#Stuffed Whale in a Top Hat

[crittercrochet33]

The other result of my road trip crocheting. I had a lot of fun with this little guy. Originally, he was just supposed to be a simple blue whale, but I thought he looked a little too plain that way, so I gave him a little top hat for some colour. I think it aids his overall look.

[wjbsart]

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

���Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

💯100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

🍁Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

��Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

🌠Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

��Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

🍐Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞🔎Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.

[frogsmulder]

Maybe There’s Hope: chpt 3 All The Colours Cannot Brighten

Starting from the final events of 09x20 The Truth, Mulder and Scully tackle their new reality as fugitives. When they  finally settle into things, Scully finds out she is pregnant again. A canon divergent AU where I thought, what if Scully got pregnant whilst on the run instead of at the end of season 11?

2.1k words; rated t; tagging @today-in-fic; read on ao3

Scully shuffled awkwardly, walking into the department store, having foregone underwear. Currently, it was at the top of her mental list as she tried to discreetly pull her slacks down to stop the seam irritating her. Mulder's hand was at home on her back, to make matters worse, the usually comforting gesture making it more difficult to shift her pants.

Mulder chuckled quietly, seeing her fidget. She elbowed him to remind him he was in the exact same situation and it wouldn't be hard to exacerbate it if she wanted to. He squeezed her hip in apology, but she could still feel him laughing.

Leaning up, Scully whispered in his ear, "This needs to be quick. There are security cameras everywhere; we don't want to increase our chances of being recognised." Her pulse quickened at the prospect. "So, a set of clothes, toiletries, and we get out."

He nodded. "We should split up to save time."

"Agreed."

They parted without a single word more, Scully heading up the stairs to the women's and children's section and Mulder staying in the men's. She watched him, as she climbed the stairs, grow smaller and out of sight, feeling that gnawing in her stomach swell in his absence. Sucking in a breath, she focused her mind and steeled herself for the rest of the operation.

On the second floor, Scully was greeted with a bombardment of bright colours. Keeping her head low, she ignored gaiety and headed straight to the lingerie section, picking up the first packet of black briefs she found in her size. Practicality over style reminded her of her childhood, her father's strict orders, how she both embraced, and rebelled. She was conscious of that storm brewing in her again. With her plain clothes, she could hide from the world and its prying eyes. Yet a niggling thought told her that no-one would notice if she picked out some lace, no-one would see beneath her exterior armour: she could have something for herself again. She brushed her fingers over the delicate material, daring to imagine the power she could have. A small piece of control regained. Perhaps she could banish her contrition from the bedroom. Take control.

Ultimately, she left the lace behind, opting to match her plain briefs with a couple of plain t-shirt bras; the peril of public exposure was starting to take its toll. Every tick of the clock marked a drip of anxiety pooling in her lungs and the water levels steadily rising. Time was marching on.

Just socks, t-shirts, jeans, a coat, and maybe a jumper. She wondered if it looked suspicious buying a whole wardrobe in one, but was too drained already to consider changing tactics.

She grabbed a pack of socks whilst hunting for some t-shirts and jeans.

Two t-shirts: checked.

One pair of jeans: checked.

Coat.

Scully wandered surreptitiously through the floor, doubtful it would have a waterproof, when she stumbled upon tiny hats and boots.

Her insides crumbled.

It had been so long since she'd set foot in this section, buying small clothes to wrap her small child snuggly in. He would be a year old now, she reminded herself, learning to walk, starting to babble. Walking slowly, as if in a dreamlike state, she found herself subconsciously heading for the 12-18 months; no control over the path her feet chose. She was surrounded by a sea of cotton soft baby clothing: yellow cardigans, baby blue t-shirts, miniature dungarees... She imagined his ginger hair in a red sunhat. He'd be a year old now, Scully reminded herself as she picked up a white whale soft toy. It was something that she could have bought for his birthday and watch him chew the tail off when he was teething; tuck him into bed with and read bedtime stories.

----------

Mulder went upstairs to find Scully, having got all he needed. Not finding her anywhere obvious, he started to panic.

"Sc–" he called, but his mouth closed around her name, stopping himself, aware of the crowd of other shoppers who would easily hear him. Forced into silence, he picked up the pace, scanning all the rows of clothes for his familiar sign of red hair.

 They are coming for you, son...

The sound of his pounding feet was mimicked by the rush of blood in his ears.

 If you want my advice... leave your pretty, little partner...

He felt dizzy and disoriented, not knowing where to look or which way to turn.

 get out of there while you still can...

He heard the giggle of a child cut through his mind with clarity but he dismissed it. After all, this was a department store, not a house haunted by unexplained phenomena; he had left those behind in his past. Yet he heard it again, closer, and he could have sworn it was from inside his head.

He stopped and turned around slowly.

Mulder saw that familiar red hair, peeking out from behind a rail, only it was more of a strawberry blonde and just above knee height. He crouched down to see her properly, but she moved away, only her blue eyes fixing sharply on his through the clothing.

"Em?" he whispered.

She made no response but turned away around the corner.

When Mulder rounded the corner himself, she was already at the other end, turning another, her bob of hair only there for a flash before she disappeared. He followed her winding trail, curious where she was leading him, until she stopped, standing next to someone, trying to tug at her shirt.

"Sc– Dana," he smiled, using her given name under some perceptive veil that it was safer. Emily nodded shyly. "You found her."

Scully turned around, still clutching the white whale. "What? Mulder? What are you doing here?"

"E–" He looked to Scully's side where Emily had just been but now was nowhere to be seen. "... I came to find you," he said, which was true, he just didn't want to unravel the traumatised inner workings of his brain in the middle of the baby section.

Then he realised where they were; where Scully had been; what Scully was holding in her hand.

"Dana," he whispered, a lump of worry caught in his throat, distorting his voice.

Scully looked down at the stuffed toy in her hands like she had her hand caught in the cookie jar. "We didn't buy him anything for his first birthday..." she tried to explain.

He wordlessly took the whale from her grasp and put it in the basket with the rest of his clothes like it already belonged.

She shook her head, searching his eyes for some understanding. "No, we can't... The money... We can't afford–"

"Yes we can," he interrupted her. Everybody grieved in their own way; maybe it could soothe him too. "Toiletries and then we're out of here," he reminded her.

"I haven't got a coat yet. Though, I think we're better off getting blankets for the car."

"You find the toiletries, I'll get the blankets. Meet back... by the stairs?"

Scully sighed.

Mulder stepped closer, wishing he could vanquish her hurt. "You sure you're okay, S–?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's nothing." She brushed off his fussing, feeling like a small, incapable child herself under all the attention.

Mulder held her cheek in his palm and dried a stray tear.

"I'll be fine," she amended.

Trusting her, he gave Scully the basket and watched as she left him, walking quickly like she was running away. Her stiff gait so un-Scully-like and alien it was a physical embodiment of her grief. Himself feeling like cement, stayed, weighed down, swamped by a tide from slowly opening floodgates. Mulder looked at the row of white whales lined up on the shelf, each flopping with individual personality in the way that stuffing could make it appear so.

"Do you think he would like it?"

The bob of strawberry blonde hair nodded out of the corner of his eye before vanishing, leaving him to navigate the labyrinth alone.

----------

Scully was vaguely aware of what she's putting into the basket: deodorant, soap, razors, tampons– she hadn't even thought about those until she saw them. Her hand briefly hesitated over a box of condoms but she clenched it back into a fist. It would just be a reminder, an admittance, an avoidance.

At the checkout, she remained stoic and silent, resisting Mulder's touch at the small of her back. Ignoring the numbers as they flew by on the till, she handed over the money, too much to be paid in cash without raising eyebrows. If the cashier said something, she didn't notice. It wasn't until they were back on the dust-roads, alone, dressed comfortably in their new, plain clothes that Scully lowered her guard. By then, the day was long behind them, Selene cresting twilight in her silver, moon chariot. Night darkened their paths heading south, the chill creeping to tuck them in.

Curled up in the seat, Scully wrapped herself in the scratchy woolen blanket, it in no way kept the cold at bay. The white whale they had bought was tucked under her chin, squished closely to her chest as she held it tightly. She gazed out of the window, turned away from him, watching the last of the colours blur. At first, Mulder thought she was shivering from the cool air, so he rubbed her arm, but when he did so, she gasped and sniffed, retaking air like she would drown.

Mulder clenched his jaw and his fist on the steering wheel, angry with himself for not noticing sooner. They used to trek over the country all the time; long car rides filled with easy talking and comfortable quiet. Times were different, but their silence was a symptom of something more fatal. He wondered how it was so simple to forget that they had changed. He pulled to the side of the road and turned the key on the ignition.

"What... are you doing?" Scully whispered, choking on the sound of her broken voice.

He tried to reach for her hand. "Scully, please..." His plead faded into the stillness.

She remained looking out the window, focusing on the darkness. "I'm fine."

It was a knee-jerk reaction, taken from a box of samples she'd collected over the years. Scully cringed when she heard the old habit spill from her lips. It was an obvious lie– she knew it– risking exposure, especially to Mulder, who knew her so well. Feeling she had to was worse. Did she want Mulder to tell her she was wrong or was she only trying to kid herself?

She expected his words to follow swiftly, felt them on her tongue as he was going to say them. Yet they never came; his hand settled still on her elbow, the silence growing louder.

He continued to give her his undivided attention until she crumbled under the weight of his worry.

"I just..." She paused, licking her lips, trying to find the words to explain when her head was an empty void. She turned around to face him, yet she bowed her head, failing to hold his gaze. Huffing, Scully collected her feelings and imagined holding them in her chest. They trickled through the cracks in her hands, slipping as she struggled to understand them. What she had left in her palms was the guilt that tainted everything she touched. She tried again. "... Want to be happy... I'm not sure I can do that again. Not when there's so much missing."

Mulder gulped, running out of words to comfort her. I'm here, he wanted to say, You have me. But deep down he knew it was pointless saying it; it wasn't enough for her, even if it was for him. He couldn't deny that they were different people– very different people– despite all that they shared.

"It's going to come back for us," she stated simply and braved a glimpse at him. "We shouldn't have gone to the store. We shouldn't have stayed in the motel, Mulder."

He melted in her gaze, hating to see her burn herself in penance for all the things she couldn't control. Only that morning had he put a smile upon her face; things seeming hopeful. The way she had giggled wrapped in his arms now a distant dream.

You know she's right, Mulder. How do you save her now? the grizzled man chuckled, but Mulder ignored the voice.

"You said it yourself, Scully, we needed those things: 'practically speaking'." He felt cruel for using her own words against her, but they were the only ones he had.

She didn't turn away like he was expecting her to. Instead, she trained her eyes on his in the darkness. It wasn't a cold, hard stare but it wasn't filled with warmth either. She reached for his hand, locking their fingers together: a last act of hope. Mulder held onto the feeling, closing his eyes to the darkness.

"Maybe I was wrong."

[perpetuallylocked]

Tag Yourself: Nancy Drew Game Aesthetics Edition

SCK: opening a new book for the first time, the nostalgia of VHS tapes, coca cola in a glass, remembering your locker combo, letterman jackets, watching true crime documentaries, empty high school hallways, 1950s diners, cramming before an exam

STFD: boxes of chocolates, tape recorders, the click-clack of typewriter keys, catching a taxi, shadows on the wall, stained coffee cups, sitting down to rewatch a tv show, perfume bottles, 1990s fashions

MHM: the sight of dust mixing with light, sightreading old sheet music, crystal chandeliers, old floral teacups, crystal balls, old rotary phones, grand staircases, intricate wooden floors, never-ending house projects

TRT: the glitter of diamonds, worn chessboards, snow-covered gardens, ink-covered hands, butterfly collections, cold tile floors, dull suits of armor, dusty history tomes, footsteps muffled by carpets

FIN: plush red velvet, the scent of popcorn, drawing art deco designs in the margins, worn carpets, old playing cards, the feeling there is still magic everywhere, meeting a childhood idol, movie posters on the wall, catching up with a childhood friend

SSH: jade carvings, steep stone steps, chocolate bars, being the only person in a museum gallery, clean lab coats, amazing sights through a microscope, visiting the hospital, remembering facts you've only heard once, checking the mail for your package

DOG: log cabins, the flapping of bird wings, the distant howling of dogs, the odd sensation when you can see the moon during the day, the scent of pine trees, old glass bottles, strolls along the lake shore, admiring 1920s fashion, long walks in the woods

CAR: antique roller coasters, old postcards, the golden light at dusk, loud band organ music, sounds of a carnival at night, ice cream sundaes for dessert, the delight of riding the carousel for the first time, paint-stained clothes, winning a prize from a carnival game

DDI: a steaming mug of tea on a foggy day, sea caves, light from a lighthouse piercing the fog, messages in bottles, approaching deep water, the sound of seagulls, vintage blue bicycles, spotting a whale on the horizon, crumb-topped blueberry muffins

SHA: worn plaid shirts, sunsets on the horizon, the clip-clopping of hooves, antique blanket chests, forbidden romance, mason jars of flowers, brown and blue eggs, playing piano by ear, faded rugs

CUR: leather-bound books, small potted succulents, curving staircases, old portraits, family secrets, four-poster beds, hearing strange sounds at night, food cravings, spending all day on your laptop

CLK: the ticking of an old clock, pearl and cameo jewelry, the scent of a pie baking, the whir of a sewing machine, reading in a window seat, flouncy dresses, bridges over creeks, driving around a small town, reading Shakespeare for your own enjoyment

TRN: ballet slippers, snow mixed with smoke, faded pastel embroidery, the far-off sound of train whistles, old parchment and wax seals, unwrapping a piece of salt water taffy, quirky local museums, organizing your collections and belongings, light shining through tiffany lamps

DAN: light streaming through stained glass windows, bold red lipstick, freshly baked cookies, tales from your grandparents' youth, long-lost love, twirling in a tulle skirt, the overwhelming desire to visit paris, planning out your outfit for the next day, park benches

CRE: wind in the palm trees, footprints in the sand, rustling in the jungle, small seashells, rope bridges, fruity shave ice, waves tickling your toes, the tangy taste of pineapple, watching surfers from the beach

ICE: frozen lakes, sitting by a crackling fire, snow-covered piles of logs, worn leather ice skates, paw prints, staying in bed after you've woken up, seeing your breath in the cold air, unexpected snowball fights, leather-bound journals

CRY: shadows emphasized by candlelight, dirt-caked fingernails, exploring a cemetery at night, wrought iron fences, the smell after it rains, shelves lined with tchotchkes, going back for second helpings at dinner, moonlight streaming through the window, a grandfather clock at the end of the hall

VEN: gelato cones, orange and brown buildings, soft italian songs, gold lockets, buying flowers for yourself, cobblestone courtyards, leaning over the balcony rail, the overwhelming desire to reinvent yourself, dancing like no one is watching

HAU: ocean waves hitting cliffs, hanging herb bundles, old stone fortresses, white lace and promises, wilting flower bouquets, whistling to keep yourself company, distant celtic music, simple diamond rings, sitting in a peaceful garden

RAN: old gold coins, wading in the cold ocean, a slow-moving hourglass, seeing where the sky meets the sea, old pirate legends, sand between your toes, looking down through clear water, buying yourself new clothes for vacation, eating fruit salad for breakfast

WAC: exploring a college campus, old trophies, distant cello music, milk and cookies, cardigan sweaters, texting your friends, bare tree branches, anthologies of stories, school supply shopping

TOT: wind rustling through wheat fields, creaking wooden staircases, white curtains on the window, golden hay bales, old fences lining the road, watching a storm from the porch, buying a new camera, hanging out in your favorite professor's office, sitting on a tire swing

SAW: the faint scent of cherry blossoms, origami cranes, taking a bath, hearing a new language for the first time, shards of glass, seeing your reflection in the water, buying a new stuffed animal, trying a new food on vacation, listening to your grandmother's stories

CAP: rereading favorite fairy tales, blood-red garnets, red hair in braids, mist in the forest, local legends, playing board games on rainy days, remembering your make-believe games of childhood, puffy-sleeved blouses, watching glassblowers make magic

ASH: blue roadsters, rapidly melting ice cream cones, white picket fences, pastel shop awnings, hand-lettered signs in front of shops, the act of simply being with your friends, revisiting your childhood bedroom, spending all day in an antique shop, visiting your friend's house for the first time

TMB: wind-blown sand, straw sun hats, the warmth of the afternoon, chipped statues, well-used research books, having an egypt phase as a kid, planning your next adventure, drinking cold water on a hot day, pushing your hair out of your face

DED: pencil-covered hands, well-oiled gears, the crackling of electricity, eating your favorite flavor of gummy bears, group projects, keeping to yourself at work, unironically wearing ugly sweaters, publishing your research, organizing your messy desk

GTH: peeling paint on a once-grand house, angel statues, sheet-covered furniture, porch swings, lit matches, lace masquerade masks, grand ball gowns, drinking a hot cup of tea and lemon, looking for treasures in the basement

SPY: old leather suitcases, distant memories, the lingering touch of your true love, piano keys, adrenaline rushes, popped trench coat collars, hugging your mom after not seeing her for ages, looking out the window on a train ride, hearing movie soundtracks in your head

MED: the view from the top of a mountain, the rushing sound of waterfalls, freshly dyed hair, shooting stars, wandering off the trail, vintage comic books, philosophical thoughts, binge-watching reality tv, feeling the sense of deja vu

LIE: hands coated with clay and paint, laurel wreaths, pomegranate juice, books of Greek myths, gold sandals, memorizing a monologue, flowing white gowns, spending all day in a museum gallery, exploring ancient ruins

SEA: the twinkling sound of old music boxes, a night shining with stars, cozy knit sweaters, curling up with your dog, model ships, old barrels, learning your town's history, watching gently falling snow, the beauty of the aurora borealis

MID: the dark colors of herbs, edison bulbs, copper kettles, slowly changing leaves, road trips with friends, carving a jack-o'-lantern, exploring cemeteries at night, small shops surrounding a courtyard, thinking you saw a ghost out of the corner of your eye

[michaelbogild]

Lines by Joanna Newsom

No one knows what is coming Or who will harvest what we have sewn Or how I've been dulling and dumbing In the service of the heart alone

Oh, silent, constant driver of mine: wordlessly calling from the end of the line, where, even though each hour I ever loved must queue and dive, still, you will not take my heart, alive.

And darling we will be fine but what was yours and mine appears to me a sandcastle that the gibbering wave takes But if it's all just the same then will you say my name? Say my name in the morning so that I know when the wave breaks

I fell, I tried to do well but I won't be. Will you tell the one that I love to remember and hold me?

See, I got gone when I got wise But I can't with certainty say we survived

Stay with me for awhile, that's an awfully real gun I know life will lay you down as the lightning has lately done

All we saw was that Time is taller than Space is wide

What happened to the man you were, when you loved somebody before her? Did he die? Or does that man endure, somewhere far away?

I don't know if you loved me most, but you loved me last.

Meanwhile, I will raise my own glass to how you made me fast and expendable And I will drink to your excellent health and your cruelty, will you have one on me?

It was a dark dream, darlin', it's over The firebreather is beneath the clover Beneath his breathing there is cold clay, forever A toothless hound-dog choking on a feather

the records they left are cryptic at best, lost in obsolescence.

