#a bunch of grass needed to be dug up

[etherealsausage]

And every single day he left a shovel at each grave.

So the angels knew to take this soul away.

Everything lives and everything dies.

On this planet nothing survives.

Wrath is a force evergrowing in size.

For every soul taken in crude sacrifice.

A new one is born

with innocent eyes.

And so the cycle survives.

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

Hello! Many people have said this but ill say it too, I LOVE YOUR COMIC SO MUCH ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

I really wanted to ask you about how you do the backgrounds? (Something i struggle with) whats the process? Like from start to finish, also, to do the rise backgrounds do you use reference from the show and generally real photo of ny? Or do you come up with them? And last question- The shadow and light on the background- Like HOW

i know it’s a lot of questions but i’m just so curious qwq and wanna learn to be better, thank you again in case you read this and respond, in case you don’t, i hope you have a nice day and a wonderful life uwu keep up the great work! (≧◡≦) ♡

Backgrounds are a really broad subject and I'm always a little overwhelmed when asked this question. Just like drawing the human body, backgrounds take time, repetition, and practice!

My answer got a bit long, so it's going under a read more :) but if you digest info better in video format I found this on youtube

It pretty much goes over everything I wanted to say, but in a much better way. I wish I had found it before writing all this out lol

ok, first of all, I'm not a teacher nor was I built to be one of those cool helpful art tutorial people who do a full coloured tutorial filled with illustrations. This is just going to be a messy "how I do backgrounds / environment layouts from start to finish." kinda thing.

... lets start with a sight tangent.

Sketch from Life!!!

If you want to get better at backgrounds I recommend doing some sketching out in the real world!

When I was first getting into doing backgrounds I went to cafes and parks to just sketch the buildings and objects. Sketch rocks, flowers, clumps of grass, garbage cans, bottles, tables, street signs, etc. If you are drawing a tree observe how the trunks twist, how the bark flows, or how the leaves are bunched.

If you can't leave the house the same still applies! Sketch the interiors of your house, the walls, or common objects like chairs and bookshelves. How are objects stacked? items on the floor?

If you aren't comfortable with drawing outside or in public you can take some photos to draw from! They are good for practice and you can use them again as references later. Alternatively you can find pictures online of buildings and objects to sketch as practice.

All spaces have objects in them, it becomes easier to draw those kinds of spaces when you already have spent time observing and sketching them.

ALSO! They don't have to be good sketches! It's just to build out your mental catalogue and strengthen your perception of perspective.

now the actual thing...

BACKGROUNDS

(the pictures used for this are my own. I dug them out of my 2022 folder)

Backgrounds have slightly different rules based on what you are making them for. Videogame Environment Concept Art vs Animation Layouts vs Comic Backgrounds vs Illustration backgrounds.

They all follow the same basics, which I will go over here, but the intention and function of those designs are going to be different. It's all about how you set up the scene and what it's purpose is!

Brainstorming and Thumbnailing

I like to think about a location as though it is a character. An abandoned old house with creaky sagging floorboards is very different from a futuristic space ship with sharp metal floor panels. A gas station has a very different feeling from a library.

I usually start by asking what is this location's story? Why was it built and for what purpose? What kinds of things does this room need to fulfill that purpose? You don’t need solid answers, but its good to be thinking about it while you are working.

Next, sketch some ideas for how this place is going to look. For me, this usually involves drawing the idea from multiple angles and then making lists & small sketches of the objects I think should be filling the space.

Example: The main character of my original work is a Wanderer. They collect a lot of things on their travels, but those items have to be small enough to be easily carried in a backpack. I wanted his room to be in the corner of an attic, walled off by curtains, and filled with trinkets. You can see some of my brainstorming above.

References

I only look for references after I've done some sketching and planning; this is to solidify my idea first so that I don't accidentally copy anyone else's work. I will make a moodboard with pictures of lighting, colours, items, rooms with specific ceiling beams, old chairs, etc. basically whatever I feel fits the vibe.

Honestly, I don't use references as much as I should. For ROTTMNT fanart I look at backgrounds and screenshots from the series to study the style. I also reference actual photos of NYC to get a feel for how Rise condenses the visual information.

In general, it's good to have references of real life objects/locations, because there are so many details like cracks in pavement, stickers on polls, crowning on buildings, fancy fencing, weird chair legs, etc. that you might not think of. It's the imperfect details that can make a location feel more alive.

Perspective

Once you have your chosen sketch we move to.... the infamous perspective boxes. Doing backgrounds is just learning to be comfortable drawing So Many boxes and carving items out of them.

Many better artists than myself have made videos on perspective, vanishing points, and all the technical bits. Videos like THIS ONE and THIS ONE are helpful (this post is great too!!). There are probably a lot of classes to be found on Skillshare or Schoolism. I learned a lot of this in my college art course, so I can't give you a specific video which helped me.

You can get by and be a good artist without learning this stuff. There are quite a few successful artists who have admitted they never bothered to learn perspective (one of these people even made a whole graphic novel series).

I personally avoided properly learning this stuff until I was in my 20s because I thought it would be boring and difficult to do. tbh I really wish I had learned it earlier because it's so much fun to make those silly little boxes imo. It looks scary and complicated but, just like drawing humans, it just takes time, repetition, and practice to develop the knowledge and skills.

Cleanup

You have your boxes and lines! Cool! Now to make a scene out of it. Fill in the details, get everything placed were you want it! Generally, the lines of each item will point back towards the horizon line, but they can have different perspective points.

Generally you would want to clean it up and get your room completely sketched before doing the lineart. I tend to combine the steps (not recommended)

Lineart

I've mentioned how I do this before. Closer objects have thicker lines and more detailed inside. Further objects have thinner lines and less detail. I didn't quite achieve that balance with the image below, but it's close enough.

Colours and Shading will have to be a separate post. In the meantime, I highly recommend the book "Color and Light" by James Gurney. I used to borrow it from my local library and a good chunk of my knowledge was learned from it :)

[clemissleepy]

closet

perv!jeongin can't control himself!

warnings : dubcon , piss! , p in v , no protection , pull out method , fem!reader , "bub" , "baby" , "sir" , choking , stalking , 'breaking and entering' , oral (f.rec)

PLEZ TELL IF I MISSED SOMETHING

MINORS DNI!!!

y/n 🩵🩵: iyennnnn

do you want to see my new dress??

jeongin smiled down at his dimly lit phone. he knew "of course!" was the right answer, but that didn't mean telling his best friend 'that he had watched her try it on for the first time from her window' didn't cross his mind.

the sky was bright blue and the crickets were screeching when he'd first set up his own little "sunbathing / bird watching" act in his front yard. there was a small foldable chair dug deep into his unkempt grass that he sat in with his swim shorts, a dog tag necklace, and his binoculars. a notebook to his left, a beer to his right, and a beautiful woman in the window directly ahead of him.

when she'd gotten home from her shopping trip, she gave him a sweet wave and skipped along into her home. up in her room, she immediately began to undress and model all of her purchases. jeongin chooses to believe she was putting the show on just for him.

but when she tried on that blue dress, the way the tie around the back hooked in her waist, the way her cleavage jumped out ever so slightly, the way she twirled in her mirror... jeongin was a goner.

he was stunned, he didn't think he could move for the next hour. i mean, all the blood in his body was rushing to his dick, rubbing it against the netting of his trunks while he just sat there and gawked. but when y/n shut her curtain, the pastel clouds of the fabric finally blocking the beaming sun and his ogling eyes, jeongin realized he needed more.

so without a second thought, still hardly dressed with sunscreen poorly rubbed into his skin, he started climbing up the lattice to her window. he had snuck into her house far more than once. he had also been invited to her house just as many times, but something was different about the way he picked the window lock. his heart had never beat this hard, with such urgency that made him feel like every pulse was going to jerk his head backwards.

with the bobby pin he had stuffed into her planter box of hydrangeas, jeongin picked at the lock of y/n's window and slipped inside fairly ungracefully. he could hear every thump that his hands and feet made against the carpeted floor of y/n's room, and he could hear the chatter from below. y/n and her roommates were about to eat dinner.

"y/n! after dinner, do you want to go to the club with us?" ssangmo, the nuisance of all nuisances, asked. jeongin pressed his ear to the carpet, trying to ignore the bras, underwear, and toys he could spot underneath the bed.

"yes! i'll wear my dress!" y/n yelped and the sound of pots and pans clattering had muffled everything else.

jeongin sighed, realizing he wouldn't be able to see his lovely y/n up close tonight. however, he could bask in the smell of her. her clothes, her shampoo, her perfume.

he carelessly plopped himself onto her bed. a plush fox faced him, emanating the smell of her baby powder shampoo. her blankets were bunched up, and when he ducked inside he could smell the bodywash, perfume, and y/n herself. he was in heaven, he wanted to be in y/n's bed forever.

thunk. thunk. thunk.

y/n's footsteps were heavy against the creaking wooden stairs. her giggles filled the home with joy as she called, "be ready in 30 or leave without ya!" y/n slammed her door shut in excitement.

with a giddy grin on her face, instead of dressing and getting ready, she messaged her favorite person in the whole wide world. her rock, the boy who understood her more than anyone.

y/n 🩵🩵: iyennnnn

do you want to see my new dress??

yes, "of course" is definitely more appropriate.

innie: ofc!!!

y/n 🩵🩵: k! let me get it from my closet rq!

shit. shit. shit. jeongin stared blankly at the closet's shingled door, yellow light from the main bedroom seeping through ever so slightly. the blue dress was in a death grip in his hands. he watched as y/n's silhouette came up to the door, as her manicured hands pulled the knobs apart, as the light shed onto jeongin's mortified face.

"jeongin...?" y/n's head tilted in confusion, peering around her closet with something more akin to curiosity than fear or disgust. "you okay?"

jeongin's jaw was practically dropped off of a 4 story building. his best friend, the girl of his dreams, was clad only in white panties and a white bra. small delicate bows were on the centers, and the straps were simply coquettish. jeongin was unaware that drool was falling lazily from his lips.

y/n knelt down, cupping jeongin's head into her hands with ease and gentleness he'd rarely felt before. she stared deep into his eyes as her chest rose up and down slowly, breasts revealing from the lacey bra she wore.

jeongin, shirtless in swimming trunks, caught red handed in his best friend's closet, did the first thing he could think of.

he only intended for a short kiss, a mere tap of his lips against her plush glossy ones. but once they met, it was like he was glued to her. her strawberry lip gloss clung to his kiss, a few strands of hair tickling his forehead and cheeks, the hands cupping his face started to quiver.

"jeongin-," y/n gasped from the kiss, eyes blown wide and legs shaking from processing the experience in front of her. but there was no time for processing.

jeongin gripped her hips bruisingly and led her to her bed. he shoved her down and admired her everything. how her hair strewed about on the mattress, how her cheeks were flushed pink, how her hands and elbows came to cover her chest and stomach, and even worse how she hugged her thighs together. jeongin could only growl in response.

"jeongin, my dress!" she points to the floral blue pattern left on the floor. he does not spare it a glance, now letting his hands roam on y/n's abdomen. he reveled in the heavy rise and fall of her breaths, an animalistic smile gracing his lips. he curled his torso over her and watched his dog tag fall and swing into her cheek. the way the metal reflected her flushed expression had him grip her face in just one hand. he squished her cheeks together, pursing her lips and lifting her up into a kiss once more. he moaned and groaned with hands tickling her back, sides, and hips.

"all you care about is that damn dress. what about me, huh?" jeongin growled. he sat himself on her stomach and lay a hand against her exposed collarbone. "look at you..." he admired.

"iyen! listen!" y/n gasped, urgent to put her dress on and head off to the club as to not disappoint her friends. all she recieved was jeongin's fingers pushing the sides of her neck in, hollowing her breath.

"shut up. god, you're so beautiful," he started nipping at her lips hungrily, whining and squirming on top of her. "d' you feel me, bub?" jeongin rolled his hips over y/n's exposed naval, his shorts riding high on his thighs. he took one of her hands and slid it along his leg and into the swimming trunks.

"you wanna touch me? go 'head," he whined as her gentle fingers started dancing around the netting of his trunks until she felt the hair of his happy trail inviting her down. she didn't know what to think anymore, i mean she hadn't even thought about her best friend half naked in her closet, but she sure as hell knew she was horny now.

y/n found his hardened cock and tugged it closer to her, rubbing the tip against the netting and bringing a pathetic moan from jeongin's lips. she sat up and gently caressed his high cheekbones with her spare hand, smiling at his lustful and begging expression.

"make it quick, okay?"

and off he was. he scrambled off of her and shoved y/n's head onto a stack of pillows for support. then, he was tugging her panties clumsily down her legs and lifting her by each asscheek into his mouth. he moaned as he licked a long fat strip of her pussy. he let his nose tickle her clit while his tongue and lips explored every inch of her folds and clenching hole. he kneaded her ass and lapped up every pulse of her wetness that he could.

