#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.

[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!

[hedgehog-moss]

I’ve been having a bit of a hay shortage lately—January was very cold and snowy so the animals ate a lot, plus I have an extra mouth to feed this year, and I hadn’t realised Poldine would eat so much in her first year! Next summer I’ll make sure to buy enough hay for 4 animals rather than 3 and a half.

In the meantime I’ve been offering various hay substitutes, such as brambles, or my Christmas tree. It was waiting on the pile of green waste I intend to burn in early spring, until I remembered seeing someone’s ad in the local paper that went “if you want to recycle your Christmas trees, give them to me, my goats will love them!” I figured well, llamas are tall goats, maybe they’ll enjoy a bit of Christmas tree, and they did !

(Baby Poldine is always very circumspect about new foods, but she did end up tasting it.)

Pirlouit was also pleased with this unexpected breakfast. They all took turns nibbling at the tree until only the trunk was left :)

Still, I was trying to contact nearby farmers to ask if they have some hay to spare (it’s not that I’ve run out, I just want to be prepared in case of another cold spell), and I also moved the animals to my other pasture down the road, as there’s still some dry grass there. It’s not well-fenced though, and I wasn’t very confident in this pasture’s ability to contain Pampe, but I figured—there’s no grass to be found in any nearby pasture, so why would she try to leave this one?

(Because Pampe.)

I left the llamas & donkey frolicking in this exciting new place (Poldine looked enchanted to explore a new pasture, she was bounding around like a baby goat!), and I went skiing today, as a (late) birthday gift to myself. The skiing station is just half an hour away and this has become a very anticipated birthday ritual since I moved here! This year I waited until I had found some way to keep the animals busy before taking a day off, so there would be no llama leaks in my absence.

So of course I got a text from a neighbour in the afternoon, telling me my llamas had been spotted on the road, going towards the village. (“Pampe looked determined. She was going to the grocery shop to get muesli.”) (Pampe is so famous, people even know her favourite snacks 😭)

Since I was literally on a ski slope I decided to turn my conscience off and pretend I hadn’t seen the text. I thought, if the llamas do end up in the village I’ll get more texts updating me on their position and I’ll be a responsible llama owner and go home (promise), but they’ll probably get off the road and into the woods somewhere between my house and the village and they’ll spend the afternoon eating communal shrubs and they’ll be fine.

When I went home a few hours later, I found my donkey alone in the pasture where I’d left him in the morning—we both had to wrestle with a moral dilemma today, and Pirlouit’s was “do I loyally follow my friends and potentially starve to death, or do I stay by myself in this place with very adequate dry grass to munch on?” He really hates being alone, yet he chose food over friendship.

I brought Pirou back to his normal pasture (he wouldn’t have liked to find himself alone after sunset) and went looking for the girls. I’d had a neighbour on the phone who had talked to someone who’d talked to someone who had seen the llamas and had “shooed them in the general direction of your house.” That was some very helpful shooing, because I found them just a couple of kilometres away, and indeed going in the right direction.

Pampelune leading the way, determined to go home before night; Pampérigouste last, internally grumbling that it was still early and they could have explored the world some more.

I usually jog with the llamas when I bring them home so we don’t spend too much time in the middle of the road, but there aren’t many cars when the road is icy and also after a day of skiing, you don’t really feel like jogging a few km at a brisk pace in heavy snow boots. So we went home in a slow and solemn procession.

I called the people who had told me about the llamas’ whereabouts to thank them, and explained that this escape was the result of a failed attempt to move the animals to my poorly-fenced second pasture because I don’t have a lot of hay left—and one of them told me he could spare a bale and he’d bring it to me tomorrow!

“So I’ve done everyone a favour” (is probably Pampe’s conclusion.)

I gave them hay as I figured they hadn’t had time to graze much in the other pasture, but only Pampe was hungry. Well, Pirlouit is always hungry, but Pampe indignantly rebuffed him. “You chose food over adventure. You don’t get to eat the food I’m getting as a reward for a successful adventure.”

Pirlouit is completely resigned to the fundamental unfairness of a dutiful donkey’s life.

[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.

[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 For 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!! 😂

[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.

[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).

[accidentalcookies]

Whumperless Whump Event Day 1

self-done stitches / alcohol as sanitizer / "It's just a scratch, I've had worse."

tw: blood, but i think that kind of goes without saying, haha

caretaker: celestinus

whumpee: shaoyuan

no oc intro post yet because i am a chronic procrastinator, but someday i'll link it 😅 for some context, both celestinus and shaoyuan are part of a mafia/criminal underworld-type thing run by aristides, with celestinus as aristides' personal bodyguard and just general medic, and sy as aristides' assassin. this is relatively early on in their relationship, after celestinus has warmed to sy, but before it has been made clear to sy that the others actually care about him as a person. there's also a brief mention of some sort of technological enhancement that sy has, which i hope to elaborate on in future fics, but for now, you can essentially think of it as just your bog standard sci-fi enhanced human-type thing (strength, speed, healing factor, etc.)

enjoy!

---

The elevator doors slid open—and, catching sight of what was inside, Celestinus groaned.

“No,” he said. “No, you have got to be kidding me.”