The old veil of desire, like vessels that we fired, fell thin as eggshells.

But stand brave, life-liver, bleeding out your days in the river of time. Stand brave: time moves both ways, in the nullifying, defeating, negating, repeating joy of life;

Anyhow, I sat by your side, by the water You taught me the names of the stars overhead that I wrote down in my ledger Though all I knew of the rote universe were those Pleiades loosed in December I promised you I'd set them to verse, so I'd always remember

I called to you several times while the change took place and then arrived all night And I died But all these songs, when you and I are long gone, will carry on

That the meteorite is the source of the light and the meteor's just what we see And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee And the meteorite's just what causes the light and the meteor's how it's perceived And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void, that lies quiet in offering to thee

Hardly seen, hardly felt– deep down where your fight is waiting, down 'till the light in your eyes is fading:

There's a big black spider hanging over my door Can't go anywhere, anymore

Who asked you? Asked you if you want to be Loved by me? Who died and made you in charge of who loves who?

And I saw straight away that the lay was steep But I fell for you, honey, as easy as falling asleep And that right there is the course I keep

And the tilt of this strange nation And the will to remain for the duration Waving the flag Feeling it drag

Hey, hey, hey, the end is near On a good day you can see the end from here But I won't turn back now though the way is clear I will stay for the remainder

You froze in your sand shoal, prayed for your poor soul Sky was a bread roll, soaking in a milk-bowl And when the bread broke, fell in bricks of wet smoke My sleeping heart woke, and my waking heart spoke

And it's my heart, not me, who cannot drive At which conclusion you arrived Watching me sit here bolt upright and cry For no good reason at the Eastering sky

bearing weight, taking fire, trading smokes, in the war between us and our ghosts.

And every little gust that chances through will dance in the dust of me and you, with joy-of-life.

We broke our hearts in the war between St. George and the dragon But both in equal parts are welcome to come along I'm inviting everyone

By the time you read this, I will be so far away Daddy Longlegs, how in the world am I to be expected to stay? In the night, in the night, you may hear me call Pa, stay your hand and steel your resolve, stay where you are, so long and tall

Our nature does not change by will In the winter, 'round the ruined mill The creek is lying flat and still It is water, though it's frozen

Our lived come easy and our lives come hard. We carry them like a pack of cards: some we don't use, but we don't discard, but keep for a rainy day.

Until the night is over, hold on, hold on Hold your horses back from the fickle dawn

I am easy Easy to keep Honey, you please me Even in your sleep But my arms want to carry My heart wants to hold Tell me your worries, I want to be told

There is a blacksmith and there is a shepherd and there is a butcher-boy And there is a barber, who's cutting and cutting away at my only joy

And that is all I want here To draw my gaunt spirit to bow Beneath what I am allowed

How I said to you, "Honey, just open your heart" When I've got trouble even opening a honey jar And that right there is where we are

My heart is a furnace full of love that's just, and earnest Now, you know that we must unlearn this

Squint skyward and listen Loving him, we move within his borders Just asterisms in the stars' set order

"Do you love me? Will you remember?" The snow falls above me. The renderer renders: "The event is in the hand of God".

And I been 'fessing double fast Addressing questions nobody asked I'll get this joy off of my chest at last And I will love you 'til the noise has long since passed

With your hands in your pockets, stubbly running To where I'm unfresh, undressed and yawning Well, what is this craziness? This crazy talking? You caught some small death when you were sleepwalking

And there was a booming above you That night, black airplanes flew over the sea And they were lowing and shifting like beached whales Shelled snails, as you strained and you squinted to see The retreat of their hairless and blind cavalry

You ranged real hot and real cold but I'm sold I am home on that range And I do hate to fold Right here at the top of my game

Then down and down and down and down and down and deeper Stoke, without sound, the blameless flames, you endless sleeper Through fire below and fire above, and fire within Sleep through the things that couldn't have been if you had not have been

You burned me like a barn I burned safe and warm in your arms

All the way to the thing we've been playing at, darlin' I can see that you're wearing your staying hat, darlin' For the time being all is well Won't you love me a spell?

And when the fire moves away Fire moves away, son Why would you say I was the last one?

And I rose, to take my shape at last, from the dreams that had dogged me, through every past, when, to my soul, the body would say You may do what you like, as long as you stay.

And, in your kindness, you put me straightaway in the cupboard with a bottle of champagne And then, later, on a train

Well I wish we could take every path I could spend a hundred years adoring you Yes, I wish we could take every path because you know I hated to close the door on you

And then a slow lip of fire moves across the prairie with precision While somewhere with your pliers and glue, you make your first incision And in a moment of almost unbearable vision, doubled over with the hunger of lions "Hold me close," cooed the dove, who was stuffed now with sawdust and diamonds

In martial wind, and in clarion rain, we minced into battle, wincing in pain; not meant for walking, backs bound in twine: not angel or devil, but level, in time.

The text will not yield, nor x-ray reveal with any fluorescence where the hand of the master begins and ends.

When cruel death debases, we believe it erases all the rest that precedes.

What’s redacted will repeat, and you cannot learn that you burn when you touch the heat, so we touch the heat, and we cut facsimiles of love and death (just separate holes in sheets where you cannot breathe, and you cannot see).

Here, the light will seep And the scythe will reap And spirit will rend In counting toward the end

All the livelong day If I have my way, I will love you But one can't carry the weight Or change the fate of two I've been waiting for a break How long's it gonna take? Let me love you

But it don't make no difference, now, and no-one's listening, anyhow, and lists of sins and solemn vows don't make you any friends.

I have got some business out at the edge of town Candy weighing both of my pockets down Till I can hardly stay afloat, from the weight of them And knowing how the common folk condemn What it is I do, to you, to keep you warm Being a woman, being a woman

And it pains me to say, I was wrong. Love is not a symptom of time. Time is just a symptom of love

Where i know that you can yield, when it comes down to it; bow like the field when the wind combs through it:

But though I tried so hard my little darling I couldn't keep the night from coming in

All along the road, the lights stream by. I want to go where the dew won’t dry. I want to go where the light won’t bend– far as the eye may reach–nor end.

I can't claim that I knew you best, but did you know me at all?

But it's mine. Or, at least, it's lent. And my life, until the time is spent is a pin-light, bent.

Though the long road begins and ends with you I cannot seem to make amends with you

In the folds and the branches, somewhere, out there, I was only just born into open air. Now hush, little babe. You don’t want to be down in the trenches, remembering with me, where you will not mark my leaving, and you will not hear my parting song. Nor is there cause for grieving. Nor is there cause for carrying on.

But inasmuch as that light is loaned, and, insofar as we’ve borrowed bones, must every debt now be repaid in star-spotted, sickle-winged night raids, while we sing to the garden, and we sing to the stars, and we sing in the meantime, wherever you are?

Rowing along, among the reeds, among the rushes I heard your song, before my heart had time to hush it

Easy, easy You must not fear You must meet me to see me I am barely here But like a Bloody Mary Seen in the mirror Speak my name And I appear

And the little white dove made with love, made with love made with glue and a glove and some pliers Swings a low sickle arc from its perch in the dark, settle down, settle down my desire

In our lives is a common sense that relies on the common fence that divides, and attends, but provides scant defense from the Great Light that shine through a pin-hole, when the pin-light calls itself Selfhood, and the Selfhood inverts on a mirror in an Amora Obscura.

When I've been trying with my whole heart and soul To stay right here in the right lane But it can make you feel over and old Lord, you know it's a shame When I only want for you to pull over and hold me Till I can't remember my own name

Then in my hot hand, she slumped her sick weight We tramped through the poison oak, heartbroke and inchoate The dogs were snapping, and you cuffed their collars While I climbed the tree-house, then how I hollered

At night, I walk in the park with a whip between the lines of the whispering Jesuits Who are poisoning you against me

And what do you remember most? The line of the sea, seceding the coast? Fine capillaries, glowing with cars? The comfort you drew from the light of the stars?

Failing this, failing this, follow me, my sweetest friend To see what you anointed in pointing your gun there Lay it down, nice and slow, there is nowhere to go

it was dark out, I was half-dead I saw a star fall into the sky like a chunk of thrown coal as if God himself spat like a cornered rat

but honey it’s been a long time since I’ve come to any use. And it hurt me bad, when I heard the news that you’d got that call, and could not refuse.

But always up the mountainside you're clambering Groping blindly, hungry for anything Picking through your pocket linings, well, what is this? Scrap of sassafras, eh Sisyphus?

Come across the desert with no shoes on I love you truly or I love no-one

And when I cut your hair and leave the birds all of the trimmings I am the happiest woman among all women

You asked my hand, hired a band "In your heart is all that you need Ask and you will receive," it is said I threw my bouquet and I knocked 'em dead

Haven't you seen what I've seen? Don't you know what you ought to do? I was born to love And I intend to love you

The borders of the land that man has girded All double-bolted and tightfisted Until we reach the open country A-steeped in milk and honey Will you keep your fancy clothes on, for me? Can you bear a little longer to wear that leash? My love, I swear by the air I breathe Sooner or later, you'll bare your teeth

From the top of the flight of the wide white stairs Through the rest of my life, do you wait for me there? There's a bell in my ears, there's a wide white roar Drop a bell down the stairs, hear it fall forever more Hear it fall forever more

And no amount of talking is going to soften the fall But, like after the rain, step out if the overhang, that's all It had a nice a ring to it when the ole opry house rang So with a solemn auld lang Signed, sealed, delivered, I sang And there is hesitation and it always remains Concerning you, me And the rest of the gang And in our quiet hour I feel I see everything And am in love with the hook upon which everyone hangs And I know you meant to show the extent To which you gave a god dang

Beyond recall, you severed all strings to everyone, and everything.

And in an infinite regress: Tell me, why is the pain of birth lighter borne than the pain of death? I ain't saying that I loved you first, but I loved you best.

And though our bones they may break and our souls separate, why the long face? And though our bodies recoil from the grip of the soil, why the long face?"

I think you saw their flares and kept me safely unawares In your arms

But there is nothing I adore apart from that whore's black heart

But I took my fishing pole, fearing your fever Down to the swimming hole, where there grows a bitter herb That blooms but one day a year, by the riverside, I'd bring it here Apply it gently to the love you've lent me

See how the infinite divides: and the divers are not to blame for the rift, spanning distant shores. You don't know my name, but I know yours.

We are tested and pained By what's beyond our bed We are blessed and sustained By what is not said

The wandering eye that I have caught Is as hot as a wandering sun But I will want for nothing more in my garden, start again In my hardening to every heart but one

So, across the years and miles and through On a good day you can feel my love for you Will you leave me be so that we can stay true To the path that you have chosen?

But for now, just dance, darling C'mon, will you dance, my darling? Darling, there's a place for us Can we go, before I turn to dust?

I see the blossoms broke and wet after the rain Little sister, he will be back again I have washed a thousand spiders down the drain Spiders' ghosts hang, soaked and Dangling silently, from all the blooming cherry trees In tiny nooses, safe from everyone Nothing but a nuisance, gone now, dead and done Be a woman, be a woman

I had a dream that i walked in the garden of Chabot, and those telescope ruins. It was there that I called to my true love, who was pale as millennial moons, Honey, where did you come by that wound?

Rushing, tearing, speeding home: bound to a wheel that is not my own, where round every bend I long to see temporal infidelity.

My mind is failing and my body grows weak My lips won't form the words I speak I'm floating away on a barrel of pain New York City won't see me again

Save up, up where the light, undiluted, is weaving In a drunk dream at the sight of my baby, out back Back on the patio, watching the bats bring night in While, elsewhere, estuaries of wax-white Wend, endlessly, towards seashores unmapped

Bleached the night with dawn deleting In that high sun after our good run When the spirit bends Beneath knowing it must end

Recall the word you gave: to count your way across the depths of this arid world, where you would yoke the waves, and lay a bed of shining pearls!

When the sky goes pink in Paris, France, do you think of the girl who used to dance when you'd frame her moving within your hands, saying This I won't forget?

Hey little leaf, lying on the ground Now you're turning slightly brown Why don't you get up on the tree Turn the color green the way you ought to be

Now the towns and forests, highways and plains, fall back in circles like an emptying drain. And I won't come round this way again, where the lonely wind abides, and you will not take my heart, alive. You will not take my heart.

I saw a rabbit as slick as a knife and as pale as a candlestick And I had thought it'd be harder to do but I caught her, and skinned her quick

I said a sort of prayer for some rare grace Then thought I ought to take her to a higher place Said, "Dog nor vulture nor cat shall toy with you And though you die, bird, you will have a fine view"

till we hear the telltale Boom, too soon– hotdogging loon, caught there like a shard of mirror in the moon!

There's an old trick played, when the light and the wine conspire to make me think I'm fine. I'm not, but I have got half a mind to maybe get there, yet.

It was dark, I was drunk and half-dead and we slept, knocking heads

And the moment I slept, I was swept up in a terrible tremor Though no longer bereft, how I shook and I couldn't remember And then the furthermost shake, drove a murdering stake in and cleft me right down through my center And I shouldn't say so but I know that it was then or never

Down in the valley where the fields are green Watch my luck turn, fro, and to Pluck every last daisy clean till only I may love you

I saw a life and I called it mine I saw it drawn so sweet and fine And I had begun to fill in all the lines Right down to what we'd name her

I wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight No, I was all horns and thorns, sprung out fully formed, knock-kneed and upright So enough of this terror we deserve to know light and grow evermore lighter and lighter You would have seen me through but I could not undo that desire

A goose, alone, I suppose, can know the loneliness of geese, who never find their peace,whether north, or south, or west, or east

I'll hunt the pearl of death to the bottom of my life, and ever hold my breath, till I may be the diver's wife.

I call and call for the doctor but the snow swallows me whole with ol' Florry Walker and the event lives only in print.

This is blindness beyond all conceiving Well, behind us the road is leaving, yeah, leaving And falling back Like a rope gone slack

Bottle of white, bottle of red Helpless as a child, when you held me in your arms And I knew that no other could ever love me as you loved Love me as you loved but help me, I'm leaving

Dig a little hole not three inches round Spit your pit in a hole in the ground Weep upon the spot for the starving of me Till up grows a fine young cherry tree When the bough breaks, what'll you make for me?

But I saw the Bering Strait and the Golden Gate, in silent suspension of their golden age

And everything sloped like it was dragged from a rope in the mouth of the south below

Do you remember staring up at the stars So far away in their bulletproof cars?

I found a little plot of land in the garden of Eden It was dirt and dirt is all the same I tilled it with my two hands and I called it my very own There was no one to dispute my claim

[hockeylvr59]

Life Changes Part 11 || Paul Bissonnette

Summary: It’s crazy how quickly your life can change...one minute you’re a struggling personal injury lawyer and the next you’re working for one of the hottest sports podcasts to supplement your income. A new job and the end of a long-term relationship was just the beginning for Leigh Thompson when it comes to life changes. Thankfully she has the one and only Paul Bissonnette at her side to help her handle them all. 

Author's Note: Sappiness, sappiness, and more sappiness. I’m not sure what else you expected from a 31-week pregnant woman and a man who is secretly head over heels. 