"jeong-fuck!!" y/n cried as he wrapped his lips properly around her clit and prodded a long finger at her hole. as he slid it in to the last knuckle, her back arched and she allowed herself to cup her breasts for her own pleasure. he slid his finger in and out, twisting and curling with intent. when would this happen again: his beautiful girl beneath him, all at his will?

jeongin watched as y/n took three of his fingers with relative ease. her face was contorted in pleasure and she was airily moaning at every thrust, but she soaked up the digits like it was nothing.

"jeongin! move faster! i've only got ten minutes!" she gasped.

jeongin did not care. "you're not going anywhere, bub," he tells, thumb rubbing circles against y/n's clit. "and you're gonna take everything i give you like a good girl, you hear me?"

y/n's pink lips came up to her best friend's, finally letting herself properly enjoy the sweet taste of jeongin on her tongue. she tangled a hand into his soft hair while she straightened them both to be upright.

"yes, sir," she mumbles, tugging down the elastic of jeongin's trunks. his cock slapped onto his stomach, red hot at the tip and pearling with precum. y/n held it at the base and let it slot between her thighs and rub between the lips her pussy.

jeongin was quick to try and regain control of the both of them. he brought his hips away from her and dragged her up for a kiss by her hair.

then he was throwing her back into the bed and slapping her clit with his cock, smiling impishly at how her legs jerked up. he pushed a hand onto her lower abdomen and watched her mouth fall open in a silent scream.

"jeongin! please!" she cried when the pressure was shortly relieved. but all too soon he was resting his weight back on it while the head of his cock was prodding her hole. "no! i'm gonna-"

"you're gonna piss? yeah, mark me, bub. i dare you," jeongin growled. he sunk himself balls deep into her pussy and whined at the squelch. he matched the pulse of his thrusts with the pressure of his hand. "i've been dreaming of this," he mumbles. "makin' you cum and piss on my cock. every night, baby."

y/n couldn't tell if the tightening in her stomach was her bladder or her orgasm, but jeongin stuffing his fingers into her mouth and holding her jaw open was distracting. he spat into her mouth and giggled at the way her tongue shifted while trying not to choke on their mixed saliva. her moans were gurgled and incomprehensible to anyone but her.

"you're not showing anyone that dress, you hear me?" he grunts with a particularly deep thrust that rubs his tip against y/n's cervix. she squirms, back arching in a mixture of pain and pleasure that leaves jeongin sucking on y/n's nipples.

suddenly, with kicking legs and a shaky breath, each time jeongin pulls out a stream of piss follows. it drips down his shaft and onto the comforter.

"iyen!! no, i'm peeing! please!" she cries with no real hope that he'll stop. meanwhile, jeongin throws his head back at the new heat surrounding his cock. he continues pushing down on her bladder with his thrusts until all that comes out is a single drop. he angles his thrusts up a bit more and rides y/n through her high with incoherent blabber.

he pauses his movement to take in the fucked out sight of his best friend. two tears are trailing down her cheeks, but a smile rests on her lips and she looks lovingly into jeongin's eyes. one of her hands extends out to his cheek and trails down his chest. she rubs her thumb against one of his nipples and he curls into himself, cock bouncing out and hitting y/n in the clit again. she jolts up and giggles, but continues smiling.

the mood shifts.

"can you take a little more for me, bub?" jeongin asks, cock twitching for release.

"yes, sir," she whispers and gasps as he shoves his length back into her. she lets herself moan at every thrust, freeing herself from any judgement she was afraid of before. she pulls one of jeongin's hands to her throat and leads another to her breasts that are falling out of the cupping of her bra, bouncing at every pulse they share.

"g'nna choke you and you're gonna swallow my cum, okay? got that, pretty girl?" he coos, watching her doe eyes sparkle and her nod cheekily. he shoves the dog tag around his neck into his mouth.

his thrusts are miscalculated, heavy, and deep. his cock kisses her cervix every few seconds and he gets glimpses of heaven. his hands tighten around y/n's throat and breast, her hot walls clench around his cock and he drags out the moment as long as he can.

he feels a tug in his stomach and has to rip himself out of y/n. he sits on her chest and strokes himself while she opens her mouth eagerly and flattens her tongue to her chin.

"bub, oh, god you're beautiful," he whines while he paints her face white in stray ropes of cum. a bit lands on her nose, some on her cheek, but most in her waiting mouth. she smiles at him so innocently he can't believe he had just defiled the love of his life.

when his orgasm ends, he is scrambling to the other end of the bed and staring bug eyed at his best friend. she knew he was a creep, a pervert, i mean he had made her pee on his dick. though her eyes were full of nothing but kindness, he felt like he was going to get hard again at how he'd treated the love of his life for the 'first time.'

"jeongin, sweetie," she cooed softly. she reached out her hands and beckoned him closer. "c'mere... need cuddles."

jeongin followed every instruction. he ran her a bath and scrubbed her baby powder shampoo into her hair. he cleaned her face with a cloth and helped her back to her closet while her knees buckled and head spun.

"that was amazing, iyennie," she giggled, picking her floral dress up off the floor and placing it on a hanger. jeongin was still shyly rubbing her back in circles that soothed him more than they did her.

"did you like the mean parts?" jeongin asks while hiding his blush in his girlfriend's exposed shoulders.

"oh my god, yes. we should do a scene where you're JUST mean, baby," she laughs. "i think i'd cum so hard i'd explode!"

"you're silly, bub..." jeongin chuckles, wrapping her into a naked but warm and intimate hug. "i love you. we'll do something like that soon...

...now put on the dress."

tysm for reading! its a little all over the place and yes, all of this was a scene, thats why the breaking and entering is in quotes in warnings. but listen i was insane when i wrote this i got stuck in a spell. i hope you enjoyed my first spicy fic!

[0uch1e]

Shepherd Chapter 1

M!Werewolf x F!Reader

Word Count: 1K

Warnings: None?

When you left the house that morning to feed the animals something caught your eye. Crossing over the fields of greenish gold, you keep your shepherding staff close to your body. The sun had just barely risen and the town was silent, everyone exhausted from last night's festival.

 A patch of grass flattened by the body of a man. Curled up and bare. A drunkard, great. 

He didn’t respond to being nudged by your staff. Only when you saw the blood around his mouth and arms you realized this could be quite serious. Dragging him back through the pasture the animals cried for their daily feed,

“In a minute! I’m busy.” He was heavier than he looked. Once you managed to get him inside your home and onto your bed you took a better look at him. Dark hair and tawny skin. A friend of someone in the village? You’d certainly never seen him before. 

Getting a bowl of warm water and a rag you began to clean him up. The stains around his mouth washed easily, but his arms were another story. Deep gashes and areas that were sure to scar over. This was more than just drunken tom-foolery. He shifted and sighed at your touch. 

————

Slowly, Silas opened his eyes. He was inside again. Somewhere small and homely. A fireplace, a wooden tub, a beautiful woman, and no recollection of the night before. His arms burned and his back ached. What the hell did you do to him?

“Are you alright? I found you just a moment ago lying in my yard and I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead.” 

“Alright? Sure, I’m alright. Do you mind telling me what happened…?”

“Y/n. And yes um, I was going to ask you the same thing. No offense, it’s fairly strange to show up naked in people's homes. Now I’m not one to judge but you look like a decent man, not the sort to get caught up on drinking games and god knows what else. I mean-” Silas quickly pulled the sheets up to his abdomen. This girl sure liked to talk. 

Silas held up his hand to shush you, 

“Could I have some clothes, please?”

———————

Clothes! You rummaged through the drawers and dug out some old pants and a loose linen top once belonging to your father. Handing them over, his hands held yours for only a moment, but that moment was more than enough. Suddenly a warm feeling tickled your chest and cheeks. Turning your back to him you shoo’d the feeling out.

“Your husband won’t mind my borrowing these?”

“He’s up north selling real estate this time of year.” You lied. You didn’t have a husband, but telling a man you were single was like telling a bear you’re secretly made of honey.

You heard the sheets drop and did your best not to imagine him standing there behind you. Tall…tanned…naked…stop! He’s a stranger. For all you know, the blood that was around his mouth could’ve been from some other poor woman! You bunched the fabric of your skirt in your hands and took deep breaths. This man would not get the best of you. When he cleared his throat you turned around. He had a slight smile now and stuck out a hand,

“ I suppose it’s time for me to introduce myself. I’m Silas.”

He explained that he was from a town far across the river and that he had no idea how he made it so far in one night. The last thing he remembers was walking home from his job and taking the shortcut past the woods. When he talked, there was a sincerity in his voice that made you believe every word. It drowned out everything else, the crackling of the fire, the bleating of the sheep-oh shit! The sheep! Excusing yourself you ran back outside and began distributing the feed among the animals,

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. I got distracted.” Silas followed behind, chuckling,

“You talk to your animals?”

“I think it helps them understand that I’m here to take care of them. I’ll always help those in need, animal or human.” 

Silas was a great deal of help while your “husband” was gone. He’d run into the village and buy bread. Help clean the house. Most often, he’d be sitting underneath the large oak tree that shaded your home. Reading whatever he found and telling you about it that evening over dinner. He never asked about how to get back to his town, only ever pestered you about your husband and when he’d return home.

“I’d hate to be here when he returns, that’s all. I think he’d see you and me and get the wrong idea. We eat dinner together, work together, sleep together.”

“We do not sleep together! Your bed is far away from mine and I’d like to keep it that way.” Silas scooted closer,

“Oh really? Is that why you insist on leaving the house whenever I bathe?”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing! Your face felt like fire. How dare he ask such questions after you let him live here! Throwing your fork down, you shout,

“I do it all in the name of propriety!” 

“Just seems to me like you’re being over cautious. Like you’re afraid you might do something if you saw me naked.” 

“Oh, of all the insane things to suggest!” Your passion had driven you from your seat and into a mad pace around the room.

“You don’t have to shout, I’m just teasing! Why are you getting so defensive anyways?”

“Because I lied. I have no husband.”  The room grew quiet as you sat back down. You only lied to him because you didn’t know him at the time. His hand found yours, and again you felt that strange fire in your body. He didn’t have to do much at all to get you worked up, it was pathetic. Neither one of you said anything. You didn’t know where to go from here. Silas leaned in and took a deep breath. Peering up at you through dark lashes he whispered,

“Then… you wouldn’t mind if I kissed you?” 

[southernsolarpunk]

so since I've basically seen all the seasons at my house now I've got a decent understanding of the micro-climate of my yard, and i need to document it somewhere so here goes:

front yard gets scorched. straight up. it doesn't really let up until 2-3 pm so i need full sun drought tolerant plants in the front area. (i dug some swales to redirect runoff from the foundation of the house, so its a little more moist than it was when we first moved in) this can be slightly mitigated by planting a couple dwarf trees in the very front area of the yard but that'll only help a little. i got a hardy hibiscus 'dark mystery' (Hibiscus Moscheutos, native perennial) that i plant to take cuttings of next year that has been loving the heat. This area i also plan to plant a bunch of milkweed (current varieties I'm planning to get are sandhill milkweed [asclepias Humistrata] green milkweed [Asclepias Viridis] Purple milkweed [Asclepias Purpurascens]) I'm also planning to get some native ornamental grasses to place around the entire property (including the front yard) some other plants i planning to plant are cardinal flower (Lobelia Cardinalis), liatris (liatris Spicata), Gaillardia (Gaillardia Pulchella), prairie sage (artemisia Ludoviciana), mountain mint (pycnanthemum muticum). more to be decided after i put this wave in. (definitely want some bee balm)

right side of the yard (by the house) is dark, cool, wooded, and wet. the rhododendron i put in was doing great until my brother in law took a lawnmower to it. :( but at least i can replace it. this is also where i have my feijoas (he also ran over them but they bounced back). probably will just add some rhododendrons & hydrangeas. i need to look up some more native shade plants for this area.

left side of the yard (by the house) gets even more sun than the front yard. i want to get a green house eventually (i have to replace all the windows in my house so I'll repurpose those for it) so this is probably the best place to do it.

backyard is large, part is dry and sunny, and towards the back is wooded. this is where i plan to put the fruit & nut trees i want. i need to thin out some of the less mature trees because they're extremely dense at the moment. (got a battery-powered chainsaw. i would have just borrowed my stepdads tools but hes convinced i would break them if i used them. :/ but at least now my father-in-law can borrow mine if he needs it) in the center of the backyard is where i have 2 12x4 gardens beds, and in the future i plan to add 2 more. this is where i have a lot of passionflower maypop plants, i transplanted some to the fenceline but i want an archway trellis as well. (i have watched probably over a hundred gulf fritillary caterpillars turn into butterflies, they're everywhere) the right side of the yard is where i plan to put the taller fruit & nut trees, (wont block sunlight) but i also want to get some dwarf fruit trees to place around as well. also this summer i saw lightning bugs in the backyard (!!!!!!!) so i plan to put in some grasses around an area that's like 12x12 ft across that dips down a few feet. (this area literally looks like a dried up small pond) i looked up how to use clay to create a natural lining for a pond, so this area will be good for lightning bugs, frogs, toads, salamanders, etc. this is in the lowest part of the yard, so its an optimal place for it.

this is just some basic plans for the future- i got a lot of seeds online so its not too break-the-bank expensive, and i get a lot of bushes and trees from etsy which can be great for saving money, despite the slight increased risk for mislabeled plants. i save money with this so i can get some nicer varieties of fruit trees that i really want (fuji apples, hosui pears, bing & rainier cherry trees).

my father-in-law really enjoys canning and preserving so I'm growing all the trees so i can give him some fruit to preserve (he lives in a very low-laying area, and a lot of it is swamp so he doesn't have as much room for fruit trees, his blackberry jam is amazing) also a guy my partner works with is into gardening as well (dudes he gave us so many peppers literally pounds of them) so i want to be able to return the favor with fruit. :) my mom and stepdad also have some fruit trees but I'm hoping to grow some that they don't have so we can trade.

ultimately i just want to grow as much food as possible and give it away to everyone who wants it, while also hosting the ultimate butterfly rest stop.

if you read this and enjoyed it, I'm glad! I'll post about these projects as i do them (which will be slowly) so i hope maybe this will inspire some of you :)

[sweetiesicheng]

dk - time capsule

word count : 926

it’s seokminnie’s day too!!