Shaoyuan raised an eyebrow at him. “‘Hi, Shaoyuan,’” he deadpanned. “‘It’s nice to see you, Shaoyuan.’ I’ve been led to believe that that’s typical for greetings.”

Celestinus leveled him with an unamused stare. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

And just in case Shaoyuan didn’t get the gist, he pointedly swept his gaze down to his side, to where he had one hand pressed to a suspiciously dark patch on his clothing.

“No idea, actually,” he replied blandly. “Can I get through?”

The absolute gall of this man.

He reached in to take Shaoyuan’s arm—not the one that could have been holding in his internal organs, for all Celestinus knew.

But instead, his hand closed around air as Shaoyuan neatly sidestepped around him.

“Thanks,” he said, and turned to leave. “See you later.”

“Nope. We’re not playing this game.”

He dropped his bag and followed. In just a few words, Shaoyuan had already eaten up half the hallway with his lanky stride, and didn’t slow his pace as Celestinus caught up either, forcing him to do a sort of awkward half-jog just to stay at his side.

Shaoyuan didn’t turn. “What game?”

“The one where you swear up and down that you’re fine, and then I have to peel your sorry ass off the floor when you eat it.”

That had been a harrowing experience, loathe as Celestinus was to remember it. Aristides had only noticed because Shaoyuan, ever the most diligent member of this organization, had missed reporting in to him after his mission. When he’d gone searching, he found him flat on his face, bleeding out from a set of gunshot wounds—ones that normally would not have been a major problem, had his internal hardware not been compromised.

But it had been, and there was literally no one else left alive on the planet who knew how to un-compromise it, and so Celestinus had spent a long, stressful night playing “pin the tail on the donkey”—if you substituted the donkey with Shaoyuan and the tail with life.

“That was extenuating circumstances,” said the donkey, surprising absolutely no one with his wildly understated description. “There was an EMP involved.”

“That wasn’t extenuating circumstances, practically everyone tries to hit you with one nowadays,” Celestinus countered. “And the consequences were very much real and very much inconvenient and I’ll be damned if I have to deal with it again. What happened?”

“...It’s just a scratch,” he replied. “I’ve had worse.”

“I’m sure that’s true, but that’s not what I asked.”

“Weren’t you about to do something for Aristides?” he asked. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Celestinus had been about to run an errand, true, but that was before something else took priority. Namely, corralling their resident idiot into letting him throw a first aid kit at him.

Preferably at his head. Patients were much more convenient to work with when they were unconscious.

“Really, beanpole?” he sighed.

Looked like he had no other choice. It was time for the big guns: appealing to Shaoyuan’s unwillingness to inconvenience others.

He looked back over his shoulder. “You dripped blood on the floor.”

“I know I didn’t,” Shaoyuan said.

Despite that, he still slowed to turn back, and in that moment of distraction, Celestinus’ hand shot out to yank Shaoyuan’s away from his side.

Things proceeded to devolve. Shaoyuan ducked to one side, then again as Celestinus lunged for him, then a third time as he lunged for him again, at which point Celestinus gave up, decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and jabbed him in the solar plexus.

As Shaoyuan wheezed and folded over, Celestinus pulled his hand away—and then  had to fight through the various layers of fancy clothing both he and Aristides preferred to find the bloodied skin below, yanking them into disarray.

Ever the joker, Shaoyuan croaked out, “Dinner first.”

“Ha hah, you’re so funny,” Celestinus deadpanned, staring down at a large gash that would most definitely need stitches. “This is not ‘just a scratch.'”

“It hasn’t breached the abdominal cavity,” he pointed out. “That’s a scratch.”

Celestinus sighed and let it go, knowing that trying to argue injury definitions with a man who thought breaching the abdominal cavity was a good indicator for when things were starting to become bad was a lost cause. “You’re coming with me.”

“Your errand–”

“Can wait. Keeping you from bleeding on the carpets is the priority.”

Shaoyuan looked pointedly at the ground. “I’m noticing a severe lack of carpets.”

“Oh, because bleeding on marble isn’t just as bad?” he asked sarcastically. “I’m helping whether or not you agree. All arguing’s gonna do is waste my time.”

He made direct eye contact with Shaoyuan and held it stubbornly, until finally the man relented and looked away.

“Fine,” he said.

Internally, Celestinus breathed a long sigh of relief. “Then come on,” he said.

---

tagging: @whumperless-whump-event

[billycorn]

Patchwork: Chapter 9 - Of Monsters and Men

An Explorers of Sky au following the Hero is Darkrai theory, but after the events at Temporal Tower Darkrai returns to Treasure Town in an effort to prevent his inevitable corruption. Read Previous Chapter Here!

TW for Self Harm! Keep yourself safe! To avoid this, stop reading at: On her knees - Continue reading from: Collapsing in the dirt -

Dragging himself through the woods outside Treasure Town, Patch rubbed at his face. After crying his heart out to Buia, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so raw. Too bad it was pointless. Patch was here solely to help Jasper. Anything else was a waste of time.

Hah! Get a load of this guy. His mental game is weak. Internal monologue so bleak it looks like the dark future.

Though, he was heading for someone who might be able to help. So, perhaps he deserves some credit for that.

