”

You looked up at him. A wave of playfulness came over you.

“I’m so gonna get you,” you said. Before he could protest, you launched yourself at him and tackled him to the sofa. You wasted no time in squeezing his sides.

The laughter that came out of him was one you had never heard before. It was so warm and genuine and it only made you want to tickle him more. You giggled at his weak state and switched between tickling his sides, armpits, tummy and ribs to see which one made him laugh the most. It was clear that he was enjoying himself too.

“Aww is Chris ticklish too?” You cooed, surprised at your sudden confidence. You were met with a chorus of begs and pleads but you couldn’t stop yourself tickling him.

It was a really cute afternoon with just the two of you. But you were both too distracted to see who was outside the caravan, watching as you both ruthlessly tickled each other.

Darren.

[detroitbecomeyandere]

Spirited Away

It was going to be "the road trip of the century", or at least that's how your friends put it when they were trying to convince you to do something for summer break other than working. 

"Come ooonnn y/n, all you do is work and study! You have to join us, you're gonna die of boredom at this rate!" Audrey whines and throws herself over your shoulders, almost making you drop your overpriced coffee. 

"Not everyone has a scholarship or parents to pay for their degree Audrey, some of us have to work to be here. I can't afford to take two weeks off if I want to pay for the semester." Taking a sip of your coffee a grimace crawls across your face as the sugar hits you full force, "Remind me never to take a coffee suggestion from Rosie again." 

"She's a sweet girl so it makes sense she'd drink liquid diabetes, but stop trying to change the subject you have to go with us this year!" The red head pulls the cup from your hand to take a swig then makes a face that matches your own before dumping the coffee into the nearest trash can. "Girl, you haven't gone on any trips the entire time you've been here. Live a little for once in your life, we are just driving up to Bentley's family cabin. What's the worst that could happen?" 

After some more relentless badgering from your three friends and a promise of paying for this semester for you all four of you set off, and as you sit and listen to Bentley and Audrey bicker about if Chris Hemsworth was hotter than Chris Pine you were glad you came. All the windows were rolled down so you guys could enjoy the fresh air, and to help you with your car sickness. Your head was almost out the window as you tried to push the nausea away, the trees rushed by making you feel more sick. You shut your eyes hoping it will help and doze off. 

By the time you wake up the sun is setting, the car is parked and your friends are outside, unbuckling you get out and join them. "Man Bentley, your parents really let their house go, look at all these trees." 

"Yeah I've been meaning to tell them trees are so last century. Rosie got us lost and I'm trying to figure out where we are." Bentley was hunched over the hood of his car staring at a paper map. The blonde huffs and crosses her arms, "It's not my fault the phone signal crapped out, you should have downloaded the map!" 

You check your phone and sure enough you were in a dead zone, slipping it back into your pockets. "Bentley, you come out here every year with your family, how could you get lost?"

"I don't drive when we do! Get off my back and give me a minute, okay." 

Rosie opens her mouth to tease him too but is interrupted by Audrey shouting for you three to come see what she found. With a huff Bentley folds the map as the three of you make your way to her. Audrey was standing in front of a large man-made tunnel hidden behind old oak trees. The stone pathway looked old with grass and wildflowers growing wildly between the cracks, in the entryway of the tunnel stood a small stone tower that seemed fragile enough to fall over in the wind. Parts of the tunnel wall crumbled under Rosie's hand as she ran it across the plaster. "This place has seen better days. Who do you suppose put it here?" 

Bentley scratched his chin, "If I remember correctly, some company was building a theme park out here, but the project was scrapped when they realized no one would drive this far out to see it. Guess they laid some of the foundation before then."

Just then a gust of wind blew behind you inching you all closer to the entrance, "It's like it's pulling us in. Let's go check it out!" Aubrey states as she starts walking through the tunnel Bentley and Rosie follow right behind her. 

"Guys let's just head back to the car, I'm exhausted and could really use a nap."

