#International Donkey Day

[lionofchaeronea]

Braying Donkey, Gao Qipei, 1713

Today is International Donkey Day, so please enjoy this little salute to one of the humblest, yet hardest-working and most reliable, of creatures.

Text: BURRO

Where Apache and Comanche have galloped, where cowboys black and white have thrashed their herds into frenzied movement: a burro, climbing slowly.

He forgets the burden of his drowsy rider, thinking only of the sand that slips beneath his hooves, the wind past his nostrils, the scents it brings.

After ten miles of silence he brays, thanking the setting sun: its rays have laid a scarlet carpet down the arroyo, all, he dreams, for him.

[vengeancewise]

AIGHT BLOODY MURDER DONKEY BOY THAT KINDA HATES HUMANITY IS HERE NOW AS A SECONDARY MUSE

[tumblydove]

Happy International Day of Friendship!

[camelidae]

Does anyone still do Talk Like a Pirate Day? Aye? Nay? Either way, I hope you don’t mind if I take it as an excuse to post my donkey pirate, Jackstock – if you like pirates (or donkeys!) he’s got a little illustrated book of short stories just full of pirate vibes (and donkeys!) in my shop!

[nmakii]

omgg bachira and the little mermaid?

kiss the girl

— bachira m. x the little mermaid

entry two of “someday, my prince will come”

even as the prince of a very lively and musical underwater kingdom, meguru bachira was considered rebellious. all the freedom lavinho gives him, yet he still decides to break the one rule he was given— do not swim to the surface.

he just couldn’t help it! especially when breaking that rule saved the life of a beautiful princess whose ship was turned upside down by the storm.

eyes fluttered shut, and her hair wet with salt water. her clothes were soaked, she would’ve been freezing if it weren’t for the sun rays shining on the beach. it was unkempt, but it was beautiful all the same. her rosy lips shimmering and the steady rise of your chest— it would be beautiful to stay here forever.

and yet, he couldn’t. the moment was fleeting as your servant, kunigami ran to your aid— forcing him to hide away. cause no matter how rebellious he was, bachira knew of the dangers humans bring. slaughter, kidnapping… who knows what would happen if they learnt of mermaids.

ah..! what if he simply became human? easy peasy. but, uh… how does he do that?

“…it’s simple, really” the sea eel hummed. “all you must do is visit the sea wizard, barou.” he nonchalantly answered. “ah, niko! that macabre coral temple is so un-stylish. while the lion head sculptures are stylish, too many is simply tacky.” the accompanying eel sighed, his unusually long fins vibrating with the waves of the ocean.

“ahh, just visit the old sea wizard barou, huh? alright! take me there!” bachira cheered. the two eels were more or less… confused by his reaction, but they took him to the sea wizard nonetheless.

“bachira! are you crazy?!” isagi the flounder fish yelled, his little fins working twice as hard to keep up with the bubbly prince. “crazy… crazy in love, maybe!” bachira laughed out loud.

“for a human girl you’ve never even spoken to?!” the fish yelled. bachira pouted, “it’s more than that, isagi..! our connection goes beyond words!”niko couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at that statement. beyond words, huh? “we’re here.” he announced.

the temple was beyond breathtaking. the colorful exterior of purple and red, along with the long riveting layers of seaweed that hang across, most especially in the front, creating a curtain.

bachira takes the liberty of diving right in. literally.

his fin flaps hurriedly, searching for the wizard. and when he finally does… “ah, it’s him!”

“hm? who is this, niko? another donkey?” barou scoffed. bachira pouted at the insult. “make me a human!” he demanded. barou only turned his back, rolling his eyes. “what a wasteful wish. no thanks.”

“what?!” bachira exclaimed. “there’s nothing that makes being a human worth it. it’s a wasteful wish.” he explained, swimming to his bedroom as he left a dark trail of squid ink. “please!” bachira pleaded. “th…there’s this girl…” he finally admitted, stopping barou in his tracks.

his eye twitched with irritation. “y…you fell in love with a human girl?” he asked, to which bachira mindlessly nodded. barou rolled his eyes, trying to think of a reason to say no.

luckily for bachira, his overwhelming personality was one strong enough to contradict any defiance from the sea wizard. “…fine. but, i don’t do wishes without something in return.” he warned. “i want… your voice.”

his eyes widened as he was taken aback. “how would i talk to her though?” he frowned. “body language, charades… it’s not my problem. i just want to get you to shut up for a while.” barou shrugged. “if you can’t get her to fall in love with you in three days, i’ll turn you back into a merman, and you’ll have to serve me. got it?”

bachira sucked his teeth at the internal conflict. it was his love, or his freedom. no— he was confident he could do it. “ehhh… fine! deal.” he nodded, eyes full of determination like a man on a mission.

and with the glow of his cauldron and a flick of his wrist, meguru bachira had legs.

landing on the same beach he placed you on when your ship turned over, the sun was hot. for the first time, the lower half of his body was warm, kissed by the sun.

“ah! why’s there a naked guy on the beach..!” you exclaimed, quickly taking off your overcoat and placing it upon the mysterious man, saving him his dignity. “sir..? are you alright?” you call out, gently tapping his cheek.

as bachira opened his eyes, he saw your face shadowed by the radiant sunlight. the scene before him almost mirroring what had happened after he saved you. “oh, good! you’re alive…” you sighed in relief. “what’s your name, sir?” you asked.

bachira’s mouth opened to speak, but no words fell from his lips. “…you can’t talk?” you frown, and he sadly nodded in return. his frown quickly left, however, after he realized he could write his name in the sand.