Steadily, the large log cabin hidden in the woods revealed itself. There was a verandah and rocking chairs on the porch. Large windows were scattered about the walls, allowing sunlight to stream in.

Stepping to the door, Patch took a deep breath and knocked.

After a moment, the door was opened, Dusknoir's hulking frame blocking the entry. Dusknoir's belly-mouth smiled at the sight of Patch. "My boy! Come in."

Patch entered, closing the door behind him. The cabin was spacious, despite the scattered furniture and bookshelves lining the walls. A kitchenette filled one corner of the room.

Moving to the kitchen, Dusknoir filled a pot of water then, making it float, he set a will'o'wisp underneath, bringing it to a gradual boil. "Celebi and Grovyle are out and about, so it's just us for now. How was your day?"

Patch groaned and slumped into the nearest chair. "I told Buia."

Dusknoir's brow raised, ever so slightly. "Told her what, specifically?"

"Why I'm here. That I'm Jasper. She agreed to help me prevent him turning out like I did."

"But?"

Patch groaned again, crossing his arms. "I thought Jasper's - my - biggest problem was the whole emotional isolation thing, but Buia thinks there's something else."

Dusknoir gave a thoughtful hum and prepared two cups of tea. Handing one to Patch, along with a biscuit, Dusknoir settled in an armchair with a high back. "Curious. You were always open with me."

Patch rolled his eye. "Yeah, with you. When you died, I didn't have anyone else."

Dusknoir tipped his steaming mug into the mouth on his stomach and sighed in satisfaction. "You grew closed-off after I died, correct? You told me you spent time with Celebi and became close to her. You were honest with her. Yet, you still set about paralyzing the future. So, I'm inclined to agree with Buia's instinct."

"That doesn't help me solve the problem."

Dusknoir nodded and sat quietly for a while, as if thinking. When he spoke next, his voice was soft. "Did I ever tell you how we met?"

"Uh, no. Guess I never really thought about it."

"Well, Dusknoir spend years helping souls move on after their lives have ended. One day, when doing my duty, I came across your soul. I was supposed to send it off, to whatever lay beyond."

"Why didn't you?"

Dusknoir smiled at the memory, a mix of sadness and affection crossing his face. "You were seventeen when you died. Yet, when I looked at your soul, it wasn't a young man I saw. It was a boy. He was crying, all alone. "I wanted to give that boy another chance. So, I brought you to this world. Your soul took form as that young boy, and you know the rest."

Oh, for crying out loud! Patch had already cried enough today, he wasn't sure how much he had left in him, but as Dusknoir talked, Patch began to understand why he'd really chosen this path.

Dusknoir was the only one to see Patch, and by extension Jasper, as they really were. Scared, lost, lonely little boys. Dusknoir was the only one to know them: To look at them and see a person, as opposed to a donkey who could carry anything.

"Patch. In this world of dragons, fairies, and ghosts, what makes a monster? A coward, parading as a good man. Trust me, I would know."

"Dad-"

"Let me finish," Dusknoir interjected gently. "I don't see that in you. I see a fighter. Someone who wants to keep trying; who isn't ready to give up yet. Isn't that why you're here, trying to help Jasper?"

Tears slipping free, Patch shook his head and tried to speak, but no words came out.

