#Jungle TV Dinners

[jackbatchelor3]

🌴📺🍽️

[karlachismylife]

Spot on the Mark || The Queen of the Clan pt.5

CW: fem!chubby!reader, mentions of animal marking/pasting, some piss mentioned again, dead animal mentioned (no descriptions).

A lot more work goes into a wildlife documentary than you thought. It was obvious that it’s not as simple as just grabbing good quality cameras and riding off into savannah blindly, but the amount of tricks and different ways to get enough shots for a compelling and educational storyline you’re learning about seems infinite: from studying animals’ trails and routes of migration to hauling senior operators up into the trees to film fluffy and feathered stars of the future documentary as up close as possible without disturbing their natural peace.

These people have done it time and time again, telling you about the months-long stakeouts on bigger productions, the ones that can afford to simply wait every day for an animal to come and do what the script requires; the masking of carefully placed hides that can still be not enough to trick a smart bird into thinking it was all alone and perform a beautiful mating dance; the difficult hikes that test everyone’s endurance and result in barely ten seconds of footage in the end cut. You can’t help but feel excited yet intimidated when your turn comes to participate in one such trick, intended to shorten the waiting time your smaller production just can’t afford.  It’s not that difficult, but it’s smart and elegant – at least in your opinion.

This is how you find yourself stuck in your Rover with Kir, wrapped in a small blanket for additional warmth, while he meddles with the sound equipment: speakers mounted on the hood of the car and a knot of wires connecting them to a laptop, screen covered up with a scarf to muffle its light. You’re holding your night vision camera pointed at a spot just several meters ahead, a fresh carcass placed under a tree to attract a carnivore, two more cameras planted at different angles on the ground and one more strapped to a branch right above the “dining table”.

A switch clicks, and the night fills with triumphant hyena whooping, a whole cacophony of different voices celebrating a kill. This is a dinner bell for lions – no matter what the public’s perception is, it’s often the big cats coming to steal hyenas’ fresh kills, not the other way around. You hold your breath, misty clouds of steam coming out of your mouth dissipating in the loud, poorly lit night. You wait.

Time doesn’t stretch as much as you would think. This isn’t a boring, monotonous wait of a text back in a stuffy big city apartment, the only “wildlife” sounds seeping through the closed windows – revving engines of nighttime dumbass street racers or neighbours yelling at each other over hysterically loud TV.

Compared to what you’re used to, savannah seems peaceful. Somewhere in the vast darkness big predators avoid each other’s paths, unwilling to start unnecessary fights. Grass rustles in a rhythmic pattern as little springhares jump through the night, stopping to glance at the huge, imposing shadow of a human car just once and continuing on their way. The wind breathes quietly and calmly with the cooling ground, welcoming a lively picture of a complex system, each part of which is perfectly in tune with others.

You feel like you could be a part of it – like it’s a place you can actually belong to, care for and be taken care of in return, unlike the constant hectic hostility of a city. They call it concrete jungles, but none of the brutal ways of nature you’ve witnessed in the wild so far can compare to the ruthless, pointless cruelty human kind inflicts on itself and everyone else.

There is a hopefulness inside you that was completely snuffed out previously, and it sounds like a smooth, lulling chirping of insects hidden in the wet grass.

Loud baboon yelling alerts you before you manage to clock any movement or hear an animal approaching your little spectacle. Insane luck. Before gluing yourself to the camera, you glance at the time and it’s barely an hour after you put the recording on – it’s hard to contain your excitement, but you manage to keep your hands steady as you scope the area in search of your guest. Kir shifts in his seat next to you, picking up his simple night vision binoculars and following the same trajectory as your camera lens.

When you see a distinctive hunched silhouette sniffing at the bait, you almost feel the tiniest bit of disappointment – no lions today, huh? – that quickly gets replaced with surprise.

The hyena doesn’t even touch the food you placed to lure animals in and turns its back on it, instead staring straight at you and Kir. Its ears twitch, clearly determining the direction where other hyenas’ noises are coming from, and slowly, almost leisurely, it moves towards you.

“It’s coming here, Kir,” you whisper, still keeping the camera rolling, too fascinated with the elegance of each silent step the huge, dark form with devilishly glowing eyes in your night vision tape takes. “Didn’t even try the meat… what do we do?”

“Ah, shit, that’s a first one.” He sounds more surprised than concerned, and after a moment of hesitation, reaches out to turn the luring sounds off. “Maybe it’s already killed and got territorial? Worst case scenario, we just scare it away. You getting the footage?”

“I… am, yeah… it’s pretty.” Somehow you aren’t even surprised anymore, when the hyena ignores the fact that the calls of its peers or more likely rivals stop abruptly – there’s something deeply wrong with them here, you decide, too much human contact or something. Maybe these ones were released from the sanctuary? But no one in their right mind would let such domesticated animals back into the wild, right?

While the myriad of possibilities swarms your mind, the camera keeps recording, and you, quite well-trained already, don’t even seem to realize that you’re following the hyena’s steps, turning the camera more and more to the side as the animal approaches your Rover. Wait-

“Tsk, hold up!” Kir’s hand hooks into your back belt loop and pulls you slightly back into the car. When did you even stand up to lean over the car door? “Let’s not diversify its diet today with soft city cookies, alright?”

“Sorry, sorry,” you whisper, sitting back down. For a moment – just a moment – you lose the animal out of sight while you pull your pants back up, and the next thing you know it’s already right in front of you.

Standing on its short hind legs and resting front paws on the car side to lean inside.

A big snout shoved almost into your face, coming into your darkness-shortened sight out of nowhere, is bound to freak you out – you drop your camera, luckily catching it in your lap, and pull back, pressing your back into Kir, who can only grunt quietly under the sudden weight and grip your shoulders protectively.

The hyena just snorts and tilts is head adorably, a soft, almost reproachful look in its bit wet eyes reflecting every little light on the car’s dashboard and your equipment. There’s something familiar to this slender, elegant snout, nodding in the air as the big nose takes in your scent, toned down by the contrasting savannah night cold.

“Chocolate?.. Is that you?” It’s a wild guess, honestly – you can’t see shit without your camera, only able to notice the hyena’s movements by the wet glistening of its eyes, nose and lips, and even through the night vision equipment you weren’t able to determine your guest’s colour – something that would definitely help distinguish Chocolate from any other hyenas; you doubt there are any others, who are already this big and grown up, yet still carry their childish dark brown hide. Maybe Chocolate is a melanistic variant? You’ve never heard of such mutations in spotted hyenas, but it’s not like you specialize in them, right?

A soft grunt tears through your thoughts again, a non-threatening pitch that almost sounds like purring – along with the repeated scratching of its claws on the steel side of your Rover, Chocolate seems like a cat more than anything. A huge, maned cat asking to be let inside.

“No-no-no, buddy, you’re not coming into the car. It’s humans only.” You try to sound stern – it seems to work on these animals, but it’s so damn hard, when your visitor whines quietly and flutters its rounded ears, staring at you hypnotically. “Come on, there’s food. Look!”

A nod in the direction of the carcass, attracting no one but some flies it seems, has no effect on the hyena. When you pretend to throw something there, Chocolate giggles quietly and lowers itself back on the ground – but when it realizes you won’t be throwing any of your real possessions for it to chase after, it stands up against, reaching its long, thick-furred neck to breathe a hot, steamy snort into your face.

And just like that, after you blink at the pretty muzzle in disbelief, trying to find an appropriate way to react to a wild, dangerous animal almost sneezing in your face, it leaves to inspect your car.

For a moment, you worry it’ll try and jump inside from the back, but it seems to have lost any interest to join a party it wasn’t invited to. Slowly, you scramble back into your seat, relieving Kir of your weight and earning a supportive pat on the back from him, and pick up your camera to watch Chocolate.

“What’s it doing?” Kir’s whisper suddenly elicits more of a reaction from the hyena than any of your stern talking – it lifts its head from the tire it was sniffing at and scowls, a striking killer smile flashing in your direction. Seeing its sharp canines nestled in the massive jaws makes a cold shiver run down your spine. This just was right in front of your face with nothing to protect you against a sudden attack.

“Shh, quiet… don’t agitate it,” you whisper back as soon as you manage to swallow the snowball-like lump in your throat. Kir shuts up, clearly a full-on believer in your hyena whisperer abilities now, and you watch on as Chocolate lowers its cute head back, sniffing and pawing at your tire.

After several minutes of looking between you and the wheel, sniffs and huffs growing more and more impatient and exasperated, it gives up on whatever it was trying to tell you – you could swear it rolls its eyes too! – and circles your car, flicking the fluffy brush on the end of its tail in what you can only assume to be a goodbye.

You’re wrong. A real goodbye is left a few meters away from the Rover on Kir’s side. Your curious night visitor stops abruptly, sniffs the air, tilting its head so far back that it almost rests on its shoulder blades, and then, without a warning – what warning could you expect though? – it crouches down to paste over a particular spot in the tall grass.

“Is that?..” – “Yes.” You tear yourself away from the camera to glance at Kir, just in time to see him sigh heavily and put his binoculars down, rubbing his hand down his face painted with disbelief, eyebrows raised high and lips pressed together. You’re still not sure – even though little snickers already start escaping your throat and roll down your nose in sweet snorts – so you pry again: “The spot where you went to-“ – “Yes.”

Even the need to hold your camera still to capture Chocolate marking its territory with a thick smelly paste smeared all over the grass Kir went to pee in several hours ago can’t prevent you from giggling. Anxious about scaring the animal and provoking it, you cover your own mouth and keep filming – eyes on the little black and white picture just in time to see Chocolate shake its plush butt, tail high up to assert dominance, and turn to look at you.

Or, perhaps, to look at Kir.

“Okay, okay, got it, no pissing on your territory. Jeez, buddy, no need to be so petty about it, I probably live here as long as you do.” Hearing Kir mutter under his nose as he gets stared down by a proud carnivore is hilarious.

“You disrespected it. What’s it like, to have a sworn enemy because of your bladder?” Your little giggles elicit two smiles at the same time – an embarrassed one from Kir, who threatens to snore into your ear directly once you wrap up this nightly stakeout, and another wide, toothy one from Chocolate.

You can’t be sure with the blurry image your camera shows you, but you once again feel like it winks at you. How likely is it for this hyena to have some eye problems that cause it to constantly dish out the flirtiest winks an animal is capable of?