"Come on y/n, how often do you get the chance to sneak into an abandoned amusement park? Let's make some memories!" Aubrey yells back at you from halfway through the tunnel, with a huff of annoyance you stuff your hands into your shorts pockets and start down the pathway. The tunnel was longer than you thought and the further you went in the more run down it looked. Maybe it was the darkness or the fact you were walking through a structure that could collapse in on you at any second, but something about this place made your hair stand on edge. There was just something unsettling about it and you seemed to be the only one to notice, your three friends just chattered on without a care in the world and ignoring all the possible danger.

The four of you emerge into the blinding sunlight, standing on top of a hill your group gets a glimpse at the abandoned theme park in the distance just barely able to make out the roofs of the buildings. "Ah man, what kind of amusement park doesn't have rides?" Rosie whines in disappointment and crosses her arms while she pouts. 

"Maybe it's more of a reenactment place than a park?" Aubrey reasons, ever the leader she walks on towards the park and the rest of you follow. You walk through a long dried creek bed and into the village setting, now that you have a closer look the buildings seem to have been Japanese inspired. "Maybe this place never opened because of cultural appropriation." Bentley clicks his tongue in mock disappointment and a little chuckle at his joke. 

"Shut up Bentley." The three of you say in unison.

The four of you walked around for a while just taking in everything, the buildings while old looking seemed to be in pretty decent shape and some even had little fountains that still had running water on the side of them. In the distance the sun was starting to set and you suggested heading back to the car so you wouldn't get lost on the way back. "Hang on y/n, there is still more to see. Worst case, we crash here tonight." Rosie replied. 

"Yeah worst case we sleep in an abandoned park in the middle of the woods where no one else knows where we are. That's a wonderful idea." You grumble back to her. You all continue deeper into the town until you smell fresh food wafting through the air and in perfect unison your friend's stomachs growl.

"Maybe this place isn't so dead after all, come on, that food smells amazing!" The three of them take off in the direction the smell is coming from and soon find a restaurant-like building filled with fresh hot food. "Hello! Is anyone here?!" Rosie yells out but gets no answer in return, "Must have just stepped out for a second." She says with a shrug, three of them sit down and start to fill plates with some of everything in their reach. "Guys I think we should wait till they come back, you can't just take this food it might be for something." Aubrey waves you off and stuffs a dumpling into her mouth, "We can pay them later, I have cash and Bentley has his family's card. You have got to try this y/n, this is the best food I have ever had in my life!" 

"No thanks, I'm gonna see if I can find the owner before we get in trouble." Walking off you hear your friends rave about the food as they cram it into their faces. The sun is setting below the trees, normally you would find the dusty oranges and pinks to be comforting but in a ghost town it gives you the creeps. You stop halfway on a bridge and look off into the distance, in the dusk the town was certainly pretty and you kind of wished you could have seen this place open. Lost in your own thoughts you don't hear the footsteps approaching you. 

"What are you doing here?" The question jolts you out of your zoning out and you turn around to find a man staring intently at you. His brown eyes almost glowed in the dim light and his short brown hair seemed to be slightly out of place. "You need to get out of here, now!" "Look if this is about the food I'm sorry but you don't need to yell at me, we can pay for it." 

"No that's not the… they're lighting the lanterns already. You need to get your friends and get across the river before it's dark. Go, now!" The strange man lunges at you and you bolt back the way you came from, you turn to see if the stranger is following you only to run flat into someone. You look up to apologize only to see a huge shadow creature, your heart stops when it growls at you and before it can grab your arm you duck around it and run as fast as you can. All around you more shadow creatures start to appear out of thin air as the once dead village comes to life, the darker it gets the more solid the beings become. 

After a final turn you arrive back at the restaurant only to find three massive pigs in place of your friends and before you can even understand what's happening a large frog-like man appears behind the tables and starts to wipe the pigs at the table. Once again you take off, screaming your friend's names as desperation fills you. By the time you reach the creek bed the sun has completely set and the only light comes from the lanterns from behind you. The once dried river is now filled with a fast current and while you were a strong swimmer you knew you couldn't make it across. Your knees buckle and you crash to the ground skinning your knee in the process and the pain only cements the fact that all this is real. Your friends are missing and you are stuck in this place that shouldn't exist. As the adrenaline wears off, tears start to roll down your face as the panic sets in, you go to wipe your face only to find that your hand is see through now. A full blown panic attack ensues as you watch your body start to fade away, shutting your eyes and wrapping your arms around yourself one last time, all you can think about is how your family would never know what happened to you. 

"You didn't make it across, you were so close." Your eyes snap open to see the man from the bridge and you try to stand up only for your legs to be cemented to their place. You reach out for his pants only for them to phase through him, "What's happening to me!!" you scream at him. The brunette kneels before you and pulls a little red pill out of his pocket. "Open, you need to take this before you disappear completely." You keep your mouth firmly shut not trusting the man before you, with a sigh he slips the pill into his mouth before pushing his lips against your own. His tongue pushes past your lips and forces the pill into your mouth and down your throat, he lingers longer than he needs to, probably just making sure you actually swallow it. By the time he pulls away your arms are no longer see through and you can feel your legs again, taking your hands in his he carefully pulls you to your feet. You open your mouth to question him when he suddenly pushes you against the wall, your face starts to heat up as his body pushes against you. After the initial shock wears off your eyes travel from his chest to search his eyes for any ill intent only to see that he wasn't even looking at you, instead his eyes were cast over his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry for your friends and I'm sorry you're stuck here. But we don't have time for me to explain, he knows there's a human here and he's looking for you. Hold onto me, I'll keep you safe." numb from everything you just nod and slip your small hand into his. 

In a flash the two of you are flying through the now crowded streets dodging every strange creature with grace. You glance up at the man next to you, his brows set in determination and he focuses on the route. Without warning he stops and you slam face first into his back, the two of you are standing behind a couple of bushes next to a bridge where dozens of monsters are crossing. "You need to take a deep breath and hold it until we cross over, it's very important that you don't exhale while we are crossing." 

"But why?" 

"When a human holds their breath on a crossway in our world they are invisible, if they see you they'll eat you. We have to go now, hurry, take your breath and stay close to me."

You take a huge gulp of air and grab his large sleeve and huddle close to him. The two of you make your way across the bridge to the massive, brightly light building ahead of you. Monsters of all shapes and sizes were flooding into the building. You pass one monster whose body was still a shadow but you could see that he was one of the more humanoid ones. His blonde hair was the only defined feature of his as his face was covered by a white and purple mask. Despite you still holding your breath you felt like he could see you, making you grip on your dark haired savior tighter. 

Your lungs and throat start to burn and your eyes water but you were nearly there, peeking up you see that at the entrance stands dozens of women whose heads were at least three times the size of a normal head. Their waving stops as they spot the man you are with and run over to him, they reach out to grab at his arms but he takes a step back shielding you from their accidental touches. "Master, you're back! We are so pleased to have you home, come in, come in!" They continue to crowd around you two stopping your journey and even though you try you can't stop yourself from taking a breath. The moment you do the women start to shriek as you start to materialize in front of their eyes, your savior lifts his hand and casts a spell on the women freezing them in place before taking your hand in his again and quickly leads you away. 

This time the two of you stop in a secluded garden area where he allows you to catch your breath before saying anything. "Those damn women, always clawing at me. You'd think by now they'd learn I'm not interested." From the inside of the building you hear people run around and start calling for the man, he looks up at the door and gives a tired sigh. "They're looking for me now, I need to go or else they'll find you too." Having finally caught your breath you apologize to him, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble like this, I just couldn't hold it anymore."

Turning back to you he pushes a strand of your hair behind your ear with a gentle smile on his face, "You did wonderful, I'm just sorry I couldn't have been more help. Now listen carefully, once things have calmed down go out that door and down the stairs to the boiler room. In there you'll find Hank the boiler man, you must get a job from him. He will try to send you away, trick you, but you can not leave until you get a job from him. That is the only way Elijah can't harm you." 

"Elijah? Who is he?" 

"He's the witch who runs the bathhouse, you'll meet him soon enough. I have to go now, be safe until we see each other again." Taking your hand in his for a final time he brings it to his lips and places a gentle kiss, he turns to leave only for you to grip his sleeve again. "Wait, you never told me your name."

He smiles softly at you, "It's Connor."