"My boy, you are not alone. Stop running. Be still and know that you are enough. Patch, your heart is good."

~~~

Jasper was dreaming once more. Though asleep, he couldn't help but feel tired. Too tired to run. So, he simply stood on those long open plains and stared at the lion.

His heart like a weight in his chest, Jasper asked, "who are you?"

The lion answered, "I am your strength, and your courage. Why do you run from me?"

"Because you're dangerous."

"Who told you this?"

Jasper buried his hands in his pockets. "No one. It's something I've always known."

"Don't you know I am yours? I am dangerous, but I can used for good."

Scoffing, Jasper kicked at the dirt. "Or evil."

"The choice is yours."

"What if I do nothing?" Asked Jasper. "Just kept running."

The lion laid down, yawning and revealing its wicked teeth. "What happens if you don't care properly for a weapon? It becomes weak."

"It can't hurt anyone."

"It cannot protect either."

Jasper and the Lion looked long and hard at one another. A cool wind rippled across the meadow, tugging at the Lion's mane, and the beast sighed. "Whatever you decide, I will always be waiting."

Jasper's eyes drifted closed, then open again. Though, he now awoke to the darkness of night.

The air was cool, and a light breeze blew, ruffling his feathers.

Countless stars hung under a brilliant canvas and Buia sat by the edge of the bluff, gazing at the sky. The egg was cradled in her lap, and she hugged it tightly.

Groaning, Jasper rolled onto his feet and moved to sit beside her. "Hey," he muttered.

She offered him a sad smile. "Hey. How you feeling?"

"I think I died."

Buia grunted. "You're one talkative corpse."

Jasper scoffed and joined Buia in watching the stars, but after a moment his expression softened. "Are you okay?"

Buia nodded, her expression vacant. Slowly, she turned to look at him. "Jay. I love you. I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

Jasper's brows furrowed. "Where's this coming from?"

"Nowhere, it's just, I don't tell you enough. You're a great Partner. I'd never leave you. Not by choice, at least."

Retreating into his fluffy plumage, Jasper tried to respond, tried to reciprocate the sentiment, but he couldn't quite get the words out. Buia knew, of course she knew, but he wanted to say it.

So, why couldn't he?

As Jasper pondered the question, he noticed a quiet rumbling noise. Buia had fallen asleep, her chin resting atop the egg.

Chuckling, Jasper scooted closer and wrapped a wing around her shoulder, coaxing her into his warm feathers. Buia nestled deep into his grasp and her snoring was joined by loud purring a few seconds later.

Jasper smiled, running his wing slowly along her side. Looking at her, the lion's words ran through his mind. Perhaps the beast was right. If Jasper stopped, took up his strength and his courage, would he finally stop feeling like a lost little boy?

Could he really be something for those he loved?

Could he be enough?

Everything Jasper had done till now, from that first job with Buia at Drenched Bluff to stopping the collapse of Temporal Tower; you would think that needed strength. For all that, surely Jasper would've already become all he could be!

No.

Not out of bravery or determination did Jasper do those things. It was simply what was asked of him.

Buia was kind to Jasper, and she needed a partner, so he accepted.

Dusknoir needed to stop Grovyle, so Jasper helped.

Grovyle needed his partner back, to complete their mission, so Jasper stepped up.

This little Rufflet would become whatever he needed to be to keep their love. Now, if he were to stand on his own; sharpen his strength and courage and become himself, would they stay by his side?

What a foolish question. Look at this idiot, chasing his own tail, ignoring what was right in front his face. He was deaf to what Buia kept telling him.

Jasper isn't needed, but he is wanted, if he'd only stop and let himself realise it. Of course, Jasper wouldn't do that, because he's a moron.

It had never occurred to Jasper that some people don’t need a reason to love, they do it because they can. Jasper was surrounded by many such people but remained stubbornly ignorant to the truth.

So, Patch would have to wake him up.

As the night wore on, Jasper yawned, his eyelids drifting closed. He fell asleep once more, and Patch was waiting.

It felt as if Jasper closed his eyes and immediately opened them again, finding himself in a dimly lit cavern, glowing crystals and pools of water scattered about. A wall of water crashed down nearby.

Jasper's head tilted. "This is waterfall cave."

"Yes, it is."

Jasper jumped, twirling to find Patch standing by the wall, climbing from the shadows.

His expression morphing from surprise to disdain, Jasper sighed. "I ain't dealing with you. Rack off."

Patch smiled idly. "No, I won't."

Jasper groaned. "Well, time to wake up then."

"You won't wake up until I allow it."

Pausing, Jasper looked slowly at the shadowy menace. "Wait. You’re not just a figment of my imagination?"

Patch raised his hands in a calming gesture. "I can control dreams. Thought I'd pay you a visit, take a walk down memory lane."

Jasper's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Just humour me."

"Can I say no?" Drawled Jasper.

Patch shrugged. "Not really. I'll just stop you from ever waking up."

"Tempting as that is, I'm somewhat curious. So, why here?"

Patch smiled, gesturing at the waterfall. Over of the water's roar, Jasper almost thought he could hear...

Jasper scurried away, eyes going wide as a Buizel and Rufflet came barrelling through the waterfall.

The pair lay groaning, but the Buizel quickly recovered. "Ha. Ahaha. Jay! You were right! We're not dead!"

The Rufflet stood slowly and shook, water flying off his feathers. "Yippee."

The Buizel raced about the cave, her attention captured by the glittering crystals. She stuffed a few into the satchel hanging from her shoulder, then whirled to face her partner. "Jay, you're amazing! I'm so glad you're my partner!"