“Oh, look, it’s leaving,” Kir finally turns away from the direction Chocolate left in, and just scoffs when you hear distant whooping slowly pick up in frequency before it disappears into the night. “Wanna try with the record again? I’m not sure we will attract anyone if there are actual hyenas around, though.”

“No, no, let’s try again,” you’re fully energized despite your arms feeling cold because the blanket slipped off your shoulders when you got spooked by Chocolate. Kir pulls it back up, wrapping you in a warm cocoon, and rubs your shoulder absentmindedly while he rewinds the recording and tries slightly different settings. “Maybe we’ll attract Stinky at least, these two seem to be buddies.”

“Yeah, right,” he responds, wrapping his own jacket tighter around himself. “Because that little shit will cause less chaos that the one we just saw.”

You can’t argue with that. If that was Stinky that came to the false call, it would have definitely jumped into the back of your Rover.

“At least that’s some good footage to post online. They’re cute. Will be good promo for the documentary.”

Kir grumbles something into the warm thermos, steam clouding the air between you, and hands it to you – to warm both your hands and your whole body from the inside.

Even if you don’t catch a lion tonight, you still caught something precious – right in your heart. You just have to find a way to define it properly.

Part 4 | Part 6

Series masterlist | Main masterlist

Tagging: @elaineiswithyou-blog @creepingeva @my-halo-is-a-little-broken @sillymanjaro @ihatethinkingofnames10 @ravensfeatheruniverse @yaminax @ljh861 @darkangel4121 @ginger-n-coco @grey-shadow6475 @cryingpages @mothsdrabbles @mc-glare-is-king @vixxie22 @aldis-nuts @terraantarctica @henhouse-horrors @blizzivy @perfectus-in-morte

Here's an illustration to Chocolate's visit:

Comrades, I think I'm too deep in this now, I started watching documentaries about filming documentaries, the docuseption is coming for me...

[pink-crayon-princess]

🧸°•🪀☆°•🕹☆•°•🔫☆•°•🧸☆•°🪀

Ways to play if you can't have toys (that isn't just tv/journal/coloring!)

🧸°•🪀☆°•🕹☆•°•🔫☆•°•🧸☆•°🪀

I can have/buy/hide some things, I just can't have obvious little gear!

Window clings make great bath toys, and they come in lots of shapes and sizes for different holidays ☃️🎃

Fidget toys are also great bath toys, and squishy ones feel nice and slippery in the water! ♾️

Statues, figures, holiday decorations, and other thrifted objects can double as dolls - just be careful with them! 🎎

Fake fruit, such as grapes, can double as play food 🍇

Some useful items, such as plush doorstops or silly pens, can be cute for decoration AND for playtime! 🚪

Buy childrens' piano books and learn to play music on a free piano app, if you don't have access to a real piano. The songs are adorable, you will learn a skill, AND you will re-experience learning as a kiddo! 🎹

Print off or make age-appropriate worksheets for math, science, language, etc. and discard them afterwards 📝

Reward yourself with treats when you do something positive 🍬

Draw a picture using at least 10 stickers! 🩷

Lollipops make tasty replacements for pacis. The best sugar-free option is Zollipops! 🍭

I can't have/buy/hide anything at all

If you can't take baths, use brightly-colored soap or shaving cream to finger paint in the shower🧴

Use highlighters and pens that come in lots of different colors instead of crayons 🌈

Make a "snack plate" - a less-fancy charcuterie - it always makes me feel tiny! Cut your food into small bites and eat with your hands if you can 🍿

Learning is the best form of being little, in my fair opinion. Look up songs with hand motions and copy them, watch educational shows such as animal documentaries, or look around on kids' websites such as Nat Geo Kids! 🧪

Pick a scent, piece of clothing, accessory, etc. that you only use when you're tiny. Your brain will slip into the mood quickly 👕

Make paper dolls of yourself, your favorite characters, animals, and more. Make scenarios for yourself such as the carnival, cooking dinner, or being a vet! 🗞

Dance! 🎵

Use your imagination! Maybe a sparkly makeup brush is a movie star. Maybe a little candle is the shy kid. Maybe a sponge is the goofy goober. What personalities would you assign to inanimate objects around you? 💭

Crafting objects can be toys too. Ribbons, for example, can be laser beams, x marks the spot, horsie bows, jungle vines, balance beams, mazes, lassos, reins, and more. 🎀

Get outside! Go for a walk/run and collect fun things that you see along the way, like rocks or acorns. Maybe you can use them for playtime! 🌰

Use different-colored socks on your hands to make sock puppets 🧦

Go about your day ... but as a pirate! Or a princess! Or a tiger! How would a robot fold socks? 🤖

If you're not big on imaginative play, find things to sort, line up, or organize 📊

Talk to God. I'm serious! He wants to know and love you when you feel the most sensitive. You can babble at Him for hours and He will find you so sweet and endearing. There is nothing more healing than being His little one. Like He said, "Let the little children come to Me!" ✝️

[saraakpotter]

i can't love you (Mike Wheeler x reader)

summery: he loves you, but you can't hurt your sister. genre: angst warnings:Brief spoilers for season 2 but it's really not a lot. tell me if i missed anything :) a\n: well, i hope you like it. maybe i'll do a part two, tell me if i should. btw the story isn't set in season two but you can imagine it when ever you want<3

"i sound crazy don't i?" El said as she laid on your bed and hugged a pillow.

"yes, yes you do" you said chuckling and laying next to her "but that's the point of love, isn't it?"

"wow....that was so cute"

"i know, i heard it on TV" you joked and you both laughed

"but seriously" she said as she stopped laughing and sat straight "i love him. i really really love Mike Wheeler"

"i still don't get why you won't just confess to him"

"confess to him?! are you out of your mind?" she said looking alarmed

"yeah, why not? i'm sure he will like you back" you said as you sat up straight.

"he would, probably like me back. there is a 50% chance he won't. no, no, no, there is a 70% chance he won't"

"can you stop with the numbers? you are being dramatic. he would...." but your speech was cut off by your dad, Jim Hopper's voice.

"girls, dinner!" he called and you took El's hand.

"c'mon, we can't talk about your complicated love life with an empty stomach" you teased as she rolled her eyes playfully.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

".....she is the most beautiful girl i have ever seen! she is smart, funny, hot, sarcastic, we have shared interests...." Mike said as they all sat in his basement.

"okay, Mike, we get it! we have seen her a million times before" Lucas said cutting him off

"yeah Mike, you should quit rambling" Will said as he chuckled

"i'm not rambling!"

"yes, you are. it's always: y\n Hopper this, y\n Hopper that" Dustin teased mocking Mike and then making kissing noises making everyone laugh except Mike

"yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. not that you guys would shut up about Suzie and Max" Mike said rolling his eyes

"hey! they are our girlfriend's. if you just tell y\n how you feel, we will stop teasing you" Lucas said making Mike roll his eyes again

"yeah like it's as simple as that"

"it is! look, Mike, y\n had been our friend since we were 5. telling her how you feel isn't that hard"

"yes, it is. it may ruin our whole friendship if i tell her how i feel and she doesn't feel the same"

"that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard" Dustin said "of course she likes you back!"

"you're supposed to say that because you're my friend"

"maybe, but deep down, we both know i'm right"

Mike knew he was right. he should just stop being scared and tell her how he feels.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you were laying on your bed. weeks had past since the day El told you how she feels about Mike. she honestly didn't know how to feel.

you thought about the day your dad brought El home from the jungle. you were surprised. you and everyone else thought she was dead but she wasn't. you remembered how you really saw each other as sisters.

you can't ruin that. you can't break her heart. no. no matter how hard you've fallen for Mike Wheeler. you can't.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you heard a knock on your room door.

"come in?"

the door opened revealing the one and only, Mike Wheeler.

"hey, y\n\n"

you smiled widely but it quickly faded when you remembered the promise you made to yourself. you tried to bring back the smile.

"hey Mike"

he took a deep breath and sat next to you on your bed. he could practically hear hi own heart beat of how fast it was beating. he scratched the back of his head and exhaled before speaking.

"umm....y\n, there is something i needed to tell you. something that's been in my mind for a while"

"what is it?" you felt a little worried

"i.....well.....i....can you promise to not get angry? or think it's disgusting?"

"i won't, Mike, promise. just tell me what's wrong?"

"i.......i have feeling's for you. more than a friend, kind of feeling. I've been trying to find the right words, but nothing seems enough. I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember."

"you what?" you said not believing what you just heard. he can't have feeling's for you. he.....El loves him. and it doesn't matter if you love him because El does!

"i love you, y\n. i always have" he said looking for a positive reaction in your eyes.

you sighed. you wanted to say it. you wanted to say those 3 damn words back. but you couldn't. you couldn't hurt your sister.

"Mike, i....."

"Just tell me you feel the same, please" he said as you hide from his gaze. "do you feel the same?" he muttered. he already knew the answer but wanted to ask.

you wanted to kiss him. kiss him right there, not caring about what would happen next but you couldn't.

"Mike, I… I can't. Please, leave. just go" you said your voice barely above a whisper.

"y\n, please.....i......"

"mike, leave......please"

Mike sighed. he could feel his heart break and got up to leave but before opening the door he turned to you

"Why won't you let me in? I thought we shared everything. Why is this different?"

"Mike, please. things are not that simple"

"So, what? We just pretend this never happened? We just go back to being friends?"

"yes"

Mike sighed feeling tears as he turned back.

"This isn't fair. But if it's what you want… I'll go. But I'll always love you."

he walked outside the room and closed the door behind him. the door made a small noise as it was closed.

you didn't hold back tears anymore. they fell as you finally whispered: 'i love you too' to yourself.

(part two?)

[nrdmssgs]

I'm crazy and this is mainly based off my oc, but yn is prices adopted daughter that works with him, and the read is like 22-24 and price is supposed to be 45, and he kept it a secret because he's want to protect yn. I wanna see how the 141/könig reaction, can be romantic or platonic don't care lol, yes i know it's stupidly specific, but I'm stupidly specific.

The reader being Prices adopted daughter (part1)

Masterlist

Summary: you are Johns adopted daughter. This is how different members of the 141 find out about that and how they react.

AN: Hi! I'm almost through with this absolutely beautiful request! I've decided to split it into two parts, I really hope, you don't mind. I've kept it all really platonic and very comforting, and I just wanted to express my gratitude for such a wholesome request! Two important remarks: 1. My interpretation of your OC has turned to be a bisexual person. 2. The order in which the characters appear in the story does not affect their proximity to the main character in any way. This is simply the order in which the characters learned that she was Price's adopted daughter. She loves them all the same) I will, of course, tag you in the second part!!

There were four important names in your life. In your darkest hours, you kept repeating them in your mind. They were so much more than just colleagues, teachers, friends… they all were your family.

John

You were the oldest in your group in an orphanage. Others came and went, but not you. It happened so that you had to grow up ahead of time, get used to the fact that adults more often wanted to adopt babies. But you accepted this world and the rules. You never thought of it as some kind of noble mission, but you took care of your younger friends, worried about them, rejoiced with them. Whenever someone from your group left the shelter forever, you are separated from your friend, but at the same time rejoiced. Caregivers jokingly called you “the Keeper” sometimes, as you cared for other kids as much as a director of the orphanage. 

So when one day one of your teachers came up to you after class and said, "There's someone here who wants to meet you," and pointed to a man standing in the doorway, you were confused. The teacher led you to a stranger, and he squatted down so that your eyes were on the same level. "Hi. I'm John." He held out his hand, but noticing your uncertainty, lowered it and smiled warmly at you.

You hit it off quickly. John asked you a lot about life at the orphanage, about your interests. He himself turned out to be an incredibly interesting person: he visited all the corners of the world that you heard about on TV. John told you about jungles and canyons, about villages where all the roads were just small bridges thrown over the water, about ghost towns where it is so cold in winter that the steam from the mouth immediately turns into snow. Your stories seemed not that big to you. What is the story of how you and your friends fed a bumblebee worth compared to John's travels? You were embarrassed by this and quickly reduced such conversations to stories about your younger friends. What if he likes someone and takes one of them home?

“You seem to care for all of them dearly.” Johns looks on the horizon as you two sit on the bench. “You have it in you, kid. Willingness to help, to stand up for them. I see it clearly. Teach me to be like that, will ya?”

You look at him with big eyes full of disbelief. What can you teach him, an adult? Are you used to everyone teaching you something...

"I'm not doing anything special..." You look high into the sky above you. "Well, when any of them is very sad, I hug him with all my might. Maybe you can try to do the same and become like me?"

"Hug with all my might?" John chuckles. "Yes, Simon will be impressed..." But then he sees your worried stare and encourages you, "Hey, that's great advice! I'll try it. But I think, it's now time for you to have dinner, and for me to go home. Don`worry, kid, I promise to come in a week and update you on my progress!"

You do not believe that this man will return, so you try not to wait for him. Most often, adults come back for babies. You remember it. But he comes back a week later. Then he visits you again and again.

Then you end up visiting him. John has a whole house with a backyard! You build a bird feeders together, play board games late into the night, and even go hiking.

These are the best days of your life, and when it's time to go back to the orphanage, you turn your back on John and hide your tears, so he won't notice. "Hold on just a little longer, kid. I'll sort it out soon," he says, and puts a hand on your shoulder.

Whenever he takes you to his house, he gives you something: a plushie or a book or some clothes. But you never took those gifts to your orphanage because you were afraid that one day he would simply stop coming, disappear from your life, and all these trinkets would remind you of him. This little biter habit of yours broke Johns heart over and over again. You were still a child, but you were already afraid to get attached to someone.

One day he takes you back to his house once again. After an evening with cocoa and a board game, he hands you a simple envelope. "This is something very important. Take a look. I need your opinion on it." You are confused, but still open the envelope and start reading the document, that was inside it. You can hardly make out the text, overloaded with terms you are unfamiliar with. And then, little by little, understanding comes to you and the letters begin to blur before your watering eyes.

“Is… is it? I…” You try to say anything, but words fail you. So you jump off your chair and run to John. He barely has time to move away from the table when you do not even hug him - you cling to him with such force, as if your life depended on it. You've always tried to hide your tears in front of him, but now they're rolling and rolling down your face. John hugs you back and pats your head to comfort you. “It's ok, it's ok, I got you. You're gonna be ok, little one. We're gonna be ok. Not ok even - we're gonna be good. Together.” His voice is soft and quiet.

Simon

“I'll need you to take the mask off this time. Don't want you to scare anyone in m`house.” Ghost grants John a side eye and scoffs. “John Price lives alone no more?” John nods and continues to drive silently. Initially, Ghost was supposed to visit Captains house just for business, but now he is tormented by curiosity. “Someone trustworthy?” Ghosts voice is still muffled with the mask. “The most trustworthy person out there,” John smiles and Simon takes the mask off. Ghost enters the house before Price, who lingered at the trunk in search of something. Simon hears joyful kids voice. "John is back!" A girl of about twelve years of age runs down the stairs with a loud clatter. But when she sees Simon, she stops in her tracks. Price often leaves for some time, and she is already used to the fact that strangers often appear in the house: Johns relatives, acquaintances who look after the child while he is away. But Simons menacing appearance made her dumbfounded. She takes a tiny step back when Price's voice comes from the street. “It's ok, kid. This is mister Riley, he's my colleague and friend.” Both Ghost and the girl look at each other startled, not knowing what to say. John finally comes into the house and defuses the situation. "Look who we met on the way home," he says, and hands the girl a plush tiger cub. Her face immediately changes and she happily skips to John.

At dinner, she sits her new toy next to her and bombards Price with questions about his work and stories about what she has been doing in his absence. Simon looks from her to John and remembers how the captain stayed in his office until late at night, endlessly filling out some forms a couple of years ago. Ghost thought it had to do with work, but when he once offered to help Price with this paperwork, John refused with strange zeal. And now Ghost sees, what was it all about. And it all was hella worth it: she was the nicest, most well-behaved and happiest kid, Simon seen in a while. 

When they finished their dinner, the girl grinned conspiratorially. "Hey John! Guess what." And before Price could even react, she burst out impatiently and with ill-concealed delight: "I made your favorite dessert!"

"You? Or was it Aunt Meg?" John smirks and Simon realizes he's never seen the captain so happy before. "No, it's definitely me this time! She was just… looking out!"

Price walks into the kitchen and an awkward silence spreads across the living room. Although it seems that only Simon feels awkward - the girl stares at his tattoos with the most sincere interest. "Ehm, so you... love animals?" Ghost squints at the toy tiger cub. The girl smiles broadly and nods, never taking her eyes off Simon's arms. "Do you maybe… want to be a veterinarian when you grow up?" Simon continues this awkward conversation. "No!" She looks up at him and continues loudly, "When I grow up - I want to be a soldier like John!" The shrill sound of spoons and forks scattering across the floor comes from the kitchen.

“Soldier… I thought, kids in her age were supposed to want to become… I don't know, pop stars? Princesses? Figure skaters?” rants Price later that evening, when the girl is already sleeping and he and Simon are standing on a backyard. 

“She doesn't want to become any soldier. She wants to be 'a soldier like John'. You are her hero, Captain.” Simon chuckles, masking the fact, that he envies Price a bit. The undisguised delight with which the girl looks at John, her admiration for even the simplest, most trivial of his stories… No money could buy that.

Ghost visited Prices house throughout several next years, and every time he gradually became more comfortable around the girl. In some time, they could hang out together without any awkwardness. She brought her homework down to the big table in a living room and asked Simon to tell her stories about his work with John. Of course Simon tried not to mention anything too disturbing, but it was difficult, and the stories came out short and inconsistent. But she still thrived on them. “Seems like you are quite good at what you do!” She sounds almost as exited as when she talks to John. “Quite good? Lieutenant Ghost is the legend, kid,” comments Price, entering the room. Little do John and Simon know, this was the exact moment, that predetermined the girl's life for years to come. Now she had not just one, but two heroes and a dream: to become like them.

A few years later, which flew by for Simon like a few days, he and John were already present at her oath. Of the two, Ghost, who kept aloof from the others, seemed the calmer. John seemed to be worried about everything: because his daughter was one of the shortest in her formation, because of the bad weather and the fact that she was about to get wet, because of the form "which was of much better quality back in his time" ... But when she got out of line, when she began to recite the text of the oath, Simon shuddered inwardly. Price's daughter, this little dear miracle, who had been running around the house what seemed like just yesterday in funny pajamas, was reciting the oath... Ghost couldn't believe it.

And when she, with burning eyes and a happy blush on her face, ran up to them and saluted with the words "Captain, Lieutenant", Simon felt his eyes tingle. He left her alone with John so that they could share this very special moment. But a few minutes later he heard her hurried steps and she lightly squeezed his arm in a short friendly hug. "Starting your service with insubordination?" Simon scolded her, but in fact it was one of the brightest, happiest moments of his life. He never thought that someone else's adopted child could become so important to him.

Johnny

“Let go!” The fabric of Soaps T-shirt was stretched, and the seams began to crackle dangerously, ready to burst. "Johnny, cut it out!" - your voice echoed between the gray walls of the neighboring buildings of your base. You tried to work things out quietly, but with Soap, that's impossible. If he decides something, it's as good as done.

You try to hold him by force, but it's not so easy: to a greater extent, it's not your hands that clutched at his T-shirt that stop him, but the risk of ruining that T-shirt forever.

"Hey Soap! The hell is going on here?" Price's voice sounds so close that both you and Johnny flinch and turn around at the same time. "She's holding me by force! And you still ask me what happened?" Soap sounds fierce, but his posture shifts, and he unconsciously shields you from Price, who is looking from him to you. 

"Sorry, Captain. It's all right, the Sergeant and I were just joking." You answer, turning away from Price. But nothing ever escapes John. He walks around Soap, catches up with you and looks into your eyes. "You've been crying." It's not even a question, it's a statement. Price sees your reddened eyes, swollen eyelids. He also knows that you almost never cry. You want to be a good soldier so much, you look up to him and Ghost, you never let your emotions get the better of you. But if something brings you to tears... Something or someone... It's really bad.

“Gonna ask it once…” Prices eyes pierce right through the mask of dumb jolliness, you desperately try to put on. “What happened?” You try to come with anything, but your best shot just sounds pathetic “It's just an allergy, Captain…”

“Allergy my ass…” - Price walks around you and comes back to Soap. “Ok, Sergeant, let's see if you have anything better for me… Same question, I'm waiting.” 

You look at Soap with a mute pleading, but he does not notice this, his eyes are riveted to Price. “She was dumped today. I wanted to find the bastard and have a word with him.” Soaps voice is still harsh from your fight. You shut your eyes and let go of his T-shirt at last. Price slowly exhales. You know that sound. A quiet long exhalation, a harbinger of a storm. “Who?” - Johns` voice sounds cold and distant.

“Your guess is as good as mine. She doesn't tell, so I was heading to the barracks to find out myself.” Soap finally looks at you, his gaze is absolutely fierce, as if rejecting you was some kind of personal insult to him. 

Price turns around to you once more. One word is enough for him to express both a question and an ominous threat. “Name.” You shake your head, not daring to look up at him. 

John clearly doesn't want so sound menacing to you. And if Soap wasn't around, Price would already wrap you in a tight embrace to hide you from your own pain. But the fact, that someone dared to hurt, to reject you, his little treasure (and it doesn't matter, that the last night you turned 22), makes his blood boil with rage. Of course, he is overprotective as your father, but he believes, it's you, who deserves to choose partners, and they just have to be eternally happy and grateful for your attention. You understand, that your problems have just doubled up… Now both Soap and Price are waiting for you to drop the name, and every next moment of silence seems to only make it worse.

“I need the name, kid. Now, there won't be any fights, we'll just talk. Nice and calmly… And if that bloody moron just happens to slip and fall on the Sergeant's fist - I may not notice …” your Captains` voice was quiet, menacingly quiet. Johnny didn't look any friendlier, his posture was tense and his eyes - furious. You bite your tongue, afraid to say a word. “As you wish. Off to the barracks we head then,” commands Price, and they walk past you.

In a fit of desperation, you take off and rush after them. "Wait! There's no need to 'talk' to anyone, please... It was Sarah... from the office."

They both stop in their tracks and look at each other. This... changed a lot. Of course, they still care about you and want to help, but now, obviously, they will have to reconsider their plans. Soap looks completely lost, Price checks time and rises his gaze back at you. 

"In two hours, both of you. My office." Johns` voice is echoing in your head as they both leave you alone. It's hard to even roughly imagine what awaits you and why John also needed Soap. Perhaps the Captain just wanted to lecture you about relationships at work, and so he invited Johnny, who had several... similar experiences.

But when you and Soap meet on the threshold of Price's office at the appointed time, the captain silently nods to his desk with three empty glasses and a flask. The rest of the evening, these two vied with each other to tell you about different failures in their personal lives. At first you feel awkward, but gradually you relax. Some stories make you sigh sadly, others are so funny that you almost choke with laughter. Little by little, you're feeling less pain from being dumped. Yes, maybe you didn't get someone, you wanted, but you have John and Johnny, who are not embarrassed to tell you the most silly and sad personal stories, just to make you feel less alone even in such a situation.

When you leave Price's office, both you and Johnny's faces are flushed with constant laughter. He puts his hand on your shoulder and says: “Hey, don`ya spend y`tears on that dafty, ok? She lost more than you today! We'll find you a nice lass or lad, that papa Price approves of!” You almost fall over in surprise. Nobody but Ghost knew that Price had ever adopted you. Here at the military base, you and Price were just colleagues.

"What, you think m`blind?" Soap stops and stares at you. "The captain takes care of everyone in his own way, but arranging something like this... The last time, I was in a similar situation - the man just filled me up with paperwork so that I had no energy left for anything else." When he puts it that way, it darts to be obvious to you too: you may kept your secrets, but the way you and Price cared for each other was sometimes on the surface. “Johnny… I don't know, how to put it right, but we really try to keep it…” 

“Keep just to yourselves? Dinae worry, I get it.” He smirks. “Price is protecting you and so will I from now on. So, ma mouths shut.” 

And Johnny keeps his word: he never mentions how you are related to Price, never publicly reminisces about that evening at Captains office. And he also starts a whole operation to find and select the perfect candidate for you, but that's a whole another story.

[sarahaktozier]

i can't love you

summery: he loves you, but you can't hurt your sister.

genre: angst

warnings:Brief spoilers for season 2 but it's really not a lot. tell me if i missed anything :)

a\n: well, i hope you like it. maybe i'll do a part two, tell me if i should. btw the story isn't set in season two but you can imagine it when ever you want<3

"i sound crazy don't i?" El said as she laid on your bed and hugged a pillow.

"yes, yes you do" you said chuckling and laying next to her "but that's the point of love, isn't it?"

"wow....that was so cute"

"i know, i heard it on TV" you joked and you both laughed

"but seriously" she said as she stopped laughing and sat straight "i love him. i really really love Mike Wheeler"

"i still don't get why you won't just confess to him"

"confess to him?! are you out of your mind?" she said looking alarmed

"yeah, why not? i'm sure he will like you back" you said as you sat up straight.

"he would, probably like me back. there is a 50% chance he won't. no, no, no, there is a 70% chance he won't"

"can you stop with the numbers? you are being dramatic. he would...." but your speech was cut off by your dad, Jim Hopper's voice.

"girls, dinner!" he called and you took El's hand.

"c'mon, we can't talk about your complicated love life with an empty stomach" you teased as she rolled her eyes playfully. ✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

".....she is the most beautiful girl i have ever seen! she is smart, funny, hot, sarcastic, we have shared interests...." Mike said as they all sat in his basement.

"okay, Mike, we get it! we have seen her a million times before" Lucas said cutting him off

"yeah Mike, you should quit rambling" Will said as he chuckled

"i'm not rambling!"

"yes, you are. it's always: y\n Hopper this, y\n Hopper that" Dustin teased mocking Mike and then making kissing noises making everyone laugh except Mike

"yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. not that you guys would shut up about Suzie and Max" Mike said rolling his eyes

"hey! they are our girlfriends. if you just tell y\n how you feel, we will stop teasing you" Lucas said making Mike roll his eyes again

"yeah like it's as simple as that"

"it is! look, Mike, y\n had been our friend since we were 5. telling her how you feel isn't that hard"

"yes, it is. it may ruin our whole friendship if i tell her how i feel and she doesn't feel the same"

"that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard" Dustin said "of course she likes you back!"

"you're supposed to say that because you're my friend"

"maybe, but deep down, we both know i'm right"

Mike knew he was right. he should just stop being scared and tell her how he feels. ✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you were laying on your bed. weeks had past since the day El told you how she feels about Mike.

You honestly didn't know how to feel. you thought about the day your dad brought El home from the jungle. you were surprised. you and everyone else thought she was dead but she wasn't.

you remembered how you really saw each other as sisters. you can't ruin that. you can't break her heart. no.

no matter how hard you've fallen for Mike Wheeler. you can't. ✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you heard a knock on your room door. "come in?"

the door opened revealing the one and only, Mike Wheeler. "hey, y\n\n"

you smiled widely but it quickly faded when you remembered the promise you made to yourself. you tried to bring back the smile. "hey Mike"

he took a deep breath and sat next to you on your bed. he could practically hear his own heart beat of how fast it was beating. he scratched the back of his head and exhaled before speaking.

"umm....y\n, there is something i needed to tell you. something that's been in my mind for a while"

"what is it?" you felt a little worried

"i.....well.....i....you won't think it's disgusting... Right?"

"i won't, Mike, promise. just tell me what's wrong?"

"i.......i have feeling's for you. more than a friend, kind of feeling. I've been trying to find the right words, but nothing seems enough. I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember."

"you what?" you said not believing what you just heard. he can't have feeling's for you. he.....El loves him. and it doesn't matter if you love him because El does!

"i love you, y\n. i always have" he said looking for a positive reaction in your eyes. you sighed. you wanted to say it. you wanted to say those 3 damn words back.

but you couldn't. you couldn't hurt your sister.

"Mike, i....."

"Just tell me you feel the same, please" he said as you hide from his gaze. "do you feel the same?" he muttered.

he felt like he already knew the answer but wanted to ask.

you wanted to kiss him. kiss him right there, not caring about what would happen next but you couldn't.

"Mike, I… I can't. Please, leave. just go" you said your voice barely above a whisper.

"y\n, please.....i......"

"mike, leave......please"

Mike sighed. he could feel his heart break and got up to leave but before opening the door he turned to you

"Why won't you let me in? I thought we shared everything. Why is this different?"

"Mike, please. things are not that simple"

"So, what? We just pretend this never happened? We just go back to being friends?"

"yes"

Mike sighed feeling tears as he turned back.

"This isn't fair. But if it's what you want… I'll go. But I'll always love you." he walked outside the room and closed the door behind him. the door made a small noise as it was closed.

you didn't hold back tears anymore. they fell as you finally whispered: 'i love you too' to yourself.

(part two?)

[cookinguptales]

just watched the dirty laundry ep where one of them talks about how he wrote a short story that worried his teacher and like

ohhh I had one of those when I was a kid. my parents still talk about it to this day.

when I was about 8yo, my teacher put a poster up on the blackboard and said, "I want you all to write me a story inspired by this scene." the scene was of a lush jungle that had animals hidden throughout.

"oh, okay," I said to myself. "I can do this."

see, what my teacher (and parents) didn't know was that my grandmother, knowing vaguely that I liked to read but knowing pretty much nothing else about children, had given me a stack of books that she got at a yard sale. these books were very nice quality and I was happy to get them. too bad that they were all alfred hitchcock presents!

for the uninitiated, AHP was a tv series and book series that collected short, scary stories. stories about murder, stories about ghosts, stories about monsters of all kind. you get stories like du maurier's the birds and blackwood's the wendigo and that fucked-up short story that roald dahl wrote about that guy who collected fingers or whatever.

all that is to say that I had been consuming wildly age-inappropriate atmospheric horror for months at this point and I was like, "yes, I know just what to write!"

I ended up turning in this story about an explorer who was lost in the jungle and he starts hearing this faraway howling sound, which he realizes is a howler monkey. and he keeps getting more and more lost and the howling keeps getting closer and closer and finally, as he is about ready to collapse with exhaustion, he hears the sound of howls all around him and the story ends with the implication that he got mauled to death by howler monkeys.

(I also, coincidentally enough, really enjoyed zoo books!)

lmao ~guess whose parents got a phone call~?

but it kind of backfired on my teacher, because my parents were fully delighted. they were like "WE DIDN'T KNOW SHE COULD WRITE LIKE THIS" and I did not get punished at all.

anyway, my parents still talk about "the howler" to this day when they want to embarrass me at dinner parties. :')

[superiorsturgeon]

Domestic Arkos Role Reversal

Pyrrha: *distressed, reading the mail* Oh, no! I lost another sponsorship! And just when huntress jobs are running short, too!

Jaune: *wraps Pyrrha in a hug* Darn, that’s too bad. I guess I can go back to my old job being a crossing guard to make ends meet and you can stay home with Jamie for now?

Pyrrha: I suppose it would be nice to spend time at home with our son…

Pyrrha: Okay, let’s do it!

———————————————————————

Jaune: *heading out the door* Love you both! Be good for your mom, Jamie! Remember to call me if you need help, okay?

Pyrrha: Don’t worry so much! Hurry up or you’ll be late!

Pyrrha: Well, it looks like it’s just you and your mother today, right sweetheart? *looks down at Arkos son*

Jamie: *already has gum in his hair* 😀

Pyrrha: 🤦‍♀️…this day is not off to a good start…

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *struggling with pot roast recipe and slow cooker instructions* Wait, is “warm” a higher or lower heat than “low?”

*Smoke alarm goes off*

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *steps on lego while playing with Jamie*

Pyrrha: 😫 FU-

Jamie: 🙂 ?

Pyrrha: *clamps a hand over her mouth and muffles her agonized scream*

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *pushing grocery cart and reading shopping list*

Pyrrha: How can two adults and a five-year-old need seven pages of groceries?

Pyrrha: And what on Remnant is tarragon?!

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *removes laundry from dryer*

Pyrrha: *holds up shrunken shirt* 😟

Pyrrha: …Jamie, sweetie, how would you like one of your father’s old shirts?

Jamie: 🙃

———————————————————————

Jamie: *running around happily with the other children at the park*

Pyrrha: *slumps on a bench* Ugh…how can one little boy have so much energy…? 😮‍💨

Pyrrha: Maybe I can just rest here for a minute…

Pyrrha: 😴

Random Mother: …excuse me? Miss? Isn’t that your son?

Pyrrha: *cracks open one eye* …bwuh…?

Jamie: *on top of jungle gym, losing his balance*

Jamie: 🫨

Pyrrha: 😱

Pyrrha: *launches herself off the bench into a diving catch*

Pyrrha: *heart hammering* Are you okay?!

Jamie: 🥺 *small nod*

Pyrrha: *flops on the ground clutching her son*

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *holding napping Jamie on her shoulder during PTA meeting*

Jamie: 😪 *drools a bit on Pyrrha’s shirt*

Pyrrha: I’ve never been so bored in my life…🥱

———————————————————————

Jaune: *opens door to Arkos house* Hello! I’m home!

Jamie: Daddy! *runs to the door*

Jaune: Hey, there’s my little guy! *scoops up his son as he walks inside* How was your day with mommy?

Jamie: We went to the park! Mommy’s sleepy though!

Pyrrha: *passed out on the couch with disheveled hair, stains on her shirt, and a pile of half-opened bills on her lap as her son’s favorite cartoon plays on the tv* 😴

Jaune: *bends down and gently shakes Pyrrha’s shoulder* Pyr? How are you doing?

Pyrrha: *snorts and jerks awake* What? Huh? Jamie, be careful with that-!

Pyrrha: Oh, Jaune…! Welcome home! How was work? 🥱

Jaune: *adjusts Jamie in his arms* Just like I remembered! Helping kids cross the street, politely telling some of the moms that I’m very taken! 😁

Pyrrha: *exhausted pout* I’m much too tired for jokes, Jaune…😣

Jaune: Okay, okay! Let me put my stuff away and we’ll see about dinner!

Jamie: Pizza? ��

Jaune: *looks at the stack of dishes in the kitchen with burnt-on food* …yeah, sure little guy! Go wash your hands and daddy will order pizza.

Jamie: 😄 *happily runs to the bathroom*

Pyrrha: *slowly gets up and walks face-first into Jaune’s shoulder* …how do you do it…? I’ve trained for the arena for years and fought Grimm bigger than our house, but I’m so tired after one day at home with my own son…! 😭

Jaune: *wraps Pyrrha in a hug* Don’t worry, Pyr! It just takes some practice! Besides, it’s only until you get another huntress job and get back to being a hero!

Pyrrha: *mumbles into Jaune’s chest* …If you can do this every day while I’m at work, you’re the REAL hero…!

Jaune: Hey, I’m just the loving house husband of Pyrrha Freaking Nikos! I’m sure everyone will be calling you “The Invincible Mom” within the week!

Pyrrha: …

Jaune: …Pyr…?

Pyrrha: *asleep against Jaune* 😴

Jaune: *scoops up exhausted Pyrrha*

Jaune: …she has gum in her hair…

[ask-hws-america]

Got any favorite cartoons? (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

You bet I do!

Batman the Animated Series:

This show has the best Batman, the best Joker, it INTRODUCED Harley Quinn to the world, reinvented several characters for the better, wasn't afraid to get dark, and inspired a lot of elements of the live-action movies!

Looney Tunes:

Classic American cartoon, iconic characters, super chaotic, super quotable...

Kim Possible:

Another super fun show with a great rogues gallery! Also, I was told by one of my citizens that I sound like Ron Stoppable and honestly, they're kinda right. We also just have similar energy in general!

Hercules:

HERC IS THE HERO!! 💪💪 How could I not watch Disney's Hercules TV spinoff?? Herc is so me-coded. 😁 Shame Meg (one of the hottest Disney ladies, just sayin') doesn't get much screentime since the show mainly takes place before the movie, but it did give us Cassandra, whose friendship with Herc reminds me of me and Belarus!

The Legend of Tarzan:

Another Disney spinoff show! It's just so cool watching Tarzan fight, and the jungle setting's awesome! They get real creative with it. They also introduce lots of new antagonists, like there's this one blond green-eyed thick-browed English double agent dude who ends up betraying England. HAHAHA!

House of Mouse:

UNDERRATED SHOW. It has a bunch of Disney characters (even obscure ones) all interacting with each other at a cartoon dinner theater. Lots of references and funny moments!

Johnny Bravo:

HUH! 💪 HUH! 💪 MAN, I'M PRETTY! Sometimes I just wanna watch a goofy muscle dude who talks like Elvis. What else can I say?

Garfield:

Another classic. Garfield reminds me of my own cat, who is also big, loves food, and likes to lie around a lot. Although mine is more hyper! And not orange. He's white with brown fluff around his neck and weird face markings that look like glasses!

ATLA:

An awesome story with awesome characters! Sokka especially! He's a funny guy who's not taken seriously but is actually super smart in his own way.

[pokemonbattletournament]

We have Pokémon at Home!

Round 2 matchup 29

Propaganda for Anatan:

"They evolved through the power of love and they are the indominable backbone of my team :)"

Propaganda for Bogweasel:

"Common in freshwater swamps, sewers, humid jungles and damp caves, this small annelid vampire transfixes prey with its luminous gaze, painlessly saws through flesh with its three opposing tooth plates and bloats to nearly a globe as it messily suctions out blood and entrails. (...) It particularly relishes eyeballs as an "after-dinner snack."

Bogweasel are fond of music, and may attempt to "sing along" to any melody in their territory even while attempting to feed upon its source. "

More info under the cut

More information about Anatan:

More information about Bogweasel:

[edgessunflower]

In honor of the big win, could I request a Rick O'Connell X Fem!Reader and they both go treasure hunting? Maybe the reader saves Rick or something? Super fluff and a bit of some teasing? Thank you! 😘

OMG FINALLY I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO WRITE FOR THE MUMMY! ❤️

You'd be lost and alone without me

Pairing: Rick O'connell x reader

Description: You and Rick confess your feelings for each other after saving him on your journey in Indonesia

You ran as fast as you could being chased by the group of people after the ancient artifact that you and Rick had been after and found to take to a museum in the US. The two of you had heard of an ancient jewel that was hidden in ruins of the Indonesian jungle immediately agreeing not only to go and bring it back to the states but also going together surprising the both of you who didn't know about each other for the first bit until you saw each other smiling and hugging, you and rick had been on expeditions before in Italy, Spain, and Israel meeting through your mutual friend Ardeth Bey who you had known for years since childhood growing up for a few years in Egypt where the two of you met and were friends before moving back to the US meeting him again when he joined the two of you in Spain and joining the two of you on your expedition in Israel. You both developed feelings for each other half way through your Italy trip and they soared during and after the two trips after as you both secretly thought of how to tell the other and what to do if the other rejected but all the plans for that went out the window when you saw him on the ground surrounded filling you with fear and anger jumping off the tree you had climbed running top speed jumping on one of the men hitting him with a rock followed by pulling 4 men off of rick and using your gun shooting them not to kill them but to wound them enough so they couldn't move for a bit. You grabbed rick's hand and the both of you ran until you were on the side of the road not too far from the hotel you were both staying at where ardeth was waiting for you both to come back with the jewel taking a few breaths before walking back checking behind you to make sure it was just the two of you and no one following behind grabbing waters and fruits from locals who could tell you were out of breath, you met with ardeth giving him the jewel to keep and hide until the next morning when you would meet up with him before going to the airport heading back for your home in the US staying your final night together in the hotel eating dinner and watching tv until you both fell asleep in your beds waking up to get a drink quietly hearing the fridge a few feet away from you open.You turn seeing a half asleep rick talking to each other as you went back to the other room watching tv until he walked over sitting next to you feeling a sudden feeling of warmth and comfort. You looked at each each other slowly leaning towards each other only a few inches away "I have loved you since we met and I haven't been able to not love you" before you could finish or stop for him to say something back he grabs your face pulling you to him with his hands on your face and in a kiss that was way more than you ever imagined when you thought about having a kiss with rick making you feel even more warmth holding each other smiling as you fell asleep with your head on his chest.

[laughing-with-god]

Last question for now (apologies!)

What are the personal like… styles/ vibes of their homes? Or like, how would they decorate the inside of it? Or would they at all?

(me personally, if I just won the Hunger games, the first thing I'm doing is an AD Open Door Victor's Village edition lmao)

(( Author's Note : Don't be sorry, I love questions like these! It helps me attach visuals to characters which is really fun. For this, I pulled some Pinterest pics and did some light research on the districts, but also feel free to interpret/imagine what you feel is right!!))

Jin

I picture that the Victor homes vary depending on their district, which would make sense considering the districts are in different landscapes so not all homes can be built the same

For District One, I picture little mansions with lots of glass walls for natural light. This district is apparently in the center of the U.S. (Wyoming, Idaho, Utah) so I can see some natural materials, sun roof windows, low and wide mid-century modern houses

I think stylistically, Jin would decorate his home with lots of white and browns, a colorful rug or accent furniture here and there, but he doesn't overdo it in fear of being tacky

fireplace is probably boarded up for um, obvious reasons (war flash backs lol)

I think his favorite part of his home is the kitchen. In the games, starvation was especially tough on him, so now I think he seeks comfort in food. I can see him taking cooking classes or hiring a personal chef, maybe even throwing dinner parties.

If you were to move in with him, I think he'd be okay with you changing whatever you wanted, as long as he gets to keep all his fancy kitchen appliances

Namjoon

I dont think he'd care a lot about the style of his home, I also see him rarely being there since he has so much work to do in the capitol

District Three is apparently in the midwest, and there's lots of factories that make high end technology for the capitol

Therefore, I think the victor homes there would be simple, modern/industrial condo-style homes? Lots of grays and blacks with granite accents.

I don't think Namjoon would go out of his way to purchase furniture or decor, just accepting the furnishings it already came with. He's not a sentimental guy and a part of him is always aware that his home is technically the capitol's property, not his.

I think a cool highlight of his home would be the technology. Like his tv is just a hologram or there's just some cool tech that locks all the doors and turns on the lights on at once. other disctrict victors don't even get that, it's just district three since they rule technology

If you were to move in, Namjoon would gladly welcome any change in decor, letting you know that he never saw the point before you

Jimin

So I personally feel like District Four would make more sense in a tropical place like Florida or something, therefore I feel like there would be a "jungle/beachouse" vibe to the victor homes here

Victors row would be in a vegetated area of four, not too far from the water. I don't see the capitol wanting to have victors living right on the coast since that's most likely reserved for shipments, boating, fishing and yeah....the water is probably heavily monitered in case people get ideas...

Jimin more or less kept everything the same, though he did let his desinger team go crazy with the jungle concept

I can see Jimin liking the color green and also taking care of plants, since he's pretty lonely back at Four it gives him a little sense of innocent purpose

Again, he's def more at the Capitol than here tho, often times this feels more like a vacation home

All the guest rooms get used as extra storage for all the gifts he received from capitol women. hopes to one day fill them with kids tho :(

If you were to move in, Jimin would be estatic and gladly join in any renovation plans. He'd want to be included in the choices, pick the wrong wallpaper even and he'd be pissy about it lol

Hoseok

District Eight is full of factories and textiles, so I see victor's homes being industrial condos with brick walls, exposed pipes and wooden beams

Hoseok will try to decorate and make it feel cozy, just for the sake of his siblings though

I feel like he probably gave his siblings the bigger rooms and took one of the smallest in the home

Anything his little brothers or sisters want, it's theirs no question asked

I can see him becoming a little home maker honestly. He wakes his siblings up in the morning, makes them breakfast, sends them to school, then comes back home and cleans their rooms / common spaces, does some grocery shopping, laundry ect. ect.

It's very cute and mother hen of him but he really just can't handle freetime bc then his mind wonders to dark places...

so he throws himself into caring for his siblings

If you were to move in with him, he'd welcome you and any changes you might want to have on the common spaces, but obvi is protective of his siblings' stuff.

Yoongi

Six is said to be highly populated and overly dense, borderline too many people live here. I picture it as a city too, transportation being their main hub so there's probably even a subway system

Therefore I think the captitol would make a victor buidling or something. District Six doesnt have many victors and the place is already so dense, I think a good solution would be to make one big high rise of apartments where all the living victors have their own units

Yoongi probably threw away everything in the apartment

I can see him having some chairs and a single bed. prob doesn't even have a tv bc keeps breaking them in rage every time the capitol makes an "announcement" lol

Fridge is also always empty. Boy can go days without eating so it doesn't even occur to him to have groceries on hand

Pics below are what the place should look like, before he fucked it up

If you were to move in, good luck on even hanging up a single picture. Give it a week before Yoongi flies into another rage and rips everything to shreds.

Taehyung

I think District Eleven victor homes would be like large, farmhouses on hills away from the rest of the town

I picture feilds upon feilds in this district, since it's all about farming so it's probably very big in terms of land

I also don't think the capitol had many of these houses made, correctly assumming that Eleven wouldn't have many victors

I think Taehyung actually loves his home, quite liking the simplicity and size of it

I can see him starting a little garden in the back yard, or even getting some chickens to keep him busy

He probably would read to his mother too, he most likely set her up in the master bedroom and waits on her hand and foot

If you were to move in, he wouldn't mind little changes here and there. But at his core, he is a minimalist and would rather you not clutter up his space. Don't you two (three including his mom lol) have everything you need already? There's no shame in the simple life.

Jungkook

District Two is up in the mountains! Very cold and harsh winters, thin air but I'd imagine its very beautiful

The homes here are built in luxury cabin style at the base of the mountains. District Two also has the most victors, so I imagine their victors' village is quite the neighborhood

Jungkook is fond of the views he gets from his home. I think he'd like hiking too so he enjoys the proximity to nature

As for the interior, Jungkook doesn't really care. I know, most of the victors on this list don't care but like, kill 23ish kids in a game and ig it puts things into perspective lol

Like Yoongi, all he really needed was a good bed and he'd be okay. I don't think he got rid of the furniture the capitol provided, but he doesn't have an opinion on it either

If you were to move in, Jungkok would just hand you the cash to buy whatever decor you want, just as long as it's not "too girly"

[sapphirothcrescent]

Sapphire Aphelion Favorites

Favorite Color: Blue

Tea or Coffee: Tea. She only likes coffee FRUIT, not the burnt roasted bean juice.

Spicy or Mild: The spicier the food, the better.

Favorite Fruit: Mangoes and coconuts.

Favorite Season: She comes from a jungle so it's got two seasons wet and dry. She prefers the wet season. "Normal" seasons, she likes spring.

Favorite Meal: Breakfast for Dinner. Especially bacon.

Favorite Flower: Water Lily

Favorite Animal: Since she's a big animal person she likes ALL animals but some of her favorites are pigeons, butterflies, cats big and small, pythons, boas, otters, and parrots.

Favorite ice cream flavor: Mango or cookie dough.

Favorite scent: Sephiroth Cinnamon or Lemon

Hobbies: Drawing, Reading, Climbing, Gardening, Bird Watching, Teasing Sephiroth.

Favorite TV Shows: FF7's equivalent of "old" shows. Think OG Star Trek, M*A*S*H, Brady Bunch esque shows.

Favorite Music: Rock n' roll.

[disneyparksattractionstournament]

Round 1 of Extinct Disney Parks attractions and experiences matchups

Group A:

A1:

Horizons vs Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy

Innoventions vs Magic of Disney Animation

Rocket Rods vs Backlot tour

Disneyland's Peoplemover vs Adventure Thru Inner Space

River country vs Discovery island

Wonders of Life Sensory Fun house vs Honey I Shrunk the Kids playset

Stitch's Great Escape! vs The Enchanted Tiki Room:Under New Management

Shark reef (Typhoon Lagoon) vs Kim Possible: World Showcase Adventure

A2:

Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour vs ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter

The Great Movie Ride vs World of Motion

California Screamin vs Maelstrom

Test Track 1.0 vs Ellen's Universe of Energy

Cranium Command vs El Rio del Tiempo

Journey Into Imagination vs 20k leagues under the sea

Season of the Vine vs Mission Tortilla Factory

Superstar Limo vs Orange Stinger

Group B:

B1:

25th Cake Castle vs Stitch TP castle

Epcot Spaceship Earth Wand/2000 vs Earffel Tower

Pre-Frozen Norway Epcot vs Wonders of Life pavilion

The Land fountain/pre 2004 The Land vs Epcot future world floor fibre optic lights

Downtown disney vs Millennium village

Aunt Polly’s vs Soundstage restaurant

Mouse Gear vs Old World of Disney

Old entrance plaza/section of DCA vs A Bugs Land

B2:

Pizza planet vs Electric umbrella

Big coke bottle mist sprays at MGM vs Space Mountain bouncy walkway after ride

Cinderella Castle Christmas lights vs Old Cinderella Castle colors

Toontown fair vs Streets of America

MGM Sorcerer's hat vs DCA letters

Fountain of Nations vs Old Polynesian Lobby

Ice Station Cool vs Old MK hub/plaza

Pleasure Island vs Disney Quest

Group C:

C1:

Mickey and the Magical Map vs Main Street Electrical Parade

Spirit of Aloha dinner show vs Legend of the Lion King

Remember the Magic/Magical Moments parade vs Dream Along With Mickey show

Magic Journeys vs Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Illuminations vs Star Wars Fireworks

Red Cad Trolley News Boys vs Club Buzz / Calling All Space Scouts… a Buzz Lightyear Adventure

Character dining at the Liberty Tree Tavern vs Push the Talking Trash Can

Food Rocks/Kitchen Kabaret vs The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History

C2:

Golden Dreams vs Eureka! The California Adventure Parade

Tapetry of Nations parade vs Wishes

Citizens of Hollywood/Main street vs Lucky the Dinosaur

Mickey climbing the Matterhorn vs Disneyland mermaids

Paint the Night Parade vs Mad T Party

Stars and Motorcars parade vs Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade

Animagique vs Kitetails

Spectromagic parade vs Mickey Mania parade

Group D:

D1:

Old Kilimanjaro Safaris with plotline/Little Red VS. Fountains in Small World/old colors

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights vs Jedi Training Academy

Disney dollars vs Hard tickets at Disney World

Old look of chocolate coins in parks(with Dumbo, Jiminy Cricket, and Scrooge) vs Wake Tinker Bell at Tinker Bell’s Treasures

Wading in lakes/beaches vs Riding in the front of the monorail

Tom Sawyer paint brushes vs Magical express

Pal Mickey vs Epcot Living statues

Strawberry Minnie Fruit bars vs Simba Paw ice cream bar

D2:

Extra magic hours(Like, the ones where they stayed open til 12am or even 3am) vs Star Wars Weekends

Yellow ponchos vs Hotel mickey soap

Unique Bedspreads vs Resort Bedtime stories TV

Fun road signs vs Epcot Innoventions and old Entrance loop

Epcot kidcot masks/duffy vs Penny press with cranks

Free roaming characters in Disney World vs Paper fastpasses

Mickey straws vs Pirates of the Caribbean barker parrot

Old attic scene in Haunted Mansion with pop up yelling jump scare ghosts VS. Pre 2007 Spaceship Earth ending

[pof203]

A Black and White Christmas

WARNING: Spoilers for those who have not yet watched the end of Series 2 of Tiger & Bunny 2.

The snow fell gently over Sternbild on Christmas Eve Night. Many stores closed after the last last-minute shopper got their goods, the restaurants were crowded with people who didn’t have time to cook for Christmas Dinner or have faiths where they don’t celebrate the holiday, and the streets were filled with people dressed like Santa Clause ringing bells for donation, and carolers singing songs about this night and the story behind it. Meanwhile, in many homes all over the city, families were getting together to watch holiday movies or specials, enjoy their great feasts, open gifts from friends and relatives, or just simply catch up with each other.

In the mansion of the Mayor of Sternbild, he was hosting a Holiday party, and many people were invited… Especially the heroes. However, only four of them were there tonight. Well, three considering what happened less than a year ago to Wild Tiger, now just Kotetsu T. Kaburagi.

At the buffet table, while most of the guests were just mingling, a young hero just stood next to it. He was wearing a black tux to reflect his hero name with a small red pancetta pinned to the side of his chest. He was wearing a black helmet with some kind of horns on it with yellow marks on its face. Under that mask was a young man with short brown hair, tan skin, eyes as brown as chocolate, and an expression that made him look hot-blooded and ready for action. Without the helmet, he was Subaru Sengoku. But with it, he was the Literal Man in Black, Mr. Black (formally Hello Goodbye back in his hometown of Panjourney).

Subaru just stared at a cup of eggnog in his hand which he only took a few sips of. He just stared off at the people in the room talking about things that didn’t interest him in the least. In fact, he didn’t even want to come to this party. But his manager would not take no for an answer and she made him come.

Subaru saw that not too far from him, Kotesu Kabruagi and his partner, Barnaby Brooks Jr., were chatting it up with some people. Subaru didn’t understand why Kotetsu was here. Last he checked, the hero formally known as Wild Tiger was no longer part of Hero TV. Although, he had heard that he started some company. Maybe that’s why he was there. But Subaru just didn’t care. He wished that he could be anywhere but here.

Suddenly, Kotetsu noticed Subaru looking upset and egged Barnaby on to go over to him. They arrived and Subaru tried to pretend that he didn’t notice them, but it was all in vain.

“Is something that matter, Subaru?” asked Kotetsu.

“What’s it to you?” Subaru replied with a tough-sounding tone.

“We were just asking,” said Barnaby. “You don’t have to be rude.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s just,” said Kotetsu, trying to sound delicate about this. “It’s just that, you look like you really don’t want to be here.”

“Me? Not wanting to be at a luxurious party filled with rich people who could further make Jungle a greater sponsor than Apollon Media and hearing how great Mr. Black and He Is Thomas is that they would soon becoming the next Tiger & Bunny?” They could tell Subaru was being sarcastic.

“Is that all,” said Kotetsu, smiling at how silly the young hero was acting.

Finally, Subaru sighed in defeat.

“Alright, you caught me,” he said, looking down. “I really don’t want to be here. I was hoping I could go back to Panjourney to spend the Holidays with my family and friends since I didn’t get to do it last year because of the twins. But, you know Carlotta, she wasn’t going to listen to what I have to say.”

“That’s rough,” said Barnaby.

“And I thought Lloyds was a nightmare,” Kotetsu whispered to himself.

“Did you tell them you weren’t coming?”

“I did,” answered Subaru. “I thought they would be very sad. But you know what they said. “You go to that party. The city needs Mr. Black more than we need Hello Goodbye. You let the other heroes down. Especially your partner.””

“Well it’s good they understand,” said Kotetsu.

“Yeah… But I could tell they were unhappy that I wasn’t coming.”

“Maybe you could at least convince your bosses to give you New Years off,” suggested Barnaby.

“I could try,” said Subaru. “But I miss spending the Holidays in Panjourney.”

“What do you normally do there for Christmas?” asked Kotetsu.

“Mostly, me and my parents would just exchange gifts. My father and I would just watch whatever’s good on TV while my mother cooked her famous caramel coated turkey.”

“She actually covered it in caramel?”

“You’d be surprised how well caramel goes with anything. Sometime, I would visit my fellow heroes and see what they are doing. I even visit Rodrigo and join in on his Noche Buena plans, even though he ends up yelling at me to go away.”

“That sounds like fun,” said Barnaby, a bit interested.

“Yeah. It was. But now that I’m here, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to do those things again.”

“Don’t give up,” assured Kotetsu. “I’m sure they’ll let you go next year.”

“… If you say so. But what about you, Ti- Ugh, I got to stop that. Kotetsu?”

“You can still call me Wild Tiger if you like. Even I still feel like going by it.”

“Well… What about you, Tiger? Now that you’re no longer a hero, should you be back in Oriental Town spending the Holidays with your family?”

“Well, I thought about it. I even told my mother, my daughter, and brother that I was coming. You know what they said?”

“What?”

“Kaede said, “You stay in Sternbil, Dad. The Wild Tiger: Anything Consultation Office only just started.” Then Moramasa said, “She’s right, you need all the business partners you can get and not just Barnaby to really take off.” Then my mom said, “You go to that party and do what you can. We are so proud of you.””

“That’s some supportive family.”

“And besides,” said Barnaby with a small laugh. “Kaede wants an autographed poster of me for Christmas. As if she doesn’t already have enough.”

“I see…” Subaru looks up a bit. Though his face was still covered, they could tell what he was feeling right now. “… Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” said Kotetsu, happy along with Barnaby. “Besides, it turns out you’re not the only one.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your partner’s also looking a bit down.”

“Really? I mean, that’s no surprise, but what happened?”

“He’s been hanging out in the hall by himself just a little after the party started,” said Barnaby.

“You should go talk to him,” said Kotetsu. “I think he could use some good cheer.”

“Okay. I’ll see you guys later for the gift exchange.”

“Good luck,” Kotetsu and Barnaby said in unison.

With that, Subaru goes to the hall.

In the hall, Subaru found his partner. He was dressed in a white tux and had a white helmet which also had horns on it with something that looked like a halo. But under it was a young man who spent almost his whole life in pain and loneliness. His hair was as silver as moonlight, his eyes as green as emeralds, and a blank expression that made him look like he didn’t care about anything. His name was Thomas Taurus, but to the world that watched Hero TV, He Is Thomas (or HIT for short.)

Thomas was just staring at a glass of punch.

“Are you going to drink that anytime soon?” joked Subaru, getting Thomas’s attention.

“What about you?” he said back, pointing at the eggnog in Subaru’s hand.

“I was gonna finish it.”

Subaru removes his helmet, shaking his hair which had gone a bit wet with sweat from wearing his helmet for too long. Then, he takes one big gulp of his drink and lets out a sigh.

“That was good,” he said.

“Was it that good?” asked Thomas who never had eggnog before (mainly because he never thought of trying it).

“… No, not really. Guess I should have gone for the juice.”

“That’s alright, I’m not much up for drinking right now, anyway.”

Thomas puts his drink down on a nearby table and removes his helmet too, showing that his hair was also sweaty from wearing it for too long. He brushes his finger through his hair… Subaru felt his heart suddenly skip a beat.

“So,” said Subaru, trying hard now feeling embarrassed. “What are you doing here? The party’s in the main hall.”

“I was never really one for parties,” said Thomas, sounding as uncaring as possible. “Not even on Christmas.”

“Really? Is this because of how we spent Christmas last year, you should be complaining to those twins.”

“It’s not that. It’s… Even before that.”

Subaru was at a loss for words for a moment. He almost forgot how all of Thomas’s past Christmases must have been since his parents died and his sister, Ruby, was away. How lonely it must have been for him.

“I’m sorry,” said Subaru. “I guess I shouldn’t be prying.”

“It’s alright,” assured Thomas. “It wasn’t really your fault. I should have expected this when my NEXT powers first appeared. They wanted to take Ruby, but leave me behind.”

“But that’s different now. By the way, isn’t Ruby here? Now that you two found each other and Carlotta gave her a job with Jungle as an intern, she should be here.”

“Yes, she should. But the boss and Carlotta said that interns don’t get to go to parties like this… Besides, she really wanted to spend this Christmas with our dads. I wanted to go too, but Carlotta said I had to go to this party.”

“I guess she got to you, too, huh?”

“Yes. But Ruby wasn’t upset. She understood why I had to stay here and said she would try to get our dads to come over here for New Years. I wonder if she’ll do it. These men didn’t want to adopt me because I’m a NEXT. But Ruby managed to change their minds and now they have officially adopted me.”

“That’s great.”

“But, I really did want to go to Pleaides to spend the Holidays with her. We’ve been apart for so long… I don’t even remember what Christmas was like back when our parents were alive.”

“I’m…” Subaru was having a hard time finding the words.

“But I should trust her. We’ve only ever had each other to trust since we lost our parents. We still do.”

Subaru only thought about how sad Thomas was that Ruby went away for the Holidays. But what could he say? … But he could try something. So… Subaru took Thomas by the hand.

The moment their hands touched, Thomas suddenly felt something in the pit of his stomach. Was it a stomach ache? He hasn’t eaten anything since lunch. Gas? No, it couldn’t be that. Finally, after many more guesses, Thomas concluded that there was only one thing that could be going on… Butterflies. There were butterflies in his stomach. Thomas had never really had a feeling like this before. However, he did have some idea, ever since that day after they defeated L.L. Audun and Gregory Sunshine when Subaru invited him over for a lasagna dinner. He often wondered if Subaru ever felt the same way.

Subaru did. He’s had crushes on girls before, but this was uncharted territory. He always thought it would be with Rodrigo, but they would only be just friends. Thomas… Thomas is probably the first guy Subaru was attracted to. He had helped him find his sister. That showed what a good partner he is… But can they really be more than that? And Thomas did help Subaru realize that even heroes need someone to balance out someone as hot-blooded as Subaru is. Plus, he will never forget how Thomas saved him during that fight with Audun. That showed Subaru that he cares about his partner.

“Thomas,” said Subaru. He was silent for a moment. Then he smiled. “I may not change what happened then. All I can do is help you now and maybe help in the future. That’s all I can do.”

“Subaru,” said Thomas. He found himself smiling, too. Something he hardly ever does with his partner. “I feel the same. You want to stop crime when it happens, I want the same thing. It also means saving people. I’ll help you with that, too.”

“I know. And… I’m thankful for that. I just want us to find something to make sure we are still together in the future.”

“I want that, too. Now that I’ve realized it, you’re more than just my partner, or my friend, or even a brother. You’re… You’re much more than that.”

“You’re more than that to me, too.”

Subaru holds on to Thomas’s hands even tighter. Thomas couldn’t help but hold on tight, too. Suddenly, Thomas felt his powers activate as some of the things around them started to hover in the air. Themselves included. Subaru formed a barrier platform for them to stand on to keep them stable. They stopped going any higher the moment Thomas realized what was going on. When they did, they noticed something hanging just above them… A branch of mistletoe.

“They say that eating mistletoe can be deadly,” said Subaru.

“But kiss under it can be even more deadly,” said Thomas.

“But only if you don’t know about the person you’re kissing.”

“Or if you don’t know the person you are.”

Subaru and Thomas suddenly found themselves leaning close to each other. They leaned until their bodies were completely pressed against each other, feeling the warmth of their chests and the wild beating of their hearts. Then, the two young men wrapped themselves in each other arms as happiness overtook their expressions. They could feel their breaths on each other’s necks as their faces started to close in. Their eyes begin to close as they drew closer and closer together. Then, without any warning needed… their lips connected. A great heat passed through the two heroes’ bodies. At first, it burned and hurt them. But after a second, it turned into a good feeling as they began to hear music only they could hear while everyone at the party could only hear the orchestra playing Christmas songs. A feeling of joy, of laughter, of hope, of happiness, of pleasure, of understanding, and… of love. It was a feeling that made them wish that this moment would not end. Not now. Not ever.

Subaru and Thomas then drew away from their kiss, still smiling and holding each other in their arms as they began to descend back to the floor. As they landed and Subaru’s barrier deactivated, they were still holding each other. Then, they looked to the entrance of the party… where Kotetsu and Barnaby were standing with satisfied smiles on their faces. The two men drew back from each other, but still held one hand on the other’s.

“Did you,” began Subaru. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” said Kotetsu, still smiling.

Subaru and Thomas smiled, their faces still red, but they were happy.

“I think we should get back to the party,” said Thomas, putting his helmet back on.

“Yeah,” agreed Subaru, also putting his helmet back on.

They make their way back to the party.

“Hey, Thomas,” said Subaru. “If you’re not doing anything later, wanna come to my place? I think I can make another lasagna if you like.

Thomas smiled under his helmet.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. “And… would you mind if I stayed the night?”

Subaru also smiled.

“Nothing would make me happier,” he replied.

Back with Kotetsu and Barnaby, they looked up at where the mistletoe was hanging.

“I don’t remember that mistletoe hanging up there when we were coming in,” said Kotetsu.

Barnaby laughed a bit.

“I may have used my powers to leap up there and put it up,” he said.

The two men laughed.

“You know, Bunny,” said Kotetsu, looking over at the party where Subaru and Thomas were now talking together with other people. “I think those two will be alright.”

“They will,” agreed Barnaby. “As long as they trust their partners and stay by each other’s side, they can get through anything.”

“Just like us.”

The former hero duo places an arm on the other. Then, they look up to the mistletoe.

“Think we should take that down?” asked Kotetsu.

“An hour hasn’t passed yet,” said Barnaby. “I’ll take it down later before anyone sees. But I wonder what we’ll do in-“

Kotetsu already answers Barnaby’s question with a light peck on his cheek. The two men smiled at each other and embraced each other in a long and heartfelt kiss. They could not help but think that Tomoe, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, and Samantha were looking down from Heaven and were smiling at how happy the older hero and the younger hero were… As long as they were together.

They rejoin the party as well. This would be a night they the four heroes would never forget. It will be with them for all eternity.

The end.

This story is for Lidoxia as part of TnB Secret Santa.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.30

Holidays

Asarnha Bucha Day (Thailand)

Comedy Day

Copperhead Day

Crater Day (Virginia)

Day of he Martyrs of the Revolution (Cuba)

Dia del Amigo (Paraguay)

Etherium Day

Father-in-Law Day

Feast of the Throne (Morocco)

Fire Department Employees Day (Tajikistan)

Gastroschisis Awareness Day

Healthcare Now! Medicare Day

International Day of Friendship (a.k.a. Friendship Day; UN)

Jimmy Hoffa Day

Kiss Your Car Day

Marseillaise Day

Martyr’s Day (South Sudan)

Medicare Day

National Climb a Mountain Day

National Golden Girls Day

National Graduates Day (UK)

National Norma Day

National Support Public Education Day

National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

Out & Proud Parents Day

Paperback Book Day

President’s Day (Republic of Molossia)

Share a Hug Day

Sunisa Lee Day (Minnesota)

Teacher Day (Latin America)

Throne Day (Morocco)

Where’s the Beach Day

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (UN)

World Embroidery Day

World Snorkeling Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Chicken & Waffles Day

Loaf Day

National Cheesecake Day

Independence & Related Days

British Citizenship Act Day (UK; 1948)

Toronto (f.k.a. York, Canada; Foundation Day; 1793)

Vanuatu (from UK/France, 1980)

Virginia Legislature Day (Virginia; 1619) [1st U.S. Legislative Assembly]

5th & Last Tuesday in July

Simple Abundance Day [Last Tuesday]

Festivals Beginning July 30, 2024

Crop Over (Bridgetown, Barbados) [thru 8.6]

Hawaii Conservation Conference (Honolulu, Hawaii) [thru 8.1]

Feast Days

Abdon (Christian; Saint) [barrel-makers, coopers] *

Balor (Fomorian God of Sorcery; Celtic Book of Days)

Birthday of Isis (Ancient Egypt)

Demento Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Emily Brontë (Writerism)

Festival of Fortune Huiusque Diei (Fortune of the Present Day; Ancient Rome)

Froissart (Positivist; Saint)

Giorgio Vasari (Artology)

Hatebrand (Christian; Saint)

Henry Moore (Artology)

Herbal Ballooning (Shamanism)

Jean Patrick Modiano (Writerism)

Jullitta (Christian; Widow & Martyr)

Kronia (Festival of Kronos, God of the Harvest; Ancient Greece)

Lou Darvas (Artology)

Lughnasadh Bread Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda (Christian; Saint)

Parmesan Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Chrysologus (Christian; Saint)

Robert Barnes (Lutheran)

Rufinus of Assisi (Christian; Saint)

Saint Ann and Gloosca Day (Micmac Peoples, Nova Scotia; Everyday Wicca)

Sennen (Christian; Martyrs)

Sir Steve, of the Kingdom of Gorf (Muppetism)

Tatwine (Christian; Saint)

Ursus of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Sennen (Christian; Martyr)

Solanus Casey (Christian; Saint)

Tyr’s Day (Pagan)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 211 [47 of 72]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

Alice Picks the Champ (Disney Cartoon; 1925)

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Bird-Brain Bird Dog (MGM Cartoon; 1954)

Calling All Cuckoos (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1956)

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Film; 2010)

Coyote Falls (WB LT Cartoon; 2010)

Dinner for Schmucks (Film; 2010)

Doggone Tired (Tex Avery MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Enter Sandman, by Metallica (Song; 1991)

Flesh Gordon (Adult Film; 1974)

Flight of the Navigator (Film; 1986)

Flowers and Trees (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1932)

The Green Knight (Film; 2021)

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (Film; 2004)

Inspector Lews (UK TV Series; 2006)

Is This It, by The Strokes (Album; 2001)

It’s the Natural Things to Do (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1939)

Jungle Cruise (Film; 2021)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (WB Film; 2013)

The Lifeguard (Film; 2013)

Little Boy Blue, a.k.a. The Big Bad Wolf (Ub Iwerks ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Man Out of Time, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1982)

Mister Roberts (Film; 1955)

Night Shift (Film; 1982)

Nobody Knows My Name, by James Baldwin (Essays; 1961)

An Officer and a Gentlemen (Film; 1982)

The Oily Bird (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1954)

Out of Our Heads, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1965)

Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing Line (Disney Cartoon; 1942)

The Paper Hangers (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Ready, Woolen and Able (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Rising Sun (Film; 1993)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Film; 1993)

Runaway Bride (Film; 1999)

Secret Agent (Fleischer Cartoon; 1943) [#17]

Sinbad the Sailor (Ub Iwerks ComiColor Cartoon; 1935)

So I Married an Axe Murderer (Film; 1993)

Sublime, by Sublime (Album; 1996)

The Trial of Donald Duck (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Victory Vehicles (Disney Cartoon; 1943)

The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O'Connor (Novel; 1960)

War is a Racket, by Smedley D. Butler (Book; 1935)

A Wolf in Sheik’s Clothing (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1948)

Wool, by Hugh Howey (Novel; 2011)

Today’s Name Days

Inga, Ingeborg, Petrus (Austria)

Anđa, Julita, Maksima, Petar, Rufin (Croatia)

Bořivoj (Czech Republic)

Abdon (Denmark)

Kerman, Kermo, Roland (Estonia)

Asta (Finland)

Juliette (France)

Inga, Ingeborg, Petrus (Germany)

Andronikos, Silouanos (Greece)

Judit, Xénia (Hungary)

Donatella, Pietro (Italy)

Madara, Renārs, Rosalinde, Valters (Latvia)

Abdonas, Donatilė, Nortautas, Radvilė (Lithuania)

Aud, Audhild, Aurora (Norway)

Abdon, Julia, Julita, Ludmiła, Maryna, Ubysław (Poland)

Margarita, Marina (Russia)

Libuša (Slovakia)

Pedro (Spain)

Algot (Sweden)

Syla, Sylvan (Ukraine)

Casey, Enrica, Enrique, Etta, Everard, Everett. Hank, Hendrick, Henrietta, Henry, Kacey, Kacie, Kasey, Reece, Reese (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 212 of 2024; 155 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 25 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 24 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 23 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 2 Purple; Twosday [2 of 30]

Julian: 17 July 2024

Moon: 24%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 15 Dante (8th Month) [Froissart]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 41 of 94)

Week: Last Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 9 of 31)