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no       Warnings: cursing   

Word Count: 2,900 (Series Total: 30,199)

~~~~

In my mind, there was absolutely zero reason why I needed to be dragged to the Jersey shore when it was 80 degrees outside and I was 31 weeks pregnant. The guys had all disagreed though and refused to let me skip out on the Pink Whitney Launch Party. Still, I was the last to arrive having chosen to drive while everyone else flew in earlier in the day. Dropping my weekend bag in the bedroom where Paul’s bag was, I plopped down onto the bed, already ready to sleep even though it wasn’t even dinner time yet. I was now at the stage of pregnancy where I was hardly sleeping because I couldn’t get comfortable and because my daughter was shifting onto my bladder every time I did manage to get comfortable. I was exhausted and cranky and everyone else would just have to deal with it because they weren’t the ones who had grown to the size of a whale. 

Just as I had laid down though, my phone buzzed, Paul’s message reading that I should come up to the rooftop deck when I arrived because that was where all of them were. As much as I didn’t want to, I knew that I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t so after struggling to hoist myself off of the bed, I waddled up the stairs hoping to say hi and then return back inside where at least there was air conditioning. Upon reaching the roof, my eyes went wide from shock. Pink balloons were tied around the railings and a stack of presents was on the picnic table. 

“What in the world?” I found myself mumbling as a cheer took over the group at the sight of me. 

“It’s a baby shower.” Grinnell voiced. “Well sorta.” Immediately my eyes filled with tears at the fact that they had even thought to put anything together for me. 

“Don’t cry.” Paul murmured, appearing beside me, his hand falling to my lower back as he leaned down to kiss the top of my head. “It’s just a little something. No big deal.” He insisted. He guided me to sit in one of the more comfortable chairs, quickly handing me a bottle of water. As the stack of presents was moved to the ground beside me, I could feel Paul’s eyes on my body. The weight of his gaze made me uncomfortable because the last thing I needed was more people taking note of how large I was. 

My focus was shifted when a present was set on top of my bump by Whit and everyone settled back into chairs to watch me open them. By the end of my work baby shower, it was clear that my little girl was going to be decked out in spittin chiclets merchandise. The guys had gifted me everything from onesies to hats to matching pink denim jackets for the pink whitney girls. Additionally, there was a stack of children’s books and a plush hockey stick along with a few other toys. It was all so incredibly sweet and I felt so loved, even if I was still annoyed at them as sweat gathered along every crease of my skin. Just when I thought we were done, Paul handed me one more present and I opened it to find the softest stuffed rabbit. 

“A bunny for dust bunny.” I breathed, tearing up once more. “Thank you,” I added, directing the comment at all of the guys though my eyes stayed locked on Paul’s. Leaning down, he moved to pull me into a hug and as he stood back up his hand rested against the side of my bump for just a moment. Almost immediately though, a sharp kick resounded from inside me, directed right at Paul’s hand and his eyes went wide. His hand didn’t move right away and a second and then third kick quickly followed the first. 

“That’s…” Paul said, his voice suddenly tight.  

“Okay, little one that’s enough,” I replied, my hand falling to my stomach right beside Paul’s. “I know you just wanted to say hi but that’s mama you’re beating up in there.” Though Paul pulled his hand back, a look of shock remained on his face. 

“Is that the first time you’ve felt a baby kick?” I asked him, reaching my hand out for him to pull me to my feet because I had been sitting too long and needed to stretch. He nodded, still at a loss for words, and I smiled drawing his hand back to my stomach to see if it would make dust bunny kick again. It was clear she sensed the new touch because she once again responded immediately, her tiny feet shifting inside of me. 

“Fuck.” Paul cursed, his eyes wet by the time he finally pulled his hand away. Seeing his reaction to her movements was a moment I doubted I’d forget any time soon but those emotions were quickly quashed by the feeling of the sun beating down on me. 

“Alright...it’s time for me to go back inside. It’s too darn hot out here.” I explained. “And I don’t want to hear a word about it. When you guys are heavily pregnant during the summer, then you can throw around chirps. 

______

Propped up in bed later that night, I watched as Paul lay with his head on my thigh, talking to and pressing the occasional kiss to my bump. It was so obvious that he was going to be completely wrapped around her finger once she was born if he wasn’t already and for the first time in weeks I felt an unknown tension slip out of my body. 

“You’re incredible you know…” Paul whispered, lifting his head just a bit to look up at me. When my eyebrow quirked in response, Paul leaned up a little more. “I mean you’re growing another person inside of you right now. You’re providing her protection and food and oxygen and soon she’ll become her own little entity. It’s incredible.” 

“Women do this all of the time,” I replied, sure it was cool and pretty incredible but it was how nature worked so it wasn’t like I was doing anything that was any more special than any other mother. 

“That may be true but it’s still incredible.” Paul insisted. “Only a bit longer until she’s here.” He mused, his fingers tracing over the area where my little girl had just kicked, having watched the way my belly flexed because of her tiny feet. 

“Don’t remind me.” I sighed, biting gently at my lower lip. 

“What’s wrong Leigh? I thought you’d be so ready for her to be here?” He asked, his hand sliding to lace his fingers with mine. 

“I am ready for her to be here.” I insisted. “I’m just not ready for the whole labor thing.” 

Paul’s face went pensive, his fingers just tracing patterns against my own. 

“I mean you’re going to have your mom there right?” He questioned causing me to let out an even bigger sigh. 

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “My mother is the queen of all worriers and I don’t know if having her there would help or just cause me more stress.” This wasn’t the first time I’d thought about this and time and time again I’d come to the same conclusion. “I guess I’m just going to be on my own.” Paul was silent for a minute, multiple emotions shifting across his face. 

“Is there someone you’d want to have there?” He eventually inquired, his voice barely audible. Hints of a frown appeared on my face as what seemed impossible crossed my mind once more. It wasn’t something I’d ever ask, not after everything. “Leigh…” Paul trailed off. “Do you want me there when she’s born?” Weakly I nodded and Paul immediately sat up, pulling me against his chest as best he could. 

“You make me feel calm,” I mumbled into his shoulder. “You make me feel like I can do anything.” My voice dropped significantly as I started crying into his shoulder, all of the overwhelming thoughts bubbling over the edge. “I can’t imagine doing it without you.” With his lips pressed against my temple and his hand rubbing up and down my back, eventually, I regained control of my emotions. 

“I’ll make some calls in the morning okay.” He promised. “I’ll do everything in my power to be there.” With what felt like an elephant-sized weight lifted off of my shoulders I let Paul shift the two of us into our usual sleeping position, one of his knees pressed between mine as his hand rested against my stomach and his body spooned behind me providing a welcome support to my aching back. 

______

When I woke, the sun was peeking through the bedroom curtains. Reaching for my phone I discovered that it was nearly 8am. Needing to pee, I slipped out from under Paul’s arm and moved to the bathroom. This was the first time in over a month I had slept through the night and it didn’t take a genius to figure out just why that was. 

Slowly making my way downstairs, I found Whit sitting at the counter with a mug full of coffee in front of him. 

“Want some breakfast?” I whispered planning on making up a few eggs for myself because I hadn’t had my multiple middle of the night snacks and I was starving. With the launch party scheduled from 12-4pm, I knew everyone would need to get moving sooner rather than later. A large breakfast for everyone was soon made up, and after eating, I made my way back upstairs to shower and get ready while the guys cleaned up the kitchen. 

I’d slipped into my swimsuit before throwing on a maxi dress. Not long after my hair was straightened and I’d put on just some light makeup, certain that anything more would just melt off my face from the sun.  However, there was still one task I needed to take care of and it happened to be the most difficult. 

Twenty minutes later, I was precariously perched on the edge of the tub which contained an inch or so of water when Paul knocked on the door. 

“The guys are ready to go.” He called out through the wood. 

“I need a few more minutes.” I declared, my voice exasperated as I attempted to lean forward to drag the razor along the skin of my legs. After a moment the door gave way and Paul stepped into the small bathroom. 

“What are you…?” He trailed off before quickly shaking his head. 

“Don’t look at me like that okay,” I grumbled. “This is not easy with little miss in the way,” I complained. Another slow pass of the razor up my leg almost sent me tumbling into the tub. 

“Give it here,” Paul demanded. 

“I am quite capable.” I insisted, my stubbornness showing. 

“Leigh just give me the damn razor before you hurt yourself,” Paul repeated, his large frame moving to sit on the lid of the toilet seat. 

“You don’t even know what you’re doing.” I continued, struggling once more to reach my ankles. “I’d rather not have cuts everywhere.” 

Paul ultimately won this battle, and soon I was sitting on the toilet seat while Paul balanced on the edge of the tub, his hands gently holding each of my legs in turn as he slowly and carefully pulled the razor blades along my skin. It was such an intimate action that I struggled not to shiver under his touch. When he was done, he dried my legs off before pulling me to my feet, and after a moment, my sandals were dropped in front of me so all I had to do was slide into them. 

“Now are you ready?” He murmured softly, his gaze soft but teasing. 

“I mean I guess so.” I sighed although today was even hotter than yesterday had been and I was not looking forward to melting under the sun. The guys complained about how long I had taken as I walked into the living room and after flipping them off I grabbed the beach bag I had packed before waddling my way out to the van New Amsterdam had sent. 

____

The Jersey shore was pumping and alcohol was flowing by the time we finally arrived at the beach. Representatives from New Amsterdam met us in a staff tent and it was explained that the guys and drink would be introduced and then they would just have to mingle, chat and take pictures with fans who were trying the drink for the first time. While they did the official things, I sat in a shaded tent trying to keep my water intake up. Soon though, the guys returned and urged me to come out and socialize with people because apparently, people wanted to talk to me too. I wasn’t sure how much of that I was buying but complaining hadn’t seemed to be doing me much good so I went along with things, walking around the beach to talk to people. 

Soon, the guys were pulled into a beach volleyball game. With Paul having tossed his shirt off into the sand at some point, I was met with an eyeful that sent my body temperature spiking even higher. Needing to cool down, I dumped my things somewhere safe and made my way down into the ocean, letting the cool water lap at my skin as it helped make the heat a little less unbearable. 

The heat was back full force though as soon as I climbed out of the ocean and slipped back into my dress and shoes. Running back into Paul I was pulled into the conversation he was having with a group around him and soon I found myself leaning against his chest, his arms wrapped lightly around my waist. As the conversation continued, I closed my eyes and just tried to relax, feeling fatigued and overwhelmingly hot. 

“Leigh?” Paul’s voice filtered through to my ears and I hummed in response. “I called your name multiple times and you didn’t respond...are you okay?” He questioned. 

“Tired. Headache. Hot.” I mumbled and immediately Paul excused us from the group of fans surrounding us. I was led into a tent and Paul disappeared but when he returned I found myself being helped back into the same van as earlier. “Hmm?” I questioned, full thoughts not really forming in my brain right now. 

“Taking you back to the house before you pass out from heat exhaustion,” Paul explained and it wasn’t much longer before he was leading me into the beach house, his hands providing additional balance support as I moved into our bedroom. Already the air conditioning felt wonderful and the feeling of softness along my entire body took the edge off of the achiness that lingered everywhere. 

I must have fallen asleep because the sun was no longer pouring through the window when I next opened my eyes. A bottle of water and some strawberries were sitting on the bedside table. I was finishing off the bowl when Paul appeared in the doorway, concern etched into his expression. 

“Feeling better?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Thanks.” I replied, rubbing my hand gently over my bump and smiling when I felt my little girl shift in response. 

“Why didn’t you speak up sooner?” He wondered as he moved to sit beside me. 

“I told you guys for weeks that it wasn’t a good idea and no one listened to me,” I mumbled. Immediately concern shifted to guilt and Paul sighed, scraping his nails over the back of his neck. 

“I should have listened.” He admitted. “I’m sorry. I let my desire to see you in person drown out your wants and needs.” Shrugging, I sent him a soft smile to let him know that all was forgiven. “So I have some good news for you.” He declared, shifting topics. “The coyotes agreed to give me two weeks off. So I was thinking I’d come out a week before your due date and stay the full two weeks so hopefully, I can help you out for at least a few days once she arrives.” 

The knowledge that he was willing to fly across the country to be there to support me and this little girl through labor and the first little bit after her arrival meant the world and I couldn’t control the tears pouring down my cheeks. As quickly as they fell, Paul’s thumbs were wiping them away. “I take it that works for you…” He surmised. “At least I’m hoping these are happy tears. Sometimes I can’t tell anymore with the way you start crying at the drop of a hat.” He teased. 

Though he teased about my emotions going haywire, he never complained and took whatever I threw at him, letting anything negative roll right off of his back. I owed him more thank yous than I could ever say and shifting my body, I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly as my little girl squirmed inside of me. 

Knowing that he would be by my side made the prospect of labor a little less scary and now I was even more ready to have my little girl in my arms. 

[finn-ray-nal-beads]

I can’t wait for all your depraved stories around the garbage fire tonight! How about mixing and matching some fun kinks with your AUs of shame! Breeding kink, exhibitionism, biting/bruising/marking kink. Who’s most in to what?

@safarigirlsp OMFG I OWE YOU ALL THE GARBAGE TONIGHT HOLY SHIT IT’S BEEN A MINUTE SINCE I WROTE SOME CRACK THOTS ON THESE BOIS I MISSED THEM!🥴

LET’S START OFF WITH THE BIG BAD GUNS HIMSELF... MY PIRATE KING FLIP BLOWHOLE CAPTAIN OF THE FUCKING JOLLY ROGER AND THE BLACK PEARL BECAUSE THIS IS FUCKIN’ FAN FICTION SO WE MAY AS WELL FUCKIN’ LET ALL THE PIRATE JOKES SWIRL TOGETHER IN A GODDAMN WHIRLPOOL OF DESPAIR!

 Captain Phillip “Blowhole” Zimmerman is a simple man... he loves the sea, his ship is his baby, rum is his bestie (not including his First Mate, Ron), and he loves to fuck you into absolute oblivion in front of Davey Jones and the entire crew of scallywags daring to eyeball you in passing.

Any time he get’s a hint of another wandering eye looking down that cinched corset dress of yours, gazing at your heaving bosom practically spilling overboard in your corset, he inches a finger in your direction.

Perched upon his captain’s wheel, one knee up like Captain Morgan himself, he coaxes you to him, the more you inch closer, the more his nostrils fill with your sweet coconut scent. 

“Captain?” putting your hands behind your back, shoving your tits out to his hungry gaze, “is something wrong?” playing as dumb as possible to get him even more riled up than he had been seconds prior. 

“You know exactly what you’re doing, lil’ whore,” he spat, burning holes into your eyes as his ambered eyes turned to a raging fire, “assume your goddamn position, slut, I’m gonna make another example outta you seeing as how you and my fuckin’ crew didn’t get it the last few times,” grabbing your waist to thrust you over the banister of the ship, his crew halting their work to watch the show unfold. 

“Look at you,” smoothing over the curve of your ass in the dress, flipping it over to reveal your naked, sopping cunt, “fuckin’ slut!” slapping the shit out of your pussy, causing an ungodly wail to emanate from your vocal cords. 

“You must like being an example to my crew, huh?” gripping your curls in his hand to wrench your neck back, his low growl in your ear causing more liquid to seep from your pulsing cunt. 

“Anything to please you, Captain,” smirking while you pushed your backside to rub on his pants, “I live to serve,” pandering to match his low growl, no doubt feeling his erection rub against your ass. 

“In fact,” pushing yourself flush to his chest, hand still in a death grip on your head as he lowered his face into the crook of your neck, sucking the life out of your pulse, “I think you like makin’ an example outta me, sailor,” snaking a hand to rub his aching erection as his breath hitched from your grip. 

“I’m gonna storm your fuckin’ shores until your wailin’ on my cock sweetheart,” gripping your throat with one hand and batting your hand away to take his cock out of his pants and stuff it fully in, no foreplay necessary seeing as you were soaked as the ocean itself. 

“So. Fuckin’. Bratty.” he thrust in, enunciating his words as you moaned on his large whale cock into complete bliss. 

NOW ONTO OUR NOBLE AND GLISTENING WARRIOR HERO... THIS IS SPARTA. IT’S NO SECRET THAT THIS MAN IS WELL-ENDOWED, AND WITH GREAT POWER, COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, AKA, HE’S GONNA FUCK AS MANY SONS INTO YOU AS YOU’LL GIVE HIM AND YOU WON’T FUCKIN’ COMPLAIN ABOUT IT EITHER BECAUSE YOU’RE A FUCKIN’ WHORE FOR HIS HORSECOCK!

He’ll be coming back from a warrior training camp, fuckin’ shimmering in the Spartan evening light, clad in his gear, wielding the largest sword he could possibly get his hands on. Sweat covering his large pectorals, his biceps bulging out of his sleeveless uniform as he lowers his shield and weapon into their place in your hut, heaving and wiping the sweat from his brow, moving his hair from his face to glance up at you. 

He takes in the sight of you, clad in your white robes, hair perfectly set as you perched on the loveseat in your shared home, pushing a grape into your perfect mouth, making unholy moans as you gazed into his hungry eyes, eating you alive as you swallowed down the sweet fruit juice. 

“My handsome warrior has finally returned,” you mused, gripping another grape in your perfect fingers, playing with it as you gave him ‘fuck me’ eyes, “I’ve missed you my dove,” slipping it past your perfect lips, closing your eyes in bliss as you devoured the fruit again. 

“My perfect goddess,” moving to kneel at your waist, pushing his head into your chest as he gripped your midsection while you rubbed his hair every so softly, “I’ve missed you, my love,” lifting his head to gaze at you closer, moving in for a loving kiss that turned steamy quickly after. 

“Take me, Phillip,” you gasped, throwing yourself into his embrace as he picked you up from the seat, leading the both of you into the bedroom. 

He lowered you down as if he was handling glass, petting your face as he did so, “take your clothes off my love,” he whispered into the crook of your neck, “I’m gonna stuff you full of my sons,” gripping his lips on your collarbone as he fumbled with his armor, removing it while you did your robes. 

Gazing at your nude figure, spread eagle for him as he gathered his leaking cock in his hand to line up with your perfectly plump pussy, glistening in the candlelight, stuffing his member into your sopping cunt, causing a unanimous moan to emit throughout the room as he pushed further and further into your open womb. 

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST LET’S SADDLE THE FUCK UP AND TALK ABOUT HUCKLEBERRY AND HIS CRAZY BEHAVIORS BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HE’S A HIGHKEY FREAK IN THE SHEETS. HE’S ALL ABOUT HOG-TYING YOU UP... AFTERALL IF YOU’RE BEIN’ A LIL’ BRAT YA GOTTA BE BROKEN LIKE THE PHILLY YOU ARE! 

You know exactly how to get yourself in a pickle with your handsome devil of a cowboy. Know just what triggers him into a full rage... and that’s studding yourself out right in front of him. 

You knew that touch on the thigh by that sleazy ass rustler was too much, but who were you to guess what he’d do. I mean, you did look mighty fine in those tight ass Wranglers, and who were you kidding, you fuckin’ knew you were just hot in general, and you took every chance to use that to your advantage. 

After all, you were doin’ your boy a favor, havin’ pushy buy your rounds for ya as he finished his game of poker at the bar with his buddies. 

What was the damn harm in it to get some free booze? The contact did him in. He noticed it from across the room, practically sniffing it out as his vision shot to that slime ball running his hand where his property was. 

“We’re leavin’ darlin’,” moving to you as he threw his coin on the bar top, gripping your forearm in his large hand to drag you and your bulging tits to the open air of the Colorado night. 

“What the hell Flip?” yelling to let go of his iron grip, moving back towards the saloon doors, “I wasn’t finished with my beer!” crossing your arms after he pulled your waist back to him. 

“You look at me, sugar,” tilting your chin up to notice his dilated pupils in the moonlight, “you know exactly what the fuck you were doin’,” using that hand to grip your throat, a moan falling faintly from your lips as he lowered his cowboy hat to hide his gaze. 

“Now, ya fuckin’ slut,” he groaned, loving the feeling of your quickening pulse in his fingertips, “here’s what’s gonna happen, baby,” moving to whisper his threat in your ear, “I’m gonna tie your ass up like the fuckin’ brat you are, and you’re gonna take the ride home in the bed of my pick up,” releasing his grip only for you to cry out for the loss of contact. 

“Behave,” he tsked, waving a finger as he went to grab his good rope, untying it as he watched you get on the ground like the damn pig you were acting like tonight. 

“See?” he chimed, bending over to your hands and feet as he started to wrap you up, “even sluts like you seem to listen after a lil’ forceful action,” finishing his work as he slapped your clothed pussy as hard as he possibly could.

“Fuck, Phil!” you screamed in pain and pleasure, trying to wriggle your way out of the tie he’d made. 

“Aw, sugar,” he chuckled lighting a cigarette as he watched you writhe on the ground, “swearin’ and bein’ a brat isn’t gonna getcha far,” inhaling and exhaling as he thought about what to do with you at the cabin later. 