Rufflet grunted, heading for the dungeon's looming maw. "Come on, we're not done yet."

As the two disappeared into the dungeon, Jasper shot Patch a confused look. "Okay, now what?"

Patch snapped his fingers and the cave fell away, replaced by a bleak forest, tall grey trees wrapped around a small clearing. In the clearing stood a Grovyle, Celebi, and a young man. Before them was a swirling black portal.

Jasper's beak fell open and he glanced between Patch and the unfolding scene. Jasper couldn’t help but ask, "is this?"

"Just watch."

Celebi flew a tight circle around her boys, planting a kiss on each of their foreheads. "You two, I love you both, dearly. I know this is selfish of me, but please... enjoy your time in the sun."

The boy nodded, a grim smile on his face. "We'll see you soon."

Grovyle crossed his arms. "We'll bring flowers."

Celebi laughed, but it was a pained, broken noise. She nodded, quickly wiping the gathering tears from her eyes.

The boy and Grovyle entered the passage of time and disappeared, leaving Celebi alone with her tears. In a small voice she called out, "goodbye."

Jasper's breath shuddered in his ribs. He couldn't form any thoughts, let alone words. He had to just watch as the forest fell away and was replaced with a more familiar sight... Temporal Tower. Or at least, the path leading up to it.

A young man was leaning against the edge of the path, cradling a Buizel in his arms. Balls of light leapt from the boy and the Buizel was crying, her sobs filling the air.

The boy whispered something, and he turned completely transparent, disappearing altogether. Buizel dropped to the ground, her arms wrapping around herself in a fearsome hug.

A scream like something from Giratina's domain ripped from her chest. It rose higher and higher and kept going. Buia screamed until there was no air left in her lungs, and her throat was hoarse.

On her knees, Buia broke off her heart-wrenching cry, and slammed her head into the earth.

"Damn it! Useless! Useless!"

Over and over again, she drove her head into the rock, until her forehead bled, and blood trickled into her eyes.

Collapsing in the dirt, Buia curled into a tiny ball and wept, broken sobs escaping her. "Why? Why? I'm not ready. Jay, please... come back!"

Fresh horror on his face, Jasper turned slowly. "Stop. Make it stop."

Patch ignored him, instead choosing to continue watching as Buia's spirit broke.

"Damn it, Patch, make it stop! I know this isn't real!"

"It was," whispered Patch. "Buia's had this nightmare several times since I met her. Eventually, I realised it was a memory. She's relived this moment so many times."

Jasper leapt, striking Patch with a close combat and sending him careening down the rocky path, where he crashed rolled across the dirt. Patch slowly began to rise but Jasper leapt, his talons pinning Patch's arms.

"Stop this," Jasper whispered venomously. "Or I will kill you."

"Good."

Jasper stared long and hard into Patch's eye and slowly, Jasper's face fell. The Rufflet stumbled backwards, falling heavily to sit.

"Patch, you said you can control dreams..."

"I did."

"But how... how do you know my memories?"

Patch stood but said nothing. For a long moment, Buia's piercing wails were all that broke the silence.

Jasper shook his head, tears rapidly gathering in his eyes. "Patch. What is this? You... You're-"

"I am you. From a different version of the future. I sabotaged Temporal Tower and caused the planet's paralysis. All of this was my fault," whispered Patch.

"I don't, I don't understand."

"It's a long story, but when you were restored, so was I. I came to Treasure Town because I wanted to find you, stop your corruption. I didn't want you turning out like me."

Jasper's ribs shuddered with each breath. "And what? This is part of that?"

Patch nodded half-heartedly, as if he were unsure. He watched Buia for a moment, still crying and holding herself.

"Jasper, do you think we are good?"

"What?"

"Us, you and me," said Patch, more insistent. "Are we good?"

Jasper scoffed, waving a wing towards Buia. "Apparently not."

Patch chewed on his tongue. "That was my doing. I will pay for it soon. You, you have a chance to make a different choice. So, I'm asking you, what will you choose?"

Jasper clicked his beak in annoyance. "Of course I wouldn't put Buia through this!"

"And that makes you good?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what?" Roared Patch. The Darkrai stalked closer, his shadowy body flaring and plume billowing. "Are we good? Are we enough? Clearly, we were loved. So why, why couldn't I make the right call? Why couldn't I be more?"

Jasper stared down the monster before him; the monster he could so easily become, and Jasper only saw one true thing. Behind the anger and the sorrow was something deep, some aching thing.

"You were scared," whispered Jasper. "We're scared."

Slowly, Patch's fists unclenched, and his fury died. "Jasper, I'm tired. I'm so tired. I don't wanna be afraid anymore."

"I... know."

The lion's words jumped unbidden to Jasper's mind-

"What happens if you don't care properly for a weapon? It becomes weak.  "It cannot protect."

"You're right," Jasper said slowly. "We are loved. We could be enough."

"How?" Demanded Patch.

Jasper shrugged. "I don’t know. By trying, I guess. Anything less won't get us anywhere."

"We already did that." Patch ran his hands down his face, groaning. "It left us tired and weak in the first place."

Jasper was silent for a long time, his gaze drifting to rest on Buia. Her screeches had quietened to choking sobs.

His voice soft, Jasper said, "I still want to try. Perhaps, I could be more honest this time."

That. Now that, requires courage.

Patch laughed, a crude uncaring sound. "Then, I wish you luck."

Patch snapped his fingers, the dream fell away, and Jasper woke up, Patch's words ringing in his ears.