-

"y/n? what are you doing here?"

you stood up straight and turned around to see dokyeom, one of your classmates. it looked like he had just left school and was cutting through a field that connected to your elementary school.

"oh, hi. i'm digging up something," you answered him.

"...i gathered up that much information considering you're holding a shovel..."

you rolled your eyes at him and lightly threw the shovel down onto the grass next to you. you brushed your hands from some dirt that had gotten into them.

"i don't know if you remember, but when we were in second grade, we made a time capsule as a class. the teacher emailed me today and said that she wanted everyone to get together if possible, but she wanted someone to dig it up. so i volunteered out of the people she emailed about it," you explained to him.

"wait, oh! i remember!" he suddenly exclaimed. "when's everyone meeting up?" he asked you.

"someone else is planning on sending a group text, so i'm not sure yet," you answered.

"do you need help digging?" he asked you before looking at his watch, "i'm done with rehearsal for the day."

"if you would be so kind because my back is already killing me."

—

dokyeom had started digging for said time capsule while you sat on the grass next to him.

"i don't even remember what i put in it. do you?" dokyeom asked you while throwing some dirt into another pile with the shovel.

"our teacher said all of us put letters in it and an item. she said she put photos of us in there too, but i don't remember what item i put in it," you answered, "if i had to guess, maybe something from my desk."

"we were so little back then. this will be fun opening it up," dokyeom said with a smile.

"yea, it will," you replied. "thanks for—"

dokyeom hit something that sounds like metal.

"is that it?" you asked, standing up and looking into the hole.

dokyeom crouched down and brushed some dirt with his hand. a metal box started to become visual.

dokyeom looked up at you with a grin, "jackpot."

—

over a week had passed since the time capsule was dug up. you were meeting everyone at a park and got off at a bus stop. you headed into the park through one of the entrances and looked around to see if you could find the picnic table that your old teacher said to meet at.

"y/n! over here!"

someone called for you and you noticed someone waving at you. as you got closer, you recognized a few people. some of them you went to school with while others you hadn't seen since elementary school.

"you got tall," you heard someone say.

"and you didn't hit a growth spurt?"

"y/n, you got so much prettier," one of your classmates said to you.

"no way. i still look the same for the most part," you replied.

"oh come on. she got scouted a few months ago for a modeling agency," one of your classmates said to your classmates you were sitting with. "and guess what? she declined the offer."

"and now i won't have to give up eating," you replied before looking over at another table. other classmates were looking at the time capsule.

"when are we going to open it?" one of the guys asked.

"is everyone that could make it here?" your teacher asked all of you.

"we're still missing a few," someone mentioned.

"alright, let's give it a few minutes," your teacher said.

"hey, let's get some drinks," one of the guys suggested.

"oh, i want to come," someone else said while standing up.

—

after a bit, everyone who could make it to the park arrived. your teacher, now retired, recalled some memories with all of you, and your classmates started to remember bits and pieces from when you were altogether in the classroom.

"alright, let's get this opened," one of the guys said. he opened the box, and inside were a bunch of items.

"hey! my baseball!"

"oh my gosh, i forgot this was in there."

"hey, y/n, isn't this yours?" dokyeom asked you, holding a keychain with the sanrio star twins on it.

"yea, it is!" you instantly smiled as dokyeom handed you the keychain. "how'd you know?" you asked him.

"you still have sanrio keychains on your backpack," dokyeom replied, "i remember seeing them the other day."

“everyone, pass these out. it’s the letters you wrote when you were younger,” your teacher said as she grabbed some envelopes out of a plastic bag.

“hey, my handwriting sucked.”

“did you write your name backwards?”

“don’t ask…”

once you got your letter, you walked away while opening the envelope. you recognized the stationary as your own from back in the day and pulled out the letter.

as you read it, someone stood by you, peeking over to read your letter.

“you wanted to be an astronaut?” dokyeom asked you. you looked at him.

“i mean, can you blame me? it sounds like so much fun,” you said to him. “and what did you want to become, dokyeom?” you asked.

he smiled and unfolded his letter to show you. he pointed his finger to a certain sentence, “a singer,” he said with a chuckle. “looks like one of us accomplished our goals.”

you rolled your eyes at him, “hey, give me some time, alright?” you replied.

“yea, you’re gonna need it.”

[elise-51-blog]

"Run to Daylight" WIP snippet

“Why do you love sports so much?”

“‘Cos I’m a dumb jock,” Guy laughs, bunting the question away. “Plus there’s beer. And it’s easier than readin’ books and shit.”

“Shut up,” Kyle laughs, shakes his head.

It’s about dinnertime, and he wonders what he has in the fridge or if Kyle might want to get something in a bit except he’s probably not hungry after all the beer and hotdogs. 

“I dunno. I guess it’s just. When everything else in my life was shit, sports seemed like the real thing. Like the only real thing in a world of bullshit.”

Kyle hums. “It’s weird, I mean. I always thought the opposite, to be honest. Everyone cared so much about the football team, or how the basketball team was doing, and just seemed like a distraction from…from actual life. From more important things.”

Guy’s heard this spiel a million times. Mostly from chicks.

Kyle clears his throat. “I mean I--I’m not saying I’m right. It just seemed like everyone always acted like winning on Friday night was like, it’d be the end of the world if the guys lost. But I mean…I didn’t get it. It’s just--it’s literally just a game.”

“And paintin’ pictures, what’s that?” Guy almost tries not to sound too dickish.

Kyle sighs, rolls his eyes, looks away. Oh, but there’s an edge there. Something old. “I don’t think you’d understand what…what that gave me. Art. What it still gives me. It’s making something…something meaningful out of,” Kyle gestures in the air. “Out of what was meaningless.”

Guy knows if this was a movie, he’d be the asshole. Well this ain’t a fuckin’ movie.

“And the football team, just a bunch of morons tossin’ a ball back and forth?”

“That’s not what I said!”

“It’s what you meant.”

“No it’s not--”

“Listen, you say it’s only a game. And you’re right but you’re wrong too.”

There’s a long pause. They’ve never really dug into this truth between them. The gulf of difference. The dumb jock and the sensitive artist thing. Kyle tilts his head at Guy, giving him his full attention. “So tell me.”

“You can’t just put it down on a--on like a postcard. It’s…you gotta see it, right?”

“Sure. Like coming to this game? Green grass and red dirt and, and all that.” 

Guy shakes his head, it’s not what he means, he hates trying to say what he means. 

“It’s more like…it’s Michael Jordan’s jump shot.”

Kyle stares back blankly.

“David Beckham’s corner kick. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice on a Sunday. And it’s--it’s Bob Gibson 1.12 ERA and refusing to shake Joe Torre’s hand ‘cos it’s war and not a picnic. It’s Zizu’s head and Materazzi’s big mouth. It’s Curt Schilling’s bloody sock. It’s Derek Redmond limping to the finish line and Bronko Nagurski crawling to the end zone. It’s a routine ground ball rolling under Bill Buckner’s glove and Steven Gerrard slippin’ on the grass. It’s Barry Bonds’s hat size and Pete Rose’s bookie.” 

Guy doesn’t know how else to say it. It’s just all of it. It’s life but boiled down to the stuff you need. Forget tax returns and the DMV. Just good guys and bad guys. Pure love, pure hatred. Grief, agony, pain you wouldn’t believe. Outrageous joy. Selfishness, sacrifice. Blood, sweat, tears. War. Love to last a lifetime. 

“It’s everything. All of it. It’s all there. On a pitch, or a diamond, or a gridiron. Just…everything. Waitin’ on a whistle.”

“Wow.”

“Fuck off.”

“No, really!” Kyle laughs, clasping Guy’s forearm. “I mean I don’t know who any of those people are--”

“You fucking know David Beckham--”

Kyle laughs, looking away with his eyebrows raised, his dimples deep, his cheeks a little pinker. He looks so good in the ballpark lights, they should wash him out, but they can’t. “Yeah, I know David Beckham.”

[rederiswrites]

Went walkabout today with my morning coffee. There's an old saying, "The best fertilizer is the farmer's footstep." Straightened the mulch in the veggie garden where someone--probably a stray chicken--had thrown the grass clippings from the path onto the spinach plants. Replaced the strawberry plant that something dug up overnight. I started by counting. "One, two, three--why is there a gap?" Looked around, and sure enough, there was a plant a few feet away.

Waited too long to protect the trees in the orchard, and now a lot of new leaves and growing tips have been chewed off by deer. I'm trying not to dwell on how much that sucks, because I can't undo it. The trees will recover eventually, and meanwhile I've really got to get the fence rings made and placed.

On the flip-side, though I had thought last year's drought killed every bit of my considerable investment in pond plants, looks like I have one surviving blue flag iris

I promise.

These might be soft stem bulrushes. I can't tell because they haven't set seed and I can't find any photos from that part of the life cycle. I'm just hoping, because none of the grass otherwise will grow submerged like that.

And there was a little red squiggle that could just possibly be an Arrow Arum. Maybe. Fingers crossed. I really can't afford to just throw plants in there year after year with no result.

Gave Kratos the ram some grain. Tried to make sure Mimir the wether got some but he wasn't willing to brave Kratos' greed by coming to me. They both need to be caught so that I can roo Kratos, shear Mimir (who for some reason doesn't roo), and trim their hooves. Another pressing item on the to do list.

Finally found a spot for the sunchokes where they'll be against a structure on one side and mowed on the other side. They can spread along the entire south side of the storage container as far as I'm concerned. I'll get them in later, somehow in between everything else.

And then when I came around the front of the house, I discovered a bunch of sweet woodruff under the chickweed, and spent a few minutes sitting in the grass with my coffee and carefully detangled fragile weeds from fragile herbs. Found out that a single stem of Solomon's Seal survived the chickens last year, so I'll put my remaining stash of roots there today.

The garlic patch, and the kids working hard to clear a spot for strawberries last night.

[andradrawsstuff]

Second chapter of my fic ✨

I’ve had this saved in my drafts for a few days and forgot to post it lmao

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 2: San Francisco

The screeching of train wheels echoed as they arrived at the Embarcadero and Stockton station that stood before pier 39. The scorching sun was already beaming through the windows of the train, creating a sauna for the animals inside. Kowalski carefully drove the train forward and pushed a bunch of colourful buttons, which he clearly installed at some point. The train’s wheels switched to tires one by one. Evidently, this was an upgrade that the penguins installed fairly recently, as this certainly wasn’t there before. Miraculously, the train could now be driven on regular roads.

“How close are we to our destination?” Asked Skipper

“Only a few minutes.” Replied Kowalski, who was once again pushing those colourful buttons.

A polite knock was heard at the door. It was Mason, holding what appeared to be an old discontinued Nokia Brick. It was 2008, after all. Phil tagged along behind him, presumably to translate the messages Mason was about to present.

“The park rangers have notified us.” Announced Mason. “We have the go, Great Meadow Park is ours for the week.”

“Great news, thanks Mason.” Greeted Skipper.

Phil shot him a disapproving look

“Uh, and you, Phil.” Skipper added nervously.

The now car-train hybrid cruised through traffic and finally came to a halt on the short cut grass of the park. The circus folk gathered their equipment and wasted no time, rushing to pitch their mile-high tent.

“Yay!” Cheered young Private. “We’re here!”

Rico trudged back to the boys with a pathetic-looking Julien attached to his leg, crying about his dance time being cut short.

“Relax, Ringtail.” Skipper reassured. “We’re here. Once the tent is set up, you can party all you want.”

“Ugh… fine.” He muttered. “You’re all boring.”

The king let go and hopped out of the train to greet his beloved Sonya. The penguins stood and watched for a few moments, analysing their strange relationship. Kowalski awkwardly broke the silence to eagerly debate the plan for his new invention.

“So…” He uttered. “About my new… idea, so to speak…”

“Spit it out Kowalski.” Boomed Skipper, starting to get impatient.

He stuttered. “Well… we may need more than just the-“ He sighs. “…elemental core…” He really disliked having to simplify scientific terms.

“Well, what else do you need?” Asked Skipper. “The entire state of Kentucky? Ooo, how about Ohio! Heard its real nice this time of year.” He mocked. The grumpy penguin seemed to regain some of his charm back, and sarcasm appeared to be the first step.

Kowalski wasn’t impressed. “No,” He stated. “But you do have a point… we could use some helping hands…”

“Where would we even find that?” Skipper asked. “Everyone’s busy setting up their beloved circus, no one has time!” He pointed out.

“Aha!” Kowalski exclaimed. He was climbing onto his high horse. “There is an aquarium down on Pier 39. I’d like to assume that they’d be willing to lend a helping hand, with the right payment…”

Kowalski appeared to have a suspiciously good idea of his plan and the general area, which piqued Skipper’s interest. He squinted as he studied his brother’s increasingly anxious face.

“Kowalski…” He interrogated. “Is this… core-thingy also in San Fransisco?” He shot him an “I figured you out” gaze.

“Well, ha-ha…” He nervously replied, his entire plan being dug out simultaneously. “Will you look at that, it IS!”

Skipper raised a brow. “Really?” His tone changed to a sarcastic one. “Have you been tracking it? Did you perhaps… plan this entire trip around that? Hm?”

“…Maybe…” Kowalski muttered.

Skipper noticed Kowalski’s shame, realising he shouldn’t have lashed out. “I’m not mad at your plan, Kowalski.” He sighed. “I’m annoyed because you hid it from us! Why? Did you think I’d say no?” He remarked.

Before Kowalski could say anything, the train shook as the animals tried to migrate all their equipment.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Skipper facepalmed. “Alright, where is this thing?”

Kowalski answered almost too eagerly. “Funnily enough, it’s at the aquarium!” Skipper crossed his flippers and Kowalski cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Skipper shouted for Private and Rico, as they already trailed off during their argument, whilst Kowalski revealed a small kids car that he had started to fix up. Its bright pink paint adorned with yellow flower decals stood out against the dark brown background of the inside of the train. It had no number plate yet, since they were still looking for one. It was no Ferrari, by all means, but it got the job done for now. The group gathered round and Skipper briefed them before they set off on the mission. Now, all they needed to do was get there in one piece.

[spaceumbredoggos]

Breaking Point: A Bill possessing Kenz Oneshot AU

Tw: Demonic Possession, Suicide, Blood, Gore, Psych Wards, Emotional and Physical abuse, Shitty Parents, Spiders, Fires, Drowning, Shock Collars, attempted (but not succeeded) animal abuse, and Dogs in heat.

This Oneshot is really long. I’d break it up, but I want to separate it from the rest of my So Much For Stardust fanfic.

The house settled down as the garage door closed. I breathed a sigh of relief, settling down on my bed. It was bright and early in the morning. Way too early to be awake. My parents and sisters had left for the airport to spend at least two weeks in Mexico. This left me in charge of the house. I took a sip of water and immediately passed out on my mattress.

I blinked awake, finding myself in familiar surroundings. The anti-suffocation sheets. The crappy mattress. The constant checks from the door opening. I was back here. My head spun. No no no no. I stood up, stumbling on my legs as dizziness flooded my body.

I curled up on my bed, trying to soothe myself. I’ll get out of here soon. I’ll get out of here soon. I’ll get out of here soon. The curling up turned to thrashing as I yelped and screamed.

My eyes opened. Grass itched at my skin. Foxtails dug into my pants. Dirt littered my hair. The sunny sky filtered through the trees. I breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as I recognized my childhood backyard. I had dug a hole, filled it with grass, and fallen asleep in it.

A snake slithered across the ground, flickering its tongue. I crouched down to catch it. I leaped forward, only to misjudge the distance and hurtle down the hill. For several tense moments, I was in free fall. My body crunched on a bunch of jade plants, causing me to blank out.

I opened my eyes once more. I was in my yard, my current yard. I was in the little den of bushes I sometimes hung out in. I was in my sleeping bag, drenched from sprinkler water, but not necessarily cold. The blazing sun overhead caused my mouth to dry. I realized what I had done. It all happened so fast. I only wanted to calm down from another heated spat from my dad. But he took me laying on my bed as noncompliance. The worst of all crimes. He grabbed my arm and shoved me outside into the back yard. He threw my backpack and sleeping bag out. Furiously, I took them into the bush to hide from his anger.

My dad trudged through the mud and leaves, his ice blue eyes blazing. He walked up to me, his figure quivering with rage. “Get your lazy ass off the ground and stop acting like a fucking homeless person!!!”

This whole thing was your idea. I held my tongue, fearing even more backlash. “You want to end up in the fucking hospital?”

Those were the magic words. I stood up, hanging my head low. I put my things away and got in the shower, washing the mud from my body. I noticed the mattress taken out of my room. “How long before—“

My dad glared at me, signaling that this was irrelevant. “Now we’re going to put you to work at the property.”

But it’s so fucking hot out. I panted, dressing in a short sleeved top and shorts. Dad took a drink of his beer. Mom walked up to dad, talking to him. “Jacob. It’s 99 degrees out. Kenz doesn’t need to be working in this weather. She’s already showing some signs of heat exhaustion from laying outside.”

It’s true that my cheeks were flushed a bright red and my body ached with each step. But I didn’t feel hot. In fact, and this was because I got out of the steaming hot shower, I felt cold. The moisture on my skin, however, was sweat, as I had dried myself off.

What Dad was about to do shook my entire perception of him. He held his hand high, as if ready to swing. Fear and rage at the same time burned through me. Without thinking, I intercepted the blow, being shot across the room. Blood trickled from my nose as the room went dark.

I woke up back in my bed. There was no evidence of the slap. Nor was there any evidence of heat exhaustion. I walked out of my room, only for Dad to angrily walk up. “You want to end up like your mother?”

“NOO!!” I screamed, finally having enough. Without thinking, I swung my hand at him. He blocked the attack and smacked me in the face. I ducked down and launched myself at him, screaming at the top of my lungs. He shoved me against the wall, causing some crunching noises to sound from my chest. I screamed a blood curdling scream, but to no avail.

The scream caused my eyes to open for real. There was pawing at the door to my room. I stood up, trying to calm myself down from the sudden night terror. I opened the door, finding my Dudley lab Penny wagging her tail and giving me that dumb blonde expression. She’s not really my dog, she’s the family’s dog. But I’m in charge of taking care of her for the next two weeks.

I tried to hold back the tears as I let the lab outside. Taking my mind off of the dream of violence, I grabbed the frisbee. Penny tippy tapped, wiggling her but. I froze, unable to hold back the tears any longer. That’s what Brodey used to do when he wanted to go outside.

“But you’re not Brodey.” Sometimes, I swear that whenever I’m in the yard, I can hear Brodey rushing through the bushes and leaves. This only intensified once Penny came to live with us. The dreams were the worst part. Dreams where Brodey had never died. Dreams where Brodey was alive, but only I could see him. I missed that fox red coat. Those kind brown eyes. The white star on his chest. His greying muzzle and legs. His scent and the way he would barge into my room, letting me know everything was gonna be okay.

But that was gone now. And what stood in his place was Penny. And despite every effort I made, I felt nothing. Not a connection. Not the same fluttering in my chest whenever I was with her. To me, she was just another dog. I love labs, don’t get me wrong. But Penny seems distant. Probably because she was my aunt Shari’s dog before she was ever my dad’s.

I walked back inside, making myself some Eggo waffles for breakfast. The intense dreams from the night before flooded my mind, clouding my brain. I grabbed my laptop and phone, turning on some music and started working on my AI class. The class that was half interesting and half mind-numbingly dull and boring. But my dad insisted that I took it.

I got a phone call from my dad. Reluctantly, as if flashing back from the nightmares, I answered it. “Hey.” I chuckled sheepishly.

“How you doing, Kiddo?”

“I’m fine.” Totally not. I rubbed my temples and sank deeper in my bed. “Have you boarded yet?”

“We’ve landed. I want to tell you how much I love you. Also, Jose is going to check on the AC to see what’s going on with it today. So can you put Penny in the kennel when he’s doing that?”

“Okay.”

“And don’t keep her there to make it easier for you.”

“I won’t.”

“What are you doing?”

“The AI class.”

“I better not see you on that Bill Cipher AI shit.” I rolled my eyes, gritting my teeth. “I’m not.”

“I can check your browser history. I’ll have Jose turn the WiFi off.”

Then how the fuck am I supposed to do my class? Once again, I held my tongue. “I won’t screw off, Dad.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” I hung up and closed my laptop, the screen causing a headache. Whispers echoed in my ears, which wasn’t uncommon when I was home alone. But it was nonetheless unsettling. “Who’s there?”

Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself…

“That’s a new one.” The voice was familiar and taunting. I grabbed my laptop and phone, moving out of my room to the living room. My dad never liked it when I stayed in bed all day anyways. I turned on the TV to drown out the whispers in my ears. I took a deep breath. I’m not gonna watch YouTube. I turned on The Owl House, needing to catch up on it. A few episodes went by before I felt myself nodding off. It was in that moment where I had realized that I hadn’t taken my morning medicine. Fuck!!! I tried to stand up, but I was too groggy to leave the couch. Fine. You win exhaustion.

I blinked awake, seeing the front door wide open. My heart pounded in my chest, causing me to bolt upright in the couch. A tall blonde man with yellow eyes wearing a yellow suit sat on the couch, taking a sip of his martini glass. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!!!” I screamed, standing up, only to be brought back down by a flick of the man’s wrist.

“Just sit yourself back down, Zie Zie.” The voice from before. My head throbbed. My mouth was dry. I gazed the man in his yellow eyes as he walked up to me. “B-bill Cipher?”

“Ding ding ding!!!”

“But you’re not real. None of this is real.” My heart pounded in my chest, signaling me to run. But my legs and body were frozen to the couch. “This house is haunted, kid.” He took another sip of his martini glass. “Haunted by many ghosts. And also haunted by me.”

It was then when I noticed the translucence in Bill’s form. Almost as if he himself was a ghost. “I’ve seen Gravity Falls before. Shouldn’t you be dead?”

“It would seem so.” Bill laughed. “But we both know that it’s canon that I crossed over to your world. I’m not frozen to a simple statue. I’ve been haunting people for years. Especially you.”

“What?”

“Ever wonder how come you scream yourself awake at times? Why I’m in your dreams so often?” Bill creepily caressed my face. His touch was cold and his claws nicked my skin. Blood dripped from the cuts his claws caused, staining the couch. I yelped, knowing that this was all a dream.

“Aww. Are you scared? Trying to scream yourself awake? Trying to get away from me?” Bill laughed, sitting right next to me and leaning on me. His breath reeked of alcohol and his body smelled of the most dizzying cologne. “What are you doing?!” I screeched, squirming at his predatory grin. “I’m here to offer you a deal. You’re put in a precarious situation. Kid of the house. Surely you’re gonna start hearing the voices of the ghosts of the house.”

“Ghosts? Is this house really haunted?”

“Haunted as fuck. Why’d you think your dad got a good deal? Why do you think you hear doors sometimes slam?” Bill finished his drink, stretching his arms and putting one around my shoulders. “I can show you them. All I need is for you to do something for me.” Bill pulled out his cane from nowhere and put it on my neck, forcing me to look at him. “All I need is a simple deal!!”

“NO!!!” I screamed, buckling against him. “LET ME GO!!! LET ME GO!!!”

“LET ME GO!!!” I booted awake on the couch, panting and covered in sweat. I bolted to my room and took my morning meds, taking a shower to wash off the scent of sweat. I checked the time. 11:30. Jose is supposed to be here around 2. I sighed, putting on a snake tshirt and jean shorts. I turned off the TV and made my bed, putting my laptop and phone away. I went outside, feeling the baking heat on my skin. I overflowed Penny’s dish with water and hosed her off with the hose. I breathed a sigh of temporary relief, throwing the frisbee for the hyperactive dog. Penny was in her first heat, so I had to hose off specks of blood on the porch. I groaned as I grabbed some water, hearing a loud door slam. It’s just the wind. It’s not like ghosts were real. That dream was just a dream.

Yet I found myself running my fingers down my cheek. Sure enough, there were jagged scratches that were as deep as my fingertips. I bolted to the couch, seeing some blood. I groaned in frustration, realizing the mess I had to clean up. I must’ve scratched my face on the zipper when I was tossing and turning. I chided myself, putting the soiled couch covers in the wash. I grabbed some bandages from my bathroom and put them on the cuts. I grabbed my laptop, looking up if I should super glue the cuts shut. Nope. No wounds on the face.

I put my laptop away, deleting the question off my browser. The door knocked. I checked the time. 2:00. It’s not a ghost. There’s no such thing as ghosts. Or Bill Cipher.

I put Penny in the kennel and let Jose in the yard to investigate the AC situation. I heard another door slam, as whispers echoed through my mind once more. Take the deal. Take the deal…

My head throbbed as I turned up the TV. Suddenly, the room heated up tenfold. I was gasping for breath in the frantic heat. I bolted to my room, getting changed into a rash guard and swim trunks. I went into the front yard and hosed myself down, panting heavily in the heat. Jose walked up, looking triumphant. “I found the problem. There was a wire chewed by the dog.”

“Oh. Haha.” I put the hose away and smiled as Jose replaced the wire. He went back to his truck as I let Penny out of the kennel. Penny looked up at me with a quizzical expression, as if wondering why I was soaking wet. “I was hot. So I hosed myself down.”

Penny went back to her usual dog antics as I went inside the house (not before drying off outside so that I didn’t track water in.) The sun had set for the evening, causing me to let Penny in to keep away the coyotes. I put a towel down for her to sit on as I turned on a Disney movie to calm my nerves. I made myself some tortellini for dinner, and didn’t think anything else of the night before taking my meds and going to bed.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of pawing at my door. I opened it, seeing blood on the ground. Groaning, I cleaned it up with a wet paper towel. Penny whined at me and nuzzled me as I cleaned up the mess. “You gotta go outside.” I turned and faced her, noticing a giant raccoon hanging from her mouth. I reared back and screeched, terrified of the corpse. Its legs were torn off and its entrails were sticking out. I put gloves on and put the creature in the trash, then did a deep bleach clean of the house. Penny must’ve eaten the limbs, as I hadn’t found them anywhere in the house despite spending half the day looking. I let Penny back outside, then bolted to the toilet and vomited. I showered myself off, trying to wash away the corpse stench. I heard my phone ring as I got out.

“Hey McKenzie.”

“Hey dad.” I yawned, taking my meds. I decided then not to tell him about the disgusting raccoon incident. “So turns out, Penny chewed the cord to the AC. Jose fixed it. It should be working now.”

“Oh.” Dad sighed. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing fine.” I lied, my voice quivering. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Just dealing with nightmares and shit. Nothing I can’t talk to Jackie about when I see her. Hey, have you seen my wallet?”

“It’s wherever you left it.” I groaned, realizing that I was on my own for this. “Okay. I just got out of the shower. I’m gonna go eat breakfast.”

“Why were you in the shower?”

“I’ve been waking up really fucking sweaty and stinky.” I lied. The truth was much more horrifying than that. “Anyways. Love to the kids. Hope you catch a big fish.”

“Love you too.” Dad hung up as I put on a tshirt and shorts. I rubbed my temples, my head stinging. The thought of ghosts haunting the house itched at the back of my mind. But I kept telling myself that ghosts weren’t real.

The day went on as I continued working on my class. I ate some Mac and cheese for lunch, and made myself some top ramen for dinner. I had curled up in bed, letting the dog in but making sure I had closed the door so no raccoons could get in. I rubbed my temples, took my meds, and went to bed.

My mouth moaned all on its own as my body sat upright. I was half dazed, too groggy from my night time medicine to panic of my body moving on its own. Trapped in my own body like a puppet on a string, I gazed at my eyes in the mirror. They were a bright electric blue without pupils, and my skin was a ghostly white. I tried to get control of my body back as it proceeded to walk itself into the avocado orchard that circled my house.

It sat down, grumbling under its breath something along the lines of “why does the only one in the house have to take such debilitating meds? I can’t get anything done.” It stumbled around, collapsing in the bush of roses. My eyelids closed as I couldn’t stay awake any longer.

I blinked awake, covered in thorns and cuts and my body splayed out on the lawn. The morning dew on the grass was stained scarlet with my blood. My arms were covered in itchy mosquito bites. I stood up, feeling cold and shivery. I walked back into the house, noticing fluff everywhere. Upon further investigation, I realized that Penny had torn apart her bed. Biting back some curses, I let Penny back outside, overflowed her water again, and cleaned up the mess she made in the house. I made myself a bowl of cereal and then took off my clothes, checking the cuts from my possession. There were thorns and sticks, but they weren’t too deep in my skin. I dampened a towel with hydrogen peroxide and cleaned up the cuts, wincing. I bandaged up the cuts, then addressed the twigs and leaves in my hair. I picked them all out, only to feel a prick on my finger.

“Son of a bitch!” I rinsed out my hair in the shower and found a massive black widow wash down the drain. “Well that’s fantastic.” I checked my phone for the time. 7:30. Yeah. My dad would be awake. It’s 8:30 there. But would he be in reception range?

I grabbed my phone, calling my dad. “Hey Kenz.”

“Hey Dad. I’ve got some bad news.” I could practically feel dad’s glare through the phone. “So I was taking Penny for a walk last night, and didn’t take a shower until this morning. I went to go wash my hair and I felt a sting. Yeah. Turns out there was a black widow in there. FUCK!!! OWWW!!!” I started to feel like I was gonna puke. I bolted to the toilet and threw up in it. “Oh shit.”

“What should I do?”

“Kenz, I would wash it and put it on ice. Then I would call Noni and have her take you to urgent care. Grandpa almost died from a black widow bite when he was five.”

“Thanks dad… I feel like shit.” I hung up and called Noni. “Hey Noni. Can you take me to Kaiser Urgent Care? And can you call Mom to get my insurance shit? I got bit by a black widow.”

“A black widow?”

“Yeah, it was in my hair.” I laid on the floor, holding back the urge to vomit again. My body spasmed from cramps. “Ah. Fuck… It hurts…”

“You should call an ambulance.”

“Is it that bad?” I threw up in the toilet again. “Alright. I-I’ll call an ambulance. Can you get someone to keep an eye on Penny for me?”

“Yeah.”

And so I proceeded to call an ambulance, describing my situation through bouts of vomiting and muscle spasms. The emergency crew wheeled in, helping me on a stretcher. I called Noni to let her know which hospital I was taken to.

Upon arriving, I was hooked up to an IV. Noni arrived with flowers and doughnuts, holding my hand as the sedatives kicked in. I was eventually discharged and given orders of bed rest. Noni drove me home and helped me to the bed, where I instantly passed out from the drugs.

I woke up to the sound of barking. My body was too sore and groggy to respond, so I turned and went back to sleep. I heard a knocking at the door, which caused me to get up.

It was the dishwasher guy, who my parents had called because our dishwasher was no longer working. “H-hello…” I grumbled, opening the door for him and sitting on the couch. “I just got back from the hospital. I was bit by a black widow, so I’m kinda on some medication that should wear off eventually… If you need anything, just call my parents and if they ask you to wake me up to tell me something, do it. I probably won’t be too happy, but…” I yawned as the dishwasher guy went to work on the dishwasher. Immediately I dozed off.

And woke up to the sight of a golden triangle with one eye, a bow tie, and a top hat. His arms and legs were pitch black, and he had a cheerful look in his eye. I immediately recognized him. “Hey Bill.” I snarled as Bill sat next to me.

“I tried to warn you about those ghosts, Nightshade.” Bill held the spider bite on my hand. He rubbed my head in a way that sent chills down my spine. But I was in no state to fight back. “That wasn’t a ghost. I was sleepwalking.”

“You were possessed.” Bill sat on my chest, causing sleep paralysis to set in. Fuck fuck fuck!!! Come on, toes. Come on fingers!!!

“Stop denying the fact that your house is haunted.” Bill patted my head. “Your parents know it. Your sisters know it.”

“What did you do to them?”

“Oh! I wouldn’t hurt a hair on their heads!!!” Bill pulled out his cane and dragged me to the ground, forcing my head upright to gaze into his eye. “Your entire life was haunted from the day you saw me for the first time.” Bill ran his fingers down my hair. “I mean, let’s face it. You were never really normal, weren’t you? Always had to stand out. Always getting into trouble. Your parents never helped you.”

“Yes they did! They did everything in the world!!!” I bit back at more curses. “Oh really? Then ask yourself this. Why was it every time they ‘helped’, everything seemed to get worse? Why was it that you almost have no friends? Why do you feel like you wanna die all the time? Why do you almost have no social life?” Bill turned around, freeing me from his cane and disappearing.

I bolted upright awake, hearing the dishwasher guy work in the kitchen. I pulled out my laptop, my mind running at millions of miles an hour. I searched across the web, looking for signs that my house was haunted. I felt a tap on my shoulder, then turned around to find nothing there. I was sweating, shaking and sick to my stomach. I cleared my history and closed my laptop, turning on the TV.

The dishwasher guy came out of the kitchen, sighing. “There’s a part that’s broken. But they don’t make that part anymore. It’s best to replace the entire dishwasher.”

Shit. I sighed, texting my parents more bad news. “Alright. Thank you.” The dishwasher guy left, leaving me alone in the house. I stared at the black widow bite, feeling drained and out of it. I decided then and there that I should start getting ready for bed. I let Penny in, and immediately fell asleep on the couch.

The sound of tearing woke me up. I yawned, noticing more cotton on the ground. Another dog bed was torn up, fluff scattered everywhere. I shouted curses as loud as thunder, then cleaned up the entire place yet again. It was barely even midnight.

I placed the shock collar on Penny, grumbling on about how if Brodey were still alive, none of this would have happened. “Oh. It’s always Brodey this and Brodey that.” A voice chided in my ear. “What kind of dog owner are you? Never caring about the dog you have now.” The voice was louder, and obviously Bill’s.

I couldn’t take it any more. I bolted outside, climbing up a tree. I sobbed in the tree, sweat and blood pooling on my palms. I slipped and fell, landing on the ground. Everything went dark.

I awoke to my phone ringing. I answered it, seeing that it was my dad. “Hey, kiddo. How’s Penny doing?”

Penny? “What about how Kenz is doing? They were just bit by a spider.”

“Penny is…” I stumbled up, my arm bent at an awkward angle. The door to the yard was gaping open. I bolted in with my phone. There was blood on the ground, as well as cotton and fluff. I entered my room, seeing a mess of half my plushies torn to shreds. “No no no no.”

“What?” I bolted into the living room and saw a gaping hole in the couch. “Dad. I’m sorry. But Penny chewed up the couch. And some of my plushies, but the couch is a mess.”

“WHAT?!!”

“Penny. Come outside…” I pushed her outside and locked the door, my heart pounding in my chest. “Dad. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry. The meds had me all fucked up, and Penny chewed up her dog beds. I tried my best to take care of her. I took her for walks. I gave her water. I fed her. But she wouldn’t calm down. She just kept ripping things to shreds.”

“How much time were you on your laptop?”

“What?”

“I bet you were never bit by that spider after all. You spent those days looking at Bill Cipher AI.”

“NO!!! ITS NOT TRUE!!!”

“And you cleared your history to cover your tracks!!!” Dad’s biting words cut through the phone. “Alright. The first thing I need you to do is unplug the WiFi router. I’m coming back from Mexico to pick you up because you can’t be trusted.”

“Dad!!! No. I can handle this!!”

“All you ever do is fuck around on your laptop. How many dog beds have been chewed in my care?”

“Zero.” I panted, shaking in fear. “I’ll be flying in tomorrow and you’re coming down with me.”

“Dad, wait—“ He hung up as the colors faded from the room. I gazed at Bill, who was calm. “Well well well. Someone’s looking desperate to prove themself.”

“What?”

“I can help you kid. You just need to hear out my demands…”

“Fuck… Okay. Just tell me what you want. I’ll do anything. Just prove to him that I took great care of Penny.”

“Why should I just stop there?” Bill held out his hand in a glowing blue flame. I shook it, gazing into his eye. “So, what are you gonna—“

With a swift jerk of Bill’s wrist, I was flung out of my body, forced to stare as it moved on its own with a pair of glowing yellow cat eyes. I gasped, realizing what had just happened. “AHAHA!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Bill showed me my phone, which showed no calls from my dad. It also showed that the date was 7/29/23. The day before my dad and family would come home.

My heart ran cold. “The call was real all right. You were just drugged and possessed the entire time you were home.” Bill stumbled around. “The ghosts kept this body in stellar, as you would call it, condition.” Bill laughed, shoving sticks into my arm. Blood puddled from the wounds, pouring on the ground. “Fuck. These arms are durable.”

“W-we had a deal!!!”

“Sorry kid. You were getting way too close to figuring out some major things in your world. This wouldn’t be the first time I had to clean up the supernatural mess.” Bill laughed, puppeteering my body around. “I’ll stop you!!”

“But how?” Bill grinned a mile wide, playing five finger fillet with a stick in the yard he had sharpened. He stabbed straight through my index finger. “Hahaha!!! Oh shit. I’ve never had someone this sensitive to pain to toy around with. This should be fun.”

“No no no no no!!!”

“Hahahaha!!!” Bill rushed up the hill to the living room where Penny was sleeping. He poked her gently over and over again, then teased her cheeks. He spread his legs out and tapped Penny on the snout. Penny did the play bow and started barking. Her butt was in the air, wiggling. “Penny girl!!! That’s not me!!!”

“But she’s not Brodey either.” Bill grinned. “So why should you care? Or are you suddenly jealous that I can bond with her better than you EVER WILL!!!”

“I… I…”

“I-I-I what?” Bill grabbed a ball and threw it. “Come on, pupper!!! Let’s go!!” Bill tied a leash to my arm and attached Penny to the other end. He walked her outside and threw the ball for her, causing her to bolt down the hill with my body hurtling down. My left eye was stabbed with stinging nettles and my right eye was stung by a bee. The wind was knocked out of my body as it threw up. Bill laughed, sitting up and punching the ground with my arm. Penny gazed on in terror, watching Bill chase a skunk that had gotten into the yard. He tackled the skunk as it sprayed him. My body vomited again and again. It was only bile, as I hadn’t remembered the last time my body had eaten.

The skunk rushed off into the bushes as Bill rushed after it. Penny stood between Bill and the skunk, growling. “Move, mutt!!!”

Penny shook her head, ears down and whining. “Do I have to punish you?”

Seeing my chance, I entered Penny’s body and just as Bill was about to lay hands on her, I snapped her jaws into my skin. Bill shook the arm over and over again, flinging Penny to the other side of the yard.

I was flung out of Penny’s body, and could only watch on as my arm laid limp and bleeding. Thankfully, Bill had turned his attention away from Penny, and turned to the skunk instead. Doubly thankfully, the skunk had long since fled.

Bill sighed, stumbling around and climbing up a tree. He hurtled my body off of it, causing it to land on an awkward angle. Bones crunched as my arm was turned upside down. “Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!” Bill somehow managed to puppet the shattered arm, laughing with each movement causing my body immense pain. Blood poured from the arm, mixing with the dirt to create mud. Broken bones stuck out from the arm, making it look like one of those bats that had nails hammered in. The arm had bleeding holes poked through it like Swiss cheese. It was barely being held together.

“What else can I ruin?” Bill limped on, carrying a sharp stick. He approached Penny, and just as he was about to swing the stick into her chest, my body had froze. “What?” Bill tried swinging the arm over and over again, but to no avail. Penny whined in terror, frozen in place.

“This dog means nothing to you!!!”

“But it means everything to my sisters and dad.”

“Are you seriously gonna let yourself be bossed around by them your entire life?” Bill snarled. “Think about it!!! Your dad dragged you outside, screamed in your face, and forbade you from talking to your gran. He takes away all your electronics on a whim despite you being a legal adult.”

I possessed Penny again, hiding her in the chicken coop. I locked her up, then appeared in front of her. “Penny. I’m sorry. But Bill’s trying to kill you as a plot device. I don’t know how he works, but I know my body is preventing him from hurting you.”

It was then I saw a translucent fox red Labrador gaze up at me. “Brodey?” But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. My heart ached, knowing that Bill was getting closer now. “Fuck. If o can’t hurt dogs, then I guess I’ll have to settle for something else.”

I floated out of the chicken coop, noticing Bill corner a tortoiseshell cat. But my body had seized up in a similar fashion as it did when he had cornered Penny. My heart soared in my chest. Perhaps my overflowing compassion for animals prevented my body from doing any harm to them no matter what had possessed it.

“Damn it!! I guess I’m forced to only torture this body!!” Bill turned around, hunched over like a stalking cat. He entered the house, grabbing Penny’s shock collar and remote. He put the collar on and pressed the remote, shocking my body over and over again until it was on its knees. Bill laughed, grabbing a lighter and burning lines on my skin. He shoved my broken arm into the oven and turned it on, closing the door and heating the arm several hundred degrees. The smoke detectors sounded as Bill took the arm out of the oven and turned it off. It was on fire and seared to the bone. Bill turned on the sink with the other arm and doused the fire before the house set alight. He stumbled around, smiling and laughing. “Hey. What’s this dizzy feeling I feel? Oh well. I guess I have to push this vessel a little more.”

Bill rushed up the stairs and turned on an ice cold bath. He carried several bags of ice up the stairs and into the tub. He forced my body into the ice cold tub, holding it in there until my lips were blue. He dragged my body towards the other tub upstairs, turning it on until it was well overflowing. He forced my body under and forced it to breathe in the water. Finally having enough of that, he exited the tub, barely able to stand.

“Bill!!! What are you doing?”

“I guess I can prolong the suffering of this puppet.” Bill snapped his fingers as my arm scarred over horrendously and was bent at awkward angles. There was no more water in the lungs and the frostbites have scarred over. Bill rushed around the house, chugging a bottle of vodka until blackout drunk. He snapped his fingers again so that my body was only mildly tipsy. Bill pricked his finger and started writing with the needle of blood on a piece of paper a long and elaborate note which read “Pain is hilarious. Too bad this body can’t do much harm to others. I can’t seem to mold past its compassion and empathy. Oh well. All the burning and drowning and freezing in the world cannot compare to the grand finale I have planned for this vessel. Back to my old favorite. Stabbing. Best of all, Zie Zie’s ghost will haunt this world forever, and everyone will think they lost their mind. Well, they did. They were pushed so hard that they burned into the sun like Icarus. Maybe 77 will treat those under his care better now that his PDA autistic brat is gone.”

“BILL!!! STOP THIS AT ONCE!!!!” I begged, trying to stop him from stabbing the knife into my shin. Bill gazed at me, writing on the other side of the sheet of paper in my own hand writing “IT’S BEEN TOO FUCKING HARD SINCE BRODEY DIED!!!! NOW YOU WILL LIVE WITH THE PAIN FOREVER!!!!”

“Bill!!! Bill!!! We had a deal!!!”

“Yes, but you were pretty vague. You wanted to see ghosts. Now you’ll become one for all eternity.” Bill stabbed my shins, bleeding my legs dry. He snapped his fingers and the wounds scarred over. “Besides. I didn’t lie on that note. It seems pretty accurate to how you’re feeling right now. You tried your hardest to keep the dog alive. To live up to your dad’s expectations. You were left home alone for two weeks, got yourself bit by a spider and almost died, and spent the rest of the time in a haze of possession. Your father knew the house was haunted, like you should have, he turned a blind eye. He made a deal to keep Cameron and Dylan safe.”

“But what about me?” The words hit me in the gut. “Aah. He figured you could handle yourself. You always had, after all. Besides, you were trouble enough already. At least Cameron and Dylan had it easy. Dylan’s developing ADHD and it’s all your fault. You traumatized your family with your anger and actions. Your father knows it. Your step mom knows it. And your sisters know it. And you never took responsibility.”

I shook, tears running down my face. “You were bound to die from your own self inflicted trauma eventually. Whether you did it to yourself or someone kills you in the psych ward. And would your dad have cared? Would anyone have cared?” Bill circled me, filleting off pieces of my arm on the ground. “And don’t act like you weren’t planning on killing yourself when your parents were gone either. You were going to cut yourself open. You were going to drug yourself. I’m only doing you a favor and sparing you the pain. All while having a little fun in the process.”

Bill cut a triangle over my right eye, the blood trickling down my face. He gouged the eye out with the knife, throwing it across the room. He carved his image into my back over and over again, cauterizing each triangle with a top hat with the lighter. He broke into the kitchen cabinet, and took a pill bottle out. It was a pill bottle filled with an old dose of my sleep medicine. “You wouldn’t!!!”

“You were already planning it!” Bill took half the bottle, then wobbled around in a daze. He laughed as he took the knife and cut my wrist open. He stumbled around, stabbing the knife into my mouth and cutting out my tongue. He stabbed my stomach, carving it open. Entrails and gust splattered on the floor with blood. My body collapsed, eyes rolling back with a crooked smile on my face being the last thing I ever did.

Bill leaped out of my body, watching my fervent attempts to return to it. I tried to make it move, but realized that there was no bringing it back. All the wounds that Bill had inflicted had opened up. The fifth degree burns. The frostbite wounds. The water in my lungs.

Penny bolted into the house, whining and frantically licking my body’s face. Tears blurred my vision as I noticed the soul of Brodey joining in. Frantic licks tried to rouse me, but to no avail. I grabbed the knife, washing it off and putting it back. “What are you doing?”

“Not giving my sisters any more trauma.” I grabbed my body, weakly dragging it away. Bill shoved me off my body as I reared up to fight him. “Come on!!! We both know my dad’s not gonna let them get therapy for this. He never lets anyone get therapy and… and…” The words were caught in my throat. Bitter rage flooded through me, bringing tears to my eyes. My body started to turn cold, as the blood stopped pooling out of it. It was at that moment where I noticed that my body was wearing the Bill Cipher sweater. “Why did you put that on?”

“You had it on when you went to sleep. You seemed to admire my image so much that you branded me in your clothing. You bonded with that sweater. The funny thing is, that’s how I was able to possess you so easily.”

“My dad’s gonna sue Alex Hirsch for this.”

“Yeah. I thought so. He’s willing to exercise power in all the wrong places. He’d neglect you at the drop of a hat if it weren’t for your disability.” Bill rubbed my head as I bit his hand. “Ouch!!!”

“Don’t fucking touch me!!!”

“Kenz. You’re not gonna hurt me by doing this.” Bill tugged his hand back, wiping the blood off of it. “Oh and by the way, I’ve been waiting a long time for this. The only ghost haunting your house was me. It helped that you kept putting me everywhere. Taping my image to your walls. Buying your pocket watches. I haven’t seen someone this pathetic since Sixer. But you were gonna break away eventually. Once my book came out and you screamed yourself awake enough times to tell your therapists. Couldn’t have my favorite puppet setting themself free so easily.”

“But I’m dead… Doesn’t that mean I’m free?”

“You’re trapped in the mindscape like me, Kid.” Bill smiled. “Sure you can’t enter the nightmare realm like I can, but you haunt this world for all eternity. You can’t even enter heaven or hell. Your soul will never rest. You’ll be forced to watch everyone die without a chance to see them again. And when I break into your world, I’ll make you mine. After all, I own your soul now.”

I shook, grabbing the gravity falls journal three. “Are all these ghosts caused by you?”

“Only in your world. You have a particularly powerful soul. You’ll be worst than that Courderoy fucker. But it’s not like you actually have it in you. At least, not anymore. Knowing you, you’ll probably travel the world and the galaxy. And only animals can see you. Of course, you can haunt dreams and possess objects. If you dare to lay a single haunt on Hershey Bar, I’m going to disassemble your molecules. Just kidding. Haunt him all you want. I’d just love to see you do it.”

I gazed away from Bill and my body. “Will my parents ever know that you did this?”

“Nah. But why should you care? If they found out, then I’ll have to kill them. And I won’t let them off as easy as I let you off. I’ll kill them and absorb their souls.” My heart lurched in my chest. “You won’t know peace. Everyone will forget you. And you’ll be forced to watch. When a soul enters heaven, the only way they can disappear is if everyone they have ever known has forgotten them. Sinners don’t have that, restriction. But let’s be real. You would’ve ended up here no matter how you died. Not heaven nor hell would have taken you. And no one knows why.”

My heart lurched in my chest. “You’re a freak. The only human soul that doesn’t fit in heaven nor hell. At least in this dimension.” Bill turned around, twirling his cane. “In the end, it’ll just be me and you.” He snapped his fingers as he disappeared.

The garage door opened as Dad walked into the kitchen. His blue eyes clouded as I turned away. Unable to bear my father’s regret, I floated away from my house. I’m sorry.

“Too late.” Came Bill’s reply.

[poke-entomology]

A Tentacool Story

So, who else is ready for this arc to be over? Well good for you, there's only one more after chapter 8.

Also, should I post on Fanfiction.net? I got around to signing up for an account, but I'm not sure if it's the best site to post on. Haven't used it since I was a widdle bug catcher using his grampy's computer.

Chapter 8: Just keep Cool

'I am absolutely fucked. I've never fought anything bigger than a trout, let alone an actual pokemon! My health is… well, I don't know how to translate injuries into game terms. My face stings a lot and I'm tired from digging so much.'

'But not fighting isn't an option anymore. This jerk was never gonna let me escape without a fight. It's looking at me like a juicy snack. Jellyfish aren't very nutrient rich, genius! We're the plastic bags of the ocean!'

-"Krabby." snip snip

'And why am I the only pokemon talking?!? Is this guy just dumb? Do dumb pokemon not know how to talk? Am I dumb for not knowing how to talk pokemon? Ah whatever, no time to think about it. Fight's on!'

The Krabby sticks out it's claws with a mighty Vicegrip, but Tentacool manages to skid to a stop just in time.

"Have a taste of this move, I've been practicing!" Stingers dug into the soft ground, Tentacool whips up a bunch of mud, flinging it directly at the opponent. The Mud slap lands dead on, blinding the target!

Flailing about, it snips left and right, dead on! Of course, even blind, it's not hard to hit an opponent that can't move easily. But at least it was only a glancing blow.

Retaliating, Tentacool thrusts a stinger at the thrashing crab. CRITICAL Poison sting lands, sending a venomous shock through it's system!

"How about that? Ready to give up yet?"

-"Krab-Krabby!"

"What did you say about my mother?!?" 'Oh hey, I guess it's not all that hard to understand these guys after all. Just gotta go with it.'

Waving to it's companions, the other fish pokemon start sliding towards the water. It doesn't take the ornery crab to catch on to their ploy. Washing out it's eyes with bubbles, it spies the others making a break for it and scuttles after the bunch!

"Hey! Coward! Where do you think you're going?" 'Damnit, come on you jelly arms, move! Move! MOVE!' slide

'Okay, now move FASTER!' Unable to keep up, Tentacool scoots along, one wet slide at a time. The Magikarp at the bank shout and splash like hell, but Krabby pays them no mind.

It's grabbed one of the escapees at the front of the pack, stopping all the others in their tracks.

'Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.' "Come. OOOOOOOOOON!"

-"Krabby?" The Magikarp splashes one last time, somehow managing to wriggle out of the confused crab's claws. That piercing scream, Supersonic, managed to stun it!

For the second time today, it's prey escaped.

-"Kra-Kra-Kra-Kra-Kra!" It stomped it's feet, snipped it's claws, gnashed it's mandibles, and threw the mother of all tantrums! The pokemon turned it's full attention on the now exhausted Tentacool, rushing him down and delivering a killer Vicegrip. CRITICAL

Grabbing him by the tentacles, Krabby viciously unleashed a torrent of Bubble at point blank range!

The other pokemon looked on in horror, with the rain dying down, there was no chance for escape this time. He was simply too far for anyone to reach. The party had no other option than to continue to the river before the slick grass dried out…

"ABOUT DAMN TIME!" -"Krab!" A Supersonic screech rang through the crab's carapace, forcing it to let go for the third time today!

Constrict! Both of Krabby's claws were suddenly pinched closed.

"Took long enough for the rain to let up. A powered up bubble attack is no joke you know? But hey, I'm resistant!"

-"K-Krab?"

"Wondering about your claws? Yeah, they're pretty strong, but they're built for closing with a lot of force, not opening. But my tentacles, they don't need to be strong. They just have to make contact!"

-"Kra-" Poison sting continued to deal damage, easily outpacing Bubble's now reduced firepower. With both sides faltering, a surprise attack is launched from behind!

"Guys!" A line of Magikarp… and two Goldeen, trail from the direction of the stream. Each one seems to have pushed the one ahead just a bit closer to the action. The final attack came from one brave little fish's splash attack which seems to have launched it's companion for one final Tackle attack.

Under the weight of both poison and blunt force trauma, Krabby faints!

[sanrielle]

⭐️ - for the directors cut ask <3 hope you’re doing okay!!

I'm doing pretty well, thanks :D Hope you are too! Thanks for the ask :)

So this goes back a bit, but it's related to my smut fic, 'As Long As You Need Me', which was left kind of open-ended (mostly to avoid angst). I had ideas for a non-canon sequel--basically an AU--that would take place 20-25 years later. Rather than letting their issues/jobs get in the way of happiness, Toph and Sokka would end up with some accidental kids over the years and figure things out together.

I never wrote this fic, but I did write a scene. It's formatted as a diary entry from the POV of Suyin, the youngest of five. She has a twin brother named Koda, who is deaf and blind. Her other siblings are Kya (Sokka totally stole the name before Katara could use it lol), Ilia, and Lin. Suyin is meant to be ten in the fic, but she tells a story from when she was a couple years younger.

Anyway, I've dug that scene out of my dusty chest-o-abandoned-WIPs :D

~~~~~

Two years ago, we went to the Lantern Festival and Mom punched a guy in the face!! It was AWESOME.

(Since she started the police force back before Kya was born, she’s good friends with the Chief so she got off with a warning.)

But anyway, here’s what happened:

“We’re going to go find our friends,” Ilia said when we got there. She and Kya always went off on their own.

“Can I go with them??” Lin begged. 

“No way! We’re not here to babysit!”

“It’s not babysitting! I’m not a little kid!”

I just kept quiet while they argued, knowing me and Koda would be staying with Mom and Dad whatever happened.

“Mom, c’mon,” Lin said. “At least let me go find my friends.”

Mom probably would’ve let her go, but Dad interrupted.

“C’mon, Lin. It’ll be fun! Remember last year, how we snuck into the parade?”

“Ugh, that was so embarrassing!”

“Oh, give it a rest,” Mom said. “You loved it.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. Mom was right— She and Lin had ‘borrowed’ a dragon costume and run up and down the parade with it. Me and Koda stayed with Dad and climbed onto one of the floats. It was a lot of fun because I got to climb up to the top and wave at people like I was a princess or something.

Anyway, by the time Lin gave up arguing and agreed to come with us, Kya and Ilia were gone. I wished they’d come with us and we could’ve all gone together, but I guess they’re just too grown up to hang out with their parents and siblings :(

We walked around for a little while and played some games, then went to where there were a bunch of food carts by the park and got a little bit of everything. We sat in the grass and pigged out while listening to a band.

Koda was really happy that day. I guess he could feel the beat of the music or something because he got up and started dancing, making excited, happy noises.

He’s never said any words—how would he know them?—so the noises he makes sound a little funny, I guess. He makes different sounds if he’s sad or happy or scared or mad, but I think only people in our family can tell the difference.

Another family walked past and they had a boy about my age. I saw him point at Koda and say something to his dad. I couldn’t hear them but Mom has SUPER hearing and she must’ve heard what the dad said because she got up and stomped over to him all angry. Even though I tried SO hard to listen, I don’t know what she said, but at least I got to see her punch him right in the nose!

It was HILARIOUS! The guy fell right on his BUTT and his face was all bloody! Dad got up real quick and went over there. The guy was yelling and his wife was yelling. Koda was still dancing and making noises, not caring about anything else in the world, so I got up and danced with him. When Mom was done yelling, she and Dad came back and we all danced together—even Lin!

[chimeclan-tales]

Moon 3 - Newleaf

Drive them out!

Note: these images are a different style / a bit lower quality because I was going to animate the fight! But then it's taking too much time and... I wanna get to more kitty drama sooo I'll just link the animation eventually.

After finding traces of trespassing rogues, Beaverspots rushes to find them. He and Brushnibble are ambushed!

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

“So now they’re taking our prey!?” Beaverspots hissed after Brushnibble shared the news. “Then what are we waiting for? We need to get rid of them!”

“You should know better than to rush into battle,” Beetail, his former mentor, scolded him. “We don’t know how many there are, and it’s best we get Windstar.”

“But he’s still out helping Streakswan,” The young tom lashed his tail near the camp’s exit. “We’re all good fighters, and with four of us, the number of rogues doesn’t matter!”

“Uhm, three,” Badgerpaw timidly raised his paw. “I don’t have battle training yet…”

“Still! Three warriors!” 

“We don’t even know where they are, Beaverspots,” Brushnibble meowed.

“You said they smelled like kittypets,” He looked outside. “Then of course, we’ll start near the twoleg place.”

“It’s not that simple–”

“Well, I’m going either way!” He snapped. “It’s better than doing nothing and only finding more traces of them.”

He leapt out the exit, and the cats sighed.

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

“You think I’ll let you go alone?” Brushnibble hissed after catching up to him. He was a fast runner, she’ll give him that.

“Of course not,” He purred, then looked at the ground. “Look, paw prints. Do they smell like the rogues?”

“...Yes. Still fresh.”

He scanned the tall grass. They must be nearby. 

Finally, after all the reports we’ve gotten. Windstar believed they were just passing by, but after that stunt… Who knows what they’re up to!

He paused as his blue eyes met green eyes, hiding in the grass.

“There–” He yowled as sharp claws dug into his back, and the force sent both cats tumbling forward.

He kicked off his attacker and swiped at them. As the cat backed away, he turned to Brushnibble. She had dodged another rogue’s attack, and slammed him right into the ground.

Five more figures emerged from the grass, leaving the two warriors surrounded.

“There you are,” The rogue leader hissed. He had a brown marbled pelt, and a green collar that matched his eyes. “You lowlifes took our territory!” 

“Your territory?!” Beaverspots yowled. “You weren’t even here when we arrived!”

“Ever heard of a vacation?” Another cat scoffed. Her cream pelt wasn’t as shiny, but she did have prey bones affixed to her collar. “We leave to visit Nancy’s for a few weeks, and a bunch of cats have pissed on the lawn!”

“What— Hold on,” Brushnibble meowed. “If you wish to make any claims on the territory, you can speak to Windsta—”

“I’m not here for negotiations!” The leader hissed. “I’m here to send a message. You’re the youngest cats in that group, right?”

A black burly cat stepped closer. His amber eyes raged like fire.

“Your pelts are going on our list of trophies.”

Beaverspots leapt aside as the tom slammed his paws onto the ground, but he hissed as another cat bit down into his back leg. He kicked himself free, and came face to face with the same green eyes from earlier.

“Your threats mean nothing!” Beaverspots leapt straight at the leader, who screeched as the warrior dug his claws into his shoulder. 

Before Beaverspots could subdue him, claws tore into his pelt. He tasted both dirt and blood when he realized the leader was on him instead.

He struggled against the cats holding him down. Through his uninjured eye, he watched as Brushnibble shook two cats off her. She tried to run to Beaverspots, but another two blocked her path.

I can’t die, I can’t die–

“Not very tough, are you?” The leader raised a paw, claws ready to slash his stomach.

A blur of gray knocked the rogue off him. With a yowl, Beaverspots twisted and slashed the other cat holding on him.

As he stood and shook off the hazy feeling in his eye and leg, he found that the stranger had already killed one of the rogues. On the other side, Brushnibble had driven out two more.

“Tch, you– Hey!” The leader yowled. Shaken by their losses, the rogues had started to scatter. “Where are you going?!”

“I suggest ye join them,” The gray tabby growled.

“Tch!” 

He fled as Brushnibble and the stranger stepped closer.

“Yeah! Get out of here!” Beaverspots meowed. Though he tried to smile, things suddenly grew blurrier, and he couldn’t stand anymore. “Good thing… You......”

“Beaverspots!”

Previous Moon Event - First Patrol

Next Moon Event - Sunbathing

[stronghours]

[monsterthalia]

Happy friday! For dadwc 'The smell of blood' for Zevran and any other character/s

Thanks for the prompt!

For @dadrunkwriting Rating: M for the beginnings of smut Pairing: Alistair/Zevran Words: 676

Alistair didn’t consider himself a violent man, but he was ready to kill for a bath.

“I don’t understand,” he said as they started to make camp, “why bandits still look at us - a bunch of travellers including a heavily armed Qunari, a dwarven berserker, and a bear-” with a wave at the shapeshifted Morrigan, “- and say to themselves, ‘oh, they look easy, let’s rob them’??”

“Common sense has never been a shem trait, in my experience,” said Kallian dryly. 

“How did you get so much blood on you?” Leliana asked him, shaking her head, “It’s everywhere.”

“I don’t know, I guess they were just a splashy bunch.” Everything was red. Everything was sticky. Maker, it was even trickling down his back into his smalls. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the river over there, and you’d better avert your eyes if you don’t want a look at my Warden, if you get my drift.”

“I do not,” replied Sten.

“He means his wee-wee,” said Oghren with a grin.

“I still do not-”

Alistair sped up his pace away from the camp before the discussion could get any more anatomically precise.

Reaching the river, he let his shoulders drop, let himself start to feel the weariness and aches of the day. The water would be cold, but he was ready to roll in snow if it meant getting the blood off him. He sat on the ground and began to unlace his boots, and was just pulling them off when he heard a tread behind him. 

He turned to see Zevran, and if he had heard him approach, it was because Zevran had wanted him to hear him. The elf was looking at him intently, and Alistair found his mouth going dry all of a sudden. He’d warned the others what he was going to be doing, and that Zevran followed him-

“Need some help with your armour?” he asked innocently, followed by a smirk that was anything but.

Alistair tried to answer, but nothing but a squeak came out. He cleared his throat loudly, tried again. “That would be very kind of you,” he managed to say levelly.

Zevran knelt behind him and began on the straps of his gorget, working them loose with his strong clever fingers (no Alistair don’t start thinking about the fingers) and removing it, carefully laying it on the grass. Next was the chestpiece, and oh, but he could feel Zevran’s breath on the back of his neck as he worked the blood-soaked leather free, and the relief that came as the armour was lifted from his shoulders was a relaxation that quickly rushed through his body to… other areas, which became very very focussed, especially as Zevran trailed his fingers across his back and began to massage his shoulders.

“Zevran,” he began, planning to say - what? Thanks for your help? - anything to take control of this situation which was rapidly slipping from his fingers, but then Zevran’s clever fingers dug into a knot and fuck but that sensation went straight to his cock, a moan slipping from his lips.

“The noises you make,” he heard Zevran say with a grin in his voice, breath whispering against his ear. “Relax, Warden. Let Zevran take care of you.”

A dozen Chantry sisters were all tutting in his head, but they evaporated at the next pass of Zevran’s fingers, rolling small circles at the base of his neck, melting him in his hands. “I should probably wash at least,” he murmured, eyes sliding closed.

“And what if I like you like this, hmm?” He felt Zevran tuck his face into the side of Alistair’s neck, felt him inhale deeply, felt a satisfied hum rumble through him which made Alistair’s own toes curl. “All bloodied up. Hands dirty. The legends can’t see you now.” He felt Zevran grin, felt those teeth graze against the skin of his neck, sending such lightning shooting across his skin that he could have sworn he was a mage. “It’s just you and me.”

[throughtrialbyfire]

TESFest, Day 6 - In Bloom

a fond summer memory in the past of a future dragonborn word count - 2,371

It had been four months since Athenath's parents moved back to Anvil. He'd chosen to remain in Bravil, that bittersweet city, wooden homes piled high like fashionable Imperial headwear.

The moment Darr'kessh and Dra'khurra heard the decisions and saw the Altmer's parents leave, the pair conspired to bring meals over on occasion, or on others, invite the teenager to have dinner with their family. It was barely a fight, the Altmer adored them dearly, and had grown up with their children as his playmates.

Dra'khurra would sometimes send them on errands, and Athenath would revel in the chance to be doing something with his time. Today, she had him down at the water, searching for some plants scrawled down on a note. Athenath rolled up the legs of their trousers until the fabric bunched under his knees, wicker basket swinging off his arm. He'd told Dra'khurra not to pay him. "Nonsense," she'd waved her paw, "you go and do as this one asks, and you'll have gold for your effort."

So, here they were, trailing the Niben bay with the basket, climbing the hillsides to search for the plants. Muttering curses to himself as they struggled to parse the looping cursive of the older Cathay-Raht's handwriting, they glanced to the wild-growing lavender and poppies and squinted to be sure these were the exact kinds they were asked to find. Dra'khurra was very particular about the plants she required, and it often meant that, as children, Athenath and their friends would spend hours plucking bundles of similar-enough plants and bringing them in their tiny palms to the herbalist. She'd pat their heads and marvel at the bundles, but years later, Athenath laughed at the memory, knowing full well they'd not brought a single thing she'd asked for on some days.

"Oh, elf-cat," called a familiar voice that sent Athenath's head up from where he'd been staring, grin sprawling on his lips, "you seem to have forgotten this one in your hurry!"

"This one?" They turned, facing the familiar, mirror-sharp grin of Ja'dato. "You, or something else?"

"No," he replied, folding his lips against his teeth and bending the corners of his mouth down, creating an upside-down smile that dug into the fur of his cheeks, "oh, no, simply you forgot your… List!"

Athenath held up the paper in their hand. "No I didn't."

"Other list! Of things to do, once you're done with this." Ja'dato clicked his tongue, rushing up the grassy hillside to the Altmer.

"Ja'dato," Athenath groaned, "can I maybe get more information than that?"

"You don't know? Oh, you need to enjoy yourself, have a list of things to do out here in the sun while it is warm, and the sands are soft, and the sky blue. A list of things such as…" he clicked his tongue, tapping his chin, "…have a meal, go for a swim, these things!"

Athenath cackled, swinging an arm around Ja'dato's shoulder, the taller of the pair bending down to be level with the short Altmer. "You're pathetic, you know that?" He said it with such a fondness, Ja'dato rolling his big, luminous eyes. He pulled back, watching the elf stumble atop the grass for a moment.

"Okay, you may have forgotten…. This one," he pressed his paws to his chest in a grand flourish, "but! What I say is true, we should relax, my mother can wait."

"Sure, if she wasn't paying me," Athenath bent to pluck a handful of poppies, their scarlet color blooming along the lengths of their long, cream-colored fingers. "But if you wanna help, I mean, I won't say no," he sing-songed at the Khajiit, who began rolling up the sleeves of his tunic.

"Well, you know this one loves a challenge. How many of what, and where?"

Milk thistle, poppies, lavender, tiger lilies, the bundles settled into the wicker basket as the pair walked through the town, Athenath restraining himself from cackling at every joke the other could spin from his lips. The sun still hung high in the southern Cyrodiilic skies, streaming light into the small shop as they pushed the door open.

"Ah, how lovely to see you two," came the voice of an Alfiq woman resting on the counter, tail swishing idly off the edge. Today, she wore a bright red hat, tied with silk scarf down beneath her chin. Her black fur gleamed in the sunlight, warmed by the noon. She laid along the counter, near jars of incense and solid perfumes. "This one does dearly hope that Ja'dato did not hinder you."

"Nope! In fact, he actually helped me out for once." Athenath landed a playful punch against the taller boy's arm, before turning their eyes back to the Alfiq.

"Excellent," she nodded sagely, rising to her paws. Sitting back on her haunches, she waved one front paw in an idle motion. "Dra'khurra is back there, this one is certain she will appreciate your help."

"Thanks, Ka'taaji," Athenath waved, brown curls bobbing as he made a brisk, springing walk to the back of the shop. Calling into the wooden room, they leaned against the doorframe which lead to Dra'khurra's herb drying station. "Dra'khurra, we're back!"

The Cathay-Raht emerged moments later, already having cleared a space for the flora. Her broad, strong figure clad in a deep, cyan gown, dark violet apron tied to her waist, the colors swirling along her in vivid warmth. "You know where to set them," she ruffled Athenath's hair, and turned her golden eyes upon her son, "and you, were you any trouble?"

Ja'dato grinned. "Only as much as this one," he gestured with a clawed thumb, "would allow him to be."

"He was no trouble," Athenath chuckled, Ta'agra light on his lips, "we're actually going to be out again for a while, if that's alright."

"That's fine," Dra'khurra leaned along the doorframe, glancing back at Ka'taaji, "just mind the dark. Neither of you need to be out into the night, at least outside the city walls."

"Elf-cat would never dare get Ja'dato in trouble," the Cathay boy clicked his tongue with a sprawling smirk, tail swishing high along his back, "they're such a stickler for the rules, mother, you know this."

Athenath pressed their palms to the table, lips clenched between their teeth to stop himself from laughing as Dra'khurra heaved a loud, heavy sigh.

"Stickler or no, you two be safe. My kittens are my business." She straightened the edges of her sons tunic, large paws working to adjust his belt along his waist and dust his shoulders off. "Aren't they, Ka'taaji?"

"Our family, our business." Ka'taaji nodded slowly, closing her eyes. "Speaking of, this one is going to get back to work, my daughter must be bored in my absence." She hopped from the counter and gave a long, claw-extending stretch along the floor, before stretching out her back legs in the same. "I shall be in the chandlery, come get me, should you have need."

"Will we expect your family for dinner?" Dra'khurra asked as the Alfiq lingered in the doorway.

"Hmmmm, perhaps, you're not making that blasted stew again, are you?"

Dra'khurra smirked, shrugging her broad shoulders. "Depends, are you going to complain?"

"By the moons," the Alfiq groaned, beginning the brisk walk down the wooden walkway to her own shop. Athenath waggled his brow, bumping their head to Dra'khurra's shoulder.

"I'll be over, if that's okay," they said, "I like the stew, so long as it's not lamb this time."

"It's not," Dra'khurra confirmed, bumping her forehead gingerly to the top of the Altmer's head. "Then we'll be seeing you."

Snatching a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses from Athenath's home, the pair headed back to the bay, finding a comfortable spot along the hill to rest. Among the poppies and lavender, among the grasses, a world of it's own, a self-contained summer. Bravil was not a wealthy city. It could be dangerous, had been dangerous, but nothing stopped the love that bloomed for the city in Athenath's chest. He sprawled out on his back, letting the sun soak into his clothes with a satisfied hum. Still, something reached into the back of their mind, a distant hum, a call of the skies and the other cities and the sprawl of the roads and ruins littered to the sides.

"You know, I'm thinking about getting out of here."

Ja'dato furrowed his brow, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Why is that?"

"I don't know. I'm just… I love it here, and I did make the choice to stay, but the world's so vast, and there's so much to see, and if I don't go and see it, I think I'll go crazy."

"But you have seen plenty of this world," Ja'dato snickered, "Leyawiin, Anvil, Bravil, and the Imperial City. You feel relaxed here, no?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then what is there to see?" He sipped from the glass, and sputtered against it. "By the Riddle'Thar, this tastes foul."

"Yeah?" Athenath sipped from their own glass, swishing the wine around in their mouth for a moment before shrugging, swallowing it. "Nah, I think your tastebuds just suck."

"Oh," Ja'dato bumped his forehead to Athenath's shoulder, "you are the one who cannot taste."

"No, I'm pretty damn sure that's you," he returned, bumping his head along the other's as well. They sat like this a while, tops of their heads pressing comfortably against one another, Ja'dato purring, closing his eyes.

"Mm, this is precisely why the elf-cat cannot leave," he murmured, "who would share wine with me on the bay? Who would collect plants for my mother?"

"You," Athenath poked a finger against his chest, "you and your siblings, dumbass. And you could have a family picnic at the bay, it could become a tradition."

Ja'dato pouted. "We'd be missing one, it would not be family."

Athenath sighed, raking his fingers through his hair, pulling their knees to their chest. "Yeah, I guess."

Silence lingered longingly through the breeze, sun beginning to loop it's light along the clouds in swishing colors of orange, late afternoon coming much sooner than either anticipated. Ja'dato leaned back on his paws, long fingers tapping into the grass. The sweetness of the flowers blooming all around them filled his lungs, and he drew in a deep, well-needed breath. A dozen ringing words formed at his mind, against his rough tongue, bustling around his teeth. He looked to the Altmer, his friend since the pair could lay eyes on one another, thick as thieves and occasionally becoming thieves when the mood was right.

Ja'dato's world was not an expansive one, but it stretched long against the grasses and the sands, and bathed in the moons with satisfied purrs, his sister and his brother, their friends, his parents, his friends parents. He counted the names. He looked to the Altmer.

"Well, if you insist upon leaving," he pushed a hand into his pocket, retrieving something the elf couldn't see, "then this one has a gift. Wear it, and think of home."

"What?" Athenath watched as he unfurled his fingers, slow at first, then all at once, like petals of a peony opening for the spring rains.

The amulet sat in his palm, rolling patterns and turquoise gem, the beads strung along it's chain leaving no doubt about what it was. They clasped their fingers over their mouth, eyes going wide, brows shooting up to his hairline as the amulet of Mara caught the noon light. His heart leapt into his jaw, stomach hardening.

"I- Ja'dato, I mean, I know we're like, close and all, but-" everything came out in a rush, and catching their shock, Ja'dato's expression betrayed surprise as he frantically waved away whatever suspicion they had.

"No- oh, by the Riddle'Thar, no, I'm not-" He laughed, nerves wrestling with his tongue, "oh, I'm not proposing, elf-cat, settle down."

"Thank the eight," they rubbed their temples, "we're sixteen, I think that's a little early."

"Well, for you," he snickered, "Altmer don't marry until they are hundreds of years old, correct?"

Athenath wavered a flattened palm. "More like fifty, sixty, somewhere in there. Anyways, what're you…?"

The Khajiit pulled the chain gently open, and slid it over their head, along his throat, the amulet resting on Athenath's chest. "It is a gift. I wanted to give it to you at a good time, but now seems as good as any."

Athenath wrapped their palm around it, and feeling indents, turned the amulet over onto it's back. In the sunlight, he could make out Ja'dato's carved Ta'agra, the impressions hard on his tracing fingertip. A phrase, simple and sweet, 'from your loves, to your love'.

"What does this…?"

"In fifty or sixty years, this one anticipates you will find yourself a husband, and you may give this to him." Ja'dato explained, ruffling their hair. "Hopefully, he will appreciate it. And the reminder, he is not the first to love you."

He didn't anticipate the elf to throw their arms around his neck and pull him tight, face burying into his shoulder, but he wasn't complaining. Ja'dato wrapped his own arms tight around him, breathing in the noon air, the salt of the Niben bay, the scent of flowers. "Thank you," they mumbled against his neck, "you'll never know how much I care for you, Ja'dato."

"I can only hope," he teased, earning a small pinch from the Altmer against his side. He yelped, and when the mild annoyance had run it's course, he nuzzled his forehead to theirs. "Besides, what a shame it would be for a devotee of Mara to not wear her amulet, don't you think?"

They spent the afternoon drinking debatable wine and walking along the bay, flowers crowding their ankles, wind ruffling the pair's clothes and hair. Athenath would leave Bravil in a few short months, but for now, he had his friends, and the life that had built so stubbornly around them, and the world at their fingertips. And in this moment, beneath the slight hints of the guiding light of Jone and Jode, that was enough.