GOD MY FUCKIN’ HEAD HURTS BRUH I’M SO HORNY OVER THESE MEN MY GOD... ALSO I HATE MYSELF FOR SAYING WHALE COCK I CANT EVEN RN

WELL BYE!😂

[gengarprotectionsquad]

bad horror movie ideas i've been compiling b/c @fleetwoodmurk is an enabler:

thankskilling: the family connections of a 19 year old college student allow him to skirt by any substantial sentencing for violent anti-indigenous hate crimes, just in time for him to make it home by thanksgiving. the soothing whispers of how he “shouldn’t have his life ruined for making a mistake” on property staked in stolen indigenous land invite the wrathful presence of autumn’s bounty-- a ghastly, therizinosaurus-like approximation of a turkey powered solely by the anguish of lives taken in the name of american colonialism. after all, if that family wants their son to have some turkey, then he’ll get his eight foot-tall, blade-handed, undying turkey.    

homebody: forced to pull into a run-down motel by a freak storm, a group of friends initially find themselves faced with nothing more harrowing than the occasional cobweb and staff who never meet visitors face-to-face, even finding a note on the front counter that there’s no fee for staying--so long as they “spread the word” if they find their stay satisfactory. but, after waking up each morning to find that they’ve lost clumps of hair, individual teeth, and even a toe among other body parts, they discover the motel’s one and only employee--a colossal, man-like harvestman that severs human tissue with surgical precision (thanks to its spindly, 15 meter arms) in a misguided attempt to better fool human prey by grafting the fruits of its labor onto its own body.     

goliath’s revenge: a japanese kaiju film director finally pushes his luck just a tad too far, killing the suit actress for the lead “goliath” monster as a direct result of the director’s penchant for strenuous, dangerous stuntwork. when his connections allow him to wriggle his way out of the tragedy scot-free, the suit actress’ furious spirit reanimates in her signature costume--now made flesh and blood--in order to exact a vengeful rampage of monstrous proportions that her former boss could only have hoped to have filmed. 

more under the cut!!!

hivemind: a single mother reeling from a devastating divorce seems to find new purpose in her life thanks to a california-based branch of a yoga group that emphasizes the value of both diligence and mindfulness. as the months go by, however, she realizes that she’s so deeply invested her time with the group that she doesn’t even know the names of anyone in her neighborhood that isn’t involved with them. just as she’s having doubts, she’s invited on a week-long retreat to experience what will hopefully become an outdoor facility of theirs, and that even their founder will be in attendance. she and her daughter do indeed meet the group’s founder--a colossal, humanoid queen ant who is rendered inert by her size, subsequently relying on her psychic abilities to indoctrinate human followers to her side and transform them into “suitable workers” that would happily give their lives for her sake   

children of the night: an exorcist, a private investigator, a trio of true crime podcasters, the local sheriff w/ top suspect in tow, a self-proclaimed “vampire hunter”, and a humble gravedigger all converge on the same cemetery when it becomes host to a series of unspeakably gruesome murders--the site being deemed the “vampires’ playground” for the crimes’ bloody nature. but when the self-confessed suspect winds up cleaved in twain at the scene, it turns out they’ll all have to deal with actual vampires--hulking, gorilla-like, hairless bats with the intelligence of a toddler and a permanent, gummy grin filled with teeth far too dull to consume flesh that hasn’t been playfully beaten to a fine pulp beforehand 

think tank: with the untimely death of a silicon valley tech giant who’d racked up a reputation for being as antisocial as he was exploitative, a documentary crew visits his main offices in hopes of interviewing any available employees in order to determine whether or not that open secret had any truth to it. though cooperative enough, the surly defensiveness that seems to increase in prevalence as the crew makes their way up the corporate ladder leads one particularly-intrepid camerawoman to sneak the crew far further into the building than originally intended and into a hidden basement. this brings them face-to-face with the deceased entrepreneur’s dirty little secret, known as the think tank: a captive “psychic existence” brought into being using the harvested, collective brainpower of every employee who refused to take their boss’s shit but was just too talented to let go 

whalefall: the 300 ft tall, walking corpse of a whale dredges its way up from the ocean floor and onto american shorelines, bringing with it tidal waves of pestilence and plague. when japanese fishermen identify the creature as a bake-kujira--a ghostly whale that harbors only misfortune and undead sealife in the wake of maritime disaster--the federal government opts to not only ignore their insight, but outright blame japan and their whaling industry for its presence. their relative inaction in the name of xenophobia and saving face will serve only to prolong the creature’s attack, with entire coastal towns left to deal with the flooding and zombified deep-sea organisms themselves. 

study skin: a group of hunters grow too impatient to wait for their county’s deer season and set out under the cover of nightfall in hopes of snagging a trophy or two. though met with a highway lined with bizarre amounts of roadkill and a totally silent forest, they disregard their unease and set up for the night. they soon discover the true reason for the minimal duration of the local hunting season when they catch a glimpse of an old friend long-thought to have vanished on a hunting trip, bringing them face-to-face with the hidewinder--a mysterious creature that inhabits the skins of deceased animals in search of larger and more complex bodies to call its own, with absolutely no idea how to look or behave “right” in any of its disguises, and a tendency to become enraged once it becomes clear that it doesnt fit in.

calling card: a freelance musician struggling with being sincere and vulnerable in their own work decides to move to a small, quiet town in southern bumblefuck-nowhere to try and clear their head. to their surprise, they’ve practically moved onto the set of a musical--the town’s residents bursting into song at the drop of a hat out of what seems to be the sheer, earnest passion of their feelings. this pleasant novelty soon turns out to be a town tradition established to cope with the presence of lonesome harvey--an upright cicada-man who emerges from underground hibernation every 18 years to rip select peoples’ vocal chords right out of their throats, crudely tying them together in order to fashion a set powerful enough to function as his own (which he uses to shriek out his signature mating call every summers’ night, in hopes of attracting a partner who’ll never arrive). thus, the townsfolk sing their hearts out so that harvey can gauge whose voice he’ll claim for himself (as opposed to having him mutilate everyone in the name of trial-and-error), and the musician has moved into town just in time for ol’ harvey to make his return.

back of your mind: following the very-much-timely (if a tad mysterious) death of their verbally-abusive mother, her only child returns to their childhood home in order to collect any wayward belongings and maybe find some sort of closure in setting foot on the premises one last time. a patch of black mold on the wall that they spot on their way in seems to...change location, somehow. further investigation and attempts to simply wipe away the mold leave it in the blurred image of a gummy, toothy maw--one that begins to whisper to the visitor, claiming to have missed them oh-so-very-much from the day that they left. the strangeness of the situation keeps them coming back everyday, where the mold’s whispers begin to take a familiarly-cruel edge--at first pleading for the visitor to stay, only to take to yelling at them that no-one but the mold will accept them as the “broken, useless husk” of a person that they are.    

miasma: a long line of charlatans and conmen have managed to convince a small backwoods town over generations that their collection of plastic gems and false talismans will heal them better than any medical professional could ever hope to accomplish. with most of the towns residents now being old, grey, and complacently vulnerable to disease, a new con artist moving in with a case of the stomach flu compromises the health of the entire community. and with the enticing smell of illness, comes the arrival of the scavenger--a black-feathered “vulture man” who knocks three times upon the door of his intended target, before politely entering their residence and leaving within the hour, leaving behind a bloated corpse whose orifices are stuffed with posies laying otherwise peacefully on their bed.  

killing stroke: a promising rising star in the fencing scene is tragically slain in the middle of a prestigious tournament, with the cause of death being attributed to a recklessly-modified underplastron. in actuality, the poor youth’s equipment was sabotaged in order to maintain the career of a legendary fencer. on the anniversary of his death, he rises from the grave and dons his old suit in order to infiltrate that year’s iteration of the tournament--his mission being to cut down not only his rival, but anyone who upholds the same kind of narcissistic greed that claimed his life.  

disassembly line: an upton sinclair-adjacent investigative journalist finds herself looking into the inner workings of a 1900s meat-packing factory in chicago, beholding the full disgusting scope of its exploitative, unsanitary working conditions. managing to acquaint herself with a few of the workers, the lunchtime whispers of one particularly-attractive lady butcher point her in the direction of a devious cover-up involving a nameless employee who “accidentally” wound up in the machinery after making too much of a ruckus about his wages. a nameless employee whose steaming, ground-up remains have now crawled out of the rickety equipment in search of postmortem vigilante justice.    

catch of the day: in spite of the sustainability concerns their operation has racked up over the years, a deep-sea fishing company delves into nigh-uncontested territory--a patch of ocean deemed “dead waters” in reference to the sparse results of other companies’ attempts. their first day dredges up only a single pacific halibut, titanic even by the standards of the species. upon further inspection, the flatfish splits open in a mess of bodily fluids and blackened, inedible meat--as if the fish had already been torn apart and had decayed from the inside out. lost in the shuffle was an amniotic sac containing rapidly-growing, amphibious hagfish “mermaids” that had parasitized the halibut as they had almost all of the other fish in those waters, and that have now been unleashed on a lonely fishing boat sitting miles away from shore.    

razorback bridge: a group of teenaged, amateur paranormal enthusiasts livestream their first “investigation” into a local landmark--razorback bridge, rumored to be haunted by the murderous ghost of a local farmer whose crops were so frequently ruined by invasive wild boar that he snapped and devoted the rest of his natural life to slaying the hogs, eventually losing his life to a boar that proceeded to gobble up his remains without leaving a trace. although officials have long restricted access to that part of the woods due to the aggressive nature of the wild boar inhabiting the area, the teens manage to sneak their way onto the bridge and come face-to-face with ol’ rawhide himself--a ravenous, nigh-unstoppable half-man/half-boar that came to be when the hog that consumed the old farmer had its body possessed and warped by the man’s furious ghost, far too angry to accept even the prospect of his own death.    

vigor mortis: a kindly old mortician prides herself on her ability to restore bodies to exactly how they looked in life, enabling their families to have at least one source of comfort during the difficult coping process of loss. one day, however, she is presented with a body so badly mangled in an accident that she almost suggests to forgo embalming altogether and to simply refrigerate the corpse until the burial service, though she ultimately doesn’t when the distraught client begs for the process to be open-casket. try as she might, the mortician finds herself unable to make any substantial restoration on the body. in the few minutes that she steps away from the body in order to think of what else she could do, she turns back to find that it’s...vanished. she soon finds herself being pursued at every turn by the shambling corpse, now enshrouded in a body bag, and is forced to confront both a mangled revenant and a debilitating case of impostor syndrome.

making up for lost time: a conspiracy theory-themed convention is having its first go in philadelphia, pennsylvania--even hosting an artists’ alley selling everything from “ayyy lmao” keychains to collapsible foam JFK heads. when mysterious burn damage begins to show up on the property, however, the inflated egos of the guest panel speakers representing various “unorthodox investigation” groups not only refuse to give up on the convention, but are so prone to bickering amongst themselves and attempting to assume leadership that they only make it harder for the other attendees to respond to the threat of what seems to be a time traveler. that is, the victim of a first attempt at time travel so badly botched that she’s received what is mostly simply put as “space-time carpet burn”: not only is she burning, but her mind, her soul, and the very concept of her throughout space and time are burning, leaving the unreachable chrononaut in a frenzied panic that threatens to scorch everything she touches right out of existence along with her.    

pearly gates: in the midst of a national emergency, a group of local landlords manage to bully their recently-unemployed tenants into coughing up just enough rent to host a get-together at their luxurious gated community. following a constant sensation of being watched and drowsy recollections of blinding light shining through their windows that first evening, the group awakens the next day to find one of them dead--groveling on her hands and knees with her entire skull seeming to have somehow...inverted. they soon realize that they’re being picked off by an angel--one so enraged by their inhuman greed that it wrenched itself free from the heavens in order to exact furious retribution. 

frontera sangrienta: a softspoken chicanx youth sneaks across the american border on a nightly basis under the noses of both his immigrant parents and border patrol agents, for the express purpose of helping mexican migrants safely make their way over. one night, he is met with a family so terrified that he can make out only one word from their panic--”chupacabra”. the legendary mosquito has developed a taste for american blood after devouring careless tourists and escaped goats, and is in hot pursuit of the family considering that the mother is an american herself. the young man--a “mixed signal” to the chupacabra due to his conflicted feelings over thinking of himself as strictly american or mexican--is now the only thing standing between the family and a pitiful, bloody demise.

52: after a saturation diver is violently wrenched from their diving bell in a freak accident and their remains are presumed lost at sea, a marine salvage team is sent in by the chamber’s manufacturers under the surface-level orders to retrieve evidence for the investigation, but with the underlying message really being to “pick all that shit up so we can just sweep it under the rug quickly and quietly”. upon arrival, the crew begins picking up a bizarre frequency that would otherwise be regarded as whalesong...if not for the fact that it is much higher than the calls of any whales known to inhabit the area. the salvage team then finds themselves being picked off one by one by the source of the noise--it turns out that the saturation diver’s sheer will to live allowed their broken body to adapt to the ocean depths, taking on a warped form not too dissimilar to a beluga whale. now the former diver is left to lash out in frenzied desperation, screaming out a cry for help that falls deaf on the ears of both humans and sealife 

i am but a teenage fool who knows nothing about nothing so please do not dunk on me if nothing i wrote here has any accurate basis in real-world experiences or logic. also i’ll update with more if/whenever i think of any 

[samsgirl2020]

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

This is my FIRST TIME, so please be gentle.

PART 1

Word Count: 1, 581

Pairing: Sam Winchester X Reader

Warnings: Language

Summary: A female hunter has a bad night and meets an old friend in a tavern.

Notes:  This story was inspired by the Meatloaf song by the same name and by one of my own personal fantasies.  DON’T JUDGE ME! :p

HUGE KUDOS go out to my sister from another mister and my beta, LaNae Weaver.  As far as tags, I’m still really new here, so I’m not sure who I should tag and who I shouldn’t.  Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated.  ENJOY!

PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT

 You touched the cold beer bottle to the side of your face and hissed.  That was DEFINITELY gonna leave an impressive shiner.

 You slowly scanned the tavern and wished that you had just stopped by the closest gas station and got a six pack and went back to your motel room.  Men, women; hunters of all shapes, sizes, and colors crowded around the pool tables, the bar, and the one or two random tables.  There were FAR TOO MANY people around and by the sound of the bell above the door, it wasn’t slowing down.

 Your recent hunt had been a shit show.  The intel you had gotten from your contact had been completely wrong, and you knew you were lucky to be in one piece, let alone still alive.  You set out that morning thinking you were tracking a SINGLE female werewolf.  Your gear was good, YOU were good, but when you arrived at the location your contact sent you to, you found the female wolf…AND her mate.  You cursed under your breath as you relived the evening’s events.

 You drove your truck to the farm about 15 miles outside of town.  When you got out of the vehicle, the clouds parted overhead, and revealed a huge full moon bathing the land and the desolate barn in silver light.  The corner of your mouth lifted up in a smile as you took the pistol out of your duffle bag and opened the chamber to make sure it was loaded.  Once satisfied, you stuffed the weapon into the waistband of your jeans. Straightening your shoulders, you turned and made your way toward the barn.

 The female wolfs mate jumped you almost as soon as you stepped through the door.  He grabbed you by the back of your shirt and jeans and tossed you into a stall.  You crashed to the floor with a thud and groaned. Remembering the pistol in your jeans, you rolled onto your back and emptied 3 silver bullets into the male’s chest just as he was about to pounce on you again.  You scrambled into a sitting position as the male collapsed onto the barn floor.

Getting shakily to your feet, you heard a whaling cry come from across the barn.  Shaking off the effects of your flight through the air, you turned your head to see the female fling herself onto her mate.  She slowly raised her head, and her yellow, animalistic eyes met yours. A sinister snarl left the female as she rose to her full height.

You shrugged your shoulders and smirked.  “Sorry about that.”  You said.

 The female wolf roared with rage and ran toward you. You braced yourself for the inevitable collision, and the two of you slammed into the back of the stall with enough force to crack the rotting wood.  The crash also caused you to drop yur gun with your only means of defense inside.

The female wolf tangled her claws into your hair and began to slam your face into the barn stall wall.  Three separate times.

“Alright, bitch.  That’s it!”  You shouted, and regained control of the situation.  You lifted your right leg and connected your boot heel with the she-wolfs right shin.  She cried out and lost her grip on your hair.  You dropped to your knees and crawled to the steel weapon gleaming in the moonlight.  You raised the weapon and fired.

The wolf froze; a surprised look on her face that would have been comical in any other situation.  She looked down as dark blood started to ooze through her tank top.  She raised her yellow eyes to you once more before her knees buckled and she fell to the floor.

You got back to your feet and walked towards her.  As you stood over her and watched, the female’s eyes changed to a beautiful sparkling blue.  She looked at you as she gasped for air and coughed up a spat of blood. Her breathing became shallower and finally stopped.  You nudged her with your boot, and when there was no response, you sighed loudly and had to fight to keep yourself on your feet.

“Great.  I’ve probably got a fucking concussion.” You said, rolling your eyes.  The eye roll caused another bolt of pain to smash through your skull and you kicked at a random piece of wood.

 You dragged the bodies of both the she-wolf and her mate to the back of the barn.  You went to your truck, got some salt and some lighter fluid, and lit the two corpses on fire.  When the blaze had finally died down, you got back into your vehicle and left the scene. You fished your cell phone out of your duffle bag and connected with the last number you dialed.

“Colton?”  You asked into your cell phone

“Y/N?  What’s up, darlin’?  How was the hunt?” Colton asked, jovially.

“How was it?  You SON OF BITCH!  Do you THINK that you might be able to pull your head out of your ass and give me CORRECT intel next time?!” You yell.

“What the hell do you mean?”

“What do you mean what do I mean?!  There were TWO WOLVES, COLTON!  TWO!  I almost ended up as puppy chow and it’s your FUCKING fault, you ass-hat!”

“Y/N, I…I’m really sorry, babe.  I…I really didn’t know.  Every piece of info I had said it was a single female.  All my sources said…”

“Colton, I don’t give a DAMN about your other sources! YOU are the one that is supposed to have my back!  I am supposed to be able to trust you not to get me killed!” You shouted as you pulled your truck into the bar parking lot.  “I’m done, you shit head.  I’ll handle my own hunts from now on.”

“But, Y/N, please, babe…” Colton started, but you cut him off.

“SHUT UP.  And stop calling me babe!” You yelled and hung up on him.

 You shook your head and sighed as your thoughts came back to the present.  After taking a long swig on your beer, you pressed the cold glass to the side of your face again.

“Damnit!”  You cursed.

Finishing off your beer in two more swigs, you peeled yourself off the bar stool and decided the tavern was FAR MORE crowded then you were comfortable with and knew that it was time to leave.

You were looking down as you walked, wondering if the stain on your shirt was food or blood, so you were unaware of what was in front of you.  Suddenly, you ran into a hard wall of muscle and promptly fell onto your ass.

 “What the hell?  I am gonna….” You started, ready to shred whoever was at fault for knocking you to the floor, and then you froze, and your throat clamped shut.

“Y/N?  What are you doing here?”  A deep, slightly amused voice asked.

 Your eyes slowly crawled up long, denim clad legs. They continued to rise and spied a red and black flannel shirt, covered by a light brown jacket.  Finally they reached the top; and were greeted by dark, long hair, and brilliant hazel eyes.  And, if ALL OF THAT was not enough to crash your internal train, there was a small smile crossing his lips and those damn dimples were making their entrance.  Sam FUCKING Winchester.

 “Uh….Oh, hey, Sam.” You mumbled.