Taking deep breaths of the cool night air, Jasper swallowed his fear and looked around. It was still late at night; stars hanging overhead, their light kissing the ocean below. Jasper could just see the red glow of Staryu and Starmie, spread out along the beach, calling to the sky above.

Buia was nestled tight into Jasper’s side, still clutching the egg. A ragged breath of relief escaped him as he pressed his head firmly against hers. Though, after a moment he pulled away, using his wing to gently brush aside the fur on her forehead, finding a blunt pale scar.

Jasper sighed, and for the first time, he regretted disappearing that day.

Realising how thirsty he was, Jasper tore his gaze away and stumbled to his feet, carefully lowering Buia to the ground. Dragging himself to the small pool in the corner, he drank gratefully, almost feeling the relief wash away his worries.

Jasper's attention was pulled away by a soft light, pulsing on the walls of the bluff. Jasper turned, cocking his head at Buia’s glowing form. He moseyed slowly closer, eyes widening as the light flashed faster. The egg in her arms gave a quiet hum as the light reached fever pitch and hatched.

There, in the soft moonlight, Jasper found himself staring at the weirdest little thing. It was small, and blue, with two antennae. Its arms were wrapped tightly around itself, like a warm hug (or a straitjacket), and it rested tightly in Buia’s grasp.

His beak dropping open, Jasper stood beside the sleeping Buia, absolutely mesmerised; until the newborn Manaphy started crying. The high-pitched sound rang out through the night.

"Ah! Hey, hey, it's okay. Shh, shh," cooed Jasper.

Manaphy continued crying.

Groaning, Jasper gently pried Manaphy from Buia’s arms, pulling the newborn close to swaddle within his plumage.

Jasper walked slowly around the room, whispering quiet comforting noises, and gradually Manaphy’s crying stopped. She opened her eyes for the first time, and stared at him, offering a quiet giggle.

Instantly, Jasper knew he was screwed. Feeling an odd warm sensation swelling in his chest, he cradled Manaphy closer, and he finally understood. If Jasper wanted to do right by those he loved, he would have to stop running. He would have to be still, let himself be loved, and known. Then he could really start trying, take up his strength and courage and become someone he was proud of.

Manaphy cooed quietly and Jasper sighed, settling back beside Buia and preparing for a long night.

Buia hadn't awoken, she'd always been a heavy sleeper. So, till morning, it was just Manaphy and Jasper in the soft moonlight.

Thankfully, Manaphy quickly fell asleep. Apparently, hatching requires a good deal of energy, and the little one was now tired. Speaking of being tired, Jasper could almost feel himself nodding off again and thank goodness for that; tomorrow would be a big day.

Come morning, Jasper would rise once more, talk with Patch, and Buia, and prepare to raise the little one cradled close against him. Jasper would reconcile with Dusknoir. Jasper would spend time with Grovyle and Celebi. Jasper would soak in the sun’s warm embrace.

One day at a time, this patchwork story would be laid to rest, Jasper would move forward. Not running but walking steadily alongside those he loved. And one day, somewhere down the line, Buia would smile at him, laugh, and say, ‘you seem happy again.’

[milkyplier]

Okay, they’re a Rescue Ranch. Let’s go over the details:

Time and Malon own Lon Lon Horse Rescue Ranch. It was Malon’s father’s rescue, and was passed town to the couple shortly after they were married.

The Rescue Ranch includes a couple hundred actes of land, most of which is flat open fields, but there is some forest area and mountainous areas within their property. They use most of it for pastures.

Their barn houses fifty total horses, and is hurricane/proof, however only twenty-five of those stalls are taken*. Total, there are twenty-one horses, a cow, a donkey, and two mini-horses. Chickens roam freely, as well.

*Taken, as in that’s how many animals are on the ranch. The stables are used almost exclusively for medical purposes/feeding. Otherwise, the horses occupy the many pastures.

The Ranch includes the barn, the main ranch house, and several cabins. The main ranch house is where Malon and Time live. There’s plenty of room in the two story house, so Wild, Wind, Four, and Hyrule all occupy rooms there. The cabins are built on the land specifically for the ranch hands, in case they wanted to live on site but with more privacy than the main house allows. Warriors, Sky, Legend, and Twilight all live in cabins.

At the Ranch, several things occur:

1) Rescue horses—they come from situations of abuse, neglect, or ignorance—are taken in, rehabilitated and oftentimes re-homed. Malom and Hyrule are the head rehabilitators, both having extensive knowledge and experience with horse medicine. Malon just grew up around horses, while Hyrule went to school specifically to learn how to treat horses! Beneath them, everyone helps out with rehabbing the horses :)

2) Training—horses can be boarded there and trained. Some horses need to be broken in, others need to be trained out of a bad habit, or re-trained after being owned by someone who didn’t know what they were doing. Time, and Malon are the head trainers at the stable, with Wild, Legend, and Four. They work as closely with the owners as possible, so that the owner knows what’s happening and can learn to handle their horse in those circumstances properly.

Legend only trains horses with certain temperaments/jobs in mind. Four trains all kinds of horses for English riding.

3) Riding lessons, specifically Western. Warriors, Legend, Sky, Four, and Malon are all instructors.

Warriors and Malon are the only English and western instructors around the barn. They work with all levels of riding, but Malon takes most of the little kids and Warriors takes intermediate and advanced.