“…meguru? ah, that’s a pretty name.. i’m s/o.” you smile. “ah..! i’m sorry, where are my manners? come! i’ll tell my maids to give you some clothes.” you quickly stood back up, dusting the sand from your dress.

using his arms as leverage, bachira stood up as well, but quickly fell back down. “are your legs alright..?!” you asked, helping him up. bachira only gave a sorry smile.

you sighed in determination. ‘what does he do to get all these muscles, geez…’ it would be hard to support him all the way back to the castle, but it was better than letting him sit around as you run back to get servants to help.

he’s vulnerable! what if bandits come and take him? no way. “come on. i’ll help you walk, okay?” you hum.

and, bachira smiles. his cheeks flush under the hot ruby sun. what a generous princess! you were definitely the right person for him. he nods, limping as his leg muscles struggle to take the first few steps of his life.

his throat silently vibrates with content as the two of you slowly make your way to the castle, bachira leaning his head against your shoulder.

three days? this should be easy.

[mxtxfanatic]

A-Yuan and His A-Die

Though not the biological child of Wei Wuxian, Wen Yuan very quickly adapts to the presence of this new caregiver in his life. And this makes total sense since the small child spent every day of his time in the Burial Mounds playing with Wei Wuxian:

On Burial Mound, heading fifty-or-so of the Wen Sect’s cultivators, Wei WuXian planted vegetables, repaired houses, refined corpses, and made new tools. Every day when he was free, he played with the toddler Wen Yuan, son of Wen Qing’s cousin. He either let him hang on trees or buried him in the ground, fooling him that he’d grow faster if he was watered and bathed in sunlight. ... With how long Wen Yuan had been on the mountain for, Wei WuXian felt that they couldn’t lock a child in such a place to play with mud all the time, and so one day, when he was shopping down the mountain, he took him along as well.

—Chapt. 74: Distance, exr

However, the affections go further than that. Wen Yuan internalizes Wei Wuxian as a father figure, so much so that when he gets lost in Yiling, his first instinct is to cry out for his "A-Die:"

Wen Yuan didn’t know what the people were talking about. When children were scared, they always called out to those they were close to. And so, sobbing, he called, “Dad! Dad...”

And we know that the "A-Die" in question is Wei Wuxian, because the moment Wen Yuan hears Wei Wuxian's voice in the crowd, he immediately goes to him.

Wei WuXian himself didn’t know why either, but he averted his gaze quickly. Hearing his voice, though, Wen Yuan got up at once. Dragging two long, flowing trails of tears behind him, he hung onto Wei Wuxian’s leg again.

Wei Wuxian even lightly teases the boy about this "new" address, as Wen Yuan only calls Wei Wuxian "Xian-gege" to his face:

Wei WuXian really had to be ridiculous. He could have fun just by teasing a child, putting the butterfly on his own head, “I’m not gonna. You even called him dad. What do you call me? You’ve only called me brother, an entire generation shorter than him!” Wen Yuan jumped, “I didn’t call him dad!”

—Chapt. 75: Distance, exr

But despite the tragically short time the two had together, these memories are so dear and formative to Wen Yuan that the mere sight of Chenqing is able to restore Lan Sizhui's memories years later:

Lan SiZhui puffed up his chest and drew in a deep breath. He began, “Claimed he had top-notch cooking skills, yet made dishes that were pungent both to the eye and to the stomach.” Wei WuXian, “Huh???” Lan SiZhui added, “Buried me in a field of carrots, saying I would grow taller quickly with water and sunlight, and maybe a few more children would sprout and play with me.” Wei WuXian, “...” Lan SiZhui continued, “Promised to treat HanGuang-Jun to a meal but ran off before paying, leaving HanGuang-Jun to pay again.” Wei WuXian widened his eyes. He almost couldn’t steady himself on the donkey’s back. He stammered, “You... You...” Lan SiZhui’s eyes were glued to Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi, “Maybe because I was too young, I cannot remember most of the things from back then. But, I am sure that... my surname used to be Wen.”

...

With another thought, [Wei Wuxian] asked, “Speaking of it, How did you remember, SiZhui?” Lan SiZhui, “I do not understand either. Something just felt really familiar when I saw Chenqing.” As expected, it was Chenqing. Wei WuXian, “Oh, of course it’d feel familiar. You loved eating Chenqing back then. You always drooled on it and made it so that I couldn’t play it.”

—Chapt. 111: Wangxian, exr

Truly the father-son pair we deserve.

[dramaticallytotal]

Oooh More VTSS please!

Of course!

I'll give random headcanons!

Random Victory Tastes So Sweet:

• Noah still cuddles with Team E-Scope + Owen of they are in economy class with Team Chris, but if not, he cuddles with Lindsay. Though sometimes he just cuddles with her because he's too tired to seek out his other friends.

• Alejandro saw this and pointed it out to Tyler, thinking the jock would be mad or hurt and had put on his most sympathetic face. To his surprise, Tyler just cooed. "Oh man, is it time for a Noah sandwich, babe?"

Lindsay giggled from where she held onto Noah. "Looks like it!"

Then Alejandro watched in total befuddlement as Tyler eagerly ran over towards the cuddling duo and started cuddling Noah from the other side, effectively making the aforementioned 'Noah Sandwich.'

• Noah's revenge on Chris for making be on a team with Harold and without anyone from Team E-Scope or Owen was to bribe the interns into giving Chris false information on the places they were going so he would embarrass himself. Chris didn't catch on until Paris, to which he had this weird feeling and narrowed his eyes at Noah, whose smirk grew three sizes that day and mouthed, "Get humbled."

• Chris threw a fit that night before laughing. He went to the interns and convinced them to give him the real information on their destinations in return for being paid for the rest of the season. They agreed.

• His revenge was making Noah interact with Jerd in the next challenge as he knew his cousin annoyed Noah the few times his assistant had to interact with him.

• Noah and Ezekiel are made to follow a beauty/ skin care routine with Lindsay at night, and she makes sure they moisturize in the mornings. She also makes sure they are equipped with chapstick.

• Noah braids her hair at night for her before they go to sleep.

• Noah and Ezekiel surprisingly bond over all the languages they know. Ezekiel made for better conversation this season as Lindsay and Beth had adopted the kid and were helping him be better at social interactions. It has paid off an amazing amount Noah would admit. Behind Ezekiel's need to fit in, the guy is actually really smart.

• Noah realizes a bit too late he has adopted Ezekiel as well.

• Bridgette and Lindsay are still attracted to Alejandro, but like the charmer predicted, Noah got his claws into them, and while they still blushed, both would gush about their boyfriends. Bridgette would go on and on about how he'd love Geoff once he met him, and Lindsay would thank him for being such a good friend to Tyler. But she also threatened him to never hurt her boyfriend, and Alejandro would never admit he actually felt a slight shiver of fear.

• Izzy is sad she's not with her friends on a team, but she's making friends with Beth once the glasses-wearing girl got over being afraid of her.

• But also, her moral compasses aren't close enough by and she gets into way more shenanigans. She definitely messes with Sierra any chance she gets. She also instigates fights between Gwen, Heather, Courtney, and Leshawna.

• I forgot to mention that Justin also joined, and he's on Team Chris. I accidentally put Sierra on Amazon and Team Chris in the original post, but it's actually Justin. That will be edited later.

• Eva is protective of Owen, Cody, and Tyler on her team. She was already protective of Owen, but Cody's slim frame reminded her of Noah, then they started talking, and she emotionally adopted him along with Tyler.

• When Alejandro asked Owen about Noah, it was in hopes that the butter donkey would spill something embarrassing or a secret given how loose-lipped he was. But Owen had only gone on to talk about how great Noah was! It was frustrating!

• He now knows only useless things like the fact Noah has eight sisters, which is a ridiculous amount. He has a golden retriever that he loves dearly and who he buys matching sweaters for, which is tacky and not at all cute. He's very family oriented. He's great at cuddling. He's a very adventurous eater. He's great at hacking. That last one, at least, could be useful but only against Alejandro, which was infuriating!

• Owen smiles smugly to himself because he thinks he's being such a great wingman for his little buddy.

• I told y'all that Noah is almost always responsible for Harold's elimination. Especially in this au he does. He is so motivated to get the ginger outta here.

• His plan starts with manipulating Alejandro first. He makes sure the charmer sees some conflict between Harold and Noah. Noah somehow makes it seem like Harold wants Noah gone (which is most likely true), and all he needs is the courage to take control over the team.

Next, he makes sure to complain as much as possible about Harold and how worried he was that if Harold took over the team then Noah would be gone to Izzy and Eva when he dragged them down to the cargo hold right after he saw the eel walk into there to snoop probably. He plays the conflict up! He even alludes to the fact that Leshawna obviously likes Alejandro's confidence, and if Harold had that confidence, they would get back together, and Harold would be like a new guy to show Leshawna that confidence will win him the game.

• Alejandro thinks this is his change to get the snark off because with how the guy is playing, he could very well get in the way of Alejandro's game. So he flirts extra with Leshawna to show Harold he has the confidence and the Geek could learn something from him. Really make the ginger value his opinion.

He also notices that Harold is someone who thinks highly of themself but still needs the affirmation. So, he makes sure to compliment him and blow up his self-esteem in Japan.

He fell perfectly into Noah's trap.

• Noah had to hold in his grins and laughs when he saw how much Alejandro was getting into Harold's head. He loved when his calculations were proven right. Alejandro wasn't a narcissistic person, but he was someone who fell to their own hubris.

He nearly coughed up a lung holding in a cackle when Harold became so bossy and took over their commercial. He made sure to seem reluctantly submissive yet annoyed. He knew their commercial was going to be a disaster by ohoho boy. He did not think it would suck as bad as it did. He saw the rest of his teammates looking especially irritated and knew he would have the support to vote out Harold.

• No DJ wanting to go home because Noah helped him with his "curse." Look, Noah definitely didn't believe the guy was cursed, but they needed DJ on the team, and the poor dude was miserable. So Noah pulled out the works his grandma, one of his aunties, and some of his sisters showed him and practiced. He gave DJ a salt cleansing, and he made him a simple Araignan Kayiru (black thread worn at the waist or left ankle to protect the wearer) to wear which DJ chose to wear on both his waist and left ankle.

• Once Harold was gone, Alejandro was so confused, but Noah wanted to gloat, so he tracked down the eel and happily thanked him for his help.

• Que Alejandro cursing up a Spanish storm in the confessional.

"That conniving little-! He's good."

Little does he know how wide he's smiling.

"Well played zorro. Well played."

[n64retro]

Main titles released for Nintendo 64, by year*: 1996: Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Killer Instinct Gold, Pilotwings 64, Cruis 'n USA. 1997: GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, Mischief Makers, Doom 64, Duke Nukem 64, Bomberman 64, Blast Corps. 1998: Banjo-Kazooie, F-Zero X, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, 1080 Snowboarding, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mortal Kombat 4, Yoshi's Story. 1999: Pokémon Snap, Resident Evil 2, Super Smash Bros., Quake II, Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini, Harvest Moon 64, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Castlevania Legacy of Darkness, Shadowman, Beetle Adventure Racing, Star Wars: Episode I Racer, Mario Golf, International Superstar Soccer 2000, NBA Courtside 2. 2000: Banjo-Tooie, Excitebike 64, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Mario Tennis, Ridge Racer 64, Sin and Punishment, Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine, Perfect Dark, Ogre Battle 64, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, 007 The World is not Enough, Mega Man 64, WWF No Mercy, Mario Party 2. 2001: Paper Mario, Pokémon Stadium 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Animal Forest, Mario Party 3, Madden NFL 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. 2002: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. *the date for the titles in this poll matches the North American release.

[nathanbatemanfucker]

In the Eyes

summary: marc is dating the most competitive mario-kart player he’s ever met. and he loves them.

prompt: reader and marc are playing mario kart and getting very competitive (but still fun, no actual fighting). they both end up ordering pizza and snuggling up on the couch watching ancient aliens cause why not. idk

pairing: marc spector x gn!reader, implied reader x steven grant/jake lockley

contents: fluff, internal angst, cheating during mario-kart (a cardinal sin), food mention, cheesy love confessions

gif credit: @nowritingonthewall

word count: 2.5k

an: this is a little late but, happy year anniversary to moonknight! thank you to @juneknight for putting together this moonknight anniversary fic exchange. all the smooshes and all my love bb. and to my lovely friends in Marc’s girls i love uuuuu 🥰 (p.s. internal angst is a must with marc spector so sorry in advance)

moonknight masterlist | requests are open

Nights like tonight are the sort you look forward to all week. And they’ve started to become a staple in your relationship with Marc. It’s partially because you like to have specific things that you do with each of them— the other half is that Steven and Jake suck at MarioKart. Marc is the only one who’s any real competition and with your competitive nature, it’s a requirement for game nights such as these.

Marc shows up to your apartment on time, as always, and just the sight of you has all of the tension that habitually sits in his shoulders dissipating. You look mischievous, mouth turned up in a smirk that he can’t help but want to kiss. Although your eyes say it all– bright and sparkling– it's abundantly clear that you’re ecstatic about him being here. It's something he still adapting to but would it be so terrible for him to believe that you genuinely do enjoy his presence? Horrible no, but terrifying. Nevertheless, he’s trying and will continue to show up if only to see that twinkle in your eye, no matter how hard it is to believe that he is the reason.

His self-deprecating train of thought is interrupted when you reach for him, pulling him in for a kiss by the collar of his shirt. Marc melts against your mouth, a hand raising to cup your cheek. There’s nothing that clears his mind like the feel of your lips against his– he would happily give up oxygen to kiss you for the rest of his days. But eventually, you pull away, grinning at him.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, Spector?” You huff breathlessly into his mouth.

He takes your bottom lip between his teeth and bites down on it teasingly before saying, “Ready to do the ass-kicking, actually.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that.”

Marc is all about routine, it's just who he is. It's the only thing he’s taken from his time serving that he is grateful for as it helps balance his mind– all of their minds. So when the two of you get the game loaded and make it to the characters screen he chooses Donkey Kong as he always does. Sometimes to mess with and throw him off a bit you’ll choose Donkey Kong. He has his list of backups– Link, Mario, and begrudgingly, Toad– but those never feel exactly right. Tonight you decide to give him a break, you’ll prove to him that you can beat him in his element or not.

The two of you are neck and neck on the last race, with Marc starting to lurch forward ahead of you. There’s a healthy distance between you, ample room for dramatic turns and frustrated bouncing without either of you accidentally elbowing the other. But, when he starts to leave you in the dust on the last lap around you know exactly how to distract him. Without taking your eyes off of the screen, you scoot an inch closer to him. He’s well aware of your movement, heightened observation comes with Khonshu but he makes nothing of it, focusing on making it to the finish line. The sly grin on your lips spreads and you shift even closer, this time your shoulder rubs against his. Marc stiffens, his grip on the controller fumbling a bit. It's the perfect opportunity for you to make your move, and you brush up against him again to ensure that he’ll glance over at you.

“What’re you doin’?” He asks suspiciously, and out of the corner of your eye, you see that for just a moment his eyes flicker over to you.

You grin, eyes firmly glued to the screen as you watch his character slow down. You pass him easily, your voice innocent as you say, “Nothing.”

When his eyes return to the screen they widen in disbelief as you cross the finish line a few seconds before him. “You cheated!” He accuses, looking over at you with narrowed eyes.

Your mouth drops open in feigned offense, “Did not!”

“Bullshit, baby, I know what you’re doing when you move closer to me.”

“You’re warm, I was cold.”

“Liar.”

“Alright, since you’re so sure, let’s go again. Best 2 out of 3. I’ll even sit on the ground this time, can’t cheat that way,” You insist, before shifting off the couch to sit crossed-legged between his knees.

As nonchalant as ever, Marc bends to wrap his arm around your waist and lifts you with no effort to place a pillow underneath your butt. The simple act of care contrasts with the competitive look on his face as he hands you your controller once more, “No funny business this time baby.”

He lets you get comfortable, waiting to strike. He’s trailing a few places behind you up until the last lap. You’re sure that you’ll win and halfway around the last pass you relax back against the couch. Unseen to you, Marc grins just before he starts to shift his knees back and forth.

“Hey now,” You quip, but you don’t look away from the screen or make any movement, assuming that he needs to readjust in his seat. But it continues and you glance up at him with a knowing look.

“Oh now, who’s cheating?” You ask, trying to lean away from his knees that he’s bumping into your shoulders.

“What was that? I can’t hear you over my impending victory,” He teases, nodding his head toward the screen.

When your eyes follow his over to the tv, you watch as he shoots you with a red shell before zooming away over the finish line. The shell disrupts you completely, and you’re passed by half of the computers. You end up in 7th place and huff in frustration, “Marc!

“Hmm?” He hums through a laugh, bending to press a kiss to your cheek.

You try your best to glare at him, but with his smile this wide and genuine, you can’t even hold the expression for more than a few seconds. “You only beat me because you cheated and I’m hungry.”

Marc frowns at you, setting his controller down on the coffee table before fishing his phone out of his pocket, “What? Why didn’t you say that before? What do you want— pizza?”

“Pizza’s good. I want—“

“I know, baby.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “What if I was gonna say something different?”

He looks up at you with an expression that says ‘really?’. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was upset, genuinely feeling impatient with you. But, in the time that you’ve gotten to know him— all three of them— it’s become much easier to read them. It’s always in the eyes. And when it all boils down, no matter what he’s feeling or saying, all you ever see in Marc’s eyes is understanding and adoration for you.

“Ok, fair, I wasn’t but if I wanted to?”

He shrugs, a knowing smile on his face, “Then I would know.”

Your cheeks warm and you rest your head on his knee, looking up at him with this soft look on your face that makes him feel melted. To know and be known. It’s all either of you have ever wanted.

Marc clears his throat to distract from the flush in his cheeks he knows is there, “While we wait…y’know, Steven told me about this show— we don’t have to watch it if it doesn’t sound interesting to you.”

“I’m listening.”

Marc goes into an entire spiel, using his hand as he and Steven always do, though Marc’s movements are sharper and smaller. You’ve known that Marc is nerdy by how easy he navigates technology, casually throwing out terms here and there that you never understand. But to see him like this, with bright eyes as he explains the contents of the show, it displays you that similarity between him and Steven that’s always buzzing beneath the surface.

“Are you talking about Ancient Aliens?”

He snaps, eyes going wide, “Yes! You know it?”

You resist the urge to cup his face and dust his cheeks with a flurry of kisses, a difficult feat when he’s looking so adorably excited, “Hell yeah I know it, I watch it with my dad sometimes. I didn’t know you were into stuff like that.”

“Who doesn’t wanna know about aliens? Atlantis?”

“You always poke fun at Steven for stuff like this,” You say matter of factly.

“That was before I gave it a chance.”

While you get the controllers put up and decide on an episode, Marc heads into your kitchen to get drinks, the tube of parmesan out of your fridge and the red pepper out your fridge knowing that these are all necessary for pizza night. When he returns, you’re curled into a blanket and he sets everything down on the coffee table before pressing in beside you, his arms caging you into his chest.

Both of you are distracted. Not by the usual attraction— that’s manageable. Snuggled together on the couch like this, you both feel it. There’s this pool of some overwhelmingly delightful feeling neither of you has felt before. You can identify it immediately as love. Pure and gooey, like the warm insides of a chocolate chip cookie. Marc on the other hand refuses to look it in the eye, pushing it deeper and deeper until it’s light and fuzzy, ignorable. The last thing he will do is love someone who won’t love him. It isn’t the same— this time he is simply unworthy, not easy prey to a wounded predator— but he’s been there and done that. That wound sits on his chest, refusing to heal no matter what he does.

You lean back, lifting your head out of the crook of his neck to look at him, “Marc?”

He paused the show and met your gaze before you finished saying his name, “Yeah, honey?”

The remote almost slips out of his hand at the look in your eyes. Could it be more? Marc’s only ever seen that look in the eyes of one other— luckily after everything he and Layla are on amicable terms. But could he really have something like that again? Is that twinkle in your eye what he craves so much that his bones ache?

Under his intense gaze your resolve flatters, your heart, feeling as if it will beat right out of your chest.

“I—,” You breath catches in your throat that’s suddenly gone dry. What if he doesn’t love you back? Losing him means losing Steven and Jake. It means losing the only love you’ve ever known. You swallow those words and opt for others, “Tonight has been one of my favorite nights yet. Thank you.”

He can hear it in your tone. He knows that isn’t what you were going to say and by the look in his eyes, you know that he knows. He stares at you for several moments longer, giving you a chance, hoping that you’ll take the plunge because he can’t. Not yet.

Eventually, the pizza arrives and that cuts some of the tension that’s in the room. Something is clearly off but neither of you can find the courage to say anything as you finish eating and the credits roll on the episode you’d put on.

You let him leave. You kiss him goodbye and watch as he crosses the hall to the stairwell, only closing the door once he’s down the first flight. You feel like an idiot— why couldn’t you have just said it? He was waiting, eyes practically pleading, and yet the words wouldn’t form.

It only takes two minutes for you to decide that this isn’t how the night should end. Fears be damned, he deserves to know— they all do eventually. So you grab your keys, knowing that if you’d left your door unlocked for even the short time it would take to get him back, Jake would scold you about it.

Despite the quickness of your decision to chase after him, Marc is well down the street once you make it out the front door of your complex.

“Marc, wait!”

He stops immediately, recognizing your voice even from so far away. His eyes scan the street when he turns around and as soon as they find you, he’s walking towards you, brows furrowed in concern.

“What’s wrong? Did I forget something?” He pats his pockets, noting that his wallet and keys are there.

Maybe you’d decided to tell him what you were planning to say earlier and his heart begins to hammer again. His mind goes to the worst-case scenario, that maybe you weren’t going to confess deeper feelings for him. That you’re ready to be done with him, that he’s not worth it. That every disparaging thing his mother had ever said about him is true and you’ve just come to realize it.

“No, it’s just that I—“

“Yeah?” He prompts when you go quiet for a minute. His voice is fused with preemptive disappointment and he begins to prepare to leave the headspace, to retreat so far within that not even his alters can find him— Steven or Jake can deal with the aftermath of you. He’ll sulk and disappear like he had promised Steven a couple of years ago.

“I love you. I don’t know what I didn’t just say that before, I’d planned to but then you looked at me and it’s like I was scared all over again,” You whisper, eyes slipping down to look at the ground.

He tilts his head at you, his hand rising to cup your cheek. His voice is tender, and confused as he asks, “What do you have to be afraid of?”

“You know what,” You mumble, refusing to look up at him.

“That I wouldn’t want you? That I’d be stupid enough not to love you too?” He says the words as if they’re blasphemy like they’re the most ridiculous thing imaginable and you can’t help but look up at him.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

His other hand raises so he has both your cheeks in his hands, “Because it's complete bullshit, of course, I love you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, now come here,” He pulls you closer by his hand on your cheek, leaning in to press his mouth to yours. He kisses you fiercely, licking into your mouth with a fervor like never before. You match him, just as hungry and needy to show him how deeply you feel for him not just with words, but with actions.

He pulls away, breathless, “Steven’s saying we shouldn’t make out on the street.”

“Yeah, and what’s Jake saying?” You ask, though you can imagine his opinions on public indecency.

“You don’t wanna know.”

You giggle, before saying once more— firmly this time, unafraid to take the plunge because you know he’ll catch you, “I love you.”

“I love you,” He repeats, his mouth brushing yours as he says it.

You arch a brow at him, smiling against his lips. “Enough to settle who’s won and stay the night?”

“Oh, you’re gonna get it,” He murmurs cheekily through a grin, pulling you back towards your apartment.

It’s safe to say that you both got it.

moonknight taglist: @angelfxllcm, @in-between-the-cafes, @honeybrowne, @ninebluehearts, @rmoonstoner, @hotchs-bitch, @later-gators12, @foreverinwanderlustt-blog, @aleeb, @julydaydream, @welcometostayingawake, @eyelessfaces, @marc-spectorr, @missdictatorme, @toracainz, @mccn-bcys, @minigirl87, @campingwiththecharmings

[positivexcellence]

genpadalecki: It’s International Donkey Day AND #WalkerDay! 🫏 So in honor of these beautiful animals, let’s not make an ass outta you and me — watch #Walker with us tonight!! 😂

[claraameliapond]

"Before we can talk about the 7th octoer, we need to talk about the 6th October, in which a charity called Defense of Children International Palestine announced that it had been the deadliest year so far for children in the West Bank, over 42 I believe at that point had been killed.

That same day, settlers rioted in the town of Huwara, shooting a 19 year old, killing him, in the chest. While his funeral was going on, an Israeli minister went to Huwara , and said we needed to close down the Palestinian shops in the town, and build a highway arolund it for settlers.

That same day, the Washington post reported that Israel was cutting off the supply of donkeys, to Gaza, and donkeys were important because fuel was in insufficient supply and donkeys had become one of the main methods of moving supplies around.

So, October 6th was an atrocity too. "

Josh Paul, former US Official

Israel is not and has never been a peaceful immigrant population. They have been a merciless, brutalist occupying force who invaded someone else's home , stole it and violently occupy it to this day. ...and tried to gaslight them and the world into believing that they were there first. They weren't.

The jewish population originally in Palestine that lived peacefully alongside muslim Palestinians and christian Palestinians historically decended into the modern Palestinians, who over generations may have changed their religion, but share their genetic and historic identity. Many jewish Palestinians stayed in Palestine, they didn't all leave. Those that call themselves israeli Zionists and claim that that land was theirs originally are literally from every other place in the world, mostly germanic europe, and have no historic, genetic connection to the land or its originary population. Judaism is a religion, not an ethnicity

#Decolonise Palestine

[moonymelly]

— The Start of Something New —

The small mule slept outside in the grass, the soft wind of the morning tickling his long soft ears. His eyes slowly fluttered open, but he stayed put. There was no reason to get up yet, if he wasn't needed.

He was a verryyy laid back guy.

He looked around with those half-lid, bored eyes of his, smacking his lips. Lots of grass, even though the family he was now a part of wasn't very good at maintaining it. They had a bad habit of uhh...accidentally killing what they grew from time to time.

But it was fine, he guessed. If he could shrug he would, it didn't bother him all too much. His ears swiveled to the sound of stirring from within the house, loud voices chattering like chipmunks.

He heard two little boy voices faintly from inside the house, even though he couldn't really, y'know, understand what they were saying.

"...DONKEY?!" "MULE?!"

"Yes dears, I brought you a baby donkey!! He's outside, go do whatever ya want with it."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" And before he knew it, two little boys came tumbling out of the house, their shoes not even on and their bodies still clad in pajamas.

The baby mule tilted his head, even raising a brow. Two? Of the same person? They looked exactly the same, sounded exactly the same...He huffed. He didn't care, whatever.

The two boys swooped and cheered upon laying their eyes on the animal, tripping over each other as they bounded over to it.

"MULLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEE" "DONKEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" Before he could react, the two small humans jumped on top of him, making him involuntarily roll over onto his back.

"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A--" "--DONKEY!!" They giggled while poking his nose and and tickling his ears. The mule brayed in slight annoyance but once again internally shrugged. Whatever. This was his family now, he supposed.

"BOYS!! C'mere and get yur breakfast!! We prepared it already!!"

The two identical children perked up and immediately they beamed, jumping off of the mule and running over to what the the baby guessed to be their mother.

And just like that, the two were gone, leaving the baby mule covered in torn up grass and leaves, his eyes perplexed.

Well....back to eating grass. Or sleeping. Whatever.

He shook off most of the dirt from his fur, then slowly settled back down into a comfortable position.

Just as the wind slowly rocked him to sleep, his baby eyes slowly drooping into slumber, he heard that same door click again.

He huffed. Great. Just as he had gotten comfortable.

With a mule-like-sigh he lifted his head up, eyeing the door with perked ears.

Huh...a different small human.

This one eyed behind him nervously, then eyed the small donkey, then back and forth until finally, he held his breath which inflated his round youthful face, tip-toeing outside.

Once he slowly closed the door behind him, he immediately beamed, running his small body over to him as he giggled cheerily, tripping over small pebbles and his own feet.

The baby mule braced for impact, shutting his eyes as he expected the same treatment from him. This child had to be from the same family, so he must also be pretty rowdy.

Instead, however, he...wasn't tackled? Wearily opening one eye, he now saw that the small child was on his knees, a big smile on his round face, his blue eyes and their lashes blinking with joy, his smile showing gap where a recently lost tooth had been.

The mule tilted his head, carefully inching his snout to the child, sniffing it. The child laughed, tickled by the warm breath tickling his face.

After his giggling died down, he pouted, brushing off the rest of the torn up grass and soil from the mules fur.

"Awh no...what'd they do to you? How mean..."

The baby mules eyes showed a rare emotion of his: Being intrigued. This small child was...helping him out?

The child smiled once he brushed off all the dirt, then placed his small hand on the mules snout, petting it softly.

"I think they're gonna forget about you in around two days, baby. But dontcha worry, I won't!! I'll be your friend, if you'd like."

He cheekily smiled and gently grabbed the mules head, making it nod and mimicking a dopey voice.

"Oh yesss Mr. Onceler!! I'd love to be with you every day!!"

The child giggled, letting go of the mules face and instead now snuggling into it warmly, his soft black hair tickling the mules snout.

"I can't wait to have so much fun with you, baby mule. We're gonna be the best of pals, right?"

Something inside of the mule’s heart warmed and he snuggled back into the child as well, huffing out another warm breath which caused the child to smile, closing his eyes.

This child was sweet, real sweet. Yeah…he could tolerate this kid.

[what-even-is-thiss]

It’s one of those days where I have a low level migraine that won’t go away and I’m existing in a weird vague fog all day and my reduced mental capacity is defaulting to my current hyperfixation which is still elder scrolls.

My current thoughts today are about iconic characters in the series and how Lydia is one of them.

I think she’s iconic because she’s one of the few characters that literally everyone comes across. There’s housecarl followers for every hold in Skyrim. You become thane and you get a housecarl. But whiterun is the one that everybody becomes thane if almost every time if only to push the activate dragons button and save whiterun.

And Lydia gets assigned to you. Who is Lydia? Your bodyguard, essentially. And that’s all she is. She’s a generic tough Nord wearing generic steel armor who yells out generic Nord battle cries when she fights. She levels up to level 50 and therefore can work as a companion throughout most play playthroughs. Unless you’re grinding to fight the ebony warrior or staying on a save for an abnormally long time Lydia will probably keep up with you all throughout your adventure.

Idk what’s so special about her. There’s been songs written about her. People make jokes about her being a pack donkey because she has no personality and will carry your stuff. Shouting her off of mountains is an international pastime.

She’s a blank slate. Just like all the housecarls are. But she’s Lydia. And it’s kind of amazing how such a nothing character just meant to be a blank slate loyal bodyguard became so famous.

And do I feel bad for Lydia? Not particularly. She’s exactly what she needs to be. Sometimes I feel bad for blank slate characters, especially women. But Lydia? She’s a stoic. She’s a professional. She’s a blindly loyal hired muscle. And that’s all she needs to be. And I find her largeness in the minds of elder scrolls fans despite all of that to be endearing. Sometimes a nothing character can still be incredibly memorable and I find that to be fascinating.

[thelaundrybitch]

Snoot Smooches

TURTLE DOVES

It's been a hot minute.

BUT I'M BACK!

And with the help of @leosgirl82 who assisted in these absolute shenanigans!!!

So please enjoy some Valentine's Day fun 💖💖💖

TW: Swearwords and Shenanigans

Please don't steal my work. Reblogging for others to enjoy is highly encouraged, though 🤩

Snoot Smooches

You've been with your turtle boyfriend for years, and you have a very good relationship with him and his brothers. You love each of your boyfriend’s brothers completely platonically - and they all know that.

However, you do love some shenanigans, and Valentine's Day is coming up. So you decide to decorate the lair in pinks and reds.

And you've made an executive decision on a new tradition.

Valentine's Day Mistletoe…

Hang the shit EVERYWHERE 

Hide it in drawers around the lair for quick grabbing access 

Hell, keep some in your pockets so you can sneak attack 

Absolutely carry it around on a fishing rod, like you would with a donkey and a carrot 

BUT have fun trying to explain the mistletoe fishing rod to your turtle bf....

"I'm TRYING to kiss your brothers! Do you MIND?!"

Your turtle bf be like 🤨🤦🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

“Fine. But don't come running to me when you're in trouble”

Game on

Leo

Leo would be a gentleman and let you snoot smooch him

But be horrendously embarrassed about it 

Internal screeching

If turtles could blush

He's gonna be the one that's probably secretly wiping it off after you’ve skipped away victoriously

Texts his brother immediately to tell him about your shenanigans

Freaking tattle tale

He gets a second snoot smooch

As punishment 

Raph

Facepalm

From him

To you

Also 'biffed' 

*Biff* - To smack one's palm heel against the offender's forehead.

He would absolutely use the one finger on the forehead method to push you back 

With that look of HAve you LOSt your DaMN MinD?

OR he'd be grabbing both shoulders and spinning you to do an about-face and just say, "Nope."

Just keeps bringing you back to your bf like, "KEEP HER OCCUPIED"

He'd be so done with your shit by the end of the first week

Just wearing him down. 

Day by day. 

Like the annoying little sister that won't quit 

And it's easier to just get it over with 

Finally, he'd be like 

"FINE! ONE!"

But he'd honk your nose or some shit and drag you back to your bf

Don

I can see Don being an absolute asshole to you

Calls your bluff

He's gonna be the one who wets his lips for a slobbery smooch

You'll be walking up

With your donkey stick

And a maniacal smile across your face

Wiggling the brows like two dancing caterpillars

And he'll look horrified

But only for a split second 

He'll start licking his lips so they are super spitty

Then get up and chase you around with duck lips

You'll be screaming NOOOO! like a five-year-old trying to get away from the icky older brother

Insert slappity slaps when he captures you

Mike

This one, you'd have to keep one eye on. 

Mike. He's always their wild card. He likes to keep you on your toes

But mostly his brothers.

He's such a shit

NO SHAME

He'd be sliding in all puckered up

Right here, babes... Pointing to his lips

He's all in

Wants ALL the smooches

Will turn his face right before you land said kiss so he gets an actual smooch

Then run through the lair yelling about it like the town crier

Bonus Turt Time

Jehannet (J)

Would be super sweet and accept said smooch

Prefers a cheek kiss.

But will let you snoot smooch him

Then after your sweet little kissy-poo, he'd suddenly be like, "I LoVe KiSsEs"

And grab you to smooch a barrage of kisses all over your face while you squawk and squirm trying to get away

Totally makes sure he does it in front of the brother you’re dating

Just to get a reaction 😂

Basilio

Good luck with Basilio LOL

*goes in for snoot smooch, ends up in headlock* 

Walks you back to your Turt BF in said headlock

"I think this is yours"

"Oh, thanks Bayz! A bit closer, though… I'm at the perfect height to kiss my bf," you sass him - whilst your head is at crotch level

Bayz: let's go immediately and walks away with his hands in the air

Later on, Basilio would be standing under one, not realizing it was there.

You'd try to sneak attack him

But dude is a weathered ninja, so he'd slip away at a speed walk

And you would chase him.

Yelling that he can't outrun tradition!

And true to character, Mike and J would chase Basilio and pin him down so you could get a smooch in LOL

Wanna know more about J & Bayz?

Jehannet

Basilio

also, always feel free to shoot me an ask 💖

Enjoying my work? Find my Master list HERE

~Tags~

@leosgirl82 @leoandraphssoulmate @sharpwindow @eveandtheturtles @ninjaintheshadow @scholastic-dragon @tmnt-tychou @replicasey @meowph-132 @symmetricalkazekage @tinkabelle19 @miss-andromeda @drowninghell @raphslovemuffin80 @xanadu-702 @iheartchv @justalotoffanfiction @zombiesnips-blog @fyreball66 @yorshie @fluffytriceratops @pheradream-15 @memes-in-a-half-shell @sais-matters @kikithedreamerwriter @peaches4daddy @shakeyourtrees @happymoonangel

*If you aren’t on this list, please let me know if you want me to tag you in my other work or if you prefer me to not tag you 😘

[artandthebible]

The Good Samaritan

Artist: John Runciman (Scottish, 1744-1768)

Date: Mid 1760s

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Good Samaritan

The story is told in Luke 10:29–37: A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

Lucas 10:29-37, New International Version

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

[delicatestones]

Out of pure donkey minded contrariness and commitment to the bit I want to joke about becoming the first and only Brian/Alec shipper (Brian not mentioned in WoG means he could be bi if you close your eyes and believe, Alec confirmed bi) but my curse is that even for the joke I can't stop my brain from going "but they wouldn't". Even in bi Brian universe Alec would be the last guy in the universe he'd consider that way, it's not even "Taylor I think of you as a little sister" levels of self-determined refusal to Make Things Complicated it's "Alec I think of you as a guy who is definitely around" type thinking of Alec as a guy who is definitely around. Meanwhile if the thought even fleetingly drifted up to the surface of Alec's mind he would look at Brian and go "hm...nah" for reasons he wouldn't even think to articulate to himself but would boil down to Brian simply not being his type + Alec is Not equipped to navigate anyone through internalized homophobia and in fact would probably make it worse on purpose if anyone was annoying him about it, and Brian would be so annoying (read: distressed) about it.

What could happen in bi Brian universe is Taylor (she's straight she's straight she's a straight heterosexual girl by the way) would find out both Brian and Alec are bi and assume this meant they were dating on the downlow and THAT'S why Brian isn't falling for her awkward charms. She'd make the most passive aggressively miserably supportive comments about their Lifestyle that would be incomprehensible to both of them for a week or so until she said something about being glad Legend the Gay Icon's activism means they can get married one day like Normal People and Alec would laugh so hard he'd start wheezing as Brian put his face in his hands and regretted every decision in his entire life (special bisexual edition).