 He reached out a hand to you to help you off the floor and you just stared. (You had ALWAYS been fascinated by his hands).  You came back to yourself, met his gaze, and took his hand.  He lifted you off the floor with ease.

 Sam tilted his head slightly and grimaced.  “That looks like it hurts.  You okay?” He asked.

You donned your famous, “Of course!  I’m right as rain!” grin and nodded.  “Never better.  What are YOU doing here?”

He chuckled softly and sighed.  “Getting some air.  I kinda got evicted from my hotel room, and I found this place down the road.”

“There is no air in here, trust me.” You said, dusting off your back side.  “I’m guessing Dean is poling the electorate again?”

Sam grinned and nodded, almost embarrassed.

You nodded back.  “Right.  Well, I was just headed out, so…” You said, walking past him, praying like HELL he couldn’t see how his smile had made you shiver.  Suddenly, your world began to swim, and you felt like your beer was going to make an encore.  The last thought you had before your eyes rolled into the back of your head was, “Shit. Wolf bitch DID give me a concussion.”

You felt yourself falling backwards, but before you could hit the floor, strong arms were around you, cradling you tightly.

“Okay, Y/N.  Take it easy.” Sam said, a note of concern in his voice.

 You looked up into his face as he held you in his arms. The sensation of Sam holding you close to him had shallowed your breathing and your mind was racing.  You could feel your heart pounding in your chest and again PRAYED that he wouldn’t notice the physical effect he had on you. Had ALWAYS had on you since the first day you met a year ago.  You tried to clear the fog and racing thoughts with a small shake of your head and realized with another wave of nausea that THAT was a bad idea.

“ Sam fucking Winchester” you whispered, and passed out cold.

[decayman]

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSES AESTHETICS ?

REPOST! DON’T REBLOG.  BOLD any that applies to your muse and italicize any that kind of applies to your muse. feel free to add to the list.

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 . red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. violet. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. bubblegum pink. sky blue. pale jade. amber. tan. copper. bronze. magenta.

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 . fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. darkness. shadows. nature. aether. quintessence. blood. life. death. light.

𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 . claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. neck. back. shoulders. legs. freckles. unseen bruises. canines. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. fingernails. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. normal height. muscular. piercings. tattoos. athletic. hair. fur. sleek.

𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒 . scythe. fists. legs. sword. dagger. spear. lance. bow & arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. baseball bats. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls. claws. teeth. stealth. strategy.

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐒 . gold. silver. copper. platinum. titanium. rose gold. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. opal. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. ribbon.

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 . grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. sunflowers. tulips. lavender. petals. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. fungi. ocean. river. frozen lake. meadow. valley. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rain forest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains. snow. mist. pond.

𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐒 . big cats. wolves. foxes. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. crocodiles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. doves. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. penguins. deer. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. monkeys. 

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃/𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 . sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. vodka. beer. coffee. sake. tea. water. spices. herbs. apples. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. mangos. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. lollies. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. surf ‘n’ turf. burritos. tacos. pizza. ambrosia. eggs. milk. ramen. chips. ice cream.

𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒 . music. art. water colors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. baking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. computer. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. CDs. records. vinyl’s. cassettes. piano. strings. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. flute. bells. exploring. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. sleeping. climbing. running. jogging. parkour. studying. video games. comics. manga.

𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 . lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. ankle boots. heels. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. beanie hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. mittens. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sun glasses. straw hat. visor. eye contacts. makeup. ribbons. hoodie. sweater. converses. tennis shoes. boxers. briefs. boxer briefs. shorts. cargo. cropped pants. crop top. cuffed pants. overalls.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂 . balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. growth. decay. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. mirrors. pets. diary. journal. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. suffering. family. friends. strength. comrades. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. kisses. spring. summer. autumn. winter. farmland. countryside. suburban. village. depression. longing. sloth. pride. envy. wrath. greed. gluttony. lust. melancholy. stuffed animals.

[kileyrose-2003]

Rose the Hat x Fem! Reader

A/N: Hello lovelies. This very fun write was requested by @mad4thehat-rose

Warnings: Implied domestic violence, violence, violence against children, mentions of major character death, major character death, child death (if you really like Abra and hate Dark AU endings, skip past the top 8 paragraph) I'm warning you all now, it's DARK, sexual content (literally the whole end of this piece is pure smut)

Key: Mo grá is My Love in Irish. I hope you all enjoy!

"Now do you see the consequences to what you've caused bitch child?!!" Rose screamed and she dragged Abra by her hair to Room 237.

"I had him just where I wanted him-" She gestured to Dan's corpse. "And then you had to fuck it all up!! You took everything from me. My sense of security, my dignity, Andi, and not to mention MY Crow or my newest planned recruit! This is all your fault!"

Abra sobbed as Rose shackled her to the floor. It wasn't supposed to end this way. She seen it herself. Rose was supposed to die.

"Are you even listening to me?!" She slapped Abra across the face and shook the girl who's fate was near sealed. "Y-you're a whore! An ugly old whore! My Uncle would of never went with you..that's just the hotel. He was a good man. You deserved what you got. Especially the Crow. I hope it hurts after what you did to the Baseball Boy. You all were cowards and you're the biggest one of them all and now you're all by yourself and have no one else to blame besides you. You killed them. Not me."

Rose sat their in silence for a few moments. Did she really kill her Crow even if it was unintentional? No..she couldn't of. She loved him and the others. She wouldn't try to ever hurt them purposely but had she been so aborbed in her rage to not notice? Deep down she knew it was possible but shoved it aside. He did know that she loved him, didn't she?

Rose giggled at the morbidity of the situation as reality finally started to sink in slightly. It wouldn't be long now until she had her another breakdown. Abra's confident air began to fade at the sound of the laugh.

"You speak of things and people you know nothing about. You're just a fucking child! A dead one at that and it's all you'll ever be to me from now on." She took the knife out of her pocket and stuck it into the ground inches away from Abra's leg.

Abra tensed and closed her eyes before looking at Rose again, the eyes of a strong woman radiating through her. "You're going to hurt me now, aren't you?"

Rose gave a tight lipped grin and leaned over the young girl, her hair going all in Abra's face. "Oh yes." Rose never looked so glad to say those words. She held her knife up sentimentally as thought of all the bloodshed she caused with it over the years. "And now you're going to scream for years." Rose's face turned to that of a scorned psycho as she plunged the knife deep into Abra's femoral artery.

Meanwhile as Abra and Rose's screams faded into the night you stood in your boyfriends apartment, throwing your clothes and belongings into your suitcase.

"I don't know why you think you can just take off and leave because I never said you were allowed to." You tried your best not to let him think he had the upper hand from the beginning.

"Really? I didn't know I was legal property." Your smile was a vicious one. "You should be. A property of the state that is. We all know you're just trying to get attention. All the psychic shit is just a bunch of hocus pocus."

'If you seen and know the things I do, you wouldn't say. Especially because I could save you from your very preventable death in a few months. Keep being a prick though and I won't. ' You thought to yourself and just shrugged his insult off as ignorance.

"Are you even listening to me?" He tugged your hair and you glared, pushing him away. "First, don't touch me. Who gave you permission to do that? And why should I listen to an abusive asshole?"

He took a swig of beer. "You best watch your tone. Wouldn't want to be burned by the fire you're playing with, is that right love?"

"At this rate, I'm not your love. Not now and not ever. I'm not playing games with you ever again. Now if you would excuse me." You picked up your suitcase and made your way towards the doorway but he blocked it.

"You walk out this door and I'm not covering for you. The only reason your family hasn't sent you away yet is because you're living with me. I won't stop them from sending people to come after you if you walk out that door. So best think of your actions now." He threatened.

"Let them send people after me. I don't care. You won't be able to find me. Now move!" You plowed past him, using your suitcase as a defense of sorts.

"Suit yourself, freak." You had your hand on the doorknob when he said it. "I'm not a freak." You whispered softly, tears streaming down your cheeks. "Yes, you are." He pressed. "No. I'm not!" Your grip on the doorknob tightened to the point your fingers were flushed. "Yes! You are!"

"NO I'M NOT!" The door flew off the hinges and broke into minuscule pieces, nearly hitting your now ex boyfriend.

His face dropped and you locked eyes with him, your tears turning from frustrated ones to angry ones before you walked out the door for good. Leaving him to pick up the pieces himself.

"What a dick." You shook your head as you unlocked your car and stuffed your suitcase in the back before driving away.

Meanwhile on the way other side of the country Rose finished up her work on Abra when she felt a blast of steam hit her.

It was enough to make her stop the final collection on the girl's steam. The word 'freak' radiated through her mind as the energy faded off.

"A woman..maybe from the east coast and twenty tops. No matter, I won't be needing her for a long time. I'll let this one hang around for a little bit and see where the road takes her because she's a wanderer. For now-"

She smiled largely as her bloody hands lovingly caressed the cannister of steam as she felt the fine lines on her face fading. "I have my whale."

Part 2

You didn't know how long you were on the road for until you seen the 'WELCOME TO COLORADO.' sign enter your frame of vision. It was snowing hard at almost a white out rate that day and you could barely even see anything ahead of you.

You stopped at the nearest small town called Silverton and got yourself a hotel room and never left the area from that point on. People in Silverton lived by a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and you liked it like that. It was a serne and safe area with mountains farther then the eyes could see on days it didn't snow and little vintage shops that always caught visitors attention because the place was practically stuck in time.

You lived on your own in your own little apartment and a got job where you made good friends. None of them knew about your little gift and if they did, they never said anything to you about it. Just like they never asked about your family either.

You hadn't spoken to your family in at least a year. On that drive to the Colorado High Country, your cellphone ended up getting thrown out the window. You were a woman of your word now and stronger. You meant what you said.

It was a bustling Friday night on the main street shops and you were in your apartment, running a curling iron through your hair as you were getting ready for your night out.

"Is that guy from your work coming?" Y/b/n asked, scrolling through their phone. "No. They scheduled him for nights."

"Aww that's too bad. I was hoping I could maybe set you guys up." The look in their eyes was mischievous and you shook your head.

"How'd I figure?" You were joking but their eyes became seriously. "Because you just do. I don't know how but you do and I think it's cool...I'm sorry, that was personal. I shouldn't of said anything."

"It's fine." You shrugged it off and unplugged the curling iron, leaving it safely on the counter and shut the light off. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

"Sweet." They tossed you your jacket and stepped outside, making their way to your car. Talking about random stuff as they did you.

You were about to chase after them when suddenly you felt cold eyes on the back of your head.

It wasn't someone physically looking at you, you immediately would of picked up on the person's presence. This one felt cold and empty.

You rubbed the sides of your arm and looked both ways. "Y/n! You coming or not?" Your best friend called out from the sidewalk and you nodded slowly. "Yeah..sorry I-"

"Sorry what?" They made their way back towards you. "I thought I seen something." Your friend just smiled at you and giggled. "I think you're just nervous..come on, you'll feel better once we're on the road."

"Yeah..you're probably right." You took their hand in yours as you strolled to their car, having meaningless small talk along the way. The creeper feeling began to fade away and you attempted to brush it off as just your paranoia but something deep down told you it wasn't.

Meanwhile as you attempted to brush off your inner instincts, Rose the Hat sat at the driver side of her RV with a pair of binoculars in her hand.

(I don't see what all the fuss is about. When I was alive if we seen her we wouldn't of even bothered killing her. We would of just turned her.)

Rose squeezed her eyes shut and grasped onto the sides of her seat. "You're not supposed to be this close to me. Or Andi for that matter. You're both gone now. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Crow sat in her passenger seat. "You're right, I am but who's going stop me?" He kicked his feet up on her dashboard.

"What are you doing here?" She refused to look him in the eye. "A visitation of sort but mostly for another reason."

"Which is?" He sighed and rubbed his face. "You got to move on, Rosie." Rose laughed and put the binoculars done and pulled her knife out from underneath her skirt. "Funny." She balanced the blade in between her finger tips, her eyes fixated on it.

"I'm serious darlin'." Tears brimmed out of the corners of her eyes and she attempted to blink the them away, not wanting Crow to see her vulnerable in life or death. "And I was being serious when I say you shouldn't be this close to me."

There was silence for a few moments. "For the love of god, would just say something?" Rose tried her hardest to not sound like she was begging but they both knew she was.

"You've allowed all this hatred to consume you and it made you push people away, even me. After a while, you're going to be lonely if you aren't already which I know you are." Her grey storm of eyes met his intense sea of black ones. "Then why don't you stay with me then?"

There was without a doubt a sentimental amount of a bitter sweet touch in Rose's tonality. Whether it was because of the immense guilt she felt in the aftermath of her crusade on Abra or because she actually was feeling, Crow didn't know.

She reached out to touch his hand, almost as if to see if he was really there infront of her or if he was just some vivid hallucination and he immediately pulled away from her.

Rose looked taken aback, not because she felt her authority was questioned but because he actually had the gall to push her away when for once she actually was willing to admit she needed him.

"As you said to me before, I'm not supposed to be this close to you." Crow Daddy placed his tan hat atop of his head.

"You won't see me anymore after this. At the end of the day Rosie you're going to end up doing whatever you want anyway but just remember, an eternity alone gets very lonely."

Before Rose could say anything Crow was already gone. She looked at herself in her large mirror for a few moments. The phrase 'At the end of the day you're going to end up doing whatever you want anyways.' Ran through her head like a march.

Crow was right about that part. Even when she was with The True at the very beginning stages of her turning, she did just exactly what she wanted whenever she pleased but to admit to being lonely? That was something she'd never do.

'You need steam much more than companionship.' She told herself. 'As much of a whale the bitch child was her taste is starting to get old. You want something new, stronger.'

Rose adjusted her hat and begrudgingly slipped her feet into a pair of shoes. The rube staple she hated the most. "Alright Rosie..let's go get her."

On the other side of town you sat in the corner of the bar you were at. "Come on Y/n! Have some fun!"

You shook your head and shyed back with your phone. "No thanks.." Your bestfriend sat across from you. "You look sad."

"No, it's just-" They took your hand in their own. "You still feel something?" You nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?"

You could smell the alcohol on their breath and you shook your. "No, no. It's okay. I'll get a cab home."

They nodded and wrapped their arms around you tightly. "Be safe, please? It's near Christmas and people are crazier than normal."

"God you're worse than the soccer mom at the elementary school I went too." You scolded joking and planted a kiss on their cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too." You waved to them, slipping your coat on as you stepped outside. You took a breath of relief as you stepped outside and turned on both heels to go hail the taxi down the road when you bumped into someone.

"Well, hi there!" Rose smiled as you looked at her in embarrassment. "I am so sorry. I should of watched where I was going." You went to go pick up her top hat but you didn't like the energy that came off of it. It was dark and cold.

"It's fine, Y/n." Your face flushed of color and Rose gave a look of innocence. "What?" She placed her top hat back on like it was a crown.

"H-how do you know my name?" Her hand was on your wrist and you felt the tell tale urge to pull back but yet you felt so calm. "You really don't think you're the only one around who is special, don't you?"

Your blank expression said it all for her. "Come with me. I'll show you how I'm special." Your inner instincts told you to run but Rose's energy pulled you into a trance like.

"Okay..I'll come with you and you'll show me how your special." Her smile was filled with joyful malice. 'Still got this, Rosie Girl.' She mentally high fived herself. "Yes..and that's just exactly what I'll do."

Part 3

Though Rose the Hat was a woman of many talents, she wasn't near as good at the abduction aspect as Crow or Barry was. There was something in the look of the abducted us eyes, particularly adults, children wasn't near as bothered with, the caused this sense of vulnerablely inside of her.

Whether it was from years of dealing with a drunken father during her childhood that practically beat the emotion out of her, or because it was in fact a part of the role in The True she hadn't done in a while she didn't know.

All she knew was that she had to try the hardest she had in a while to keep a strong face as she did the first part of the job on you. It was a long drive and you cried the whole way to the abandoned agriculture plant she took you to way outside Colorado.

"No! No! No!" You kicked and screamed as Rose carried you over her shoulder out of her trailer and laid you down the ground. "I-i won't tell! Just let me go."

"Sorry darling, it's not personal. You could of had alot of potential it's just that like you rubes, I've got to eat too." She tied the rope around your wrist tightly and you winced, feeling your wrist burn along with your eyes. "Aww look at you..how adorable. I almost forgot how much I liked watching people squirm underneath me." She tightened the last clamp harder than the rest and you shriked.

"A-are you going to hurt me?" It was an answer you already knew as you squirmed underneath her. Rose put a finger up to your lip and shushed you. "As little as I possibly can." She promised.

She ran her thumb over your cheek as if to give you some comfort and raised the knife above her head. You squeezed your eyes shut, expecting to feel pain radiating through your body but nothing happened.

Why couldn't she hurt you? Rose, who considered herself to be quite numb to the feelings of others didn't even know herself. There was something about you, some steamy element that made her feel attached to you like a magnet.

"Damn it!" Rose stuck her knife in the dirt inches away from her leg and stood up, frustratedly running her fingers through her hair. "Ro-"

"Quiet Y/n!" She snapped and paced back and forth. She had to have you for steam. You knew what she was. There was no other way but why was it so damn hard?

Finally she sat down next to you again and took her position. This time when she attempted to grab the knife she could barely even bring herself to pull it out of the ground.

She thought back to Crow. 'An eternity alone is lonely. ' He was right. She was lonely. Every little thing about you reminded her of her family or herself and she wanted to bathe in it and never let you go. If she couldn't have you for steam, she'd keep you for company. She couldn't be alone anymore.

"Fuck it." She began to untie the ropes from around your wrist and ankles, fighting tears back from her eyes. The more she looked at you, the more precious she found you from your bright eyes to your beautiful soul.

"W-what are you doing?" Your eyes stung from all the crying you had done and all the force she used to knock you earlier.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Y/n? Damn you rubes.." She continued to untie you, mumbling to herself as she did so.

You laid in the dirt and just stared at Rose. "D-does that mean I get to go home?" Rose stopped what she was doing and smiled at you, her getting all in your face. "Oh sweetie..who said anything about being able to go home?You're staying with me."

"With you?" You looked at her in disbelief. "Why, of course. Either way sweetheart, you're mine. All mine. You should of figured that before I even got you because what I want, I always get." You didn't like the look in her eyes and attempted to run.

"Oh no you don't." She caught you by your wrist and you kicked at the ground and sobbed. "Let me go! Please..I won't tell. I promise."

"Shh..it's going to be okay. I have something even more special for you love." You shook your head, barely listening to her. "I just wanna go home..please-"

Rose rolled her eye into the back of her head and reached deep down into her dress pocket, pulling out a needle. "You know Y/n, I really didn't want to do this but you left me no choice." She pushed you back down on the ground and you screamed as she held up the needles. "Sleep, that's all this will give you."

You attempted to move her hands away but she was too strong. You felt a tiny pinch on your neck and you felt a wave a calmness come over your body even though you were mentally screaming.

"That's it..just relax." Rose cooed and slowly got off of you. "You'll thank me later for this, believe me. For now just sleep." Your eyes fluttered shut and slowly you began to fall asleep.

Rose caressed your cheek and lifted you up in her arms as she carried you off to her trailer. Thinking of how much you reminded her of a younger version of herself along the way. She too knew how it felt to be scared and alone because you, like her, probably thought you were the only one out there with this gift and she didn't want you to feel that way anymore.

As much as she needed the steam, she also needed someone to love. Being the only empty devil left in America was lonely. Rose already lost her Crow and Andi and she wasn't about to let you out of her grasp either.

The next morning you woke up warmly tucked into Rose's bed with her arms looped around her waist. You knew you should of been afraid and running for the hills. This was the person that just tried to kill you after all but Rose looked so beautiful, almost like an angel.

Her brown tresses flowed behind her like a veil and her facial, though aggressive beautiful, looked at piece. She looked more earthly.

Ever so carefully, you attempted to slide out of her arms but her body felt so warm and her grip on you was strong like cement.

You managed to get part of your shoulder out of the grip when Rose yanked your wrist. You instantaneously rolled over and your face collided into her chest. "Where do you think you're going, Mo grá?"

She didn't sound angry but you had a feeling she had a temper. "N-nowhere." You stuttered, practically feeling her smile. "Good. That's what I expected to hear."

Rose sat up in bed, looking down at you. "How are you feeling?" You furrowed your brows. "How am I feeling? You kidnapped me and tried to fucking kill me. How do you think I'm feeling?! I should be beating the shit out of you."

Rose chuckled and patted the top of your head. "Such violent threats for such a gentle soul..you and I both know you really wouldn't do it. Now, second time and I'm asking and only the truth. How are you feeling?"

"Shaken but that's the best night's sleep I've ever had. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." You face flushed as the words came flowing out of your mouth and Rose laughed. "Works a little too well sometimes."

She planted a kiss on your forehead and stood up out of her bed. She was completely naked and all you could do was stare.

"What? Clearly it's not the first time you've seen female anatomy my sweet, after all look at yourself." Rose smirked and started a pot of tea.

"I must apologize for what I put you through last night. Normally when I decide who is food, my mind is set on it and there's no going back but you my darling are something special. You have power I haven't felt in a long, long time. I should of found you years ago."

You watched Rose rummage through her cabinets for her box of tea. "So you're a cannibal then?"

"In ways yes, some no. I don't physically eat people. I eat what's up there." She gestured to her crown.

You looked at the walls of her RV and seen pictures of her hidden on the walls. Some of them she was with a man who had dark hair and others a pretty blonde girl. "So is there more of your friends around or-"

"Family. They were MY family and what is tied can never be untied. I'm the last." The reply came off snappily and handed you your cup of tea, flipping the pictures that you seen completely over.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry." Rose waved her empty hand hand dismissively and sat down across from you, her hands almost breaking the handle of the mug she was holding.

"It's not that they don't matter or they're not significant, it's just that it's not something that you should worry about right now." Rose stippled her tea, not wanting you to see the dismay she felt.

"Here's the deal..I'm going to make you an offer Y/n because I need to move and you're steamy." She eyed you up and down. "How old are you, lovely?"

"(Insert whatever age in your twenties you want to be)." You hummed softly and Rose grinned. "What an age. You know I remember being your age once. Long time ago. I felt lonesome too and then I met someone like myself who showed me I wasn't alone. Wasn't crazy. That's how you felt for a long time, didn't you? Your family didn't understand you. No one did."

"I-i..I don't want to talk about it." You crossed your arms and overted eye contact. "Shhh..Mo grá, it's okay. We all have our deep and dark little secrets in our families. That's what I'm offering you. We could make our own family. The little band of misfits we are. No secrets, no judgment. Stay young, eat well, live long."

The next night you were laying with your head in Rose's lap as she rambled on about what would happen after your turning.

"..Normally we'd have an advanced man who would prepare for a situation like this and would be making accommodations to get you your own trailer but for right now we'll have to make due with what we have." Rose brushed off the situation.

"So I'll be living with you?" She grinned. "You have a twinkle in your eye, don't you honeybunch?"

You said nothing and she smiled. "I see everything in that pretty little head of yours. You're a pleaser aren't you? Or at least you were."

"I bow my head to no one. Made it a point not too a while ago." You growled. "Such passion and so fiery..we'll see about that, love. Enough of that though, we have more important things to worry about. Remember, no fear. Embracing it will make it much easier."

You nodded and she laced her fingers through your hair. "Repeat after me Y/n. Lodsam hanti, we are the chosen ones.."

You did as she said although you were only half paying attention. There was something so sacrificial about the act she was performing on you. The phrase 'eat or be eaten' automatically came to mind.

"Y/n!" Rose snapped her finger infront of your face and you tensed. "That's better..now my love, I'm going to show you something even more special then the both of us combined probably."

You raised an eyebrow as she took a bloodied silver cannister out of the pocket in her shall. "This is Abra..my big whale. This little thing thought she could actually get the last word but we clearly both see the end result of that and she taste like spice."

You looked on mortified as she sucked the girl's steam into her mouth. Maybe you shouldn't embrace it. Maybe you'd go with the death option in the end after all, but then you thought of your friends.

You already new that within a few days time you'd become one of the classing 'Missing' posters but at least then, you'd be alive. The other alternative didn't have that peace of mind. Rose would eat you alive if you weren't where you were right now. You didn't have to be in her head to know that.

Your thoughts were broken though when you seen the cloud infront of your face. "Breath deep. A deep as you can."

Ever so carefully, you did. At first you felt nothing and thought all the talk of the pain was just Rose trying to scare you but then you felt a burning sensation in your stomach. It was subtle but enough to make you notice.

Eventually it began to spread to like wildfire. When it reached your lungs it felt like something was choking you from the inside. Fighting to live, to get out of you.

"Ro-" You attempted to choke out her name but failed. "Shhh...it's okay. Embrace it. Let it feed you."

You tried your hardest but it hurt worse than anything you ever felt before. It hurt like you were dying. Your whimpers turned to screams and you practically feel Rose grinned at you.

Your eye balls collapsed and a ball of blue light rolled into your frame of vision. It wasn't long after that you blacked out.

The next morning you woke up in Rose's bed much to your surprise, with your body still intact. You looked the same physically but you felt..different.

Rose opened the door to her trailer and waved. "Well hi there!" You opened your mouth to yell at her. Ask her what it was that she did to but nothing came out. Only the god awful choking.

Rose immediately made her way over to you with a different cannister. "Deep breaths." You took a huff of the steam and the sensation faded.

"That feel better?" You nodded. "You weren't kidding though when you said it hurt." Rose smiled tightly. "It was worth it though, wasn't it?"

"I guess." You shifted uncomfortably, feeling a pit growing inside you and Rose laughed. "You guess? Just wait til you feel the affects of the steam. It'll give you the best night you ever had."

Your face was blank and she furrowed her brows for a moment and smiled. "Oh honey..you're a virgin, aren't you?" You blushed a little bit and she kissed your cheeks. "Nothing to be ashamed of, my sweet. I was one too at one point but that love, was a long time ago."

You nodded but didn't really pay attention. All you wanted was that sensation to be taken away. Rose took her hat off and gently forced you back onto her bed. "May I?"

You nodded, despite the fear radiating through you as she peppered kisses all over your face and neck. Sure you and your ex kissed but never anything like this.

Rose looked down at you as she made her way down to your collar bone. "Normally I'm not very gentle but for you, I'll try."

You nodded as you felt her nip at your skin. She must of been marking you. It was an annoying sensation but not enough to make you feel hurt. If anything, you felt more flustered.

Rose grinned, clearly getting kicks off the whole thing. She continued to work her way down until she eventually ended up at your lower spot.

You tensed and her face softened. "Easy, Mo grá. If you want me to stop, just let me know." You gripped the sheets on the bed tightly as she began to work her magic on you.

You could barely see her head bobbing up and down in between your thighs. All you could focus on was the passion.

"Rosie!" You gasped not even knowing you struck a chord inside her as you felt your cheeks grow warm and red. "It feels..feels-"

"Amazing?" She looked up at you for a moment. "Yes! More! Please!" You begged as your hips involuntarily buckled up down.

Rose reveled in the whole thing. Yet again, silently admitting Crow was right. Realizing the pleasure she had been depriving herself of over the years.

She chuckled and began to teasingly run her fingers over your folds. "So eager yet so impatient. Practically begging for me to fuck you."

You winced at the tease. "D-does it always feel like this?" You stuttered. "Sex?" Rose rasped. "After we take steam yes, but don't worry about that for right now Mo grá. Let me take care of you."

The rest of her face disappeared again as she got back to work, moaning in pleasure the entire time.

It was intense sex but it was gentle. The feeling of her fingers inside you made you scream in ecstasy.

After a while though you felt tired and that pit began to grow in your stomach. "Rose..I-i-i feel something down there. I don't know if I can do it anymore!"

"That's perfectly okay. Cum for me, my sweet." You waited a few moments to see if she planned on moving her hand and you came.

It was electrifying but it felt amazing. You were panting afterwards and beads of sweat were layered onto both of your skin.

"Rose?" You whispered softly. "Yes love?" She pulled your dress down and scooted up next to you, spooning you the closest to her that she could manage.

"I love you." You murmured and her face went blank. You seen her eyes traveling the walls and tried to pick up on just exactly what she was thinking but found a blank canvas.

After a while she finally spoke. "I love you too Y/n." Rose planted a loving kiss on your temple and nuzzled closely to you. Letting the years of pain and anger she felt finally go. Maybe just maybe, moving on wouldn't be so bad after all.

[qirkbrn-a]

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSES AESTHETICS ?

REPOST! DON’T REBLOG.   BOLD any that applies to your muse and italicize any that kind of applies to your muse. feel free to add to the list.

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 . red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. violet. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. bubblegum pink. sky blue. pale jade. amber. tan. copper. bronze. magenta.

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 . fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. darkness. shadows. nature. aether. quintessence. blood. life. death. light.

𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 . claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. neck. back. shoulders. legs. freckles. unseen bruises. canines. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. fingernails. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. normal height. muscular. piercings. tattoos. athletic. hair. fur. sleek.

𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒 . scythe. fists. legs. sword. dagger. spear. lance. bow & arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. baseball bats. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls. claws. teeth. stealth. strategy.

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐒 . gold. silver. copper. platinum. titanium. rose gold. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. opal. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. ribbon.

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 . grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. sunflowers. tulips. lavender. petals. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. fungi. ocean. river. frozen lake. meadow. valley. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rain forest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains. snow. mist. pond.

𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐒 . big cats. wolves. foxes. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. crocodiles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. doves. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. penguins. deer. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. monkeys.

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃/𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 . sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. vodka. beer. coffee. sake. tea. water. spices. herbs. apples. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. mangos. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. lollies. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. surf ‘n’ turf. burritos. tacos. pizza. ambrosia. eggs. milk. ramen. chips. ice cream.

𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒 . music. art. water colors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. baking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. computer. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. CDs. records. vinyl's. cassettes. piano. strings. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. flute. bells. exploring. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. sleeping. climbing. running. jogging. parkour. studying. video games. comics. manga.

𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 . lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. ankle boots. heels. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. beanie hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. mittens. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sun glasses. straw hat. visor. eye contacts. makeup. ribbons. hoodie. sweater. converses. tennis shoes. boxers. briefs. boxer briefs. shorts. cargo. cropped pants. crop top. cuffed pants. overalls.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂 . balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. growth. decay. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. mirrors. pets. diary. journal. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. suffering. family. friends. strength. comrades. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. kisses. spring. summer. autumn. winter. farmland. countryside. suburban. village. depression. longing. sloth. pride. envy. wrath. greed. gluttony. lust. melancholy. stuffed animals.

Tagged by: swiped from myself cause the brainrot here is real Tagging: Steal !!!!

[kariachi]

And now, Tummy Ache!

Kelly Turnbull back again!! Love her shit!

Max, you brought them to a place called, literally, ‘Mr Biggies Candy World Wonderland Emporium’. There is no such thing as ‘moderation’.

Ben is also a candy nerd. Nobody is surprised. Alos Max please put some leashes on your grandchildren they are literally sitting in candy bins.

Max, being old, immediately gravitates to those strawberry hard candies every old person in the western world has.

Ben and Gwen immediately run to tell him that something is wrong with the candy. It doesn’t taste right. Twenty bucks says it’s sugar free. (which is a sin, I’ll give them that)

Max: The candy tastes funny Manager: “Are you sure it wasn’t because your kids were rolling around in it?”

I like this guy

They go back to the foctory, hope to talk to the dude in charge, and apparently Ben was expecting some sorta Willy Wonka shit

Mr Biggie is not enthused. By anything, apparently

He has burn out, as diagnosed by Max. Not surprised really

Ben is trying all the candy in the factory to see if it’s all fucked up. So far, yes

He eats until he’s sick and then turns into Cannonbolt so he has more stomach space

Gwen is unimpressed. She is not paid enough for this

Max has been distracting Mr Biggie with pictures of the grandkids

Welp, that’s at least one machine mysteriously busted

Hello Dr Pang, I know we just got a brief silhouette of your monster form but I love you anyway

‘This place seemed so fanciful in the commercials’ ‘That was added in post’ ‘But that mixer has a top hat on’

Mr Biggie just isn’t feeling this shit. He has been doing the same thing the same way every gotdamn day for fifty-fucking-years. Somebody get this man a vacation

Gwen tries to go all inspirational musical and Mr Biggie just ain’t having it. Explains that if you work long enough in anything it loses its luster. Not meanly either just, like this is a fact of life kid and you can’t fix my problems with a song and whatever

Hello again, Dr Pang. Please just don’t throw the chocolate vat at anybody.

Thank you.

He really doesn’t mean any harm

Turns out timing out when stuffed as one of his aliens is not a good idea. Bad time to learn this lesson, Ben

Max having to explain the Dr Pang situation. That alone may be enough for half a point

Ben: I will save the day Mr Biggie: Not really nessecary thank you Ben: *paying no attention*

Mr Biggie has been kidnapped for crimes against dental hygiene

Pang: Stop making candy! Mr Biggie: My hero!

The man is actually crying of joy that his factory being destroyed will give him an excuse to stop making candy

Dr Pang really is one of my favorite villains right now. He’s a Good

Mr Biggie is not having with Ben whaling on his salvation, no sir

Dr Pang and Mr Biggie running off to start a healthy snack company, much to Ben’s distress

8.5/10 I ship it

[shadowedoracle]

RSS Gift: A Christmas Present for Mama

Happy Holidays! This is my RSS gift for @boushh2187. I’ve really enjoyed being your Santa this year and hope you like your gift! I’m also so, so sorry it’s late and you had to put up with my mixture of ill-health and poor planning. Pro-tip: if writing by hand leave enough time so if you get sick near the end you can still type it up and post on time.

I started a much longer angstier version of this but there were some key things I couldn’t work out about the world. I started writing antidote fluff for the angst scenes and ended up with this family fluff piece instead.

Summary: After giving birth to their second child Belle loses her memories. But it's Christmastime and Gideon doesn't want her to miss out on her present so father and son pay a visit to her in hospital.

Prompt: Belle loses [her] memory after childbirth

Rating: G

[AO3]

Rumplestiltskin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, before ringing the doorbell of the white mayoral mansion. He could have just appeared inside but he’d made a promise to Belle to use magic for trivial purposes less often. She would never have to know he’d done it, but it seemed wrong to conceal it from her -- especially now.

He had just come from the hospital and he couldn’t bear the idea of lying, even by omission, to her when she was in this state. She was just so hurt and confused right now but he, her husband, couldn’t do a thing about it. He had the power of all the Dark Ones but it wasn’t the slightest bit of good. No spell or potion that he knew had had any effect. So he’d had to sit by her bedside and willing her to remember, to give him some sign of recognition. It didn’t help, it never did.

It had been a week since she’d gone into labour four weeks early. A week since the last time his wife had looked at him and known who he was, really seen him to know him. Now, she didn’t remember him, she wore his ring on her finger but she couldn’t recall a single thing about him or their lives together. But how could she when she couldn’t even remember herself?

When she’d first woken up the Doctor Whale had reassured him it was likely just a side-effect of the general anaesthetic. He should have known better than to trust Dr. Frankenstein’s judgement about living patients. But as the day had progressed it had become obvious to all that it was more that that. She remembered nothing about herself or her life.

He’d tried True Love’s Kiss and all the spells and potions he could think of. All the new ones that he’d researched after the Incident with the damned pirate and more. But it had all been for naught.

The closest to any sign of memory had been two days ago, when she’d asked to look at the ring on his finger. A flutter of hope had beaten through his chest as he’d shown her the ring on his finger and had let her stroke her finger across the blue moonstone. When she had back looked up at his face as her fingertips had swirled over the stone, his breath had caught in his throat when he’d thought he’d spied a glimmer of her normal self in her eyes. But then the moment was gone as if it never were. Neither the cold stone nor the quick accidental touch of her fingertips to his knuckle had woken her. He’d masked his emotions as quickly as he could but he knew it hadn’t been quickly enough.

His Belle had always read him like a book and even if she didn’t know him any more, it seemed she could still read him.

It could be the only possible explanation for why she seemed to trust him so. He could have been anything to her. He could have been lying to her but when he had pointed that out to her, she’d just smiled told him that she could tell he was a ‘good man’. Somehow even with no memories, no sense of self she still saw the best in him.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as Regina herself answered the door in a sleek navy skirt suit and pristine white shirt.

“Any progress?” She asked softly, as she moved to the side to let him in.

He shook his head.

She gave a sympathetic little smile,“It’ll work out. It’s hardly the first time she’s lost her memories. You’ll work out the trick to recovering them this time and soon enough your wife will have the dubious pleasure of remembering you again.”

He quirked an eyebrow, “Do I have to remind you, dearie, two of the times Belle forgot who she was, you were more than a little involved.”

She straightened a little and said stiffly, “Yes, well. I’m not that person any more. And if I may remind you, you’re not the man you were then either.”

Rumplestiltskin sighed, suddenly feeling bone tired, “No I’m not. I know you’re not involved this time anyway, dearie. If I thought there was even a chance you might know anything about this well, this conversation would be taking place in a very different setting,” he said and let his lip curl into a sardonic smile and added in a lower voice, “with much more pain.” He shook his head and shifted back to his lighter conversational tone, “And I most certainly would not be entrusting you with the care of my son. Speaking of, how has he been?”

Regina looked as if she had wanted to say something else before his abrupt change of topic but evidently changed her mind and just gestured a hand vaguely towards the living room.

“He’s been good as Gold--” she winced, having evidentially not seen that obvious pun coming, “He’s playing with Henry now.”

Shrieks of joy were emitting from the living room and Rumplestiltskin felt some of the tension leaving him as he walked towards the sound of his son’s happy laugh.

But as he stood in the doorway and watched Henry leap around the room twirling a Duplo model around in his hand and knock an arm off the Duplo model Gideon was wielding as a weapon, he also felt the familiar weight of sorrow creep over his heart. His little boy who just missed his mother dreadfully but didn’t know she might not be the mother he knew when he saw her.

Belle hated it too. She was much less distressed overall this time compared to the Incident with the pirate. The only time he’d seen her get truly upset was when she realized she had no memories of her child.

“What kind of a mother forgets her child?” She’d sobbed.

And while she wasn’t truly comfortable with him, she’d allowed him to comfort her just that once. Had allowed him tuck her into his arms where she belonged and stroke her hair, in just the pattern he knew soothed her.

He hoped what he was about to do was a good idea, both Gideon and Belle would be so crushed if this went wrong.

He stood there, just watching his son and grandson, loathe to interrupt their fun for what seemed like a long time. But it couldn’t have been very long before Gideon with more luck than anything else managed to knock Henry’s Duplo model out of his hands.

Henry fell to his knees and raised beseeching hands towards Gideon, “Oh, have mercy oh great and powerful Gideonasaurobot!”

“No! No mercy. Gideonasaurobot must punish you with tickles!” Gideon shrieked dropping his own model and launching himself at Henry.

“No! No! Anything but that.” Henry cried as Gideon’s wriggling fingers connected with his stomach, trying and failing to bat them away.

Rumplestiltskin coughed, hating to bring his son’s fun to an end but figuring he ought to save Henry from the indignity of losing a tickle fight to a three-year-old.

Henry glanced over his shoulder and smiled at his grandfather. He prodded Gideon’s arm and pointed towards the door. Gideon turned, his face lightening up as he ran and flung himself at his father’s legs.

“Papa!” Rumplestiltskin staggered back, grabbing the door frame to help him keep his balance.

He smiled as he bent down and picked up Gideon.

“So were you good for Regina and Henry?” Gideon nodded vigorously. “I was very, very good. The goodest! I even got to eat Christmas cookies I was so good.”

“Did you now?” Rumplestiltskin smiled down at his son, while privately hoping that Regina hadn’t left Gideon consume too much sugar.

“Yeah! They were tasty and I learned magic,” Gideon finished proudly.

Rumplestiltskin half-turned and shot a filthy glare at Regina; she couldn’t possibly think he would approve of her teaching his three-year-old son magic.

She crossed her arms, “It wasn’t me it was Henry."

Rumplestiltskin turned back and stared at Henry in befuddlement. Henry just grinned and started chucking Duplo back into a large red plastic box.

“I show you,” Gideon said wriggling until his father gently lowered him back down. Gideon patted his leg, “Wait here,” he said before racing off to the back of the room.

Rumplestiltskin watched him gather up his stuffed bunny and a large velvet top hat and come running back towards him.

Rumplestiltskin looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Regina.

She rolled her eyes, “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not what you think -- it’s just a hat.”

Rumplestiltskin felt a whoosh of relief go through him. He’d been fairly certain Henry wouldn’t teach Gideon actual magic but it didn’t stop him worrying.

“Papa!” Rumplestiltskin returned his gaze to his son. “And what great feat of magic are you going to show me?”

Gideon waved the stuffed rabbit around and its long off-white ears flapped against the blue and white checkered shirt. “Now you see Mr. Floppy Ears.”

Rumplestiltskin nodded, “I see him.”

“Yes. Now watch me put Mr. Floppy Ears in the hat,” Gideon said hugging the hat to his stomach and dropping the rabbit inside.

“Okay, I see him. He’s in the hat. But where’s the magic in that?”

“Shh, you’ll see,” his son replied impatiently as he placed the hat on his head.

It probably would have come down over his eyes if the rabbit hadn’t been in there Rumplestiltskin thought smiling.

Gideon waved black wand with white tips clutched in his chubby fist, “Abra Cadaver!”

Rumplestiltskin snorted quietly, wishing Belle were here and they could share this experience together.

Gideon raised the hat off his head and Rumplestiltskin pretended not to see him stuff Mr. Floppy Ears into the front of his shirt. He held out the hat proudly.

“Oh no! What have you done with poor Mr. Floppy Ears?” Rumplestiltskin exclaimed smiling down at his son.

Gideon giggled, “I magicked him out of the hat!”

“But to where? Where could you have magicked him to?”

Rumplestiltskin put his hand in the hat and pretended to try to find the bunny, “Here’s not in here.”

He looked Gideon up and down, then leaned around and pulled slightly on his left ear and pretended to check behind it. “He’s not here either.”

Gideon was bouncing up and down little body quivering with mirth as Rumplestiltskin checked the behind the right ear, “Nope not here either. Where can you have sent Mr. Floppy Ears?”

Gideon grinned proudly up at his father and pulled the bunny out from under his shirt.

“Here!” Rumplestiltskin smiled and clapped, “Well done! However did you manage that? I thought for sure you’d sent him to the land of bunnies.”

Gideon laughed, “No, that would be silly. He likes it here with me.”

Rumplestiltskin picked him up again and kissed his sticky cheek, “Does he now? That’s good, I think he’s the only thing keeping you out of trouble sometimes. Are you ready to go?”

Gideon nodded against his chest. “Then say 'goodbye' and 'thank you' to Henry."

Gideon twisted in his arms and waved his chubby hand. “Bye bye thank you Henry.”

Henry smiled and waved back, “Bye Gideon. I’ll teach you more magic next time you’re over.”

“Yeah!” Gideon slapped hand to his father’s chest.

“Ow! Gideon, no slapping remember?”

“Sorry, Papa,” Gideon trilled.

He kissed the top of Gideon’s head. “It’s okay, just try to remember next time. Papas are very delicate you know.”

He whirled a hand to collect Gideon’s things together. There was not using magic for trivial purposes and there was stupidity in trying to hunt around for all randomly dispersed mess of a toddler. Rumplestiltskin started walking towards the door of the house.

“Wait.” Regina’s voice made him pause and he turned back to her with a raised eyebrow. “What is it dearie?”

“I have something else for you take with you. Wait here.”

She returned a minute later with a red metal tin.

“Here. These are some of the Christmas cookies we made.”

He smiled, “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you. Isn’t it Gideon? Say ‘thank you’ to Regina and ‘bye-bye’”

“Thank you. Bye-bye!” Gideon’s sung out.

“Bye, bye little man. We’ll see you again soon. Okay?” Regina said waving as they passed.

Gideon nodded into Rumplestiltskin's chest, “’Kay!”

Rumplestiltskin put Gideon down and helped him into his winter clothes.

“Thanks for this Regina.”

She shrugged, “It’s been no bother. Will you need me to look after him again this week?”

Rumplestiltskin shook his head, “Granny’s said she’ll take him for some the time and the Charmings have said they’ll have him over to play with Neal as well. So hopefully that’ll tide us through until Belle can come home and then,” he shrugged, “we’ll have to play that by ear I think.”

Regina nodded, “Let me know though. If you need any more help.”

“I will, thanks. I’ll try and find some way to make it up to you too.” Rumplestiltskin gave her an evil grin, “How about I see if Mal’s available for dinner sometime.”

Regina blushed slightly, “I can talk to her myself you know.”

“True, but you never do.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Is this the sort of meddling the mighty Dark One gets up to these days? Arranging dinner dates?”

“Ah, but I never said it was a date.”

Regina rolled her eyes and made and shooing motion with her hands. “Just take your child and go you meddlesome man.”

He grinned at her and picked Gideon up, adjusting his hat and scarf when he was safely in the crook of his arm again.

“Until next time Regina.”

“Goodbye and goodbye to you too Gideon.”

She waved once more before shutting the door firmly behind them.

Rumplestiltskin walked them to the car and carefully put Gideon into his booster seat.

“Are you ready to visit Mama and your baby sister and give them your present?”

“Yeah!” Gideon grinned excitedly up at him.

Rumplestiltskin smiled back and tried not to think that this trip very likely to turn out to be a bad idea.

***

Rumplestiltskin, got out of the driver’s seat and slid into the back seat next to the booster seat. He undid Gideon’s seat belt carefully and pulled his son into his lap.

“Now remember what we talked about before, all right? We’ll go see Mama and you can give her your present but she’s still sick.”

Gideon nodded into his father’s shoulder. “Okay,” He said in a small voice.

Rumplestiltskin took his hand gently and wondered if he was doing the right thing taking Gideon to see Belle. He was bound to be upset when she didn’t recognize him and then she’d be upset too. But he missed her so much and so wanted to give her her present. And the desperate foolish part of his mind hoped that maybe, just maybe, seeing her son would spark some memories.

“Just remember, Mama’s sick and has forgotten some stuff. She knows who you are of course,” he winced internally, it was not exactly lying to his son. He’d shown her pictures of her son and she was able to make new memories since the birth, so it wasn’t exactly a lie. But somehow finding that loophole made him feel far worse finding loopholes usually did. He decided to plough on and deal with his guilty conscience later, “She misses you and she wants to see you. But she won’t remember all the little stuff she normally does, so try not to ask her too many questions.”

“Oh,” Gideon replied in a small voice. He twisted a hand into father’s shirt collar.

“Papa?”

“Yes?” Rumplestiltskin laid a comforting had over Gideon’s.

Gideon chewed his lip,“Did I make Mama sick?”

Rumplestiltskin blinked. “No of course not,” he replied quickly. “Why would you think that?”

Gideon fixed his gaze on Rumplestiltskin’s chest and chewed his lip some more.

“Gideon?” Rumplestiltskin stroked Gideon’s hand, “Just tell me son. You can tell me anything remember?”

Gideon nodded and mumbled something into his chest.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. “I’m really sorry Gideon. I couldn’t hear you.”

Gideon took a big gulp of breath and said quickly, in a small voice, “I got mad at her.”

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart clench at the guilt in Gideon’s voice. He hugged his son close to him and ran a gentle hand over his head.

“That’s okay Gideon.” He said soothingly, “You are allowed to get mad at her sometimes. We all get mad at each other sometimes. It’s harmless and you most definitely did not make her sick.” He paused, “Do you remember why were you mad at her?”

Gideon nodded, “I told her I wanted the baby to go away. Out of her tummy. I told her I want it to go away so I can sit on her lap again.”

Rumplestiltskin smiled down at Gideon and shook his head, “Well I’m afraid you can’t go back to being an only child, but I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in conspiratorially and lowed his voice almost to a whisper.

“What?” Gideon breathed back.

“Mama wanted the baby out of there too. She was getting very tired of it kicking her all the time.”

Gideon frowned. “Why didn’t she tell it off? She tells me off for kicking things.”

Rumplestiltskin smiled. “Well you see, when the baby was in her tummy it couldn’t hear and understand things yet. But now she’s outside Mama’s tummy she’ll have to learn not to kick things just like you. So you’ll have to be a very good big brother and show her how it’s done.”

“Will I get to sit on Mama’s lap again if I do?”

Rumplestiltskin nodded, “of course. Although not on this visit because Mama’s still sore because she’s sick. But afterwards you can, just like before, but you’ll have to take turns with your sister. Okay?”

Gideon nodded slowly, “I guess.”

Rumplestiltskin leaned over and kissed his forehead and stroked his hair again, enjoying the whiff of baby shampoo that reached his nostrils, “That’s a good lad.”

They sat in the back of the car for another few minutes before Rumplestiltskin decided they were as ready as they were going to be.

He got the little present bag with the present from Gideon, out of the trunk and let Gideon hold it as they walked through the hospital, periodically checking they hadn't managed to lose it on the way.

The hospital was all bright lights, loud voices and lots of bustling movement making Gideon inch closer and closer to his father’s legs until Rumplestiltskin just decided that would be easier to carry him the rest of the way and hefted Gideon into the crook of his arm.

“Almost there. Almost there, Gideon.”

Belle’s door was ajar when they reached her ward. He placed Gideon on the ground and crouched in front of him.

“Wait here for one moment while I check if Mama’s ready to see us. You know what she’s like -- she could still be fixing her hair.”

Gideon giggled and nodded.

He patted his son’s head and stood up, pushing the door open a little more and slipped his head around it. He felt a rush of relief, when he saw Belle sitting upright in bed reading. At least she wasn’t sleeping, she’d managed to stay awake most of the last couple of days but he’d still put off bringing Gideon to visit. Hoping her memory would be better mostly. But he knew it would distress Gideon less if she was at least alert and could pretend to be a bit more her usual self.

He tapped a lightly on the door frame and he was chagrined to see he her start at the loud noise. She swivelled her head up and towards the door.

He smiled, a little self-consciously, at the woman who both was and wasn’t his wife, “Sorry didn’t mean to startle you.”

She shook her head, “It’s fine. I don’t mind. I was just reading this book you bought me.” She gave an ironic little smile, “Guess the nice side to losing one’s memories is discovering stories like these for the first time again.” She held up her old battered blue-leather bound copy of the Her Handsome Hero.

He’d hoped an object from her childhood, of her mother’s, might have helped remind her who she was. There was no sign of any change but he couldn’t help but hope that it might spark a small change that would led somewhere.

He smiled back at her, “Well I’m glad you found a bright side to it. Are you available for company? I have a very eager young man here to see you.”

Her smile faded a little and she began to look a little apprehensive. But before he could offer to bring Gideon back another day, she nodded, “Sure. You said you’d be bringing him by. Now’s as good a time as any. Not as if I’m doing much just sitting here reading all day.”

He gave her one more appraising glance but she’d steeled herself to do this and with or without her memories Belle was both stubborn when she’d set her mind to something.

He turned back to Gideon, who’d sat himself on the floor, in the short time he’d been waiting. Rumplestiltskin supposed at least it was a hospital so the floor was probably cleaner than a lot of surfaces he’d played on.

“Come on Gideon. Mama’s ready to see you now.”

“She is?!” Gideon’s face lit up and scrambled to his feet.

Rumplestiltskin nodded and held the door open wider and beckoned towards his son. “Come on.”

His son ran eagerly past him, “Mama!”

Belle waved at him with a bright smile on her face and only her eyes betraying the nerves.

Gideon made to leap onto the bed and Rumplestiltskin only just managed to grab the back of his coat in time. “Uh, uh, uh. Remember what we talked about. You have to be gentle with Mama because she’s sick.”

Gideon slumped a little, “Oh yeah.”

Belle patted the bed beside her, “You can sit next to me if you like though.”

Gideon approached the bed slowly and scrambled up to her side, dragging the little present bag along the bed behind him and Rumplestiltskin just able to rescue it from being squished when Gideon down.

Belle slid her arm around her son, “how have you been Gideon?”

Gideon snuggled into her side. “Good. Missing you.”

There was only a slight pause from Belle, “I missed you too. But they say I should be able to come home soon. That’ll be good, won’t it?” She added a little false cheer into her voice.

“Yeah. You can see all the presents Santa got me!”

“Oh. Did Santa get you a lot of presents?”

Gideon nodded. “I got some trains, a tractor, some farm animals. And… and a puzzle and Play Doh. Oh! And a tricycle.”

“Did you now? My that’s a lot of presents!” You must have been very good,” she paused, confused.

Rumplestiltskin had begun to recognize this as her tick whenever she realized knew something in theory but did not know how she knew it or have any memories associated with how she acquired that knowledge.

He didn’t want Gideon getting upset, so he settled for distracting him. “Gideon has something for you, don’t you Gideon.”

Gideon nodded eagerly, grabbing the present bag and shoving it into Belle’s arms.

“Here!”

She peaked into the bag and pulled out the gift Rumplestiltskin had wrapped for Gideon

“I wonder what it could be,” she said shaking the rectangular parcel wrapped in white paper with little Christmas trees on it.

Gideon giggled at her display, “Open it! Open it!”

She smiled and tore the wrapping paper off to reveal a plastic picture frame covered in glitter glue. She gasped, “Did you make this yourself? For me?”

Gideon puffed his chest out a little. “Yeah. I made it all sparkly and shiny!”

“It’s so pretty! I’ll have to think of the best picture to put in here to do it justice!”

“Actually...” Rumplestiltskin began and both mother and son turned their heads towards the chair to the right of the bed where he’d settled himself.

“Yes?” Belle asked gently when he didn’t continue.

He shifted slightly, aware that the idea he’d come up with last night after arranging this visit might turn out to be a bad one.

“Well… I brought one with me so you could have it here while you’re waiting to come home.” He met her eyes and was glad to see they were still smiling at him, “Just until you’re home, of course.” He added, “You can pick out your own one then.”

She smiled brightly at him, “That’s a wonderful idea! Don’t you think that’s a wonderful idea Gideon?”

Gideon beamed and bounced a little on his bottom, “Yeah!”

Rumplestiltskin reached into his jacket and pulled out the photo he’d selected. It had taken a long time to decide but he was happy with his choice.

“It’s one of the ones from Gideon’s last birthday party,” he said handing over the photo.

It was a simple picture Henry had taken of the three of them in their back garden, Belle was leaning against his shoulder laughing as they both watched Gideon make the large plastic dinosaurs he’d gotten for his birthday walk on their heads.

Belle gave him a grateful little smile, “It’s perfect! I can sit it right here beside my bed so I can have something nicer to look at while I have to stay here.”

She gave Gideon a light squeeze and kissed his cheek, “Thank you both. What a wonderful present!”

Gideon beamed. “I told Papa you’d like it. And lots of blue glitter best.”

Belle nodded sagely, “And you were right on both counts.”

Rumplestiltskin smiled at the two of them. This was going better than expected he thought. It didn’t look like this had sparked any change in Belle but at least Gideon was getting some time with his Mama and she was managing to keep him from getting upset.

A wail came from the box at the end of the bed and broke him out of his reverie.

Gideon started and jammed his hands over his ears, “What’s that?”

Rumplestiltskin went to the bassinet at the end of the bed, reaching in and cradling the small babe in his arms and rocking her gently, “This is your baby sister.”

Gideon pulled his hands away from his ears, “Is she always loud?”

Belle laughed and reached out her arms towards her husband, “I think she’s hungry."

He returned to her and carefully placed their daughter in her arms. She smiled down at her and cooed, “Shh, shh. Mama’s here. Are you hungry little one?”

She evidently was hungry because she calmed down as soon as she was suckling at Belle’s breast. Gideon watched wide-eyed.

“Why aren’t you feeding her?”

Belle smiled, “I am feeding her. This is how babies eat.”

“Looks more like drinking.”

“Well, she’s too small to eat proper food so this is how babies eat.”

Gideon wrinkled his nose. “Weird!”

Belle laughed, “you were one once yourself you know! You ate this way too.”

Gideon wrinkled his nose, not sure what to make of this idea.

He stared at his sister and reached over a finger as if to poke her.

Rumplestiltskin grabbed his hand just in time, “no poking your sister.”

Gideon pouted, “Oh.” He frowned as if considering something, “does she have a name?”

Rumplestiltskin nodded, “Rosalind Colette. But we’re probably going to just call her Rosa most of the time.”

Gideon waved a hand towards his sister’s face. “Hello Rosa. I’m Gideon. I’m your big brother!”

He looked up at his father, “Where’s Mr. Floppy Ears?”

Rumplestiltskin dug the rabbit out of the front pocket of his coat and handed him over.

Gideon grabbed the toy and stuffed him into bed next to Belle.

She gave him a puzzled look, “Why are you doing that?”

“I think he should stay and keep you and Rosa company until you get better and come home,” Gideon said earnestly.

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart swell with love and pride and looked across to see Belle’s eye’s watering with emotion too.

She blinked a few times then smiled down at Gideon.

“You’re a good boy, Gideon. I promise you while I may forget a lot of things until I get well again, I won’t forget that I love you because you’re my best little guy and I will always know I love you. Okay.”

Gideon nodded and cuddled into her side, “Love you too”.

She leaned down and just managed to kiss his hair without disturbing the baby.

Rumplestiltskin smiled at the tableau his family made on the bed. In that moment he felt sure that they would get through this terrible time as a family, that Belle would get better and all would be right again. But even if she didn’t, if nothing could be done for her, he could for the first time see a path where they could still all be happy. He wouldn’t stop fighting for his family and trying to make this right but in that moment he felt certain that, one way or the other, they would all get through this.

[theawestruckwonder]

WYVERNS, SKY WHALES, and KITCHEN TROLLS (Full Story)

Like every other morning, eleven-year-old Jenna Walker woke up before the stars had disappeared from the sky. Her mouth was drier than usual as she took her first deep breath since the previous evening, but she pushed the half thought from her mind as she sat up and slinked out from under the covers. She shuffled downstairs, curling her toes as her bare feet hit the cold wooden floors. Imitating her mom, she filled the coffee pot with water and poured the pre-ground beans into the filter, adding a soft shake to brew a stronger batch. As she turned the machine on and waited for the coffee to brew, she watched the sun rise through droopy eyes. The neighborhood lightened, and the mist twisted and curled above the grass in the backyard.

A woman rose from the fog, her form vague. She still had arms and a face, but her feet disappeared. Another mist woman arose and another and another. They spun around each other in greeting until they began to dance, their vaporous hands intertwining. As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, the women’s dancing slowed until they were all but gone. When only one mist woman remained, she turned and pointed at the kitchen window.

Jenna looked over her shoulder. The mist woman was pointing at her.

The woman waved her arm, gesturing to follow her.

Jenna glanced to the clock. It was almost seven; her father would be more preoccupied about who brewed the coffee than whether or not his daughter was getting ready for school. She grabbed her shoes and coat by the front door and ran out the back. The fog woman was only visible by the outline she left behind. She stood underneath the apple tree and pointed up. Jenna saw nothing except branches and the first signs of fall, but she climbed up anyways. If she reached the curly branch, then she would be able to see over the fence and into the forest behind her.

Reaching the top of the tree, she gazed into the forest as her eyes searched for something. Anything. The sunlight had not yet penetrated the canopy, leaving the undergrowth covered in darkness. The shadows contorted themselves, wriggling into serpents as thick as bears. Their tongues flicked in unison. Raising their onyx bodies off the ground, they revealed a front pair of short legs with serrated claws. They dragged their bodies under and over each other toward her, but yielded at the sunlight’s presence. They blinked once. Twice. Three times before hissing and reluctantly turning around.

“Lindworms,” Jenna muttered.

“Jenna, what on earth are you doing out here?” her father shouted from the deck. He leaned against the door frame as he struggled with putting his socks on. “We have to leave in twenty minutes!”

Jenna stared at the forest a minute longer, but the sun had risen high enough for its light to filter through the branches. She dropped from the apple tree and ran inside. She understood the mist woman’s message clear enough. Shadows were creeping closer to home.

She ran inside, following her father as he scrambled around the house looking for his computer bag. She reached under the table and held it out.

“I swear I looked there,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Can we see Mom today?” Jenna asked.

Her father froze and stumbled out the beginning of an excuse.

“Nevermind,” Jenna said quickly. She didn’t want her father to finish that sentence. That sentence could never be finished. She ran up the stairs and rummaged through her closet until she fingers wrapped around the old shoebox in the back. She sorted through the jewelry, old coins, even a hand mirror until she found the rock at the bottom. Her mom had given it to her a few years ago, saying that it had magic inside it. The magic would only be released once it was broken and since it could only be used once, Jenna had hidden it away until a time when she really needed it. She stuffed it in her backpack and ran downstairs where her father was grabbing his keys.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“I got everything I need.”

Behind her, the car door slammed behind her as her father rolled away with a crooked tie and shouting out a final word of encouragement. Other kids wove in and out of the crowd; a few pushed her with half mumbled apologies, but most passed by without any acknowledgement to my presence. With wide eyes, she stared at the white letters on a plaque in front of her.

Jefferson Middle School.

Jenna navigated through the halls toward her first period class, math, and took a seat at the far end where the windows were. Outside was the perfect view of the out of season baseball fields and sky. Even the tops of the forest were visible from her desk. She wondered if she would be able to see the lindworms from here.

“Welcome to Prealgebra,” the teacher announced after the final bell rang. “My name is Mrs. Oiler. I am your substitute teacher and today…”

Jenna drifted off. The dry grass of the fields had been mowed recently, even though the fields had been half dirt since the end of summer. Through the glass, there were little men and women, barely the size of her thumb, sneaking from stalk to stalk. They had skin that matched the dusty red dirt, but wheat colored hair. Old leaves covered their bodies like short robes. Though dozens of them wove in and out of the grass, all of them glanced up at the robins fluttering by the bleachers. One robin hopped further and further away until it bounced right on top of a pair of grassmen. It stared at them, its head cocked to one side, deciding if they would make a good meal.It must have been three times bigger than them. Their torsos would have fit nicely in its beak. The two men pulled out twigs sharpened into rapiers and swung them at the bird which jumped back in surprise. Once more, they thrusted the weapons towards its eyes, managing to scratch its left eye. The bird took off with an indignant squawk.

“Jenna Walker? Jenna Walker?”

“Oh, here, Mrs. Oiler,” Jenna called. She ignored the snickers of those around her. The teacher nodded and began her lecture while Jenna turned back to the window.

A single grassman climbed up a dandelion and saluted her. She smiled. They were on her side.

With half a dozen grassmen on her backpack and shoulders, Jenna walked home from school. She had waited at the loading zone for her father and after an hour, she started walking home. Though a brief journey, the sun had disappeared behind darkening clouds. The wind gusts pulled her hair and tied it into knots. She scolded the wind for being so careless, but it did not listen to her. She was grateful when she finally turned the corner to her street.

Jenna stopped by her mailbox at the end of her driveway before heading inside. The first raindrops were falling and promised only to grow worse as the day finished. She flipped throughout the envelopes as she walked to her door, wondering what the different municipal seals meant until she reached the final one. The Jefferson Middle School insignia was in the corner. Grades were out. As she slipped into the house, she hid the envelope in the first pocket of her backpack. When it started to fall, the grassmen climbed out and pulled it back.

Jenna brought out her math homework to the dining room table, several multipart problems, but her equations quickly spiraled into doodles on the page. She had only completed a few problems by the time her father came home from work later that afternoon. He was sopping wet, despite the short distance from the driveway to the front door. He was muttering curses under his breath as he took off his soaked coat and shoes. Jenna kept quiet as he ran upstairs and came down in dry clothes after which he began to prepare dinner. Her dad had ordered take out for the last few weeks, but tonight he seemed determined to burn mashed potatoes. She watched him fumble through the kitchen and opening cupboards that definitely did not have minced garlic before standing up and fetching it from the fridge. She closed the door as her father slammed a drawer onto his fingers.

“Son of a bi-,” he paused. His eyes caught her holding out the jar of garlic. “-scuit. How long have you been there?”

“Not long,” she said. Her father took the garlic and wandered over to the glass dish her father had taken out of the oven. Jenna eyed the meal.

Trolls crawled out from the bottom cupboards and gathered on the counter. They were small, only a foot tall, but they were fatter than Thanksgiving turkeys. They switched back and forth from glaring at her dad and glaring at the potatoes. One of them grabbed a meat grinder from the drawers. He beat the top of the potatoes, dismayed when it did nothing to break the charred surface. They grumbled with one another until one with a funny sagging hat wobbled over to a window. He shouted and waved his hands.

A chipmunk appeared behind the glass, its full cheeks bouncing as it walked through the window. It shook the rain off and opened its mouth. Out rolled two round gooey balls covered in saliva. She couldn’t hide the disgust from her face.

“That bad?” my dad asked.

“What?”

“Does dinner really look that bad?”

“Oh.” The troll brought the balls over. He tossed one to his friend and cracked them both over the edges like eggs. A thick silver slime fell from the shells, but no one seemed to mind. The troll trio exchanged glances with me and nodded, giving a thumbs-up before climbing down the counter and scurrying under the kitchen table. “Not really. Just thinking about school”

“Ah. Did grades come out?”

Jenna shrugged.

“Do you know when they’ll come out?” Her father moved toward the stack of envelopes near the door. He shuffled through them, throwing the spam mail into the trash while holding onto the bills, mostly form the hospital.

“No,” Jenna lied. She stole a peek at her backpack. The corner of the school’s letter was sticking out. Her father took a magazine and tossed it toward the trash can. However, instead of landing in the basket, it hit her backpack leaning against the wall and knocked out the contents of her backpack, including the school’s envelope, onto the floor. Her father leaned down to pick up the magazine when his eyes landed on the letter. His fingers hesitated, but he picked it up anyways. He looked up at Jenna.

“Is this what I think it is?” he whispered. His voice cracked at the end. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she stared at her father, unable to find the right words. Without another moment’s hesitation, she darted from the kitchen. She jumped up the stairs, two at a time, and disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind her and waiting for the sound of his footsteps as he asked for an explanation. But they never came. There was only the sound of her heart and the walls whining, not unusual despite the unseasonal thunderstorm shaking the place.

She curled under a red blanket at the window seat her parents had given her a few years ago and stared out the window. She watched the storm clouds billow into dark mountains, crashing over the sky like a tidal wave. Lightning flashed. She ran to turn out the lights. Thunder rumbled.

With that crack of thunder, a large blue whale pushed its way through the thunderheads. It opened its mouth, the baleen bristles in its mouth catching a second bolt of lightning. The electricity danced through the bristles until they were pearly white. Any leftover barnacles had fallen to the earth as shooting stars before winking out of existence. The whale opened its mouth even wider. Its song bounced upon the clouds with the thunder as its beat. A second one, this time a baby, floated through the storm-

“Jenna, we need to talk.” Her dad interrupted the scene as he nudged the door open. The whales disappeared as the light turned on overhead. She was faced with her own reflection in the pane, but also the reflection of her father. He looked tired and his hair was graying. When had that happened, she wondered? Surely it wasn’t like that last week. He took a seat next to her. With a quite groan, she turned towards him. He had a piece of paper with the outline of Jefferson’s seal in his hand. She pulled the blanket over her shoulders.

“I don’t want to,” she answered honestly.

“I’m not… mad about you... lying. Disappointed, maybe.” He stumbled over his words. He sighed. “Do you want to tell me why you have a D in math and PE and a C- in social studies?”

“I did okay in language arts and even science,” Jenna mumbled. Her father dipped his head to be at eye level, but she instead examined how the threads were fraying at the edge of her blanket.

“You’re right, Jenna, and I know the last few weeks screwed up some tests, but you can do better. I know you can.”

She stared out the window, wishing that the sky whales would come back. But however hard she tried, her reflection was the only thing she saw. Her chest tightened with each word. Her dad grabbed her chin and pulled it towards him, forcing her to look him in the eye, but she pulled her chin away from his hand and stared out the window. How was she supposed to explain the darkness that lived just beyond the forest? That it was her mom who had always kept back the monsters that lived beyond the fence? That her stories were the only thing between Jenna and her nightmares? Her father sighed and stood up.

He placed the wish stone in his place. “I’m going to head to the hospital in an hour. Do you want to come?”

Jenna stared at the stone. She nodded.

Without her reflection to block the view, the whales came back. The big whale swam through the clouds, its baby following it until the next lightning strike brought forth an eel. Its skin bristled with electricity as it wrapped its body around the baby. Its song turned from long deep notes to short high ones. The two animals rolled in the clouds until she had to look away.

Jenna sat inside the hospital room later that evening. Her father had stepped out to speak to a doctor, but Jenna knew that there had been no change in her mother’s condition since she was first brought in here almost two months ago. Comatose, her mother lied in the hospital bed completely still. Computers beeped rhythmically with her mother’s heartbeat. She was breathing on her own, but the breaths were shallow. Her chest barely moved. No, there was nothing the doctors could do anymore. Jenna turned to the bouquet her father had brought and placed on the small table by the window.

An amber wyvern the size of her hand was sleeping at the base of the glass. Curled around the vase, it snored softly, emitting puffs of smoke with every exhale. Its feet twitched. A spark flew from its mouth as it awoke with a start. Baring its teeth, it scanned the room. When its eyes landed on Jenna, its mouth opened.

It honked.

Jenna smiled as the creature bounded to the edge of the table. Wiggling its hips, it judged the distance to the bed and jumped, opening its wings. It glided to her mother’s bed where it carefully climbed across the sheets and onto Jenna’s lap. It honked again and rubbed its head against her fingers.

“Hey, Aves. Enjoy your nap?”

The wyvern’s throat rumbled.

“How’s Mom been?”

The wyvern stopped rumbling. Its wings dropped as it looked up at her. With the tiniest shake of its head, it answered.

“It’s okay, Aves. She’ll wake up. I have a wish stone.” She held out the gray stone. The outer surface had softened over the years of constant turning in her hands, waiting for the right moment to be used. The wyvern honked repeatedly. She raised the stone high above her head and, whispering her wish, threw it onto the ground.

As it shattered into a thousand crystals, lightning blazed outside, and thunder roared. The hospital shook back and forth as the winds rushed past the building. The vase filled with flowers was shaken off of the table and crashed to the ground. The lights flickered overhead before turning completely off as her father and the doctor ran into the room. The doctor immediately ran out again to check for the backup generator.

“Jenna, are you okay?” Her father asked.

However, Jenna ignored him. She was watching her mother, illuminated by the lightning strikes happening outside. Aves had crawled up her body was now perched on her back, looking around her arm at the bedridden woman.

“Jenna, are you okay?” her father repeated.

“It didn’t work,” she breathed.

“What are you talking about?”

“The stone, it- it was magic. M- Mom said it would grant wishes and-“

Jenna was aware of the scalding tears running down her face and her father pulling her into a tight embrace, but as her vision blurred, her mind numbed. She barely heard her father whispering, “Jenna, that rock was a geode. Not magic. At least, not the kind you’re thinking of. It can’t wake her up anymore than you or me can. Do you understand?”

Jenna was shaking as her father slowly let go. She collapsed onto the floor as she cried. Her father knelt with her as he pulled her back into his arms, ignoring the broken glass and crystal on the floor. Jenna wasn’t sure how long the power had been out, but her eyes stung when they flashed back on. She was still trembling when she and her father carefully stood up and shuffled to the door. The glass crystals tinkled as the last few tears slipped off her cheeks.

“Jacob? Jenna?” a woman’s voice croaked from behind them. Jenna whipped around the see her mother’s open eyes. “What happened?”

She was awake.

[hoodiehan]

Pre-Concert Experience

Ahh okay so here’s my experience before the concert! I’ll be talking about getting wristbands, merch line, lightstick installing, freebies, meeting people, what I saw around the venue, line for security, where I put letters into a box for the boys annnd what happened in the few minutes right before the concert :) I shall put a read more.. but sorry if you’re on mobile and read more doesn’t work for you oof

**Everything that was done pre-concert was done outside the venue!!**

Ah okay okay so I got to the venue around 4 pm. I was with my parents btw so they first came with me to get our wristbands for Hi Touch because we were sitting in P2. There was table with like a few girls sitting around and checking people in. You MUST present your ticket to them to get your wristband! The people checking in for P1 was right next to the P2 sign in (on the right of the table). They got an orange wristband, while P2 got a pink polka-dotted wristband! Once we got our wristbands (which was a really fast process), my family and I went to get merch. 

The merch line was kinda long tbh. Like if anything we waited 10 minutes for merch. It got longer around 5 o’clock, but then at 6:30 (when the fans were allowed to go into the venue), the line was SUPER short. I got a lightstick, and my dad got me a keychain strap (which is actually super cute I love it uwu :’) ). My dad kept trying to buy me merchandise (like he was about to buy me a shirt, lightstick and hat which would have been about $60), but I kept telling him no because it was expensive :(. I paid for my own lighstick btw ! Because I feel bad leeching off of my parents for things tbh. The staff kept laughing at us because my dad was being all cute trying to buy me things but I was like “no it’s okay it’s too expensive ;-;” and they were like “If my parents were trying to buy me things then I would jump on the opportunity”. Kinda sad that I didn’t get a tshirt bc it would have been cute for pajamas :) But it’s okay I’m very happy with the adorable keychain strap!

After getting the lighstick, I had to walk to the other side of the building to get the lighstick installed! There was a table with people that had screwdrivers and batteries. The batteries were free! Thank goodness for that :’) (Because at the BTS concert they charged us $2 for the batteries lol)

After getting the merch, I met up with Astrella and Rach (seungmqn and minhomygod) and oh my god i love them LOL. But then I told them about all the freebies that were being passed out, and we went to go get them. The thing about freebies is that I looked on twitter using the #StrayKidsinLA tag because people were posting about freebies they would be giving out, where they would be, what they look like and etc. I got so much ! Here’s a picture LOL

Oof sorry tumblr makes things low quality :( But this was taken with an iPhone Xs oH WHALE. So the thing about freebies is that, IF YOU SEE A LINE, GET IN IT. IT’S MOST LIKELY A LINE FOR FREEBIES. Hahaha everytime I saw a line forming, I made Astrella and Rach get in it with me. Like only 99.9% of the time it’s freebies. But some fansites were also selling cheering kits and banners ! I also managed to fit all those freebies in the pocket of my jacket (except for the banners). Like god bless america my pocket was so deep HAHAH. Also, Rach made some freebies ! She said she made around 200 photocards. But we handed them all out in like less than 10 minutes. It was fun handing them out though :). And Aurora (seungminsmile) was handing out adorable Hyunjin and Seungmin photostrips (the white photostrips on the right)! They were aboslutely adorable! I love them lolol. The first banner at the top (with all the members) was made by StrayKidsFansLA on Twitter ! The banner says “We’ll STAY by your side forever” on the back :’). The second banner below that says... I forgot what it said on the back oops. But on the picture it says “Stray Kids UNVEIL “I AM...” in LA”. very very cute. The Jeongin banner was made by another fan! You had to have a wristband or your tickets to get them. Jeongin isn’t my bias bUT HE’S SO CUTE LOOK AT HIM IN THAT BANNER WHAT THE HECK. ADORABLE. The banner also says “Jeongin”. Uwu. The Woojin Banner underneath that was made by ppiri on Twitter! You had to have proof that you’re following them on twt and they gave you a cheering kit! It had a photo of random members, pcs and all that jazz :) Stays are absolutely so selfless, kind, generous and nice I love you all so much uwu

Ah okay I met Aurora, Ruby, Rachel and Astrella and they’re all so adorable and nice ! I love them so much and they’re all so much taller than me ;-; Aurora had on the cuteST outfit EVER and her purple flower Seungmin headband is the cutest :) Ruby is likeS O MUCH CUTER IN PERSON I LEgit had NO idea how to act. She’s so small and cute but her cheeks are adorable !! Astrella and Rach came to LA together and I went around the entire venue with them getting freebies :) I also met up with them today and drove them to Downtown Disney! I love and miss all of them huhuh

When I first got to the venue around 4, there was a random dance play happening in front of the security check! It was adorable seeing all the people getting together and dancing :) The music was kind of quiet though so you couldn’t hear it until you got close to them. So from far away, you’re just seeing people dance without music lmao. 

Ah okay the line for security was LONG. And lowkey unorganized. The line formed at 6 o’clock, but then I got in line at 7:10. I was getting nervous because it was long and SLOW. At first, I was standing in a line on the left side of the venue. But then they moved people, and they were about to move me to the rigth side of the building. Which means that I would have been at the bACK of the line on the right side. But my dad pulled me into an empty line at the security check and I was able to get in quicker thank goodness. So I definitely suggest lining up EARLY for security check. 

Subk posted a picture on Twitter of where the letter dropoff box was, so I looked for that. I had to stand in line first to put the letters in. Then when I got to the box (and it’s posted on subk’s twitter too of what it looks like) it was STUFFED. Like to the BRIM the staff had to keep shaking it to disperse the letters. At first I was putting the letters in one by one, but then the line behind me kept getting longer so then I just gave up and shoved multiple letters in at once. It was a quick process though, about 2 minutes. The girl in front of me told me that she wrote letters for two members on the spot and she was really nice and cute. I met so many nice STAY’s!

In the few minutes before the concert started, when everyone was getting seated, some of the skz songs were being played in the background. But then like 2 1/2 minutes before the concert started, they played Question. They like turned that shit uP when Question played and we all got hyped af. Especially when Felix’s “WHAT THE” came on. We sang that part so loudly hahah

And yeaaah that’s basically what I did pre concert :)