Legend knows how to ride English, but he doesn’t like it and so chooses not to teach it. Legend is a Western instructor, for advanced students and little kids. He originally only did advanced students, but then he had to fill in for Malon one day and did surprisingly well with the little ones and they all loved him. After that, Malon would tell him about how all her students would ask when Mr. Legend was coming back and he caved and now takes on the little kids.

Sky and Four take all levels of riding, Sky is only western and Four is only english (although he can ride western too). Sky and Four specifically take kids with dreams of competing, either for fun or professionally in their respective riding classes.

Wind is an intern! He currently shadows Time and Malon officially, learning to ride and train both horses and people. Unofficially, he shadows Legend. Legend is mysterious but experienced, and Wind is nosy and eager to learn. Time also thinks the kid will get Legend to soften up a bit—Legend is a chill guy but something’s hurting him and keeping him little closed off. Time thinks Wind will smooth those rough edges and get him to open up. Wind also hangs around Warriors, just because the captain’s endless patience makes him fun to annoy for hours.

[blackseafoam]

Someone's Out There

previous WC: 1089 The Red Lantern is an Inn on the edge of the shrubsteppe wilderness. A string of bad happenings over the last few weeks have left the staff feeling strung out and fragile. Rosco has finally come to her senses after someone has been leaving out food in her ravine. Arturo discovers something that he tried to forget. Whumptober 2024. Day 19. BLOOD TRAIL abandoned cabin | one way out | "Is there anybody alive out there?"

Rosco leaned against her makeshift bed of dried grasses on the rock platform in the back of the cave. She woke slowly as the morning light seeped in from the cave entrance she stirred. 

Her eyes opened, finding that she was thinking clearly. A sensation she had been missing for weeks? Months?

She looked at the state of her surroundings, the wet interior of the cave was anything but homey. She shivered. Out of routine, she stood and went to the small spring against the adjacent wall for a drink. When she looked at the waters, she realized they were nearly black with tannins. Not necessarily poisonous. The previously dormant scientific part of her mind analyzed the pool. But I have no idea what might be in there. 

Then she remembered. The cache.

Her stomach growled. 

Every other morning since she’d seen that other at the entrance of her cave, of which there had been three, there’d been an assortment of food and a flask of fresh water left by the trickling creek. A few times, she’d had to fight vermin off her cache, so she’d been waking earlier and earlier to intercept the resource. Until today, she never wondered just who may have been leaving her the food. Until today, she hadn’t awoken this early to catch the mysterious donator. 

The tall half-orc stood to her full height and walked out of the cave, having to support herself on the wall as her weakened and slight frame could barely hold her up. 

The other.

He stood there, in that same cloak as before, the only difference being that his  arm was bound in a sling. She winced internally as she remembered hitting him with a rock days, maybe weeks earlier. Time had passed in an odd way, slipping through her mental fingers like sand, until today. 

The half-elf’s dark eye’s widened, he deposited the food on the ground in the usual spot and took several hurried steps backwards, his gaze never leaving her. “I’m just leaving this here, I’ll be going now.” He spoke in a calm tone, hands raised defensively, as he began to turn to walk back out of the ravine. 

“Wait.” Rosco spoke in a hoarse voice she didn’t recognize, but he was already gone, quickly disappearing over the top of the hill. She followed, panting with the effort.

When she got to the top there was no sign of him. She groaned in defeat, kicking at the earth, which was still stained with lines of boar’s blood. The trail of blood from those few nights ago when she had clubbed that other with a rock, over a meal that she got only a few bites of before a pack of wolves had fought her for it, and won. 

That man who had downed the boar. He was young. She’d attacked him over his kill, given him no warning, no fair fight. How could she have been capable of such a thing? 

Guilt wracked her. She shuddered at the intense memory, pushing it away, and went down to the pile of food to eat it all before it attracted any wildlife. 

Arturo sat ponderously in the pasture behind The Red Lantern, the dry grass that had been killed by the unusually hot summer prickled through even his thick work pants. A timid ball of fur cowered in his lap as several horses and a donkey approached curiously.

Boggis was the name the crew had collecitvely chosen for the little guy, Elleh had blurted it out and it stuck. The pup was quiet and sweet, but timid. At such a tender age, it was best to get him used to all sorts of situations, like the snouts of four massive beasts being shoved into his personal space.

Boggis climbed up Arturo's stomach and into his arms, ears back and growling. The hunter held the little dog close but let the horses continue to sniff the questionable little beast. Boggis's own inquisitiion eventually got the better of him as he turned around to sniff the equines back, and his little nub of a tail began to wag furiously.

"There you go." Turo smiled, slowly getting up and setting the pup down. Even though he rose as slowly as he could, the dizziness of his still-healing head threatened to knock him off balance.

Boggis didn't stray from between his feet as he casually walked around the huge pasture. That's when he noticed their pony, Vigno, standing by the old toolshed.

It was quite out of character for the little brown beast to stray from the herd. Arturo neared to investigate, and noticed the footprints.

Bare foot prints.

Arturo opened the door of the shed, slowly, unbreathing. He peered through the opening, taking a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Inside was a tall figure, leaning against the wall.

No. Not a tall figure.

The tall figure. The fangs. The torn clothing.

Turo cried out in alarm as the feeling of a memory rushed back to him. He wasn't sure why, but his entire body flooded with fear as he took in the sight.

He ran.

Arturo ran with such panic that the horses kicked out in alarm and ran toward the barn. Boggis yapped at his heels anxiously. The hunter's vision started to go dark around the edges, and he remembered Elleh scolding him about getting too excited while he was still healing. But every cell in his body was screaming at him to flee.

Rosco gasped at the sight of someone entering her shelter. It had taken her all day to find this place, and felt lucky to have a dark hidden alcove to plan her next move. The last thing she thought was that someone would immediately come snooping around an old toolshed in the back of a dusty horse pasture.

The figure fled before she could even register who, or what, it was.

"Wait!" She reached out, and struggled to her feet. She followed.

By the time she exited the shed she saw him slumped down on all fours, quickened breath wracking his whole body. He hadn't made it far. A little dog cowered against his leg as she approached. She gave a somewhat wide berth and rounded to face him.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I scared you I..."

The kid looked up at her, one hand pressed against his brow. His eyes widened in pure terror before the light left them and he passed out right there in the dirt.

[flagwars]

Video Game Flag Wars: Round 1

Now that the National Pride Fusion Flag Wars has ended, we can return to the Video Game Flag Wars! The prelims decided which flag would represent each series, so now the tournament contains one flag per series. This does not include mods and fangames, as there are multiple flags from Hearts of Iron mods and Roblox games in the tournament. As there are so many flags even after the prelims, there will be 32 polls in the first round rather than the usual 16. Let me know what flag you want to win! See the brackets below.

Round 1:

1. Crimson Cult Banner (Thaumcraft) vs. Flag (Roblox BedWars) vs. Salmon Run Flag (Splatoon)

2. Unnamed Flag (Lego City Undercover) vs. Atlantic Federation (Valkyria Chronicles) vs. Homestead Banner (Palia)

3. Middle Eastern Alliance (Squad) vs. Shadowkin (Raid: Shadow Legends) vs Bilge Rat Adventures Flag (Sea of Thieves)

4. Saker’s Flag (Fable) vs. Novistrana (Republic: The Revolution) vs. Arstotzka (Papers, Please)

5. San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) vs. Kirin Tor Offensive Banner (World of Warcraft) vs. Alliance of Galactic Travelers (No Man’s Sky)

6. Black Revolt (Kaiserredux) vs. Aquileian Republic (Supremacy) (Equestria at War) vs. Rescue Corps Flag (Pikmin 4)

7. Tropico (Tropico) vs. Sons of Liberty (Metal Gear Solid 2) vs. Commune of Revachol (Disco Elysium)

8. Mawkin Flag (Metroid: Dread) vs. Calchaqui (Europa Universalis 4) vs. Kazan Military Okrug (Thousand-Week Reich)

9. King Dedede’s Flag (Kirby: Triple Deluxe) vs. Meat Flag (Slime Rancher) vs. Flag of the Crown (Cult of the Lamb)

10. Communist Australia (Victoria II) vs. Delian League (Imperator: Rome) vs. Ominous Banner/Illager Banner (Minecraft)

11. Patagonian Worker’s Front (Kaiserreich) vs. Castle Siege (Super Smash Bros.) vs. Yara (Far Cry 6)

12. Stag Beetle Flag (Animal Crossing: New Leaf) vs. Fortnite (Fortnite) vs. Livonia (Arma)

13. Gaul Úr (Red Flood) vs. Strong Badia (Homestar Runner) vs. Super Earth (Helldivers)

14. Alam Melayu (Rise of Nations (Roblox)) vs. Tiki Tak Tribe (Donkey Kong Country Returns) vs. Sea Slide Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy)

15. Great Lakes Government (Kalterkrieg: Shadow of the Weltkrieg) vs. Principality of Kemerovo (The New Order: Last Days of Europe) vs. Joker Banner (Balatro)

16. Shadow Isles Clash Banner (League of Legends) vs. Rebel Corps, Phantom Thieves Version (Persona 5 Tactica) vs. Antarctica (3D Atlas (1996))

17. Generic Flag (Roblox) vs. Standing Flag (Dragon Blade RPG (Roblox)) vs. Zhu Xi's Legacy (Age of Empires 4)

18. Kitakami (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet) vs. South California (Cyberpunk 2077) vs. Watchers (Overwatch)

19. Avalar (Spyro the Dragon) vs. Union of American People's Republics (Red World) vs. Grey Warden Heraldry (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

20. Eusan Nation (Signalis) vs. Aurelia (Ace Combat) vs. Outer Wilds Ventures (Outer Wilds)

21. Columbia (Bioshock Infinite) vs. Sickle Moon Flag (Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) vs. Eggmanland (Sonic Unleashed)

22. The Allied Nations (Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) vs. The Rebellion (Just Cause 3) vs. Federation of the Americas (Call of Duty: Ghosts)

23. Great Lake Revolutionary Council (Extremis Ultimis) vs. Courland (Empire: Total War) vs. Columbia (Crimson Skies)

24. Pontiac Province (Judgement Day: Aftermath of the Red Flood) vs. Communist Iberia (Hearts of Iron IV) vs. International Workers' Armed Forces (Krasnacht: Twilight of the Gods)

25. New California Republic (Fallout) vs. Deep Hollow Valley (Night in the Woods) vs. Victory Flag (Fall Guys)

26. Zheng Fa (Ace Attorney) vs. Golden Deer Banner (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) vs. Warbanner (Risk of Rain 2)

27. Blue Flag (Halo: Combat Evolved) vs. Wario’s House (WarioWare) vs. American Collective (Twilight of the Anthropocene)

28. Niflheim (Final Fantasy XV) vs. Republic of America (Dustborn) vs. American Empire (Pax Britannica)

29. Corvus (Dead Ahead (Roblox)) vs. Banner of the First Fleet (Monster Hunter)

30. Fillydelphia Contingent (Balefire Blues) vs. Federation of Anrakan Isles (Suzerain)

31. Yartar (Baldur’s Gate 3) vs. Hurons (American Conquest)

32. Falkreath Hold (Skyrim) vs. Assassin Jolly Roger (Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag)